By Michael Fox, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer The Kind Words could be described as an exceptionally touching comedy or an unusually funny family drama. Israeli writer-director Shemi Zarhin won’t argue either way. “I write like a director and I direct like a novelist,” he says via Skype from

By Lucy Cohen Blatter, JTA “I thought it was just going to be about falafel and hummus.” That was the perception of Israeli cuisine that filmmaker Roger Sherman had when he reluctantly decided to accompany his friend, the acclaimed Jewish cookbook writer Joan Nathan, on a food tour of Israel in

By Michael Fox, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Americans of a certain age fervently recall the “miracle on ice” at the 1980 Olympics. Three years earlier, Israelis celebrated their own iconic sports moment — also involving the Soviet Union. Los Angeles-based filmmaker Dani Menkin grew up in Tel Aviv,

Review By Michael Fox, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Movies about Jews evading the Holocaust are, frankly, irresistible. We never tire of these celluloid beacons of hope, not least because we can never forget that the victims greatly outnumbered the escapees. The challenge that filmmakers face in this area

A few weeks before the official start of this year’s Film Fest, the JCC will offer a sneak peek at the 1979 cult comedy The Frisco Kid, starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 2 at The Neon. Directed by Robert Aldrich (What Ever Happened

By Rabbi Judy Chessin, Temple Beth Or At the center of the Torah, the very heart of the book of Leviticus, lies a fundamental teaching of Judaism: “Love your neighbor as yourself (19:18).” Rabbi Akiva concluded that it is the major principle of the Torah (Palestinian Talmud Nedarim 9:4) and

Jewish Family Education Back To Basics Series with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Fiercely independent, Dad was not one to let go easily. In his 80s, he was making three meals each day, caring for his own yard, and maintaining his own house. When he broke his leg

Recipes and Photos, By Elizabeth Kurtz, JNS.org Everyone needs crowd-pleasing recipes we can turn to over and over again. This is important for every holiday, but especially for Passover, when ingredients are usually more limited. At the heart of every Jewish celebration is family or friends gathered around the table

With Rachel Haug Gilbert, The Dayton Jewish Observer Rachel Shon, a registered, licensed occupational therapist at Miami Valley Hospital, will be a featured panelist at the American Occupational Therapist Association meeting in Philadelphia on the topic, Occupational Therapy’s Distinct Value in Mental Health Promotion, Prevention, and Intervention in All Settings

Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month at this site and in The Dayton Jewish Observer     To read the complete April 2017 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.