April 30, 2020 will live in infamy for the Camp Wise community. On that day, the Mandel Jewish Community Center (MJCC) made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Camp Wise summer due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic.

Albert Ratner, former CEO of Forest City Realty Trust, sat down with J. David Heller, CEO, president and co-founder of The NRP Group, May 12 to discuss Ratner’s upbringing, business endeavors, community involvement and upcoming book, “The Great Age Reboot.”

Every 10-15 years, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland commissions a rigorous demographic study to take an in-depth look into what makes up our community to help strengthen Jewish life in Cleveland. The findings will help the Federation, Jewish organizations, and the broader community prepare for the challenges and opportunities that will present themselves in the coming years.

Helping to keep Jewish Cleveland safe – while preserving its open and welcoming spirit – has long been a top priority for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and its security provider JFC Security, LLC. To that end, JFC Security has increased its team of highly trained security officers over the years to support local law enforcement agencies, as well as deployed leading-edge security technology throughout the community.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland today announced the launch of a new, state-of-the-art website for its Access Jewish Cleveland program (“ACCESS”). Created in 2012 with funding from the Mt. Sinai Health Foundation through the Centennial Fund, Access Jewish Cleveland is a free service that provides a single point of contact to virtually everything Jewish in Cleveland, including education and synagogue options; fitness and recreational opportunities; Jewish life resources; and upcoming local events.

Jewish Cleveland celebrated Israel’s 74th independence day May 5 with a Yom Ha'atzmaut festival full of music and activities outside The Temple-Tifereth Israel and Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, both in Beachwood.

Our community honored those who lost their lives protecting Israel and civilian victims of terror with a moving Yom Hazikaron ceremony.

Get all the important information you need about Yom Ha'atzmaut, happening on May 5, 2022.

Over 200 people attended the in-person commemoration of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror, May 3 at The Temple-Tifereth Israel in Beachwood, while an additional 100 logged onto the livestream. This is the first time in three years the event has been held in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When I was asked to write this blog post about Yom Hazikaron and my reflections about it as an Israeli, I was very hesitant. How can I put in words a custom you grow up with since childhood? Will I be able to do justice to the many layers and rituals of Yom Hazikaron? I will try to explain it and paint a picture from my own eyes growing up in Israel.