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

Helen Cohen, age 84, of Lake Mary, Fla., passed away on Jan. 29. Helen was born in New York, Feb. 22, 1939, the first child of Dr. Harry and Rosalie Einhorn. Helen grew up in Dayton and graduated from Fairview High School, later attending Indiana University. She had several jobs

The first biblical epic’s Jewish connections go surprisingly beyond the obvious By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer In the early 1980s, a group of amateur archaeologists discovered the remains of the City of Rameses buried beneath dunes of sand. Over a period of 30 years, with significant fundraising and

By Andrew Silow-Carroll, JTA When I asked Rabbi Diana Fersko why she decided to add to the growing list of recent books written about antisemitism, she referred to Passover. On the holiday, Jews tell and retell the familiar story of the Exodus, she explained, and often add to it. The

Unanimously approved wording expresses sympathy, not blame, in Israel-Hamas war. By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer The Dayton City Commission unanimously passed a resolution Dec. 20 on the “current conflict in the Middle East” that “urgently calls for a cease-fire with the release of all civilians being illegally held

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