The Dayton Jewish Observer, August 2023

Schear throws down Jewish deliMeals gauntlet withbook All The David Moss designs Grace After in comic formBest p. 22p. 6

THE DAYTON Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton

August 2023 Av/Elul 5783 Vol. 27, No. 12

OBSERVER

The Miami Valley’s Jewish Monthly • daytonjewishobserver.org Wikimedia Commons

The Ohio Statehouse, Columbus

What Ohio's voucher expansion means for Hillel Academy

Beth Abraham to install its new rabbi

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Marshall Weiss

Rabbi Aubrey L. Glazer

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DAYTON

Beth Abraham plans weekend of song Aug. 25-27 for rabbi's installation

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Joey Weisenberg, founder and director of Hadar's Rising Song Institute, will lead a weekend of spiritual musical experiences culminating with the installation of Beth Abraham Synagogue's new rabbi, Aubrey L. Glazer, Aug. 25-27.

Hadar's mission is to empower Jews to create and sustain "vibrant, practicing, egalitarian Jewish communities of Torah, avodah (worship), and chesed (lovingkindness)."

Based in Philadelphia, Hadar's Rising Song Institute is a meeting place and incubator for musicians and prayer leaders who seek to reinvent Jewish spiritual music.

Weisenberg — a student and teacher of traditional Jewish melodies — is an instrumentalist, composer, and prayer leader. He is the author of Building Singing Communities and The Torah of Music, winner of a 2017 National Jewish Book Award.

At Beth Abraham, he'll engage participants in communal singing, immersive study, and experimental music making.

He'll lead the Kabalat Shabbat service at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 25 followed by Shabbat

Rabbi Aubrey L. Glazer

Joey Weisenberg

dinner, with a nigun circle after dinner for those who are interested. A nigun is a wordless, mystical prayer melody, based in Chasidic tradition.

Following Shabbat morning services lead by Weisenberg and noon kiddush lunch on Saturday, Aug. 26, Weisenberg will lead the learning session, The Torah of Music.

On Sunday, Aug. 27 at 1 p.m., he'll lead Glazer's installation ceremony.

Glazer arrived in Dayton last September to serve as the rabbi at Beth Abraham, the Dayton area's only Conservative synagogue. He was born and raised in Toronto, received his ordina-

tion from Jewish Theological Seminary, and has served at Congregation Shaare Zion in Montréal, Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco, and the JCC of Harrison, N.Y. The Ruth and Fred Scheuer Life Enrichment Series is the sponsor of Weisenberg's programs at Beth Abraham.

Beth Abraham Synagogue is located at 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood.

The cost of the Friday night dinner is $26 adults, $13 children 3-12, with a $75 family maximum. RSVP to 937-2939520 by Aug. 16. All other installation weekend programs are free and open to the public.

Passing of retired longtime Federation staffers, Mel Caplan and Karen Steiger Two longtime Jewish Federation staff members have died in recent weeks: Mel Caplan at age 86 on June 23, and Karen Steiger at age 74 on July 7. Each was a steady presence during the eras in which they served the Jewish community.

Mel Caplan arrived in Dayton in fall 1977 to serve as director of the new JCC on Denlinger Road in Trotwood, three months before it opened to the public. He significantly expanded the JCC's programming over nearly two decades until his promotion with the Jewish Federation as its chief operating officer in 1996.

Mel Caplan In that position, he oversaw all Federation community services.

Caplan retired in November 2002, after 25 years with the Federation — three months after the Federation opened the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education in Centerville, now the base of operations for the Federation Arts & Culture.........................22 Calendar..................................17

and its agencies. "He gave his all on behalf of the community, a true professional," retired Federation Executive Vice President Peter Wells said of Caplan. "He was dedicated to building a better Jewish community. He was a dear friend who was concerned about others. A true mensch."

Karen Steiger began her job as front desk receptionist at the Boonshoft CJCE the day it opened, Aug. 15, 2002, and retired last year, 20 years to the day.

“For so many years, Karen was the first face to greet parents and children every day here at the Boonshoft CJCE Karen Steiger — home to our early childhood program — knowing the names of each of them," said Federation CEO Cathy Gardner. "We’re grateful for all Karen Steiger and Mel Caplan gave of themselves, and for so many years, in service to our community.”

— Marshall Weiss

Family Education.................... 21 Obituaries........................... 23

O p i n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 6 R e l i g i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 8

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

DAYTON

Hillel Academy: Ohio voucher expansion a 'big win for students' Day school anticipates increased enrollment, stronger footing

By Marshall Weiss The Observer With a significantly expanded EdChoice Scholarship student voucher program as part of Ohio's 2024-25 two-year budget, all families in the state are eligible to receive vouchers toward kindergarten through Hillel Academy Hillel Academy President Andy Interim Principal 12th-grade private school Schwartz Anna Smith tuition beginning with the mum are eligible for 10 percent 2023-24 school year.

Ohio families with an annual of the total amounts.

Hillel's full tuition for the income up to 450 percent of the 2023-24 school year is $10,000. federal poverty level are now "It's a very significant help eligible for $6,165 per child for for families," Smith adds. "HilKindergarten through eighthlel's already a great value, but grade private school tuition, being able to have the assistance and $8,407 for ninth through of over 60 percent of the tuition 12th grades. is pretty generous.

A family of four with an an"There are some families that nual income of $135,000, for exautomatically rule out private ample, is at 450 percent school because of tuof the poverty level. ition. And having that "It's a great change," voucher that expands says Hillel Academy accessibility, I think, of Greater Dayton will make them more Interim Principal Anna open to it. It will help Smith. "And not just students achieve the for Hillel. For students, private-school education that it's a great win." they haven't yet had."

Hillel is the Dayton area's Hillel Academy President Jewish day school, open to JewAndy Schwartz says that Hillel's ish children from kindergarten through sixth grade. Its 2023-24 longstanding policy is never to turn away a child because of a school year begins Aug. 16.

Families above 450 percent of family's inability to pay.

"We do have scholarship the federal poverty level will receive scholarship funding tiered money coming in," he says.

"But sometimes we have to go at lower levels, but at a miniback to the donors to have them increase their amount to cover Related the gap."

More on the new state budget...8 Smith says more than half of

'It's a very significant help for families.'

Bark Mitzvah Boy NOTYAD EHT

Hillel students currently receive financial scholarships from the school.

Schwartz added that the expanded EdChoice vouchers "will potentially provide additional funds to support the school and make it easier to meet any budgetary gaps that arise."

Located on the third floor of Beth Abraham Synagogue at Sugar Camp in Oakwood, Hillel Academy is able to accommodate 50 students in total each school year.

For the 2023-24 school year, 32 students are currently enrolled.

"We are still taking admissions for all grades," Smith says.

"We're open to Jewish students in K to six. We look at transcripts and testing and make sure we can accommodate students' needs."

Schwartz notes that because of the small size of the school, "it is difficult for us to accommodate children with special needs. We don't have the resources."

Smith says children must be accepted to a private school before the state will award the vouchers.

"Parents will contact us. They could technically apply for the vouchers by themselves, but nothing's going to happen until I put them into the system.

