Dear Friends,
In the face of numerous and significant challenges, we have adapted, evolved, and emerged a stronger and more engaged community. It was truly a remarkable year for Jewish Cleveland.
Whether it was participating in one of the many volunteering opportunities, attending unique exhibits and artists lectures, or gathering for meaningful community events and celebrations, Jewish Clevelanders showed an unprecedented level of commitment to each other in 2024.
This includes a noticeable increase in participation from younger generations in our community. From middle school kids to college students, our community’s future leaders have been taking charge now and making their voices heard in the most inspiring ways.
The strength and determination shown this year comes as no surprise. This is who we are. This is what we’ve been taught. When times are tough, Jewish Cleveland deepens its commitment to caring for one another and keeps moving forward. Continuing to build and nurture a thriving Jewish life is – and has always been – the key to our survival.
On the following pages of this report, you’ll see just some of the new and innovative ways we’re changing and improving lives in Cleveland – including how we are continuing to address the evolving needs of older adults. At the same time, we are continuing to support the people of Israel as they deal with the overwhelming trauma that has engulfed the country since it was attacked by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
For example, in early 2024 we forged a new partnership with Kibbutz Kissufim, which was targeted by Hamas. We are already providing therapy for members of the kibbutz, as well as informal education – and this is only the start of what we’ll be doing to support them as they begin the long road to recovery.
We are able to do all of this and more because of you, your dedication to our community, and your generous support of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. This year, you helped us raise an incredible $38,087,175 through the Campaign for Jewish Needs. This record amount was created through over 9,200 gifts, representing over 12,200 donors. It’s no wonder Cleveland is widely seen as one of the most caring and vibrant Jewish communities in the world.
On behalf of your Federation Board of Trustees and professional staff, we cannot begin to thank local law enforcement enough for all they do to keep Northeast Ohio safe. Likewise, a special thank you to JFC Security, LLC, which helps keep Jewish Cleveland a safe, open, and welcoming community.
Finally, we are truly indebted to our beneficiary agencies, local day schools, and synagogues for their unwavering dedication and commitment to serving our community.
May we continue to go from strength to strength.
Daniel N. Zelman
Board Chair
Erika B. Rudin-Luria
President
Supporting our community’s older adults has always been a top priority of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.
One recent example of this is the Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Caregiver Support Program we have created in collaboration with the Jewish Family Service Association (JFSA). With the commonness of Dementia among the elderly increasing, the demand for continuous support is becoming more critical.
This program provides one-on-one wraparound services including care navigation, training, support groups, geriatricians through MetroHealth, and more to those caring for a loved one living with memory loss. Through this initiative, we remain committed to ensuring that caregivers and their loved ones have the resources they need.
JFSA opened The Kindness Center, which houses three of the Federation beneficiary’s most unique programs – PLAN, Horvitz YouthAbility, and Adult Day Support – for at-risk youth and individuals with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities.
This new location provides each of these programs greater space for social programming, as well as a collaborative environment for creative activities, holiday celebrations, art, music, movement therapies, and more.
The Kindness Center is a place of inclusion, where people with disabilities can go and participate fully and joyfully. We might all come from different places, but we are brighter because of our diversity.
jHUB, a subsidiary of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland that serves the diverse needs of interfaith families, has introduced two initiatives to help preteens further engage with Jewish culture.
The B-Mitzvah Experience is an eight-month program guiding children approaching b’nai mitzvah age through activities like tikkun olam (repairing of the world), exploring their Jewish identity, and challah baking. The Hebrew Club offers preteens (ages 7-13) a chance to learn basic Hebrew and Israeli culture through experiential learning, such as ordering food in Hebrew at restaurants and reading Israeli books. Both programs collaborate with local ShinShinim (Israeli emissaries), providing participants with relatable mentors who share insights about life in Israel.
Another benefit of these programs is connecting teens around our community who may not otherwise have the opportunity to meet. “I really enjoy hanging out with other Jewish kids because none of my friends from my synagogue go to my school,” said Noa, a Euclid resident and participant in both programs. “We already have so much in common, and learning more about prayers, Jewish traditions, and Israel together – it’s definitely a highlight for me.”
The importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education has become a major emphasis in our Jewish day schools.
