Cleveland Kesher, Spring 2022 by Cleveland Jewish Publication Company

THE HIDDEN WORLD OF MATAN B’SAYSER

...”We were in a very tough spot; the help from Matan B’sayser was absolutely incredible!”

...”This past year has been very stressful emotionally and ﬁnancially; there are no words to accurately explain the selﬂessness of this beautiful organization.”

...”Since my husband lost his job, we started receiving cash assistance and provisions for Yom Tov. I do not know how we would have managed without it.”

Quietly and discreetly, since its inception in March,1984, Matan B’Sayser has been helping Cleveland’s Jews in need from all walks of life, while preserving their dignity and self-esteem. Recently, the challenges of COVID, coupled with the unprecedented inﬂux of new families into our various neighborhoods, have increased the need for Matan B’Sayser to provide their services and ﬁnancial assistance.

These services include:

• Monthly stipends for needy families;

• Crisis intervention;

• Grants for rent, mortgage and utilities subsidies;

• Funds towards medical expenses and health insurance premiums;

• PIS, Partners In Shabbos program: ready-made food for Shabbos and Yom Tov;

• Assistance to families of children with special needs;

• Simcha Fund;

• KEMACH program, providing Yom Tov food and necessities at greatly discounted and subsidized prices to over 700 families twice yearly.

During the Corona virus crisis, families were in sudden dire need. Matan B’Sayser was there to the rescue. We serviced many families who found themselves out of work due to COVID.

Matan B’Sayser functions almost exclusively on a volunteer basis; we have over 160 volunteers. With minimal overhead, most of your contributions go directly to the recipients. Contributions are urgently needed to enable us to continue our work. Contributions are urgently needed. For more information call: 216-321-2075 or 216-381-5951.

TO DONATE:

HOW TO REACH US

• For questions about advertising, contact Marilyn Malcmacher at malcmacher@clevelandkesher.com

• For questions about editorial coverage or to pitch stories for future issues, email submissions@clevelandkesher.com

• To request additional copies for you or your neighbors, email circulation@clevelandkesher.com

Scan this QR code with your smartphone camera to join our free email list and stay up-todate with Cleveland Kesher deadlines and calls for content and photo submissions.

Are your local friends, family & neighbors receiving Cleveland Kesher delivered free to their mailbox too? If not, send us their address at circulation@clevelandkesher.com.

Back to pursuing your dreams.

Up Close with Ruchi Beautiful cows

Ruchi Koval

I’ve been thinking lately about cows. Not just any cows – Paroh’s cows. Remember the seven fat cows of Paroh’s dream? They were fat and beautiful. (Notice the juxtaposition.) Rashi says something there that’s absolutely fascinating. He says the “beautifulness” of the cows is symbolic of the years of plenty, when people look kindly on one another.

So why have I been thinking about beautiful cows?

For the same reason that I’ve been thinking about Sarah’s laughing. Our matriarch Sarah laughed a few times, but I’m talking about the one where she laughed after she had her baby at the advanced maternal age of 90. She said, “Hashem has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh for me.” Again, Rashi says something fascinating: When Sarah was remembered, all women dealing with infertility were likewise remembered, and they all also had babies at the same time. Thus, everyone rejoiced because of Sarah.

So what do cows and laughter have in common? And why are they on my mind?

This winter, with the grace of Hashem, our daughter got married. Now, I know that’s not exceptionally newsworthy. People, last I checked, get married all the time. But every simcha is seismic for that person, for that family. And here’s what I noticed:

When our daughter got engaged, I was so joyous, so excited, that I wanted every person in the world who was waiting to ﬁnd his or her bashert to likewise be “remembered.” My joy would have been exponentially expanded with each person whose prayers would likewise have been answered. Because while shared sorrow is divided, shared joy is multiplied.

I wonder if Hashem wanted Sarah’s joy to be as perfect and untainted as possible, and so He allowed all women who were waiting for their miracle babies to be answered, in the merit of

Sarah. Her joy could now be pure and whole, unlimited.

Beautiful cows mean that when we have plenty, our hearts and minds are expanded, and we look kindly upon others. It means we have the grace of heart to give them grace, to forgive small misdeeds. We can a ord to give the beneﬁt of the doubt, because we ourselves already have so much.

But I noticed something else too.