Once the application opens up, we'll send it out to all of our Continued on Page Four

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The polarizing issue of state vouchers for private school tuition can pose a dilemma for parents of school-age children. In the ideal case, doing what's best for your child is doing what's best Marshall for your community. And doing what's best for your community is doing what's Weiss best for your child. But in our imperfect world, if you had to choose between doing what you believe is best for your child or doing what you believe is best for your community, which would you choose? My wife and I profoundly experienced the pain of such a choice 17 years ago, when we made the hard decision not to re-enroll our two children at Hillel Academy Jewish day school. At that time, we saw the secular education there as substandard overall.

We wanted our children to have a Jewish day school education. We celebrated the importance of Jewish day school. But not at that cost. Today, we are so happy for the parents who enroll their children at Hillel.

We wish the quality of its secular education would've been as excellent when our children were there.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

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PAGE 3

‘I don’t want our cemeteries to be like the cemeteries of Europe.’ — Helen Ostreicher Halcomb

A

s a child of a Holocaust survivor, Helen Ostreicher Halcomb always thought about the millions of European Jews who weren’t afforded a proper funeral or burial. It compelled her to dedicate her life to preparing people for their eternal rest and protecting our cemeteries for generations to come.

Even without having anyone buried in one of our local Jewish cemeteries, Helen got involved with the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Dayton campaign because she believed we needed to take care of our own. “I saw the need, not only in Dayton, but throughout the country in other small Jewish communities. It’s wonderful that Dayton is being proactive and preparing for our future,” said Helen.

“The thought that our cemeteries would go unattended was frightening,” continued Helen.

“I wanted to guarantee that I’ve done all that I could to help people find their perfect peace.”

Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Dayton is an endowment organization created to maintain our three Jewish cemeteries in perpetuity.

Please join us as we strive to maintain the sanctity, care, and integrity of these sacred burial grounds.

Preserving our Past Ensuring Our Future

daytonjewishcemeteries.org 525 Versailles Drive • Centerville, OH 45459 PAGE 4

DAYTON of national momentum to Voucher expansion degree expand these types of programs."

He says Ohio is now one of eight states to have some version of universal voucher eligibility.

In addition to opening up more opportunities for Jewish families to State's tax-deduction send their children to Jewish day program also benefits Hillel schools, Frank says that with more Hillel Academy has also started leveraging a state program approved potential for growth, Jewish day schools will be able to plan in more with Ohio's 2022-23 budget, Every strategic, intentional ways.

Child Every Family, a scholarship "Particularly among Jewish day granting organization in which schools in areas that are declining donors in Ohio may designate the from a Jewish population perspecprivate school of their choice to tive, a Jewish community/Jewish day receive donations of up to $750 for an individual or $1,500 married/filed school is going to have a difficult jointly and receive the full amount as time growing. So maybe this can reverse some of that." a state tax credit.

Frank estimates there are approxiHowie Beigelman, president and mately 4,500 students in Ohio's 12 to CEO of Ohio Jewish Communities 13 Jewish day schools. Most of those — the lobbying arm of Ohio's eight students, he says, are conJewish Federations — says centrated in the Cleveland the state has expanded the area. tax deduction program with "While there are many in its 2024-25 budget. the Jewish community who "Funding can now be have strong feelings about used to make up the difthis program — both posiference between the full tively and negatively — the voucher that you're getting overall thrust of these proper child and the amount of Agudath Israel of grams is generally targeted tuition. It doesn't have to be, Ohio Exec. Dir. to students that really, really but it could be if you raise Rabbi Yitz Frank need the empowerment that enough, that you can have those scholarships provide," Frank that amount go beyond the voucher says. "It's important to keep in mind amount towards the cost of tuition." that the vast, vast majority of the stuBeigelman notes that Ohio's 202425 budget "may be the best yet for our dents being helped by this program communal priorities in all my time in are the ones that really need it the most, and that's an important value.

Ohio."

Regarding the "massive expansion" Broadening it to make it more widely of the state voucher program, Beigel- available helps sustain the program, because now you have more and man gives much credit to Rabbi Yitz more stakeholders that feel this is imFrank, who has served as executive director of Agudath Israel of Ohio for portant and are benefitting from it."

Hillel Academy's Anna Smith says a decade. Agudath Israel of America is an umbrella organization of Ortho- that four Hillel families have used the previous voucher system. dox Jewry.

Beigelman says Ohio's 2024-25 Frank, who is based in Cleveland, budget "walks a very good line" is president of School Choice Ohio, regarding concerns he's aware of a liaison to the Ohio Department of among Jews across the state.

Education on behalf of Jewish day "We always support public school schools, and is acting president of the funding," he says. "We have Jewish Ohio Council for American Private community members who use public Education. schools, we have Jewish community "Our organization has been inmembers who work there, and if volved for several decades in trying not for us, for our neighbors who go to expand school choice options for there. We wouldn't want to see anyfamilies in Ohio," Frank says. "The thing happen to that. original program that was just re"And that's why this is a great cently expanded got started in about budget, because it does fully fund the 2004-2005, when the now lieutenincreased funding that was required ant governor, Jon Husted, was the for public schools, but it also prospeaker of the House. Eligibility for vides this support for non-public the program has been consistently schools and that choice for parents expanded for the past decade or so. and families."

"We got to the point where there's a critical mass of legislative leaders For Hillel Academy enrollment informathat want it to happen, and famition, contact Interim Principal Anna lies around the state that wanted it Smith at asmith@daytonhillel.org. to happen, and there is certainly a

Continued from Page Three families if they would like to apply for it."

THE DAYTON

OBSERVER daytonjewishobserver.org Editor and Publisher Marshall Weiss mweiss@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Contributors Rabbi Cary Kozberg Candace R. Kwiatek Advertising Sales Executive Patty Caruso, plhc69@gmail.com Administrative Assistant Samantha Daniel, sdaniel@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Billing Sheila Myers, smyers@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Proofreader Rachel Haug Gilbert Observer Advisor Martin Gottlieb Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Mary Rita Weissman President Dan Sweeny President Elect Marni Flagel Secretary Neil Friedman Treasurer Ben Mazer VP Personnel Teddy Goldenberg VP Resource Dev. Dr. Heath Gilbert Immediate Past Pres.

Cathy Gardner CEO The Dayton Jewish Observer, Vol. 27, No. 12. The Dayton Jewish Observer is published monthly by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, a nonprofit corporation, 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459.

Views expressed by columnists, in readers’ letters, and in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff or layleaders of The Dayton Jewish Observer or the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton. Acceptance of advertising neither endorses advertisers nor guarantees kashrut.

The Dayton Jewish Observer Mission Statement To support, strengthen and champion the Dayton Jewish community by providing a forum and resource for Jewish community interests.

Goals • To encourage affiliation, involvement and communication.

• To provide announcements, news, opinions and analysis of local, national and international activities and issues affecting Jews and the Jewish community.

• To build community across institutional, organizational and denominational lines.

• To advance causes important to the strength of our Jewish community including support of Federation agencies, its annual campaign, synagogue affiliation, Jewish education and participation in Jewish and general community affairs.

