Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland

The Mandel Jewish Community Center of Cleveland (Mandel JCC) is a fitness, wellness and community center that is welcoming to all people in the Greater Cleveland community, regardless of race, religion, identity or location. Since the 1960s, the Mandel Foundation has been an ardent supporter of the Mandel JCC, contributing to annual campaigns and staff trainings. The Foundation has supported several capital improvement projects, including a transformational gift in 2006 that provided physical renovation, expansion, refurbishment, redesign and upgrade of the Mandel JCC facility, which included the creation of the Simon and Rose Mandel Community Room. In response to the tremendous challenges faced by early childhood education centers following COVID-19, the Foundation approved funding to help JCC Cleveland meet the community’s demand for skilled educators and high-quality early childhood services.

Building on this longstanding partnership, the Foundation announced a historic $60 million grant in 2026 to support a $75 million capital initiative expanding Jewish camp experiences for children and families across Northeast Ohio. Believed to be the largest gift ever made to a Jewish Community Center in North America, the investment will strengthen the Mandel JCC's Beachwood campus and Camp Wise while expanding opportunities for Jewish engagement, belonging and leadership development for future generations.