The Dayton Jewish Observer won one first-place and two second-place awards from Ohio’s Best Journalism Contest, sponsored by the Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus Society of Professional Journalists, which announced its 2020 honorees today. Marshall Weiss, editor and publisher of The Dayton Jewish Observer, took first place in Best Religion Reporting

A Bisel Kisel with Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer When I set out to teach a course called The Jewish-American Experience on Film at the University of Dayton, I didn’t anticipate that I would talk about race in America. I envisioned a chronological survey of films and television shows

A Bisel Kisel with Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer I was 7 years old on April 26, 1986 when a reactor at the Chernobyl power plant exploded in the city of Pripyat, about 60 miles from Kiev, where I lived. It was beautifully sunny and I was enjoying my

A Bisel Kisel with Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer Mukbang is not as porny as it sounds, although this genre of online entertainment is almost equally voyeuristic. Originating on South Korean television in 2010, the term is a composite of the words meokneun (to eat) and bangsong (broadcast). It

Until we have a better solution, social distancing is the only option we have. A Bisel Kisel with Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer One of the strangest things about living through this pandemic is that those who shelter at home and those on the front lines occupy two different

A Bisel Kisel with Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer I grew up in the Soviet Union in the 1980s and immigrated to Chicago, where I struggled to fit into a suburban Jewish private school. My husband, Sam Dorf, grew up in the vibrant Jewish community of Brookline, just outside

Opinion By Michele Dritz I really enjoy Masha Kisel’s writing, especially her columns where she describes the history and culture of her family, and of Eastern Europe. I often learn something new and get to glimpse things from her unique vantage point. It is because of that enjoyment and respect

A Bisel Kisel with Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer As we begin a new decade, I’m seeing many “best of arts and culture” lists pop up on my social media feed. Paradoxically, in the last 10 years we have witnessed a rise in antisemitism along with a renaissance of

A Bisel Kisel With Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer I met my husband in Chicago, at a Chanukah/Christmas party, where the guests were a culturally diverse group of hungry graduate students who devoured latkes and eggnog with equal gusto. Sam and I smoked, drank, and flirted on the porch.

A Bisel Kisel with Masha Kisel, The Dayton Jewish Observer “Am I white?” is not a question I would have asked 10 years ago because all I had to do was look in the mirror to learn the answer. Since 2016, however, I have become more aware of whiteness as