Letter from the Executive Director

The warm weather is finally here and the JCGC team is hard at work restoring the cemeteries’ grounds and monuments after the harsh winter weather. This is in addition to the ongoing work of lawn care and landscaping, which always requires hours of hard work in the spring, while also performing our sacred work of burials.

As in each season, we lost valued members of our community in the last several months. The JCGC Board of Trustees, and Cincinnati Jewish community overall, lost our friend and colleague, Jay Price, in April. Jay served on the JCGC Board for over 7 years. Though not a native of Cincinnati, Jay made our community his home and was deeply committed to many of its organizations. His wisdom and humor, and much more, will be sorely missed.

As we work through the spring and summer on projects throughout the cemeteries, JCGC is preparing to launch a lecture series this coming October. Each quarter, we will offer a different lecture or seminar for the community on topics such as: Jewish Genealogy Research, Jewish Iconography and Art History of Monuments, and End of Life Planning.

One of the lectures will be a presentation on the Xavier University class, led by Rabbi Abie Ingber, which will be traveling to Lithuania this summer to restore a Jewish cemetery. In April, the class visited our Walnut Hills location to learn about Jewish burial practices and cemeteries, and gain some practical experience from JCGC Foreman Ronnie King and Asst. Foreman Tim O’Connell for unearthing and preserving old tombstones. We look forward to sharing their experiences with the community, as well as hosting the other lectures in the coming year. Stay tuned for details!

In service of our mission,

David Harris

Executive Director