Karen Tucker’s lifelong love of Israel has roots in her youth. At 13 years old, she vividly remembers watching the news coverage of Israel, then a fledgling nation, fight for its survival in the Six Day War. As a college student, she attended rallies, spoke out in support of Israel, and donated funds to help the country defend itself during the Yom Kippur War.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland commemorated Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day in a very moving ceremony.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland will ring in the state of Israel’s 73rd anniversary with a festival boasting in-person and virtual options April 15.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Yom Hazikaron commemoration will include the personal story of a fallen Israeli soldier told by a fellow soldier, Efi Mazor of Beit Shean, from 7 to 7:45 p.m. April 13.

Check out our upcoming events, including two ways to celebrate Israel's Independence Day, unique commemorations for Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron for Jewish Clevelanders in their 20s and 30s, and our 117th annual meeting.

As a child, I would look forward to Memorial Day – Yom Hazikaron, but not like waiting for a birthday or a holiday. It’s another feeling like a heavy weight sitting on your heart. It's like a sense of anticipation when you know something bad's going to happen.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland will host its annual Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration – a festival celebrating Israel’s 73rd Independence Day – on Thursday, April 15 from 5:30 – 6:45 pm. It is free and open to the community.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland's Cleveland Israel Arts Connection was joined by Eran Polishuk, CEO and founder of Chapter Two Films, to discuss “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Contemporary Israeli Cinema.”

I wanted to start off by saying that I am grateful to the Jewish Federation for hosting the YLD One-Click Trips. These three events allowed me and other Clevelanders to talk to and connect with people from around the world.

COVID-19 brought the world to a screeching halt in 2020, but on top of closed businesses, digitized schools and canceled trips, the virus also impacted college students’ education.