Applications are now open for Onward Israel, a prestigious eight-week summer internship program in Tel Aviv for Jewish Cleveland young adults. The Jewish Federation of Cleveland, in partnership with Masa Israel Journey and The Jewish Agency for Israel, are now selecting college juniors, seniors and recent college graduates to live and intern in Tel Aviv from June 15 – August 10, 2017.

I was home in Cleveland for winter break; that’s when I made a decision that would change my life forever. I applied for Onward Israel, an internship program, supported by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

Shalom (Hello) to Itamar Meromi, Michal Katzman, Ziv Birenzwige, and Orel Regev.

Eating three meals a day is something many of us take for granted. Unfortunately, some of our Cleveland community is not so lucky.

According to Karen McHenry, program manager for homeless and missing youth at Bellefaire JCB, only 25 percent of missing children are reported missing.

Thank you to Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Rob Portman, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge and Congressman David Joyce (together with 15 of the 16 Ohio members of the House of Representatives) who have all agreed to co-sponsor resolutions in Congress that express opposition to the decision of the United States to abstain last month from United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2334 and calling for it to be repealed or significantly altered.

An opportunity many of us do not have the chance to fulfill – spend a year living and working abroad. But that is exactly what Rachel Seiger, of Solon, and Ben Fleisher, a Cleveland native, were able to do. Their overseas journeys became possible through the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Roslyn Z. Wolf-Jewish Joint Distribution Committee International Fellow Program.

Volunteers from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland once again worked this holiday season to make sure that children whose lives can be a daily struggle know that there are those who care about them.

Ali Schwartz is joining the Young Family Engagement Team with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland as the new PJ Library Engagement Ambassador for South Solon, Twinsburg, Aurora and the surrounding cities. Ali is already enjoying meeting the young Jewish families in the area and can’t wait to meet more through PJ Library.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Rainey Institute are proud to announce an international partnership. The Federation-supported Youth Futures program in Israel and Rainey Institute are collaborating with teachers, principals, mentors and site coordinators to come together and examine blind case studies involving at-risk youth. Media is invited to attend the case study exchange on January 12 at 6:30 pm at Rainey Institute, 1705 East 55th in Cleveland.