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Community News ABOUT THIS FEATURE
In this Cleveland Kesher feature, we profile a member of the community we feel is interesting and who you should get to know. If you have someone you would like to suggest for consideration, email submissions@ ClevelandKesher.com. Please provide the person’s name, contact information and why you think they are “Someone you should know.”
Someone you should know
Rachel Malamud-Heching
Teacher and Breast Cancer advocate LISA MATKOWSKY
S
ometimes, the most interesting people live right next door. Beachwood has been home to Fuchs Mizrachi School teacher Rachel Malamud-Heching since 2021. She is also a community breast cancer educator, Sharsheret peer supporter and co-chair of the youth committee at Green Road Synagogue and she’s someone you should know. Malamud-Heching and her husband, a physician at Cleveland Clinic, have three children, a daughter, and two sons, all of whom are students at Fuchs Mizrachi School. Malamud-Heching is what many in the BRCA community call a breast cancer previvor or someone who has an elevated predisposition to being diagnosed with cancer due to genetic risk. The term is meant to explain how many like her feel about having a higher chance of developing cancer, and the struggles they go through to navigate this distinction. Growing up in Cherry Hill, N.J., MalamudHeching attended Kellman Academy in Cherry Hill and Akiba Hebrew Academy in Merion, Pa. After graduating Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., she completed a master’s degree in the teaching of English, grades six to 12 at Teachers College, Columbia University, and taught middle school English and social studies at North Shore Hebrew Academy and The Heschel School. “In 2015, after living in New York for 4 | Cleveland Kesher
several years, we moved to Overland Park, Kan.,” she told Cleveland Kesher. “We learned about the community through the OU Small Communities Fair and were excited to live a much slower-paced lifestyle. Overland Park is a wonderful place to live and raise a young family, with beautiful parks, low cost of living, no traffic, and most importantly a tight-knit
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now a Sharsheret peer supporter. “I’ve had the privilege to speak with numerous women around the country, as they weigh risk mitigating factors,” she said. “I also spoke about my experience last spring on a panel at Green Road Synagogue along with several medical professionals and have participated in several BRCA 1 cancer risk assessment studies through Memorial Sloan Kettering and the Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine.” Malamud-Heching describes herself as a passionate advocate for genetic testing and hereditary cancer screening, while at the same time continuing to deeply enjoy her first love, teaching. She is excited to be back in the classroom this year teaching humanities in the junior high at Fuchs Mizrachi and thrilled with her family’s choice of neighborhood. “Even though we’re pretty new to town, we’ve felt immediately embraced by the community,” she said. “When I had several surgeries within a year of moving here, we had community members bringing us meals for weeks and weeks, inviting our kids for play dates, checking in on us, visiting me, etc. We’re thrilled to be on the other end of all that and now in a position to help support others. The willingness to be there for others at a moment’s notice is such a special aspect of our community.”
Lisa Matkowsky is a freelance journalist from Beachwood.
