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By Ilana Engel

This morning we woke up to another sweltering hot day in the Windy City – making many of us wonder how Chicago got its chilly nickname. We began the day with an early meeting with Cook County Commissioner Gainer – an articulate woman involved in prison and jail reforms in Chicago.  In a county with one of the most expensive criminal justice systems in the country, Commissioner Gainer spoke about the need to bring the “human standard” to the jails and prisons of Cook County (which encompasses most of the city of Chicago). She spoke about the laws that already changed – like the one which separated women who had just given birth to a child from their babies after only one day. She also talked about the reforms that need to be made, such as the unfairness of shackling prisoners in hospital settings, where they could potentially receive worse treatment by doctors and hospital staff. The changes she wanted to make to the criminal justice system did not end there – she proposed sentencing reforms which would hopefully end some of the racial and socioeconomic differences in judges’ sentencing decisions. Lastly, she addressed the need to implement a basic job skills training program in order to reduce the 53% of returning prisoners after only 3 years. The program, which would include basic lessons on job etiquette and balancing a budget in the home, would allow prisoners to return to society as higher functioning contributors and workers. Though many of us came into the meeting with the view that prison should be nothing but punishment, Commissioner Gainer made many of us see that the benefits of this program would only reduce taxpayers’ dollars over a long period of time.

After our meeting at City Hall (which awesomely enough was set up by an Etgar alumni), we headed to Michigan Avenue for some free time in Chi-Town. I know that  I for one have never been to a better food court than “Food Life” inside the Water Tower Place building. In the tradition of visiting chocolate factories, many of us also visited the Hershey building, where we welcomed the free samples. In the afternoon, we went to the Art Institute of Chicago, which houses many of America’s iconic pieces. Paintings like Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” and Hopper’s “Nighthawks” have helped to define and shape the American cultural identity. Besides witnessing Wood’s depiction of old-school values and Hopper’s painting of lost souls meeting at a corner bar, I also saw a lesser-known painting that really exemplified what we’ve been learning for weeks. In Nicole Eisenman’s “The Drawing Class” each artist draws the same subject in a completely different manner – just as we have been engaging in issues from all standpoints. Even though each artist clearly saw the subject differently, they all sat and drew together, just as we are learning the beauty of being able to “agree to disagree” (as Billy likes to say) to see the subject matter differently.

After the museum, we talked about the changin’ times beginning in 1968 in Grant Park, where we sat to discuss the controversial period and listen to some Bob Dylan. We sat and listened in the spot where both the Democratic National Party broke apart in 1968 and came together in 2008 with the acceptance speech of President Barack Obama. After we left the Second City, we ended the day with a first class dinner at Crackle Barrel in Indiana on our way to Ohio.

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By Jaime Kaiser

Glad to be reunited with our bus and driver Robert, we set off for our first full day in the city of Chicago! Our first stop was the Medill school of Journalism at Northwestern University where we met with Dean Levine. He showed us some of the cool new technology that will be released in the upcoming years that we will use to consume information more rapidly and efficiently. His perspective on the direction media is heading and what news companies must do to adapt in a rapidly changing digital age was intriguing. The discussion made me more aware of the decisions I make about where and how I receive information.

For lunch, we made our way over to downtown Evanston for some deep dish pizza. Being the New Yorker that I am, I still favor New York style pizza, but enjoyed trying Chicago’s spin on a classic American meal.After we filled up on that, we spent a couple hours of free time shopping in downtown Evanston. I now understand why it’s called the windy city, I could barely make it up the sidewalk without blowing over!

After Evanston we met with Mr. Jackson Potter, a representative of the Chicago teachers union. He brought up some fair points about the rights of teachers and the ways the union protects those rights and benefits the entire school system. This, in conjunction with the other education discussions held earlier in the trip, made me realize the flaws unions possess but also the necessity of their existence.

