
Interim rabbi for Beth Abraham Synagogue
Beth Abraham Synagogue, the Dayton area’s Conservative Jewish congregation, has named Rabbi Melissa Crespy of Columbus as its interim rabbi for the year beginning July 1 while it conducts its search for a rabbi. A native of Freehold, N.J., Crespy was ordained at Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Most

Bark Mitzvah Boy
Look for The Adventures of Bark Mitzvah Boy each month in The Dayton Jewish Observer and at this site. To read the complete July 2021 Dayton Jewish Observer, click here.

Obituaries
Dr. Bernard “Bud” Berks, age 88, of Germantown. A devoted family man, friend, doctor, and pilot, he passed away peacefully June 4 at his home surrounded by his family and lifelong friends. Dr. Berks was raised in Farrell, Pa. and was inspired toward a career in medicine by his childhood

Israel-Hamas conflict spills over to Dayton restaurant menu
Co-owner, also DPS board member, changes menu, apologizes for offending Jewish patrons By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer When Coco’s Bistro co-owner Karen Wick-Gagnet reopened her dining room as the Covid pandemic waned, she decided to include listings of “organizations to learn about and support through donation” on her

Scam alert: fraudulent GoFundMe appears to aid retired Dayton rabbi
A scammer has set up a fraudulent GoFundMe site naming Beth Abraham Synagogue retired Rabbi Samuel Press as the beneficiary. The Observer spoke with Press this morning and he confirms this site is fraudulent. This is a developing story. More information to come.

Jewish Dayton Community Forum on Israel and Antisemitism May 27
The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton will present JewishDayton Together: A Community Forum on Israel and Antisemitism at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 27 via Zoom. Speakers representing the Israeli Consulate, Anti-Defamation League, and Hillel International will provide updates and talk about how the situation

DAI’s lead educator on collection’s Jewish WPA artists
Casey Goldman, lead museum educator with the Dayton Art Institute, will present Art, Government, Hope: Jewish Artists Contribute to WPA’s Federal Art Project via Zoom at 7 p.m., Thursday, June 10, hosted by the Jewish Community Relations Council. She’ll provide an overview of Jewish artists in the DAI’s collection who

Israeli underwater photographer seeks Picture of His Life in Arctic
Documentary screening at Dixie Twin Drive-In opens Dayton JCC Film Fest June 8. By Michael Fox, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer The ocean, in its vastness, suits Amos Nachoum perfectly. It’s big enough for him to hide. Not from the great white sharks, orcas, manta rays, and other large

Listen to our soul’s deepest voice
By Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin, Chabad of Greater Dayton Our holidays each bring out a very particular energy, each one appropriate to the time in which it comes. Yet that energy is meant to infuse us throughout the year. Thus, we do not stop thinking of freedom once Pesach is over,