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Community News

Orthodox growth reshaping Jewish Cleveland Cleveland Kesher

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hen Rabbi Binyamin Blau looked out the window of his office at Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood several years ago, he recognized nearly everyone who passed by. Today, he often sees unfamiliar faces – a reflection, he says, of the Orthodox community’s rapid growth. Over the years, Orthodox community leaders across Greater Cleveland have watched classrooms fill, young families move into neighborhoods and synagogue memberships and affiliations increase. The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s 2022 Jewish Community Study confirmed those observations with data, showing significant growth in the Orthodox population over the past decade. As the community expands, leaders say the trend is reshaping Jewish Cleveland and creating both new opportunities and challenges for the future.

GROWTH

The Orthodox share of Cleveland’s Jewish population has grown significantly over the past decade, according to the 2022 population study. Fourteen percent of Jewish adults now identify as Orthodox, up from 10% in 2011, marking a 40% increase. The study was publicly released in August 2025. Jeffrey Wild, board chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland in Beachwood and a member of the Orthodox community, said while the findings are notable, they were not a surprise. “Community leaders have been seeing signs of growth anecdotally for years,” Wild told Cleveland Kesher. “The 2022 Jewish Community Study helped quantify what many people were already experiencing on the ground: more young families, growing school enrollment.” Blau agreed, and said, “I wouldn’t have predicted it 10 years ago, but after seeing so much growth, it wasn’t surprising when the study came out to see the concrete numbers.” According to Blau, his synagogue had three summers where about 80 new families moved in, which he called “incredible,” adding the 4 | Cleveland Kesher

Cohen

Dessler

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growth may stem from Orthodox families increasingly looking beyond traditional population centers in the Northeast. “I do think that there’s a growing realization that there is life outside the tri-state area,” Blau said. “Much of the Orthodox population is centered in the New York, New Jersey area, and I think after COVID, when people started to realize that life could be a little bit different, GROWTH | 6

ONE OF A SERIES


Community News “I wouldn’t have predicted it 10 years ago, but after seeing so much growth, it wasn’t surprising when the study came out to see the concrete numbers.” Rabbi Binyamin Blau Green Road Synagogue GROWTH | 4 there’s been a general realization over the years that one can have a very vibrant, full Jewish life, particularly Orthodox life, even if you’re not in that particular geographic location.” Yitz Frank, executive director of Agudath Israel of Ohio, a member of the Orthodox community and a member of the study’s task force, said demographic trends common in Orthodox communities may also contribute to the growth. “I do think it’s somewhat reflective of a national trend, where Orthodox families tend to get married a little bit younger and have more children,” he said. According to Frank, the largest concentrations of Orthodox Jews in Greater Cleveland are located in Cleveland Heights, University Heights and Beachwood, particularly around the Green Road corridor. The study also found that 88% of Orthodox Jewish adults are classified as “immersed” in Jewish life, the highest level of engagement measured by the study. Frank said this finding reflects the role that religious practice plays in Orthodox life. “Orthodox Jews, just as a matter of day-today living and religious practice, tend to go to synagogue three times a day, certainly every Sabbath,” Frank said. “That was one of the criteria when looking at how involved they are in organized Jewish life, and Orthodox Jews, just because of that daily and consistent religious practice, are going to be much more immersed as the study defines it.” 6 | Cleveland Kesher

SCHOOLS AND CHILDREN

According to the study, 47% of all Jewish children in Cleveland live in Orthodox households, underscoring the importance of educational institutions within the community. Wild said Cleveland’s Jewish day schools continue to be a major draw for families considering a move to the area. “Cleveland’s Jewish day schools are known not only for religious education, but also for academic quality, student support and community environment,” Wild said. “For many families, the schools are not the only reason they move to Cleveland, but they are often a deciding factor.” Rabbi Simcha Dessler, menahel/educational director at Hebrew Academy of Cleveland in Cleveland Heights, told Cleveland Kesher the strength of Cleveland’s day schools reflects years of work by educators and community leaders to maintain high standards, inculcate value and provide an important sense of belonging to attract their students. “These are core pillars of a vibrant school community, clearly appreciated by its constituents,” Dessler said. “A strong educational infrastructure is essential to young families who seek a community to raise a family, and this is an element that they find in Cleveland’s nurturing Jewish community. Not every community enjoys such vibrancy and so our community is both fortunate and blessed.” While many Jewish communities across the country are in decline, Dessler said Cleveland has “distinguished itself as one of the faster

