You give our Jewish community a better future
You Fight for
“This menorah is a living symbol of the Jewish community’s presence in our beloved Cincinnati.”
—Rabbi Ari Ballaban
Your Gift Helps Make the Menorah Part of City Hall’s Public Year-End Displays
Hate crime statistics released by the FBI in December 2022 continue to show that the largest percentage of religiously motivated hate crimes are those targeting the Jewish community. Through your gift to the Federation, you fight antisemitism and hate. Rabbi Ari Ballaban, the director of the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), coordinated the inclusion of a menorah next to the Giving Tree (formerly the Holiday Tree), in City Hall, to help Jewish employees and all Jewish Cincinnatians feel welcomed in our city. “The menorah lighting is important literally and metaphorically because now when Jews walk into City Hall they will feel symbolically represented,” said Ballaban. Twenty rabbis, Mayor Aftab Pureval, and many members of the public attended the dedication.
In coordination with Ohio Jewish Communities, which you also fund, JCRC helped pass House Bill 540, in December, which increased the penalty for disturbing a religious meeting, online or in person. In addition, the two organizations helped pass a bill that mandates all state colleges and universities provide three religious exemption days, with no questions asked, for all students. “These are both big wins,” said Ballaban.
“To enjoy life, we need community.” —Faina Morozov (via translator)
Your support helps Holocaust survivors and participants in Jewish Family Service’s Russian Jewish Cultural Center live with dignity and independence.
A Holocaust survivor, born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Faina and her husband immigrated to Cincinnati in 1993. When she turned 90 this summer, Faina celebrated with a birthday party at a park shelter. Faina’s husband has passed, and though she has two supportive children, she lives on her own. Her health is problematic and she needs a wheelchair or rollator after numerous falls. To talk with her doctors, she needs a translator. Donors to the Federation make Faina’s life better with wrap-around care, including thoughtful ways to avoid social isolation. She has a care manager, food vouchers, hearing help, and daily home care.
Since Faina is part of the Center’s Song Lovers Club, and loves music, her friends from the Club and her granddaughter sang to her in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ukrainian, and Russian. Her 12-year-old grandson played keyboards. It was truly a joyous affair.
As Jews we must claim our part in the multicultural American story.Faina’s grandson played keyboards at her birthday celebration.
Conference celebrates empowerment
“It’s all about empowerment,” says Jennifer Knight Zelkind, a long-standing community member who is on the national Women’s Philanthropy Board for the Jewish Federations of North America. “Women are becoming more and more instrumental in making charitable gifts. Nationally and locally, over 60 percent of charitable gifts come from women.”
This past December, five Cincinnati women attended the 50th anniversary of the International Lion of Judah Conference, which celebrates Judaism, women, and their influence on family giving. The 1,200 conference attendees alone raised $24.2 million to help Jews in the US and around the world.
Major themes discussed included empowerment and women’s and young adult mental health. Katie Couric spoke movingly about not knowing her mother was Jewish until she was older. Her parents chose to raise her Presbyterian because of antisemitism. Marlee Matlin, Gabby Giffords, Noa Tishby, and Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt also spoke.
“For the last campaign cycle [here in Cincinnati], women gave $1.6 million of the $5.75 million goal,”
said Fran Coleman, 2023’s Annual Campaign cochair. “That is an immense amount. Statistically, women have more empathy, volunteer more, and tend to make the philanthropic decisions on behalf of the family. Women are lifting each other up.”
The Jewish Federation supports Cincinnati 2030, our community’s strategic plan.
Highlights:
You are saving the Jews of Ukraine during a time of great need. Often at risk to their own lives, people from the Jewish Agency for Israel (funded by you) are rushing in to help the nearly 200,000 Jews in Ukraine.
Celebrate 75 years of Israel’s independence on April 30 at Summit Park. This multicultural festival will highlight Israel’s diversity through hands-on experiences, food, art, games, and more.
You are helping Jewish Ukrainian refugees make aliyah and reach safety in Israel.
An unforgettable trip awaits! Find out more about the July 2024 Mission to Israel at jewishcincinnati.org/mission.
Fran Coleman, Jennifer Knight Zelkind, Carrie Goldhoff, Jaynie Levinson, and Debra Steinbuch attended the 50th anniversary International Lion of Judah Conference, which celebrates Jewish women’s philanthropy.
Dear friends,
I’m excited to share with you insights from one of the most dynamic duos in our community: Andrew Abel, the 2023 Major Gifts Chair for our Annual Campaign, and Ed Kuresman, the 2023 Community Campaign Chair.
Here are two of my favorite nuggets:
Andy on the complexity of Judaism: “It’s not rocket science. It’s 5,000 years of basic principles. I’ve always believed people who are not Jewish look at us and think we’re so complex, but we’re a pretty simple formula: family, education, hard work, and faith.”
Ed on the beauty of Judaism: “I think it’s unbelievable to see how such a small group of people could have such an unbelievably large impact locally, nationally, and globally. I’ve also been amazed by the beauty of the religion, the traditions, the values. There is a true beauty to Judaism and to experiencing it over your life.”
Both are volunteers who are also committed to giving. Andy considers himself “fortunate to be able to help the community.” Ed says he views giving “as a privilege.”
Our community is blessed to have such engaged and caring leaders. They are truly stepping up to strengthen our whole community.
I thank you, too, as a Federation donor, for helping our community move forward, together.
Sincerely,
Debra Steinbuch Interim Chief Development Officer Jewish Federation of Cincinnati