I am Daniel Pearlman and I grew up here, in Solon. From an early age, my identity was shaped by the Jewish Cleveland community. I went to preschool at Jewish Day Nursery, affiliated with Bellefaire, a Federation partner. Of course, I didn’t know that at the time. All I knew was that I loved the environment around me. Even today, I am still close with some of my preschool friends.

I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me (Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li). Some Jews are familiar with this phrase from Song of Songs. It is recited at weddings and inscribed on jewelry.

As a little girl, Janet and her grandmother took street car rides to the Lansing Cemetery in Cleveland where they cleaned the graves and maintained the surroundings, ensuring the dignity of the departed. Janet Ghiandoni grew up in Cleveland Heights and visited Lansing with her grandmother several times a year. She distinctly remembers visiting the graves of many relatives she hardly knew anything about.

Meet Sivan. She’s a Cleveland native, but this summer she’s living and interning in Israel! Sivan is a participant with Onward Israel Cleveland, a program that allows 20-25 year olds to spend their summers living and interning for 8 weeks in Tel Aviv. Follow Sivan’s journey every week to see all the amazing things she’s doing while in Tel Aviv! To learn more about this experience, visit our I-connect page.

July 30 is the perfect day to wear white. It clearly falls between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces uncovered similarities in their work with troubled youth during a visit to Bellefaire JCB in University Heights on April 24. The soldiers, who were visiting Cleveland for a week to participate in Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut ceremonies in the area, engaged in a professional exchange of ideas with Bellefaire employees and mental health professionals during their time at the facility.