CINCINNATI — The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center is offering free admission through the month of January.
Jackie Congedo, the center's chief community engagement and external affairs officer, said it’s a direct response to a rise in antisemitism across the Tri-State.
“Chants of 'Death to Jews' in our schools, students telling their Jewish classmates that quote, 'Hitler should have finished the job,' Nazi salutes and swastikas drawn in school bathrooms,” she said.
It’s an old problem in a new generation.
“It’s so hard to move the needle,” said Danielle Minson, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. “It’s a battle, it’s a mountain. But just chipping away at it one person at a time, I think is the best way for us to do that.”
Minson pointed to education as one of the solutions to the problem.
“The more people that understand the nuance, the more people that can learn, the better we are going to be,” Minson said.
Her agency is affiliated with the Jewish Community Relations Council, which has been tracking antisemitic incidents in the area. She said since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, antisemitic incidents have occurred an average of once per day versus once per week before the attack.
“There are more mental health challenges born out of the stress,” she said. “Mostly with teens and our young people who are seeing this every day on social media or in schools.”
Minson said that reaching parents is the solution to stopping this action from children, some as young as middle school.
“They’re learning things through their parents and other kids are learning through their parents, and it’s spreading,” she said.
At a press conference at the museum center, community leaders made clear that voicing political opposition against Israel or the war is not inherently antisemitic.
“We should be raising concerns as we see them,” Congedo said. “But we absolutely must do so in a way that avoids hateful language and rhetoric.”
In November, protesters plastered an image on a building near Rep. Greg Landsman’s office. It stated he supported genocide and ethnic cleansing.
They might dress it up and try to make it look cute, but really it's just insidious language that makes us all less safe.
— Congressman Greg Landsman (@RepGregLandsman) November 28, 2023
They also vandalized the wrong building. A non-profit for women escaping DV and addiction. Very hard for their staff and ours to remove.
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/5VHddOZisj
Landsman said he considered that rhetoric antisemitic.
“Folks who want to continue to advocate but not do so in a way that's going to be antisemitic, which I believe is most people, they can do so and be way more effective,” he said.
Jewish community leaders hope that increased awareness of Jewish identity will preempt antisemitic behavior. It’s one of the key takeaways from the museum at Union Terminal.
“We hope that strong attendance leads to the kind of conversations that are going to cultivate empathy,” Congedo said.
The museum is open Thursdays through Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
