I was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (part of the Former Soviet Union). Amongst a Muslim majority, my family lived in a small but strong Jewish community – considered one of the oldest ethno-religious groups of Central Asia.

Jordan is an active 14-year-old boy, who attends a local Jewish Day School. Recently, Jordan had been more withdrawn, less inclined to raise his hand in class, and reacting in a more aggressive manner toward his peers. One day, Jordan arrived at school with bruises on his arms. His teacher knew she needed to be concerned. While the behaviors were atypical for Jordan, it was the bruises that raised the alarm bell for his teacher. The school immediately placed a call to the Cuyahoga County Department of Child and Family Services hotline.

In 2015, Moish Tohn led the transformation of Mosdos Ohr Hatorah into Yeshiva Derech Hatorah (YDT). Today YDT is a Federation beneficiary agency candidate and one of the shining examples of the legacy of respected community leader, Mendy Klein z”l, whom Moish called a ‘giant’ of a man.

In the face of the growing threat from anti-Semitism and xenophobia, increased security throughout Jewish Cleveland is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. From increasing the number of highly trained officers hired to patrol our community to encouraging and training on sophisticated security protocols at more community locations, Federation is dedicating significant resources towards keeping our community open and welcoming to anyone who wishes to live Jewishly.

Welcome Avigail, Alon, Ori, Guy, and Yuval! These five Israeli teens are spending the next year in Cleveland as part of the ShinShin program, a partnership between the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Overseas Connection Committee and @akiva, a Federation beneficiary agency.

Onward Israel is a two-month summer internship program in Tel Aviv for young adults to explore their professional passions while deepening their connection to Israel and their Jewish heritage. Here’s what a few alumni had to say about the experience of a lifetime.

By age 17, Sima Goel had seen enough to know that increasing anti-Semitism had irreversibly changed her home country of Iran. Leaving behind her family, friends, and her life as she knew it, she undertook a harrowing journey to freedom that she documented in her book, Fleeing the Hijab: A Jewish Woman’s Escape From Iran.

Counting down the days to the Dec. 11 closing of the 2020 Campaign for Jewish Needs, Jeffrey J. Wild said with 17 days left to raise funds, the campaign had garnered $26 million from 6,000 donors. The campaign closing event will be Dec. 11 at Fuchs Mizrachi School in Berachwood.

We are saddened to share the loss of Barbara Mandel z"l, a life-long volunteer, highly respected philanthropist, social justice advocate, wife of 70 years to Morton L. Mandel z”l, and Federation Life Trustee.

As we mark Thanksgiving and enter the December holiday season, I want to take a few minutes to say thank you.