09/09/2025
Federation’s Super Sunday Kickoff Raises Over $1.7M
Super Sunday Kickoff Co-Chairs Arica Jacobson, with her daughter, Ryan Levine, and Allison Brandon. CJN Photo / Lydia Kacala
Thank you to everyone who attended Super Sunday Kickoff. We have four winning tickets to our raffle that still need to be claimed. If you have the winning ticket to any of the prizes below, please email a photo of your ticket to Lana at lkolchinsky@jewishcleveland.org by September 19.
- Ryze and Grind 10 Class Pass: 26714-414
- Fiamma by Mendal and Mandel JCC: 26714-654
- 17 River Grille and JoJo's Bar: 26714-374
- White Cloud Studios: 26714-737
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
by Lydia Kacala
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland raised $1,700,298 from 1,275 gifts during its annual Super Sunday Kickoff on Sept. 7. The event began its 2026 Campaign for Jewish Needs, which will conclude on Dec. 10.
Throughout the event, hundreds of volunteers showed up at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building in Beachwood to make calls to people in the community to raise money for the Federation and its programming.
“This event is so important for the Jewish community because it brings so many people out,” Ryan Levine, Super Sunday co-chair, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “It’s the biggest event of the year. It gets everyone in the community out together, celebrating all the great things Federation and all the agencies do. It brings people together to support each other, making calls to raise the dollars that are so necessary. The environment – everyone feeds off of it (and) it really inspires everyone to do more.”
“This year’s Super Sunday Kickoff was a huge success,” Amir Jaffa, general campaign chair, said in a Sept. 8 emailed statement to the CJN. “We had a tremendous turnout from the community, which is clearly seen in the strong attendance at the event and the significant increase in the number of pledges recorded during the day. The pledges have continued to come in steadily since we announced our totals at 4 p.m. yesterday and we are confident that we are well on our way to achieving record results for Jewish Cleveland. We are truly blessed to live in such a caring and generous community.”
Levine said the event is a group effort from everyone at the Federation and his fellow campaign chairs – Allison Brandon and Arica Jacobson.
“This thing takes so much logistics and so much planning – everything from the flow of traffic to where you’re calling,” Levine said. “The security is unbelievable. We have the support of so many cities and security forces that really make this event possible. Federation staff helping coordinate that makes it a lot easier for us as the lay leaders.”
While calls were made, Federation staff and committee members addressed attendees, sharing what inspires them to continue their work in philanthropy.
Adena Klineman, Women IN Philanthropy vice chair, said her grandfather, who served as a professional fundraiser at UJA-Federation of New York in the 1960s, was her inspiration to get involved. Her community work began in the late 1990s, and through it she has learned a lot about how philanthropic efforts can impact communities.
“Through my work on the allocations committee, I’ve seen firsthand how every dollar we raise is put to work, both here in Cleveland and overseas, particularly in Israel and across the former Soviet Union,” Klineman said, adding that she felt motivated to raise her own gift level because of organizations offering matching donations. “Giving through the Federation multiplies our individual impact, and that’s why today is so meaningful.”
Other speakers included Brandon and Jacobson.
Volunteers also had the opportunity to decorate picnic tables, which will be donated to local Jewish day schools, as well as eat a kosher lunch and snacks and participate in family-friendly games, such as giant Jenga and cornhole.
Besides raising money for the Federation’s annual campaign, Levine said he hopes the event is more inspiring to the community and brings awareness to what the Federation and Jewish community offers.
“I hope it inspires people to do more, to bring people together to see all the wonderful things that Jewish Cleveland does and how we’re here for good,” he said.
The Cleveland Jewish News was a media sponsor of the event.
