Religion, April 2011 By Rabbi Haviva Horvitz, Temple Beth Sholom, Middletown The Passover Seder is more than simply an excuse to bring the family together for a nice meal. It is intended to be an educational experience as well.   That is one reason for the special book with step

Passover recipes, April 2011 By Linda Morel, JTA Chocolate Mousse Meringue Layer Cake is one of the Passover goodies featured in Paula Shoyer’s The Kosher Baker With all the restrictions, are decent desserts even possible during Passover? “My particular talent is working around restriction,” says Paula Shoyer, author of The

Dramatis personae, April 2011 Some of the key players in the Jewish stories of the Civil War Judah P. Benjamin (1811-1884) The first openly Jewish member of the U.S. Senate, Benjamin was the only member of the Confederate Cabinet who wasn’t a slave owner (he sold his sugar plantation and

Books about Jews and the Civil War, April 2011 April marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. There’s more gray surrounding the Jews in Blue and Gray than we might think at first glance. Here are some excellent books to learn more and help bridge the

Lincoln on the penny, April 2011 Victor David Brenner If you look carefully at the bottom left of the engraving of Abraham Lincoln on a penny, you’ll find the initials VDB. President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Lithuanian Jewish immigrant Victor David Brenner to craft the engraving of Lincoln for a 1909

Jews and the Civil War, April 2011 Links between Passover and the Civil War — narratives of national deliverance — are inseparable. For Jews and the descendants of American slaves, spring is the season of freedom. The Civil War began 10 days after Passover 1861 and ended on the eve

Federation archives collection at Wright State, April 2011 By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Professional Archivist Pamela Schwartz, who has organized the Federation’s archival collection over the past three years, shown with Wright State University Public History graduate student Jerermy Katz, who is helping to process the collection. On

Where are the Jews of Dayton? October 2010 Similar shift in all Ohio medium-sized cities. Brandeis researcher: it’s about jobs. By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer According to the Jewish Federation’s analysis of its data and that of area synagogues, the number of identified Jews in the Miami Valley

Newcomers, May 2011 Amenities, hospitality key to encourage new arrivals to stay By Scott Halasz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Ever hear someone in the Jewish community say, “Nobody’s moving to Dayton,” or, “Nobody’s staying?” Don’t necessarily believe it. Newcomers Lucy and Mike Birnkrant with pet Sidney While it’s

Interview with Larry Miller, May 2011 Larry Miller, the man of a thousand appearances, to play the Victoria   The comedian at work in his one-man show, Cocktails With Larry Miller By Masada Siegel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer You’ve seen his face but may not know his name.