While we were sleeping on a warm, spring-like Shabbat evening, the Armed Forces of the United States, together with the Israel Defense Forces, launched a highly coordinated military operation against Iran to end the existential threat the Iranian regime has posed to Israel, and the broader threat it has posed to the Middle East and the United States.
We pray for the success of this operation and the safety of all those in harm's way. We mourn the American and Israeli soldiers and the civilians whose lives have been lost, and we hold close all those who are suffering.
What we know.
The U.S. and Israel targeted Iranian military, missile, and nuclear infrastructure in a coordinated operation that began Friday night. Iran has responded with ballistic missile strikes on Israel, attacks on U.S. bases, and assaults on its Arab neighbors across the Middle East. Israeli air defenses have been active throughout. Overnight, Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in the operation. Iran has declared 40 days of mourning.
Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) shared an update with the federation system last night that captures where things stood as of Saturday evening. You can read it here.
The situation is still unfolding. We are monitoring it in real time and will be in touch as events evolve. Please follow us on Facebook for updates.
Our Israel connections.
Our staff has been in touch with families and individuals we know are traveling in Israel, living there, or have children there. If you have family or friends in Israel and haven't heard from us, please reach out to me directly.
JFNA’s Israel Educational Travel Alliance is tracking all organizational travel and can help coordinate. Reach them at Israel Educational Travel Alliance.
We want to account for every connection our community has to Israel.
Security here in Cincinnati.
Our security initiative, SAFE Cincinnati, is coordinating with partner agencies and law enforcement to keep our institutions and gatherings safe in the days ahead, JFNA, SCN, and ADL have issued joint security guidance for Jewish communities—you can read it here.
If you see something suspicious at a synagogue, school, or Jewish institution, report it immediately. SAFE Cincinnati: 513-540-3873.
Purim brings our community together in public, visible ways. Visible Jewish life is something we actively protect.
The environment around us.
Military action against Iran historically increases antisemitic incitement, online and in public spaces. Demonstrations are already happening in cities across the country, some organized by coalitions with documented ties to Iranian state-aligned networks. At the same time, Iranian Americans are also in the streets, celebrating and calling for the freedom their families have been denied for decades. The picture is not simple. We hold both.
We also know that many Americans, including some in our own community, have deep questions about this moment. That is part of living in a democracy, and we respect it.
What we will not accept: attempts to question the loyalty of Jewish Americans, elected officials or otherwise, based on their policy positions. That is antisemitism, and we name it as such.
We are also watching misinformation spread in real time. Iranian state media has a documented history of manipulating casualty figures and misattributing responsibility during conflicts. We will not amplify unverified claims, and we urge our community to apply the same caution.
These are not reasons to retreat. They are reasons to stay connected, stay visible, and trust the security infrastructure we've built together to do its job.
What your dollars are doing right now.
The Jewish Agency and JDC are already active across Israel, reaching communities under fire and supporting families in crisis. They can do this because of your investment in the global Jewish family we are part of.
The mental health centers, the reservist family support, the community infrastructure we have helped build over the past two year; all of it has been in use since Friday night. Israel's own government has documented significant gaps in civilian shelter coverage. These gaps can turn deadly during a barrage like last night's. Our investments help close those gaps.
This is your generosity, working.
On this particular night.
The Megillah we will read tomorrow night tells the story of a plot hatched in ancient Persia (today's Iran) to destroy the Jewish people. Through the courage of Esther and Mordechai, and with G-d's help, the tables turned.
The Megillah tells us that Haman's plot recoiled on his own head. That these days are to be marked and celebrated by every family, in every city, in every generation, and never forgotten.
It hasn't. Not from our ancestors. Not from us. Not from this community.
We have heard from members of our Persian Jewish community here in Cincinnati; families who carry the history of Iran in their bones. Their feelings about this moment are complicated, profound, and deeply personal. They are part of us.
October 7 was inspired, funded, and directed by Iran, as were the attacks of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, and Iran's direct missile strikes on Israel. What is happening now is connected to all of it. Israel is determined to end this threat. So are we.
We also stand with the Iranian people, civilian men, women, and children who have lived under this regime's brutality, and who deserve the freedom they have been fighting for.
Celebrate Purim with your friends and family tomorrow night. Let our community be visible, joyful, and safe all at once.
That is what Jewish Cincinnati does.
Happy Purim,
Danielle V. Minson
CEO, Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
jewishcincinnati.org/give