Following our meeting, we made our way down to a park that overlooked lake Michigan. It gave us breathtaking view of the Chicago skyline! We wrapped up a long day with dinner at Panera bread and Chipotle and then walked over to a comedy club for an improv comedy show. I was amazed by their ability to throw together hilarious skits in the moment with such little time to plan or prepare. We all had a great time, but were definitely relieved to be back at the hotel after a busy day in the humid chicago weather.

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After waking up and eating breakfast we ventured into Evanston, a city near Chicago, to hear from the Dean of the Medill School of Journalism. His name is John Lavine. The Dean spoke to us about advances in media technology that already exist but are not yet in the marketplace. Imagine a computer from a simple pen-like metal stick. From the stick comes a small image, one which is the size of a laptop screen, and the other is a keyboard that is projected onto any hard surface. It is a fully functional computer but it seems like something out of a science fiction movie. We saw other technological advances such as computers that can also be worn as accessories, or cereal boxes that can display digital news stories. He drew us in by wowing us with technology. In his talk, he covered how mass media technology is changing how we get our information. Meeting with Dean Lavine fit today as Amazon, the largest print book seller, just announced that they now sell more ebooks than print books. He spoke about how the way we read books will change as authors can include the actual song that a character may be listening to or pieces of a movie that is being described in the story. Speaking of news consumption, Dean Lavine spoke about how with the ubiquity of computers today and most news able to find a way onto the internet, we have the ability to customize our news consumption. We can pick and choose what we read and what we ignore. This poses a slight problem, since only reading what we agree with or shutting out what we don’t want to hear leads to a limited view of events and understanding of current affairs. The Dean argued that customized content will actually allow the creator of the content to slide in other stories that connect to the topic of what you are reading and, in the end, expose you to wider interests. He strongly believes in the power of technology and the power we can have wielding technology. In an age when anyone, anywhere with computer access can publish their writings, images, or audio online for anyone to access, technology empowers us to share our ideas. Taking this idea to the media means that there are now some news outlets which citizens, not professional journalists, run. After sharing all of this new technology, Dean Lavine left us with advice on how to be savvy consumers of all this media. First we need to find a source we trust, then a journalist that we trust. We also need to not fall into the “looking for the answer” trap. No one journalist or source has the answer. The goal of journalism is to provide facts. No one will provide the truth. We can only read what we can and develop our own truth. With the future of media fast approaching, we can play an active role in shaping it as we consume and even produce journalism. John Lavine, the Dean of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, one of the foremost journalism schools in the country, provided us with insight into our evolving world in a way no one else could.

at the Northwestern University gate

From there we walked into downtown Evanston to Giordano’s, a pizza place. Of course, since we were in the Chicago area, they served us their famous deep dish pizza. Eating this hunk of dough, cheese, and tomato sauce made it really real that we were in Chicago. We had some free time to walk around downtown Evanston discovering the area ourselves.

From lunch and free time, we went to the Art Institute of Chicago. Its collection holds many famous pieces. On the walls we saw George Seurat’s “A Sunday On La Grande Jatte – 1884”, as well as Vincent Van Gogh’s  “The Bedroom”, many Georgia O’Keefe’s and the iconic “American Gothic” by Grant Wood and “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper. Unfortunately, we would need days we didn’t have to see the entire collection.

We left the museum to go to Grant Park a couple of blocks away. Grant Park is the site where the protestors were located during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Billy told us the history of how the protestors rioted against the nomination of Hubert Humphrey and against the Vietnam War. The riots also showed the rest of America the unrest that was sweeping across the nation and helped get Richard Nixon elected. We sat on the grass where protestors stood 42 years ago and listened to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’”, written before 1968 but strangely prophetic in describing the generation gap. Forty years after the 1968 riots, on November 4, 2008, Grant Park held the crowds amassed to hear newly-elected President Barack Obama’s election night victory speech. This park holds the memories of defining moments in our country’s history. It was incredible to actually be there while we talked about what happened there. We got back on the bus and started our drive towards Cleveland.

learning about the 1968 Democratic Convention riots in Grant Park

I woke up in the morning and had my usual breakfast. We were all told to come into a meeting room, where we spoke about the prison system in America and the various ideas of prison reform. Some people thought we should change prisoners to better society, while others thought prisoners don’t deserve the use of our tax dollars. This prepared us for our first meeting of the day. We drove down to the Northwestern University Law School to speak with Bob Manor, who is a prison and jail monitor and advocate for reform. He felt that prisoners should be educated while in jail. Mr. Manor thought this would lower our high incarceration rate. For the most part, our group supported prison reform.