When a person makes a simcha, their sensitivities are on high alert. Which means that while our hearts and minds are more expanded to want the best for others, we are also strung out and vulnerable, due to the extreme executive functioning required for the task, coupled with thinly stretched emotional ﬁtness. In short, we’re emotional, tired, ﬁnancially tapped, and stressed. All of which mean we are also far more likely to take things personally, watching our friends and family for signs of loyalty or lack thereof.

Why didn’t this person come to the vort? Why didn’t they respond to my invitation? Why didn’t they show up? Why didn’t they wish me mazel tov? Why did they say they couldn’t come because of COVID when there are pictures of them on social media in an airport?

All of which get us absolutely nowhere other than paranoid, suspicious, and perpetually o ended. Tempting, but no. Far harder – and ultimately easier – to go back to beautiful cow and Sarah mode. Looking kindly on others because I have so much. Wishing good for all, as I have so much good. Here are some mantras that help:

“Everyone has to do what they do.” Each person has to make the choices that feel right to them.

“It’s not personal; people have many reasons for their choices.” Why should I assume that

Up Close with Ruchi

modern Hebrew means a runny nose (sorry).

people not answering a text or not showing up is a calculated threat? Far more likely that it’s an oversight or mistake.

“Whoever is meant to be there will be there.” Not one person’s attendance of or nonattendance of my simcha can circumvent the will of Hashem.

“I’m sure I’ve made similar choices and I want others to forgive me and give me the benefit of the doubt.” Many times.

It’s interesting that at a frum wedding, even guests at a simcha wish one another “mazel tov.” Typically, one would think to wish the baalei simcha mazel tov, not other guests, but as our Rav Rabbi Hirschfeld has taught many times, “Mazel tov” means that there should be a “good flow of goodness.” The word “mazel” comes from the world “nozeil,” which means to run or flow like water. In fact, the word “nozelet” in

So when there’s a flow of goodness from Hashem down to the world, like at a simcha, the “flow” is contagious, if you’ll excuse the triggering term. And we all want to catch it! We want the good mazel to go viral! So standing there in the heady presence of simcha, we turn to one another and magnanimously wish each other to catch the flow of goodness that’s all around us.

Really, down deep, we all want each other to have good. We all subscribe to the “beautiful cow” mindset. I have good, by the grace of Hashem, and I want to channel that goodness, that grace, that magnanimity, upon others. My prayers have been answered, and my joy will only be more complete if all prayers are answered. But see, we get bogged down by our own humanness, by the need for approval, for acceptance, for inclusion. And our yetzer hara makes it only too easy to see threats everywhere. So what’s the solution?

For me, it was to wish those “mazel tov’s” even more passionately. Just as I showed up to other people’s simchas before my prayers were answered, just as I deeply and sincerely wished them all the best, now I remind myself that really, I only do want the best for others by giving them brachos from the depths of my soul, by only wishing good for them, whether they’ve disappointed me or not, whether they were there for me or not, whether I understand them or not.

Which makes me think … there really is nothing more beautiful than the symbolism of a truly beautiful cow. And there is no greater laughter than the laughter that includes everyone.

Ruchi Koval is the co-founder and director of the Jewish Family Experience (JFX). She is a certified parenting coach, educator, author, musician and motivational speaker. She lives in University Heights with her husband and children.

Community News

Local Kosher butchers honor past, committed to future

Lisa Matkowsky

There used to be dozens of kosher butchers in Cleveland in the 1950s. But now, only two of those momand-pop storefronts are still standing: Boris’ Kosher Meats and Tibor’s Kosher Meats. These two heimish stores consider themselves partners in keeping the local butcher store traditions alive, and they work together to serve Cleveland’s kosher community just the way they always have, but with new twists. They are located across the street from each other in University Heights. Boris is at 14406 Cedar Road and Tibor’s is at 2185 S. Green Road.

In the 1930s or 1940s, there was a butcher shop called Osher’s in Shaker Heights, which eventually moved to University Heights as the community migrated. Osher’s passed through the hands of several owners, including Michael Altman, and survived as the number of butchers had dwindled to fewer than 10 by the 1980s. In 1986, Altman sold the business to Tibor Rosenberg, a Czechoslovakian immigrant who had started working there in 1976.

