Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

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Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati is the backbone that catalyzes our community in a common purpose.

To build a flourishing, inclusive, and diverse Jewish community. We empower everyone to participate through learning, volunteering, leading, and social action. We care for everyone in our community and ensure all have access to a full and meaningful life.

06/16/2026

Jewish Cincinnati has always been shaped by who walks through the door.

The new graduate figuring out what Jewish life looks like on their own terms. The young professional building their place in the community. The established leader who's been showing up for decades, still carrying this work forward.

During every chapter of life, you have a seat at this table. When we're all in the room together, we make each other stronger.

There's a place for you here.

06/15/2026

Sitting in the Union Terminal’s rotunda, we saw what this city is made of.

A teen using social media to share his grandmother's story from the Holocaust. An advocate who has spent decades establishing shelters for families in crisis. And so many more.

We were moved by the courage of ordinary Cincinnatians. Jewish tradition teaches Lo Ta'amod, “do not stand idly by.” That teaching was alive in the actions of the honorees in the rotunda.

The 2026 Cohen Family Upstander Awards honor people from Greater Cincinnati who use their character strengths to stand up for themselves and others. We're proud to be part of a community that celebrates the incredible upstanders in our city.

Congratulations to this year's winners and honorees!

Holocaust & Humanity Center

06/14/2026

If you've ever wondered how to get involved in Jewish Cincinnati, the door is open.

LEAD (Lead, Educate, Act, and Develop) brings together Jewish professionals for an eight-month journey into the heart of our community. You'll go behind the scenes at local agencies, explore your Jewish values, and build real friendships with people who care about the same things you do.

Since 2007, more than 200 alumni have come through LEAD. Most are still here, still leading.

Applications for the next class are open now. Find your place. (link in comments)

06/11/2026

In 1856, Cincinnati's Jewish businessmen were shut out of the city's civic institutions.

So, they built their own.

The Phoenix Club, the first German-Jewish men's social club in Cincinnati, gave professionals a place to gather and create the community they needed. By the 1890s, they commissioned Samuel Hannaford, the architect of Music Hall, to design a home worthy of their ambition.

The result: an Italian Renaissance palace, with Tiffany Glass windows. A building that announced the community's presence in this city.

06/10/2026

This year, we had the most generous Annual Campaign ever! Vice President of Development, Bobby Fisher, said it best at our Annual Meeting:

“The point was never about hitting a number. The point was to help cover the real costs of supporting the whole community. So that people can still get the help they need in hard times, can still safely walk through the doors of the JCC or their congregation, and so we can build a vibrant, engaging life of Jewish meaning and joy.”

That’s why you gave. For the social worker embedded at Cincinnati Hillel. For the seniors who would otherwise be isolated. For Jewish families in Cincinnati and around the world who needed this community to show up. And you showed up. In the most generous way this community ever has.

Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts.

06/09/2026

The sun was out and the energy was high at Camp Livingston's Community Day! Our Cincy Journeys team was ready with grant information and a plan to make paper airplanes with the kids.

Each plane was folded carefully, with small hands and excitement for flight.

That's a metaphor for this work. We build something carefully, put it into young hands, and trust where it takes them.

06/08/2026

"Bob and I are grateful to live in Cincinnati, a pleasant and welcoming community with a strong Jewish presence."

That's how Wendy Pelberg describes the city she and Bob have called home since 2002, when they moved here for Bob's career as a cardiologist and found something they hadn't planned for.

Roots.

They raised three boys in Cincinnati. Volunteered. Gave. They showed up in the way Wendy's parents had always shown up in their own Jewish community, with their time, their resources, and their whole selves.

Those lessons live on through their legacy gift.

"In many ways a Legacy gift is the last lesson we will teach our kids. For us, it will also represent the ultimate way we may honor Wendy's parents, who were not only charitable but also very involved throughout their community. It was their joy, and now it is ours."

06/07/2026

After two years as our community Shaliach (our Israeli emissary in Cincinnati), Tzach is heading home to Israel.

At his going away party, it was clear just how many lives he touched. Through his education classes, community events and constant presence these past years, Tzach made an impact on Jewish Cincinnati that we will feel for years to come.

As he reflected on his time with us, Tzach said: "Israel can learn a lot from the Jewish communities here. And the Jewish community here can learn from Israel. It's supposed to be two ways."

He returns to Israel carrying a piece of Cincinnati with him. And he leaves us feeling closer to Israel.

Thank you for building that bridge, Tzach.

L’hitraot. Until we meet again.

06/04/2026

When Lisa's family fled Berlin, her grandmother pressed a tiny silver Star of David necklace into her hand and told her to wear it when it was safe.

Lisa was six years old. She was in a body cast from polio. Because she couldn't move, her parents pushed her out in a stroller, with the necklace hidden in a secret pocket. At the border they rushed to catch a train, and as it pulled away, the stroller was left behind on the platform. The necklace was gone.

The family escaped to Shanghai, survived years in a wartime camp, and reached America in 1949 with $2.50 to their name. Lisa went on to serve in the Air Force, start a family, and raise four children.

Decades later, sorting through her late aunt's things, she found a second necklace, identical to her own. Her grandmother had given one to each of them.

This , we celebrate survivors like Lisa. In the stories of those who lived through devastation, we're reminded of the strength of Jewish peoplehood, and the courage it takes to build a life again.

06/03/2026

One in two Cincinnati families struggles to afford diapers.

Last Month, our Helping on Chai volunteers packed over 6,000 diapers for Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank, and the ripple effect of that work is real.

Sweet Cheeks distributes about 2.5 million diapers each year to families in need, because every person deserves access to the basics.

These women gave their afternoon. Families across our city will feel it.

The next volunteer event is June 18! Check out the link below to get involved.

Address

8499 Ridge Avenue
Cincinnati, OH
45236

Telephone

+15139851500

Website

http://www.jewishcincinnati.org/

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