The Cleveland Jewish community gathered to mourn those killed in Australia, where two gunmen targeted Jewish people celebrating the first night of Chanukah at a public menorah lighting at Bondi Beach. Federation’s “Shine a Light” event united our community to mourn the victims, pray for the wounded, and support all who are grieving.

Ilana Isakov Katz, vice chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s board of trustees, said lighting a menorah during Chanukah, gathered with friends and family, “should never be an act of courage.”

Nazi memorabilia, some already attracting bids, is being offered for sale through a local online auction – a move the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s board chair Jeffrey J. Wild condemned as “abhorrent.”

May this Chanukah bring you and your loved ones peace, joy, and renewed purpose.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland raised a record $39,035,018 through its 2026 Campaign for Jewish Needs to support the needs of local and global Jewish communities, which was announced to about 900 attendees at the Dec. 8 campaign closing event at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland’s Mendy and Ita Klein Okawood Campus in Cleveland Heights.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland announced that a record $39,035,018 has been raised by 9,036 gifts representing 12,094 donors in the 2026 Campaign for Jewish Needs. The Federation’s annual Campaign provides the critical dollars necessary to help keep our diverse, local community safe, strong, vibrant, and welcoming, as well as serve the needs of the global Jewish community.

Thank you and mazel tov to Amir Jaffa for leading Jewish Cleveland during the 2025 and 2026 Campaign for Jewish Needs!

Mazel tov to Allison Brandon, recipient of the 2025 Amb. Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Young Campaigner of the Year Award. Allison was recognized at our Campaign Closing celebration on December 8 for her dedication to the Campaign for Jewish Needs.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland will hold the Cleveland Jewish Teachers Summit from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Dec. 14 in the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building at 25701 Science Park Drive in Beachwood.

At Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland’s Camp Wise in Claridon Township, a Jewish Federation of Cleveland beneficiary agency, hundreds of children arrive each summer ready for the simple joys of Jewish camp – friendship, nature, discovery and belonging. Ensuring that those moments remain safe, even in a changing world, requires both vigilance and creativity. That’s why this year, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and JFC Security, LLC – Federation’s security provider – introduced a cutting-edge, tethered drone pilot program at Camp Wise — an innovative step that reflects thoughtful, proactive planning.