11/09/2017
Federation’s YLD ‘Big Event’ to Focus on Humor, 2018 Campaign
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Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News.
By Amanda Koehn
Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Young Leadership Division’s “Big Event,” the annual signature event for the 2018 Campaign for Jewish Needs, will feature local comedy celebrity Mike Polk Jr. at 8 p.m. Nov. 18 at The Westin Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland.
The event is targeted toward the YLD age group of adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
Polk is best known for his sketch comedy and viral videos, including his “Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism” and “The Factory of Sadness” videos about the Cleveland Browns.
Sara Cooperman, a University Heights resident and co-chair for the “Big Event,” along with her husband, Akiva, Andrew and Shannon Zelman, and Rachel and Ken Weinberg, said the event typically draws about 400 people.
“In the past, we haven’t had the entertainment piece really, we’ve had a guest speaker,” said Cooperman, who attends Heights Jewish Center Synagogue in University Heights. “But this year, it’s more of an entertainment piece.”
The evening will include a cocktail hour as well as food and drinks available throughout the night. The 2018 Campaign for Jewish Needs raises funds for local, national and international Jewish needs, and YLD aims to connect young adults to their community, as well as social, volunteer, leadership and philanthropic activities.
In a tweet about coming to the “Big Event,”’ Polk wrote, “Come check this out Jewish Clevelanders, I promise I’ll be gentile.”
