For the next eight weeks, 43 Jewish Cleveland college students and recent grads will have the experience of a lifetime! That’s because they’re spending the summer interning in Tel Aviv as part of Onward Israel, a program funded through I-Connect, an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

Growing up in the Jewish community in Cleveland, I always learned about our awesome partnership region: Beit She’an and the Valley and Springs. In fact, this year marks the 20th anniversary of our partnership together so I was especially eager to spend some quality time there. I have always considered Beit She’an and the surrounding area to be special and beautiful, but I realized that my non-Cleveland friends had no idea that this place even existed. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to bring two friends, one from New Jersey and one from Paris, to this special region in the north to show them what makes Beit She’an and the Valley of Springs so special.

A siren wailed for two minutes. The streets of Rehovot came to a complete stop. People stood in silence on the sidewalks, drivers stopped their cars on the street and climbed out and stood at the door – everyone thinking of the memory of the six million Jews lost in the Holocaust.

“You make time for what’s important in your life and Jewish Cleveland is important to me.”

We have a sense of belonging here in Cleveland, at Federation, and around the world.

On the "Men's Mission to Poland and Israel: From Darkness to Light," 14 Jewish Cleveland men are learning about the pre-War centers of Jewish life in Poland, the Holocaust, and the contemporary scene, experiencing meaningful tours of Poland sites, and discovering Israel like they've never seen it before.

Jewish Cleveland IMPACT! Volunteers are spending two weeks in Cleveland's sister city of Beit Shean, Israel, volunteering in the community and immersing themselves in Israeli culture. Check out photos and blogs from their experience below:

Greetings from India! Four Jewish Cleveland young leaders are taking an unforgettable journey to explore Jewish life in India with the National Young Leadership Cabinet Study Mission. They, along with more than 100 fellow young leaders from across North America, are visiting India to understand how Judaism endures as a small minority culture in our diaspora communities.

My dad is Jewish and my mom is Catholic. I went to Catholic school from Pre-K through 12th grade. We hardly ever went to synagogue growing up. However, I started attending Shabbat services with my dad during high school and began to feel an extra sense of fulfillment.