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Community News GROWTH | 6 growing Jewish communities,” and that growth has been reflected at Hebrew Academy. “The Hebrew Academy of Cleveland has been on a growth trajectory for the past three decades with an increase of an additional 600 students in the past decade alone,” Dessler said. “We are in growth mode and continue to strategically plan for the projected growth.” The school is in the early stages of expanding its Mendy and Ita Klein Campus, the former Oakwood Country Club property. Similarly, Fuchs Mizrachi School in Beachwood is undergoing an expansion project that will increase capacity. Jessica Cohen, Cleveland Heights city councilwoman and a mother of five, with three children attending Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, said strong educational options are essential to sustaining Orthodox growth. “Almost all Orthodox Jewish children will attend a day school,” Cohen told Cleveland Kesher. “So, in order to populate a strong, Orthodox community, there needs to be viable options for education.” Having multiple educational options, Cohen said, allows families to find the best fit for their children. “As the community grows, the school choices grow, and being able to have that choice about what’s best for your child and look at schools that have a strong Jewish studies curriculum but also have a strong English studies curriculum is really key,” Cohen said.

ATTRACTION TO CLEVELAND

In addition to educational opportunities, Wild said affordability, quality of life, strong communal institutions and a sense of belonging are among the factors that make Cleveland attractive. Blau added many of these factors, specifically, have brought young people back to the area. “We have an amazing number of young people who’ve moved in, many of whom grew up in Cleveland, or at least one of two spouses grew up in Cleveland, so that’s rewarding,” Blau said. “That wasn’t always the case in the past, but people came back.” 8 | Cleveland Kesher

According to the study, 18% of Jewish adults in Greater Cleveland are new to the community within the past decade. Wild said that growth presents an opportunity for community organizations. “We need to make sure that these newcomers feel welcomed,” he said. Initiatives such as the Jewish Day School Transformation initiative, which is underway, help cater to that expanding community. The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Jewish Day School Transformation initiative provides the community with an opportunity to participate in a generational transformation project, according to Jewish Cleveland leadership. The multi-million-dollar initiative is funded in part by the Mandel Foundation and led by the Federation. It aims to provide capital and endowment support to five Jewish day schools in the Cleveland area, benefiting the entire Cleveland Jewish community. According to Dessler, many families who initially move to Cleveland for temporary educational or professional opportunities ultimately choose to stay. “Many young families have been nurtured in our community but many have relocated here, by choice, for the academy experience or for all the wonderful things that our community offers and provides,” Dessler said. “So many families who relocated here for temporary opportunities – a medical fellowship, residency, internship or a kollel scholars program, as some examples – have chosen to remain here.” Cohen is among those families. Originally from Long Island, N.Y., she moved to the area more than a decade ago when her husband came to study. “My husband came here to learn at Telshe Yeshiva in Wickliffe, and I was a trailing spouse,” Cohen said. “What kept us here, and had us seriously consider and eventually buy a house here, was the housing prices back in 2008. Cleveland is just a really family-friendly area, easy to live in, and you could buy a house as a young couple. That was something we knew we would not get on the East Coast.” The community’s growth has also supported businesses that cater to Orthodox lifestyles, GROWTH | 10


Community News GROWTH | 8 including kosher grocery stores, such as The Grove Kosher Market in South Euclid, Unger’s Kosher Market and Bakery in Cleveland Heights, Tibor’s Kosher Meat Market and Boris’s Kosher Meats, both in University Heights. Several kosher dining options exist – with two of the newer ones established by Mendel Segal, who opened Mendel’s KC BBQ in Shaker Heights, and Fiamma by Mendel in Woodmere – in the area and many local grocery stores offer kosher sections.

LONG-TERM CHALLENGES

safety net.” Cohen said concerns she hears most often involve municipal services, such as larger families often requiring accommodations for additional city-issued garbage containers, and housing. “The Orthodox community, at least in Cleveland Heights, is very geographically dense, and they would love to see more singlefamily housing in Cleveland Heights,” Cohen said. “I think that’s going to be a long-term challenge.” To Blau, even as institutions such as synagogues, schools, Bikur Cholim of Cleveland and other communal organizations help strengthen community bonds, the largest struggle going forward will be attempting to maintain the community’s close, personal connections as they continue to grow. “We’re in a beautiful sweet spot at the moment,” Blau said. “We’re large enough that we can provide all the services of a much larger city, and yet there’s still a sense of community, and that’s a wonderful balance.” Maintaining that balance will become increasingly important as the community expands, he said, and as more synagogues are formed. “Choice is wonderful,” Blau said. “People should be able to connect and pray where they feel most welcome. But how will that work as we continue to grow? There has always been a sense of unity.” As he hopes the community can maintain their sense of closeness, he said there is still a “charm” to Cleveland’s Orthodox population that has not wavered. Preserving that, he said, will have to be intentional. “We’re trying to make sure that the allure and charm of the community remains the same, even as we get larger,” Blau said. “And I hope we’re up for the challenge.”