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Jewish community.” After six years, they felt the need to move on. “Now that our children were getting older, we knew we wanted the resources a bigger Jewish community could offer,” MalamudHeching said. “We also have all our family on the East Coast and wanted to be within driving distance of them, but in a place that still had a bit of the Midwestern feel we loved so much in Kansas. That’s why we chose Cleveland.” Soon after, Malamud-Heching learned that there were several BRCA 1 genetic mutation carriers in her family and found out her own BRCA 1 positive status in early 2021. “After that point, I did extensive research and met with physicians in several hospital systems, and learned that I had an approximately 60 to 80% lifetime risk of breast cancer and an approximately 40% risk of ovarian cancer,” she said. “I ultimately decided to undergo a prophylactic oophorectomy and hysterectomy as well as a prophylactic mastectomy; all of these surgeries took place last year in 2022. Since my first surgery in February 2021, I have written and spoken publicly about my experience and encouraged others to learn about their family cancer history and risk factors.” In addition to sharing her experience, Malamud-Heching has partnered with the Sharsheret breast cancer organization, which supported her through her surgeries, and she is
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Community News Arova owners open Mamilla in downtown Arcade Cleveland Kesher
M
amilla, a new kosher and vegetarian restaurant in The Arcade in downtown Cleveland, brings the style and food of Israel and makes it accessible to all in the city. The restaurant is owned and operated by Dan Kaminski and Elisha Kaminski, who also run Arova in South Euclid. “We’re trying to bring something new, trying to make an outreach downtown – somewhere we know a fair amount of (Jewish) people do live here and do work here,” Dan Kaminski told Cleveland Kesher. “And just having this option out here for someone who eats kosher, but something that can be sustainable just with everybody around.” As the only certified kosher by Cleveland Kosher restaurant in downtown Cleveland, Mamilla’s menu also has gluten free and veganfriendly options, so there can be something for everyone to enjoy. The two main menu items are falafel and sabich, made into a wrap, salad, pita or rice, quinoa or hummus bowl, with a choice of salad, flavored hummus and a side sauce. There are also soups available, with some year-round staples and a rotation of seasonal flavors. “One of the biggest things that we are doing
Mamilla, a kosher and vegetarian restaurant, is open in The Arcade at 401 Euclid Ave., Suite 51 in Cleveland. | Photos / Cleveland Kesher 10 | Cleveland Kesher
here is the hummuses,” Dan Kaminski said. “So, we have a few hummuses that are what we’ll have always. The plain hummus, the sun-dried tomato hummus, the roasted pepper hummus – those are the hummuses we’ll always carry, and every week or so, or every so often we bring new flavors.” The dining room has a stone wall facade mimicking Jerusalem stone and colorful umbrellas suspended from the ceiling, taking inspiration from the Umbrellas Street Project in Jerusalem. “We grew up there, I lived there most of my life, so it was definitely something that’s always inspiring and just a place I love,” Dan Kaminski said. The location inside The Arcade was “perfect,” he said, given the beauty and how iconic the building is. He also hopes the proximity to the Hyatt Regency Cleveland and its events will bring in more customers. Mamilla’s hours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and it is closed on Saturday and Sunday. It is at 401 Euclid Ave. Suite 51, Cleveland, just down the staircase from The Arcade’s Euclid Avenue entrance.
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Community News
Owner Boris Mikhli stands next to a meat case in his University Heights store. | Photo / Cleveland Kesher
MEAT-ING THE COMMUNITY’S NEEDS
Boris’ Kosher Meats celebrates 40 years in same University Heights location Cleveland Kesher
I
n 1983, Boris Mikhli bought the location for Boris’ Kosher Meats in University Heights from a business that was closing. Forty years later, his business is still in the same location and survived a pandemic. “I cut my fingers off by putting it together and I have something to show for,” he told Cleveland Kesher as he discussed the hard work he has put into running the business for four decades. Mikhli came from Ukraine in 1974 and lived in New York for a short time. He and his wife decided to move to the Cleveland area
12 | Cleveland Kesher
in August 1983. When he arrived in the area, he worked several jobs before acquiring the market. “My goal was to always have my own place because I don’t like to work for somebody else,” said Mikhli, a Beachwood resident. Prior to becoming Boris’ Kosher Meats, the location was a semi-kosher store, but Mikhli said he did not like that, so he made some changes. “So, I started to kosher all my meat and make sure that the people come in and they get BORIS | CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
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Community News BORIS | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 whatever they ask for,” he said. His reasoning for being a fully kosher store is that “you don’t go halfway.” “If you’re in the business, you deliver what people ask for,” said Mikhli, a congregant of Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood. “So, they ask for kosher meat, that’s what I have to deliver and that was my goal.” When it comes to running a business over 40 years, not much has changed, but more people moved to the area and became dependent on kosher meat. When Mikhli opened his store, he sold mostly meat, he said. Along the way, he put in a deli case and filled it up because someone came in and recommended it because he had “nice cold cuts.” Eventually, he started to expand meat into side dishes and merchandise because people would come in looking for things that could go with the meat. With expanding the options, he also started to make sausage and jerky. He said the husbands would want sausage and of those, lamb sausage is the bestseller.
