By Masada Siegel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Following your dreams can be the key to opening the right doors. In the case of The Maccabeats, the doors to The White House welcomed this Jewish a cappella singing group to sing at the president’s May 2011 Jewish Heritage Month

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 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

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

The Jewish Internet with Mark Mietkiewicz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Sukkot is almost here and like most Jewish holidays, it’s time to get stuffed. But I’m not just talking about the revelers. I’m referring to the foods themselves. Sukkot — along with Hoshanah Rabah and Simchat Torah —

Dr. Benjamin Schuster, age 89, of Dayton, passed away Aug. 24 after a long illness. Dr. Schuster was a native of Milwaukee and a resident of Dayton since 1957. He was the medical director of the Kettering Cardiovascular Institute, a clinical professor of medicine at the Wright State University School

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