After this meeting, we walked to Michigan Avenue and had free time to eat and shop on the Magnificent Mile. My group first went to Walgreens to buy some items and then to Water Tower Place for lunch. They have a food court with many different styles of food. I got a salad while others got Chinese and burgers. After eating, some of us tried shots of wheat grass.

After free time we went as a group to the Chicago Historical Museum. They had an exhibit on protesting for rights that fit right into what we have been learning on this trip. We also had time to walk around the other exhibits. Some were more interesting than others. My favorite section was about bootleggers and gangsters.

After the museum, we did what many Chicagoans do during the summer, we headed to Lake Michigan. We played Frisbee, football, and card games. Towards the end, Sam Prieto’s uncle and aunt came with cupcakes and we celebrated his birthday.

		celebrating Sam's birthday

We then walked to dinner where we had a choice of Thai, Burritos, or Panera Bread. After dinner we walked to Wrigley Field and saw where the Cubs played and next door was an Improv Theater where we saw their show. Everyone loved the show as the skits were very funny.

As I awoke and rushed to the door at 7:45 AM to acknowledge that my roommates and I were actually up and getting ready (a harmless lie), feelings of optimism about the day ahead started to overcome me. After a hearty continental breakfast, we boarded the bus and headed to the beautiful town of Evanston, Illinois, home of the Northwestern University Wildcats.

We began our day by meeting with John Lavine, the Dean of the Medill School of Journalism. Throughout Dean Lavine’s intriguing presentation, we were given the opportunity to glance into the future of media technology while learning about the new and improved ways we will get our news and information. It was truly eye opening to see how accessible information has become.

After an hour and a half, we, unfortunately, had to leave our meeting with Dean Lavine but our smiles were restored when we learned of our next stop: deep dish Chicago-style pizza at Giordano’s. It was delicious and a new experience for many of us. It would be safe to assume that we all left a few pounds heavier.

Following lunch, we drove back into Chicago to spend time at the Chicago Art Institute. We all enjoyed reenacting the scene from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”  in front of George Seurat’s painting “Sunday In The Park.” (If you haven’t seen the movie, you should get on that.) Overall, the Art Institute gave us a new appreciation for the creative works of others.

We then strolled over to Grant Park, home of the protests during the heated 1968 Democratic Convention. We learned about the power struggle and division within the Democratic Party at that time. We discussed the roles of Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and the remaining members of the “Chicago 8”. We also discussed the symbolism of Grant Park being the site where President Barack Obama gave his victory speech in November. Once again, we were standing where history happened.

Billy discussing the 1968 Democratic Convention in Grant Park

Following our discussion, we boarded the bus and started our trek towards Cleveland. We stopped for a delicious meal at Cracker Barrel along the way. As I sit on the bus writing this, I cant help but think that the feelings of positivity I had at the start of the day were justified.

Today we woke up in Chicago and went to the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. Our meeting was to be about poverty. Unfortunately, another speaker got assigned to us who spoke to us about Judaism’s connection to social justice. He also told us about a program that JCUA runs for teens. While he did not cover the issue we thought we were supposed to cover, we did have an interesting conversation.

For lunch, we had free time on Michigan Avenue in order to eat and shop. Then we went to the newly renamed Willis Tower which is also “formerly known as the Sears Tower.” We waited in line for a very long time to go up to the 103rd floor but it was really worth it. I learned that the Willis Tower is the same height as 262 Michael Jordans. The view from the 103rd floor was amazing. My favorite part was definitely the Skyledge, which is a brand new 4 ft ledge you can walk out on and stand on a glass ledge floor and see straight down. It looked like you were standing right over the city.