When asked how he was able to stay open during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mikhli said, “personal service” and “accommodate the customer.” If a customer comes in looking for something and he does not have it, he makes sure that he has it the next time they come in, he said. Mikhli said when he arrived in Cleveland, there were about 1,000 small meat markets or butcher shops, and along the way they closed because their children did not want to take over the business, he said. He said he is still planning to stay in business for as long as he is healthy. “One day at a time,” Mikhli said. Both of his sons are dentists and they make their own living, so they will not be taking over the business, he said. He said between him and nearby Tibor’s Kosher Meats, there is plenty for everybody. “We never was taking away each other’s business,” he said. “… We just do whatever we have to do and along the way we help each other in the business. So, this way, we were successful.” When it comes to running a business, Mikhli said they “do it with love.”
Boris Mikhli, owner of Boris’ Kosher Meats, stands behind the deli case in the store he has owned for 40 years in University Heights. | Photo / Cleveland Kesher 14 | Cleveland Kesher
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Community News Family paint night raises over $500 for lone soldiers Cleveland Kesher
O
ver $500 dollars was raised for lone soldiers during an Israel Themed Family Paint Night on Oct. 29 at Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood. Over 40 parents, sixth, seventh and eighth graders and their siblings attended to paint canvases to raise money for Lev LaChayal, an organization that sends equipment to Israel and supports lone soldiers. The event was presented by Junior NCSY, a youth group focused on enhancing Jewish life in the community and bringing unaffiliated children into the community, and Green Road Synagogue. “A lot of people that came from our program and from Green Road (Synagogue), they have a lot of soldiers now in Israel,” Adina Sorscher, codirector of Cleveland NCSY along with her husband, told Cleveland Kesher. Attendees could choose to add the Hebrew symbol “chai,” meaning “life,” on their paintings, which they were able to keep. The war in Israel might be difficult for children to process, but this allowed them not to deal with the “gory” details about it, Yeshurin Sorscher, co-director of Cleveland NCSY, told Kesher. “It’s a safe space for them to paint about it,” Yeshurin Sorscher said. “Especially for the parents, too. They also have a lot of tense emotions and painting about Israel and painting about these ideas helps it come out.” Adina Sorscher said, “It’s therapeutic.” To donate to Lev LaChayal, visit levhatorah.org/donation/llc.
Elana Tenenbaum, wife of associate regional director of NCSY Central East Rabbi Menachem Tenenbaum, demonstrates how to use the brush to create lines on the paintings at the Israel Themed Family Paint Night Oct. 29 at Green Road Synagogue. | Photos/ Cleveland Kesher
Amos Baskin, 13, paints his canvas during the Israel themed Family Paint Night. 16 | Cleveland Kesher
Community News ‘Money with Maverick’ podcast aims to educate on financial literacy Cleveland Kesher
H
ave you been looking for some knowledge to manage finances effectively? Former Beachwood resident Maverick Peters was. So, in June, the 26-year-old Peters launched his financial literacy podcast, “Money with Maverick,” to learn more about his finances from industry professionals and help others along the way. Peters “I started this show, that is very near and dear to my heart, not because I’m the expert,” said Peters. “In fact, I need this
18 | Cleveland Kesher
show probably more than anybody.” When Peters and his wife, Tehila Peters, were married in March 2021, they realized they lacked the knowledge necessary to manage their finances effectively. After speaking with their friends, they realized many couples in their early twenties were facing similar challenges. “We learned very fast whatever our parents didn’t teach us about money, school definitely did not teach us,” Peters, who lives in University Heights with his wife and daughter, Tori, 1, told Cleveland Kesher. MONEY | CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
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Community News MONEY | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 Through this experience, Peters decided he wanted to help people achieve the financial education that was not provided in school. So, after doing some research, he began reaching out to finance professionals for advice, recording the hourlong conversations, taking the best 15 minutes of that conversation and releasing it as a weekly podcast, he said. “I call it my financial journey,” said Peters, a congregant at Ohel Sara in Cleveland Heights. “It’s my journey to money mastery. I, Maverick Peters, want to know how money works and then I’m turning on the mic so you can tune in, so you can join me on my journey.” Fifteen episodes in through October, “Money with Maverick” has covered topics including FICO scores, budgeting in Orthodox Jewish life, shared bills with partners and Roth IRAs every Monday with no plan to slow down, he said. “I’m getting tons of comments, tons of feedback and most importantly I’m having a lot of fun,” said Peters, who has 20 more episodes
