In the News

November 6-8 installation weekend marks a new chapter for one of the nation’s largest Reform Jewish congregations  BEACHWOOD, OH – Rabbi Joshua Caruso will be formally installed as Senior Rabbi of Congregation Mishkan Or during a special weekend of worship, learning, music, and community celebrations, Nov. 6-8, 2026, at the congregation, 26000 Shaker Boulevard in Beachwood. The weekend will bring together members of the congregation, community leaders, clergy, family, and friends to celebrate both...

Watch this great interview featuring our Congregation Mishkan Or member Rachel Gross, co-owner of Bialy’s Bagels Cleveland, and Jeannie Citerman-Kraeger of Women of Mishkan Or!

For Rachel Gross, this is more than a business. Bialy’s Bagels is a University Heights staple — a place built around food, family and community. But last summer, Gross’ life changed. “I knew that it was common to get called back for further imaging after your first mammogram. And that’s what happened to me and I just — cancer never even cross my mind,” Gross said.

“I’m not Jewish.” Those were the first words I said in my interview as a Director of Communications at a local Reform synagogue—well, after “Hello” and “How are you?” I figured I might as well be upfront. I guess they were okay with this, because I was eventually offered the job. Now, I’m about two months into my gig at one of the largest Reform congregations in northeast Ohio. Along the way, I’ve been pleasantly surprised, pleased, enriched, perplexed, confused, and overall, grateful.

I didn’t grow up with a sukkah. Sukkot was certainly a holiday I knew, but building a sukkah at home simply wasn’t part of my childhood. In fact, I didn’t have my first sukkah until I was well into my 30s and it was definitely not new. Our neighbors were getting a new sukkah and offered us their old one. As I remember it, they had gotten it from someone else, which meant our first sukkah was basically a hand-me-down of a hand-me-down. It had already lived a good Jewish life before it ever made its...

Life is a pause between our parents’ dreams and our children’s memories. I stopped at Costco recently to gas up. As I began fueling, the pump emitted a series of clunks and the flow of gas was extremely lethargic. I haled a nearby attendant and brought the problem to his attention. He glanced at the pump, then looked at me and said, “I believe the Lord is trying to send you a message.” Amused, I asked, “What is the Lord’s message?” He replied with a smile, “The Lord is telling you, you need to slow...

Jewish Cleveland has never fallen short when it comes to tzedakah, and for some community members, that charity has become more than just an annual donation. The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s 2027 Campaign for Jewish Needs is well underway, having raised a record $1,806,901 million at its Super Sunday kickoff on Aug. 30. As the campaign trails on, the Cleveland Jewish News tapped into the Federation’s Silver Circle – individuals who have donated to the Campaign for Jewish Needs for 25 years or...

At the end of August, my family and I spent a few days near Lake Chautauqua, N.Y. One evening we were having dinner outside when something caught everyone’s attention. High above us, perched at the very top of a tree, was a giant bald eagle. It felt like the whole restaurant stopped. People turned in their chairs and conversations quieted. Phones came out, and for several minutes, we all just watched in silence and awe. I had seen bald eagles before, but there was something about seeing one there,...

The piercing call of the shofar is one of the defining sounds of Rosh Hashanah. At Congregation Shaarey Tikvah in Beachwood this year, however, the ram’s horn will be silent on the Jewish New Year’s first full day, according to Rabbi Scott Roland. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Friday, Sept. 11, meaning its first day falls on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. Shaarey Tikvah will make slight changes to its liturgy and wait until the holiday’s second day to sound the shofar and hold Tashlich, a ritual...

I love to read, though these days I probably listen to as many books as I actually read. Libby has become one of my favorite apps, and there is usually an audiobook playing while I’m driving, walking the dog or doing the dishes. When I finish a book I’ve loved, I have a hard time letting it go. I want to talk about it. I want someone else to read it so we can talk about it together. My two most recent favorites were Annie Hartnett’s “The Road to Tender Hearts” and Percival Everett’s “James.” Both...