Israel & Overseas
Meet Mark Holz, Overseas Connections Committee (OCC) Chair
We are taught that all Jews are responsible for one another: This tradition only comes to life with action. Together, we are filling that responsibility, in part, via the connections created between Cleveland and our fellow Jewish communities around the world. Join us to make the world a better place for every one of us, no matter where we live.
OCC Mission
We build and strengthen the worldwide Jewish community through innovative programming that creates sustainable change and improves Jewish life.
Upcoming Events
In Israel
In Israel, we are primarily focused on serving the needs of those living in the north and south portions of Israel that typically do not have the same opportunities as those in the center of the country. Through a wide range of programs, we are “advancing the periphery” by:
- nurturing long-standing partnerships with Beit Shean and the Valley of Springs that have brought many innovative programs to those communities;
- strengthening the connection between Israelis and Clevelanders;
- closing the economic gap in these communities through English language skill building and STEM education; and
- promoting cross-cultural understanding and cooperation between Israelis and their Jordanian neighbors.
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland is also actively engaged in providing programs and services that support at-risk youth and the integration of the Ethiopian Jewish immigrants, as well as deepening the connection between young adults in Jewish Cleveland with Israel and the Jewish people.
Every day since October 7, 2023, our Jewish Cleveland community has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the people of Israel by delivering immediate help and hope for the future.
From Ethiopia to Israel / The Cleveland Jewish community has been instrumental in bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel, and our support does not end there.
Adding up the progress of STEM in Israel / Thousands of children across Israel have benefitted from STEM education since the integration of the STEM approach was implemented by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland three years ago.
One of Israel's leading positive-intervention programs, the Youth Futures program partners teen mentors with at-risk children for a long-term period of cooperative learning and growth.
In Russia and Around the World
In St. Petersburg
In 1998, St. Petersburg became a sister city to Jewish Cleveland. Since then, our extended family there has become an organized, self-sufficient Jewish community, with established Jewish institutions – such as YESOD, Adain Lo Jewish Family Center, the Hillel Student Center, and the Rubenstein Jewish Community Center – and specialized leadership development programs. Over the years, our sister city in Russia has further enhanced the vibrancy of the Jewish life in St. Petersburg through arts and culture, as well as deepened Jewish identity through summer camps.
Around the World
Wherever Jews are in need, Jewish Cleveland is there. Through our network of international partners, we are changing and improving lives in more than 70 countries around the world. Here are some recent examples:
The Ukraine crisis isn’t going away — but neither are we. The Jewish Federation of Cleveland's international partner JDC is here for the long haul to support and sustain Jewish communities around the country and across the region..
As many were enjoying time off with their families over Memorial Day weekend, dozens of leaders from Jewish federations across North America, including Jewish Federation of Cleveland President Erika Rudin-Luria and Vice Chair Jeffrey Wild, embarked on a mission to Ethiopia to join a group of 180 Ethiopian Jews making aliyah.
For Klementyna Pozniak, this year’s Wolf-JDC International Fellow selected by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in Beachwood, becoming a fellow in Krakow, Poland, has been a goal of hers for the past seven years.
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland partners with several organizations to reach those in need across the world.
- American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)
- Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI)
- Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)
- World ORT
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