• To provide an historic record of Dayton Jewish life.

The Dayton Jewish Observer

**Correction** The article Journeys to Judaism in the July Observer incor-

rectly stated that Ryan Lechich began studying for conversion with Beth Abraham Synagogue's Rabbi Aubrey L. Glazer at the beginning of 2023. Lechich first began exploring conversion with Glazer last summer and formally began to study for conversion with the rabbi at the beginning of 2023.

Please recycle this newspaper.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

DAYTON

Conference brings Holocaust, genocide educators from across Ohio to Dayton region Story and Photos

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer More than 60 middle and high school educators from across Ohio who teach about the Holocaust and genocide gathered in the Dayton area June 13 and 14 to participate in the Holocaust and Genocide Education Network of Ohio's summer conference.

"Sometimes you go back to your school and you’re the only person doing this," said HGEN President Tim Murnen, a professor of education at Bowling Green State University, in his opening remarks at Wright State University's Dunbar Library. "After these two days are over, we’d like to build a Holocaust educator network across the state to give each other support in this work."

With the theme Courage, Knowledge, and Community, the conference —

which was free to educators — was the idea of Dayton Holocaust Committee Chair Renate Frydman, founder and director of the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center, housed at Wright State's Dunbar Library.

"Really, the reason we are all here in Dayton today is because of Renate, because of the work that she’s done forever," Murnen said.

"We want to learn new things, we want to talk to each other," Frydman told the teachers. " I know you’re making students’ lives better."

The keynote speaker for the conference was Laura Houghton, education coordinator of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Houghton talked about the museum's resources for teachers — including ready-to-go lessons and the museum's

More than 60 middle and high school Holocaust and genocide educators from across Ohio attended HGEN's educators' conference, shown here on June 13 at Wright State.

guidelines for teaching about the Holocaust. She also facilitated a discussion about teachers' first-person experiences and classroom situations.

Other conference speakers addressed bullying, racism, antisemitism, book banning, and various aspects of the Holocaust and genocide.

Conference attendees visited the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center and toured Prejudice and Memory: A HGEN of Ohio President Tim Murnen and U.S. Holocaust Exhibit, on permanent disHolocaust Memorial Museum Education Coorplay at the National Museum of the dinator Laura Houghton at HGEN's educators' U.S. Air Force. Frydman curated the conference, June 13 at Wright State. exhibit, which has been on display there for 24 years and was renovated last Museum’s Americans and the Holocaust year. exhibit in May and June, its only stop in Day two of HGEN's conference Ohio on its first tour. was held at the Dayton Metro Library HGEN was established in 1986 as an Downtown, which hosted the traveling initiative of then-Gov. Richard Celeste's version of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial administration.

Dayton Holocaust Committee Chair Renate Frydman (L) watches as HGEN of Ohio President Tim Murnen, an education professor at Bowling Green State University, welcomes participants to the first day of HGEN's educators' conference, June 13 at Wright State.

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PAGE 5

DAYTON

Schear throws down Jewish deli gauntlet with All The Best

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Story and Photos

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer Unless you're living under a culinary rock, you know that All The Best Deli opened its restaurant and deli service in late June, just north of the new UDF at Far Hills and Whipp in Washington Township.

In his favorite booth — next to the kitchen — owner Lee Schear's parents and grandmother watch over him in a vintage photo. His family ties to the food business date to 1899, when his Lithuanianborn grandfather began selling food from a horse-drawn wagon on Dayton's West Side. The Schear family ultimately expanded the business to become Liberal Markets, with 48 supermarkets at its peak.

Schear — who has built his reputation starting, growing, and Lee Schear and Carin Solganik at All The Best Delicatessen, which opened in Washington Township at the end of June. Lee is the owner, Carin came up with and selling off businesses such as Superpetz, Cashland, and 247Sports implemented the concept, including recipes for a multitude of food items prepared — dreamed of opening an "authen- there. tic New York deli" for much of his deli in Cleveland in the ‘30s. My dad made his own life. pickles. My family’s a food family.

He's brought in what he considers the best deli I’ve always lived here, even when I was working meats (Sy Ginsberg's in Detroit) and smoked fish at Cleveland. I had an apartment there, I went there (Acme in Brooklyn) to present Daytonians with what all week, and then I would come home on Fridays. I he claims is now "the best deli in Ohio." did that for seven years. And then I retired, right after To those who cherish the tastes and memories of the beginning of Covid, primarily because my mom legendary Jewish delis in America's biggest cities, was 94 and I really couldn’t manage her life from a Schear's All The Best Delicatessen throws down the distance anymore. gauntlet. The name alone dares to challenge his cusI didn't really like retirement. My real passion is tomers. Each true fresser has a gold standard in mind concept development. We went to New York, Cleveof what constitutes an authentic Jewish deli. land, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, and every place I Running the day-to-day operations at All The Best went, I learned something different about how to opas general manager is restaurant/hoserate a deli and something interestpitality industry veteran Bob Posner. ing about sourcing the products. We All this, you may already know. started about a year and a half ago.

Here, in an interview with Schear A lot of what I do, and this is what and All The Best's food maven, Carin I learned in my consulting life, I will Solganik, The Observer shares what's take multiple recipes. Like when going on behind the deli counter and we did the chopped (chicken) liver, back in the kitchen.

I made Lee taste three versions of chopped liver: one broiled liver, one We've all heard about how you're poached liver, and one sautéed liver. bringing in deli from your favorite Schear: And we loved Zabar’s, places. But what do you prepare which is the best we could find. here in your own kitchen?

Solganik: And then I take their recipes and I adjust Schear: We do a lot more than a typical deli. It’s all them to what we’re doing. We make our own chopped Carin's food. This whole concept is Carin’s. I couldn’t liver, we make our own creamed herring. Not only do do this until she retired. She was the head of prepared we cut our own fries, we soak them overnight, par fry foods for Heinen’s (grocery store) in Cleveland, 25 them, and then fry them to order. upscale stores.

We make the horseradish-mustard sauce that goes She’s been with a lot of restaurants, done a lot of with the fries and also serve it with the Vienna Beef catering. And I knew her going back to high school. hot dogs and Gabila's Coney Island Knishes. When we And I said, 'When you retire, we’re going to do the reprint the menu, I’m going to serve the horseradishdeli.' She put the whole thing together. mustard sauce with the brisket.

Solganik: I’ve been in the food business my entire We make our own potato pancakes. We make our life. I learned how to cook with my mother, cooking own chicken soup. We make our own stock, and we for the Jewish holidays: matzah balls and chopped make the soup from the stock. We cook the chicken in liver and chicken soup. My grandparents owned a the soup again and then we use that chicken for our

'The idea behind All The Best is to look at all the best places and steal all the good ideas from them.'

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

DAYTON us — sales go down — but people get what they want. Which is the essence of a good retail business. Give people what they want instead of fighting them.

chicken soup and for our chicken salad the Jewish way: boiled chicken. We make split pea soup (vegetarian) from scratch, borscht from scratch. We make our own matzah balls from scratch with Matzah Project Matzah Meal.

