The Jewish Education Center of Cleveland is a nonprofit supporting religious and cultural Jewish education for both young people and adults in the Cleveland area. The group runs a network of schools and teacher education programs. Among the instruction the group provides is advocating for and promoting the State of Israel to Jewish children and young adults. ¹

Background

The Jewish Education Center of Cleveland traces its origins to 1924, when it was known as the Bureau of Jewish Education. The group had the mission of coordinating and enlarging the efforts of Jewish religious schools in the Cleveland area. ²

In the 1930s, the Bureau established a high school, a teacher-training program, a youth club, and children’s programming for the Jewish holidays. In 1931, the group became a beneficiary of the Federation of Jewish Charities. ²

In the 1950s, the group had 15 member agencies and increased the number of affiliates to 26 in the 1990s, including the Cleveland Hebrew Schools and the Hebrew Academy. The group also maintains a media center and conducts teacher workshops. ²

In the fall of 1993, the Joint Federation/Plenum Commission on Jewish Continuity and the Bureau of Jewish Education merged and became the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. The group received an expanded mandate from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland to increase interest in Jewish studies throughout the entire community. The group also administers the Fund for the Jewish Future which funds the group’s education programs. ²

Advocacy

COVID-19 Vaccines

In January 2021, educators from schools affiliated with the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland created an online petition to make early childhood educators a priority group to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The petition received nearly 15,000 signatures and led to media interviews for the petition creators. ³

Israel

In August 2024, the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland published an article promoting a program offered by schools it supports, which promotes the State of Israel. The group promoted Israeli education to combat hate and antisemitism. The program, called icnext (short for Israel.Cleveland.Next), teaches participants about the history and political culture of Israel. Participants in the program have gone on to participate in Birthright and Onward Israel programs which, among other things, bring participants to Israel. Other participants have advocated on behalf of Israel and against antisemitism on university campuses after the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. ⁴

In addition to the icnext program, the group sponsors Israeli Emissaries, called shlichim in Hebrew, who are Israelis who come to Cleveland to teach about Israel. The group helps the shlichim adjust to living in Cleveland. ⁵

Leadership

The Jewish Education Center of Cleveland’s chief executive officer is Marlyn Bloch Jaffe who has worked for the group for over 20 years. She received her B.A. from Yale University and her master’s from Case Western Reserve University. ⁶

Financials

According to the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland’s 2023 tax return, the group had $8,291,368 in revenue, $8,082,328 in expenses, and $12,149,013 in assets. ⁷

The group spent $1,835,052 on grants to schools and programs in its network and $1,506.262 on scholarships and teacher education programs. ⁷

1. “Teaching Israel.” Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.jecc.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=281463&type=d&pREC_ID=714509.
2. Abrams, Sylvia. “Jewish Education Center of Cleveland.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University, December 16, 2022. https://case.edu/ech/articles/j/jewish-education-center-cleveland.
3. “Early Childhood Educators Fight to Get Vaccinated.” Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.jecc.org/apps/news/article/1374349.
4. “How One High School Program Helped College Students Combat Hate on Campus.” Jewish Federation of Cleveland, August 6, 2024. https://www.jewishcleveland.org/news/blog/how_one_high_school_program_helped_college_students_combat_hate_on_campus/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEqKV5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYu_J2xXn35wUaTM-Ut6aWm4ClimOFAbXNyd6QDlpDEV7ZyOVxuKByBmEw_aem_dB8GSjRI6P-IYFTuDrThOA.
5. “Israeli Emissaries in Cleveland.” Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.jecc.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=281463&type=d&pREC_ID=714500.
6. “Marlyn Bloch Jaffe.” Jewish Education Center of Cleveland. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://www.jecc.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=449782&type=u&pREC_ID=2583015.
7. “Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, Full Filing – Nonprofit Explorer.” ProPublica. Accessed November 18, 2024. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/340714554/202430389349301873/full.