According to Frank, exponential growth can place increased demands on schools, synagogues and community organizations, presenting unique challenges going forward on how to accommodate the needs of a larger population. “It’s important for many of the Orthodox institutions to keep in mind as well as they plan for growth and making sure that they have the capacity to continue to service the population that they work with,” Frank said. For Frank, that includes continuing to advocate for programs such as EdChoice and school vouchers, which help families afford private Jewish education. Availability of school scholarships in Ohio is one of Cleveland’s many attractive factors for the community – especially those who need to provide for larger families with young children. According to the study, there is a relationship between financial circumstances and Jewish engagement. Among Jewish adults who reported struggling financially, nearly 60% fell into the study’s immersed or involved categories of Jewish engagement. Frank said many Orthodox families face financial pressures, including those who are immersed in Enjoy an 8-class session while honoring holiday Jewish life, despite being employed. observances without needing make-up “The vast majority of people are employed To view classes. the 2022 and work very hard,” Frank said. “I wouldn’t Cleveland Jewish necessarily say that there’s a large percentage of poverty. But I would say that, like many middle Population Study, and to class families, they work very hard and there’s read other articles in this series, just not a lot of money left over at the end of the month. There’s not much of a financial visit clevelandkesher.com

10 | Cleveland Kesher


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Community News

US Supreme Court to hear University Heights home shul case Cleveland Kesher

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he U.S. Supreme Court agreed on June 30 to hear the case of Daniel Grand, a University Heights resident who is suing the city of University Heights, former Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan and other former and current city employees after being ordered by officials to stop hosting prayer services in his Grand home without a permit. “Every American has the right to host a prayer gathering in his home, and he certainly doesn’t need a city permit to do so,” Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch said in a news release. “When government officials forbid that, courts must hold those individuals accountable,

immediately. The city’s actions underscore a troubling trend of weaponizing zoning laws against people of faith while allowing other gatherings of the same size, like book clubs or poker nights, to meet without issue. We’re pleased the Supreme Court will hear this case.” It is not yet known when the U.S. Supreme Court would hear the case, but the term of the Supreme Court, when it rules on cases, begins on the first Monday in October 2026 and continues until, typically, late June or early July 2027. ADF, in partnership with San Franciscobased law firm Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP, now represent Grand and filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging the highest court in the country to agree to hear the case, on May 28. The National Jewish Advocacy Center, the CASE | 14

Daniel Grand wants to use his home at 2343 Miramar Blvd. in University Heights to host daily prayer services. | Photo / Cleveland Kesher 12 | Cleveland Kesher


Community News

Manhattan Institute, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the General Council of the Assemblies of God, the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, the Orthodox Union, the National Council of Young Israel, and the American Center for Law and Justice all filed amicus curiae briefs, a legal document written by individuals or groups not directly involved in a case, over the suit to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the case. “This is not just a Jewish thing,” Grand previously had said. “Would it impact the Jewish people in a good way if we prevail in the Supreme Court? Yes. Would it impact the Christian prayer groups? Yes. Bible study? Yes. It’ll have a major impact for anyone who wants to do what they’re allowed to do by the Constitution, but really by their creator, which is talk to God. This is just about talking to God. We have to bring God back into the home. So, I simply want to have God in my home with a few of my friends. And I was stopped from doing that. That in itself is unconstitutional.” Grand, who moved to University Heights in 2017, filed the lawsuit on Sept. 9, 2022, against the city and Brennan – in both his official and personal capacity – alleging civil rights violations. Also named as defendants is Luke McConville, then-University Heights law director, and Paul Siemborski, a city planning commission member, both in their individual capacities. The case arose from a land-use and zoning