We then did what many Chicagoans do during the summer, we went to the lake and relaxed. We played frisbee, football, and just hung out.

To finish off the first day in Chicago, we went to an Improv Comedy show at the Improv Olympix.

inside Improv Olympix

outside Wrigley Field

Today we woke up in Chicago and went to sleep in Toledo. Our first meeting of the day was with Max Miller, an advocate for Environment Illinois. Their goal as an organization is to lobby at the state level for environmentally friendly legislation. The major issue we discussed was global warming and how to reduce carbon emissions. Right now they are trying to enact California’s policy on fuel efficient cars in Illinois as well as mandating that all new buildings be insulated and have fuel efficient furnaces. He also told us that contrary to popular belief, ethanol from corn isn’t actually better for the environment. The fertilizers and pesticides used to grow the corn and turn it into fuel are more detrimental to the environment than helpful. However, there are methods to create oil from plant waste, such as unused stems. Max knew his information very well and led an interesting discussion.

We had an early lunch at Potbelly Sandwiches and then walked to Grant Park where Billy spoke to us about the 1968 Democratic Convention. 1968 was a radical year in politics with the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy along with the controversial Vietnam war. Protesters stormed Grant Park and the convention itself which caused violent retaliation that was broadcast to televisions nationwide. It was a beautiful day and we got time to play in the park and climb on the statue just like in the pictures of the 1968 convention.

Next, we went to Hyde Park and to the home of one of the most interesting characters we’ve met so far, Bill Ayers. After watching a documentary on Bill Ayers and his time in the radical group, the Weather Underground, we were all convinced that we were walking into the house of a terrorist. It was a pleasant surprise to see a friendly looking man answer the door. Sitting in his living room, he let us ask questions and then he started to talk about the topics we were interested in. First, he outlined the basic history of the Weather Underground. They were a radical student anti-war movement in the late 60s and the 1970s. Their terrorist reputation evolved from their radical methods of blowing up buildings in order to “make the war painful for the warmakers.” While most of us would probably not go so far as to use explosives, he made it seem as if it was necessary to get the government to listen. Mr. Ayers also spoke on some of the issues he is involved in today, such as the anti-death penalty and anti-prison movements, which was very eye opening. He also spoke about his recent publicity in the news as a “terrorist” who has given money to Barack Obama. Overall, we were enthralled with Bill Ayers’ stories and ideas.

Because Bill Ayers’ house is only a block away from Barack Obama’s house, we took a detour to go be extreme tourists. We sat in the lawn of a synagogue across the street from the Obama’s residence and had our wrap up there.

We left Chicago and watched “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” as we made our way to Toledo.

I woke to the sound of beating rain to confront the reality of the loss of ten great friends. The day started at 9:15 AM as the group headed to the Art Institute of Chicago. Personally, I do not consider myself an “art person” but after experiencing the museum, I walked away with a newfound appreciation for art. As I strolled through the elongated hallways of the museum I witnessed everything from contemporary paintings to abstract sculptures. I enjoyed a variety of cultural displays including Egyptian, Oriental, and Islamic jewelry, pottery and general artifacts.

After the Art Institute we fed our appetites by indulging in traditional Chicago deep dish pizza. The thickness of the pizza was like nothing I have ever experienced before. My stomach was satisfied after only one slice.

After lunch the group met with Sam Aranson from the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs and he led us in a discussion on the issue of poverty. As Sam spoke, I began to realize the magnitude of the situation. He split the group into two teams in preparation for what would turn out to be an intense debate. Each team had a packet of information in which to organize their arguments from. The topic of the debate dealt with pan handlers and whether we should make it illegal to ask for money. Zach and Blake, representing the two different sides, started the argument off strong with their powerful opening arguments. Alana and Hannah delivered their rebuttals with passion and confidence. Although each side had contrasting views on the solution to Chicago’s poverty problem, the debate was effective and educational.

In order to let off some steam from the debate, we made our way to Michigan Avenue. As we walked along the streets we got a taste of the city of Chicago and helped stimulate the local economy (shopping!).

