04/29/2026
Jewish Cleveland Highlighted by Diversity
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
by Casey Couch
Schalk
Diversity is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as the quality or condition of having or being composed of differing elements. In Jewish Cleveland, diversity is found in a variety of differing elements – race, age, religious identities, family structures, life experiences and more.
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s 2022 Population Study surveyed the community in all of the aforementioned areas, and found that the community is more diverse than a decade ago, in the 2011 study. The study was publicly released in August 2025.
In the spirit of diversity, leaders from across the Jewish community spoke to the Cleveland Jewish News to break down those statistics and share how they see diversity represented across the community every day.
Rosen
Regional Diversity
Mariely Luengo, population study design committee member who lives on the west side, told the CJN that the study divided Jewish Cleveland into six regions, and understanding the patterns of where community members live helps the Federation and its partners tailor services and outreach to people where they are.
According to the study, Beachwood and The Heights are home to over 40% of Jewish Cleveland households, with 21% located in The Heights – Cleveland Heights, University Heights and Shaker Heights – and 19% in Beachwood.
Meanwhile, the East Side Suburbs experienced the fastest growth, more than doubling their share of Jewish households from 6% to 16% since 2011.
In contrast, the West Side and the Central and Southeast regions remained relatively stable. The Northeast/Northern Heights region saw a decline from 24% to 15% of households, partly due to seniors relocating to Beachwood or the East Side Suburbs.
Luengo said that there are many young, Jewish families in Lakewood, which she said offers walkable neighborhoods, good schools and an overall good quality of life. Of note, though, is the area’s simultaneous history of antisemitism.
Luengo
“I wonder how much of that attraction of the neighborhood is also attracting our Jewish families, but at the same time, it is one of the areas with the highest incidence rate of antisemitism in the past years,” she said. “How our families are living amongst their neighbors, what fears they have in school and what kind of support they have worries me.”
As a member of the Latin-Jewish community, Luengo pointed out that 9% of households include someone who in non-white or hispanic.
“I think people will be surprised to know that Cleveland has a proportionally large Latin-Jewish community, and they always have since the ‘70s,” Luengo, who added that many members live in the Beachwood and Cleveland Heights area, in addition to the West Side, said.
As a result of the population study, Luengo said that it is worth further looking into security in those areas where more non-white members of the Jewish community live.
Caruso
“Jews of color or those who don’t live in densely Jewish neighborhoods often see antisemitism before anyone else because their neighbors assume that there are no Jews around,” she said. “If you don’t think your neighbors are Jews, you feel more free to say things and act in certain ways than you would in a Jewish neighborhood. I know we’re all concerned with security and antisemitism, and I will push the concern that, particularly the diverse community, knows something earlier than the rest.”
Age Diversity
The study found that 71% percent of Jewish adults have called the area home for 20 years or more, with 42% having spent their entire adult lives in the area. Another 5% have been residents for 15 to 19 years and 6% for 10 to 14 years.
In juxtaposition, newcomers who came to Cleveland this decade make up 18% of the population, including 7% who have resided in the area for less than five years.
According to Jesse Rosen, president and CEO at The Mandel JCC, these numbers highlight a fascinating “bookend effect” – one that he sees daily at the JCC.
“We have a strong 23% of households with children, balanced by a significant population of adults 65 and older – many of whom live alone,” Rosen told the CJN. “While our youth programs and camps are the engine of our summers, our seniors are truly the heartbeat of our Beachwood campus year-round.”
Sixty-two percent of single-adult households are over the age of 65, and for that population, Rosen said that the JCC serves as a “vital social anchor.” To Rosen, the JCC provides a home for those who might otherwise be part of the “living alone” statistic.
“Seeing a senior member and a preschooler sharing our hallways is the best evidence that the Mandel JCC is succeeding as the intergenerational home the data suggests our community needs,” he said.
Looking ahead to the future generations, Luengo said that a surprising number was that, despite the number of Jewish families, less than 20% of the population was under 18 years of age.
“That was a hard one to read because, anecdotally, we have all these growing schools and we are feeling so strong with so many families moving in with real energy,” she said. “To see in concrete numbers that we are still under 20%, that gap worried me and made me think about what we have to do to make it more affordable for families to grow their legacy, what we can do for retention, and how we can better support young families.”
LGBTQ+ Community Support
Josh Schalk, founder and co-committee member of LGBTQ+ Jews of Cleveland, told the CJN that the population study found 14% of households include an LGBTQ+ individual.
“It’s great to hear that 14% of households are actually recognizing that there is a member of the LGBTQ+ community within their household,” Schalk said. “For Cleveland, it’s significant. I think it’s really important to show that there is a population, and a large chunk of the population, that actually needs to be represented in not only Jewish spaces, but in the general community as well.”
LGBTQ+ Jews of Cleveland was created by jHUB in winter 2023 following conversations with members of the queer community who identified the need for young adult programming. Since its inception, the group has hosted a variety of gatherings, events and participated in Cleveland Pride events.
To Schalk, the population study simply offers more opportunities for the community to acknowledge and welcome LGBTQ members.
