Opinion By Michael Berenbaum No one compares to Adolf Hitler. He was incomparably evil. Nothing in American politics compares to Nazism. Nothing, not now — and hopefully never! And yet, I am grateful to Donald Trump because he has made my job of explaining the rise of Nazism and political

By Rabbi Tina Sobo, Temple Israel In my pre-rabbi life, I was a competitive swimmer. As I entered Hebrew Union College for rabbinical school, I was coming off 18 years of a life that involved a lot of chlorine. Unlike many of my soon-to-be colleagues, my resumé was not speckled with

By Jennifer Stempel, JTA       Cuban-Style ArrozCon Pollo Chicken and rice, arroz con pollo is a dish for which every Latin country has its own unique spin. Some use beer versus wine, or crushed annatto rather than saffron. It’s affordable, it’s rich with flavor, and it’s visually gratifying. And

Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site.     To read the complete November 2016 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

Back to Basics series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer In a study of murderers and drunk driving felons at the infamous Huntsville, Texas prison, Dr. Stuart Brown noted the striking absence of play in every one of their life stories. Intrigued, Brown created the

With Rachel Haug Gilbert, The Dayton Jewish Observer The Wesley Community Center in West Dayton honored Jeffrey Swillinger as one of the Top 10 Most Influential People in the center’s 50 years. Jeff has served on the board of directors as well as led the effort to set up its

Michelle Francine Gwynne (Himmell). A consummate musician, scholar, teacher, daughter, and sister lost her battle with cancer on Sept. 25, 2016, in Fort Mitchell, Ky. Ms. Gwynne was born Sept. 13, 1957 in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. to Roger and Vivienne Himmell of Dayton. She was preceded in death by her

By Michelle Tedford, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Karen Levin stood beside a field of yellow wingstem with flower heads stretching shoulder high, her outstretched arm motioning to the blooming prairie around her. “This is a paradise for bees,” she said. Levin is the “queen bee” — as her

Part Two: Black/Jewish relations from the Dayton riots through desegregation A Three-Part Series By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Even before Melissa Sweeny began high school at Colonel White in 1970, she heard about tensions in the building between white and black students. “There were what they were calling riots,”

By Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, Temple Israel Every year, as I prepare for the High Holy Days, I turn to familiar texts to help me refocus on their meaning. For the past few years I have enjoyed rereading Rabbi Alan Lew’s book, This is Real and You are Completely Unprepared. This