Meet Jenna. She’s a Clevelander who attends Ohio University, but this summer she’s interning in Israel! Jenna is a participant with Onward Israel Cleveland, a program that allows 20-25 year olds to spend their summers living, working, and playing for 8 weeks in Tel Aviv. Follow Jenna’s journey on this blog each week, and to learn more about all Israel opportunities, visit I-connect page.

I remember my first day of work after college vividly. My manager sat me down for an introductory chat and stated flatly, “if it’s going well, don’t screw it up.”

I grew up at the largest reform temple in North America, Temple Israel, in West Bloomfield, Michigan. As the great-granddaughter of a founding member, all of the major milestones in my life occurred there.

When I first came to work at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland more than 25 years ago, I was given a daunting task: managing the care and preservation of our community’s Jewish cemeteries. Even though I have lived in Cleveland my entire life, it was not until I began my work at the Federation that I heard others mentioning local cemeteries that I never knew about. I later realized that many of our older Jewish cemeteries depict the history and movement of our community.

You know every Jew in Cleveland, right? Eh, probably not. It might feel like you know everyone, but with Cleveland’s summer parties upon us, you can expand your social circle or even meet the love of your life.

So there I was, uncomfortably staring down a plate of cheez-it dusted tostadas with a garlic spinach remoulade and spicy mustard emulsion. Grandma’s brisket and matzah ball soup this was not.

As you all are aware, in the past two days heavy rain has contributed to wide-spread flooding in Houston. Inundating hundreds of homes in high-density Jewish neighborhoods, the situation is a nightmare for thousands of people who have been shut off from municipal services, highways and schools.

In 2004, I moved to Cleveland, clad with a winter coat that more resembled a sleeping bag than any sort of shapely outerwear, nostalgic memories of a sun tan, and the phone number of some distant relatives. I knew no one else.