Around that time, Rosenberg met Boris Mikhli, another immigrant butcher who lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. They became fast friends, and providence would bring the friends closer. Mikhli got the opportunity to buy a store now known as Boris’ Kosher Meats in 1985 from Jack Gildar, a longtime Cleveland kosher market owner. Mikhli had been visiting from Brooklyn and had come to Cleveland with his wife for sheva brachos. He stayed because of the opportunity to buy the butcher business, which made sense because his friend was there, and, he jokes, he “loved the weather.”

The friends considered themselves partners in different stores.

Igor Spira, a 31-year employee, is the day-to-day manager of Tibor’s Kosher Meats.

service. Even as the number of local kosher butchers dwindled over the years to just a pair, they kept their stores thriving by adding their creative takes on old favorites, like hot dogs made in house, popular beef jerky and turkeys stuffed with pastrami. Specialties include homemade kreplach and a wide variety of sausages, including Moroccan, veal, turkey, lamb and smoked turkey.

“Out-of-towners would say, ’In Cleveland, the two guys who run competing butcher stores sit next to each other in shul. They take trips together,” Mikhli said.

Both men operated their stores with a similar vision: generous helpings and first name-basis

“We respond to everything people tell us,” Mikhli said. “Young baale teshuva wives told me, the only thing my husband is missing is fancy gourmet sausage, so we made it.”

Owner Boris Mikhli of Boris Kosher Meats, one of the last two kosher butchers in Cleveland. | Photos /

Community News

The sausages became so popular that celebrity chef Michael Symon declared his love for them, downing one after another when Mikhli was interviewed at an event with him for ESPN Radio.

Today, the two butcher shops are still very much family-oriented, mom-and-pop style businesses, and they listen carefully to what their community wants, with Tibor’s recently adding a section called Bubby’s BBQ with a restaurant-style takeout menu. Rosenberg sold the business in 2019 to Ilan Senders, who grew up in the community, spent many of his formative years in the store and was an employee when he purchased it.

Senders recalled a childhood watching the butchers cutting meat.

“Every time I would watch them, I would say I’m gonna own this place one day,” he said. “At age 8, I declared I’m going to buy the business.”

And now, he owns this Cleveland mainstay,

with many of the employees from his childhood still there.”

Both stores notably have long-serving teams of employees.

Igor Spira, a 31-year employee, continues as the day-to-day manager of Tibor’s Kosher Meats.

“I love it here and I am honored to keep serving the community with Ilan,” Spira said. “We take pride in providing homemade specialties, often made to order, with extra care, dried and smoked meats, and the comforts of familiar, friendly faces.”

Senders added, “We don’t know most people by name. We know everyone by name.

“We continue these traditions and people are loyal and enjoy it. The future is bright for Tibor’s and as the city evolves and grows so will we. We remain committed to the future as we honor the traditions of the past.”

Lisa Matkowsky is a writer from Beachwood.

A Night Shushanin

A Feast for the Senses

The Cleveland Jewish Funerals story is not about us, it is about you. Our story is about the families who trust us, the caregivers who call us in the middle of the night, and the rabbis who recommend us to their congregation. Our philosophy is to treat your family as if it were our own.

We value service like you do. We have experienced staff to take care of your family with the utmost integrity. We will ensure you and your loved ones are provided the best care possible.

Community News

Naaleh provides routine mental health care for all

Lisa Matkowsky

Mental illness is among the most common health conditions in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, yet there has often been a stigma surrounding the acknowledgment and treatment of mental and emotional health issues. This is especially true among tight-knit groups with conservative values such as the frum community.

Naaleh, a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening the emotional and mental well-being of the Cleveland Jewish community, was started in 2014 to provide essential mental health services including therapy, referrals, support and support groups, advocacy and education. They help people struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, OCD, marriage conflict, abuse, addiction, postpartum challenges and other conditions.

While mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health, the stigma has been an obstacle for the many people who could benefit from treatment.

“The ultimate goal of Naaleh is the destigmatization of mental health, which is part of the human condition,” said Dr. Shlomo Koyfman, chairman of the board of Naaleh. “This thing which is very treatable, manageable and workable creates insane amounts of suffering; avoiding treatment is like avoiding medical care for any illness.”

A patient once told Koyfman, a radiologist, that she would rather her son have cancer than depression. He insisted she would not, but she replied, “Yes, because with cancer everyone knows it’s not your fault, they run to take care of you. Mental health is the opposite, you have to hide it to avoid social ramifications and shame.”

With Naaleh shining a light on the universality of the need for mental health hygiene and providing an “address” for the community to turn to, things get easier and less overwhelming.

