By age 17, Sima Goel had seen enough to know that increasing anti-Semitism had irreversibly changed her home country of Iran. Leaving behind her family, friends, and her life as she knew it, she undertook a harrowing journey to freedom that she documented in her book, Fleeing the Hijab: A Jewish Woman’s Escape From Iran.

Counting down the days to the Dec. 11 closing of the 2020 Campaign for Jewish Needs, Jeffrey J. Wild said with 17 days left to raise funds, the campaign had garnered $26 million from 6,000 donors. The campaign closing event will be Dec. 11 at Fuchs Mizrachi School in Berachwood.

We are saddened to share the loss of Barbara Mandel z"l, a life-long volunteer, highly respected philanthropist, social justice advocate, wife of 70 years to Morton L. Mandel z”l, and Federation Life Trustee.

As we mark Thanksgiving and enter the December holiday season, I want to take a few minutes to say thank you.

Katerina “Katya” Rouzina has been named the 2019-2020 Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland-JDC International Fellow. In this capacity, Katya will spend one year in Kharkov, Ukraine, working with the local Jewish community to plan and facilitate youth camps, Shabbat programming, leadership training platforms and community-wide programs. Established in 2003 by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, JDC (the global Jewish humanitarian organization), and the JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps, the Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland-JDC International Fellowship is part of a cohort of nine young JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps Fellows deployed around the world to address global issues through JDC and its partners.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland will host its annual Campaign Closing Celebration on Wednesday, December 11 at 7:00 pm at Fuchs Mizrachi School (26600 Shaker Blvd in Beachwood). The entire community is invited to attend.

J. David Heller, board chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, attended FedLab, a three-day conference for the top volunteer and staff of Jewish Federations of North America. The conference, which attracted 900 people and was styled as three in-depth workshop tracks, was held from Nov. 10 to Nov. 12. in Washington, D.C.

Minnesota Vikings owner Mark Wilf spoke of his parents, priorities and sense of responsibility for the Jewish community at a Jewish Federation of Cleveland fundraiser called “Real Estate, Football and Philanthropy.”

Law enforcement agents gathered with leaders of the Jewish community to hear about lessons learned from the Tree of Life Congregation shootings from the director of community security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland will hold the Cleveland premiere of the works of Israeli artist Shony Rivnay with the exhibition “Unfolding Nature: Dancing Through Waves,” starting Nov. 10 in the Roe Green Gallery.