I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. In middle school, my family moved to Florida, but we always kept our ties with Northeast Ohio. My brother went to Camp Wise; many years later, I ended up moving back to Cleveland and taking a job as the Assistant Director for Camp Wise.

Imagine, a woman in her 20s responsible for delinquent male soldiers. These soldiers grew up with no support system, a criminal background or lived in a foster home. The female commanders at Havat HaShomer are in charge of shaping these young delinquents into the best soldier they can be - to get them up to an acceptable level for entry to the army.

For the next eight weeks, 43 Jewish Cleveland college students and recent grads will have the experience of a lifetime! That’s because they’re spending the summer interning in Tel Aviv as part of Onward Israel, a program funded through I-Connect, an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

Growing up in the Jewish community in Cleveland, I always learned about our awesome partnership region: Beit She’an and the Valley and Springs. In fact, this year marks the 20th anniversary of our partnership together so I was especially eager to spend some quality time there. I have always considered Beit She’an and the surrounding area to be special and beautiful, but I realized that my non-Cleveland friends had no idea that this place even existed. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to bring two friends, one from New Jersey and one from Paris, to this special region in the north to show them what makes Beit She’an and the Valley of Springs so special.

A siren wailed for two minutes. The streets of Rehovot came to a complete stop. People stood in silence on the sidewalks, drivers stopped their cars on the street and climbed out and stood at the door – everyone thinking of the memory of the six million Jews lost in the Holocaust.

“You make time for what’s important in your life and Jewish Cleveland is important to me.”

We have a sense of belonging here in Cleveland, at Federation, and around the world.

On the "Men's Mission to Poland and Israel: From Darkness to Light," 14 Jewish Cleveland men are learning about the pre-War centers of Jewish life in Poland, the Holocaust, and the contemporary scene, experiencing meaningful tours of Poland sites, and discovering Israel like they've never seen it before.

Jewish Cleveland IMPACT! Volunteers are spending two weeks in Cleveland's sister city of Beit Shean, Israel, volunteering in the community and immersing themselves in Israeli culture. Check out photos and blogs from their experience below: