Naturalization ceremony speech On July 14, 1940, my grandfather, Henry Guggenheimer, left Berlin, Germany, and set out on what would become one of the greatest journeys of his life. He, along with his mother, my great-grandmother, had earlier left Stuttgart, Germany, their hometown, for Berlin; and even that passage, short

Rain Pryor Naomi Pfefferman Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles Rain Pryor’s one-woman show comes to Springfield Feb. 4 She solemnly chants the Kol Nidre as the spotlight reveals her silhouette — wearing a hilariously oversized Afro wig. “What’s the big deal if I’m black and a Jew?” Rain Pryor says. She

DJCC Yiddish Club Renate Frydman Special To The Observer Like many people who are first- or second-generation Jews in America, Lynda A. Cohen heard her first Yiddish spoken at home. But she also attended a Yiddish preschool in New York. Historically, Yiddish was the language of the Jews of Central

Piqua congregation Martha Moody Jacobs Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Anshe Emeth, Piqua’s Reform congregation of almost 150 years, has two big problems: people don’t know about it, and the roof leaks. Kate Theise, who composes the Anshe Emeth newsletter, tells of moving to Troy seven years ago and

Interfaith build Michelle Tedford Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer As a warm rain falls on her muddy front yard, Shirley White’s thoughts turn to the flower bulbs and grass seed she’ll soon plant. To White, these musings are about more than the coming of spring. The yard represents a

Rabbi Samuel and Miriam Fox Marshall Weiss The Dayton Jewish Observer Beth Jacob to honor Miriam and Rabbi Samuel Fox for 50 years Some 53 years ago, Miriam Tarczewski, a student at NYU, was fixed up on a date with a young rabbi from Little Rock, Ark. Two weeks later,

Jayne Sachs Charlotte Jacobson Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer On any given weekday, when 6-year-old Sydney isn’t at kindergarten and 4-year-old Gavin isn’t at Hillel Academy’s preschool, Jayne Sachs finds it virtually impossible to get anything work related accomplished. “My kids are at ages where they don’t understand that

Film Fest Vicki Bernie Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Just one finger on his left hand puts his world in motion. Diagnosed as a child with a rare form of muscular dystrophy — Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type II — Ami Ankilewitz was given six years to live. At age

Dayton Jewish Film Fest March 30-April 10 All showings except Opening Night are at the Neon Theatre 130 East Fifth Street, Dayton Special Opening Night Event Thursday, March 30, 7 p.m. at Showcase Cinemas Cross Pointe 6751 Loop Road, Centerville All tickets $7, available in advance or at door. Season

Dor Hadash Michelle Tedford Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer   Andrea Liberman is an artist. When asked to illustrate a healing hero, the 9-year-old used a bright pink marker to trace an outstretched hand tipped with purple fingernails, dropping tzedakah in a box. “I actually learned a new thing