Friday Five – September 11, 2026

There is something sacred about this week. We mark 25 years since September 11, 2001, a day of grief our nation still carries, and tonight, we welcome the Jewish new year. Sorrow and hope, arriving together. That is who we are as a people: we remember what we’ve lost and still choose to begin again

Rosh Hashanah asks us to look inward, not only at what we’ve accomplished, but at where we’ve fallen short; not only at where we are, but where we hope to be. This past year, our community showed what’s possible when we come together: we cared for one another, stood together to protect Jewish life when antisemitism tested us, and deepened the relationships that make Jewish Columbus vibrant and resilient. As Pirkei Avot reminds us, “It is not our responsibility to finish the work, but neither are we free to desist from it.” A year from now, I hope we’ll look back and say we protected what mattered, reached people we hadn’t yet reached, and built something that will last.

Mazel tov to our board chair, Jonathan Feibel, named the recipient of the 2026 CJN Generation Award by the Columbus Jewish News, to be presented at its annual 18 Difference Makers celebration in October. The Generation Award recognizes a lifetime of leadership, and Jonathan’s leadership impact can be felt deeply across our community.

Anyone who has worked alongside him knows the kind of leader he is. He pushes us to think bigger, to hold ourselves to a higher standard, to never settle for what’s easy when the community deserves what’s right. He cares deeply, a devotion he’ll tell you he inherited from his parents and grandparents, whose love for this community lives on in everything he gives to it. That’s what makes his leadership so personal. For Jonathan, this work has never been about titles or terms of service. It’s about wanting every person in Central Ohio to feel that they belong here, that Jewish life is theirs to claim, and that this community will always be a place worth building.

Mazel tov, Jonathan. This recognition is deeply deserved. Read his full story in the Columbus Jewish News. And also check out the 18 Difference Makers who will be recognized at this year’s event.

Last Wednesday, Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s Director of Antisemitism Policy, sat down with her team and JewishColumbus’ Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) to discuss where things stand nationally on antisemitism, and how national organizations and local communities can work together on policy, advocacy, and education. AJC shared the AJC Antisemitism Action Plan, a playbook built to help communities like ours strengthen how we respond to real life situations in schools, workplaces, and throughout the commuinty.

The conversation discussed the many allies JCRC has spent years cultivating and how much harder that work has become since October 7; pushing back on antisemitism online; and why data matters. Tracking antisemitism only counts if it turns into advocacy, education, and a community that knows how to respond when it happens close to home.

Conversations like this highlight why the partnership with AJC matters: it keeps the community informed, prepared, and ahead of the next headline instead of reacting to it.

Our Security Operations Center (SOC) is only as strong as what you bring to it. Reports have increased significantly since July, and that’s exactly what a safer community looks like: more people trusting the system enough to use it. So use it — for anything that makes you feel unsafe, from a car circling a parking lot to antisemitism online, at your workplace, or in your child’s school. Every report reaches trained security professionals immediately, who route it to the right place fast.

See Something, Say Something is the single most important thing you can do to keep our Jewish community safe.

In an emergency, call 911 first. For everything else, call 614-559-3222 or email [email protected].

Strong youth engagement doesn’t happen by accident. It takes dedicated leadership, consistent relationships, and someone whose full-time focus is creating meaningful opportunities for teens to connect with Jewish life. Recognizing the importance of that investment, JewishColumbus helped fund a new Genesis Fellow position with BBYO, bringing dedicated professional support to BBYO’s growing community of Jewish teens and strengthening the pipeline of young leaders in our community.

We’re excited to welcome Emma Cohen, a BBYO alumna from Indianapolis, to our community. Emma’s presence in Columbus means increased capacity to engage teens, build relationships, and create experiences that help young people feel connected to Jewish community today while developing the next generation of Jewish leaders for tomorrow.