“One of the biggest challenges is making people

feel safe,” therapist Yocheved Davidowitz said. “When someone is in a painful situation, they need access, to know where to go so they don’t feel they are alone, and to be secure in the confidentiality.”

Another obstacle for the frum community has been lack of access to culturally sensitive therapists. Recognizing that there are certain challenges that are unique to the community, Naaleh is in turn a unique resource: all the clinicians are frum.

In addition, removing a common financial barrier to accessing treatment, they take Medicaid, and they provide support beyond the structure of therapeutic sessions. A client can reach out for support at any time. This unprecedented access to mental health services in a familiar environment has effected growing change.

“Naaleh makes it OK to have mental health needs,” Koyfman said. “Because it’s become a recognized, endorsed entity, the go-to place, where they are recommended by their principal or rabbi, people know it’s OK to go to Naaleh.”

A symbiotic relationship exists with the community that seems to work. The stigma has been decreasing, and with that, the calls for services have increased. Monthly calls have tripled over recent years, prompting Naaleh to increase services.

“Naaleh is a small grassroots organization that responds to and meets needs in a dynamic way,” Koyfman said.

Naaleh actively collaborates together with Jewish Family Service Association of Cleveland and the Jewish Federation of Cleveland to cohesively serve the entire Cleveland Jewish community, and to make sure no segment of the population falls through the cracks.

“Going to a therapist is a sign of strength not weakness,” Davidowitz said. “It means you want to handle your life … having access to these tools can change the quality of your relationships and your life.”

Lisa Matkowsky is a writer from Beachwood.

Learn more about Naaleh at naalehcleveland.org. 5010 Mayfield Road, Suite 306, Lyndhurst 216-591-6191 | info@naalehcleveland.org

Davidowitz

Koyfman

A Cleveland Kesher Conversation

with Dr. Michael Pollack

President of Bikur Cholim of Cleveland

r. Michael Pollack is president of Bikur Cholim of Cleveland, the nonproﬁt health organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Jews in Cleveland and beyond. A gastroenterologist at Cleveland Clinic, Pollack has a history with the organization from volunteering in various capacities for over 12 years. The Beachwood resident and member of Young Israel of Greater Cleveland in Beachwood discussed with Cleveland Kesher his new role and how he plans to lead the organization.

KESHER: What made you want to become president of Bikur Cholim of Cleveland?

POLLACK: I accelerated my activities with Bikur Cholim during COVID-19, where we saw the need of transitioning from a lay leader, who is a non-medical professional, to someone like me with medical experience. So, navigating this became part of the everyday life of what we do. So, I thought I could be a bit more help than someone who isn’t in health care. For me, it was more of a natural progression.

KESHER: How have your experiences with Bikur Cholim prepared you for this role?

POLLACK: Being on the inside and seeing

the needs of the community, and also having a desire to extend our services to all aspects of our community and all denominations, which to me, is very important, showed me how the organization works in terms of its day to day needs. It showed me that we do great things both for people who come to Cleveland for our worldclass medical facilities and also just on those daily levels. All of this led to me wanting to step up to the plate and contribute those skills as a leader.

KESHER: What excites you most about the future of your role?

POLLACK: I’m looking forward to the Greater Cleveland Jewish community continuing to grow. And as it grows, we’re seeing a lot of growth as a parallel organization that unfortunately with more people comes more sickness and more health care needs, and just being there. But, we’re also looking to expand our services. Health and sickness are unifying phenomenons, where no denomination or community is spared. I want to use that as a vehicle for further uniﬁcation. We have a great uniﬁed community, especially as someone who grew up on the East Coast in New York City.

To learn more about Bikur Cholim of Cleveland, visit bikurcholimcleveland.org.

Weiss re-elected vice mayor in University Heights

Michele

Weiss was re-elected vice mayor by University Heights City Council, continuing in a role she has held since January 2020.

Weiss was nominated for the position by councilman Justin Gould, who noted her “planning and fortitude.”

“I appreciate the work that you’ve done for this council, vice mayor, and the planning especially,” he told Weiss

at a city council meeting.

Councilwoman Barbara Blankfeld seconded the nomination, saying that Weiss was “extraordinarily well-suited to the role of leading council and managing the a airs that we legislate.”

Councilman John Rach o ered a third to the nomination and noting her organization and her passion for the city.

