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Best known for producing Cincinnati’s Jewish and Israeli arts and culture festival, ish is becoming a vibrant hub for artists and communities to explore cultural heritage through the arts. Given its history as the oldest Jewish community west of the Allegheny Mountains, Cincinnati offers a dynamic platform to celebrate and transform art and Jewish life. While most Cincinnati Jewish institutions today are located north of the city-center, ish activates downtown venues — such as restaurants and theaters — to return Cincinnati Jewish programming to its roots in the urban core. The organization offers a dynamic selection of cultural activities — from traditional to contemporary, religious to secular, Jew-ish to non-Jewish — as a way to celebrate the fullness of Jewish identity in Greater Cincinnati. For example, ish is engaging the Cincinnati Jewish community in the celebration of Mimouna — a joyous, food-centered festival among North African Jews from Morocco and the Mahgreb celebrated at the end of Passover.

“This year’s festival, which was much needed after a long and winding pandemic, was another wonderful experience for me, and my whole (extended) family,” one ish participant shared. “It’s a marvel to see all you have built and to enjoy time with so many who come together to celebrate and learn.”

ish also hosts an Emerging Artist Fellowship designed to grow artists’ connection to Cincinnati and their own cultural heritage, along with a Teen Internship to deepen self-expression and identity at the nexus of Jewish wisdom and social change. By highlighting diverse Jewish and Israeli voices, traditions, and arts disciplines, ish is authentically representing the complexity of Jewish life today with a spirit of celebration.