A look at the Holy Book series by Candace R. Kwiatek, The Jewish Family Identity Forum, The Dayton Jewish Observer My middle-school students recently expressed interest in learning Kabalah. A topic with the qualities of quicksand, Kabalah traditionally is not studied until the age of 40, and even then only

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

A look at the Holy Book series The Jewish Family Identity Forum By Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer In a (N.J.) opinion piece, Revive the dying art of reading, Frank Breslin notes, “Few high-school students read anymore…It takes too long and is too much trouble…” His observation is

A look at the Holy Book: A new series The Jewish Family Identity Forum with Candace R. Kwiatek The Dayton Jewish Observer In May 2012, U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski proposed eliminating the first four of the Ten Commandments when displayed on government property in response to an ACLU lawsuit

The Jewish Family Identity Forum with Candace Kwiatek The Dayton Jewish Observer Bulging suitcases. Brand-new laptops. Sheet sets, storage containers, and a few childhood treasures adorned both bunks of the dorm room. After getting the basics in place, my niece’s parents gave her a hug, some words of encouragement, and

The Jewish Family Identity Forum By Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer There is a legend that following the Revolutionary War, in which the Jewish financier Haym Salomon played a crucial role, Washington asked what he would like in recognition. Salomon replied that he wanted nothing for himself but

Jewish Family Identity Forum Symbols of our values By Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept…” Exiled by the Babylonians from their land, their holy city Jerusalem, and their Temple, the Jews had been stripped of the familiar concrete symbols

Exploring our values The Jewish Family Identity Forum With Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Two weeks after Hurricane Sandy, my brother and his family were still without power. However, with advance notice of the storm, his wife had prepared enough preserved foods to feed the family for weeks,

Living by our values By Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Jewish Family Identity Forum Enveloped by the flimsy bamboo walls and branch-strewn roof of the sukkah, I found myself reflecting upon an unlikely character: Abraham Lincoln. I had recently come across Lincoln’s Great Depression, in which Joshua Shenk

Jewish Family Identity Forum Rituals in Jewish life series By Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer “How incredible is it that a teen leads the worship service for the whole congregation and everyone takes such pride and joy in it!” exclaimed a friend during my son’s Bar Mitzvah luncheon.