In 2018, Cincinnati native J. Miles Wolf documented current, former, and now extinct places of worship in the Jewish community. With his new show at the Skirball Museum, Wolf extends his incisive exploration 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 eighteen from the 2018 exhibition, 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.
Jewish Cincinnati:A Photographic Record by J. Miles Wolf is part of the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial. Support provided by FotoFocus
and the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial. The exhibition opens with a reception and artist’s talk on October 27 at 5:30 pm and will run through January 29, 2023.