prerecorded and plans to launch a YouTube channel. When launching the podcast, Peters said he thought it would help those ages 17 to 35, but he quickly realized that all ages need help with financial literacy. “It turns out, there’s a lot of people that don’t know how money works and now that demographic is very far and wide,” he said. The show is about how to become financially aware and make good financial decisions while peeling away the stigma around talking about money, Peters said. “It’s just 15 minutes a week, and it’s geared toward someone who is too shy, too embarrassed, too ashamed of not knowing, for them to be able to learn, understand and grow,” he said. As the podcast intertwines with Peters’ personal financial literacy journey, it is beginning with the basics and will continue to become more advanced as he continues to learn. To follow Peters on his financial literacy journey, you can find “Money with Maverick” @moneywithmav on all podcast platforms.
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Community News Hebrew Academy girls return to their renovated building Cleveland Kesher
H
ebrew Academy of Cleveland girls’ elementary division for grades one through six returned to the academy’s newly-renovated campus at 1860 S. Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights on Nov. 8. The 370 students originally started their year at the Wiley Middle School at 2181 Miramar Blvd. in University Heights because Dessler phase one of the renovations were not completed in time. “The current phase one includes 18 classrooms, intervention center, cafeteria, beis medrash, multipurpose room, administrator,
social work, intervention and nurse’s offices, and bathrooms,” Rabbi Simcha Dessler, menahel/educational director of the Hebrew RETURN | CONTINUED ON PAGE 23
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RETURN | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22 Academy of Cleveland, wrote in a Nov. 13 email to Cleveland Kesher. “The auditorium and innovation lab will be finished very soon.” Phase two of the renovations are underway which include the southern portion of the building, additional classrooms, offices, cafeteria, gymnasium and library, he said. A video clip documenting the first day back to campus was emailed to parents and the feedback has been “exceedingly positive,” he said.
Parents and students were thrilled to be “home” and a number of students referred to the renovated school building as “their palace,” clearly appreciating the state of the art and beautifully decorated classrooms, Dessler said. “There is almost 80 years of history in the block-long anchor of the community, and it is wonderful to continue the legacy of timeless Torah in a 21st-century state-of-the-art facility conducive to preparing youngsters with a promising future,” Dessler said.
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Community News Chaviva race raises $52K, half to help teen girls impacted by war Cleveland Kesher
C
haviva High School’s sixth annual 5k Women’s & Girls Walk & Run raised more than $52,000, with half of the money going to help teenage girls impacted by the war in Israel. Chaviva, an all-girls Jewish high school in Cleveland Heights, holds the race every fall that acts as the students physical education credit for that semester, Amy Smith, Chaviva’s director of operations, told Cleveland Kesher. The first meeting for planning the race was scheduled for the Monday after Sukkot, Oct. 9, Smith said. This year, due to the war that started on Oct. 7 when Hamas killed more than 1,200 Israelis, the school planned to give a percentage of what it raised to assist Israel. The students decided to give 50% of their fundraising, Smith said. The money is going to Lema’an Achai, which normally works with people in poverty and helps them get out of it, but they are doing a lot of work with the refugees from the south that had to relocate, Smith said. “They adopted one community from the south, which includes the girl high school, so that really resonated with our girls,” Smith said. “… They really just worked so hard to make this happen.” The event was for women and girls only, but was open to members of the community with about 75 participating. Of the 42 girls in the school, 40 participated in the 5k and two, who were unable to walk or run for health reasons, helped with the operational aspects, Smith said. Each girl set her goal individually for fundraising and freshman Daniella Kessler had a goal of $1,000, which she exceeded. The event was not originally intended to be a fundraiser when they started it with just 11 girls six years ago, and it is not a mandatory component of the event, Smith said.
