Jlive — Cincinnati’s new central hub for Jewish events — is the JCC and Jewish Federation’s latest venture in online programming and registration after sunsetting Cincy Vine.
“Cincy Vine was not what the people wanted,” laughed Julia Fowler, the Jlive manager.
Jlive, unlike its predecessor, is not a social media platform or just for young adults. According to Fowler, it is just a ticketing and registration platform.
“What we heard over and over again in the 2030 focus groups was, people said there’s so much great Jewish programming in Cincinnati, but I don’t know where to find it,” she said.
To Fowler, Jlive is perfect for a city like Cincinnati because of the extensive programming available through the JCC, Federation, Synagogues, JFS, JVS, and smaller organizations.
“It helps the organizations that maybe you don’t get emails from as often; it allows you to find out about anything going on,” she said.
She hopes to encourage smaller organizations to use Jlive regularly. The JCC and Federation will shoulder the costs, so organizations in Cincinnati will have free access to Jlive for the next two years.
Fowler sees another benefit of Jlive: helping folks in Cincinnati build their own community.
Fowler, a Cincinnati transplant, sees a way for Jews who are new to town or don’t have much experience in the community to learn what is going on quickly. She knows how beneficial attending Jewish events can be.
“I moved here 12 years ago, but when I first came here, I had Access [events], and it was great because I met all my friends that way.”
Cincinnati is Jlive’s first expansion. It was created as a project between the JCCs and Federations of Detroit and Montreal, who began developing it in 2019 and officially launched JLive in 2021.
“I talk to the people who created Jlive every day, sometimes multiple times a day, if I need something, and they’re always willing to listen when we need to make changes because what works in Detroit might not necessarily work here,” she said. “They’re listening and making the adjustments we need.”
One of the things Jlive can provide is event recommendations, if you create a profile on the site — which Fowler highly recommends.
“When you create a profile, you can tell it your demographics and interests,” she said. “So right when you open up the site on your desktop or mobile, It will show you events recommended for you.”
You can also opt to receive email notifications about recommended events.
Jlive gives organizations feedback about who is attending their events, allowing them to adapt their offerings to the community’s desires.
Jlive also helps organizations provide an extra layer of security for their events. Since Oct. 7 and the massive spike in antisemitism locally, Cincinnati Jews have been increasingly focused on keeping events safe and secure. Because of that need, the Jlive developers developed the Jlive Passport.
It’s [Jlive passport] is an extra layer of security, verification of your identity so everybody is safe at the events,” said Fowler.
Fowler also said that Jlive Passport would improve security for large events like the Hen Mazzig after the Oct 7 series lecture, which was interrupted by protestors. The passport may even be required for larger events.
She also clarified that creating an account isn’t necessary to register for Jlive events. To Fowler, making a profile and registering for events is one of the best ways to have your voice heard for the type of events you want.
“It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy: Tell [Jewish orgs] what you want, and they’ll make it for you,” she said. “Getting a profile is the best way to tell the organization what you want to see them create for you.”