Next was the lake. As we sat enjoying the scenery of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline, all the girls witnessed a glimpse of the boys’ football skills as they partook in an intense game. We then walked to dinner at Panera Bread where I experienced my first bread bowl.

After dinner we walked to a great Improv comedy club. I found the show hysterical and a great way to end the day. Before we got on the bus we walked around legendary Wrigley Field.

I can’t say I was ready to leave the spectacular city of San Francisco with the hilly streets, great weather, lots of public transportation (which did get us around the city very well) and funky people. However, the Windy City of Chicago presented a whole new excitement and new agenda of things to do. Our group will truly miss the eleven friends that departed for their homes yesterday. It is amazing to think how much we bonded and how close we got to know each other in just three weeks, coming from all over the States and diverse backgrounds; the good memories we share will never fade. After all, this is just the beginning.

Looking around the city of Chicago, one could sense a vibe of the bustling city life with all the skyscrapers and unique infrastructure. Touring the Sears Tower and learning how it was built was quite the experience. The view from the top gave us an idea of what Chicago is all about. An interesting feature of the city is the Chicago River which runs through the heart of it all.

Following our Sears Tower tour, we got to experience the tastes of Chicago with some zesty delicious deep dish pizza at Ginos East. The wide variety of toppings, sea of sauce and deep crust made it an unforgettable experience.

We then went to Evanston and to Northwestern University where we met with the Dean of the prestigious Medill School of Journalism, John Lavine.

We discussed the First Amendment, Freedom of the Press, how to be consumers of media and the future of media. It was a shock coming to the realization that news corporations are not always delivering the whole story, or both sides of a story, to its viewers. As a result, bias becomes a big factor in all forms of news communications. This raises an important question: What are Americans supposed to believe? The simple answer is that Americans can believe whatever they want, accept some things, deny others, and are forced to find out the entire truth for themselves. That is what people power is all about.

We then had time to explore downtown Evanston on our own. After shopping we did what Chicagoans do in the summer, we hung out at the lake. Some of us chose to play football to get some of our energy out while others played guitar and listened to music, while others just enjoyed the quiet atmosphere and looking at the skyline of Chicago across the lake.

To top off our first day in Chicago, we went for another Chicago tradition, Improv Comedy. We went to Improv Olympics where many comedians got their beginning and we had a great night as a group and got a good laugh.

“Please give me 30 more minutes to sleep” is the first thought that came to my mind when Ezra knocked on our door to wake us up. The breakfast at this hotel has been one of the best so far so it was a good start to the day.

First on our agenda was a meeting with the Sierra Club to speak about global warming.

We discovered that the effects of our pollution and carbon dioxide emissions from our cars are truly hurting the earth. Our speaker informed us that there is so much we can do to prevent the worst case scenarios from happening. For example, we can buy special energy efficient light bulbs that use only ¼ the amount of energy of regular bulbs, carpooling, using public transportation, unplugging items that are not in use because when plugged in they are still pulling electricity even when they are off. If we do not act on this issue now, it will be our children and grandchildren that pay the ultimate price.

After our meeting we went to downtown Chicago and had some free time on the part of Michigan Ave known as the Magnificent Mile. We were able to eat and shop. This area of town was very crowded with lots of traffic and active city life. After our downtown stroll we went to Grant Park. Here Billy spoke to us about 1968 and the anger and confusion America was feeling after the assassinations of Dr. King and Robert Kennedy, the changing mood on the Vietnam War, and how it all came to a head at the Democratic Convention that was being hosted by Chicago. Many young people came to Grant Park to protest against the war and the fact that the Democratic Party decided not to push for peace. The mayor of Chicago was not going to allow these protestors to make Chicago look bad so he called in the police and National Guard to control the riots. Many of the young people were beaten by the police and it was shown on television. This outraged some of America as they could not believe our elected officials would turn against its own people.

