By Julia Gergely, New York Jewish Week In March 2022, Jack Waksal thought he recognized Sam Ron, the keynote speaker at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual South Florida dinner in Boca Raton. But he couldn’t quite place him — after all, at 97, Waksal had met thousands of people

Steve Markman, commander of Dayton’s Jewish War Veterans Post #587 — who served on and off in that role since 2008 — died Jan. 2. He was 76. Under his leadership, the post volunteered at the Dayton VA Medical Center, participated in naturalization ceremonies to welcome new citizens, coordinated the

The community is invited to attend the Dayton area’s Scout Shabbat service, 9:30 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 10 at Beth Abraham Synagogue. The service will honor participating Scouts, Scouters, and Scout Alumni. Scouts of all faiths are welcome. Current Scouts and Scouters are asked to register at miamivalleybsa.org/calendar and to wear

Judaism’s Worldview Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer The brainchild of Jewish philanthropist Harold Grinspoon, PJ Library is a free Jewish book club for families that provides more than 1,100 unique stories for celebrating Jewish values, traditions, and culture, and strengthening Jewish connection and

Josh Alpert, Dayton BBYO city director, has been nominated by the chapter’s teens for the David Bittker Unsung Hero Award, an award presented annually by the international BBYO organization to an outstanding adviser who demonstrates integrity, humility, dedication, and hard work. Josh not only serves the area’s Jewish teens; he’s

Muki Jankelowitz, Temple Israel’s tour guide on past trips to Israel, will lead a free, three-part Zoom series, Complicated History: Zionism, Antisemitism, and the Middle East, at 4 p.m., Sundays, Feb. 4, 11, and 18. A licensed Israel tour guide, Jankelowitz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. After he made

Temple Anshe Emeth in Piqua, Temple Beth Or in Washington Township, and Temple Israel in Dayton were among more than 200 Jewish institutions across the United States to receive email bomb threats at the end of December. The three area temples received these “swatting” threats at 8:25 a.m. on Tuesday,

Look for Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site!     To read the complete February 2024 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

Lorraine Fortner passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on Jan. 2. Lorraine was born in Terre Haute, Ind. She graduated from Indiana State University, then from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in Virginia. She worked at LexisNexis for over 40

Jewish texts inspire the universal messages in Toronto native’s paintings. By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Elyssa Wortzman had just arrived in Dayton in the fall of 2022 when she was invited to join the Women Strong Art Project. “This group of women artists was looking for a Jewish