New auto signals at Skokie intersection accommodate Jewish residents on Sabbath — and more may be coming

The Village of Skokie has altered traffic signals at one of its main intersections to make it easier for Jewish residents to cross a busy thoroughfare during religious holidays. 

Automatic “walk phases” now trigger at the intersection of Dempster Street and East Prairie Road on Fridays and Saturdays to accommodate individuals who cannot use electricity, and in turn the crosswalk button, while observing the Sabbath and other religious holidays, said Mayor Ann Tennes. 

The intersection, which is located near two synagogues— Congregation Or Torah and Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob — previously only provided pedestrians a walk phase if they pressed the crosswalk button. 

After hearing from local faith leaders and facilitating talks with the Illinois Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over the intersection, Tennes helped oversee the signal changes go into effect in April. 

“Skokie has a very large traditionally observant, or Sabbath observant community,
and there’s thousands of people in Skokie who observe the Sabbath and who are walking on Saturdays in the community,” said Ari Hart, a rabbi at Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob. 

“This makes it safer for those many thousands of people. It’s a good thing for everybody — for drivers, for pedestrians. It just makes our community safer.”

Tennes said that addressing the intersection’s crosswalk was a topic of conversation for years, but discussions with IDOT and other community partners had stalled on finding a remedy “that worked for everyone.”

For example, installing plates beneath the sidewalk that sensed pedestrians’ weight and activated a walk phase, according to some faith leaders, would violate what traditional Jewish law allows during the Sabbath and other religious holidays, Tennes said. 

“It’s supposed to be a time of rest and so hitting the button to get the stop light to change is just not something we would do,” said Mira Wolf, a Skokie Valley congregant, in a video village staff filmed to promote the signal changes. 

“And I live on the other side of Dempster and it’s very hard to cross Dempster without a walk signal, and if there’s no one to push the walk signal, you get very little time to cross.” 

After taking office in 2025, Tennes said she made the issue a priority and asked the state transportation agency whether the intersection’s crossing could have automatic timers for Jewish residents to cross without having to wait for someone else to press a crosswalk button.

Village engineers reportedly met with IDOT last fall and, after several followups, the state approved the change. The automatic timers at Dempster Street and East Prairie Road begin around 3 p.m. on Fridays and extend through Saturdays, Tennes said. 

Hart added that he is “really grateful” of the changes as he personally knows two people who either narrowly avoided getting hit by a car and were hit by a car while crossing the intersection. 

Tennes said the IDOT is now reviewing a request from the village to replicate the automatic timers at three other intersections the state oversees: at Dempster Street and Hamlin Avenue, Dempster Street and Keeler Avenue, and Church Street and Crawford Avenue. 

“It’s an example of listening to the community, hearing what their issues are and advocating for common sense solutions that make life easier and safer for those who live and worship here,” Tennes said. 

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.