Websites on Jewish Themes

The only website on Cleveland Jewish history. Started in late 2006 and now more than 300 pages. Includes my Abba Hillel Silver website. Most sections are created in collaboration with others.

Examples: Bud Weidenthal on confirmations over the years, Dr Louis Rosenblum on the Soviet Jewry movement, William Joseph on the descendants of Simpson Thorman, and Nate Arnold on Cleveland's old synagogues.

My first website, started in 1998, and moved to Cleveland Jewish History in December 2006. It is the only website dedicated to his life and work.

Created in 2002 and maintained for six years, turned over to staff in 2008. I'll be taking back site and adding features in mid-2009.

The first website for Council Gardens, an independent living facility with more than 120 garden apartments in Cleveland Height. Under development.

The site, three pages when I took it over in November 1998, is now nearly 200 pages. Perhaps Cleveland's largest "shul" website, yet Kol HaLev has less than 130 households.

It aims for transparency for members and potential members. A password-protected area has member lists, long term calendars, financial reports and more. Policies that might influence a decision to join are public. It is a treasure of memories too, with 40 events remembered online. I also started a weekly member email in 1999.

A virtual remembrance of a Polish shtetl, lost in the holocaust. Started in 2000 as a contribution and expanded a few times since with the support of the Aaron Ziegelman Foundation.

Created in 2006 and turned back to the society after a few months.

Developed in 2004 for Professor Alan Levenson of Siegal College in support of his book with the same title. This site is no longer online.

The 40 year-old Reconstructionist movement has more than 100 affiliates and the JRF is its central body. In late 1999 I took over the 40 page website  and by mid 2003, working with the rabbi who was the JRF director of communications, had built it to nearly 400 pages. Site turned back to JRF in mid-2003. It is now maintained by the JRF staff.

Community and Cultural Websites

This is the independent website for the Shaker Square neighborhood, where Cleveland and Shaker Heights meet

It was started in February 2004 and is now more than 100 pages and welcomes more than 13,000 visitors a month.

Larchmere Boulevard, just one block north of Shaker Square, is Cleveland's arts and antiques district. The website for its merchants association was almost dormant when I took it over in November 2008 and completely redesigned it.

Started in 2005 and turned back to Dobama after a few months.

Started in 2004 and turned back to IHN after a year.

2003 to the present.

Website for my RPI '53 class at the nation's oldest school of engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Started in 2003 and still maintained.

Created in March 2008 when I found that this group, which was sponsoring a benefit for the Ludlow Community Association, could not get its website to run. I created a new website for them.

Started in March 2008 as a gift. My Shaker Square website had celebrated the 50th anniversary of the LCA in 2007. Those pages were moved to this new site and other pages added.

Created in 2004.

Shaker Towers is the newest and tallest of the high-rise apartment condominiums near Shaker Square. Though the site has a private, owners-only section, most pages are public and give prospective owners information on suite layouts, views in suites and from suites, and the advantages of living here.

Starting in 2005 my Shaker Square website called attention to the problems of predatory lending. In late 2006 Ohio SB 117 weakened the penalties on predatory lending. A petition campaign for a referendum to repeal SB 117 was started in August 2007. Its website was small and the lawyer-like writing made it a tough "read" for the typical visitor.

As a volunteer, I completely revised the site in a week, Then I doubled its size, adding more arguments for overturning SB117, plus features to help campaign workers. Without the  funds to hire paid petition circulators, the referendum campaign failed to get the required number of signatures. But it did succeed in educating voters and getting petitions signed in every Ohio county.