Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission, Vision, Values
    • FAQs
    • Officers, Board, and Staff
    • Affiliations
    • Rules & Regulations
    • Cincinnati’s Jewish History
    • 200th Booklet
  • Products & Services
    • Monuments & Markers
    • Pre-Arrangements
    • Other Services
  • Our Cemeteries
    • Loveland Cemetery
    • Walnut Hills Cemetery
    • Montgomery Cemetery
    • Hamilton Cemetery
    • Price Hill Cemeteries
    • Covedale Cemeteries
    • Clifton Cemetery
    • Chestnut Street Cemetery (1821-1849)
  • Genealogy
  • Programs
    • Preserving Your Family History through Storytelling
    • Jewish Cemetery Tours
    • Customs and Traditions of Mourning
    • Genealogy
  • Donate
    • Friends Campaign
    • Legacy Gifts / CYJL / Guardians Legacy Society
  • Newsletters
    • Current
    • Archives
      • October 2021
      • June 2020
      • March 2020
      • November 2019
      • July 2019
      • March 2019
      • December 2018
      • August 2018
      • May 2018
      • February 2018
      • December 2016
      • April 2016
      • July 2016
      • December 2015
      • September 2015
      • June 2015
      • February 2015
      • November 2013
      • July 2013
      • March 2013
      • December 2012
    • Directory
  • Contact
Home / JCGC CYJL TESTIMONIAL by Marlene A. Ostrow

JCGC CYJL TESTIMONIAL by Marlene A. Ostrow

The Cincinnati Jewish community—both formally and informally—has been an integral and meaningful part of my life since the day I arrived here. My husband, Bernie Lenchitz and I are both transplants from northern New Jersey and Manhattan. We moved to Greater Cincinnati in the late 1980’s.

Cincinnati is blessed with dozens of Jewish organizations and agencies that exist to do good and help fulfill the unmet needs of its community members. Early on, I made the intentional decision to engage with several of these wonderful faith-based entities.

In 2001, we joined Adath Israel Congregation and I immediately became active. It was there that I continued to make close friendships and developed working relationships with many members of my new congregational family. I also began to study Hebrew ritual prayers, and immersed myself learning more about the ethics and values that guide our people. A dear, modern orthodox friend of mine once shared with me that doing chesed for the deceased is a special type of mitzvah and kindness as the recipients can never repay the good deed. (And of course, they will never know that any action was ever taken!)

Fast forward fourteen years later when a friend from Adath invited me to join the board of an organization that I was pretty unfamiliar with. Several phone calls, an in-person coffee and my questions answered, I eagerly joined trustees for Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati. The wise words from my friend of doing chesed came back to me at my first board meeting. 

Marlene and DavidThrough my board service with JCGC, I learned about this incredible endowment building program, Create Your Jewish Legacy (CYJL), from two extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic colleagues: Larry Neuman, Jewish Cemeteries’  CYJL team lead and immediate past president, and JCGC Executive Director, David Harris, who served as the Jewish Federation CYJL Development Officer prior to joining JCGC.

I learned the crucial importance of securing the future of our Jewish community via creating and growing endowments for many of its organizations and agencies. I understood how, especially for Jewish Cemeteries—that lacks a traditional membership and had not yet engaged in an annual fundraising campaign—legacy giving was the best way for me to help ensure the survival of this 14- year-old unique Jewish cemetery agency, which cares for 35,000 graves with 25 local Jewish cemeteries. So not only did I make a pledge and confirmed commitment to CYJL within a year of joining the Board, but I also invited my husband, Dr Bernie Lenchitz, to join me in participating in CYJL for JCGC.

It was very easy for me to decide to give to Jewish Cemeteries via CYJL. As I began to spend more time and energy working on a variety of projects, I wanted to actively “walk the proverbial walk” by putting my funds where I spent my time in the community. I realized how important the mission and work of JCGC is and that I had the ability to make a difference.  And if truth be told, it is very easy and straightforward to participate in the Create Your Jewish Legacy donor program. Every time I pay my respects to deceased friends who were buried locally, I reflect in a way knowing that we have helped to secure the future of this important Jewish agency through our gifts to CYJL. You, too, can have that incredibly, amazing feeling of securing our Jewish future when you decide to make a CYJL gift.

  •  

    Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial
    Facebook   DONATE FIND A GRAVE

     

  • News & Info

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 weeks ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    Thank you as well to John Kiesewetter and 91.7 WVXU for this great recap of our episode. Watch on PBS.org through April 18th for free! ... See MoreSee Less

    Local Jewish Cemeteries to be featured on PBS online and WCET

    www.wvxu.org

    An episode of 'World's Greatest Cemeteries' filmed last summer is part of the second season available on PBS app Feb. 19.
    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 weeks ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    Thank you Cincinnati CityBeat for sharing our story! You can watch World's Greatest Cemeteries on PBS.org free through April 18th ... See MoreSee Less

    Cincinnati's Jewish Cemeteries to be Highlighted in Episode of PBS' World's Greatest Cemeteries

    www.citybeat.com

    The episode will be free online for two months, and CET will air it once at 3 p.m. on April 16.
    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 weeks ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    Hear World's Greatest Cemeteries host and producer, Roberto Mighty, discuss Season 2 and JCGC on the Making Media Now podcast! ... See MoreSee Less

    The State of Podcasting with Molly Beck & The Return of Roberto Mighty | Making Media Now

    fcmakingmedia.podbean.com

    Joining host Michael Azevedo on this episode is Molly Beck the founder and CEO of Messy. fm, whose business software empowers organizations to create podcasts in minutes. Leaders and teams from top en...
    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Quick Links

  • American Israelite Newspaper
  • Weil Kahn Funeral Home
  • Genealogy Database
Mail icon
Subscribe to our mailing list

Join our mailing list to get newsletters delivered to your email inbox.

Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
3400 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
513-961-0178

©2023 • Site Map