University of Cincinnati Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter Announces It Faces Suspension
The University of Cincinnati (UC) chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) announced on July 12 that it is facing disciplinary action over its April 21 protest of an on-campus event focused on the Abraham Accords. The chapter is now soliciting testimony and video to fight the sanction through the website of YUSRA, a Cincinnati nonprofit co-founded by the same non-student activist who led the chants that day.
Israeli Baseball Shows Off Cincinnati’s Jewish Talent
On Thursday evening, July 16, the smell of popcorn filled the Mayerson JCC as Cincinnati’s Jewish baseball community gathered to watch Israel Swings for Gold. Before the lights went down, David Harris looked across a room filled with Hebrew day school alumni, JCC softball players and supporters of Israel and called the program “a true
Record Attendance at J Classic
On June 11, over 400 community members gathered at Losantiville Country Club for the JCC’s J Classic. The event, historically a golf event, now includes women’s and men’s tennis and pickleball. Other activities include Canasta and Mahj, which have also seen an increase in participation.
A Value: We Literally Walk Out. My Experience at Cincinnati Pride as a Queer Jew
The gay pride parade is all about celebrating who you are loudly and proudly, and this applies to the Jewish community as well. Despite the dreary weather, thousands of people showed up to walk or watch the parade, including Cincinnati’s Jewish community. Seeing the Mayerson JCC bus roll down Seventh Street, surrounded by queer Jews and Jewish allies was a reminder that my existence matters. (The huge hug I got from Rebecca Garfinkle made sure I didn’t forget that).
Adath Israel Country Showcase Brings Down the House
On May 31, congregants and friends gathered at Adath Israel to honor Mitch Cohen’s retirement as Communications Director — and to celebrate the music that defined his nearly two decades of service.
Palestinian Activists, Covington Workers and the Kentucky Taxpayer
If you spend enough time around downtown Covington, you begin to notice a common theme plaguing the city’s streets. A slogan appears on a stop sign: Boycott Israel. A sticker shows up on a parking meter: Free Gaza. Painted text materializes on a municipal power box: 680,000 killed in Gaza. Then, a few days later, a city employee arrives with a scraper, a paint roller, or a replacement sign. The message disappears. The worker leaves. A week later, it starts all over again.
Cincinnati Jews Showed Out at the Great American Ballpark
The Jewish Community showed out at the Great American Ballpark for the Reds vs. Kansas City Royals Tuesday, June 2 filling over 550 seats across the stadium. The weather was in the 70s and spirits were high. This event marked the X annual Jewish Community Night at the Reds which was organized by staff of the Mayerson JCC.
Braiding Together Cincinnati’s Jewish & Queer Communities
Walking into the JCC’s Amberley Room for the annual Rainbow Challah Bake, I was quickly and warmly welcomed by everyone there. Some were people I knew, like the event’s organizer, Wyn Garfinkle, and many were not. But whether it was my 100th time meeting someone, or my first, I knew one thing: I was exactly where I was meant to be. The queer and Jewish communities are both spaces that pride themselves on being welcoming of others, no matter their background, and I felt that in the JCC during the event.
Summerfair Continues Amid a Changing Coney Island Landscape
Summerfair looked different this year, but its creative spirit remained intact.
Long associated with the Old Coney grounds, the fine arts and crafts show returned in a more compact form as major changes continue across the property. The former Coney Island site is being transformed into the Farmer Music Center, a $160 million live-entertainment campus operated by a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. With construction reshaping familiar surroundings, this year’s Summerfair occupied a reduced footprint. Even so, the event still drew a good turnout, helped by great weather, shaded walkways, food vedors, and the kind of easily navigated booth arrangement visitors have come to expect.
Jewish Federation of Cincinnati Marks 130 Years With $16.1 Million in Giving
The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati held its 130th Annual Meeting on May 20, gathering roughly 300 community members for an evening that blended institutional history and fundraising results.
Board Chair Sherri Symson opened the program with a video narrated by Danielle Minson tracing the organization’s origins to three civic leaders who founded it in Cincinnati’sWest End in 1896. “Wow, 130 years in just five minutes,” Symson remarked after the video concluded. The evening’s framing leaned heavily on continuity: the Federation, Symson noted, had outlasted every individual who built it, which is the measure of any enduring institution.