There are times when everything changes.

Everything changed on October 7, 2023. Nothing will be the same. Ever. The grief, devastation, hurt, and anger we feel is palpable and visible. While our Israeli family – still reeling from the most atrocious of terror attacks – is now embroiled in a war against terror, we in Cleveland have our own fight.

On behalf of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Board of Trustees and staff, we thank you for your support of and participation in these efforts. We will keep you posted on developments as regularly as is feasible. In the meantime, we welcome your questions and suggestions.

We invite you to join us for a special community gathering in support of Israel on Monday, October 9 at 5 pm at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland offices in the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building (25701 Science Park Drive). This event will feature comments from local clergy, community leaders, and others as we come together to demonstrate our unshakeable stand with Israel at this time of crisis.

“Hine ma tov, shevet achim gam yachad, how good it is for brothers & sisters to sit together.” These words rang true throughout our recent trip to Israel with a delegation of leaders from the Ohio House of Representatives hosted by Ohio Jewish Communities and the Negev Foundation.

HaYom Harat Olam – today the world is born. Each year on Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate the birthday of the world and renew creation in its entirety. To celebrate a birthday and begin anew is an incredible dichotomy. We retain the wisdom of all that has come before while getting to start over. This is a unique opportunity to bring forward as individuals and as a community only the best of our past to enrich our future.

As the Jewish world mourns the destruction of the Temple and a long list of other horrific events that have happened on this date to the Jewish people, it’s hard not to draw parallels between the lessons learned from Tisha B’Av and our current political climate.

We were slaves in Egypt (avadim hayinu). This yearly reminder at Passover is core to our Jewish memory and culture. The retelling of the exodus from Egypt reminds us of the bitterness of slavery, the journey to freedom, and how we became a Jewish nation.

When Jews are hurting anywhere in the world, we show up. When Israel is hurting, we show up. This week, we traveled to Israel for 24 hours because Israel is hurting. We joined leaders from Jewish communities across North America to show our love for our Israeli brothers and sisters at this challenging time.

We were there from the start. One year ago tomorrow the war in Ukraine began. Immediately, the Jewish Federation, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and their partners mobilized to deliver lifesaving aid and care for tens of thousands of Jews and their neighbors in and outside of Ukraine.