McHenry County Jewish Congregation

What McHenry County Jewish Congregation does

McHenry County Jewish Congregation (MCJC) is a private nonprofit Jewish congregation headquartered at 8505 Church Street, Crystal Lake, Illinois, serving Jewish individuals and families across McHenry County and surrounding areas. Its core offerings include weekly Shabbat services (Friday evening and Saturday morning), High Holy Day observances, lifecycle events (b'nai mitzvah preparation, weddings, funerals), a religious school, adult education and book club programming, holiday celebrations (Chanukah, Purim), and an active social-action program anchored by the Woodstock Drive-Thru Food Pantry operated in partnership with the Northern Illinois Food Bank and the McHenry County Faith Leaders Collaborative. The congregation also operates the McHenry County Jewish Cemetery as a wholly-owned adjacent subsidiary and runs a Memorial Walkway supported by $50 inscribed-brick sales.

MCJC operates a community-led, event-driven go-to-market model with no commercial sales motion. Revenue is generated from annual membership dues (quote-based, not publicly disclosed), tax-deductible donations accepted through PayPal, religious-school tuition tied to membership, modest book-club facilitator contributions, and commemorative brick sales. The underlying technology is intentionally minimal: a Squarespace-hosted website, Zoom for virtual services and book club, PayPal for donations, a YouTube channel for recorded content, and weekly e-nouncements. Customer segments span Jewish individuals and families, families with school-age children, adult learners, individuals pursuing conversion, and community-minded members engaged in interfaith Tikkun Olam work.

Strategically, MCJC is in a contraction and restructuring phase. Following a July 2022 full-time rabbi hire (Rabbi Donni Aaron), the board determined it lacked resources to sustain the contract and reverted to part-time rabbinical leadership with Rabbi Maralee Gordon in December 2023. A December 2024 building sale and relocation are in progress, and the congregation has publicly explored strategic options including merger, space sharing, or transition to a havurah-style organization. Leadership changes include appointment of Lea Grover as Administrative Director and Iza Celewicz as Treasurer (managing PPP loan applications), reflecting an operational streamlining effort against a backdrop of leadership turnover and modest scale (event attendance of 40-60, Zoom audiences around 20 households).

Name

McHenry County Jewish Congregation

Legal name

McHenry County Jewish Congregation

Website

https://mcjconline.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McHenry County Jewish Congregation is a nonprofit synagogue in Crystal Lake, Illinois, offering worship services, religious education, lifecycle events, and social-action programs to Jewish families, conversion candidates, and adult learners across McHenry County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mchenry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues that provide access to religious school, bar/bat mitzvah preparation, and full participation in congregation activities. Specific amounts are not publicly disclosed.
2. Donations and Tzedakah: Tax-deductible donations accepted via PayPal with options to designate funds to specific committees or as annual membership dues. The congregation emphasizes charitable giving as part of Jewish tradition.
3. Religious School Tuition: Participation in MCJC School and Bar/Bat Mitzvah programs requires membership and covers educational services.
4. Memorial Brick Sales: Sale of inscribed bricks ($50 each) for the MCJC Memorial Walkway, providing commemorative revenue.
5. Book Club Donations: Nominal donations requested from book club participants to cover facilitator costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MCJC is a Jewish synagogue providing weekly Shabbat services, High Holy Days observances, lifecycle events (bnei mitzvah, weddings, funerals), religious school education with bar/bat mitzvah preparation, adult education programs, holiday celebrations, and community social action initiatives. The congregation serves Jews of all backgrounds in McHenry County, Illinois, operating from its Crystal Lake facility with both in-person and virtual (Zoom) access, and additionally runs the Woodstock Drive-Thru Food Pantry serving local families in need.

