By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Two note cards are pinned to the bulletin board next to Barry Serotkin’s desk.  One reads, “Stay Calm. Carry On.” The other has one word: “Think.” Barry says he posted those messages “just as reminders that we should show everybody the proper respect.”

By Martin Gottlieb, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer During the 100th anniversary year of Raoul Wallenberg’s birth, a one-man play is coming to Dayton — having been seen before only in Chicago — that explores his development into a venerated hero. Wallenberg was the Swedish diplomat who saved perhaps

By Cantor Joyce Dumtschin As many of you know from an article in The Observer that was published about a year ago, last September I underwent a stem-cell transplant. I had been diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow cancer, in November 2009. By the end of last summer, a

On Aug. 29, The Ohio Society of Professional Journalists Awards competition announced that columns written for The Dayton Jewish Observer by Rabbi Bernard Barsky and Candace R. Kwiatek received first- and second-place awards in the category of Best Religion Reporting for publications with circulation below 100,000. Barsky, Beth Abraham Synagogue’s

                                Look for Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site.

By Rachel Haug Gilbert, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Daytonian Hilary Zappin, the DJCC’s community outreach coordinator, has traveled extensively as a production assistant with acts such as Garth Brooks, Aerosmith, and Jimmy Buffet. With PC Goenner Talent Agency, she’s placed talent in regional and national commercials and in

By Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin, Chabad of Greater Dayton On Rosh Hashanah, the rabbis tell us, we accept God as our ruler. There is something that is extraordinary here — despite all of God’s eminent qualifications, we are instructed that our role is crucial — for God to be sovereign in

By Michele Alperin, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Ask American Jews about the origins of monotheism, and the first thing that probably comes to mind is the midrashic story of Abraham breaking idols in his father’s house. But Bible scholar Richard Elliott Friedman, professor of Jewish Studies at the

With Charlotte Golden, The Dayton Jewish Observer At the end of the summer, Dr. Charlie Knoll, age 86, retired from his medical practice after 52 years of service to his patients. Charlie and Joan’s son, Aaron, recalls that “Charlie wrote his first prescription for Moses. Joe Bettman filled it.” Joan

Jewish Family Identity Forum With Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Abraham. Moses. Joshua. Solomon. Larger-than-life heroes of the Bible, they embody many of the traits we seek in our leaders today. A dedication to truth and justice, like Abraham destroying idols and arguing with God about the destruction