Students in the upper schools of Fuchs Mizrachi School, Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, and Yavne High School learn robotics, coding, software engineering, and more through a rigorous curriculum as well as extracurricular activities thanks to the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland and the national organization CIJE (Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education). Recently, Hebrew Academy hosted 114 students from schools across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio at the 1st Annual CIJE Midwest Robotics Competition.
Thanks to the schools’ curriculum and these competitions, local students are preparing themselves for their future in college and in their careers.
The stressful atmosphere for Jewish students on college campuses, following the events of October 7, 2023, reached a fever pitch.
Having a licensed therapist already in place through JFSA (Jewish Family Service Association) at Cleveland Hillel and Hillel at Kent State University was exactly what students needed. In its third year, the Hillel Wellness program brings expertise around mental health and wellness, allowing for one on one and/or group therapy sessions.
The students and staff have someone they can talk to, who understands their needs and can help navigate them in a positive direction.
JFC Security, LLC – Federation’s security provider – helps to ensure Jewish Cleveland remains open, welcoming, and secure.
With 60 trained professionals and 115 off-duty police, it helps to protect around 90 Jewish locations. Mobile security vehicles patrol daily, while advanced technology connects cameras, license plate readers, and emergency radios to the Chagrin Valley Regional Dispatch Center. Free community training sessions, led by senior law enforcement experts, teach Jewish Clevelanders situational awareness, event security planning, and more.
JFC Security works tirelessly to help safeguard the community, providing the protection needed for members to live openly and Jewishly.
Over the past year, anti-Israel protesters have fanned the flames of hatred of Jews to levels unseen for generations. From city and county council meetings to college campuses and beyond, hate-filled rhetoric and acts of intimidation are on full display for waiting news cameras.
This maelstrom has forced our community to stand up to hate in new and bold ways. We have brought busloads of Jewish Clevelanders to county council meetings to call out the ongoing efforts to weaponize financial and legislative tools against the Jewish people, as well as to support the elected officials who continue to stand with us. We have actively engaged school and university leaders to ensure they are enforcing their codes of conduct, upholding their legal responsibilities to protect Jewish students.
At the same time, we have aggressively expanded our communications to the Greater Cleveland community through new digital tools and social media content, along with running – for the first time – billboards and TV ads that expose the hatred targeting our community.
Together, we are making our voices are heard, protecting our rights, and keeping our community strong.
When it launched some 20 years ago, no one could have predicted how desperately needed icnext (Israel.Cleveland.Next) of @akiva High School – a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland – would be today.
icnext has been instrumental in strengthening Jewish high school students’ connections to Israel and preparing them to combat antisemitism.
The positive impact that icnext has had has never been clearer than in the past year as Jews experience a level of overt and unabashed antisemitism not seen in our country in decades, specifically on college campuses. Alumni credit icnext with giving them the knowledge and confidence to engage in informed discussions and advocate effectively for Israel and the Jewish community.
On April 7, 2024, more than 1,000 people came together for Ratzim Bishvilam (“Running for Them”), a run/walk marking six months since the tragic events of October 7, 2023. Each participant was given the name of a victim or hostage to wear, making every step a tribute to their memory.
The event featured remarks from Natalia Ben Zvi, whose son Sagiv was among those murdered at the Nova Music Festival. Hosted by The Jewish Federation of Cleveland in partnership with Federation’s Young Leadership Division, Run for Their Lives and Nice Jewish Runners, the gathering was one of the many powerful displays of solidarity our community made this past year.
The Federation’s Jewish Volunteer Network partnered with the May Dugan Center to host the Winter Break Lunch Program, providing meals and activities for children in Cleveland’s underserved neighborhoods who typically rely on school lunches.
Over the course of a week, volunteers served hot lunches provided by The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, led games and crafts, and supported families with enrichment activities. Each afternoon also featured entertainment, and children received books to take home thanks to the Cleveland Kids’ Book Bank.
The success of this program highlights the strength of our community partnerships in making a real difference in the lives of children across Greater Cleveland.
Last November, Federation’s Community Relations Committee and JFC Security, LLC were invited by Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine’s office to meet with leaders from Springfield, Ohio and its Haitian community and provide best practices on how to provide stability and support for that community in the wake of negative national attention they were receiving. Opportunities like this reinforce our belief that it takes all of us to combat hate.