Schear: The idea behind All The Best is to look at all the best places and steal all the good ideas from them. I fell in love with Second Avenue Deli, which I think is the best in the country. A lot of the motif, the gestalt of All The Best, is Second Avenue. Because I just think they do everything right. They have the best food.

How's all going since you opened?

Schear: We’ve been mobbed. The first week we were open, we actually had to shut the doors and go out to people in the parking lot and say, 'Don’t come in, the wait’s too long.’

We were in trouble because we could only park 60 cars. It’s been really double of what we expected. And we have 50 employees.

Solganik: There’s a lot of repeat business. Our Jewish clientele are the most repetitive, three and four times.

Schear: And the hardest customers.

TRIBAL, BOKHARA & PERSIAN

What else do you prepare here?

Solganik: We make our own cole slaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, health salad, Israeli salad, and cucumber salad. We make our own egg salad and we sauté onions and mushrooms with schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), then we add it to the eggs. Chicken salad, tuna salad, all of our salads are made here. We don’t really make any desserts.

Schear: But they’re baked for us to our specifications. Like the cheesecake, which is a rip-off of New York cheesecake.

Deli cases at All The Best Delicatessen in Washington Township.

Solganik: We went through a lot of versions to get the cheesecake that we specifically wanted. them as specials. And getting platters ready for the It's from Sweet Butter Bakery in Cincinnati. We also Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashanah and break-the-fast. use Davis Bakery in Cleveland.

We’re going to do party trays, especially for the holidays. And then we’re going to do catering for offices.

Are there any tweaks you’re working on?

And online ordering.

Solganik: 'Why don’t you have blintzes? Why don’t Schear: 'Don’t you have half sandwiches?' You have you have noodle kugel?' My next thing is going to to order a half sandwich with something else now. I be the specials — noodle kugel, blintzes — to just do think we’re going to start going to half. It’s harder on

Even though All The Best isn't kosher, you sell kosher cheeses in your deli case. How come?

Solganik: I intentionally bought packaged kosher cheese because I believe there are a lot of people who keep kosher at home but still eat out. And I wanted to have things they can take home. And the one thing I knew I could find was a decent kosher cheese that we could keep wrapped and sell in the deli as packaged cheese and that you could buy and take it home and it would still be kosher for you.

And then the challah I have on Friday nights, we keep that packaged, so that is kosher also, however, she uses butter in her bakery (Sweet Butter Bakery), so it’s kosher dairy, not pareve.

Saturday, August 5 Interactive art! Fun for all ages!

September 13—17 Details at DowntownDayton.org

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

EVENT

Preview rugs and more info at bunyaad.com

2504 Far Hills Avenue, Oakwood, OH 45419 540-442-1010 937-552-9466

PAGE 7

THE REGION

What to know about Ohio's 2024-25 state budget An interview with Ohio Jewish Communities Pres./CEO Howie Beigelman

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer Ohio's significant expansion of its voucher program for private school use and its tax credit program for private school benefit are two reasons Howie Beigelman says the state's 2024-25 budget "may be the best yet for our communal priorities in all my time in Ohio."

The president and CEO of Ohio Jewish Communities — the lobbying arm of the state's eight Jewish Federations — shares with The Observer other aspects of this budget that mark opportunities for families and schools.

the cost of one full-time employee. You can use up to that amount.

How will that work?

It will be an application you file, there are grants, a certain amount you’re requesting for a grant. It comes right to the school for the purpose of the grant, and it’s awarded. And then, another program we have is a smaller grant program.

DriveOhio, which is a state agency that focuses on all the new smart mobility stuff the state’s working on — driverless cars and tech stuff — There's now STEM funding available for they work with schools to do coding private schools? days.

We at OJC have seen the need for STEM And we had them come into a education, with more high-tech manufacturcouple of Jewish day schools in Ohio ing coming back to Ohio and other 21st-centuthis year and do coding days, and ry economy jobs. STEM is so critical. they bring robots with them and What other states have done, and the OrOhio Jewish Communities K-12 students learn now to code. thodox Union pushed this in New York and Pres./CEO Howie Beigelman And some of the schools were New Jersey specifically a few years ago on interested in getting those robots afterwards and keepsimilar ideas, they were able to get state funding for ing it going. So this is a grant program that allows STEM in non-public schools. schools that are involved with that program, DriveOWe took their idea, and we made it work for Ohio as such. And we got a couple of different programs set hio, to get some grant funding to help purchase those robots. up for STEM in non-public schools.

The third thing we do is we created not only for One allows for grants of up to $75,000 for STEM non-public schools — but also for community centers, equipment — such as a 3D printer, things like that — JCCs, summer camps, other nonprofits — to work as well as subsidize the cost of a STEM teacher, up to

AUGUST 25-27 WEEKEND

with colleges and create STEM workforce training certificate programs so that K-12 students but also people who are high school graduates or high school dropouts — people who need a little help getting training in the area — get a certificate in some kind of either coding or STEM-related field. Those three programs are totally new.

What is OJC’s role with the increase in state security grants?

Security is an area we worked on a lot for the whole community broadly in the non-profit sector, but schools are a big part of that. Schools and preschools are a big part of that for us, and with a lot of focus on increasing security funding.

We doubled the amount of security grants in the state budget (to $8.5 million per year), and pilot projects to focus on new and emerging threats. Unfortunately, we have the new threats. Fortunately, the state is looking and saying, how can we counter those new threats proactively?

Can you share specifics?

Based on feedback we got from Jewish Federation CEOs, Jewish Community Relations Council directors, and security directors around the state, we made some changes to the program itself: more flexibility in some of the funding.

When we first created the program, the focus was on protecting institutions from attack. You could only put the camera or license plate reader on the premises.

You couldn’t put it on a very high traffic street next to

Friday Night 5:30 A spiritually uplifting and song-filled Kabbalat Shabbat Friday Night dinner at Beth Abraham $26 adults, $13 children 3-12 and $75 family; Nigun Circle to follow RSVP by Aug 16, at bethabrahamdayton.org 937-293-9520

A Weekend of and Please join Beth Abraham in welcoming Joey Weisenberg, founder of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute, for an experiential weekend of sound, song, and learning.

Throughout Shabbat, we’ll explore how melodies can be inclusive, expansive, and build community.

The weekend culminates on Sunday with the installation of our new rabbi, Rav Aubrey Glazer.

Saturday Morning 9:30 Shacharit A song-filled service led by Joey Weisenberg Kiddush lunch and learning - Through study and conversation, Joey explores what it means to be part of a community of song and how music can be part of personal, creative, and spiritual practice.

Sunday Afternoon 1:00 Installation Concert Joey combines original music with ancient prayer, musical virtuosity, and grassroots folksong as we officially install Rav Aubrey Glazer Reception following Sponsored by the Ruth & Fred Scheuer Life Enrichment Series

PAGE 8

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

THE REGION your synagogue or community center for incidents happening on the street.

Now, the program allows for folks to — with permission from local municipalities’ law enforcement — place cameras on a public street. And that’s very powerful.

