Jerome (Jerry) Irwin Sherman, age 76, passed away Sept. 12 after courageously battling a brief illness. His family and friends were with him until his last day and his family was by his side when he peacefully passed. Mr. Sherman was the beloved husband of Janet Shilling Sherman; dear father

Dayton Jewish Observer columnist Candace R. Kwiatek has received the Religion Newswriters Association’s Gerald A. Renner Enterprise second-place award for her 2010 series in The Observer on The Ten Commandments. The first-place recipient was Tony Carnes of A Journey Through NYC Religions website. The third-place recipient of this award was New

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer For the first time in 57 years, Beth Jacob Synagogue will not have a Rabbi Fox on the bima. In a letter to the Traditional congregation’s members dated Aug. 22, synagogue President Dr. Herman I. Abromowitz announced that Beth Jacob’s board voted on

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer This fall, Dayton’s harvest of live theatre yields three Jewish-oriented productions: Neil Simon’s familiar Lost In Yonkers, the rarely performed Abie’s Irish Rose, and the musical Caroline, Or Change. Richard Brock, director of Abie’s Irish Rose, says he’s tried for years to get

By Scott Halasz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer When Cassius Clay beat Sonny Liston for the heavyweight boxing title in 1964, it boosted the career of not one, but two people.Clay went on to boxing and entertainment greatness, eventually changing his name to Muhammad Ali. But in addition to

An interview with pianist Menahem Pressler By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer My first attempt to interview Menahem Pressler was a 9 p.m. call to him at the Adamant Music School in Vermont after his day leading master classes and lessons. “Can you call back in an hour?” the

Jewish Genealogical Society volunteers safeguard family histories for current researchers, future generations By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Molly Blumer’s parents always kept up with their family history. “Then I married Jeff and became Jewish and was very interested in what happened to Jeff’s family in the Holocaust,” says

By Michele Alperin Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer The Zohar, Dr. Daniel Matt says, dares to be imaginative with the Torah, empowering individuals to interpret the story in totally new and individual ways. Most powerful are its views of God. “It is the divine energy that is animating all

Children of the Bible series By Candace R. Kwiatek Of all the biblical children, Joseph has the messiest, most stuffed scrapbook album. A scrap of ornamented tunic. A dreamer’s doodles. Mug shots and princely portraits. His life’s story, a novella told in great detail, is a series of reversals: favored

With Charlotte Golden Can we kvell! Annie Leah Greene has been awarded a full fellowship from the University of Chicago’s Near Eastern Languages and Civilization Department for her Ph.D. in Middle Eastern history. She recently earned her master’s degree with distinction in Near and Middle Eastern studies from the University