First public commemoration 60 years ago at Beth Jacob Congregation By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer It was 60 years ago when Holocaust survivors invited the public to the Dayton area’s first community Yom Hashoah memorial service, held April 21, 1963 at Beth Jacob Congregation on Kumler Avenue. But

By Lisa Keys, Kveller.com One of the most — if not the most — iconic Olympic gymnastics moments of all time was when Jewish gymnast Kerri Strug clinched the gold medal in the 1996 Olympics despite having a serious injury. With the encouragement of her coach, Béla Károlyi, Strug continued

Temple Anshe Emeth in Piqua, which was established in 1858, will celebrate the centennial of its current building with an open house, Saturday, April 15, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. The community is also invited to join 10 a.m. Shabbat services that day, led by Rabbinic Intern Anna Burke, with

For this year’s Women of Valor luncheon, Beth Abraham Synagogue Sisterhood will celebrate women who provide spiritual leadership to local Jewish congregations and make unique contributions across the Jewish and general community. The honorees are: • Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz, Temple Israel • Rabbi Judy Chessin, Temple Beth Or • Courtney

American Israeli singer and songwriter Rami Feinstein will perform at the community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration of Israel at 75, Sunday, April 30, 2-5 p.m. at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. Kosher Israeli food by Rochel Simon will be available for purchase at the

But number of children with area Jewish congregations down by 45.6% since 2015 By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Based on data from the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, the identified Jewish households and population across the Miami Valley have hit plateaus after decades of shrinking. The Observer’s analysis

Smith College Jewish Studies Prof. Joel S. Kaminsky and Hartford International University President Joel N. Lohr will lead the 43rd Annual Ryterband Symposium in Judaic Studies, Thursday, March 30 at United Theological Seminary. The symposium is co-sponsored by The University of Dayton, United Theological Seminary, and Wright State University. At

To showcase Jewish life in the Miami Valley for those considering a move here, the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton launched a three-minute video, Are there really Jews in Dayton?, on Feb. 9 at jewishdayton.org, YouTube, and social media sites. The video, directed by native Daytonian Stephen Levinson, features members

Upper Miami Valley & Greene Co. included in volunteer’s chronicles By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Austin Reid, 26, grew up in Lancaster, about 30 miles southeast of Columbus, in Fairfield County. The Jewish congregation there, B’nai Israel, had closed a few years before he was born. “Like many

In the Netherlands, he and his family rescued Jews from the Holocaust By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Longtime Tipp City resident Marinus Bosma — a recipient of the title Righteous Among the Nations from Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel — died Nov. 4 at