Pollack

Weiss

Congregation Zichron Chaim building new home in University Heights

Congregation Zichron Chaim will be moving about a half-mile south along South Green Road in University Heights when its first synagogue is constructed. Construction is underway at the corner of Summerfield and South Green roads and the synagogue could be completed later this year.

In the agreement with the city of University Heights, six homes were demolished prior to construction of the new building.

Rabbi Alexander Charlop, spiritual leader of Zichron Chaim, said this “gives a home to the mission of the synagogue and to all the people that pray in the synagogue.”

He said the architecture of the new building –which will be traditional in design, but will use modern materials – coincides with the congregation’s focus.

Designed by Rise Architecture of Lakewood, N.J., the basement will contain a kitchen and a social hall, according to plans presented in June, 2021. The main floor will contain a library, sanctuary and rabbi’s study. The second floor will contain a women’s balcony and study room, called a beis medrash, according to the plan.

The congregation has been meeting at Beatrice J. Stone Yavne High School in Beachwood for 15 years for Shabbos and holiday services as a result of outgrowing its current space. It uses the original building for weekday services and study.

The agreement sets out a one-year timeline for demolition and requires the developer to meet with neighboring property owners prior to demolition and prior to construction. Those meetings may be combined into a single meeting, according to the development agreement.

A rendering shows what a new Congregation Zichron Chaim in University Heights might look like. | Rendering / Rise Architecture

This “gives a home to the mission of the synagogue and to all the people that pray in the synagogue.”

Rabbi Alexander Charlop

In addition, the city will hold an option to purchase the property if the construction is not finished within three years from the start of demolition or if the developer abandons the project.

Conditions on construction also include a traffic plan to install storm sewer and sanitary sewer connections, approval from Cleveland Water to provide water, a stormwater management plan, a plan for relocation of a fire hydrant off of South Green Road, a stormwater pollution prevention plan, and site details for pavement, curbs and related infrastructure.

“I want to thank all involved in this project for working with city officials and council to build something truly beautiful,” University Heights Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan said.

“This synagogue is an example of the type of development we wish to encourage. This is a project that builds community, builds upon a strong and vital congregation that has long outgrown its present accommodations. I am happy go give the Zichron Chaim project my full support.”

A Dose of Inspiration

Purim, Pesach and the spiritual flow of the season

Rabbi Pinchas Landis

One of, if not the most famous songs associated with Purim is “MiShenichnas Adar Marbim B’simcha.” Indeed, Jewish schoolchildren are taught it at a young age, and many intoxicated men slur its words on Purim. The song is taken from the Talmud (Ta’anis 29a), which teaches that when the month of Adar enters, we are to increase our happiness. What is so special about the month of Adar to have this directive?

A safe assumption would be that the holiday of Purim is such a festive one, and it is in the month of Adar, so in preparation for this happy day, we should start building up two weeks before the holiday when the month starts.

A deeper look into the Talmud gives us a different perspective. Rashi on the aforementioned section tells us that the reason we are to increase our happiness when Adar begins is that these are the days that the Jews experienced the miracles of Purim and Pesach. Furthermore, the Talmud (Megillah 6b) teaches us that when it is a leap year, like this year, Purim is observed in the second “leap” Adar in order to celebrate Purim in closer proximity to Pesach.

Our sages are clearly pointing to a Purim/Pesach connection. What is it?

In truth, Purim and Pesach are two sides of the same coin. Purim is observed in the last of the Jewish months. The Jewish calendar has a strange phenomenon that the years are counted from Rosh HaShana in Tishrei, yet the months are counted from Nissan, six months later making Adar the 12th (or 13th in a leap year) and final month. We were saved on Purim, but saved in a way that the Almighty chose to keep his face hidden. We had stumbled in exile. We had lost our way, and just before it was too late, Hashem pulled us out of the pit. On Purim, we were saved from a place of weakness. This is the reason we drink to intoxication and wear masks on Purim as if to say that salvation came from a hidden, distorted place. Pesach is observed in the first month of the year, representing a fresh start. On this holiday, we celebrate the open and apparent miracles that our Father in Heaven utilized to take us out of Egypt.

We commemorate and remember that Hashem took us out with a strong hand, signs, and wonders at high noon with pomp and circumstance, and will all of the Egyptians looking on as their slave nation proudly walked out in freedom and triumph.

