Eight months ago, Shlomo Mantzur was believed to be taken from his home in Kibbutz Kissufim into Gaza during the Hamas surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. His family, including his daughter, Batya Mantzur – who traveled to Cleveland from June 4 to June 6 – still holds out hope of seeing him again.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced at the 120th Annual Meeting on May 23 that Gary L. Gross has been named the 100th recipient of the Charles Eisenman Award, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s highest civic honor for outstanding contributions to our community.

The Lois Marcus Leadership Award recognizes a Lion of Judah Society member that has shown commitment to the Cleveland Jewish community through emerging leadership and volunteerism and who proudly promotes the values of women’s leadership and philanthropy, cares for our community and its future, and leads with integrity, compassion, and kindness.

Mazel tov, Jennifer Cohen for receiving the 2024 Ruby Bass Challenge Award for her exemplary dedication and leadership to the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Women IN Philanthropy Campaign.

Coaching Circles offers women in Jewish Cleveland an open, motivating, and engaging experience to foster personal growth and connection with women across the community through meaningful, confidential conversations.

We hope to see you at our February events. This month, we are welcoming Israeli activist and speaker Hen Mazzig to Cleveland for a number of events, hosting two Pajama Havdallah events for young families, presenting our latest Roe Green Gallery exhibit to the community, and more.

As the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and 175 attendees celebrated the closing of another successful annual Campaign for Jewish Needs, the event honored two essential people involved in the campaign.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced that a record $36,355,013 has been raised by 9,045 gifts representing 11,881 donors in the 2024 Campaign for Jewish Needs, the annual fundraising campaign that serves Jewish Cleveland and the global community. Additionally, the community raised $33,349,261 for the Israel Emergency Campaign to date since launching immediately following the terrorist attack in Israel on October 7. These totals were shared at the Campaign Closing Event at the Mandel Jewish Community Center on December 13.

The success of our annual Campaign for Jewish Needs is due in large part to the strength of those at the helm. We are grateful to Beth Wain Brandon for her leadership as chair of the 2023 and 2024 Campaigns.

About 340 women gathered together Nov. 29 in the auditorium of the Mandel Jewish Community Center for the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Women IN Philanthropy MaIN Event.