Jewish Family Identity Forum A series by Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer March 2010 “If there is no God, all is permitted,” argues Ivan Karamazov in Doestoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. After all, without God, who then has the authority to determine right and wrong? The state? Its laws

Can do Dayton area flooded the food company’s Facebook page with fans in online promotion By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer, February 2010 When a representative of the Manischewitz kosher food company e-mailed the Jewish Federation on Jan. 13 that its food pantry had won 500 cans of soup,

Jewish Family Identity Forum A series by Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer February 2010 It would appear that the Ten Commandments have become quite popular lately. After all, you can go into any bookstore and find “The Ten Commandments of…” marriage bliss, fund raising, trimming tax bills, positive

Temple Sholom budget cuts By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer, January 2010 Citing a budget deficit that is eating away at its endowment, the board of Temple Sholom in Springfield informed Rabbi Janice Garfunkel in November that the congregation won’t renew her contract when it expires July 31. “It’s

January Holocaust commemoration By Rabbi Judy Chessin, Temple Beth Or & Chair, Dayton Synagogue Forum  January 2010 Rabbi Judy Chessin While we in the United States are accustomed to memorializing the Holocaust in the spring, between Passover and Israeli Independence Day, many of our European neighbors observe the International Holocaust

An article for Jewish mothers to show their sons By Steve Hofstetter, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer, January 2010 I have spent the better part of the last four years convincing my parents that I don’t need to marry a Jewish girl. Turns out I was wrong. It’s not

Custom of tenaim makes smashing comeback By Ozzie Nogg, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer, January 2010 Under the heading of Jewish wedding customs, one could say everything old is new again. Here’s proof. According to numerous how-to-plan-your-Jewish-wedding Web sites, modern couples have resurrected tenaim (a 12th-century Ashkenazi tradition) and

Difficult relatives By Toby Klein Greenwald, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer, January 2010 Once there was a bride who was upset because her sister-in-law didn’t congratulate her at her wedding. When she confronted her on the issue later, the sister-in-law said, by way of apology, “Really? I didn’t even

His girlfriend got the ring. So why no ring (or even a Tweet) to his mother? By Jeanette Friedman, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer, January 2010 NEW MILFORD, N.J. — With three daughters, it’s a new experience to become the mom of the groom. Especially such a groom. It

By Samuel Heider, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer September 2009 My name is Samuel Heider. I was born in Poland in a small village by the name of Biljkow, 70 kilometers from Warsaw. I was the son of very religious Jewish farmers. My father, oleh hashalom, was a gerer