By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Rabbi Janice Garfunkel, who served as the rabbi of Temple Sholom in Springfield from 2004 to 2010, died on Oct. 26 in Cincinnati after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 54. Born in New Jersey, she and her family moved to

How the Great Dayton Flood shifted the course of Jewish life here By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer For nearly three days, the Israel family huddled on the roof and in the attic of their home, 241 Sycamore St. in Dayton. Trapped above the waters March 23-25 during the

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Two note cards are pinned to the bulletin board next to Barry Serotkin’s desk.  One reads, “Stay Calm. Carry On.” The other has one word: “Think.” Barry says he posted those messages “just as reminders that we should show everybody the proper respect.”

Above, you’ll see the sheet music cover for a Yiddish song. Written in 1912, The Titanic’s Disaster honors the memory of Isidor and Ida Straus, who bravely went down with the ship in the early hours of April 15, 1912. If one thinks at all about Jewish connections to the

Bernice Berkenfield, age 96 of Kettering, passed away on Feb. 25 at The Suites at Walnut Creek, Kettering. “Barney” was born June 28, 1915 in Pittsburgh, Pa. to the late Benjamin and Rhea (Klineman) Steinberg. She was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Morton R. Dworken of

Availability of kosher food sheds light on immigration via England By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Of the 2,225 people aboard Titanic on its maiden voyage, 1,512 perished in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic when the ship went down in the early hours of April 15, 1912.

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Manchester, England is home to an estimated 20-30,000 Jews, roughly 40 percent of whom keep kosher. Three of the community’s six kosher butcher/delicatessen shops are run by Richard Hyman and his wife, Joanna. The 99-year-old family business, known to locals as “Titanics,” was

The story of Leah and ‘Filly’ Aks By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer When Titanic departed on its first and last voyage from Southampton, England on Wednesday, April 10, 1912, 18-year-old Jewish immigrant Leah Aks and her 10-month-old son, Philip were on board. Passover had concluded the day before.

Great-grandson reflects on lives, deaths of Isidor & Ida Straus By Masada Siegel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer It’s one of the great love stories of modern times, filled with honor, integrity and the ultimate act of selflessness. Isidor and Ida Straus were first-class passengers on Titanic. Ida was

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer No one knows for certain how many Jewish passengers were on board Titanic, let alone how many of them died. Of the more than 1,500 people who went down with Titanic, ships later recovered only 340 bodies. A review of the list of