As Beth Jacob approaches 150 years, congregation returns to Orthodoxy
Members vote for synagogue to become Modern Orthodox and to affiliate with Orthodox Union By Marshall Weiss, The Observer As of Nov. 10, Beth Jacob Congregation now identifies as a Modern Orthodox synagogue, with separate seating for men and women on either side of a mechitzah (physical divider). That was
Native Daytonian’s activism brings Hamas tunnel simulation to D.C.’s National Mall
By Marshall Weiss, The Observer Boston-based attorney Doug Hauer says he and his spouse of 30 years, Jack, were “100-percent destroyed” when Jack’s family in Israel called them at 4 in the morning, Oct. 7, 2023. “His entire family is in Israel,” says Doug, who was born and raised in
NYT bestselling author’s history of NY dept. store grande dames
By Marshall Weiss, The Observer Among the extinct department stores of Manhattan, a mystique surrounds the names of a few: Bonwit Teller, Lord & Taylor, Henri Bendel. Bonwit Teller, established in 1895, went bankrupt in 2000. It closed that year. Lord & Taylor filed for bankruptcy in 2020. When it
Constructive criticism
Sacred Speech Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer On her 80th birthday, a feisty Jewish woman makes out her last will and testament, then visits her rabbi to discuss two final wishes. The first is that she be cremated. Knowing that argument is useless,
Mazel Tov!
Linda Ohlmann Kahn and Lori Ohlmann sold the 75-year-old Ohlmann Group marketing/communications agency in October to David Bowman and Jenny Michael, who are now its co-CEOs. Linda and Lori stay on as members of the Ohlmann Group board: Linda as board chair and vice president of media services, Lori as
Survivor Henry Guggenheimer dies at 96
Henry Guggenheimer, who escaped Nazi Germany at age 12 in 1940 with his widowed mother, died Nov. 7. He was 96. Born in Stuttgart, he and his mother traveled through Eastern Europe and ultimately by freighter from Japan to San Francisco. He attended high school in Lima, Ohio, was drafted
Bark Mitzvah Boy
Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site! To read the complete December 2024 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.
Obituaries
Eleanor (Elly) Chaet of Las Vegas, Nev. passed away peacefully Aug. 23. Born Jan. 1, 1933 in Brooklyn, N.Y. to Morris and Rose Resnick, she resided in Dayton 42 years until retiring to Las Vegas in 1999. Elly worked primarily as a residential Realtor in Dayton until moving to Las
Oct. 7 one-year memorial
Rabbis recited prayers and Psalms, leaders of Jewish community organizations lit memorial candles, and “victory before peace” emerged as a rallying cry at the Jewish Federation’s program to mark one year to the day since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre. From the podium of the multipurpose room at the
Stories to connect generations — and one another
Story and Photos by Talia Doninger, Special to The Dayton Jewish Observer Local Native Americans visited children with Beth Abraham Synagogue’s religious school Oct. 13 to share the art of their traditional storytelling. The Conservative congregation’s new religious school director, Elyssa Wortzman, organized the program to explore how Native Americans