We can understand these two approaches through a metaphor. Imagine a contestant playing a Survivor-like game. The man has a choice of two paths to get to the anticipated end. One path has many trials and tribulations. He will be attacked and beaten. Left bruised, and bloodied. In the end, when he is limping with the last of his strength, he is picked up and medevaced to the end of the game. The other path leads down a short way to a luxury helicopter waiting to take the contestant easily to the glorious end.

The prophet Isiah (60:22) teaches us that when the Almighty brings redemption to the Jewish people it will be done in its proper time, and sooner. The statement seems to be contradictory. Will it happen in its time or before? Rashi explains that if we are worthy, redemption will come sooner. If not, the Almighty will wait until His predetermined time, and we will have no choice but to endure the consequences that come with that.

These options are described by the aforementioned metaphor and are also represented by the salvation of Purim and Pesach respectively. These two months is the season of salvation.

R’ Eliyahu E. Dessler teaches that the seasons of Judaism represent the spiritual flow into the world at that time. It is not the case that this became the season of salvation because of historical events, rather the season’s spiritual power was manifested at the times of Purim and Pesach.

Let us be privileged to take advantage of the spiritual flow of this season. Let us make the choices so that our salvations come from a place of strength and glory. And, let us all be privileged to see the salvation of the Jewish people speedily in these days.

Rabbi Pinchas Landis is the director of Partners In Torah of Cleveland.

Yeshiva

Yeshiva Derech Hatorah General Studies Positions Available

Yeshiva Derech Hatorah General Studies Positions

General Studies Positions Available

Yeshiva Derech Hatorah General Studies Positions Available

Lower elementary and middle school positions

Yeshiva Derech Hatorah General Studies Positions Available

Lower elementary and middle school positions

Teachers’ license or BA required

Lower elementary and middle school positions

Teachers’ license or BA required fternoon session – Part time

Afternoon session – Part time

Teachers’ license or BA required

Teachers’ license or BA required fternoon session – Part time

Lower elementary and middle school positions

Teachers’ license or BA required

Teachers’ license or BA required Afternoon session – Part time

Afternoon session – Part time

Teachers’ license or BA required

Afternoon session – Part time

Computer, Gym and STEM Teacher positions

Afternoon session – Part time

Computer, Gym and STEM Teacher positions

Computer, Gym and STEM Teacher position

Computer, Gym and STEM Teacher positions

Teacher aides and substitute teacher positions License and BA not required Afternoon session – Part time

Teacher aides and substitute teacher positions

Teacher aides and substitute teacher positions License and BA not required Afternoon session – Part time

Teacher aides and substitute teacher positions

License and BA not required

Teacher aides and substitute teacher positions

Teacher aides and substitute teacher positions License and BA not required

Teacher aides and substitute teacher positions

License and BA not required

Afternoon session – Part time

License and BA not required

Afternoon session – Part time

Afternoon secretarial positions

Afternoon session – Part time

Afternoon secretarial positions

Afternoon session – Part time

Afternoon secretarial positions

Work in a growth oriented environment focusing on student achievement. Experience a plus

Afternoon secretarial positions

Work in a growth oriented environment focusing on student achievement.

Work in a growth oriented environment focusing on student

Experience a plus.

Work in a growth oriented environment focusing on student achievement. Experience a plus.

Email: jobs@ydtcleveland.org

Work in a growth oriented environment focusing on student achievement.

Email: jobs@ydtcleveland.org

Experience a plus

Work in a growth oriented environment focusing on student achievement.

Experience a plus

Email: jobs@ydtcleveland.org

Experience a plus.

Email: jobs@ydtcleveland.org

Derech Hatorah

Spotlight on Marketing

7 questions to ask when creating a website for your business

Submitted by: Nachum “Nooch” Langsner

owadays, a business without a website is like a house without a front door. The fact is, the more functional, professional-looking, and userfriendly the website is, the more attractive it will be for visitors – and the more likely they’ll buy from your brand.

With that in mind, here are seven key questions you need to ask before creating a website for your business:

WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WEBSITE?

Your website needs to do a speciﬁc job in order to be most useful. Be it just informational

MIINT

or more, it’s important to have this purpose in mind as you set about creating a website for your business. Therefore, don’t underestimate the potential of a well-designed website and marketing strategy to be the main driver of your business – no matter the industry.

DO YOU HAVE A GOOD DOMAIN NAME?

