By Masha Kisel, Special To The Observer Mr. Lieberman, the principal of Solomon Schechter Day School in Chicago, called all the Russian fifth graders into his office. He drew a triangle on the green chalkboard. “This is a Christmas tree,” he said. He drew a cross inside the triangle. “And

By Jane Kaufman, Cleveland Jewish News More than 400 Jews packed Temple Shomer Emunim in Sylvania Township on Dec. 11 to hear about a Holland, Ohio man’s plot to attack two Toledo-area synagogues. Damon M. Joseph, 21, who has the alias Abdullah Ali Yusuf, was arrested Dec. 7 and accused

By Ben Sales, JTA The advance copies of Deborah Lipstadt’s new book, Antisemitism Here and Now, display a cover photo of a white supremacist carrying a tiki torch. But that iconic image of the August 2017 white power rally in Charlottesville, Va. could now be replaced by another one: Police

With Rachel Haug Gilbert, The Observer Filmmaker Julia Reichert is the recipient of the 2018 International Documentary Association’s Career Achievement Award. Her new documentary with Steven Bognar, American Factory, will be screened as part of the Sundance Film Festival’s 2018 documentary competition lineup. In November, the Dayton Chapter of the

The Nosher Tu B’Shevat, the new year for trees, falls on Jan. 21 this year. Thanks to the folks at Jewish National Fund, here’s a one-of-a-kind babka made with the seven species of Israel. The original “tree people,” JNF has planted 240 million trees in Israel to date, making Israel

The Bible: Wisdom Literature Jewish Family Education With Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Grocery shopping with a cranky grandbaby means a quick stroller run-and-toss through the aisles, a task I recently accomplished in a record 13 minutes. While unloading, however, I discovered two overlooked cartons of eggs in

By Stephen Renas Three days after the Oct. 27, 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh that left 11 dead, Jews in the Dayton area came together to mourn. Those from the community at large were invited to participate. In my estimation,

Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site.     To read the complete January 2019 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.  

By Marcy Oster, JTA A Huber Heights man was convicted Dec. 17 of a hate crime for attacking a man he thought was Jewish. Izmir Koch, 33, was found guilty by a judge for his part in the assault of a man smoking a cigarette outside a local restaurant on Feb. 4, 2017.

Edwin Harold Gessel, age 94 formerly of Dayton, died in Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, Mass. on Nov. 14. He was born in Philadelphia on May 20, 1924 to Cecelia and Jacob Gessel. He is survived by children Ira Gessel (Abigail Bordeaux), Louise Gessel (Martin Larson), and Michael Gessel (Marcy Gessel); grandchildren