dispute between Grand and certain University Heights officials. Grand, who is Orthodox, is required to pray three times daily with a minyan and wanted to conduct the prayers in his home, rather than walking to a synagogue three times per day. On Jan. 19, 2021, Grand sent an email to about 12 neighbors, inviting them to be part of a minyan at his home at 2343 Miramar Blvd., along with any others his neighbors wanted to bring, according to the ruling. According to Grand’s Sept. 9, 2022, complaint, he said he invited men to pray with him in his home in January 2021, with Brennan, the city’s mayor at the time, confronting him that same month. According to the lawsuit, Brennan called Grand on Jan. 21, 2021, and said he was not allowed to have any type of religious gathering in his home without first obtaining a special-use permit, under Chapter 1274 of the University Heights Zoning Code. Grand initially applied for a special use permit to use his home as “a place of religious assembly” in 2021, but later withdrew the application. Judge Bridget Meehan Brennan, who is not related to Michael Dylan Brennan, ruled against Grand on Sept. 30, 2024, in the U.S. District Court of Northern Ohio and the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals upheld the ruling in favor of University Heights on Nov. 13, 2025. But now, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide if Grand is allowed to move forward with the services from his house, a ruling that will have a ripple effect for home shuls, home prayer services and religious study sessions of all different faiths. Insurance Soluti

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Community News

Bais Avrohom congregation is proposing to rezone 2547, 2555 and 2561 Edgewood Road in Beachwood to create a 2,250-square-foot synagogue with a 24-space parking lot. | Photo / Cleveland Kesher

Beachwood council delays vote on Edgewood shul proposal Cleveland Kesher

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eachwood City Council unanimously decided to delay voting on whether to approve Bais Avrohom congregation’s proposal to rezone two Edgewood Road homes and a vacant lot into a synagogue with a parking lot during a meeting July 13 where several residents voiced concerns about the parking situation surrounding the shul. “I move that we leave this on second reading this evening,” councilmember Alec Isaacson said at the meeting. “We’ve heard a significant amount of information from those both for and against. First of all, we need time to digest, and second of all, this council has typically not acted on a zoning resolution right after the public hearing – we’ve waited until the next meeting. I think that this particular action deserves that courtesy as well.” Council voted 6-0, with vice president Jillian DeLong absent from the meeting, to leave the proposal on second reading. The next chance to pass or reject the rezoning would be during

16 | Cleveland Kesher

the next session, which was not scheduled as of early August. The proposal seeks to rezone 2547, 2555 and 2561 Edgewood Road from a U-1 singlefamily residential district to a U-5 public and institutional district, which permits places of worship. The properties at 2555 and 2561 Edgewood Road contain residential homes, while 2547 is an empty lot. Council had twice previously voted down attempts by Bais Avrohom to turn the lots into a synagogue due to variances that went against the city’s zoning code. The congregation first proposed rezoning the site in 2024 but the application did not advance. Bais Avrohom revised its plan, reducing its variance requests – exceptions to zoning rules – from seven to one. The sole remaining variance involved lot size. A U-5 district requires a minimum lot area of 18,000 square feet. Bais Avrohom fell short by 4,800 square feet, meaning a stipulation PROPOSAL | 18


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Community News PROPOSAL | 16 would have been needed to allow construction despite the requirement. Due to that variance, council unanimously rejected the proposal during a Feb. 2 meeting. In the months between that rejection and the third proposal, which was referred to the Beachwood planning and zoning commission by city council on April 20, Bais Avrohom purchased a vacant lot located at 2547 Edgewood Road. Because of the additional land, Bais Avrohom was able to increase the amount of parking spaces on the property from 10 to 24, which meets the 14-spot minimum that a U-5 requires in Beachwood, and will increase the size of the lot from 13,200-squarefeet to 20,400-square-feet, exceeding the 18,000-square-foot requirement. Bais Avrohom has operated its shul out of 2555 Edgewood Road for over six years. The proposal would expand the house at 2561 Edgewood Road into a 2,250-square-foot synagogue and demolish 2555 Edgewood Road and use that along with the property at 2547 Edgewood Road for parking spots. Alan Arons, who lives on Albert Lane, shared his opposition at the meeting, noting it is because “the properties have been residential and should remain as such.” “Other commercial opportunities exist to build that do not impact our neighborhoods,” he said. “If one of the properties hadn’t been destroyed, the neighborhood would have continued and we wouldn’t be having this discussion,” referring to the fire that destroyed the home at 2547 Edgewood Road and left it as an empty lot in 2012. Darlene Stewart lives across from one of the parcels in the rezoning proposal and said she is “exhausted” over the process, saying this is the fourth time she has spoken at a meeting to oppose the issue. Stewart said she was worried about safety and had sent photos to council of illegal parking – such as parking during snow bans or leaving cars across driveway aprons – and claimed even when the police were called, cars were “never ticketed or towed.” She said there was at least one instance where she wasn’t 18 | Cleveland Kesher

