What a year it has been. As I was taking stock of this past year and reviewing the stories y’all clicked and shared, I couldn’t believe some took place in 2024. Over the past year, our community has been rocked by antisemitic incidents.
The antisemitic banner hung up on St Patrick’s Day. Two Cincinnati Jews were forced off of the Cincinnati Pride board this spring, and this summer, historic Jewish cemeteries were vandalized. The incidents continued through the rest of the year.
That is the sort of year it has been.
Through the chaos of 2024, our small editorial team (and contributors) punched above our weight and worked tirelessly to keep our Jewish community informed. Here are the most-read articles each month this year:
January: Rabbi Julie Schwartz Continues Chaplaincy Work With New Teaching Program At Jewish Hospital
February: Brian Jaffee On Jewish Foundation’s Evolution and Staff Expansion
March: Antisemitic Banner Found on Columbia Parkway
April: How To Close A Campus: HUC-JIR Bleeds Money While Cincinnati Pays The Price
May: How To Close A Campus: HUC-JIR Bleeds Money While Cincinnati Pays The Price
June: Pro-Palestinian Activists Force Resignations From Cincinnati Pride
July: My New Mezuzah is a Ring Doorbell
August: In Kamrass’ Last Year, Wise Temple Opts For Unique Transition To Next Senior Rabbi Hirsch
September: Adath Israel Begins Search for New Senior Rabbi
October: The Coming Storm Part I
November: Cincy Jews Lobbied For New Laws To Help Jewish Students – They’re Now In Effect
December: Rabbi Ari Jun Recommended as the Next Settled Rabbi at Temple Sholom
Over this past year, Cincinnatians submitted new and interesting stories, like Allison Cohen’s The Mompreneur Spotlight, Gayle Levine Schindler’s cooking column, Leah Zipperstein’s business column Rooted in Success, Elliot Draznin’s series on organizing, and Rabbi Austin Zoot’s ongoing essays — to name a few.
We also brought you stories from Israel as Cincinnati expats living in Israel dealt with the first anniversary of Oct 7.
Whether you read Cincy Jewfolk daily, catch up with our weekly newsletter, or engage on social media, you are one of the reasons we’ve grown and thrived since we launched our site in the summer of 2023. Thank you for your continued support and contributions. It is an honor to serve the Cincinnati community. Happy (Secular) New Year!
