Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
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Home / Our Newest Guardians: Karen and Stuart Zanger

Our Newest Guardians: Karen and Stuart Zanger

Karen and Stu Zanger

In the afternoon hours of New Year’s Eve 2019, my husband Stuart and I made a decision that felt like a satisfying way to start to 2020. We made the commitment to support Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati beyond the length of our own lives, through a pledge to Create Your Jewish Legacy. It was a decision that was a rather long time in the making, even if it was probably a foregone conclusion!

Stu and I love what’s made Cincinnati our Jewish home for 32 years now—our temple, our havurah, and those we have worked beside in all sorts of community projects. Beloved friends and family who have passed on, as well as local icons we have watched from a distance, have modeled for us a spirit of communal work and multi-generational commitment to Jewish philanthropy. That spirit has nurtured so many great institutions here for the past 200 years, and now we feel ready to do our part.

We chose to make our legacy pledge to Jewish Cemeteries for many reasons. As a JCGC board member for the past few years, I have been impressed with how devoted its staff and volunteer leadership are to the organization’s unique mission. Every step along the way, from answering the phone to handling data to operating a shovel, its people take to heart the sacred trust placed in them by every individual that JCGC’s work touches. My children’s generation deserve to be met at the end of their lives by the same compassion and respect.

Also, I love and have never feared cemeteries. As a kid in Milford, I had a friend whose foster parents were on-site caretakers of a cemetery, so she and I spent many pleasant hours in her familiar space. My parents took our family on explorations of historic sites and Native American burial grounds, and encouraged us to honor the space but stay curious. So, I was excited when I was invited to join the Board, and honored to be asked by one of JCGC’s Founders, Ed Marks. I’m glad to be able to help in work which will preserve our Jewish cemeteries.

Finally, I credit Jewish Cemeteries in part for our family’s recent very “deep dive” into all our branches’ genealogy, led by our daughter, Jess. I believe that knowing about JCGC “from the inside” helped motivate her, and therefore us. We have now discovered and visited family graves in two Jewish cemeteries on Long Island, in a ridge-top cemetery near Horseheads, NY, in a gravesite hidden in trees and brush in a Cincinnati industrial park, and even in pioneer cemeteries in College Hill and Lebanon—plus many more graves located online via databases, of which ours at JCGC is a part. The stories of all those lives were not lost to us, in part because people performed sacred burials and then preserved cemeteries and records. This is exactly the work of Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati, and it doesn’t come cheap. Stu and I feel lucky to be able to help sustain it with our Create Your Jewish Legacy gift. We hope many will join us.

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  • News & Info

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 months ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    Thank you to everyone who joined us last night for an illuminating conversation about "A Cantor's Head" with Cantor Jack Mendelson as part of the Mayerson JCC Jewish and Israeli Film Festival. We hope you enjoyed the film and hearing Cantor Mendelson share his insights and voice with us live. We look forward to future opportunities to celebrate the richness of Jewish tradition and culture together as a community. ... See MoreSee Less
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    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    3 months ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    Watch the trailer below to get a sneak peek of "A Cantor's Head," which you can view as part of the Mayerson JCC Jewish and Israeli Film Festival. Join us for an online special event on January 25th at 7:00 pm featuring Cantor Jack Mendelson in conversation with Rabbinic Fellow Jason Cook. vimeo.com/365634990JCGC’s Guardians, our Legacy Society members, and JCGC’s Friends Campaign contributors are invited as guests of JCGC and can RSVP via info@jcemcin.org. Members of the public are welcome to join us and can purchase tickets here: mayersonjcc.org/film ... See MoreSee Less

    TRAILER _ A CANTOR'S HEAD

    vimeo.com

    Trailer for the new documentary A CANTOR'S HEAD. Director: Erik Greenberg Anjou
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    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    3 months ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    We are proud to sponsor 𝘈 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥, a documentary about Cantor Jack Mendelson and his legacy, as part of the Virtual Mayerson JCC Jewish and Israeli Film Festival! After watching the film, join us online on Monday, January 25th at 7 pm for a special event featuring Cantor Jack Mendelson in conversation with Rabbinic Fellow Jason Cook.JCGC’s Guardians, our Legacy Society members, and JCGC’s Friends Campaign contributors are invited as guests of JCGC and can RSVP via info@jcemcin.org. Members of the public are welcome to join us and can purchase tickets here: mayersonjcc.org/film ... See MoreSee Less

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Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
3400 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
513-961-0178

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