#1. Not Sending Your Child to Jewish Day School? Your Perspective Matters.

Choosing a school for your child is personal. Families weigh academics, location, cost, community, and, ultimately, what feels right for their child.

Jewish Federations of North America wants to hear from Jewish parents of children in Pre-K through 12th grade who currently do not send one or more of their children to a Jewish day school. The national survey asks about the real considerations behind those choices and what could make Jewish education more accessible or meaningful for families.

What Cincinnati parents share can help our schools and community better understand what families need and what fits their lives. There are no right answers. Just your experience. If this sounds like your family, take a few minutes to share your perspective. If you know another Jewish parent whose voice should be heard, please share this. [LINK]

#2. A New Way to Help Make Jewish Day School More Affordable

Jewish Federations of North America, with the Orthodox Union and Prizmah, has created a new national scholarship fund for Jewish day schools called the Opportunity Fund for Jewish Education. It launches January 1, 2027, and it is designed to help families afford a Jewish day school education.

This new federal education tax credit lets eligible donors give to the fund and receive a tax credit of up to $1,700, which goes toward student scholarships. Ohio has already opted into the program and Cincinnati families weighing a Jewish day school, and local donors who want to help, now have a new option. Understanding how it works before the January launch will let our community make the most of it.

You can read the one-pager and FAQs to see how the Opportunity Fund works and share it with day school families you know. [LINK]

#3. Standing with the Jewish Community of Belleville

Our thoughts are with the Jewish community of Belleville, Ontario, after a shooting outside their synagogue just after Yom Kippur. We are grateful that no members of the Jewish community were harmed, and we are thinking of Constable Jeff Smith, the officer who was injured while responding. [LINK]

Events like this underscore the importance of the security work that helps Jewish communities continue to gather. Here in Cincinnati, SAFE Cincinnati works year-round with our congregations, schools, and agencies, in partnership with local law enforcement, to help people participate in Jewish life safely.

If you have questions about security where you worship, learn, or work, SAFE Cincinnati is here to help.