Oct. 7, 2024 marks one year since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people, kidnapping more than 250 others and drastically changing the Jewish world.

Teenagers from Kibbutz Kissufim in Israel were able to take a break this summer and spend four weeks at Camp Wise, the Home of Happiness! The teens were able to be there thanks to the support of our community through the Israel Emergency Fund and the Campaign for Jewish Needs.

For decades, the Cleveland Jewish community has offered steadfast support for The Jewish Agency for Israel, Amira Ahronoviz, CEO and director general of the agency, told the Cleveland Jewish News on Sept. 11 at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building in Beachwood.

Thank you to News 5 Cleveland for their coverage of Jewish Federation of Cleveland's billboard campaign for the Israeli hostages.

About 100 community members showed their support for the hostages taken by Hamas during a gathering held by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland on Sept. 6 on its front lawn near the hostage ribbon display at 25701 Science Park Drive in Beachwood.

We hope to see you at our September events. We look forward to opening a new exhibit in Federation's Roe Green Gallery, welcoming an Israeli expert on the Israel/Gaza war to share his insight, volunteering prior to the holidays at a local Jewish cemetery, and more.

For more than 300 days, we have been praying for the safe and immediate release of the hostages taken by Hamas last October. “Bring Them Home Now” is not just some slogan – it’s a plea for humanity.

Just 48 hours after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel by Hamas, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland gathered more than 2,000 Jewish and non-Jewish individuals to pray and support Israel outside of its Beachwood offices.

On October 7, 2023, more than 250 innocent civilians were taken hostage by the terrorist group Hamas. These individuals are as old as 85 and as young as 9-months; they are men, women, and children; they are Israeli, American, Russian, Argentinian, and Thai. They have missed birthdays, anniversaries, and so many more milestones while being subjected to unimaginable horrors.

When it launched some 20 years ago, no one could have predicted how desperately needed this program of @akiva High School – a beneficiary agency of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland – would be today.