There are opportunities for institutions like a Federation to potentially ask for a larger grant and cover some things in the community. And it used to be the rule was that you could only have one applicant per address. If you have a campus, there’s one address (but sometimes more than one institution). Now, as long as they can showcase why they need the different things, they can each apply for a grant. You don’t have to pick and choose only one institution this cycle that is going to apply for a grant or will get a grant. More than one could in theory get one.

To confirm, this is in the 202425 state budget cycle?

Yes, though usually the budget takes effect immediately. Some of the funding prospects take the agencies and departments a little time to get

the applications set up based on the changes that are made.

Usually, we see a fall application process for these, and recipients will be announced a few months later, and there may be a second round in the second year.

And there’s also going to be funding for Holocaust education ($1.825 million for the Ohio Holocaust & Genocide Memorial & Education Commission), also for the first time in the budget. We’re here to help, but it’s on folks to reach out and apply for these things.

We had great partnerships, in the bipartisan sense, both in the house and the senate, and the governor’s office as well. In the Dayton area, we had some great members of the legislature who focused on stuff for us as well. We had bipartisan support for everything.

Dayton-area state reps and senators who were most helpful in the STEM, security, and Holocaust education-related amendments were Sens. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) and Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), Reps. Phil Plummer (R-Dayton) and Willis Blackshear (DDayton).

Neo-Nazis protest outside Toledo Jewish Federation campus

By Meghan Walsh Cleveland Jewish News Eighteen neo-Nazis showed up to the Toledo Love Fest in Uptown Toledo and the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo in Sylvania on the evening of July 15 to protest against the LGBTQ and Jewish communities at their respective locations.

The group, called Blood Tribe, was also responsible for the protests at a drag brunch in Columbus in May. Members of the group showed up to Equality Toledo’s Toledo Love Fest at about 7 p.m., according to Daniel Pearlman, vice president of community and government relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo.

“They were outside of the event, there was a security perimeter already established, and they were all masked; they were all wearing the same clothing,” Pearlman said.

“They were holding tiki torches and they were trying to intimidate participants of this

event. So, they were there for about 15 or 20 minutes. Most of the event attendees were ignoring them, or at least trying to ignore them.”

After leaving the Love Fest, the group made its way to the Sylvania campus of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, where it protested in a similar manner with the intention of harassing and intimidating members of the Jewish community, he said, adding that fortunately there were no events taking place on the campus at that time.

The campus consists of the

Sylvania YMCA/JCC, Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo, Congregation B’nai Israel, and Temple Shomer Emunim.

“There was a Sylvania Township Police Department police officer who told them that they’re not allowed on the property. It’s private property,” Pearlman said.

“So, instead, they parked across the street at a strip mall and were walking on the sidewalk on public property, which they were allowed to do, continuing to wear their masks and tiki torches and clothing, Continued on Page 10

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

PAGE 9

THE WORLD

ENROLL NOW! TEMPLE ISRAEL RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

PreK through 10th grade.

School Begins August 20th!

Our progressive curriculum builds from year to year with lessons and activities focused on core topics: Torah, life-cycle events, holidays, Jewish history, Hebrew, comparative religion, Jewish values & culture. Throughout the year, children enjoy specialty classes in Jewish music, dance, literature & art, as well as weekly worship services led by our rabbis.

Together as a community, we build a deep understanding of our faith, a strong connection to our shared heritage, and a sense of pride in our Jewish identities.

Contact Rabbi Tina Sobo at Educator@tidayton.org for more information.

Temple Israel • www.tidayton.org • 937.496.0050 130 Riverside Drive, Dayton, OH 45405 A Reform Synagogue open to all who are interested in Judaism.

PAGE 10

House defense bill targets religious freedom group run by Jewish veteran stitutional,” said Weinstein, a lawyer

By Stewart Ain, Forward.com and former Air Force officer. “It takes A nonprofit founded by a Jewish away from members of the military the veteran to stop the U.S. military from right of free speech.” promoting or favoring any particular Turner, he added, is trying “to assasreligion is the target of an amendment in the annual defense authorization bill. sinate a well-respected large civil rights The amendment, approved July 14 by organization.” Weinstein said more than 900 people — almost all volunteers the House, would bar the Department — run the MRFF. of Defense and its staff The Dayton Jewish Observer The MRFF has drawn from communicating with the ire of conservative the Military Religious Christian groups for its efFreedom Foundation, forts to bolster the division which was founded by its between church and state. president, Mikey WeinAmong Weinstein’s stein. wins: He has convinced the Rep. Mike Turner Navy to remove Bibles and (R-OH, 10th District) other religious materials inserted the amendment from its guest lodges and seven years after the pushed the U.S. Merchant MRFF forced the removal Marine Academy to take of a Christian Bible from down a massive picture of a POW-MIA table at Jesus protecting a lifeboat Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Fairborn, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) of sailors.

Turner’s amendment Ohio. The Missing Man singles out Weinstein. It states that the Table had been set up at Wright-Patmilitary may not “communicate with terson Medical Center's dining facility. the Military Religious Freedom FoundaTurner blasted the removal of the Bible tion, its leadership, or its founder.” in 2016 as an act of censorship.

It also stipulates that it’s forbidden to Weinstein said that after that inci“take any action or make any decision dent, Turner became intent on passing as a result of any claim, objection, or legislation to thwart his group. Staff at protest made by the Military Religious Turner’s Washington office said he was Freedom Foundation without the aunot available for comment. thority of the Secretary of Defense.”

The Senate version of the defense According to Jewish Insider, as of authorization bill does not include press time, the full Senate was to vote any language about the MRFF. But July 18 on a procedural measure to beif Turner’s amendment, which was gin consideration of the 2024 National adopted by the House Armed Services Committee, remains in the final bill that Defense Authorization Act. "It’s unclear yet which and how becomes law, it will prohibit a military many of the more than 600 amendments commander from making a decision in that have been introduced will ultiresponse to an email from the nonprofmately receive debate time and votes on it, or to answer emails or phone calls the Senate floor," Jewish Insider’s Marc from it.

“This amendment is blatantly uncon- Rod reported.

Toledo

Continued from Page Nine and basically just trying to instill fear in the hearts and minds of the Jewish community.”

No Jewish community members were harmed and no vandalism took place, he said. The group left after about 15 to 20 minutes, and the police stayed there the entire time.

“We immediately got in touch with Equality Toledo, which is an organization we have a very close working relationship with,” Pearlman said. “We also got in touch with other community partners who we thought may have a chance at being impacted by these neo-Nazis. We contacted partners in the Muslim community. Toledo has a large Muslim community and a lot of mosques. We all have a close working

relationship. Fortunately, they did not go anywhere else after they came to the Jewish Toledo campus.”

He said that the Federation is grateful for these close working relationships with other organizations and law enforcement.

Multiple jurisdictions, as well as the FBI, were involved because the group crossed city lines.

Pearlman said he believes the decision to go to the Jewish Toledo campus was spontaneous and that the group had originally planned to protest only at the Toledo Love Fest.

“We’re not surprised, necessarily, that a neo-Nazi group decides to harass a Jewish institution, but we weren’t really the main or the initial target,” he said. “It just proves that when one group is targeted, oftentimes another group will be targeted as well.”

