A very happy birthday to Bob Kahn, who celebrated his 100th in September. To a generation of Dayton-area schoolchildren, Bob is known as the boy the Nazis forced to play the violin on Kristallnacht in Mannheim, Germany while they beat his father, ransacked the family’s apartment, and burned their possessions. After Bob arrived in the United States, he fought in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Forces in the South Pacific.

Bob also went on to work for Operation Paper Clip — the secret U.S. intelligence and military program that brought German scientists to work for the U.S. government at the end of World War II. Jewish War Veterans Post #587 honored his 100th birthday at a recent brunch. In September, family from all over came here to celebrate their patriarch.

Former Daytonian Steven Wasserman, son of the late Ronnie Wasserman Harlan and Dr. Allan Wasserman, has written a second book about his family’s history. America’s Jewish Violin Sensation: The Life of Joyce Renée is the story of an aunt on his father’s side. “She had a brilliant career as a solo violinist in the 1930s-1950s playing at Carnegie Hall, Radio City, Town Hall, and hundreds of other venues across the United States at a time when women soloists were few and far between,” Steven says. “She also played hundreds of concerts for wounded and returning servicemen and women during and after World War II. Ms. Renée had an extraordinary career until a tragic accident cut it short.”

Pop culture vulture Mathew Klickstein has returned to the Miami Valley. He now lives in Tipp City and is a writer with Central State University’s marketing/publicity department. He’s written a scholarly essay for the book Power Up: Leadership, Character, and Conflict Beyond the Superhero Multiverse, which was published Oct. 15.

Mahj mavens take note: Dayton Hadassah tells us that when you renew or become a member of the National Mah Jongg League, your fee includes a 2024 Mah Jongg card. National Mah Jongg League memberships for 2024 are available through Hadassah until Dec. 28. Prices are $14 for a standard card, $15 for a large card. Orders may be placed here.

Send your Mazel Tov announcements to mweiss@jfgd.net.

To read the complete November 2023 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.