Product overview

McHenry County Jewish Congregation is a religious organization offering spiritual, educational, and community services including worship services, religious education, lifecycle events, social action programs, and community gatherings. The congregation operates as a traditional synagogue without a commercial product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shabbat Worship Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 3,868 families with food assistance in 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Northern Illinois Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2024Northern Illinois Food Bank partners with MCJC and the McHenry County Faith Leaders Collaborative to operate the Woodstock Drive-Thru Food Pantry. MCJC volunteers help distribute food boxes to families in need on a monthly basis. In 2024, over 3,800 family units received food assistance through this partnership.
• CROP (Church World Service)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023MCJC participates in annual CROP Hunger Walk alongside seven other McHenry County faith congregations. 75% of funds raised support CWS CROP's international hunger relief programs, while 25% supports local food pantries. MCJC's 2023 team raised $581 of the $18,750 total raised.
• McHenry County Faith Leaders Food CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between MCJC and other local faith congregations with Northern Illinois Food Bank to operate the Woodstock Drive-Thru Food Pantry. Provides monthly food distribution to McHenry County families.
• Illinois Holocaust MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCJC's 'Let's Get Together' Committee organizes private docent-led walking tours of the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie for MCJC members and friends.
• Tree of Life CongregationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint programming partner for community events. Tree of Life members attended the Noa Baum storytelling event along with MCJC members (40-50 total attendees split evenly).
• FaithbridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterfaith organization coordinating the annual MLK Prayer Breakfast. MCJC participates in the 17th Annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast alongside other faith communities.
• McHenry County Department of TransportationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCJC participates in the Adopt-A-Highway Program, picking up litter along Ridgefield Road between Country Club Road and U.S. Route 14 four times per year.
• McHenry County Conservation DistrictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCJC participates in the Adopt-A-Trail Program, picking up litter along the U.S. Route 14 Bike Trail between Ridgefield Road and Lucas Road (near McHenry County College) four times per year.
• North Suburban Synagogue Beth ElminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRachel Kamin, Director of Lifelong Learning at North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, serves as facilitator for MCJC Book Club, selecting and leading discussions on Jewish-themed literature.
• Habitat for Humanity McHenry CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCJC members volunteer on construction sites for affordable housing projects. Howard Frank coordinates MCJC volunteers for builds in McHenry County including Marengo and Wonder Lake locations.
• Faith Congregation PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMCJC collaborates with multiple faith congregations including: Algonquin Christ United Methodist Church, Crystal Lake Bethany Lutheran Church of Christ, Cary United Methodist Church, Crystal Lake First Church, Ridgefield Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church, Grayslake Living Waters Assembly of God Church, Crystal Lake St. Paul's United Church of Christ, St. Ann's Episcopal Church, Grace Lutheran Church, and Resurrection Catholic Church for CROP Hunger Walk, food pantry, and interfaith events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Am Shalom: A Reform Jewish congregation in Glencoe, Illinois. Comparable in offering Jewish education, lifecycle services, and social action programming in suburban Chicago's northern corridor.
• Congregation Solel: A Reform Jewish congregation in Highland Park, Illinois. Comparable in size and mission to MCJC, serving similar Chicago suburban geography with religious school and social action programming.
• Congregation Beth Judea: A Conservative Jewish congregation in Long Grove, Illinois, serving Chicago's northern suburbs. Operates a religious school, lifecycle programming, and adult education similar to MCJC, and serves overlapping suburban geography.
• North Suburban Synagogue Beth El: Identified in the data as the institution where Book Club facilitator Rachel Kamin serves as Director of Lifelong Learning. A comparable Chicago-area suburban Conservative Jewish synagogue with a similar education and programming profile.
• Tree of Life Congregation: Named in the company data as a joint programming partner for events like the Noa Baum storytelling session (40-50 attendees split between MCJC and Tree of Life). Small Jewish congregation comparable in scale and community-driven operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Anshe Emet Synagogue: Named in the data as the prior rabbinical home of MCJC's former Rabbi Donni Aaron. A larger, established urban Chicago synagogue serving as a comparable congregation in the broader Chicago Jewish ecosystem.
• North Shore Congregation Israel: A large Reform Jewish congregation in Glencoe, Illinois. Operates a religious school and adult education programs in a comparable suburban Chicago geography, though at significantly larger scale than MCJC.
• Temple Jeremiah: A larger Reform Jewish congregation in Northfield, Illinois, serving Chicago's northern suburbs. Comparable in mission (Jewish education, worship, social action) and geography, though larger in scale than MCJC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@mchenrycountyjewishcongreg6773
• Xx.com/mchenryjudaism
• Facebookfacebook.com/McHenryCountyJewishCongregation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about McHenry County Jewish Congregation