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.
Opponents Flood Ohio Senate Hearing on Israel Trade Partnership Bill
Opponents of House Bill 188 outnumbered supporters at a May 12 Ohio Senate Finance Committee hearing on the state’s proposed trade and innovation partnership with Israel. HB 188 was introduced by Rep. Thomas Hall and Rep. Eric Synenberg last year. The bill passed the Ohio House in November by a vote of 73 to 10. The May 12 session was the bill’s second hearing before the Finance Committee, chaired by Sen. Bill Cirino. The bill would establish a 17-member commission to strengthen economic, academic and technological collaboration between the two states.
At Krohn, Fragility Takes Flight
Butterflies have returned to Krohn Conservatory, and with them comes one of Cincinnati’s loveliest seasonal rituals. This year’s show, Destination Monarch, is cheerful, crowded, warm, and visually generous—a reminder that some of creation’s most memorable lessons arrive on delicate wings.
Glenn Bochner speaks at CCFI event
At a recent luncheon hosted by CCFI, the Cincinnati Coalition for Israel, featuring Glenn Bochner and representatives from SKIES, Sharing Knowledge & Innovations, Empowering Success, much of the discussion centered around a simple reality: modern information wars are no longer won through long policy papers and carefully crafted statements. They are fought through emotion, culture, speed, and whatever captures attention first online.
Anti-Zionist Protester Out on Bond After Bringing a Sword to City Hall
Alexandra Dalton, who also goes by Alexander and “Big Al,” was released on bond Thursday after allegedly smuggling a concealed sword cane into a Cincinnati City Council meeting. Dalton appeared before the Council draped in a keffiyeh to criticize the city’s redevelopment plans for Piatt Park. During her testimony, she directed repeated, pointed comments toward Councilman Mark Jeffreys, “No answers, no accountability … but what do you expect from a Zionist?”
Charges Filed After Coordinated Harassment of Yeshiva Students in Golf Manor
Jackson Mettler, 19, of Springboro, appeared before a judge on Wednesday morning following a May 4 incident in which prosecutors say he targeted students at Yeshivas Lubavitch Cincinnati, an Orthodox Jewish high school on Section Road.
A Sacred Partnership: Adath Israel Formally Installs Rabbi Scott Shafrin
The sanctuary at Adath Israel was filled with a palpable sense of renewal on Shabbat, April 18, as the congregation gathered for the formal installation of Rabbi Scott Shafrin as its next Senior Rabbi. Succeeding Rabbi Moshe Smolkin, Rabbi Shafrin’s installation was more than a formal transition of power; it was described by congregants as a “lifecycle moment,” marking a new chapter of growth and communal connection.
Mimouna: One More Night
The moment Passover ends, something different happens in parts of the Jewish world. Homes open up, people start coming and going, and the night turns into something that feels like an extension of the holiday rather than the end of it.
Mimouna is a Moroccan Jewish tradition that takes place right after Passover. Friends, family, and neighbors stop by throughout the evening. There’s no real formality to it. You show up, you’re welcomed in, you eat, you talk, you stay as long as you want. The kitchen is active again after a full week of restrictions, and we make mufletta, a quick, easy, slightly oily flatbread, hot off the pan and gone just as fast. Tables are filled with sweets, nuts, pastries, and anything that brings a sense of abundance back into the home.