There was a time Vita didn’t know she was Jewish. Today, she is helping Jewish Clevelanders strengthen their Judaism.

Applications are now open for Onward Israel, a prestigious eight-week summer internship program in Tel Aviv for Jewish Cleveland young adults. The Jewish Federation of Cleveland, in partnership with Masa Israel Journey and The Jewish Agency for Israel, are now selecting college students and recent college graduates, ages 19 – 27, to live and intern in Tel Aviv from June 10 – August 4, 2020.

Since its inception, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland has taken a holistic approach to increasing the quality education in the low socio-economic areas in Israel’s periphery. From Parents and Children Together (PACT), designed to close the education gaps between Israelis and Ethiopians who came to Israel in the 1980s, to Youth Futures, which helps at-risk children and their families, Federation has been addressing the myriad of factors that can influence a child’s ability to learn.

I was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (part of the Former Soviet Union). Amongst a Muslim majority, my family lived in a small but strong Jewish community – considered one of the oldest ethno-religious groups of Central Asia.

Onward Israel is a two-month summer internship program in Tel Aviv for young adults to explore their professional passions while deepening their connection to Israel and their Jewish heritage. Here’s what a few alumni had to say about the experience of a lifetime.

Welcome Avigail, Alon, Ori, Guy, and Yuval! These five Israeli teens are spending the next year in Cleveland as part of the ShinShin program, a partnership between the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Overseas Connection Committee and @akiva, a Federation beneficiary agency.

Katerina “Katya” Rouzina has been named the 2019-2020 Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland-JDC International Fellow. In this capacity, Katya will spend one year in Kharkov, Ukraine, working with the local Jewish community to plan and facilitate youth camps, Shabbat programming, leadership training platforms and community-wide programs. Established in 2003 by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, JDC (the global Jewish humanitarian organization), and the JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps, the Roslyn Z. Wolf Cleveland-JDC International Fellowship is part of a cohort of nine young JDC Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps Fellows deployed around the world to address global issues through JDC and its partners.

Be specific, Jeffrey J. Wild, told 275 volunteers and leaders gathered to launch the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s 2020 Campaign for Jewish Needs Aug. 28.

Our shlicha (Israeli emissary) Li-or Gersht shares a special recipe from home with Jewish Cleveland!