Shaker Couple Sending 40 Cleveland Civic Leaders To Israel

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH - A Shaker Heights couple is helping to send 40 Cleveland civic leaders to Israel. Thomas and Joanne Adler, through an endowment from the Jewish Federation of Clevleand, want to show Cleveland's leadership some of Israel's approaches to economic and community development.

“The non-profit community in Cleveland plays a very important role,” the Adlers said in a press release. “We feel having community leaders explore Israel will have a positive impact on how they view growth in Israel and how that can positively affect growth in Cleveland.”

This year's list of participants includes Felton Thomas, CEO of the Cleveland Public Library, Cheryl Davis, the recently retired vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Victor Ruiz, Executive Director of Esperanza Inc.

Thomas said he is excited to see the innovation that Israeli entrepreneurs are deploying in a unique collaboration between the government and the private sector.

“I’m interested in how Israel is addressing underserved communities and the role government plays in addressing at-risk youth within different ethnic communities,” said Ruiz in a press release. “I’d like to see how Israeli communities are coming together to address this, and how small groups of people tackle the large issues.”

During the trip, attendees will attend seminars with Israeli leaders, visit at-risk youth programs, and work one-on-one with their Israeli counterparts. The goal will be to facilitate institutional and one-on-one relationship building, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland says.

“Every person I’ve spoken to wants to take everything from this experience and figure out how to strengthen our community here in Cleveland for years to come,” said Davis, who is Immediate Past Chair of Federation’s Community Relations Committee (CRC).

Photo from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland