Jewish Cincinnati: A Photographic Record by J. Miles Wolf

Jewish Cincinnati: A Photographic Record by J. Miles Wolf extends the photographer’s 2018 FotoFocus exploration of Jewish houses of worship in Cincinnati to a broader integration of the Jewish community within Cincinnati, focusing on photographs that document Jewish contributions in all walks of life. Aligning with the 2021–2022 celebration of the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial, this exhibition affords the opportunity for Wolf to train his discerning lens on former places of business like the Krohn-Fechheimer Shoe Factory, the Fechheimer Brothers Company (still manufacturing uniforms in Cincinnati today), the Manischewitz matzo factory (first commercial matzo factory in America), Bloch Printing, and the American Israelite newspaper, to name a few. 

Fifteen new images join the original 18 from the 2018 show, and the installation carries a new narrative addressing the contributions of Jewish Cincinnatians in the spheres of business, civic life, social welfare, faith, the arts, healthcare, philanthropy, and popular culture. Wolf expands his reach to Northern Kentucky and the West Side, where several congregations thrived during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Social clubs, sports venues, and the nation’s first Jewish hospital are also documented in Wolf’s signature photographs that combine historical images, carefully culled from local archives, with city views that capture the here and now of these locales. Self-guided smartphone tours and reproductions of Wolf’s work at selected downtown venues for a limited time expand the exhibition beyond the walls of the Skirball Museum.

Curator: Abby S. Schwartz