A brief guide to the advantages of giving on or before December 31, 2015.

CLEVELAND – The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announces a groundbreaking collaboration between its sister city of Beit Shean, Israel and five local Cleveland communities. This cross-cultural exchange will influence how community development corporations (CDCs) measure success through the use of a new tool called the GEAR.

It’s March and I’m sun bathing on the beach in Tel Aviv before heading to Shabbat with my Israeli family and WhatsApp goes off (obviously I’m in Israel, there’s no other way to communicate). I get a message from the Moishe House Regional Coordinator, Eve, saying Cleveland is looking for another resident…

A POWerful day! Thank you to the 100 Women’s Philanthropy volunteers who joined together for an afternoon of music and meaning with local Holocaust survivors.

The eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, which begins this Sunday evening (Dec. 6) will be brighter for more than 80 families in financial need through a special program directed by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

BEACHWOOD, OHIO – (December 2, 2015) – Students at Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School (formerly The Agnon School) recently raised $1,427.06 by waging a one week charity Penny Challenge by grade to support the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Annual Campaign for Jewish Needs. This amount represents an increase from last year’s donation. The Federation will use this money to address the diverse needs of the Jewish community, both locally and worldwide.

We recently met a young woman named Yafit, an Ethiopian Jew whose family made Aliyah more than 30 years ago. She is just one of nearly 100,000 Ethiopian Jews who completed the journey – an effort that Cleveland’s own Federation President Steve Hoffman helped initiate. Now, Yafit is paying it forward as a Youth Futures Mentor, a Federation-supported program that provides community-based mentoring for youth in Israel. Read Yafit’s inspiring story here:

Thirteen years ago last Shabbat my best friend’s brother was murdered by Palestinian terrorists while providing reinforcement to IDF soldiers who had been ambushed outside the Cave of the Patriarchs. He left behind a wife and six children.

CLEVELAND – The Jewish Federation of Cleveland has joined #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide. Coinciding with Thanksgiving, the holiday shopping season, and the Federation’s 2016 Campaign for Jewish Needs, #GivingTuesday will inspire community members to take action to improve Cleveland’s Jewish and general communities. Together, on December 1, 2015, we will help create a better world.