Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati (“JCGC”) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation operating 23 of the 26 Jewish cemeteries in the Greater Cincinnati area. These cemeteries comprise 60 acres in seven locations.
Our full time staff, which includes an Executive Director, Office Manager and Foreman, as well as field personnel, services approximately 150 burials a year in addition to maintaining and improving the grounds.
From the outset, JCGC has been a community project. JCGC was incorporated in 2004, at which time the congregations and independent groups, which owned the individual cemeteries that ultimately merged with JCGC, adopted a Code of Regulations. In addition, the Rabbis from four divisions of Jewish life met and agreed upon the ritual governance of the existing cemeteries and any new cemeteries. JCGC completed the cemetery mergers and began operations in 2008. JCGC’s initial funding was provided by the existing endowments from the merged cemeteries, a significant grant from The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, and an ongoing broad – based endowment fundraising campaign under the auspices of The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. With this funding in place, JCGC has sufficient funding in place to meet its ongoing operating needs for the foreseeable future.
In 2011 JCGC purchased a 23 acre property for a combined Orthodox, Conservative and Reform cemetery to serve the entire Jewish community in Greater Cincinnati.
JCGC’s future plans include the following:
- Develop the new cemetery property, starting in 2015 with construction of the roads
- Develop and execute a plan to make repairs in the existing cemeteries
- Maintain and build financial self-sustainability
- Continue to encourage community involvement through outreach/collaborative events
- Long term, transform JCGC into a valuable historical and educational resource for the community