Your domain name (aka website address) is an important element in the overall e ectiveness of your site.

What makes up a good domain name? Here are some pointers:

• Keep it short

• Make it easy to spell

Mary Ireland Interiors

• Use the right domain extension

• Make it SEO friendly

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE OF YOUR WEBSITE?

Understand why your customers are visiting your website in the ﬁrst place – what they’re interested in, what they’re looking for, what they expect to get out of their visit. Knowing your target audience is essential to creating a good business website.

WHERE ARE YOUR VISITORS COMING FROM?

Very few people will “stumble across” your website by accident during their search. In most cases, you’ll need to have other marketing channels in place to drive prospects to your website. You may have to “buy” tra c by means of paid advertising or work on building up your organic SEO. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that you’re bringing in high-value prospective customers, not just random visitors. In addition, you’ll likely need to optimize your

Spotlight on Marketing

website for mobile devices. With almost 55% of global web traffic coming from smartphones and tablets, a mobile-first strategy will prove useful when creating a website for your business.

WHAT’S YOUR UVP (UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION)?

If you want your website to stand out from the competition, then it’s important that you clearly communicate your brand’s UVP – in other words, what makes your business special. With this in mind, you want to make sure that your value proposition is prominently featured above the fold on your home page.

WHO WILL BE IN CHARGE OF CONTENT CREATION?

You’ll need to fill your website with valuable and engaging content that will improve your ranking and motivate visitors to take desired actions. Content creation goes beyond just your core product/service pages. A comprehensive

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

content strategy to create ongoing content that establishes your expertise addresses the concerns and major pain points of your target audiences and fleshes out the concepts surrounding what it is you do or provide to your clientele is paramount if you want a chance to outrank and distinguish your business from your competition.

WHO’S GOING TO DESIGN, BUILD YOUR SITE?

If you really want your website to be a business driver for your company, then you’ll have to invest in it – and unless you happen to be a web development specialist who knows the ins and outs of wire framing, prototyping, coding, SEO and so forth, that investment usually means hiring a team of experts to do the job right.

of Cleveland

Time for School

CHAVIVA HIGH SCHOOL

arent teacher conferences. For some, these annual meetings discussing student progress is a time to feel nachas about their wonderful child. To others, it is a parental obligation that elicits the same emotions as paying taxes and tuition. If a student is bright and academically strong, these meetings are an opportunity for teachers to tell parents how wonderful their child is, providing the student with crucial adult approval.

Hedy

David Adler/Kangesser Foundation Rochelle and Harley Gross & Family

For a student who is not as academically inclined, these conferences may instead be a conversation that ends up with an uncomfortable follow-up with their parents later that night. On the eve of conferences, the former student usually stays up late in anticipation of their glowing report, while the latter inexplicably finds themselves overcome with exhaustion, deciding to turn in early, ensuring they are not awake when their parents return home from said conference. In either case there is one crucial piece missing from the conference – the student themself.

Robert Immerman Family

Nancy and Adam Levin

Jerry Isaak-Shapiro

the Chaviva experience is our annual Individual Student Development Review meeting which takes the place of the typical parent teacher conferences. In these ISDR meetings, students present to their parents and principals what they have learned and achieved over the first semester of the school year. Through this process, Chaviva students are empowered to take ownership of their growth and development throughout all four years of their high school career.

The collective conversation between school and family, further serves to strengthen our bond of partnership, joining forces to show each student that they have the support and encouragement of the adults in their life. Students review the goals they have set in a number of areas, discuss their academic achievements and struggles, and hear feedback from parents and teachers on how to further their growth for the upcoming semester. An intimidating experience no doubt, but one that develops the confidence and abilities of our outstanding students.

Raquel Flatow Haas • Ida Haber

For teens especially, to be talked about and discussed without being present, either results in an unhealthy reliance on others’ approval (for the strong student) or a feeling of betrayal and judgment (for the weaker student).

Aliki

Peter Rzepka Harvey

One of the fundamental and unique parts of

A priceless gift…

Pre-planning your wishes will help lift the burden from your family by relieving the decision-making pressure at a time of grief and emotional stress. This will allow your family and friends to focus on celebrating your life and begin the grieving process. Pre-arrangement is perhaps one of the most meaningful gifts of love you can provide for your family.

As a lifelong Clevelander, I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to serve the Jewish Community of Cleveland which has meant so much to me throughout my life. This is truly where my heart is!

