Courtesy of Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
By Jeffrey Catalano
Assistant Editor
On Friday, December 12, at 9:00 a.m., a public Hanukkah celebration took place on the steps of Cincinnati City Hall. Despite the cold weather and light snowfall from the early morning hours, the event went on as planned. This community celebration has been an annual tradition since Rabbi Avtzon approached Greg Landsman with the idea. Landsman was a city council member at the time and is now a congressman.
The special event was hosted by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and Jewish Community Relations Council, the public affairs arm of the Federation, in tandem with city leaders.
The celebration included the lighting of a large, electric menorah displayed alongside the holiday tree inside of City Hall. The menorah — tall, metal-grey and elegant — made for a memorable, beautiful sight perched on the steps of City Hall. The Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s JCRC donated this menorah in 2022, which has been displayed along City Hall’s Holiday Tree and Kwanza Kinara each year since, symbolizing the spirit of interfaith collaboration and inclusion.
Courtesy of Jewish Federation of Cincinnati
A gathering of civic officials and Jewish community leadership gave some brief remarks at the event, which was then followed by a gathering inside of City Hall where coffee and kosher jelly doughnuts were served to those in attendance. Around fifty people came out to the celebration, and the mood was incredibly festive and joyous.
In attendance were Mark Jeffreys, a City Council Member; Danielle Minson, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati; Chandler White, Director of Jewish Community Relations Council; plus a number of other civic and faith leaders, all of whom gathered together with a variety of families and community members across the Greater Cincinnati area to celebrate the holiday season.
