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Keep Jewish presence in downtown Cleveland, community says
MARILYN H. KARFELD Senior Staff Reporter
Two dialogue sessions this week, one downtown and one in an eastern suburb, officially focused on whether there should be an organized Jewish presence in the center city. But the real question most people wanted to talk about was if the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland should keep its headquarters in the heart of the city or move to Beachwood.
Over 90% of those attending a "downtown dialogue" on August 6 at The City Club and on August 7 at Corporate College in suburban Highland Hills agreed: It was very important that the Jewish community maintain a strong presence downtown.
Federation officials insisted the meetings were not about where its headquarters should be located, but only about whether there should be a strong Jewish presence in the urban core.
But what that amorphous phrase meant was itself subject to discussion. "Define Jewish presence," Pauline Leber, 82, said more than once at the Corporate College session.
The vibe at the downtown and suburban sessions was quite different. Many at the City Club dialogue clearly wanted to keep Federation's headquarters, the central address of Jewish Cleveland, in the downtown core. At the very least, participants seemed intent on retaining in one downtown location a significant number of Federation services, such as interfaith initiatives and efforts to reach out to the next generation.
But at the following day's session at suburban Corporate College, some attendees, older on average than those the previous evening, said they preferred moving Federation's offices to Beachwood. Some Federation staffers and trustees participating in small group discussions in the room said innovative programming downtown or at a Jewish-run gathering place would signify the community's presence in center city. Meanwhile, Federation's headquarters would relocate to an eastern suburb.
Attendees both nights offered a plethora of ideas to make the Jewish community visible in the center city, often through re-imagined priorities for Federation. Participants indicated their responses to suggested ideas on tiny keypads, which nearly instantly displayed vote results on large screens.
Revitalizing Cleveland's economy, strengthening relationships between Jews and other religious and ethnic groups, and attracting and retaining the next generation of Jews to ensure the longevity of the community were the prime reasons offered for maintaining an organized Jewish presence downtown. Commitment to tikkun olam, repairing the world, meant Jews should improve Cleveland and its economy, the downtown group said.
"I want my children to have a reason to live in Cleveland," said one former synagogue president who wanted to remain anonymous. "To retain our youth, we need a context and environment similar to Boston or San Francisco. Without a strong core, the outer (suburban) ring will fall apart. People who believe they can abandon downtown and be fine in the outer ring are sadly mistaken."
Among ideas participants suggested that are or could be part of Federation's mission:
1. Offer support and incentives for businesses and start-ups that want to relocate downtown.
2. Offer scholarships to college students who commit to remaining in Cleveland for two years after graduation. Match them with internships and jobs.
3. Create a Jewish "venture capital fund," a business incubator for start-ups downtown.
4. Offer low-interest loans for downtown homebuyers.
5. Schedule compelling programming at a JCC-like facility, similar to Trinity Commons, with a meeting space, gallery, cafˇ, bookstore, and community garden, open to Jews and non-Jews.
6. Partner with other institutions on interesting programming and culture and the arts.
7. Support social and professional connections for existing and new Clevelanders.
8. Create a corps of retired and young Jewish professionals to assist in city schools and businesses.
9. Develop amenities and facilities downtown to appeal to young Jews, such as a coffee shop, daycare, and a gym.
About 130 people attended each of the three-hour dialogue sessions, initiated by an ad hoc committee of Cleveland Jews that hopes to persuade Federation trustees to keep the organization's headquarters - or at the least, some significant Federation offices - downtown rather than relocate entirely to Beachwood. Although David Goldberg, chairman of AmTrust Bank, spearheaded the ad hoc committee and the dialogues, Federation assisted with the planning of the sessions.
Goldberg's committee will present recommendations from those attending the two dialogues to Federation's Board of Trustees, who will vote on the location of Federation's headquarters on September 11.
America Speaks, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit organization that leads large-scale town meetings on public policy issues, facilitated the community sessions. Three years ago, America Speaks led 20,000 Northeast Ohioans in 18 months of discussions, called Voices & Choices, on the region's economic future.
