Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

Danielle V. Minson — Raising the Bar

When Cedar Village was sold this summer, Cedar Village, Federation, and Foundation leaders committed to stewarding the funds and the good will from the sale to invest in the best new strategies to make our community a great place in which to grow old.

Earlier this month, these leaders and others remembered this commitment when we took a one-day research trip to Baltimore to see cutting-edge older adult programs and learn which might best advance the goals of our Aging 2.0 initiative. The Aging 2.0 task force includes representatives from Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Home of Cincinnati, Mayerson JCC, JVS Career Services, The Jewish Foundation, and the Jewish Federation. It is made up of the chief professionals as well as board presidents of each agency.

Its mission is to answer the following question: How will we meet the needs of our older adults (now and in the future) in areas that aren’t being met by the private market, either because people don’t have the means to pay for the services or because there isn’t a critical mass of people to pay for them or because there is a limit of available resources in the community?

In Baltimore, we were hosted by the Weinberg Foundation, the leading Jewish foundation in the area of aging. Weinberg CEO Rachel Monroe packed our day with immersive visits and learning sessions. Several initiatives we saw don’t exist in Cincinnati yet and could transform the options and lives of older adults who want to stay in their homes as long as possible. 

I only learned after I got back that about 30 years ago, before building Cedar Village, Paul Heiman, Jerry Teller, and Mel Fisher flew to Baltimore to meet with members of the Weinberg family. They received the capital grant they needed to start construction and a lot of good advice, and they made a trusted friend. When Cincinnati’s delegation went this month, Mel’s son Marc participated. This touching anecdote embodies the Jewish value of l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation).

The Weinberg Foundation is still providing friendship and good advice to Jewish Cincinnati as we position our community’s aging strategy for the next three decades. Look for exciting updates on our progress here in the coming months!

Congrats to JFS and AgeWell Cincinnati! As part of our efforts to make the quality of life better for older adults, our community launched AgeWell Cincinnati about a year ago. It took careful collaboration between funders, The Foundation and Federation, and providers, Jewish Family Service, Cedar Village, JVS Career Services, and Mayerson JCC, to develop and introduce a service that helps connect older adults in our community to the services they need.

I’m proud to share that AgeWell Cincinnati was just named among the top three nonprofit programs in the state at this year’s Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations’ (OANO) Nonprofit Excellence Awards. In AgeWell Cincinnati’s first year, the team provided expert referral and care coordination to more than 400 members of our community.

Welcome back to our Honeymoon Israel cohort! Twenty young couples who were recently married or are very committed just returned from an immersive 10-day luxury trip to Israel. The Foundation, Federation, and JCC partnered with Honeymoon Israel to heavily subsidize and facilitate the trip. The couples, along with our YAD Director Jaynie Levinson and the JCC’s Community Rabbi Shena Jaffe, had an incredible trip. One couple even got engaged in Jerusalem! I’m looking forward to seeing these couples build on the relationships they formed in Israel and get more engaged in our community.

Don’t miss the Jewish women’s event of the year! Hear from Meryl Goldsmith, producer of the film Love, Gilda (a documentary about the life and legacy of comedian Gilda Radner) on March 7 at the Mayerson JCC. Meryl will take you on her journey in the film industry, educate you about women in comedy, and talk about her Jewish experience and what she learned about legacy and women’s empowerment while working on Love, Gilda. 

Prepare for the event by attending a screening of Love, Gilda in the comfort of a home near you.

As your kids come home for winter break, or as you begin to plan for next year, remember our community provides wonderful internship, overnight camp, and travel opportunities.

• Cincy Internships applications are open now. With one application, they can apply for Onward Israel, Careers Cincinnati, and Workum.
• On February 1, JVS Career Services will begin accepting applications for Hilb Scholarships, which award need-based grants for post-secondary education to high school seniors through college and graduate students as well as students in trade school.
• Cincy Journeys helps every child attend overnight Jewish camp and every young adult travel and learn in Israel, giving them the skills, experience, and desire to become tomorrow’s community leaders.