What a year it has been since last Thanksgiving. It has been a tough year for many of us, me included. How can we stay strong during these times and avoid falling into despair?
For that answer, we can look to science. Multiple studies have shown that consistently writing down what we are grateful for can benefit our mental health. According to mental health experts, our lists can include “small” or “large” things in our lives.
As actor Michael J Fox said in an interview on CBS Sunday morning, “With gratitude, optimism is sustainable.” With that in mind, here are some things I am grateful for here in Cincinnati.
Murals USA Today named Cincinnati one of the best cities in the United States for street art. Now, a mural celebrating Jewish history is on 124 W. 9th St.
The Cincinnati Art Museum has one of the best collections of ancient art in the tri-state area and is a fantastic place to spend a day wandering through the galleries.
Local Music Scene Cincinnati has a robust music scene filled with great local artists and venues.
Comedy From Improv to Stand up, Cincinnati is home to great comedy clubs putting on shows almost seven days a week, Improv Cincinnati, Commonwealth Sanctuary, Go Bananas, The Liberty Funny Bone, and Bombs Away Comedy at the Comet, to name a few.
Coffee Shops Cincinnati has a slew of fantastic coffee shops. A couple of my favorites are Deeper Roots and Coffee Emporium. A special shoutout to the folks at Daylily in Columbia Tusculum, who take care of me every week.
Our local Jewish Elected Officials who are doing the good work of trying to improve the lives of people living in Cincinnati.
Cincy Jewfolk Contributors Melissa Hunter, Andrea Beck, Ali Cantor, Eric Georg Tauber, Gayle Levine Schindler, Rabbi Austin Zoot, Rabbi Ari Jun, Rabbi Drew Kaplan, Miriam Fisher, Allison Cohen, Leah Zipperstein, Elliot Draznin, Tree Smith Benedikt, Claire Rechnitzer, Fletcher Guttman, Becca Blumer, Bailey Price, Madi Persinger, Prof. Matthew Kraus, Prof. Ari Finklestein, Mike Boberg, Miriam Steinberg-Egeth. (If I missed anyone, please forgive me and email [email protected], and I’ll add you to the list!)
Cincinnati Jewish Journalism Cincinnati has a diverse array of hard-working Jewish journalists, like the staff at the American Israelite, Marshall Weiss at the Dayton Jewish Observer, and Rachel Hersheimer at WLWT.
Even when things were tough this year, there were plenty of bright spots that helped lighten the load, from the hostage deal that saw the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza and a shaky ceasefire, to Rep. Greg Landsman starting a PAC to fight antisemitism. And Joe Burrow’s return from injury.
As we move into winter, let’s let our gratitude be one of the lights that help us shine through the darkness.
Happy Thanksgiving from us here at Cincy Jewfolk to you and yours!
❤️