By Gabe Friedman, JTA Saul Kaye never wanted to be a “Jewish blues” player. In his opinion, the Jewish music he had heard growing up in Northern California’s Bay Area ranged from “really bad to horrible.” In 2009, he was touring as a rock musician, playing hundreds of shows a

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

Marilyn P. Lebowitz (nee Levine), age 92,of Dayton, passed away Feb. 12 at The Sanctuary at Wilmington Place after a short illness. Mrs. Lebowitz was the owner of The Elegant Bag for more than 20 years, retired from The Secret Ingredient and was a longtime member of Temple Israel. She

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer From 1988 to 2002, Wilberforce University — an historically African-American institution — sent more than 150 students to Israel for summers of work, teaching, and study. The program’s architect, Dr. Eric V.A. Winston, will present a documentary he has produced about its impact,

By Hillel Kuttler, JTA PETACH TIKVAH, Israel — For questions about Israeli food and culture, Corey Baker and Jeremy Bleich were their teammates’ go-to guys. Baker and Bleich, pitchers in the minor leagues and members of the club representing Israel in the World Baseball Classic, are the only ones who

Book Review By Amy Spiro, The Jerusalem Post Walk into just about any supermarket in America and one thing is for sure: Almost half the food on the shelves will be kosher. How did this happen? And who was the driving force behind it? Those are the questions Roger Horowitz seeks

The Dayton Jewish Chorale, led by Cantor Jenna Greenberg, will present a Tu B’Shevat concert at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Cox Arboretum, 6733 N. Springboro Pike. The concert is free and open to the community. Known as the New Year of the Trees, Tu B’Shevat marks springtime

With Rachel Haug Gilbert, The Dayton Jewish Observer Jane Novick is now director of the Court Appointed Special Advocate program for the Montgomery County Juvenile Court. CASA assigns volunteers to children who typically have open cases with Montgomery County Children Services. Volunteers are often social workers or teachers who are

By Ron Kampeas, JTA WASHINGTON — “Cantor Kaufman!” Rabbi Jonah Pesner shouted across the intersection of 3rd and D in Washington’s Northwest quadrant, packed sidewalk to sidewalk with women in pink pussycat hats and their male friends. “A song!” Jason Kaufman, the cantor at Beth El in Alexandria, Va., draped

Back to basics series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer While escorting a visiting Talmud scholar around a Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles, the local rabbi noted that his guest suddenly slowed to a snail’s pace, finally suggesting that they cross the street. The rabbi