Jewish high school juniors and seniors interested in strengthening the Jewish community and making the world a better place are encouraged to apply for the 2016-2017 Maurice Saltzman Youth Panel, a program of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. As a group, panelists recommend how to distribute up to $50,000 to programs in the Jewish and general communities. Participants will develop their leadership and group consensus skills as they learn about the philanthropic process and responding to community needs.

Over the last decade, supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement have focused their campaign in the U.S. primarily on college campuses. But the BDS movement appears to be slowing down, according to Jacob Baime, executive director of the Israel on Campus Coalition, causing activists to adapt and shift their strategies.

In just over one year, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland has raised close to $2.8 million for its Cemetery Preservation Campaign, putting them just $700k short of a $3.5 million goal to preserve Cleveland’s older Jewish cemeteries. The Federation asks all who are interested to donate to the community-wide campaign at www.jewishcleveland.org/cemetery.

The Street Team (Raquel and Seth!) met up with Melissa Friedman, a teacher, to find out why she came back to the #JewishCleveland social scene after college.

Innovation, Leadership, and Identity: This is the theme of the Young Leadership Division’s (YLD) Weinberg Mission to Israel. 18 Jewish Cleveland young leaders had the adventure of a lifetime, experiencing Israel’s vibrant arts and culture scene, learning about innovative technology, networking with leadership in the nation’s up and coming industries, tasting the flavors of the country, and more. Check out their Mission blog below!

Meet Nathan. He's been to Israel before, but he’s ready to go back again – this time, for the entire summer! Nathan is a participant with Onward Israel Cleveland, an 8-week program where students ages 20-25 live and intern in Tel Aviv. Follow Nathan's journey on this blog, and to learn more about all Israel opportunities, visit our I-Connect Page.

The Street Team (Seth and Raquel!) met up with social entrepreneur Matt Fieldman in Shaker Square, home to one of his favorite restaurants and projects: EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute.

Matthew Turell shares his first month experiencing Israel with fellow Onward Israel Cleveland participants.

The morning after the Cavs championship win, the Street Team (Seth and Raquel!) met up with Ben Milgrom to WITNESS what makes downtown a fun, trendy, and happening place for young people.

On June 21, 2016, the Federation Board of Trustees voted unanimously to make the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage (2929 Richmond Road, Beachwood, OH 44122 I 216.593.0575 I maltzmuseum.org) a local beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, solidifying a longstanding relationship between the two organizations. The Maltz Museum provides high quality programming and outreach to nearly 40,000 members of the Jewish and general community each year.