Our Story
JWell is a spiritual wellness center, a community resource open to all. We are based at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, a traditional Conservative synagogue on the east side of Cleveland
In 2023, B’nai Jeshurun assembled a team to bring the dream of a Jewish wellness center to fruition, a team led by native Clevelander, Rabbi Alex Rosenbaum.
After months of research involving trial programs, surveys, conversations with community members, and developing partnerships with local and national organizations, we officially launched JWell in September 2024 during the Hebrew month of Elul.
Our recurring programming includes grief support, creative expression, physical wellness, and alternative Shabbat and holiday prayer experiences.
This program was made possible by the generosity of our donors, community members, and a vital grant from Mt. Sinai Health Foundation.
Mission
Vision
Through an integrated model that nurtures the body, mind, and soul, we are dedicated to transforming, enhancing, and promoting the flourishing of spiritual life in Cleveland and throughout Northeast Ohio. Committed to creativity and grounded in Jewish wisdom and text, we infuse mindfulness, wellness, and health into the fabric of our community, creating new pathways into Jewish life and practice. By encouraging continuous learning and exploring innovation in Jewish liturgy, we connect people in new ways, fostering a vibrant and enriched Jewish experience for all.
JWell will reach and inspire thousands of people across the Cleveland Jewish community by transforming and elevating spiritual care, uplifting creative expression through a Jewish lens, and breathing new life into religious practice.
Wellness & Judaism:
a match made in Torah!
שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֶחָֽד׃
Listen Israel, Adonai our God, Adonai is one.
וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
You shall love your God יהוה with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
The Shema, our central prayer that speaks to the unity of the Divine, demands unity from us as well -- unity of self in our worship of the Divine. By the time we arrive at the Shema in our morning prayers, we are meant to have complete focus, complete presence, and complete intention. We physically gather our tzizit (ritual fringes), mirroring an internal gathering of the self - the pieces of which are so often scattered and pulled in different directions. We affirm the oneness of God, and then we read that we must love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might. The structure I imagine for the Wellness Center is one that embraces this trilogy established in the Shema of the heart (levavcha - which in the biblical tradition is also the mind), the soul (nafshecha), and the body (me’odecha - your might/physicality).
Judaism believes in an integrated self - mind, body, and soul all interconnected. When one of these pieces is hurting, the others suffer as well. When one of these pieces is nourished, the others are fed as well. The trap is a singular focus on one of these spheres to the exclusion of the others. The dream I have is to build a center that is intentional and proactive about integrated care. A center that tackles the spiritual malady of loneliness. A center that serves as a supportive and healing space for those suffering from addiction, grief, and mental illness. A center that sees the body as the temple of the soul. A center for creativity, self-expression, and play. A center for meaningful prayer and study. A center that utilizes the powerful healing tools baked into our tradition. Join us in building this sacred space for the Cleveland Jewish community. We need it now more than ever.