By Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin, Chabad of Greater Dayton Kentucky native Wendell Berry writes of the genius of the life of the community. He grounded his novels, poems, and essays in the values of the farming community into which he was born. In an essay written more than three decades ago,

The Power of Stories. A Series Jewish Family Education with Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Meir Zlotowitz grew up on the Lower East Side, a crowded, chaotic, poor immigrant neighborhood in the 1940s. There, he excelled in his yeshiva and rabbinic studies, although plagued by stuttering that made

Golden and crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. By Sonya Sanford, The Nosher Chicken tabaka is a western Georgian dish where a whole chicken is flattened and pan-fried while being weighed down by another pan or heavy object. The chicken ends up golden brown and crispy on the

Hillel Academy, the Dayton area’s Jewish day school for grades K through six, has launched a matching-gift campaign for its new alumni scholarship fund. Through Dec. 31, all contributions to the scholarship fund will be matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor. According to the school, the scholarship will

Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site.     To read the complete January 2022 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

Joseph S. Bettman, 92 of Dayton, devoted husband of 67 years to Elaine, passed away on Dec. 17 after a brief illness. Joe, as he was known to everyone — unless they knew him as “Mr. B,” “Doc Bettman,” “Dad,” “Grandpa,” “Zeyde” or “Papa Joe” (anything but “late for dinner”)

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Longtime pharmacist Joe Bettman — a social justice activist and leader of numerous key Jewish community organizations and initiatives over more than five decades — died Dec. 17 at the age of 92. Bettman, who along with his wife, Elaine, and Sister Dorothy

By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Oakwood residents have reported seeing White supremacist flyers affixed to posts at Shroyer Road on the Oakwood-Kettering line, in Oakwood at the intersection of Shroyer and Forrer Boulevard, and along the jogging path to the west of Shroyer on the Oakwood-Dayton line. Sightings

Ann Hagedorn details how — and possibly why — George Koval committed the perfect crime against America By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Five years ago, former Wall Street Journal staff writer and non-fiction author Ann Hagedorn interviewed a 92-year-old man for a story she hoped to turn into

By Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, Temple Israel In the book The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness, Joel ben Izzy shares the story The Search for Truth. It is about a man who gives up everything he cares about in search of truth. He scours the world until at last