able to leave her driveway because a car was blocking it, and vehicles have to make unsafe maneuvers in the street to get around the illegally parked cars. Rachel Schloss of Fernwood Drive read remarks on behalf of Wendy Berezovsky, who lives across from the shul but couldn’t attend the meeting. “As a neighbor, I strongly support the project,” Berezovsky’s letter said. “Especially beneficial to everyone will be the addition of on-site parking, which I greatly believe will improve the neighborhood. … But I also want to speak from the heart about the people behind the project. The rabbi and the congregation have been incredibly warm, generous and caring neighbors.” Audrey Allamby read a letter from her brother, Carl Allamby, and her sister-in-law, Kim Allamby, who have lived on Edgewood Road for over a decade and couldn’t make the meeting, who oppose the proposal. Kim Allamby is vice president of the Beachwood Board of Education. “As (Bais Arohom) has grown, so has the traffic that drives up and down our road, along with the parked vehicles at various times of the day,” the letter said. “We have watched school buses carefully navigate parked cars during school pick-up and drop-offs. We’ve had to be extra cautious when seeing children play around these parked vehicles as well. … Why should the residents of Edgewood have to tolerate the unforeseen dangers of increased flow of foot and vehicle traffic by others who aren’t residents of our street.” Aaron Evenchik, an attorney with Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP in Cleveland who represents some of the city’s home synagogues and has been assisting Bais Avrohom through the process, said at the meeting the shul is not commercial and that there isn’t a business going on but instead is the “sort of use Beachwood already has integrated throughout the community.” “When you look at where the schools are, Hilltop and Bryden (elementary schools) are both within residential neighborhoods and function,” he said. “We heard neighbors’ PROPOSAL | 20


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Community News PROPOSAL | 18 concerns on parking. … By now having the 18,000-square-feet, we now have 24 parking spaces so that should really help address the neighbors’ concerns about having cars on the road. They’ll now be able to park in and around the synagogue.” Evenchik also said the exterior design will have residential character – a few residents had expressed concerns about the parking lot being an “eye sore.” Akiva Shawel, a congregant of Bais Avrohom representing the shul at the meeting, said the new concept rendering is based on two factors: “residential character and concealed, off-street parking.” “It is our intention to maintain a warm and small in-nature congregation,” he said. “We have learned a great deal through this process and pride ourselves on municipal and community stewardship.” Rabbi Nissim Abrin, spiritual leader of Bais

20 | Cleveland Kesher

Avrohom, said the shul looks to “uplift the community.” “To anyone who is opposed to this project, we do understand this has been an arduous process,” he said. “It’s been exhausting for us as well. …We try our best to be as mindful as we can of the entire street. We really believe we’re doing a good thing. …This proposal does mitigate many of the safety and parking concerns.” Abrin invited residents to speak with him anytime about any concerns they have about the proposal, giving out his information “Look at the men, women and children here who need a place to pray,” he said. “We cannot drive on the Sabbath and need a place to go. This is a place we’ve been calling home for awhile now.”

To read more about this story and for updates, visit clevelandkesher.com.


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Community News

JEC launches new Gift of Israel Grant

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he Jewish Education Center of Cleveland is launching its redesigned A Gift of Israel Grant in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. The grant helps students in the Greater Cleveland area participate in Jewish educational experiences in Israel with a onetime $1,800 incentive grant. The new version of the grant will have a simpler, more accessible structure to reach more families instead of the long-term savings model the grant previously had, according to a news release. The grant can be put toward programs such as eighth-grade Jewish day school Israel trips, camp and teen summer programs in Israel, and post-high school programs, such as gap years and study abroad programs. To be eligible for the grant, students must be from a Jewish household living in Greater Cleveland and between eighth grade to 25 years old. Students also must already be accepted to an approved Jewish educational program in Israel that lasts at least 10 days and costs at least $2,250. They cannot have previously received A Gift of Israel Grant or matching funds. A Gift of Israel Grant was previously a seven-year savings and matching funds program where families would deposit annual funds into a dedicated account and

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the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and sometimes synagogues would provide matching contributions. While this program helped support families financially for educational Israel trips, it needed long-term enrollment and consistent savings, which was unrealistic for many people, according to the release. The redesign process for the grant began earlier this year when the partnering bank informed the program partners that due to compliance concerns, it could no longer support the savings-based structure. A task force was formed to create a new model for the program that would reduce barriers to entry, thus expanding participation. With the new model, there are many improvements including broader access, inclusive eligibility, simplified structure and a user-friendly process. While the program itself will not provide matching funds, the JEC will still encourage synagogues to provide matching funds to the participating members in the program in order to support them beyond the $1,800 grant. The JEC and the Federation hope that the new and improved version of A Gift of Israel Grant will allow more local students to participate in educational, Jewish Israel experiences, the release stated. For more information and to apply, visit jecc.org/israel.