Ronn Richard, president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, addressed the audience both evenings but declined to give his opinion on where Federation should locate its headquarters. However, he noted, "I don't believe any suburb or exurb can thrive in the absence of a strong urban core."
Jews have always been active in the civil rights movement, Richard said. Now that African-Americans can live pretty much where they want if they have the financial means, he said, "Economic development is the last phase of the civil rights movement."
He gave a brief overview of the millions of dollars of public and private money invested in new housing, museum renovations, transportation projects, alternative energy initiatives, and innovative new public schools - all going on in Cleveland right now. Developments in social services, such as literacy projects, and arts and culture programming, must go along with the economic investment, Richard said. "This is a city on the rise."
It takes financial investment, intellectual capital and spiritual strength to keep Cleveland headed in the right direction, he added. "It won't happen without the Jewish community."
Federation has agreed to take the community's opinions seriously, although leaders have not promised to abide by the suggestions.
Federation maintains that relocating from downtown to Beachwood would be far more convenient for staff, volunteers, and client agencies, almost of which are in the eastern suburbs. A headquarters with higher visibility in Beachwood, where the Federation already owns land, would also make it easier to fundraise for Jewish needs at home and abroad, officials say.
What follows are just a few of the opinions and suggestions from Cleveland Jews at the two dialogues:
"To continue to have a leadership voice in Cleveland, we need to have a strong presence in Cleveland," said Lisa Baskin. "If the Jewish community completely moves out to the suburbs, our voice will be diminished and may not be heard. If we're not here (downtown), why listen to us?"
"If everybody does what's in their short-term interests, and ignores the long-term, we'll become Detroit, where entire communities, including the Jews, moved out of the city," said Mark Rosentraub, a professor at Cleveland State University and former dean of CSU's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. "More or less everything has moved out of Detroit" including its Jewish federation.
Jewish federations remain in the cities of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, Rosentraub noted. "Maybe we ought not to go the route of Detroit?"
"We're ghettoizing ourselves in Beachwood," said Cheryl Davis, a former trustee of the Federation. "We can't expect people to support Jews if we abandon downtown."
"It's important that Jews stay committed to downtown, and not just be concerned with solving problems for Jews living in the eastern suburbs," says Shaker Heights native Carrie Miller, 30, who now lives in Bratenahl. The Federation leaving Cleveland makes the statement that solving the city's problems "is not up to us. Staying says, 'we're here to help.'"
"Federation could create a signature Jewish community project," such as a fundraiser to renovate a Cleveland public school, said Jan Thrope, a writer and former social worker.
A Federation building, no matter how attractive, will not attract young Jews, said Jori Kate, 25, a Federation employee who works on Strengthening & Growing Jewish Cleveland, now known as Let My People Know, a project to attract and retain young Jews.
"Where the building is (located) is irrelevant to the next generation," said Kate of Solon. "They aren't going to show up at a Federation building either way." Programming at a bowling alley, coffee shop or restaurant, is much more appealing to her generation, she said.
The Jewish community should not isolate itself from the greater Cleveland community, said Diana Packer. "What happens in Cleveland happens to all of us. It's important for Jews to be seen and heard downtown. You can't call a bowling alley a Jewish presence."
"While there has to be a relationship between Jews and the regular Cleveland community, I don't think we have to have our main address downtown," said Eileen Sill of Pepper Pike. "The staff and volunteers waste so much time going back and forth between downtown and the (eastern) suburbs.
"Federation is downtown and it has been for years," noted Mitch Frankel of Beachwood, a Federation trustee who also sits on the boards of several other Jewish nonprofits. "It hasn't brought young people there. I don't believe it's important to have a separate (Federation) building downtown. We could have a floor in an office building like United Way."
Although many members of the Jewish community believe Federation has already decided to move to Beachwood, where it owns land, "This is not a done deal," insisted Goldberg, a longtime Federation activist.
All too often, only a few leaders make decisions that determine the fate of the community, Scott Garson said in opening remarks. This week, the ordinary and not-so-ordinary folks, had their say.
