As spring approaches, the staff at JCGC is busy preparing for the inevitable clean-up required after the winter, especially a winter as hard as this one has been! A few weeks ago, on a very cold day, after a funeral, I asked one of our most veteran team members, James, what he liked about this job. James has been in the cemetery business for over 29 years, 12 of those with JCGC! James said that one of the things he cherishes about his job is hearing the stories of our dearly departed, which he often finds touching and inspiring. Stories, for example, of Holocaust survivors and how they triumphed over adversity and made a life for themselves and their family in Cincinnati; stories of leaders, who gave of their time and resources to the Jewish community and to Cincinnati; stories of people so beloved by friends and family, who will be dearly missed; and stories of people who relied in different ways on the generosity of others, including the burials JCGC performs for those in need. James told me how much pride he takes in knowing that he is helping honor each of our dearly departed community members. And after so many years with JCGC, when he goes into one of our cemeteries, he takes pride in looking at the grounds and at monuments and markers that he helped erect, continuing to honor their memories.
I am fortunate to have a staff full of employees who take pride in their work and the service JCGC performs. And our community is fortunate, as well, to have people who, despite not being Jewish, identify with and take pride in their relationship to the Jewish community.
JCGC is equally fortunate to have so many committed board members, donors, and volunteers. I hope you’ll enjoy some of the updates about our work in this quarter’s newsletter.
In service of our mission,
David Harris
Executive Director
