Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

Danielle V. Minson — Raising the Bar

Rosh Hashanah invites us to reflect on the year’s struggles, ask forgiveness, and recommit to our values and goals. This year, I have been learning about the power of community in helping us find our way through an impossibly complex world.

Rarely has the American Jewish community been in greater need of soul searching and healing. This summer, the Iran deal became the most politicized and divisive issue in decades. Never in my lifetime have I seen an issue so threaten the cohesiveness of the American Jewish community and the U.S.-Israel alliance.  

The word “baffling” has echoed in my head since I sat in a packed auditorium with hundreds of Cincinnatians and heard Dr. Robert Satloff, one of the world’s experts on the Iran deal, say repeatedly that the options facing the American Jewish community are “baffling.” Although he went on to offer specific suggestions, his repetition of “baffling” taught me that we have entered a world where there can be no certainty.

In Cincinnati, I was relieved and inspired that hundreds of community members participated with great civility and thoughtfulness in the many educational opportunities on these issues.
In keeping with Rosh Hashanah tradition, I would also personally like to apologize to anyone whose concerns I did not hear. As the world lurches through choppy and uncharted waters, the more we apologize, heal, and forgive the better we will be able to continue our sacred work of repairing the world.

This year Cincinnati 2020 reaches its half-way point. So in October we will bring together leaders of every congregation and agency to review the progress we have made in areas like the food pantry, teen engagement, Israel exchanges, aging services, and professional development. We will also discuss priorities for the next five years, with the goal of becoming the most collaborative and inclusive Jewish community in which to live and raise a family. 

One fruit of this community’s extraordinary collaboration is that the Jewish Federation is partnering with The Jewish Foundation and local rabbis to create a ground-breaking, community-wide, congregation-based mission to Israel scheduled for July 17-28, 2016. This mission—the first of its kind in the country, as far as we know—will have generous subsidies for congregation members provided by The Jewish Foundation. The eleven participating rabbis have seen such a high degree of interest at their informational meetings that we expect well over 200 participants. 

Over the last year, we have worked toward Cincinnati 2020’s vision of making Cincinnati the best place to have a gratifying career. So we have partnered with the revitalized JVS Career Services, which has been responsible for 116 job starts so far this year, for an annualized economic impact of $5,115,968.

These and other essential programs are possible only because of your generous support for the 2015 Community Campaign. We are grateful to you, and to the 100-plus volunteers who spent over 650 hours visiting and assessing agency programs to ensure the effectiveness of your investment.

As this New Year begins, we wish for peace and understanding in Israel, the Middle East, in the world, and in our country, our cities, and our homes. 

Our president, Suzette Fisher, and I thank you for supporting our community and the Jewish people, and for sharing your Jewish heritage with your children and your families. We wish you and yours a year of health, growth and joy. 

Shana Tova!