By Julia Olson
Assistant Editor
Two antisemitic banners were flown publicly in Cincinnati this weekend. One of the banners was flown over Columbia Parkway. The banners appeared on March 16, the day the city was set to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. One banner read “Save Ireland from the Jews,” and replaced the letter “e” in “Jews” with a star of David. It was hung from a pedestrian bridge over The Parkway. Ari Jun, Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council in Cincinnati, said there was no indication at present as to who was responsible for the banner. “Often, with incidents like this, we won’t learn of who is responsible unless someone begins to claim responsibility or it leaks out.”
More than one banner appeared throughout the community. Cincinnati law enforcement and SAFE Cincinnati, a community initiative designed to improve Cincinnati’s response to security threat, acted quickly to remove the banners. “I am proud that, working with SAFE Cincinnati, elected officials, law enforcement, and other community allies, we were able to get these banners quickly removed; in fact, they were both taken down within about an hour of when they were first spotted. Nevertheless, they clearly struck a nerve within the Jewish community here and even internationally. They are a stark visual of the boldness of antisemitism today.”
Antisemitic incidents surged over 300% according to the ADL, since the October 7th Hamas attack in Israel. The JCRC has been working to fight antisemitism through awareness, education, and community organization. “To adequately fight antisemitism in our community,” says Jun, “we need the community’s help — specifically by reporting incidents to JCRC, so we know what we’re up against. Community members can report incidents of antisemitism to the JCRC on their website.”
