Two things Cleveland is known for is our long winters and our strong Jewish community. This year, the winter months seem to hang over our heads a little more than usual as we continue to live physically distanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coping mechanisms we used in the warmer months like walks, hikes, and other outdoor activities, are not as feasible for many of us.

The world of education changed overnight with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic – and synagogue educational programs were not immune. Thanks to the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland (JEC), a Federation beneficiary agency, students in Cleveland and across the country were able to continue their studies through a new and innovative learning approach.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland's Saltzman Youth Panel program educates Jewish Cleveland students about the philanthropic process. The panelists, made up of high school juniors and seniors, work together to understand various community needs and then make a formal recommendation to the Federation’s Board of Trustees on how to distribute up to $50,000 in grant funding. Through this program, participants develop their leadership and group consensus building skills as they learn about the community decision-making and most importantly, tzedakah.

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.