This is the first of what I hope will be many regular reports (somewhere between monthly and quarterly) that I will be sending to our alumni, friends, parents, and other stakeholders over the coming years.  Since starting my job at the beginning of July as the executive director of the Cleveland Hillel Foundation,  I have had the opportunity to meet with many different people.  Among them are staff, board members, students, community leaders, other Jewish professionals, University faculty, staff and administrators.  These meetings have been very helpful as they have enabled me to learn about Cleveland, our Jewish community, and how Hillel can be most effective in bringing value added to all those we work with and fulfill our mission.  With the fall semester starting on all the campuses we serve, I have also been privileged to be involved with our staff as we work with students and other professionals to implement programs during orientation, welcome back days, and at the beginning of the semester which have reached hundreds of students.   

I am confident that you will agree with me that our work on campus is essential to assure a brighter Jewish future.  I hope that you will be supportive of our accomplishments and help us meet our challenges.  Through this regular report that will highlight some of our programs and inform you about issues we face, I also hope to communicate the interests and passions of Jewish students.  I hope the communication will be two way and that you feel comfortable in providing me with your advice, comments, and feedback.  In addition, please visit our new web site at www.clevelandhillel.org to read and see more about what we are doing on campus or to make an online donation.     

As an interesting aside, on September 1st, two of the campuses that we work with, Case Western Reserve and Oberlin, played each other in football.  It was also the night before many of the Jewish students on each team celebrated Shabbat at Hillel.  I think that this is a good example of what our mission on campus is- to create a welcoming and pluralistic environment where Jews from different backgrounds can feel both comfortable and challenged.

Later this week we will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah.  If students are not going home they have the opportunity to celebrate the Holiday on campus with Hillel both in Cleveland and at Oberlin.  The students also have the option to be connected with a family and/or synagogue in the community.  On a personal note the Holiday for me is a time of both awe and joy.  I think about what I have done and how I can be a better person.  I always hope the coming year will be better than the previous one.  Let me take this opportunity to wish you and yours as well as our entire community, people, and everyone a year of happiness, health, peace and prosperity.

As I mentioned earlier I am interested in hearing from you so you are invited to contact me at 216-231-0040 or gcoleman@clevelandhillel.org

With Blessings,

Shana Tova,

Gary