Theodora (Toby) Blume, of Trotwood, died of emphysema July 1 after nearly a lifetime of smoking cigarettes (the “low tar and nicotine” kind, because they claimed to be healthier). Mrs. Blume was a New York girl. After her childhood in the Bronx, she married and spent several decades in Schenectady.

By Miriam Karp, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Like many of us, Ava Kuperman thought human trafficking only referred to sex trafficking, and just to people far away. An English class assignment changed that. “We read about an Egyptian girl. When she was about my age, her family sold her,”

One researcher explains how to protect our daughters during Bat Mitzvah By Dr. Beth Cooper Benjamin ejewishphilanthropy.com Today, outside of Orthodoxy, girls and boys participate in identical B’nai Mitzvah rituals celebrated with equal enthusiasm by families and communities. Given that ritual Bar Mitzvah has existed since the Middle Ages while

By Claire Gaglione, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer For 20 Dayton-area immigrants, May 29 marked their first day as American citizens. In a naturalization ceremony presided over by Judge Thomas Rose in U.S. District Court at Dayton’s Federal Building, men and women from as far away as Chad, Russia, and

Myths and misconceptions The Jewish Family Identity Forum with Candace R. Kwiatek When you hear the word devil, Satan or Lucifer, what images come to mind? A devious serpent wrapped around a tree branch? A red-clad troll-like figure with horns and tail holding a pitchfork? A beast with the face

The Jewish Internet with Mark Mietkiewicz Have you ever attended a MOOC? A MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is an online course that is available without charge to an unlimited number of people (bit.ly/jmooc1). Although distance learning is not new, MOOCs are different because they allow (some) interactivity between student,

Leshon Ima – Mother Tongue with Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin The summer has reached its zenith and the days are slowly getting shorter. The Jewish year 5774 is approaching its end. We have reached the month of Av, the 11th month on the Jewish calendar. What do we know about

Robert M. “Bruce” Mandel, Dec. 22, 1926-June 23, 2014, died at Tidewell Hospice of Sarasota, Fla. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Barbara Brooks Mandel; daughters Jill Secrest Mandel (Steve Hines), Melissa Mandel Codespoti (J. Scott Codespoti), Alyssa Mandel (Brian Gomien); grandsons Ari and Eli Codespoti and

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer SAKHNIN, Israel — In one room, high schoolers act out a fight from Romeo and Juliet. Next door, they create poems about a work of modern art. Down the hall, students prepare for a mock trial while another group brainstorms for an ad

Little by little, gaining trust in Israel’s Haredi communities By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer TEL AVIV — Rabbi Menachem Mordoff, 48, sees his work as an opportunity to save lives. “We have a 5-year-old who sexually abused five children in his kindergarten. Five years old,” Mordoff says. “And