Two dialogue sessions this week, one downtown and one in an eastern suburb, officially focused on whether there should be an organized Jewish presence in the center city. But the real question most people wanted to talk about was if the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland should keep its headquarters in the heart of the city or move to Beachwood.
Over 90% of those attending a "downtown dialogue" on August 6 at The City Club and on August 7 at Corporate College in suburban Highland Hills agreed: It was very important that the Jewish community maintain a strong presence downtown.
Federation officials insisted the meetings were not about where its headquarters should be located, but only about whether there should be a strong Jewish presence in the urban core.
But what that amorphous phrase meant was itself subject to discussion. "Define Jewish presence," Pauline Leber, 82, said more than once at the Corporate College session.
The vibe at the downtown and suburban sessions was quite different. Many at the City Club dialogue clearly wanted to keep Federation's headquarters, the central address of Jewish Cleveland, in the downtown core. At the very least, participants seemed intent on retaining in one downtown location a significant number of Federation services, such as interfaith initiatives and efforts to reach out to the next generation.
But at the following day's session at suburban Corporate College, some attendees, older on average than those the previous evening, said they preferred moving Federation's offices to Beachwood. Some Federation staffers and trustees participating in small group discussions in the room said innovative programming downtown or at a Jewish-run gathering place would signify the community's presence in center city. Meanwhile, Federation's headquarters would relocate to an eastern suburb.
Attendees both nights offered a plethora of ideas to make the Jewish community visible in the center city, often through re-imagined priorities for Federation. Participants indicated their responses to suggested ideas on tiny keypads, which nearly instantly displayed vote results on large screens.
Revitalizing Cleveland's economy, strengthening relationships between Jews and other religious and ethnic groups, and attracting and retaining the next generation of Jews to ensure the longevity of the community were the prime reasons offered for maintaining an organized Jewish presence downtown. Commitment to tikkun olam, repairing the world, meant Jews should improve Cleveland and its economy, the downtown group said.
"I want my children to have a reason to live in Cleveland," said one former synagogue president who wanted to remain anonymous. "To retain our youth, we need a context and environment similar to Boston or San Francisco. Without a strong core, the outer (suburban) ring will fall apart. People who believe they can abandon downtown and be fine in the outer ring are sadly mistaken."
Among ideas participants suggested that are or could be part of Federation's mission:
1. Offer support and incentives for businesses and start-ups that want to relocate downtown.
2. Offer scholarships to college students who commit to remaining in Cleveland for two years after graduation. Match them with internships and jobs.
3. Create a Jewish "venture capital fund," a business incubator for start-ups downtown.
4. Offer low-interest loans for downtown homebuyers.
5. Schedule compelling programming at a JCC-like facility, similar to Trinity Commons, with a meeting space, gallery, cafˇ, bookstore, and community garden, open to Jews and non-Jews.
6. Partner with other institutions on interesting programming and culture and the arts.
7. Support social and professional connections for existing and new Clevelanders.
8. Create a corps of retired and young Jewish professionals to assist in city schools and businesses.
9. Develop amenities and facilities downtown to appeal to young Jews, such as a coffee shop, daycare, and a gym.
About 130 people attended each of the three-hour dialogue sessions, initiated by an ad hoc committee of Cleveland Jews that hopes to persuade Federation trustees to keep the organization's headquarters - or at the least, some significant Federation offices - downtown rather than relocate entirely to Beachwood. Although David Goldberg, chairman of AmTrust Bank, spearheaded the ad hoc committee and the dialogues, Federation assisted with the planning of the sessions.
Goldberg's committee will present recommendations from those attending the two dialogues to Federation's Board of Trustees, who will vote on the location of Federation's headquarters on September 11.
America Speaks, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit organization that leads large-scale town meetings on public policy issues, facilitated the community sessions. Three years ago, America Speaks led 20,000 Northeast Ohioans in 18 months of discussions, called Voices & Choices, on the region's economic future.
