By Michael C. Butz, The Cleveland Jewish News David Blatt, The Cavaliers’ new head coach, knows what he wants as he begins to learn about Cleveland, and he doesn’t want to be hungry. “I really hope I can get some good hummus and tahini,” he said, smiling. “I don’t know if

By Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin, Chabad of Greater Dayton There were many reasons why my path should never have crossed that of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, whose 20th yahrzeit (anniversary of his death) the world has just marked. My Jewish experience was limited to the liberal variety, and my

  Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month at this site and in The Observer. To read the complete August 2014 issue of The Observer, click here.

By Rabbi David M. Sofian, Temple Israel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer As you are reading this, once again I am studying in a program designed especially for rabbis, at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. This is an opportunity that I greatly look forward to every summer because it

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer CINCINNATI — Six years into his work as founder and executive director of Jewish Education for Every Person, Rabbi Yaakov Karp began providing addiction recovery programs and services to Jews in southwest Ohio. On June 8, four years after launching the recovery initiative,

By Jourdan Stein A few weeks ago, the Jewish world celebrated Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. It is customarily observed by participating in a night of learning. I recently relapsed and went back to residential treatment for anorexia for the second time since

We Called Him Rabbi Abraham: Lincoln and American Jewry, a Documentary History by Gary Phillip Zola • Southern Illinois University Press • 528 Pages • $49.50 Book Review By Martin Gottlieb, The Dayton Jewish Observer To what degree was Abe Lincoln Jewish? That’s the basic question raised by We Called

The Jewish Family Identity Forum With Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer The hereafter has become a hot topic in recent years. The closing scenes of the blockbuster film Gladiator feature the hero carried off to Elysium where he is reunited with his family. Television shows including Dead Like

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Temple Israel President Lisa Pierce announced that the congregation will hire an interim rabbi for a year following the retirement of its senior rabbi, David M. Sofian, on June 30, 2015. “After much deliberation, and based on the recommendation of CCAR (the Central

By Claire Gaglione, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Raising questions both personal and theological, Beth Abraham Synagogue Adult Education Chair Joel Shapiro organized and hosted a panel discussion with local rabbis on May 27. During the program, Philosophical and Theological Underpinnings of Judaism, rabbis Judy Chessin, Joshua Ginsberg, Nochum