In February 2024, the Federation established a new partnership with Kibbutz Kissufim, a strong community in the Gaza Envelope that was among the 22 locations targeted by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Jewish Clevelanders have made multiple visits to Kissufim in order to form meaningful connections with its residents and gain a deeper understanding of their experiences. Federation support already has been instrumental in funding mental health counseling, informal education, and the introduction of the Youth Futures program to help at-risk kids and their families.
Last summer, the Federation extended an invitation to Kissufim teens, offering them a chance to spend four weeks at Camp Wise, the “Home of Happiness.” There, they bonded with American campers and enjoyed camp activities like boating, horseback riding, and arts and crafts.
Our commitment to Kibbutz Kissufim is unwavering, and we look forward to the years to come as we work together heal, rebuild, and find moments of joy amid challenging times.
In the immediate aftermath of the attacks on October 7, 2023, many Israeli families temporarily relocated to cities far from the war.
When the families with school-aged children arrived in Cleveland, Gross Schechter Day School and Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School immediately welcomed students and their families, providing them with essential items for winter, school supplies, and perhaps most important – a sense of community and normalcy. One 4th grader even dressed up as a Cleveland Browns player for Purim after the school’s parents sent the full costume to Israel, along with notes from all of his classmates!
Our community stepped up and made this scary and uncertain time in our Israeli families’ lives feel like an opportunity for unity, growth, and strength.
In order to truly grasp the situation in Israel – as well as to bear witness to the devastation left in Hamas’ wake of terror – Jewish Cleveland has had a regular, physical presence in the Jewish homeland.
Multiple Federation-supported missions have traveled to stand in solidarity with the Israeli people as the country continues to deal with the trauma of October 7. Cleveland delegations have sat with and listened to the families of victims and hostages, volunteered to serve meals and pick vegetables on farms, met with our partners in Israel who have been addressing humanitarian needs since the attack, and more. At the same time, programs aimed at young adults, such as Birthright Onward Israel, have offered a different but equally vital connection by immersing college students in the vibrancy of Israeli life and culture through eight-week internships in Tel Aviv.
Through these experiences, Jewish Clevelanders are deepening their connection to Israel, while providing support to its people.
Amid freezing temperatures and blackouts, Federation’s international partner, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) launched a winter survival initiative across Ukraine, delivering heaters, cooking stoves, and utility subsidies. This aid reached thousands of people, including elderly Jews like Dina Shadrina, 85, an internally displaced person in Kyiv. According to Dina, the support was lifesaving. “Once, we had no electricity for 30 hours. JDC gave me hope,” she said.
JDC also purchased generators for Hesed social welfare centers and Jewish Community Centers, ensuring they could keep the lights on no matter what. These interventions allowed Jewish institutions throughout the country to transform into “Warm Hubs” where community members could come to charge devices and obtain a hot drink or warm meal.
Without JDC’s help, a huge portion of the Jewish community in Ukraine would have struggled to survive the harsh winter conditions.
Youth Futures, a Federation-supported program run by The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), pairs mentors with at-risk Israeli children to help them and their families succeed. Mentors create personalized goal plans through one-on-one meetings, group sessions, and activities. The program also focuses on a child’s strengths and working toward positive goals.
For example, Youth Futures serves families who live in the Valley of Springs – part of the Cleveland Federation’s partner community in Northern Israel – that face poverty, unemployment, addiction, and mental health issues. The war has had a disproportionate impact on this vulnerable community as nearly half of the fathers of Youth Futures Valley of Springs’ children were drafted into military reserve units, placing severe emotional and financial stress on participating families.
In response to these families’ needs, Federation provided financial grants to vulnerable Youth Futures participants, distributing computers to allow children to participate in remote learning when schools were closed, and provided families with therapeutic services. While the Mentors struggled to cope with the challenges of the war in their own lives, they continued to show incredible levels of dedication to the families they support, ensuring that participating children had the tools and skills they needed to navigate these uncertain times.
interfaith families have explored, discovered, and embraced Judaism through the Jewish Education Center’s jHUB program.
community members have found vital resources such as older adult support, food assistance, and mental health services through Federation’s Access Jewish Cleveland initiative.
