Growing up, I couldn’t have told you that Tisha B’Av is a Jewish holiday. But last week, that day felt alarmingly relevant to the moment we are all living through. Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning for the disasters that have befallen our people, originally the destruction of both Temple…
“At any point during all of my volunteering, if someone asked me, ‘what’s the most important thing to you other than your family,’ my answer always is the Jew…
These past few weeks gave us a taste of normalcy, only to have it sour in the summer heat. After success toward flattening the curve on COVID-19 cases and excitement about summertime easing of restrictions, we've faced alarming new summertime surges. These surges combined with increasing unc…
In these hot and hazy days, it is sad to note that one of the few things uniting Ameri…
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator.
“The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s exceptional 4-star rating se…
“It’s unprecedented,” said Max Yamson, Executive Director of Camp Livingston.
At June 17’s SAFE Reopen Group meeting of our agencies’, schools’ and congregations’ senior professionals, I was struck by how our community, through creative use of online strategies, has been…
After a national search, we recently hired Jan Evans as the Director of Strategic Impact, a critical function for the organization. We interviewed several strong national candidates but the strongest was right here in Cincinnati. This role replaces the Director of Community Building positio…
This week, as we are emerging from quarantine, mass demonstrations have continued in our city and across our nation. The demonstrations and many of the issues they raise are emotional and complex. Many across our community are concerned and are asking how to better understand and support ref…
With pain and discord overflowing this week, we need perspective more than ever. The core value I return to, that underlies all Jewish thought, is this: because every human being is created in the image of G-d, we have an unbreakable commitment to affirm and protect the dignity of every huma…
Last week, our Annual Meeting challenged us to ask—What have we accomplished over the past year and what are our priorities for the coming year? This is the “Why” that we wrestle with at every Annual Meeting. But our board’s leaders affect how we answer them: “how” will we be bol…
I remember that when my Rabbi handed me a copy of the Torah portion from Leviticus that I would chant at my bar mitzvah ceremony, I was appalled. The portion went into detail about when people with certain symptoms must be quarantined. I had two thoughts. First: “What a strange, archaic, a…
Sixteen years ago, the month I moved my family to Cincinnati, Rabbi Sigma (Sissy) Coran did the same. We both came to lead organizations that needed some rebuilding at the time. Soon, we were collaborating to guide the brainstorming and negotiating that led to the community purchasing Rockda…
Some days, during this crisis, it’s felt like being in a boat at sea on a dark, stormy night. Many of us have felt disoriented or isolated. That’s only made it clearer to me how much we need a caring, responsive, well-functioning community.
The Jewish Federation’s “Why” is t…
In times of crisis, we can’t do business as usual. Your support has positioned the Federation to be fast and flexible and see where we will be needed next—to skate to where the puck is going to be.
Yesterday, Governor DeWine unveiled plans for a phased and limited “re-opening”…
Today is Yom HaShoah, the Day of Remembrance for the Holocaust. My Grandma Rose was the oldest of 11 children. Of the 11 children, only two survived the Holocaust. I am very fortunate that my grandma left Europe for the US when she was 14. Her brother Shlomo left Europe at age 16 for Israel.…
