When I was asked to write this blog post about Yom Hazikaron and my reflections about it as an Israeli, I was very hesitant. How can I put in words a custom you grow up with since childhood? Will I be able to do justice to the many layers and rituals of Yom Hazikaron? I will try to explain it and paint a picture from my own eyes growing up in Israel.

Welcome to The Land, Believeland, Cleveland, our home. We love our city and our community – and can’t wait for you to experience it too. From the Van Aken District to MidTown, The Cleveland Orchestra to the Cleveland Public Library, OverDrive to GOJO, CWRU’s Sears think[box] to CSU, to the Rock Hall – we model innovation, collaboration and supportive community. Jewish Cleveland is the proud home of many synagogues and learning groups of all denominations, five strong Jewish day schools, the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Mandel JCC and so much more. We are a vibrant Jewish community that continues to grow, evolve and innovate.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced that Sarah Zimmerman has been awarded the 2021 Bennett and Donna Yanowitz Leadership Award, which recognizes and honors an outstanding young individual who has demonstrated commitment, involvement, and leadership within Cleveland’s Jewish community. She received the award at the Federation’s Board of Trustees meeting on April 27.

This May, we're celebrating Israel with an outdoor carnival, cleaning up Cleveland's Jewish cemeteries, experiencing camp with hands-on service projects, and more.

It is our responsibility to learn from history lest it will repeat itself. This is a lesson that we take very seriously, and that we act on.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland will celebrate Israel’s 74th Independence Day with Yom Ha’atzmaut May 5 outside at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage and The Temple-Tifereth Israel, both in Beachwood.

In recognition of Yom Hashoah V'Hagvurah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), WKYC profiled Testimony Theater Cleveland, a program in which 7th-12th grade students interview Holocaust survivors and their families about their experiences and then act out those stories as a powerful and emotional stage performance. Programs like this help ensure future generations never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust or the six million Jews whose lives were lost.

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood welcomed a full capacity crowd of 200 in-person attendees April 27 for the return to an in-person commemoration of Yom Hashoah V’Hagurvah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day.

As the school year starts, help families cover the basics by donating new and packaged kids' underwear, socks, and pajamas. All kids sizes needed. New items please.

Our community observed Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah, a commemoration of the Holocaust and Heroism.