Suzette Fisher has been asking this question for a while.
“In these times, what can I do now?”
Her husband, Michael Fisher, repeated it from the stage on September 1 at the launch of our Annual Campaign, in a room of more than 200 people. He was asking it against a backdrop of war, division, inequality, and rapid change. Beyond philanthropy, what can each of us actually do?
We’ve just come through Elul, the stretch of the Jewish year when we take an honest accounting of ourselves before we begin again.
This year, one of the hardest things has been staying connected when people we care about see the same moment differently. There's the pressure many of us feel around Israel and antisemitism, and the fatigue of constantly having to explain what it means to be Jewish.
But Elul turns the question back toward us. How did we show up? Did we hurt someone, even without meaning to? What do we need to repair? Where do we need to do better?
Most of us do this privately, and then the year turns, and sometimes we’re not entirely sure what we decided.
That’s what I like about Suzette’s question. It doesn’t let me leave the answer to someone else. It holds me accountable.
There was a card at every place setting: write down one thing you will do in the year ahead to live your values, help your community, or make something better. Then say it out loud to someone at your table.
I’ll share three from the room.
Michael Steinbuch talked about giving his time. Mitzvah Men has logged 364 volunteer hours. Seventeen of the men rebuilt a widow’s deck with People Working Cooperatively. He and 24 others placed Holocaust memorial markers in our cemeteries and cleared the ground around the headstones. His parents were both survivors.
Jeff Goldstein talked about showing up for neighbors he may never meet. He volunteered to lead the Love Thy Neighbor Fund at the Federation. The fund most recently partnered with HER Cincinnati to help women move out of cycles of poverty and toward greater stability. Through matching gifts, one donor's generosity builds on another's. He bets that caring is contagious.
Sherri Symson, our board chair, talked about inviting someone in. Someone once invited her to get involved, and now her answer is to extend that invitation to someone new.
What did I write on my card?
Pride.
I want more of us to be proud out loud in ordinary places this year.
For many of us, that does not always feel easy.
Last Thursday morning, our JCRC co-hosted a breakfast discussion with several members of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Holly Huffnagle, who leads AJC’s antisemitism policy, spoke with a group of Jewish Cincinnati leaders, community members, and local college students. Two numbers stayed with me.
The first: 55 percent of American Jews have changed something about how we live because of fear of antisemitism, from what we wear to what we post online. For younger Jews, that pressure is even greater.
The second: 90 percent of American adults say antisemitism is society’s problem to solve.
We are not alone. This is a time to be visible.
Wear the Jewish star. Say “Shabbat Shalom.” Take the extra minute to explain the importance of Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur when someone is curious. Small acts help change what a room believes is normal.
My answer is to be proud of being Jewish. Michael’s is to give his time. Jeff’s is to show up for a neighbor. Sherri’s is to invite someone in. Yours may be something else entirely.
So, here’s the thing I’m asking of you as we enter 5787.
Write down your answer. Tell one person. Ask them to share theirs. And somewhere in the middle of the year, check on each other.
Shana tovah, Happy New Year. May the year ahead be good and sweet.
Danielle V. Minson
CEO, Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
PS: Before the year turns, I want you to hear from some of the people in our community who decided to make a legacy gift. I am among them, and we were asked five questions. Watch the answers.
PPS: Our Jewish holiday calendar is here, and it runs through 2029. We send it to schools and businesses every year, and it works just as well for anyone who sets dates a year out. Pass it along.