Hillel Chinese celebration   Hillel Academy kindergartners and first graders helped art teacher Scott Gibbs build this dragon puppet, which the students paraded in the lunch room on Jan. 26, the Chinese new year   By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Students, faculty and staff of Hillel Academy Jewish

Ophir Azoulay profile   Ophir Azoulay with his IDF reserve unit at the Philadelphia Corridor   Beth Jacob Synagogue ritual director returns to IDF for Gaza op By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer From the moment he landed at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport in the early morning hours of Jan.

By Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin, Chabad of Greater Dayton What had changed since last August, when I had first visited Mumbai? Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin The Indian army squad in a sandbagged position in front of the Knesset Eliyahu Synagogue, where Gabi Holtzberg had served as rabbi. The Shabbat meals being held

Joyce Dumtschin 20 years By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Cantor Joyce Dumtschin Every Rosh Hashanah and at a fair number of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs at Temple Beth Or, Cantor Joyce Dumtschin and her husband, Irwin, sing the Debbie Friedman arrangement of Shehecheyanu, the blessing thanking God for

Second local mikvah   Groundbreaking for the Miami Valley Mikvah at Sugar Camp in Oakwood, Feb. 1, 2009.   Miami Valley Mikvah to open in Oakwood By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Only a month after the Dayton Ritualarium Society’s new mikvah facility on the campus of Beth Jacob

Open house at new mikvah The Dayton Ritualarium Society will host an open house for women at its new Rosenberg Dayton Community Mikvah, on the grounds of Beth Jacob Synagogue, on Sunday, March 15 at 10:30 a.m. Ritualarium Society mikvah attendants Chana Fox, Devorah Mangel and Jane Novick will host

Mikvah now open By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Chana Fox, president of the Dayton Ritualarium Society How long does it take to collect 1,200 gallons of rainwater? In the case of the Dayton Ritualarium Society’s new mikvah facility on the grounds of Beth Jacob Synagogue in Harrison Township,

Scout Shabbat 2009 The Miami Valley Council, Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of Western Ohio will host their joint Annual Scout Shabbat at Beth Abraham Synagogue on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 9 a.m. Scouts and adult Scouters of all faiths are welcome to attend; area Jewish Scouts from

Israel Rally January 09 By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer More than 300 people representing 19 Miami Valley synagogues and Jewish organizations came together for a community Israel Solidarity Rally on Jan. 7 at Temple Israel. The event was coordinated by the Jewish Federation. The rally’s message, according to

Religion February 09 By Rabbi Judy Chessin, Temple Beth Or, Chair, Dayton Synagogue Forum Rabbi Judy Chessin While Jews go to great lengths to avoid “racial” stereotypes, science confirms distinctive genetic markers which tie Jewish people to a common Middle Eastern ancestral population. Studies of DNA sequences indicate that Jewish