Jewish hospital patients and their families received spiritual and emotional support through Federation’s Chaplaincy program.
nights of temporary emergency shelter were provided through JFSA’s Hebrew Shelter Home.
college students participated in the 2024 class of Mandel Myers Fellows, receiving college scholarships and professional development while working at Jewish summer camps.
students and their families – in public, private, and Jewish day schools – received support from Bellefaire JCB to address rising mental health and other pressing issues.
high school students from across Northeast Ohio explored how to create a more accepting, inclusive society through the Maltz Museum’s “Stop The Hate” program.
people were reached with Cleveland Israel Arts Connection sponsored-events across Cleveland.
individuals – including 18 civic and business leaders – traveled to Israel through Federation-supported programs. Of those, 133 visited Federation’s new partnership community of Kibbutz Kissufim.
Jewish organizations receive security coverage from JFC Security, LLC – Federation’s security provider.
local Holocaust survivors received assistance with reparations, personal care, case management, and help obtaining food, clothing, and medical care.
students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Israel receive advanced science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education through STEM ISRAEL.
at-risk children and their families in 49 different Israeli communities receive mentoring and support through Youth Futures.
Ethiopian Israeli teenage students receive holistic after-school scholastic, emotional, social, and nutritional support through the Ethiopian National Project.
pieces of emergency medical and hospital equipment and first aid supplies have been provided across Israel – including to vulnerable communities in the North – by JDC.
displaced Israelis in need, including thousands of Holocaust survivors, have been provided homes through the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI).
pounds of humanitarian aid – food, medicine, diapers, and more – have been delivered to dozens of Jewish communities across Ukraine by JDC since the start of the war.
community members in need, from 43 different zip codes, received kosher food, clothing, and connections to other services through JFSA’s Chesed Center.
that help tens of thousands of people in Cleveland, Israel, and around the world
We sincerely thank the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation for creating a special matching gift program to inspire new and increased Campaign gifts this year.
We greatly appreciate the support of Brunswick Companies and KeyBank for the matching gift incentives they provided during the Campaign.
@Akiva High School, Bellefaire JCB, Cleveland Hillel Foundation, Fuchs Mizrachi School, Gross Schechter Day School, Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, Hebrew Shelter Home, Hillel at Kent State University, Jewish Community Security, Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, Jewish Family Service Association, Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School, Maltz Museum, Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland, Yeshiva Derech Hatorah
American Jewish Committee, Anti Defamation League, BBYO, Hadassah, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), Hillel at Miami University, Hillel at Ohio University, Hillel International, JCC Association of North America, Israel Action Network (Program of JFNA), Jewish Telegraphic Agency (70 FacesMedia), Jewish War Veterans, Network for Jewish Human Service Agencies, Ohio Jewish Communities
American Jewish Joint, Distribution Committee (JDC), Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Overseas Connections Committee, Jewish Federation of Cleveland, World ORT, Ethiopian National Project
$3,705,287
$1,487,292
Onward, STEM Programs, St.Petersburg, Beit Shean, and Kibbutz Kissufim partnerships
$678,085
Cleveland Israel Arts Connection, Cemetery Preservation, Additional Support for Agencies
$1,618,043
JFC Security, LLC
$86,387,651
$19,899,665
$28,009,854
$134,297,170
Through our long-term partnerships with international organizations such as the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), our community quickly came together to launch an “Israel Emergency Campaign” to provide the much-needed additional funds necessary to support victims of terror, assist with evacuations, rebuild damaged infrastructure, provide temporary housing, and address the unprecedented levels of trauma caused by the horrific attacks. The Israel Emergency Campaign was chaired by J. David Heller, former Jewish Federation of Cleveland board chair.
To date, your Federation has raised and distributed more than $34 million and counting. The generosity of support from our community is astounding – Jewish Clevel and has raised the sixth most of any Federation in North America, more than many cities with much larger communities.
As the situation on the ground in Israel changes, we are working with our partners to understand their needs and respond accordingly, shifting our emergency response into longer-term recovery efforts. Together, we are here for our Israeli family in their time of greatest need, doing everything we can to support them and offer comfort, solidarity, strength, security, and hope. Your generosity sends a message to Israelis – you are not alone, your global Jewish family is with you, Jewish Cleveland is right there by your side.
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s activities are conducted by committees of volunteers in partnership with professional staff. Committee and subcommittee chairs are listed below. Please contact them or the Federation for more information about participating in Federation activities or other volunteer opportunities at affiliated organizations.
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