Ed Leventhal has received the Richard L. Kuss Lifetime Community Achievement Award given by the Greater Springfield Partnership, the city’s chamber of commerce. A Springfield resident for 54 years, Ed has served on three different school boards and the boards of several nonprofits. He’s worked for the betterment of Springfield through his civic and charitable volunteer projects. Ed and his wife, Laurie, are longtime members of Temple Sholom.

Allyson Jacob has received a 2025 Highlights Foundation Whole Novel Scholarship for Jewish Writers. Highlights Foundation scholarships are given to aspiring and established authors and illustrators of children’s books. They include full tuition for in-person workshops, community retreats, and personal retreats at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center in Milanville, Penn., as well as online courses. Cheering Allyson on is her husband, Marc.

Temple Beth Or Associate Rabbi and Educator Ben Azriel has announced that he, his wife, Dr. Rachel Podell Azriel, and their daughter, Eliana, move to Chicago this summer. The rabbi has been with Temple Beth Or since July 2020. “Watching our students grow in their knowledge and connection to Jewish life has been deeply fulfilling, and I am so proud of the vibrant learning community we have cultivated,” he wrote in a message to the congregation.

Ehud Borovoy will lead a demonstration of Krav Maga, the Israeli self-defense system, at the Dayton International Festival: A World A’Fair, 6 p.m., Friday, May 2, at the Greene County Expo Center and Fairgrounds in Xenia.

Talia Doninger, a 2024 graduate of the University of Arizona School of Journalism, begins her work in May as the engagement coordinator with OC Hillel in Orange County, Calif. She’ll build relationships with Jewish students at Chapman University, UC Irvine, and Cal State Fullerton, and will create opportunities for them to engage in Jewish life. Over the past year, she’s sharpened her writing and editing skills curating digital content for Cottages & Gardens and writing freelance features for The Dayton Jewish Observer. Talia is the daughter of Sandra and Dr. Nick Doninger.

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

To read the complete May 2025 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.