By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer While being interviewed March 22 as part of an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Public Affairs video series, civilian employee Brian Koontz said the greatest moment of his career was in 2007, “when Israel destroyed a Syrian reactor that was in a

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer Centerville is now the home of U.S. manufacturing for an Israeli company that produces universal, autonomous drone docking and recharging stations. Niv Aharoni, CEO and founder of Strix Drones, made the announcement April 11 at Sinclair College’s National UAS Training and Certification Center. “We were

By Rabbi Tina Sobo, Temple Israel How do we approach seemingly mythical, magical, or otherwise logically implausible creatures referenced in the Bible and rabbinic literature (Midrash, Mishnah, Talmud)? Using Natan Slifkin’s book, Sacred Monsters as a primary source, I explored this question in a recent lecture. One congregant asked why

The power of stories series Jewish Family Education With Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Attacked, stripped, and dumped underground, a teen shivered while the gang debated his fate for disrespecting “the family” and making pretentious claims to power. Traded to local traffickers and transported to a foreign country,

With Bark Mitzvah Boy, The Dayton Jewish Observer Lisa Michaels, who has volunteered with Ohio’s Hospice for several years, tells us that its Pathways of Hope Grief Counseling Center needs male volunteers in particular for its Camp Pathways program for children and teens ages 7 to 17 who have experienced

Marshall Weiss, editor and publisher of The Dayton Jewish Observer and project director of Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History, will present the talk, Judaism and Americanism in Dayton a Century Ago, at 9:45 a.m., Sunday, May 8 at Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. The brunch program is part

Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site.     To read the complete May 2022 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

Eva Strauss Izenson passed away on March 22 at home with her husband and three children by her side. Born in Leipzig, Germany in 1937, Eva grew up in Portsmouth, Ohio. She practiced as a dental hygienist after graduating from The Ohio State University. She enjoyed traveling, playing competitive bridge,

How locals’ families in Ukraine have navigated the Russian invasion By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer As soon as Centerville resident Lidia Zambilovici received push notifications that Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, she called her brother in Israel. “And he’s not picking up. I’m calling my parents in

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer A social media post by a Centerville High School student on Feb. 18 helped administrators identify a student who had vandalized with hate symbols a Jewish Student Union poster in the school back in November. And at Watts Middle School — one of