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

August 2023 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

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TUE

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— UPCOMING EVENTS — WEDNESDAYS 12:30–3:30PM Open Canasta

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THURSDAYS 2–5PM Mah Jongg

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 13 12-2PM Boomers Cookout

SUNDAY, AUGUST 6 9AM-4PM Mental Health First Aid

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16 5:30–7:30PM Annual Meeting

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 5:30–7:30PM Shabbat in the Park

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CONNECT WITH US! CHECK OUT OUR EVENTS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE OUR CALENDAR AT JEWISHDAYTON.ORG.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 5:30–7:30 PM | BOONSHOFT CJCE, 525 VERSAILLES DRIVE, CENTERVILLE, 45459

It’s Great

in Dayton!

Join us as we honor our outgoing board members, install new board members, and recognize our 2023 award recipients for their contributions to the Dayton Jewish community. We will also explore why it's great in Dayton and the Miami Valley!

Hors d’oeuvres will be served. Dietary laws will be observed.

2023 ANNUAL MEETING for the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton & its Agencies

FREE | RSVP at jewishdayton.org or call 937-610-1555 More details, including a list of board nominations for the Jewish Federation, are available at jewishdayton.org. To request a hard copy of the nominations or for any additional questions, please contact Alisa Thomas at athomas@jfgd.net.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

PAGE 11

August 2023 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

Shabbat in the Park Join PJ Library, PJ Our Way, and Hillel Academy as we celebrate the end of summer break, a new school year, and Rosh Chodesh during Shabbat in the Park. Enjoy a kosher meal, Hebrew hopscotch, kickball, giant bubbles, and the playground.

Friday, August 18 5:30–7:30 PM Iron Horse Park

6161 Millshire Drive, Centerville, 45459

FREE | RSVP at jewishdayton.org

SPONSORED BY

Join us for an afternoon of food, friends, and fun with trivia, raffles, prizes, and more! Free kosher cookout with hot dogs and hamburgers; vegetarian option available.

AUG. 13

12–2 PM

Help JFS support our community! Please bring two cans of nonperishable, nonexpired food items for the Dayton Foodbank.

Questions? Contact Stacy Emoff at semoff@jfgd.net.

BOONSHOFT CJCE 525 VERSAILLES DRIVE, CENTERVILLE | RSVP BY AUG 4 AT JEWISHDAYTON.ORG.

PAGE 12

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

2023

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR INDIVIDUAL FESTIVAL DONORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT!

$2,500+ STUDIO EXECUTIVE Sam Levin Foundation Bernard Rabinowitz

$1,000+ DIRECTOR Gayle and Irvin Moscowitz

$500+ SCREENWRITER Renate Frydman Michael and Rochelle Goldstein Cultural Arts Fund The Gruenberg Family Douglas Hauer and Jack Gilad Robert and Vicky Heuman Michael Jaffe and Judy Schwartzman Barbara Mendelson Cantor Andrea Raizen Stephen Renas The Rubi Girls Sue Spiegel and Lisa Hanauer

$250+ ACTOR Thank you to all those who supported the Film Festival Raffle.

We still have THREE unclaimed winning tickets!

# 814966 # 814974 # 815127

2023 FILM FESTIVAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Theodore Arnovitz Film Festival Fund Michael and Patty Caruso Enrique and Ruth Ellenbogen Marni Flagel Friends of the Community Michael Herrlein and Ann Schenking Gary Holstine – Stifel Investments

Judy Schwartzman – Chair Elliot Ratzman – Vice Chair Jack Bernstein Connie Blum Mike Caruso

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

Linda and Steve Horenstein Susan and David Joffe Joseph and Marsha Johnston Mark and Helen Jones Ed and Marcia Kress Ann R. Laderman Judy Lipton Julie Liss-Katz and Marc Katz David London and Kim Dinsmore Dr. and Mrs. Donald Marger Marlene and Terry Pinsky Norman and Mary Rita Weissman Joan and Peter H. Wells, in Memory of Rebecca Linville

$100+ SUPPORTING ACTOR Matthew and Elaine Arnovitz Jack and Maryann Bernstein Lisa Blum Stanley and Connie Blum Dayton Optometric Center Libby and Ken Elbaum Tara and Adam Feiner Neil D. Friedman Felix Garfunkel Paula Gessiness and Jay Holland Debby and Bob Goldenberg Lynn and David Goldenberg Martin Gottlieb Jane and Gary Hochstein Joan Isaacson Meredith Levinson Cheryl and Franklin Lewis

Alan Chesen Enrique Ellenbogen Ruth Ellenbogen Renate Frydman Felix Garfunkel

Michael Goldstein Michael Herrlein Gary Hochstein Susan Joffe Marc Katz

Beverly A. Louis Linda Novak and Jerry Kuhr Elliot Ratzman Alice and Burt Saidel Dan and Kim Shaffer Bob and Suzanne Thum

$18+ CREW Gary and Andrea Abrams Barbara E. Blauman Frieda Blum Dena Briskin Alan and Judy Chesen Louisa and Phil Dreety Stacy Emoff Helene Gordon Arlene Graham Fannie Groveman Henry Guggenheimer Sharon and Izzy Guterman Helen Halcomb Meryl Hattenbach Judy Heller Jon and Emily Holt Neil Katz and Karin Hirschkatz Kim and Candy Kwiatek Amy Margolin Ruth B. Meadow Eleanor Must Edie Pequignot Cherie Rosentstein Nick and Bobbie Schmall Celia and Jeff Shulman Audrey P. Tuck Diane and Ralph Williams

Ryan Levin Meredith Levinson Dave London Gayle Moscowitz Bernard Rabinowitz

Andrea Raizen Steve Renas Marci Vandersluis

PAGE 13

August 2023 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

Legacies, Tributes, & Memorials FEDERATION

JCC CAROLE RABINOWITZ CAMP FUND In honor of Donald Zulanch’s recovery In honor of Robert Bernstein’s recovery In memory of Martha Moody Jacobs’ mother, Maurine Moody Scott In honor of Noah Baumgarten’s Bar Mitzvah In honor of Mari Jenefsky-Titus’ special birthday

JOE BETTMAN MEMORIAL TZADIK AWARD In memory of Melvin Caplan Jean and Todd Bettman Elaine Bettman Elise Martin

JOAN AND PETER WELLS AND REBECCA LINVILLE FAMILY, CHILDREN AND YOUTH FUND In honor of Bob and Debby Goldenberg’s 55th wedding anniversary In memory of Emily Fogel Joan and Peter Wells

Beverly A. Louis

CANASTA

The Heuman Scholarship Awarded THE JEWISH FOUNDATION OF GREATER DAYTON IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE CHARLIE BLUMER HAS BEEN NAMED AS THIS YEAR’S RECIPIENT OF THE HEUMAN SCHOLARSHIP! Charlie attends the University of Cincinnati, where they are majoring in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Music. Charlie hopes their major will make them a more educated writer when it comes to representing marginalized communities in their stories. After graduation, Charlie would like to have a sustainable career as a screenwriter and singer/songwriter.

