Rockwern 1st day of school photos
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Rockwern 1st day of school photos

  • Submitted by: Rockwern Academy Rockwern Academy opened on Sept. 2 with more than two hundred students, from toddlers through sixth graders!  After being away from their building since March, staff and students were so happy to return!  Rockwern staff has worked tirelessly over the summer to prepare for a safe reopening of school, and their students are able to be in the building full-time.  Everything that has distinguished Rockwern in the past continues to ring true now more than ever: personalized instruction, small class sizes, talented teachers, deep caring for each child and family, a strong commitment to values, support of children's social and emotional needs, and a framework in which Judaism is relevant and adds joy and meaning to people's lives.

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Rockwern 1st day of school photos

Rockwern 1st day of school photos

  • Submitted by: Rockwern Academy Rockwern Academy opened on Sept. 2 with more than two hundred students, from toddlers through sixth graders!  After being away from their building since March, staff and students were so happy to return!  Rockwern staff has worked tirelessly over the summer to prepare for a safe reopening of school, and their students are able to be in the building full-time.  Everything that has distinguished Rockwern in the past continues to ring true now more than ever: personalized instruction, small class sizes, talented teachers, deep caring for each child and family, a strong commitment to values, support of children's social and emotional needs, and a framework in which Judaism is relevant and adds joy and meaning to people's lives.
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Northern Hills Synagogue first day of school

Northern Hills Synagogue first day of school

  • On Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, Northern Hills Synagogue held a first day picnic on the front lawn for Religious School families. Tables for each family who had RSVP’d were widely spaced on the front lawn, and snacks were available to all who wanted them. Old friends waved to each other from their tables, and new students met their classmates at a distance. Rabbi Noah Ferro opened the event with Shehecheyanu, the prayer recited to celebrate the beginnings of holidays, or in this case the school year. Idit Moss, School Principal, led a craft, wishes for the New Year, and icebreaker games.
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The First Day of Ohr Torah of Cincinnati 2020-21 School Year

The First Day of Ohr Torah of Cincinnati 2020-21 School Year

  • Ohr Torah of Cincinnati has been anything but dormant since COVID-19 sent the American educational system into a tail-spin. Thanks to a busy summer of planning, re-planning, and ordering by our administrative team, OTC was ready for our children. Due to thetremendous growth at OTC, our students walked into a remodeled building that just barely resembled the one they had left Purim time. The children eagerly explored a 2nd floor that is now open to classes, doubling the number of classrooms available. The additional space has made it possible to provide the students with a safe and beautiful learning environment. The children could not contain their excitement as they peered into our beautiful Bais Midrash soon to become the home of our Judaic Library and Sefer Torah. In addition to the opening of the 2nd floor, the main floor was remodeled to create larger classrooms needed for the enriching “whole-child”, Al Pi Darko style educational approach. Our youngest students gleefully tried out all the new toddler and preschool playground equipment in the newly fenced in play area for our newest class, the Toddler Gan, along with our vibrant preschool program. Students came to school thinking they'd have to say goodbye to the outdoor life they've become so accustomed to, but expressed their excitement when they were informed that many classes and activities were being planned for the use of the fields and shelters in our 13.5-acre backyard, Chamberlain Park. Oh, and the new faces! Students were sheepishly asking teachers and friends, "Who is that?" as they navigated the halls of an OTC whose enrollment spiked an amazing 30% from 78 students during 2019-20 school year to 101 students during the 2020-21 school year! New staff members, New students, New classrooms. What a way to step into Day One of the school year. Of course, OTC Day One traditionally begins with the Annual Popsicle Pop In, transition back into school, which took place on Tuesday, September 1. As the cars drove down Plainfield Road, they were welcomed into the OTC parking lot by a team of energetic teachers in their red capes introducing the theme of the year. The theme this year, “Making Choices” was demonstrated with a drive through activity that allowed each family vehicle to choose the right or the left lane where they received their welcome back freeze pops, and then chose other treats. Each lane was staffed with excited "spring loaded" staff members jumping up and down, welcoming back last year’s students along with the many new families and students. It was clearly the day they've all been waiting for - for quite a while. Somewhere in the tumultuous first day excitement, there were also all the things that are happening in all the schools in the country, temperature taking, health survey, and the beginning of the many lessons in “new schooling procedures” that will, G-d willing, keep our students and faculty/staff safe and healthy. Thank you to our dedicated administration, staff, and students for joining us on this journey of another exciting year at Ohr Torah Cincinnati. In keeping with the year’s theme – Choosing Ohr Torah is a great choice. We wish all a Ksiva V’Chasima Tova, a healthy, happy, sweet New Year.
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Purim at Cong Etz Chaim

