Despite a 120–103 loss to the Miami Heat on March 25 at Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland, more than 100 members of the local Jewish community still found plenty to celebrate during Jewish Community Night.
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A pregame party takes place at Gilly’s inside Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland on March 25 prior to the Cavs game during Jewish Community Night.
Bradley Sherman, chair of the 2021 and 2022 Jewish Federation of Cleveland Campaigns for Jewish Needs who represented the Federation at the event, thanks attendees for their continued support of the organization during Jewish Community Night’s pregame party.
Jason Hillman, vice president of basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers, talks about the importance of community during a speech at a pregame party during Jewish Community Night.
Binyamin and Rachel Prupis enjoy slices of kosher pizza during the pregame party at Gilly’s inside Rocket Arena.
Frank and Jean Nisenbaum of Beachwood, Cavs’ season ticket holders, enjoy the pregame festivities inside Gilly’s at Rocket Arena.
Kevin Clayton, Executive vice president, chief impact and equity officer of Rock Entertainment Group, parent company of the Cavs, tells the story about his inspirational trip to Israel during the pregame party.
Samuel Rothstein, 11, of Cleveland Heights shoots a basketball on an arcade machine inside Gilly’s during the Jewish Community Night’s pregame party.
Gilly’s at Rocket Arena hosted the pregame party during Jewish Community Night.
A pregame party takes place at Gilly’s inside Rocket Arena in downtown Cleveland on March 25 prior to the Cavs game during Jewish Community Night.
Bradley Sherman, chair of the 2021 and 2022 Jewish Federation of Cleveland Campaigns for Jewish Needs who represented the Federation at the event, thanks attendees for their continued support of the organization during Jewish Community Night’s pregame party.
Jason Hillman, vice president of basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers, talks about the importance of community during a speech at a pregame party during Jewish Community Night.
Binyamin and Rachel Prupis enjoy slices of kosher pizza during the pregame party at Gilly’s inside Rocket Arena.
Frank and Jean Nisenbaum of Beachwood, Cavs’ season ticket holders, enjoy the pregame festivities inside Gilly’s at Rocket Arena.
Kevin Clayton, Executive vice president, chief impact and equity officer of Rock Entertainment Group, parent company of the Cavs, tells the story about his inspirational trip to Israel during the pregame party.
Samuel Rothstein, 11, of Cleveland Heights shoots a basketball on an arcade machine inside Gilly’s during the Jewish Community Night’s pregame party.
Gilly’s at Rocket Arena hosted the pregame party during Jewish Community Night.
The event, a partnership between the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and the Cleveland Cavaliers, included a pregame gathering at Gilly’s at Rocket Arena, where attendees enjoyed kosher pizza in a space lined with sports memorabilia and featuring a basketball arcade game.
“We have season tickets with the Cavaliers, so we think it’s a great combination,” Frank Nisenbaum of Beachwood, who was attending the event with his wife, Jean, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “We’re proud of who we are, and we are also big-time Cavs fans. We think it’s a great job by the Federation to have this exposure at a Cavs game. We’re very happy about it.”
Bradley Sherman, chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland Campaigns for Jewish Needs in 2021 and 2022 represented the Federation at the event, said it was special for the Cavs to invite the organization to help support this night.
“Especially now with everything going on in the world, the idea of being able to bring the community together, especially for a fun and joyous occasion, means a lot,” Sherman told the CJN. “It’s great to see so many faces that you know here while also making plenty of new friends. It means a lot to have everybody here show up and support both our amazing basketball team and our amazing community.”
Jason Hillman, vice president of basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers, said sports entertainment provides an opportunity to get everyone, regardless of background involved.
“It’s what sports entertainment should be all about, we have the chance to host everybody,” Hillman, a congregant of Congregation Mishkan Or in Beachwood and a Solon resident, told the CJN. “Everybody should feel welcome at a place like Rocket Arena and feel like they see themselves here. It’s why we do what we do.”
The game was also Noche Latina, or Latin Night, which celebrated Hispanic/Latino culture and heritage with dance performances, a Spanish broadcast and a pregame party, just like the one for the Jewish community.
“This is how we roll,” Kevin Clayton, executive vice president, chief impact and equity officer of Rock Entertainment Group, the parent company of the Cavs, said while addressing attendees during the party. “We stand up for this community, to the point where we are the only team in sports that has a Jewish ERG (employee resource group) called JUICE (Jews for Unity, Inclusion, Connection and Education). That’s important because your Cavs have the courage to lead from the front. We know how important this community is, and we wanted to make sure that our team members have a place where we could grab our arms around them when they need support.”
Clayton, who traveled with the Federation on a trip to Israel in 2025, said the experience changed his life forever.
“There were things I saw about Israel and in the Israelis and Jewish people that I never knew,” he said. “We’ve brought back some of those principles here to make Cleveland a better community.”
A portion of ticket sales purchased through the Federation benefited the organization’s annual Campaign for Jewish Needs.
Attendees sporting Cavs’ jerseys and shirts, mingled and enjoyed snacks before the game.
David Seltzer was dressed up in a steam-punk inspired costume with the Cavs’ logo on a metal-looking top hat.
“I had the tools out for other costumes, so I went ahead and made myself a Cavs’ version,” Seltzer, a Beachwood resident who attended with Yair Oppenheim and Isabelle Seltzer of Fair Lawn, N.J., both also dressed in the outfits. “We like to wear steam punk costumes. And I thought, ‘Oh, I could definitely do this with the Cavs logo.’”
Hillman, Sherman and Clayton all addressed attendees at Gilly’s during the party, thanking them for their support.
“We have an amazing foundation here,” Sherman said. “(When I was campaign chair), I got the opportunity to work with this Jewish community and see the wonderful things we do here, in Israel and all over the world. I see how we build community, save individuals, support our friends and family, and make both Cleveland and the world a better place.”
About 30 Jewish community members then gathered on the basketball court and unfurled a large American flag during the national anthem. Children were later selected to high-five Cavs’ players as they ran onto the court following halftime.
Several attendees watched the game from a suite, while others purchased tickets throughout the arena.
Hillman is from Detroit and said it was a “tough week” after a 41-year-old U.S. citizen who immigrated from Lebanon 15 years ago, rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich. on March 12, opening fire and causing an explosion using fireworks, before killing himself. Hillman said he learned through that attack how powerful community can be.
“This is incredible and inspiring,” Hillman told the CJN. “The strength of the Jewish community in Cleveland is beyond words. The fact that the Cavs have partnered with the Federation and are hosting this night is equally inspiring. We’re big on community, whether that’s our Northeast Ohio community, our Jewish community or our Cavs’ community – we’re honored to host this. It’s a special night for us.”