- David Pearl, Community Liaison

Conveniently located on Miles Road

Time for School Fuchs Mizrachi School

here have been so many incredible programs at Fuchs Mizrachi School this semester.

Each class in the Genshaft Early Childhood has a morning circle time routine that includes yoga, songs and davening. The children do yoga to connect their body and minds, and help them focus before tefillah. The children are proud of their davening and yoga skills and become increasingly independent with them.

The lower school has had many exciting experiential learning programs. In preparation for Chanukah, students squeezed fresh raw olives with an old-fashioned press and spun a centrifuge to separate the pure oil. As well, our second graders prepared for their Messibat Chumash by learning the complex process of making a Torah and they wrote their Hebrew name with a goose quill on a piece of finished parchment which they took home.

In the junior high, eighth-grade students were trained as peer leaders through the KNOW Abuse (by Jewish Family Service

Association of Cleveland). The students learned how to recognize the signs of abusive relationships, provide examples of healthy relationships, and explain how to safely help themselves and their friends. The students then lead a discussion for sixth- and seventh-grade students on the topics they learned.

The Stark High School Model United Nations participated in a regional competition put on by the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. Our students took on the role of international delegates and addressed real world issues, including COVID-19 vaccination, regulation of small arms, the challenges of immigrant laborers and the safety of outer space. Through written and oral advocacy, we build coalitions and create resolutions designed to improve life for all people.

Save The Date: Mizrachi’s Annual Gala will be taking place March 20. As well, we are now accepting applications for the 2022-23 school year. Contact admissions@fuchsmizrachi.org.

Time for School HEBREW ACADEMY OF CLEVELAND

As Beis Chinuch Horav Dessler/ Hebrew Academy of Cleveland gears up to its 79th annual Scholarship Tribute Dinner on March 27, Cleveland’s Jewish community has much to celebrate: uninterrupted in-person learning of tinokos shel rabban despite the challenges of COVID-19, the remarkable growth and development throughout the Academy spectrum, the historical Chanukas Habayis, Hachnasas Sefer Torah and occupancy of the school’s new state-of-the-art Mendy and Ita Klein Campus, among other accomplishments.

The Dinner will pay tribute to Rebbetzin Miriam Dessler, matriarch of the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, whose incredibly accomplished life ended this past November at the age of 100. Her marriage to Rav Nochum Zev Dessler began a lifetime of partnership in marriage, in nurturing a nationally renowned yeshiva day school and in building a vibrant Jewish community. Rebbetzin Dessler’s extraordinary career in Torah chinuch at the Academy spanned sixty years where she taught thousands of students throughout the elementary and high school grades, and later established and directed the Academy’s early childhood division. For decades, she created curricula, wrote songs and directed creative plays which were featured at Academy banquets. She also created educational, fun-filled fundraisers to benefit worthy organizations in Eretz Yisrael.

The Alumnus Award will be presented to Henry Zieleniec of Yerushalayim and Toronto. Born in Lublin, Poland, he joined the Academy in second grade when the Taylor Road building was a modest one story building. A partner of the Carlton Group in Toronto, Henry is involved in a host of communal initiatives. Former chairman of Machon Lev; president of One Israel Fund; a board member of Im

Eshkachech Yerushalayim; and founder and chair of Canadian Friends of Kiryat Chinuch Labanim of Ashdod. With a passion for kiruv, Henry is chairman of Jewish Education Program and Shema Yisroel Network of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. He and his wife, Atta, are the parents of four children and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The Mendy Klein Community Service will be presented to Academy parents, Heshy and Sima Neiman. President of Global Alliance in his professional life, Heshy is also president of Chevra Kadisha; vice president of Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery Commission; a founder of Misaskim; and a volunteer for Bikur Cholim and Chaverim of Cleveland. Sima, the daughter of Yossi and Faigy Abraham, is a true partner in her husband’s communal activism. A graduate of the Academy’s Beatrice Stone Yavne High School, she has volunteered at the Academy, Bikur Cholim and Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society. Their children are all Academy students and alumni.

Campaign co-chairs are Mrs. Ita Klein, Mr. and Mrs. Harry M. Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Reuven Dessler and Mr. and Mrs. Amir Jaffa. For ads please contact ads@hac1.org or 216-382-3300, ext. 372.

Time for School content provided by Hebrew Academy of Cleveland