When Betty became the primary caregiver for her husband, Alan, after he was diagnosed with dementia, she turned to JFS's Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Caregiver Support program for help. The Jewish Federation initiated the Nakum Task Force to help our community take on the devastating and increasing number of community members suffering from Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. Chaired by Kyla Epstein Schneider, the Nakum Task Force recommended increasing caregiver support, leading to a partnership between the Federation and JFSA.

In the midst of rising antisemitism trends across the United States, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s security provider, JFC Security, LLC, compiled a list of safety recommendations for the Jewish community to follow, where individuals can also protect the entire community.

In the midst of a global pandemic, Alex Rogoff of Beachwood was experiencing one of the most transformational years he's ever had. As a Masa Israel Teaching Fellow (MITF) in Tel Aviv and Beit Shean (Cleveland's sister city in Israel), Alex spent 10 months teaching English to children in schools – both virtually and in-person. MITF is a post-college volunteer program that’s part of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s I-Connect initiative designed to create deepening connections for young adults with Israeli life and culture.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced today its next cohort of Young Leadership Division (YLD) Microgrant Program recipients. Through its Microgrant Program, YLD looks empower Jewish young adults to build community and have an impact by hosting innovative experiences for Jewish Clevelanders ages 22-45.

Last Shabbat, six Jewish teenagers were attacked by someone with a paintball gun fired from a vehicle in the heart of Jewish Cleveland. Although a police investigation is underway and information is still being gathered, we may never know for certain whether this attack was motivated by antisemitic hatred of Jews or merely a random assault.

Many Jewish communities are seeing an alarming rise in antisemitism across the U.S. including here in Ohio. Both law enforcement and the ADL are reporting that antisemitic activity targeting individuals and Jewish facilities are increasing at a very alarming rate. Experts attribute this spike in violent attacks targeting Jews to the national news cycle reporting on the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Even prior to these recent events, the FBI’s Annual Hate Crime reporting indicates threats and violent attacks had already been on the rise in the past several years.

Thank you to Representatives David Joyce, Marcy Kaptur, Anthony Gonzalez and Tim Ryan – who each signed on to an important letter from members of the House of Representatives to the Biden Administration calling for more robust measures to combat antisemitism. The letter, which you can read here, calls on President Biden to develop an inter-agency strategy to combat antisemitism and to nominate an Ambassador at Large to lead the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at the State Department.

Jewish Federation of Cleveland President Erika B. Rudin-Luria and board vice chair Neil R. Waxman showed their continued support for Israelis and a desire to combat antisemitism during a nationwide federation solidarity mission to Israel, led by the Jewish Federations of North America from May 24 to May 28.

When terrorist attacks escalated in Israel in May 2021, Jewish Clevelanders came together to show their unwavering support for the Israeli people and the Jewish homeland at a rally hosted by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Israeli-American Council. On May 12, more than 500 people from our diverse Jewish community marched down Richmond Road to send a message of peace and healing across the world. Rally participants also heard inspirational messages from community leadership and clergy.

CLEVELAND – The innocent Palestinian and Israeli lives that have been tragically lost this month are, very sadly, only the latest casualties of an ongoing conflict between Israel and an array of forces seeking Israel’s elimination. These forces include well-known terrorist organizations – like Hamas, Hezbollah (the much larger terrorist organization operating on Israel’s northern borders), and Palestinian Islamic Jihad – as well as the government of Iran.