Jewish Community Relations Council of Cincinnati

Antisemitism is rising. A bipartisan response is on the table.

The Jewish American Security Act would take real steps to protect Jewish communities from rising antisemitism. Here's what it does:

On college campuses, it requires schools to name coordinators to create non-discrimination policies and establish and publish processes for reporting antisemitic conduct.

On security, it raises the ceiling on security grant funding to $1 billion for nonprofits facing threats of violence to protect their buildings and people. And it makes sure those grants can't be awarded or denied based on religion or politics.

On social media, it requires companies to report on whether they're enforcing their own moderation standards on antisemitism.

This is practical. It's bipartisan. And it needs your voice behind it.

Contact your representatives today and urge them to support the Jewish American Security Act.

Link in the comments!

Hate against any minority community is a threat to every minority community. We will keep saying so, and we will keep showing up for our neighbors when they are targeted.

Our hearts are with the Islamic Center of San Diego and everyone grieving after Monday's shooting. Three people—a security guard and two school staff members—were killed simply for being where they gathered to learn, work, and pray.

No one should feel unsafe in their house of worship. We know that fear—our community has carried it too—and we know it does not stay with one community. It reaches all of us.

This week, more than 400 Jewish Federation leaders are in Washington asking lawmakers to fund security for houses of worship across the country. Synagogue, mosque, church, temple. The threat does not stop at any one door, and neither does our resolve to keep one another safe.

To our Muslim neighbors in Cincinnati and beyond: we see you, we stand with you, and we grieve with you.

Photo Credit: Islamic Center of San Diego

In 1866, at the end of the Civil War, a congregation of 200 Jewish families in Cincinnati decided to build something magnificent. They believed Jewish life in America deserved a permanent, visible, extraordinary home.

They were right.

The Plum Street Temple was designed in the Byzantine-Moorish style, inspired by the Alhambra in Granada, a breathtaking declaration that Jewish Cincinnati was here to stay.

From that building Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise spent the next three decades building American Reform Judaism itself.

He believed Jewish tradition and American democracy didn't just coexist, they demanded each other. That a religious Jew could be a full citizen of a free country. That Jewish values belonged in the public square.

Tradition and progress. In the same building. In Cincinnati.

Advocacy isn’t just for policy professionals! It’s for anyone who cares about their community. Here’s how you can help advance Jewish causes and make your voice heard: ow.ly/Wwfe30sVxzF

Ohio is at a pivotal economic moment: investing in unmanned systems, aerospace, defense, semiconductors, life sciences, space systems, agriculture and foodtech, logistics, and cybersecurity. Israel is a natural innovation partner in each of these fields.

This bill creates a commission of legislators, business, academic, and civic leaders to identify and expand collaborative opportunities between Ohio and Israel; ensuring our state competes and leads in the industries shaping the future.

States like Arizona, Michigan, and Texas already benefit from these strategic partnerships. Let’s not leave Ohio behind!

Contact members of the Senate Finance Committee and Senate leadership today and urge them to pass the Ohio-Israel Trade & Innovation Partnership out of committee.

Reach out to your representative in the link below.

Our team was in Washington last week, and they brought Cincinnati's voice with them!

More than 500 rabbis, pastors, and faith leaders gathered for Israel Advocacy Day, holding 115 congressional meetings on Capitol Hill across both sides of the aisle.

The advocacy focused on three priorities: strengthening U.S. support for Israel, confronting the rise of antisemitism, and protecting faith-based communities facing growing threats.

We are modeling what we believe in. Showing up in Cincinnati, in Columbus, and when the moment calls for it, in Washington.

In 1821, six Jewish families lived on the American frontier in Cincinnati. When Benjamin Leib lay on his deathbed, having long hidden his faith, he asked them one thing: bury me as a Jew.

A handful of people pooled $75 to purchase a small plot of land on Chestnut Street. That single act of devotion became the founding moment of Jewish life west of the Allegheny Mountains.

In Jewish tradition, community doesn't begin with a synagogue. It begins with a burial ground, with the sacred obligation to honor the dead. The Chestnut Street Cemetery was that seed. From $75 and an act of faith, 200 years of Jewish life in the Queen City took root.

Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

Primary elections shape who appears on the ballot in November. Local races. State offices. Federal seats. The decisions made today shape the communities we all share.

Tuesday, May 5th is primary election day in Ohio.

While we don't endorse candidates or parties, we do believe that civic participation matters. Showing up to vote is one of the most direct ways any of us can contribute to the health of the democracy we all depend on.

Take some time to research the candidates and learn where they stand on the issues that matter most to you. If you're registered, your ballot is waiting.

Go vote!

The attack in London on two Jewish people underscores the recent global surge in violent antisemitism. Jews are facing a relentless rise in hate-filled violence around the world, including in Europe, Canada, Australia, and South America.

This global challenge requires a coordinated, global response from law enforcement, elected officials, Jewish community leaders, and interfaith partners. Every local, regional, and national government should partner with Jewish leaders to ensure our community’s safety and security.

Who tells our story when we're not in the room?

That was the question at our JCRC Annual Meeting last week. Three Jewish journalists answered it: Jacob Kornbluh of The Forward, Marc Rod of Jewish Insider, and moderator Kevin Adelstein of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company.

They named what's changed since October 7th. The volume of coverage is up. The scrutiny is up. Anti-Jewish incidents are up. And the public's trust in media is down.

Their position was clear. Jewish journalists are a bridge. They explain our community to the wider public. That work matters more now, not less.

We stand behind that work. We verify before we speak. We build relationships across civic life. We show up so Jewish Cincinnati is heard accurately, here and beyond.