Lincoln on the penny, April 2011 Victor David Brenner If you look carefully at the bottom left of the engraving of Abraham Lincoln on a penny, you’ll find the initials VDB. President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned Lithuanian Jewish immigrant Victor David Brenner to craft the engraving of Lincoln for a 1909

Jews and the Civil War, April 2011 Links between Passover and the Civil War — narratives of national deliverance — are inseparable. For Jews and the descendants of American slaves, spring is the season of freedom. The Civil War began 10 days after Passover 1861 and ended on the eve

Federation archives collection at Wright State, April 2011 By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer Professional Archivist Pamela Schwartz, who has organized the Federation’s archival collection over the past three years, shown with Wright State University Public History graduate student Jerermy Katz, who is helping to process the collection. On

Where are the Jews of Dayton? October 2010 Similar shift in all Ohio medium-sized cities. Brandeis researcher: it’s about jobs. By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer According to the Jewish Federation’s analysis of its data and that of area synagogues, the number of identified Jews in the Miami Valley

Newcomers, May 2011 Amenities, hospitality key to encourage new arrivals to stay By Scott Halasz, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer Ever hear someone in the Jewish community say, “Nobody’s moving to Dayton,” or, “Nobody’s staying?” Don’t necessarily believe it. Newcomers Lucy and Mike Birnkrant with pet Sidney While it’s

Interview with Larry Miller, May 2011 Larry Miller, the man of a thousand appearances, to play the Victoria   The comedian at work in his one-man show, Cocktails With Larry Miller By Masada Siegel, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer You’ve seen his face but may not know his name.

Passover memories, May 2011 My Passover memories By Samuel Heider, Special To The Dayton Jewish Observer   Samuel Heider Passover is celebrated throughout the Jewish world as the Festival of Freedom, the Exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom. But for the 6 million Jewish people including my three sisters,

Religion, May 2011 Choosing life after the Shoah By Rabbi Nochum Mangel, Chabad of Greater Dayton   Rabbi Nochum Mangel About 1,900 years ago, a horrific scene played out. A generation earlier, Rome had put down Jewish resistance and destroyed the great Temple in Jerusalem. Now, Rome was waging a

Children’s author Kate Feiffer, May 2011 A spate of Kate Children’s author brings three programs to town By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer   Kate Feiffer The last time Kate Feiffer was in Dayton, she was a documentary filmmaker. Now, she returns as the author of nine acclaimed children’s

Children of the Bible Series Jewish Family Identity Forum By Candace R. Kwiatek, The Dayton Jewish Observer Pick up a children’s Bible storybook and you’re likely to see the characters depicted as youngsters — Isaac toddling up the mountain to the altar, Joseph taunting his brothers with a coat of