Purim at Cong Etz Chaim

  • At Congregation Etz Chaim we celebrate Purim to the fullest in every sense. We start our celebrations with a lively Megillah reading complete with multiple readers, voices, pantomimes and ways for the children to get involved.
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Adath Israel's Ceremony Sunday

Adath Israel's Ceremony Sunday

  • On Sunday, Feb. 9, Adath Israel’s kindergarten, third, and fourth grade classes celebrated religious, educational milestones. The annual celebration, Ceremony Sunday, recognizes each of these classes in different ways. The youngest were consecrated, signifying they have begun their formal religious school education; the third graders took part in Siddur Dedication and were recognized for their ability to actively participate in Shabbat services; the fourth graders participated in Torah Induction, demonstrating their readiness to learn the skills of Torah study. Following the classes presentations, Rabbi Smolkin gave a blessing to the children. Families and students gathered in the Lerner.Fisher Hall for a dessert reception after the ceremony. 
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Golf Manor Synagogue’s Hamentaschen Bake

Golf Manor Synagogue’s Hamentaschen Bake

  • Family Hamentaschen Bake at Golf Manor Synagogue on Sunday, March 1. This is the second year that families were invited to come and make hamentaschen, which were then baked at the synagogue and taken home by the families who made them. These goodies were filled with chocolate chip, apricot, raspberry, prune or poppy seed.
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L'Chaim: A toast to Rockwern's Major Donors

L'Chaim: A toast to Rockwern's Major Donors

  • Rockwern - Major Donor Recognition Event An evening of cocktails & hors d'oeuvres for Rockwern's Chai, Gefen, and Eitz Chaim Circles Donors who give $1,800 or above to the 2019-2020 Annual Campaign Thursday, Feb. 20 L'Chaim: A toast to Rockwern's Major Donors 6-8 p.m. Rockwern
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ARCHIE RAND: SIXTY PAINTINGS FROM THE BIBLE

ARCHIE RAND: SIXTY PAINTINGS FROM THE BIBLE

  • Presidential Professor of Art at Brooklyn College, Guggenheim Fellow, and recipient of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture’s Achievement Medal, Archie Rand has been one of the major progenitors of Jewish subject matter for the past four decades and is widely recognized as the most innovative and prolific painter on Jewish themes today. He has had over 100 solo exhibitions, and his work has been included in more than 200 group exhibitions. Rand’s work can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, and Victoria and Albert Museum in London, among others. Tuesday, February 18, 2020 5:30–8:00 pm in Mayerson Hall Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion 3101 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45220
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Super Bowl party at Adath Israel Congregation

Super Bowl party at Adath Israel Congregation

  • Super Bowl party at Adath Israel Congregation on Feb. 2, 2020. It was a fun day rooting and cheering for the teams playing in the Super Bowl this year at Adath Israel Congregation hosting a family-friendly Super Bowl party. Everyone enjoyed food, drinks, socializing and lots of football. A good time was had by all and in the end the winning team was the Kansas City Chiefs.
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Prayer Interrupted: Music in a World Turned Upside Down

Prayer Interrupted: Music in a World Turned Upside Down

  • n a first-time collaboration between the Cincinnati Song Initiative and The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, Prayer Interrupted dives into the lives of Jews in and around the Holocaust. Songs by Jewish composers will be punctuated by liturgical music found in Cincinnati Hebrew Union College’s famed Birnbaum collection of music manuscripts, and narration will transport the audience directly into the world in which these songs were created. This concert commemorates the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and also marks the one year anniversary of the Holocaust & Humanity Center’s opening at Union Terminal.
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Cincinnati Chicken Soup Cookoff at Wise Temple

Cincinnati Chicken Soup Cookoff at Wise Temple

  • The sixteenth annual Cincinnati Chicken Soup Cookoff, sponsored by the Isaac Wise Temple Brotherhood, was held from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 26, in the Wise Center social hall. The crowds thronging the social hall sampled approximately 30 variations of chicken soup, ranging from Jewish classics like matzo ball or noodle to a spicy carrot-ginger purée (Susannah West), a Greek-style egg-and-lemon soup (the Andy Petty family), or a Yemeni soup with a halwayej spice blend of ground cumin, caraway, coriander, cardamom, black pepper, and cloves (from Parker’s Grill). Co-chairs of the event, Dr. Jay Rissover and Rick Seelig plan all year for this fundraiser, which involved more than sixty volunteers. Rissover started the annual chicken soup cookoff sixteen years ago. The event provides chicken soup to the “Cincinnati Kitchen” and supports the the Wise Brotherhood and their charitable works. Booths were set up in the social hall and a second room on the side. Both spaces were packed. Overflow parking was available offsite with a shuttle bus to Wise Temple. The lobby was occupied by a silent auction, photo station, and a voting station for the World Zionist Congress. Prizes were awarded at the end of the event. The winners in the three overall categories were the Avon-Miami Lodge for best amateur soup (a jumbalaya with noodles), Tano Bistro in the judges’ choice category (a traditional chicken noodle), and Nate & Sam (spiced with turmeric).
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Jewish Fertility