CANASTA WITH SUE NELSON AND LINDA SCHUMAN WEDNESDAYS 12:30-3:30PM AT THE BOONSHOFT CJCE | FREE OPEN MAH JONGG THURSDAYS 2-5PM LESSONS WITH CATHY TUESDAYS 5-6PM AUG. 1 & 8 AT THE BOONSHOFT CJCE | FREE

OPEN MAH JONGG PAGE 14

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Charlie plans to further their education by attending the Vancouver Film School after UC. The school offers a one-year non-degree screenwriting intensive, which Charlie says will give them the opportunity to put the knowledge they gain at UC to good use in their writing.

In addition to their studies, Charlie is also very active in the Jewish community. They have served as a youth advisor, song leader, and music teacher at Temple Israel, song leader at Wise Temple in Cincinnati, and as a song leader and creative writing/video specialist at GUCI. Charlie’s proud parents are Molly and Jeffrey Blumer.

Mazel tov, Charlie!

The Heuman Scholarship is made possible through a fund established by Bob and Vicky Heuman. Since its creation in 2006, the Heuman Scholarship has been awarded annually to an undergraduate or graduate student who demonstrates both academic achievement and financial need. The scholarship is open to Jewish students who reside in the Dayton area.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

OPINION

How common is the ‘Common Era?’ Broadway's very How A.D. and C.E. took over counting years Jewish year

By Miriamne Ara Krummel This Dec. 31, people from cultures all around the world will be raising a toast to welcome in A.D. 2024.

Few of them will think about the fact that A.D. signals “anno Domini,” Latin for “in the year of our Lord.” In A.D. temporality — the one acknowledged by most societies today — next year marks 2,025 years since the purported birth of Jesus.

So why are we all toasting this new year, given that most of the world’s nearly 8 billion people aren’t Christians?

My fascination with time was nurtured by the millennium and the hype that surrounded its approach, as the globe anticipated traversing from 11:59 p.m., Dec. 31, 1999 to 12:00 a.m., Jan. 1, 2000.

Convinced that there was some truth to fears about technological disruptions caused by the Y2K bug, I stayed away from the ball drop in Times Square. Instead, I watched the celebration on my laptop and enjoyed trailing journalists’ reports abroad. I began to wonder: How did it come to be that people all over the Earth subscribed to — and were aware of — the temporal system followed by the Christian West? After all, cultures have historically experienced and documented time in a variety of ways.

These questions about time blossomed into a research project and book.

Part of the phenomenon was caused by global capitalism, but I soon learned that another aspect involved the globalization of “anno Domini.” The A.D. system, often called “C.E.” or “Common Era” time today, was introduced in Europe during the Middle Ages. It joined the world’s other temporal systems like the Coptic, Seleucid, Egyptian, Jewish and the Zodiac calendars, along with calculations based on the years of rulers’ reigns and the founding of Rome.

Latin Christendom slowly but confidently came to dominate Europe, and its year dating system then came to dominate the world, so that most countries now take A.D. for granted, at least when it comes to globalized business and government. A.D.‘s ubiquity has almost silenced other ways of thinking about time.

This began during the medieval era, under the influence of educated Christian monks — what historian Bernard Gueneé describes as “anno Domini’s” “conquest of time.”

My recent work as a medieval studies professor focuses on the demonization of Jewish communities in Europe at a time when the A.D. system was gaining prominence and marginalizing the Jewish calendar.

Counting backward

Part of the story of “anno Domini” time takes us back to the fourth and fifth centuries, when Christian scholars like Eusebius of Caesarea and John Chrysostom were trying to calculate what they considered was the beginning of Christian time — in other words, the birth date of Jesus of Nazareth.

Eusebius and Chrysostom were working with the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ birth and death. According to the Gospels, Jesus was arrested around the time of the Jewish holiday of Passover, and the Gospel of John suggests that Jesus was about 33 when he died. Therefore, Eusebius and Chrysostom first tried to determine the date of his death based on Passover dates in the

So, what do you think?

Jewish calendar. But both men failed in their calculations and blamed the Jews for their difficulty. In their twisted reasoning, the Jewish community had postponed Passover in order to make “anno Domini” time impossible to calculate. This accusation illustrates the intense antisemitism common in Europe at their time and which work like theirs helped continue.

But in many ways, the real author of the world’s modern sense of time, the one who decided to choose the date when Year One would begin, is the Venerable Bede, an English monk who lived circa 673-735.

Bede found himself with several calculations he did not approve of, and decided Jesus must have actually been born on Dec. 25, 1 B.C. By his reasoning, in other words, the A.D. system began the year after Jesus’ purported birth. Bede also determined that March 25, 34 A.D. marked Jesus’ death.

Bede, a monk in an important monastery in Northumbria, popularized the A.D. dating system by using it in his work Ecclesiastical History of the People of England, which made him the first historian to tell time by “anno Domini.” The Ecclesiastical History was dedicated to King Ceowulf of Northumbria, written in Latin in 731, and translated into Old English around the end of the ninth or the beginning of the 10th centuries. Still read by many today, it popularized “anno Domini” time by infusing A.D. time into events Bede told about the English people.

Taken together, these ingredients helped A.D. time become the norm. While the Christian calendar is built on and infused with other cultures’ time systems, A.D.‘s popularization contributed to sidelining these calendars to the margins — what postcolonial scholars call “temporal colonization.” For example, the date Bede set for Easter in his work The Reckoning of Time is based on a polytheistic celebration of Eostre, a German goddess.

Eostre has, thus, disappeared into Easter.

Likewise, the fraught connections between the dates of Jesus’ Passion, Easter, and Passover further fueled antisemitism at a time when Jewish communities were also trying to formalize a Jewish calendar.

Changing the name

Approximately 1,400 years ago, when Bede selected a date to begin “anno Domini” time, he perhaps unwittingly started the process of privileging Christian time, which is now near-universally recognized.

Today, many people use the expressions “common era” and “before the common era,” or C.E. and B.C.E., instead of A.D. and B.C. But despite what we call it now, the roots of this system are not “common” but Christian. As the medieval studies scholar Kathleen Davis writes, using C.E. “does little to diminish the effect of a globalized Christian calendar.”

Initially, I too had applauded C.E. as a less Christian replacement for A.D. But today, I’d argue it is just the equivalent of a yellow sticky note placed over it. There’s nothing naturally “common” about the “common era,” and it’s worth applauding all kinds of diversity — even in time — on planet Earth. This year, what will you be toasting at 11:59 p.m. on Dec. 31?

Miriamne Ara Krummel is a professor of English at the University of Dayton. Her third book, The Medieval Postcolonial Jew, In and Out of Time, was published last year. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

By David Winitsky Broadway gave out its Tony Awards in June, and as I kept whispering to my wife, it was “a big night for the Jews.” Leopoldstadt, Tom Stoppard’s Holocaust drama, won best play. Parade, about the lynching of a Jewish man in the American South, won best musical revival. Miriam Silverman (The Sign in Sydney Brustein’s Window) and Brandon Uranowitz (Leopoldstadt) won for signature Jewish roles, and Alfred Uhry, who wrote the book for Parade, spoke while wearing a 2-inch diamond Magen David lapel pin.