24 | Cleveland Kesher
Chaviva High School students stand in front of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights with Israeli flags draped around them. | Submitted photo This was the first time Kessler participated in the race as a student, but she has participated in the race for three years, she told Kesher. “I felt like it was such a good opportunity to be able to do what I love because I love running,” Kessler said. “And I think it was such a good opportunity because there is also meaning behind it because we were running on behalf of Israel and on behalf of our school.” The students trained on Tuesdays and Thursdays from when school started leading up to the race with Yocheved Wylen, lead 5k trainer, and Karen Marocco. “Primarily Mrs. Wylen is responsible for the training, for setting the course to make sure that is an official 3.1 miles,” Smith said. “She runs it and measures it and everything. So, it’s really the running part and the training and preparing the girls, that’s her piece that she’s in charge of.” For the training, they would run “a little bit more” each time until they were able to run 3.1 miles, Kessler said. She said there was always music on which was “always motivating people.”
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A Dose of Inspiration The lesson of being late to the rally By: Rabbi Arieh Friedner
T
he day almost 2,000 Clevelanders traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Israel rally in 25 buses, planes and private cars, I was still not sure if I was going. When the link to travel with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland was released, I assumed that I would travel on my own. I considered flying or driving, then staying over at the house of a good friend. But when my plans fell through, I was left with the Federation waitlist. Thankfully, the Federation came through even for us last-minute stragglers, and we all joined. But there are consequences to being among the last to sign up. Our bus was late, the midnight Cleveland air cracking my fingers. Our bus was malfunctional. What could have taken six hours took us over eight
26 | Cleveland Kesher
after needing to sit on the side of the highway and allow the bus to “catch its breath.” The reason I decided to go made it worthwhile. When we remember the biggest pro-Israel rally in American history – I know I was there. Side by side with hundreds of thousands of other Jews. It required sacrificing some other things I would even have done even for the merit of the Jewish people. But, “Mikvah Yisrael, Hashem,” – Hashem gave us the ability to purify ourselves by simply being amidst the Jewish people. While my weakest moment was not signing up right away, my proudest moment in a private conversation I overheard on the way to D.C. “Oh, TORAH | CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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A Dose of Inspiration TORAH | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 the orchestra came to Fairmount Temple? I would have loved to have been there. I don’t go to the orchestra as often as I’d like to.” This careful sentence was uttered from a young Clevelander from the Orthodox community to an older Clevelander from the Reform community. Was it true? I don’t know. All I know is what my son learned from his Rebbe at Hebrew Academy of Cleveland – it was absolute emes. It was a
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comment made by someone who understood what it means to be a Jew. Connecting to other Jewish people. Finding shared values. Making them feel that we’re all family. In Washington, the chant that resonated most with the masses was, “Bring them home.” As most were chanting for the world to hear, I looked up toward Hashem with a tear. “Tatti, can’t you bring the hostages home?” Perhaps, Hashem is looking back and telling us it is now our turn to bring them home. Bring other Jewish people home. Bring them closer to you. Bring them into your heart. Truly. This time, it was nearly 300,000 Jews coming together and I was on the waitlist. Next time, who can know how many of us will finally be together? And I hope to be among the first to sign up.
Rabbi Arieh Friedner is the COO of DailyGiving.org, a community of over 17,000 individuals committing to donate at least $1 a day to charity with over $12,000,000 in distributions since 2019. He and his family live in University Heights.
HAPPY 2024!
Stephan H. Parker, DDS, MSD 440.442.4800 28 | Cleveland Kesher
THIS YEAR GIVE A GIFT THAT LASTS A LIFETIME! The Michael & Anita Siegal One Happy Camper Program
CAMP IS SO COOL! (SO IS GETTING A GRANT OF UP TO $1,000!)