Jewish Fertility

  • JFF-Cincy held their first event, Bubbles & Bunco, on Jan. 15. Hosted by Loftspring, and members of the JFF-Cincy advisory committee - Tracy Juran, Marisa Phillips, Dr. Michael D. Scheiber, Sarah Shmoel, and Rabbi Karen Thomashow - the event introduced the services provided by the organization.
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2019 Cincinnati Jewish Community Study Rollout

2019 Cincinnati Jewish Community Study Rollout

  • Highlights of the much anticipated survey of the Cincinnati Jewish Community in 2019 were released and discussed on Jan. 15. The heads of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati framed the conversation and introduced the researchers involved in the project.
AJC Cincinnati showed their support during AJC's #JewishandProud Day.

AJC Cincinnati showed their support during AJC's #JewishandProud Day.

  • Amid rising antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad, AJC designated January 6 as #JewishandProud Day. Jews from over 60 countries proclaimed that they were proud of their religion and heritage. Heads of state, members of Congress, mayors, and other government officials paid tribute to our efforts, including Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman. Finally, we saw, yet again, that we are not alone.  We saw that we many have friends and allies locally and around the globe who want to support us. They spoke out on social media, they marched with us, and they added their voices to ours that hatred against one group affects us all.
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Jewish Federation Latkapalooza 2019

Jewish Federation Latkapalooza 2019

  • On Christmas Eve, about 200 of Cincinnati's Jewish young adults came out to Braxton Brewing Company for Latkapalooza 2019, an annual event sponsored by the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati (YAD), and Mayerson JCC.
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Yee-haw at the Chanukah Hoedown!

Yee-haw at the Chanukah Hoedown!

  • It was a boot stompin', knee slappin' good time! On December 23rd Temple Sholom and Etz Chaim teamed up for a Chanukah Hoedown where a good time was had by all. As soon as you stepped inside of Etz Chaim, you were transformed into a western town greeted with a covered wagon, cowboy hats and bandanas, country music and the smell of chili and latkes. No stone was left unturned to transform the social hall at Etz Chaim into a scene right out of the old west. A hoedown isn’t complete without square dancing so professional caller Jack Pladdys taught the crowd the basic two step and how to do-si-do. It was a packed house with 235 guests who showed up in their best western attire, ready to dance, eat and recount the miracle of Chanukah. The evening concluded with menorah lighting, songs and sufganiyot!
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Northern Hills Synagogue Chinese Dinner

Northern Hills Synagogue Chinese Dinner

  • Northern Hills Synagogue–Congregation B’nai Avraham enacted the cliché that on December 24 Jews go out for a Chinese dinner and a movie, since those are traditionally the only businesses open on that evening. Since it was also the third night of Chanukah, the evening started with celebration of that holiday.
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Chanukah at Sha’arei Torah

Chanukah at Sha’arei Torah

  • A night of lights and revelry was the order of the day for the Sha’arei Torah Chanukah celebration Dec. 21. There was pizza, doughnuts and games for the whole family.
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Rockwern Chanukah Party

Rockwern Chanukah Party

  • Parents, students, grandparents, and other family members gathered on Feb. 10, 2019 for the Rockwern Academy’s 2019 Chanukah Party. The students sang Chanukah songs, and a dinner featuring traditional Chanukah foods was served. The evening’s dance party theme of “Let it Glow” was reinforced through the darkening of the gym, with glowing lighting, accompanied by a DJ playing dance music.
Golf Manor Synagogue at AIPAC

Golf Manor Synagogue at AIPAC

  • Golf Manor Synagogue had its own table at the most recent AIPAC annual Cincinnati event back in November, 2019. It was a great night full of information and friends.
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Mitzvah Giving Day

Mitzvah Giving Day

  • On October 20, project manager, Karen Meyer-Michelson, representatives from The Talbert House and The Women’s Philanthropy Group at The Jewish Federation, along with volunteers from the Jewish community collected small item donations which will be used to decorate the 4th Freeda Kay House in Roselawn, Ohio. This Freeda Kay House is the most recent space prepared for women and children who are fleeing from domestic violence.
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Dr. Andrew Rehfeld inaugurated as president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