After our discussion and listening to Bob Dylan sing “The Times They Are A-Changin”, we went to the Chicago Art Museum, which had paintings from such famous artists as Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh and Dali. I personally enjoyed the miniature works as well as the architecture exhibits. The huge museum had something everyone could enjoy. Our Chicago experience is something I will never forget with the wide variety of amazing things we did.

“Open your eyes to the world; then decide how to live your life”. This is one of the significant ideas that Bill Ayers conveyed to us in our meeting with him. However, before I talk about that, let me tell you a little on what we did in Chicago before we met with him. Chicago, known as the “Second City” due to its being sandwiched between New York and Los Angeles, has created a stylish and unique city and culture that Etgar 36 has been exploring.

The first stop in our stay in Chicago was the 103 storied Sears Tower. This is where we started to understand the nature of the big industrialized buildings. We all enjoyed the impressive view of the vast “Windy City”. After making our way back to the ground, we headed to Gino’s East for some authentic deep dish pizza. At first we thought we were headed to a normal pizza place. However, we were in for a surprise not only because the cheese was under the sauce, but it was also so thick and delicious.

When we got back on the bus we viewed the opening 20 minutes of a film called “The Weather Underground”. It was an introduction to our meeting with a member of the Weathermen, Bill Ayers. The Weathermen were a radical group who were against the Vietnam War and did not believe that the non-violent demonstrations were working to end the war so they decided to make a statement and blow up government buildings. From the movie, we formed an opinion on the actions of Bill Ayers and his actions. We were ready to confront him on the methods he and his group chose and as we waited for him to show, our tension mounted. As soon as Bill Ayers walked into the room, he put us at ease with a big smile and his ability to get to know each of us as he went around and got our names, our home towns and what questions we had for him. We realized we were not dealing with a monster but a really nice, talkative, and friendly guy. He proceeded to tell us about his upbringing in a small high school and his time at the University of Michigan where his political conscious was raised. His participation in anti-war protests led to his arrests and becoming an officer in the SDS (Student Democratic Society). He explained how excited and hopeful the students were when President Johnson decided not to run for President again in 1968 and how their hopes for peace were smashed by President Nixon. This outrage led to the decisions the Weathermen made. They felt of betrayed by their country and they didn’t think of their actions as violent, rather, as resisting violence. Bill did tell us that he does look back at his actions and feels that they were not correct to go to such extremes.

I came to the meeting very angry and upset with the actions of the Weathermen but left admiring the passion and commitment of Bill Ayers and think he is one of the most inspiring characters I know. He taught us to open our eyes to our own society and live a life that follows our values. He kept telling us that the future of our society is in our hands and we have to look around and, sometimes, go against the norm in order to repair the world and create Tikkun Olam.

After spending two and a half hours with Mr. Ayers, Billy decided to change our plans for the day. It was also 102 degrees outside and many of us were feeling the effects of the heat. So, we went back to the hotel for a two hour nap! Afterwards, we went to Panera Bread for dinner and then to see some Chicago Improv Comedy at the Improv Olympix. Afterwards, some if us walked around Wrigley Field to see the famous ball park.

The next day was a continuation of our study of the Vietnam era. We went to Grant Park where many young people came in 1968 to protest the Democratic Convention. The Mayor of Chicago sent the police to break up the protests and riots began. This made us think and discuss two ways to protest. One is to work from within the system to create change and the other is to protest from the outside. We concluded that both are very different but necessary. Billy then played us Bob Dylan’s classic, “The Times They Are A-Changin”. This was a very appropriate cone for this location and we truly understood the lyrics and message that Bob Dylan is teaching.

After Grant Park we went to the Chicago Art Institute. This was an awesome experience because of all the famous painters and paintings housed in the Musuem. We saw Renior, Cezzane, Monet, Van Gogh, and Magritte just to name a few. We also saw Seurat’s “Sunday in Grande Jatte”, Hopper’s “Nighthawks”, and Wood’s “American Gothic”. Afterwards we had some time to shop on Michigan Avenue and eat lunch in the Magnificent Mile.

We had a great time and all realized that Chicago is our kind of town!