By Rabbi Leibel Agar, Beth Jacob Congregation Ah, the first day of spring. The sun is shining brightly, a warm breeze gently blows through the trees, branches sway lazily. A few birds chirp their delightful song of renewal and rebirth. And yet, along with spring’s serenity, a more restless time

By Talia Doninger, Special to The Observer Dr. Mimi Zieman scaled the slopes of Mount Everest carrying the weight of her backpack — and her legacy as the child of a Holocaust survivor. In 1988, as a 25-year-old medical student, she served as the expedition doctor for a team of

Sacred Speech Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer While preparing to enter the Promised Land, Joshua sent two spies to reconnoiter the great walled city of Jericho, where they found lodging with the prostitute Rahab. However, they had been reported as Israelite spies to

  Beth Jacob’s Fifth Jewish Women Inspiring Jewish Women luncheon will be held at 11 a.m., Sunday, May 4 featuring the Hon. Susan J. Dlott, Carol Graff, Linda Ohlmann Kahn, Meredith Moss Levinson, Bonnie Beaman Rice, and Mindi Dorfman-Wynne. Sarah Shmoel has been named executive director of the Hillel at

Rabbi Ari Jun, a self-described liberal Zionist, has advocated for the Palestinians. By Sam Fisher and Lonny Goldsmith, cincyjewfolk.com When Rabbi Ari Jun learned that faith leaders were invited to speak at a rally in Cincinnati against neo-Nazis and White supremacy, he quickly responded that he would be there. As

Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site! To read the complete April 2025 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

Jerome Kenneth (Ken) Elbaum passed on March 23. Ken was born in 1930, in Glen Cove, N.Y. to Max and Molly Elbaum. He had two sisters, Beatrice (Bea) Miller and Sylvia Richman, who predeceased him. He is survived by Lenora (Libby), his wife of 57 years. He is also survived

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer University of Dayton Religious Studies Assistant Prof. Abraham Rubin’s first book release brought him to New York for a Feb. 3 lecture at the Center for Jewish History sponsored by the Leo Baeck Institute for the Study of German-Jewish History and Culture. In

Prof. Robert Alter, noted for his translation of the Hebrew Bible among his more than 20 books of criticism, translation, and commentary, will present two lectures about the Hebrew Bible for the 45th Ryterband Symposium in Judaic Studies, at Wright State University, Wednesday, March 26. At 4 p.m., he’ll discuss

By Rabbi Nochum Mangel, Chabad of Greater Dayton As the joyous festival of Purim approaches, we see that its themes resonate far beyond the historical narrative of Queen Esther, Mordechai, and the salvation of the Jewish people. This ancient story offers a profound blueprint for confronting antisemitism, a scourge that