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SPECIALIZE INSTEAD OF SPREADING THIN

A national company has to stay broad. You don’t. Go deep on what you do best, and you’ll build authority they can’t touch. GET INVOLVED LOCALLY

Sponsor the youth baseball team, show up at the town festival, partner with the shop next door. Every one of those connections tends to turn into a link or mention that helps your SEO – and there’s no way for an outside competitor to fake it. MOVE FASTER THAN THEY CAN

LOCAL SEO IS YOUR HOME TURF

“Near me” searches, neighborhood keywords, a Google Business Profile that actually reflects your community – a corporate location manager isn’t writing content about your specific street. You are, because you live it.

You can update your site, respond to a review, or jump on a trend today. A big competitor is still waiting on approval. That speed is a real edge. Being small isn’t the disadvantage it feels like. It’s a strategic advantage – if you know how to use it.

PEOPLE REMEMBER PEOPLE

Share your story, introduce your team, show the real work. Customers are looking for a reason to support a local business instead of a faceless brand. Give them one.

24 | Cleveland Kesher

Nachum ‘Nooch’ Langsner is co-founder and chief marketing guru at LocalBizGuru.


$75

Cleveland Kesher | 25


School SPOTLIGHTS CHAVIVA HIGH SCHOOL

The class of 2026. | Photo / Shelby Jones Photography

The school’s annual Student Exhibition.

Chaviva High School students publish the school‘s first literary journal.

Content provided by Chaviva High School

To see more photos, visit cjn.org/kesher and facebook.com/ClevelandKesher 26 | Cleveland Kesher


RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

OH LIC# EL21234

Come out to play

with our Majestic Farm Family!

A unique interactive experience gets you up close and personal with the animals on

To learn more about us and to book an appointment to visit the farm, please visit us on our website – www.majesticmeadowsalpacas.com Farm & Boutique Hours:

Majestic Meadows Alpacas

Open Monday-Friday starting in September 4195 Abbeyville Road 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Medina, OH 44256 Individual rate for farm: $15.00 330-725-2977 Kids 2 and under are free Open for private encounters every day – Call for more information

Cleveland Kesher | 27


School SPOTLIGHTS FUCHS MIZRACHI SCHOOL

F

uchs Mizrachi School in Beachwood will welcome more than 630 students this new school year and its campus is growing right alongside with them. Thanks to the generosity of the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, its parent community

and many supporters, it’s opening new learning spaces that will serve students for generations to come. From STEAM and Wonder Labs to classrooms, intervention spaces, athletic facilities and more, these additions reflect a commitment to providing the best environment for learning, growth and community.

Cafeteria and gym exterior | Submitted renderings of upcoming campus enhancements

Cafeteria view

Lower school maker space

High school design lab

Content provided by Fuchs Mizrachi School

To see more photos, visit cjn.org/kesher and facebook.com/ClevelandKesher 28 | Cleveland Kesher


A Place to Belong!

Lulavim, Esrogim, Sukkah, Schach and decorations available at Grand Judaica (216) 321-7200

Grand Coffee is a Section in Grand Judaica. 1873 South Taylor Rd Cleveland Hts OH Cleveland Kesher | 29


School SPOTLIGHTS HEBREW ACADEMY OF CLEVELAND

B

eis Chinuch Horav Dessler/Hebrew Academy of Cleveland concluded its 83rd school year with preschool, middle school and high school graduations and Mesibas Siddur for kindergarteners. The school will begin its 84th school year with the highest enrollment in the school’s history.

Content provided by Hebrew Academy of Cleveland

To see more photos, visit cjn.org/kesher and facebook.com/ClevelandKesher 30 | Cleveland Kesher


Remodel With Confidence Trusted Home Remodeling for Cleveland-Area Homeowners Kitchens • Bathrooms • Whole-Home Remodeling

Schedule Your Free In-Home Estimate gelfandhomeimprovement.com 216-245-9285


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Cleveland Kesher, Fall 2026 by Cleveland Jewish Publication Company - Issuu