As Israel celebrates its 75th Independence Day, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland is celebrating with yearlong programming, including two Yom Ha’atzmaut events in May.

Gil Geva Keinan, one of Cleveland's ShinShin, shared her family's emotional story during Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day commemoration. Read the story and watch the video below.

In northern Israel about 40 miles southeast of Haifa and 70 miles northeast of Tel Aviv sits the town of Beit Shean/Valley of Springs. As Cleveland’s sister city, it faces similar geographic and cultural challenges – among them public perception and weather.

As the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Kol Israel Foundation’s Yom Hashoah commemoration shined a light on the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, featured speaker Irving Berkowitz drew parallels to the continued fight against antisemitism today.

To honor our local survivors and remember those who perished during the Holocaust, local schools entered the Yom Hashoah Creative Arts Contest. Students created original poems and visual arts pieces to incorporate this year’s theme, “80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.”

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Kol Israel Foundation’s Yom Hashoah commemoration will reflect on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to mark the 80th anniversary of the 1943 act of Jewish resistance in German-occupied Poland.

As part of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s multi-pronged strategy to combat hate, we joined the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) as one of the more than 100 partners – including the League of Women Voters, Urban League, National Governors Association, the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International – to encourage its supporters to stand up to Jewish hate (#StandUpToJewishHate).

Families and individuals of all ages are invited to volunteer across Cleveland’s Jewish and general community when the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Jewish Volunteer Network (JVN) takes part in Good Deeds Day on Sunday, April 16.

We hope to see you at one of our many April events! This month, we're partaking in a global day of volunteering, remembering the Holocaust and heroism with two meaningful events, and commemorating Israel's Memorial Day with song, prayer, and running in the memory of fallen soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

We were slaves in Egypt (avadim hayinu). This yearly reminder at Passover is core to our Jewish memory and culture. The retelling of the exodus from Egypt reminds us of the bitterness of slavery, the journey to freedom, and how we became a Jewish nation.