Fifteen Jewish Clevelanders are beginning an unforgettable two-week volunteer experience in Cleveland’s sister city, Beit Shean.

The students of Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (Mandel JDS) celebrated Yom HaYeled, “Day of the Child,” with their 10th annual Hebrew Spelling Bee, a fun and enriching way for students to build their vocabulary. Students were abuzz prior to the competition, which asks all students to study up to 200 words along with their definitions, competing for exciting prizes along the way.

Saltzman Youth Panel is a truly unique experience. Working as a group, Jewish Cleveland teens are given the opportunity to allocate funds to the Jewish community and beyond. Recently, my fellow panelists and I were truly able to experience this unique aspect of Saltzman.

When I reflect back on my earliest childhood memories, I ALWAYS remember feeling extremely proud of my Jewish heritage and identity. I derive immense pleasure celebrating the rituals and life cycle events of our faith and relish in preparing a holiday meal for a houseful of family and friends. To my husband Randy and me, raising our two children (Natalie, age 16 and Quinn, age 12) with strong Jewish values is the most important endeavor we have undertaken as parents. Yet, for both of us, Judaism is not something that happens exclusively in the confines of our home or synagogue. Being a part of a global Jewish community has compelled us both to engage in Jewish philanthropy and acts of chesed (acts of kindness), and more importantly pass the importance of giving to others onto our children. “Kol Yisrael arevim zeh la-zeh.” ALL Jews (or all the people of Israel) are responsible for one another.

CLEVELAND – The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Young Leadership Division (YLD) announces the appointment of Rachel Weinberg as Board Chair, Barry Guttman as Vice Chair, and 11 new members to join its board.

The success of community development initiatives has long been measured at the end of a program, through outcomes and statistics. But a new tool being piloted in five Cleveland neighborhoods looks to evaluate progress along the way.

The Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (Mandel JDS) has recently adopted an alternative, innovative curriculum for use in Language Arts and Social Studies classrooms. The curriculum was developed by Facing History and Ourselves, an organization whose mission is to shape a humane, well-educated citizenry that practices civility and preserves human rights.

According to our population study, 38% of Jewish Cleveland married households are interfaith and the majority of those who consider themselves interfaith want to feel connected to their Jewish roots. That’s why we partnered with the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland (JECC) to launch jHub, an innovative new program made possible with a grant from the Federation’s Endowment Fund.

Many Jewish Cleveland families are seeking ways to engage in multi-generational philanthropy. We asked Ann Garson, Managing Director of Funds and Foundations at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland to explain the recent surge of interest.

One of my first memorable Federation experiences was when I went on a young adult mission to Israel 11 years ago. I’d never been to Israel. I was hesitant to leave my children but something in me said “just go, it will be worth it.” And, it was! Israel was simply beautiful. It moved me.