History Lesson
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Jewish community life in the city of Cincinnati, which formally began with the founding of Chestnut Street Cemetery in the historic West End. The Jewish community and the City of Cincinnati along with dozens of community partners will commemorate this significant milestone through celebrations, multi-generational programs and interactive experiences.
Some 50 exhibitions, programs, concerts and festivals will mark the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial from September 2021 through October 2022. Additional events will be added throughout the celebration.
Under One Roof Art Exhibit
Sept. 20–30, 2021, Mayerson Jewish Community Center, 8485 Ridge Avenue, Free
Celebrate the festival of Sukkot, the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest, with this community art exhibit. The exhibit features artwork designed by groups and individuals around their interpretation of this year’s central theme, “Resilience and Renewal.” The exhibit will be on display in a temporary sukkah (hut) in the courtyard.
Under One Roof Art Opening
Sept. 20, 5:30–7 p.m., Mayerson Jewish Community Center, 8485 Ridge Avenue, Free with RSVP
Enjoy an evening of art, music, and light appetizers inside our sukkah, highlighting works of art created by individuals and organizations across the community. View the multimedia panels exploring this year’s theme, “Resilience and Renewal,” on display to celebrate the festival of Sukkot. Under One Roof is made possible by Presenting Sponsor The Rockwern Charitable Foundation. This program is funded in part by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati.
ish Festival
Sept. 25–26, Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine, Free
ish opens with a night market and concert featuring Matisyahu on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. and continues on Sunday, Sept. 26 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This arts and culture event will kick off the year-long Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial.
Rededication: Chestnut Street Cemetery
Sept. 26, 10 a.m., Chestnut Street Cemetery, 400 Chestnut Street in the West End
Celebrate the restoration of the Chestnut Street Cemetery, the oldest Jewish Cemetery west of the Alleghenies. This event is the formal kick-off of Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial.
Jewish Cincinnati Historic Tours with Miles Wolf Photo Commission
September 2021 – Oct. 2022, West End and Central Business District
“A Walk Through History” will offer guided and self-guided tours of Jewish Cincinnati through the 19th and 20th centuries in the West End and Cincinnati Central Business District. Augmented reality and photographs by Cincinnati photographer J. Miles Wolf bring to life architectural remnants no longer standing. This program is supported by the Duke Energy Foundation.
CSO Celebration of Jewish Music
Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, CSO Concert at Music Hall
Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, Chamber Performance at Plum Street Temple, 720 Plum St.
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Creative Partner, Matthias Pintscher has curated two programs, Oct 1 & 3 which highlight music of Jewish composers and musicians, including his own work. The CSO’s Oct. 1 program in Cincinnati Music Hall includes Olga Neuwirth’s Aello featuring CSO flutist Henrik Heide and Pintscher’s Nur explores the transformative power of fire with piano soloist Inon Barnatan. On Oct. 3, CSO musicians continue the weekend’s exploration of Jewish music with a chamber music program at Cincinnati’s inspiring and historic Plum Street Temple, featuring works by Pintscher and Olga Neuwirth’s Laki. From Oct. 1 through Oct. 3, Jay Schwartz’ Music for Autosonic Gongs, an installation for 8 electro-acoustically controlled tam-tams will be free and open to the public in the Music Hall Foyer.
Laurel Park Dedication
Oct. 6, 2021, 9 a.m., Laurel Park, 500 Ezzard Charles Drive
Cincinnati Parks and community partners are beautifying Laurel Park in the West End with more than 100 newly planted trees, benches, shelters, walking paths, and a commemorative sculpture of West End resident, business owner and community advocate, Ezzard Charles. Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial is a proud sponsor of this community project in the West End.
Upstander Tour
Sunday, Oct. 17, 11 a.m., Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Avenue
On this special guided tour of the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, learn about upstanders who decided to speak out against injustice and unfairness and use their character strengths to become the best of humanity.
Tom Schaumberg's Story of Survival
Sunday, Oct. 17, 1 p.m., Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, 1301 Western Avenue
Tom Schaumberg will share his story of survival. Tom was born in 1938 in Amsterdam, Netherlands and he and his parents were deported to Westerbork transit camp in the Netherlands and then to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Hear about the journey that brought him to the United States.
Tree of Life Cantata Debut
Oct. 24, 2021, Time and location to be announced.
Concert Nova Chamber Ensemble will debut the world premiere of Jacob Lindy’s Tree of Life Cantata, a collection of movements composed in memory of those who lost their lives during the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh, PA in 2018.
Presented by Congregation Beth Adam, the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center, ish, the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, and Cincinnati Skirball Museum.
A Portrait of Jewish Cincinnati: A Bicentennial Celebration
Nov. 4, 2021–Jan. 30, 2022
Opening reception: Thursday, November 4, 5:30–8 p.m.
Skirball Museum, Mayerson Hall, HUC–JIR, 3101 Clifton Avenue
The Skirball Museum exhibition will feature portraits of Cincinnati's movers and shakers from the early 19th century to the present day, from its own rich collections as well as those of the Cincinnati Art Museum and Mercantile Library, along with private collections, both local and national. Visitors will engage with portraits of the merchants, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, politicians, scholars, and community leaders who helped make Cincinnati the Queen City of the West, with paintings and sculptures by such renowned artists as Sir Jacob Epstein, Raphael Strauss, Henry Mosler, Moses Ezekiel, John Aubery, David Holleman, and Isaac Brynjegard–Bialik.
A full list of events for the rest of the year and more information can be found at www.jewishcincy200.org.