The world was loud last week. And in the middle of it, I was standing in a quiet room in Mexico City, watching teenagers lead a Holocaust remembrance ceremony. The Shinshinim, young Israeli emissaries, stood beside them. The room was still. Jewish memory, passing forward to the next generation. 

Our System in Action

Before I left, members of our Persian Jewish community were reaching out, worried about family in Iran. The day I landed, Israel recovered the remains of Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili. Minneapolis was in crisis. Venezuela's Jewish community was stabilizing after weeks of emergency protocols.
 
I was in Mexico City with federation CEOs from across North America, alongside Mark Wilf, Chair of the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors, and Yehuda Setton, CEO of The Jewish Agency. The Minneapolis CEO was on the trip with me while his city was in turmoil. Between sessions, every one of us was on the phone with our teams at home. That is what Federation looks like from the inside. 

Across the system, security teams were sharing guidance. Partners were monitoring unfolding risks in multiple places. Emergency protocols activated months earlier in Venezuela were holding. And here at home, our JCRC was already in conversation with faith leaders, council members, and local law enforcement about what may be coming to our community. In the coming weeks, we will share ways you can help. 

What I've Been Hearing 

I want to be direct. Some of you want Federation to speak more. About Iran. About immigration. About a world that feels hard to make sense of. I feel that too. 

When we do speak, it is to represent our whole community with integrity. Hillel taught us to listen carefully to the other side, and even restate their position, before making the case for our own view. 

So we listened. 

We talked to community members across political and denominational lines, not only about the words people used, but with curiosity about the values they were trying to express. And we found common ground. Not on policy, but shared values. 

What We Stand For 

Every person is created b'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. Dignity is not negotiable. Family unity matters. Justice requires fair process, not because the system has always protected us, but because we know what happens when it doesn't. Our tradition commands us to remember. And we protect our own, while also caring for our neighbors. 

These are not abstract principles for my family. One side fled pogroms in the former Soviet Union. The other fled the Armenian Genocide. My great-grandmother was the only survivor. We are here because this country took us in. That is not ancient history. It is why I am standing here.
 
Hillel also taught: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" Jewish Cincinnati has always held both obligations. We will continue to. 

These values have guided us through harder moments than this one. They will guide us now. 

And Still, Joy
 
More than 200 people filled the room for our community's Impact Breakfast this week. Everyone wrote down what brings them joy. My word was "community." 

Rabbi Shira Stutman took the stage and asked us to hold two truths at once: the fear, the fatigue, the headlines that never stop, and also the vibrancy, the full classrooms, the people choosing Jewish life every day. She asked us to vote: Is it a great time to be Jewish in America? I saw many hands raised. For those who didn't, she had one more thing to show them. What came next was 40 preschoolers from the Mayerson JCC Early Childhood School singing about Jewish joy. 
 
On a Wednesday morning in February, people showed up for each other. That tells me something. 

We listen. We find common ground. We do the work. Hineni. We are here.
 
Shabbat Shalom, 
 
Danielle V. Minson 
CEO, Jewish Federation of Cincinnati 
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P.S. Have you seen Black and Jewish America, the new PBS docuseries hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr.? It airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. on CET through February 24. Black and Jewish leaders in Cincinnati share a history that goes back to 1963, and we're building on it. Watch for an invitation to a community screening for Black and Jewish community members to watch together.