More than 250 people gathered at the Mayerson JCC on April 19 for the first-ever Z3@Cincinnati, a half-day conference dedicated to Israel, Zionism, and the future of Jewish peoplehood. Co-presented with the Mayerson JCC, the afternoon brought together rabbis, students, lay leaders, and longtime community members for an afternoon of conversation, learning, and connection.
The opening plenary began with a welcome from Mayerson JCC CEO Holly Wolfson, followed by a keynote from Zack Bodner, CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto and the founder of the Z3 Project. Bodner’s remarks were equal parts humorous, gracious, and inspiring and set the tone for the day, framing 21st-century Jewish life as a project rooted in curiosity, honesty, and an enduring connection to Israel. Danielle V. Minson, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, then introduced a keynote panel featuring U.S. Representatives Mike Carey (R) and Greg Landsman (D) in conversation with Jackie Congedo, CEO of the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center. Rabbi Sammy Kanter, Director of Jewish Life at the Mayerson JCC, closed the opening with a preview of the day.
After a short break, attendees chose between two breakout panels. “Is a Two-State Solution Still Possible?” brought together Palestinian affairs commentator for Kan 11, Elior Levy and Dr. Muli Peleg, an Israel Institute Visiting Professor at the University of Cincinnati, for a conversation moderated by Senior Community Shaliach Tzach Shmuely. The second breakout, on generational divisions in American Jewish life, featured Harvard student Charlie Covit, University of Miami Hillel professional Shayna Kling, and Shanie Reichman of the Israel Policy Forum, with Rabbi Sammy Kanter moderating. Both sessions were widely praised for offering fresh insight into difficult questions that feel pressing in this moment.
A reception in the lobby gave guests time to connect, sample light bites, and visit an Esek pop-up “shuk” featuring goods crafted by Israeli entrepreneurs, including reservists and Nova festival survivors. Participants also contributed to a community art project led by guests from our sister community, Kibbutz Carmia.
The closing plenary opened with a panel of Cincinnati Jewish leaders reflecting on how October 7 has reshaped the work of leading a Jewish organization. Bodner moderated a conversation with Rabbi Laura Baum of Rockwern Academy, Rabbi Ezra Goldschmiedt of Congregation Sha’arei Torah, Rabbi Neil Hirsch of Isaac M. Wise Temple, Danielle V. Minson, Holly Wolfson, and Max Yamson of Camp Livingston.
The afternoon’s most powerful moment came from keynote speaker Omer Shem Tov, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre who was abducted by Hamas and held captive in Gaza for 505 days under brutal conditions. Speaking with remarkable honesty, Omer described what he endured and what carried him through: faith, gratitude, and the daily choice to keep choosing light. Despite the horror of what he survived, his message was one of hope and thanks. The room fell silent as he spoke. Many in the audience were moved by his resilient spirit and his refusal to let the worst of what happened to him define what comes next.
For Cincinnati, Z3@Cincinnati was a beginning. Attendees walked in with different political beliefs, different ways of practicing Judaism, and different worries about the road ahead, and they left having spent an afternoon in honest conversation with one another.
Z3@Cincinnati was made possible thanks to presenting sponsors Jeff Zipkin and Shelly Gerson, the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, and Friday Night Shabbat, with additional generous support from Andy and Linda Berger, Marc and Evelyn Fisher, Jon and Idit Isaacsohn, Fred and Kathy Kanter, Jeremy and Irina Kanter, Mark and Marcy Kanter, and John and Jen Stein.
Photos by Leigh Taylor Photographer and David Bushle