This time in the Hebrew calendar is known for heshbon hanefesh – accounting of the soul, a time of self-reflection.

For nearly 10 years, Hillel at Kent State University and the AEPi fraternity have held a name-reading ceremony to commemorate Yom HaShoah. The 24-hour event is held on the campus of Kent State University; Jewish and non-Jewish students take turns reading the names of those who lost their life during the Holocaust.

Under sunny skies and cool temperatures, the Cleveland Jewish community remembered Holocaust victims and honored survivors at the annual Kol Israel Foundation Fall Memorial event on Oct. 2 at Zion Memorial Park in Bedford Heights.

Erika Rudin-Luria, president of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, discussed “Hatred: an ever-present pandemic” and how the Federation works to combat antisemitism and hate locally, nationally and internationally, as part of the Cleveland Leadership Center’s “The Way Forward Leader Lunch Breaks” on Aug. 17 via Zoom.

We sat down with Oren Jacobson, co-founder and executive director of Project Shema to discuss the Israel/Palestine conflict and antisemitism.

Since Friday, nearly 1,000 rockets have been indiscriminately fired into Israel by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a U.S.-designated terror organization. And at least 120 fell short of the border and landed in the Gaza Strip causing damage and casualties to Palestinians.

Antisemitism is not a new phenomenon — and the advent of social media created the perfect Petrie dish for its hateful rhetoric and tropes that leads to violence. We appreciate the Cleveland Police Department’s swift response to this situation, as well as all they do every day to keep Cleveland safe for all people.

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.