After another record-breaking Campaign for Jewish Needs, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s allocation committee was able to increase allocated funds to beneficiary agencies.

Applications are now being accepted for LEADS 2023!

In November 2022, 25 teens and two ShinShinim (Israeli emissaries) from Jewish Cleveland traveled through Atlanta, Montgomery, and Birmingham to discuss the Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.

Community members and local Jewish professionals took part in a life-saving training program called “First 7 Minutes” June 22 at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in Beachwood.

Many charities in our community send out beautiful legacy magazines every year. I receive quite a few and love reading all the inspiring stories of those who share why they are leaving a lasting imprint on the organizations that have been important to them.

The past several years have been fraught with unanticipated emergencies. From COVID-19 to natural disasters to the war in Ukraine, and most recently the atrocities of Oct. 7, 2023, and the aftermath of the ongoing war, there are many who are suffering in unimaginable ways. In the Jewish tradition, one of our most important values is giving tzedakah, charity. We give tzedakah because there are always people in need. The nonprofit organizations that provide critical services cannot support the most vulnerable – or respond quickly to the trauma, pain, and economic hardships caused by crisis – without our generosity.

Despite the distance and the time difference, the Cleveland and Israeli communities have been able to have lasting impact on one another through partnerships between the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and its overseas partners like The Jewish Agency for Israel.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced that Bonnie Marks of Beachwood was awarded the 2023 Ruby Bass Challenge Award, the organization’s most prestigious award for women philanthropists. Marks was honored with the award at the Federation’s Women IN Philanthropy Signature Event on June 21.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Young Leadership Division kicked off the summer with its annual Summer Soiree June 15 at Pins Mechanical Co. in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland.

J. David Heller has been appointed the national campaign chair of the Jewish Federations of North America and will immediately begin a two-year term, according to a news release.