Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site. To read the complete February 2014 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

By Marc Katz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Two college theatre productions dealing with Holocaust themes come to area stages this month, plumbing coincidental learning experiences for both performers and audiences. In addition to training theatre students and entertaining audiences, these productions — Wright State’s The Magic Fire by

By Miriam Karp, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer To celebrate its 45th anniversary, DCDC will present world premieres at its Feb. 8 and 9 performances from three choreographers: Donald Byrd, who received a Tony nomination for The Color Purple; Ray Mercer, who choreographed The Lion King for Broadway; and

Dr. J. Ritter Werner — an organ instructor at Wright State University and religion instructor at the University of Dayton who served as piano and organ accompanist at Temple Israel for more than 16 years — died at the age of 69 on Jan. 5 from complications due to chronic

Beth Abraham Sisterhood has announced its 2014 Women of Valor honorees: Melinda Doner, Helene Gordon, Susie Katz, Harriet Klass, Ellen Leffak, Gayle Moscowitz, and Patti Schear. The awards luncheon, to be held May 7, will also posthumously honor Carol Pavlofsky. Event chairs are Elaine Bettman and Randi Fuchsman. Cantor Jerome

A look at the Holy Book Series The Jewish Family Identity Forum with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer In the calendar of the annual re-reading of the Torah, the focus is now on the Book of Exodus, recounting the tale of the Israelites as they left Egypt, set

Toby Klein Greenwald, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Weddings are about tradition, but they are also about individuality. A number of intriguing, beautiful customs have begun to appear at Israeli weddings in recent years that symbolize the creative thinking of a new generation of brides and grooms. These new

The Jewish Internet with Mark Mietkiewicz, The Dayton Jewish Observer When it comes to the intersection of halacha (Jewish law) and mobile technology, some queries are quite serious. Others are posed with the tongue planted firmly in one’s cheek. Q. Can I bring my iPhone into the bathroom? A. This

Leshon Ima with Dr. Rachel Zohar Dulin, The Dayton Jewish Observer This month, we explore the Hebrew word olam, which is often translated as world or universe. The question arises: did the Hebrews of biblical times who coined the word, comprehend the concept olam in the same way we do?

Kathy Lee Ellison, 67 of Dayton, died on Jan. 4. She surrendered gracefully after an 18-month fight with breast cancer. Ms. Ellison lived in Oxford, Ohio from 1989 until the onset of the cancer in 2012. She was born in Mansfield to Joseph and Lois Ellison. She graduated from Smith