Dr. Andrew Rehfeld inaugurated as president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion

  • Dr. Andrew Rehfeld was officially inaugurated as the 10th president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Oct. 27 in Plum Street Temple. Rehfeld takes over a university with four campuses after the death of Rabbi Aaron Panken z’’l, who died in a plane crash in May 2018. He told those at the ceremony. “We embark on this journey together, on this unanticipated journey. Let us be inspired to complete the unfinished work of President Panken moving forward with our own authority to new and dynamic directions.”
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Golf Manor Synagogue celebrates Thanksgiving

Golf Manor Synagogue celebrates Thanksgiving

  • The annual Golf Manor Synagogue Thanksgiving Day Dinner was a meal enjoyed by many in the congregation. The dinner included turkey and all the trimmings, butternut squash soup and classic apple pie.
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Jewish Foundation annual meeting

Jewish Foundation annual meeting

  • The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, at it annual meeting Nov. 13, gave a sneak peek at the community study it planned to release in January. The meeting also summed up where the Foundation has been since the Cincinnati 2020 study was implemented 10 years ago. Foundation President Bret Caller and Executive Director Brian Jaffee went over what the organization has done and gave a warning to those in the Jewish community.
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Jewish National Fund Tree of Life Dinner

Jewish National Fund Tree of Life Dinner

  • Jewish National Fund honored Dr. Dean Kereiakes and his wife Anne Kereiakes at the annual Tree of Life Award Dinner in the Ohio Valley Monday, Nov. 11, 2019, at Cincinnati Music Hall. The Kereiakes received the Tree of Life Award in recognition of their outstanding community involvement, dedication to the cause of American-Israeli friendship, and devotion to the peace and security of human life.
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Rockwern Academy Sukkot Festival

Rockwern Academy Sukkot Festival

  • Rockwern Academy welcomed the holiday, Sukkot, with a family-friendly Sukkot festival on Sunday, October 13th. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., attendees browsed through merchandise from local vendors, learned about Jewish camps and schools, pet animals from a local petting zoo and enjoyed shaved ices. 
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Adath Israel first day of school Adath Israel first day of school

Adath Israel first day of school Adath Israel first day of school

  • The Jarson Education Center at Adath Israel kicks off its religious school year with highest enrollment in years As the doors opened on Sunday morning, Aug. 25, teachers and staff welcomed back students from last year and greeted many new families. Teachers and madrichim (teen teaching assistants) prepared for an exciting first day, full of active and engaging lessons. This year, with almost 30 Madrichim to help the teachers and students, there will be lots of time for learning and fun.
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ish Festival celebrated Jewish arts, culture

ish Festival celebrated Jewish arts, culture

  • The second ish Festival was a day-long celebration on Sept. 22 of Jewish and Israeli arts and culture featuring art, music, dance, food and hands-on activities. Hundreds demonstrated the various ways of celebrating their Judaism and honored Cincinnati’s Jewish history. The festival was a “play on identity,” said chairwoman Marie Krulewitch Browne. Everyone has a different way of celebrating and participating in Jewish life; Browne created ish so everyone could do it together.  
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ish Festival celebrated Jewish arts, culture

ish Festival celebrated Jewish arts, culture

  • The second ish Festival was a day-long celebration on Sept. 22 of Jewish and Israeli arts and culture featuring art, music, dance, food and hands-on activities. Hundreds demonstrated the various ways of celebrating their Judaism and honored Cincinnati’s Jewish history. The festival was a “play on identity,” said chairwoman Marie Krulewitch Browne. Everyone has a different way of celebrating and participating in Jewish life; Browne created ish so everyone could do it together.  
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Golf Manor Labor Day Fun

Golf Manor Labor Day Fun

  • Labor Day was a fun day at Golf Manor Synagogue. Among the entertainment that day were crafts, carnival food and a magic show.
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Woodstock from H. Yasugr

Woodstock from H. Yasugr

  • Nathan Bachrach, John Cobey, and Howard Yasgur visited Woodstock on the 50th anniversary of the music festival.
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Rabbi Steven Weil at Golf Manor

Rabbi Steven Weil at Golf Manor

  • Rabbi Steven Weil, the senior managing director of the Orthodox Union, shared findings from a study on American Orthodox marriages at Golf Manor Synagogue on Sept. 9. Drawing from surveys in 2008 and 2009 from more than 5,200 respondents, Rabbi Weil said it represented an “opportunity to do a serious study” on this important facet of American Orthodox life.