Go to www.onehappycamper.org Choose a Jewish overnight summer camp and receive up to $1,000 for a first-time experience. Agudah Midwest • Camp Stone • Gan Israel-Michigan • Camp Dina Bnos Ma'arava • NCSY US-Based Summer Programs • Camp Kaylie and many more! Restrictions may apply. For more information visit www.onehappycamper.org, email onehappycamper@jecc.org or call 216-371-0446.
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Cleveland Kesher | 29
Spotlight on Marketing Creating an outstanding first impression with your website Content provided by: Nachum “Nooch” Langsner f your website was a person trying to sell a great new business idea, would it pass the elevator pitch? You have approximately five seconds to grab the attention of somebody visiting your website. If nothing engages them or communicates a clear message, they’ll quickly leave, never to return. So, what can you do to ensure your website grabs your visitor’s attention instantaneously? Let’s look at five areas of focus on a website that make a great first impression.
I
1. MESSAGE
You want to ensure your messaging is clear and focused. According to a study by Nielsen Norman Group, clear messaging and value propositions lead to a better user experience. Your objective is to reassure first-time visitors that they’re in the right place for a solution to the problem they’re experiencing. Ideally, you should feature your value proposition (what your company does and its associated benefits) above the fold.
3. SPEED
Loading speed is vital in positively impacting a website visitor’s experience. Google emphasizes the importance of page speed for both user experience and search engine ranking. A slow loading speed can be the factor that sends a visitor back to the search results. Ensure your website is optimized for speed – both in how elements are coded and where you host it. 4. NAVIGATION
Your website’s navigation should be intuitive and easy for anyone to explore and engage with your website. High-level category menu options and breadcrumb linking on every page should be organized logically to help every visitor easily find what they’re looking for. 5. COPY
Text needs to strike the right balance to avoid being over the top or too confusing. The font choices, sentence length, headlines, and language should all aim to make the copy engaging and persuasive to encourage someone to stay on the page.
2. VISUALS
A well-designed website can play a huge factor in engaging a visitor. Research conducted by Stanford University suggests that users judge the credibility of a website based on its design. Design elements such as colors, imagery, and layout. Are the brand colors consistent? Do they match the brand’s message? Are the visuals attention-grabbing?
30 | Cleveland Kesher
By focusing on these five areas, you can craft a website that captures attention within seconds and leaves a positive and lasting impression on every visitor.
Nachum ‘Nooch’ Langsner is co-founder and chief marketing guru at LocalBizGuru.
ON VIEW NOW THROUGH APRIL 28, 2024
Created by the Galicia Jewish Museum Kraków, Poland
2929 Richmond Road | Beachwood, Oh 44122 | maltzmuseum.org
Time for School Fuchs Mizrachi School Submitted content
After learning about the technique to make kosher tzitzit, our fifth-grade boys spent an entire morning making tzitzit for our chayalim in Israel.
Fourth-grader Ayden Zukowsky, junior Keren Ebner, freshman Adiel Avraham and fourth grader Orli Schwartz join together in learning about Parashat Lech Lecha, Avraham’s journey to Israel in zechut of Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael.
Daniel Ebner (8th grade), Dovid Smith (8th grade), and Jeremy Lowenstein (6th grade) , front, join other students in spirited dancing while singing Am Yisrael Chai.
Stark High School Student Ambassadors join Case Western University University’s Chabad in a supportive send off of a chayal returning to Israel to serve in the IDF. 32 | Cleveland Kesher
Seventh grader Ava Katz writes letters to soldiers
Time for School content provided by Fuchs Mizrachi School
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Time for School HEBREW ACADEMY OF CLEVELAND Submitted content
T
hrough a dozen different initiatives benefitting Eretz Yisrael, the talmidim and talmidos of Beis Chinuch Horav Dessler / Hebrew Academy of Cleveland imbibe a message of achdus, recognizing that we stand together with acheinu kol beis Yisrael. Our hearts are with our brethren wherever they are; their challenges are ours.
Content provided by Hebrew Academy of Cleveland 34 | Cleveland Kesher
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