At the beginning of his sophomore year in high school, a local teen began to notice his motivation for school was not as it once was. He knew his grades were slipping because of this change but he could not break the pattern. Fortunately, the Social Advocates for Youth Program (SAY) of Bellefaire JCB, a Federation beneficiary agency, was there for him and so many other teens in crisis.

Each year, the core of @akiva's teen engagement work is our Shin Shinim program, where recent high school graduates from Israel join our community for the year to work with our high school students. The Shin Shinim become integral parts of our community, building relationships with their host families, the schools, and synagogues that they work in, and most of all, with the teens with whom they engage in one-on-one learning.

Hebrew at @akiva, a Federation beneficiary agency, has evolved into a multifaceted program designed to reach Jewish Cleveland teens on their own time and in a way that works for them as individuals. While some teens choose to come twice a week for two hour classes, others study in person only once a week, finishing the balance of required curriculum online. For many teens, studying Hebrew @akiva allows them to earn high school foreign language credit as well. In either case, one of the hallmarks of @akiva is the personal relationships that we as educators are able to build with our learners and their parents.

With the Mandel JCC’s popular children’s overnight and day camps canceled during summer 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, support from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland was critical in allowing the Mandel JCC to provide alternative programming. JCC staff developed an exciting lineup of Camp Wise Outdoor Fun Day programs. These unique offerings provide families and groups an opportunity to experience the magic of Camp Wise – the Home of Happiness for generations of Greater Cleveland children – while social distancing in the great outdoors.

COVID-19 on student learning is one of the biggest challenges of this pandemic. Students have had to adjust to a completely new way of learning at a rapid speed. For children with special needs and their families, this has meant even more hurdles to overcome.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this summer was not like others for thousands of kids who were planning to go to Camp Wise – the ‘Home of Happiness’ – and other Jewish summer overnight camps.

In its first virtual Super Sunday, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland raised $979,315 from 900 gifts for its Campaign for Jewish Needs on Oct. 18.

Thirty nine Jewish high school juniors and seniors representing public and private high schools across Cleveland have come together to recommend grants totaling $43,000 to 13 organizations for crucial programs in the Jewish and general community through the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s 2019-2020 Maurice Saltzman Youth Panel.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland's Saltzman Youth Panel program educates Jewish Cleveland students about the philanthropic process and responding to Jewish and general community needs.