Ronn Richard, president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation, addressed the audience both evenings but declined to give his opinion on where Federation should locate its headquarters. However, he noted, "I don't believe any suburb or exurb can thrive in the absence of a strong urban core."
Jews have always been active in the civil rights movement, Richard said. Now that African-Americans can live pretty much where they want if they have the financial means, he said, "Economic development is the last phase of the civil rights movement."
He gave a brief overview of the millions of dollars of public and private money invested in new housing, museum renovations, transportation projects, alternative energy initiatives, and innovative new public schools - all going on in Cleveland right now. Developments in social services, such as literacy projects, and arts and culture programming, must go along with the economic investment, Richard said. "This is a city on the rise."
It takes financial investment, intellectual capital and spiritual strength to keep Cleveland headed in the right direction, he added. "It won't happen without the Jewish community."
Federation has agreed to take the community's opinions seriously, although leaders have not promised to abide by the suggestions.
Federation maintains that relocating from downtown to Beachwood would be far more convenient for staff, volunteers, and client agencies, almost of which are in the eastern suburbs. A headquarters with higher visibility in Beachwood, where the Federation already owns land, would also make it easier to fundraise for Jewish needs at home and abroad, officials say.
What follows are just a few of the opinions and suggestions from Cleveland Jews at the two dialogues:
"To continue to have a leadership voice in Cleveland, we need to have a strong presence in Cleveland," said Lisa Baskin. "If the Jewish community completely moves out to the suburbs, our voice will be diminished and may not be heard. If we're not here (downtown), why listen to us?"
"If everybody does what's in their short-term interests, and ignores the long-term, we'll become Detroit, where entire communities, including the Jews, moved out of the city," said Mark Rosentraub, a professor at Cleveland State University and former dean of CSU's Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. "More or less everything has moved out of Detroit" including its Jewish federation.
Jewish federations remain in the cities of Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, Rosentraub noted. "Maybe we ought not to go the route of Detroit?"
"We're ghettoizing ourselves in Beachwood," said Cheryl Davis, a former trustee of the Federation. "We can't expect people to support Jews if we abandon downtown."
"It's important that Jews stay committed to downtown, and not just be concerned with solving problems for Jews living in the eastern suburbs," says Shaker Heights native Carrie Miller, 30, who now lives in Bratenahl. The Federation leaving Cleveland makes the statement that solving the city's problems "is not up to us. Staying says, 'we're here to help.'"
"Federation could create a signature Jewish community project," such as a fundraiser to renovate a Cleveland public school, said Jan Thrope, a writer and former social worker.
A Federation building, no matter how attractive, will not attract young Jews, said Jori Kate, 25, a Federation employee who works on Strengthening & Growing Jewish Cleveland, now known as Let My People Know, a project to attract and retain young Jews.
"Where the building is (located) is irrelevant to the next generation," said Kate of Solon. "They aren't going to show up at a Federation building either way." Programming at a bowling alley, coffee shop or restaurant, is much more appealing to her generation, she said.
The Jewish community should not isolate itself from the greater Cleveland community, said Diana Packer. "What happens in Cleveland happens to all of us. It's important for Jews to be seen and heard downtown. You can't call a bowling alley a Jewish presence."
"While there has to be a relationship between Jews and the regular Cleveland community, I don't think we have to have our main address downtown," said Eileen Sill of Pepper Pike. "The staff and volunteers waste so much time going back and forth between downtown and the (eastern) suburbs.
"Federation is downtown and it has been for years," noted Mitch Frankel of Beachwood, a Federation trustee who also sits on the boards of several other Jewish nonprofits. "It hasn't brought young people there. I don't believe it's important to have a separate (Federation) building downtown. We could have a floor in an office building like United Way."
Although many members of the Jewish community believe Federation has already decided to move to Beachwood, where it owns land, "This is not a done deal," insisted Goldberg, a longtime Federation activist.
All too often, only a few leaders make decisions that determine the fate of the community, Scott Garson said in opening remarks. This week, the ordinary and not-so-ordinary folks, had their say.
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