In the fall of 2025, the Cleveland Jewish FilmFest (CJFF) will celebrate 19 years of presenting international films exploring subjects related to the Jewish and Israeli experience. From Sept. 4-14, audiences will have the opportunity to learn about and gain new perspectives on universal themes that appeal to a broad community.
Led by Deborah Bobrow, arts and culture manager at the Mandel Jewish Community Center, CJFF launched in 2007 with 10 movies and a small but mighty team of volunteers. Fast forward to 2024, when the festival was held in four different theaters over 11 days, presenting 27 films from nine countries. “Volunteers are critical to our success,” Deborah said. “They help select films, host filmmakers, promote the festival to the community, fundraise and serve as great ambassadors.”
Instrumental to the festival’s initial growth was a three-year grant from the Leonard Krieger Fund of the Cleveland Foundation received in 2009. “That grant was a huge boost. For the first time, we had the financial stability to help us expand,” Deborah noted. “When our 10-year anniversary event was held at the Cleveland Institute of Art in the Leonard Krieger Lobby a few years later, it was very meaningful for us.”
Each year at the CJFF, a film is selected for an audience choice award through an endowment from Dr. Jack and Minda Jaffe. The film is then given an encore screening at the Mandel JCC to extend the festival by sharing the film with people who may not be able to afford the cost of the full festival.
“This past year, we also received funds from the State of Ohio Healthy Aging initiative. We were able to offer limited free tickets for the festival’s weekday matinees to filmgoers aged 60 and above. There are attendees who wouldn’t be able to attend without those complimentary tickets. Each of these opportunities enables us to broaden the audience for film,” Deborah said.
While the festival is oriented to Jewish life, equally important in considering a film for inclusion is the quality of the film and the diversity of the film’s content. “Our goal is to choose the best films rather than more. We want to show societal collaboration and advance efforts to further the good in society,” Deborah said.
For the past 10 years, the festival has included a Teen Screen program, partnering with Facing History and Ourselves, an educational initiative that aims to promote core character education and help middle and high school students develop moral reasoning skills through the examination of historical events leading to the Holocaust.
“We bring children from schools across Northeast Ohio, teaching them to participate in history rather than act as bystanders,” Deborah said. “At the 2024 festival, our efforts to engage young people featured a special screening at the Cedar Lee Theatre and social event with the filmmaker afterwards at Heights Arts. These initiatives are opportunities to spark dialog and offer a springboard to filmgoing for a younger audience.”
The CJFF has grown with year-round programming at the Mandel JCC and access to films through online streaming, but the in-person festival is still an exciting event for the community. In 2025, the opening night takes place at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The home base for films during the week will be the Cedar Lee Theatre in Cleveland Heights. The closing weekend will be even broader, with screenings and events in multiple locations including Cinematheque at the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Maltz Museum.
Cleveland Jewish FilmFest
September 4-14, 2025
Cleveland Museum of Natural History/Cedar-Lee Theatre/
Cinematheque/Maltz Museum, Greater Cleveland