Clevelanders celebrating Israel’s Independence Day, or Yom Ha’atzmaut, spent an evening with Israeli singer and musician Idan Raichel, who captivated the crowd with his solo, piano-based performance.

Celebrate Israel's 69th Independence Day on May 2 with Idan Raichel in concert!

This July, 40 of Cleveland’s esteemed civic leaders will travel to Israel on the Thomas and Joann Adler Civic Leaders Israel Mission. This new biennial mission launched by the Adlers of Shaker Heights was established through an endowment at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. The purpose is to expose Cleveland leadership to Israel’s innovative approaches to economic and community development, education and support of at-risk and disadvantaged populations, and to create opportunities for partnership with each other and Israeli counterparts.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland will hold a Yom Hazikaron ceremony to honor Israel Defense Forces soldiers who died fighting and Israeli civilian victims of terror at 7 p.m. April 30 at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood.

This Holocaust Remembrance Day, Cleveland is following an Israeli tradition of Zikaron Basalon, which is Hebrew for “memories in the living room.”

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood had a full house April 23 for the Cleveland area’s Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, to remember the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust and to honor those still living in the community.

For Israeli musician and singer Idan Raichel, a few themes run across his 15 years of recording albums: collaboration, culture and emotional connection to the audience.

An estimated 1,000 Holocaust survivors live in the Cleveland area. Our community will honor these survivors and remember those who perished during the Holocaust at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Kol Israel Foundation’s Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah.

Three panelists with expertise in higher education agreed that the right to free speech encompasses most controversial things said on college campuses, however, teaching the students how to engage in civil, persuasive discussions is the best bet for ensuring productive dialogue among those with opposing viewpoints.

More than 230 community leaders, elected officials, and special guests from across our diverse community joined an esteemed panel of guests to discuss the limits of free speech on campus at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Community Relations Committee.