Jewish Family Service (JFS) of Cincinnati has recently convened the Create Your Jewish Legacy (CYJL) committee to encourage community members to talk with their families about a legacy commitment to JFS. CYJL is a nationwide program initiated in 2014 by the Grinspoon Foundation with the goal of building endowments that will sustain Jewish organizations locally, and secure a reliable financial future for Jewish communities across the country. This highly selective grant program has raised over one billion dollars in over 60 cities, and has motivated thousands of donors to commit assets through their wills or estate planning.

In Cincinnati, the Grinspoon Foundation grant is joined with local grants from the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati and the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. There are 24 local organizations participating in CYJL, and Cincinnati leads the nation with more than 1,800 legacy pledges. JFS is grateful to have 77 individuals and families confirm their CYJL commitments, and 19 others sign their letters of intent.

There are 24 local organizations participating in CYJL, and Cincinnati leads the nation with more than 1,800 legacy pledges.

With needs ever increasing, JFS is committed to supporting Jewish Cincinnati for years to come and CYJL gives us the opportunity to build our own endowment to meet that goal. We currently help our community through a variety of programs and services, including JFS Heldman Family Food Pantry and JFS Barbash Family Vital Support Center; our work with the elderly and the isolated in our community; and our support of our regional Holocaust survivors. We have recently developed critically needed and innovative new services such as our Youth Mental Health Initiative to address the significant surge we have seen in recent years of the mental health needs of our youth, teens, and young adults.

Many who have committed to this program note the importance they feel for conveying to their children and grandchildren the good we are capable of when we commit to the welfare of our Jewish community. In our own conversations with our families about our commitment, we hear that the message is being received. Our Children and grandchildren are realizing the value of paying it forward. The understanding of tzedakah (obligation for charity) is as critical for our community as it is for our family. Young, old, or in between—we are all role models for our family.