“I think what’s important to recognize with the 14% number is that it’s a message to send to the organized synagogues and movements to say, ‘Hey, in Cleveland, there are queer members of your community, how are you welcoming them into your spaces?’” he said. “The idea is that we shouldn’t need to have a strictly LGBTQ Jew space. We should be welcomed into all Jewish spaces.”
Rabbi Joshua Caruso of Congregation Mishkan Or told the CJN that his congregation is openly supportive of every Jew who comes through its doors, and that the number did not surprise him.
“Each year we feature Pride Shabbat, participate in the Pride in the CLE activities and parade, and our clergy are often the first ones that temple members and seekers approach when they are looking for a welcoming Jewish presence in their lives,” Caruso said.
Rosen also said that the statistic reinforces the Mandel JCC’s responsibility to ensure it continues to be a place where everyone feels they truly belong, and that he takes great pride in the fact that JCC members, campers and staff reflect the full diversity of Cleveland Jewry.
“We are intentional about building a team that reflects the community we serve and focused on building strong assets right here in Cleveland to ensure all families know they have a premier home at the Mandel JCC,” he said.
According to Rosen, more than 80% of JCC members initially join for fitness and wellness programs. However, they quickly discover that they didn’t just join a gym, as “diversity is not a program; it is the pulse of the Mandel JCC.”
“Whether someone is part of the 14% identifying as LGBTQ+ or the significant portion of seniors living alone, they might come in for a workout, but they stay because of the community they find here,” Rosen said. “That evolution from ‘fitness seeker’ to ‘community member’ is exactly how the Mandel JCC helps bridge the gaps identified in the study, turning a statistic into a neighbor.”
Interfaith households
Among married Jewish adults, 35% have non-Jewish partners, up from 23% in 2011, but below the 42% national average. These intermarried households vary widely in engagement – some are highly engaged, others less so.
According to Schalk, who is an advisory board member at jHUB, the increased trend of Jews marrying non-Jewish partners comes from a national average. Cleveland is simply following suit.
“I married a non-Jew myself and I’m from an interfaith family myself,” Schalk said. “But I am a Jewish professional, I’m involved in heavily Jewish spaces, and I think that jHUB has made the most amazing inroads into this space as a way for interfaith couples to really explore Judaism and their other faiths.”
jHUB, a joint initiative of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, was founded as a direct result of the 2011 Greater Cleveland Jewish Population study, identifying the need for support of interfaith families. While jHUB has seen a lot of growth and success since its inception, Schalk said that Cleveland is in a unique position for their future.
“Cleveland is 30 years behind the coast – the East Coast and the West Coast of big, organized Jewish communities – and I think we have a really great challenge that we can adapt to prevent some of the things that have happened on the coast,” Schalk said. “Jewish continuity is a huge discussion that comes up when you talk about interfaith marriages, but we do know from plenty of research that those who are marrying non-Jews are actually engaging in Jewish life and raising their children in Jewish communities.”
To Schalk, the growth of interfaith families and their participation in Jewish life shows the continued celebration of diversity in the community. That said, challenges come along with that, such as being more welcoming to interfaith families in synagogues or religious spaces.
“I think that’s a challenge that the legacy organizations and the community have to think about,” he said.
Religious Identities
According to the population study, Orthodox Jews now make up 14% of Jewish adults in Cleveland, up from 10% in 2011. Conservative adults represent another 14%, while Reform remains the largest group at 33%.
Rabbi Joshua Caruso of Congregation Mishkan Or in Beachwood told the CJN that Greater Cleveland is blessed to count many congregations, programs and institutions as part of the Jewish landscape. As a Reform rabbi, he commented on the steady population of Reform individuals.
“The Reform movement has commonly been a stream of Judaism for Jews from other denominations to land for a variety of reasons,” Caruso said. “Moreover, as the Reform movement has evolved in its practice and belief systems, many Jews find it a fitting place for them to land. Moreover, Reform Judaism actively welcomes seekers towards conversion through an intentional process that allows the Jew-by-Choice candidate to find a welcome home in their faithful path.”
Of note, 37% of adults don’t affiliate with a denomination, mirroring a national shift away from formal movement affiliation – 32% nationally. In the regional portion, the study also found that The Heights are particularly diverse, with 26% of residents identifying as Orthodox and 50% identifying as “Just Jewish.”
According to Caruso, these numbers represent the investment that the Cleveland Jewish community has made in providing a “deep and rich variety of Jewish choices.”
“As a Reform rabbi and Jew, I celebrate the diversity of offerings and colleagues in our midst,” Caruso said. “In the Cleveland clergy world, we share a common sense of purpose and respect for the people we serve. While our approach and understandings of the force of Jewish law, practice, beliefs and politics may differ at times, there is a strong sense of shared commitment to serving Klal Yisrael, the greater totality of the Jewish people.”
Despite the community’s differences, one strength stood out – Jewish Cleveland is deeply connected. 98% of respondents reported that they feel connected to the Jewish people, with over half saying “a great deal.”
As Caruso put it best, “Jewish diversity is our strength, and what makes Jewish Cleveland an exceptional place to live and work.”