It was a very prominent season for Jews on Broadway stages and beyond. The Sign in Sydney Brustein’s Window, Lorraine Hansberry’s second play — with a White, Jewish protagonist — arrived in a starstudded Broadway bow. Prayer for the French Republic at Manhattan Theatre Club — an examination of antisemitism in France — marked a massive turn in playwright Josh Harmon’s Jewish journey.

The Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg raved over Edward Einhorn’s Shylock and the Shakespeareans, a reworking of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, and Second Stage presented Camp Seigfried, a different angle on German fascism. In California, the La Jolla Playhouse tried out Lempika, a musical about the notorious Jewish artist Tamara de Lempicka, who fled Europe for the United States in 1939.

You might see a thesis at work in producing these shows, most of which spotlight Nazis, antisemitism or the Holocaust: They urge audiences to remember and learn from the past to prevent future atrocities at a time when antisemitism is on the rise.

There’s lots to recommend this idea. A history forgotten is a history that will repeat. Representation matters. Giving Jews the moral victory (if not the narrative one) strengthens our resolve. Great artistry in the service of big ideas is a win for everyone.

And let’s not leave out the performances themselves. Uranowitz in particular was brilliant and gave a moving Tony speech honoring his ancestors who were murdered by the Nazis in Poland.

However, I can’t help but admit to some skepticism. I’m drawn by thinkers like Dara Horn, author of People Love Dead Jews, who ask, “By revisiting the history of raging antisemitism, are we just giving violent extremists a to-do list for the future?”

But more important is that today’s Jewish life — even the parts necessarily focused on antisemitism — is radically different than it was 50 or 75 or 500 years ago. Even with the challenges and outright discrimination, the Jewish community today, here and abroad, is more diverse, more free, and more complex than at arguably any time in history.

So I’d like to humbly offer some alternatives for producers and artistic directors who want Jewish representation on their stages. As the artistic director of the Jewish Plays Project, a development house for 21st-century Jewish theatre based in New York and working around the country, I have the unique pleasure to be able to point to the plays written in just the last few years that can change the paradigm right now.

Think about Jewish joy. See Audrey Lang’s amazing character Librarian of the Jewish Soul in her play Birdie & Cait and the Book of Life or the Adon Olam sequence at the end of Mark Leiren Young’s Bar Mitzvah Boy. Think about Jewish ethics. Beth Kander’s Return Continued on Page 16

Views expressed by columnists, in readers’ letters, and in opinion Send letters (350 words max.) to The Dayton Jewish Observer, pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff or layleaders of 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459 • MWeiss@jfgd.net The Dayton Jewish Observer or the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

PAGE 15

OPINION

Groff v. DeJoy is rare Supreme Court decision every Jew can celebrate

By Michael A. Helfand In one of its most anticipated cases of the year, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Groff v. DeJoy in June, significantly expanding the federal protections afforded religious employees in the workplace.

The decision itself was unanimous, reflecting a broad consensus that employers should be doing more than previously required when it comes to accommodating religious employees.

Jewish organizations from across the ideological spectrum — from Agudath Israel and the Orthodox Union to the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism — applauded the ruling as providing long-elusive workplace protections.

This new ruling will no longer allow employers to avoid providing accommodations simply because it comes at some minimal cost.

Employers will now have to prove such costs are substantial when considered in the broader context of their business.

When Gerald Groff took his job at the U.S. Postal Service, he was not required to work on Sundays.

However, after the Postal Service subsequently entered an agreement to deliver packages for Amazon on Sundays, Groff was informed that he could no longer take off on his Sunday Sabbath, as was his custom, which ultimately led to his termination.

The crux of the case revolved around two words in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: “undue hardship.” According to the text of Title VII, employers are

Broadway's very Jewish year

Continued from Page 15 puts todays’ scientific breakthroughs and faith right up against each other; Marshall Botvinick’s poetic To Reach Across a River gives us an Orthodox woman refusing to leave her faith when she adopts a biracial daughter; and Cindy Cooper’s I Was a Stranger Too directly advocates for immigrants through a Jewish lens.

Stage Jewish diversity. Ali Viterbi’s In Every Generation, Molly Olis-Krost’s What We Found and EllaRose Chary’s The Wrong Question show us parts of the Jewish world — Jews of color and queer Jews, among other mixed and modern identities — that haven’t made it to the stage much.

Talk about Israel/Palestine without blowing the roof of the joint. Seth Rozin’s Settlements is nuanced and compelling and real. Alexa Derman’s hilarious and satirical cri-de-coeur Zionista Rising — which just won the JPP’s National Playwriting Contest — brings sharp, contemporary humor to a difficult conversation.

And if you feel you have to talk about the Holocaust and Shylock — and sometimes you do — do it with a new and vital eye. Jenny Berman Eng’s A Moving Picture features a cast of three Jews of color, one Black doctoral candidate and a White student working out how to make a 100-percent true Holocaust film.

It’s a big Jewish world out there. If we can see that life show up at theatres all over the country, we might see a Tony Awards that celebrates brilliant work and moves the Jewish conversation forward — not by being anti-antisemitism, but by being truly pro-Jewish.

By David Winitsky is artistic director of the Jewish Plays Project.

So, what do you think?

PAGE 16

be felt most directly when it comes to requests to accommodate Sabbath observances.

The Court’s opinion indicates that employers will have to consider voluntary shift swaps and modest incentives — such as overtime payments — in order to required to accommodate the religious practices of accommodate a Sabbath-observing employee. their employees, but only if providing such an accomImportantly, this will vary significantly by ocmodation does not present an “undue hardship” to cupation. For example, while a postal worker might their business. reasonably request time off for the Sunday Sabbath, a In this way, federal law balances the religious needs coach in the NFL, where games are mostly played on of the employee against the business necessities of the Sundays, cannot. employer. And the words “undue hardship,” at least Similarly, determining whether the financial buron their face, imply that the employers are expected dens of accommodation are truly significant will also to endure some hardship in order to accommodate depend on context. religious employees, but that obligation ends once the Costs that might be significant for a local grocery hardship to the employer’s business becomes “unstore may not be significant for a corporate behemoth due.” like Amazon.

While the text of the law appears to impose modest, Those differences will matter when deciding how but important obligations on employers, the Supreme much an employer will have to expend when accomCourt — back in a 1977 case, TWA v. Hardison — modating a particular religious practice. provided a contorted interpretation of Title VII that Finally, the court emphasized that accommodations required far less of employers. that trigger deep dissatisfaction from employees — Somewhat counterintuitively, the Court appeared and thereby significantly affect the employer’s busito hold that providing a religious accommodation ness — can qualify as a substantial cost and justify an imposed an “undue hardship” on the employer any employer’s decision to deny an accommodation. time it required the employer to “bear more than a de But the court was careful to constrain these sorts minimis cost” — that is, a trivial or minor cost. of considerations: An employer cannot claim that As a result, if an employer could demonstrate a she can’t accommodate a religious employee because religious accommodation entailed even a trivial cost, other employees have expressed dissatisfaction that is she was off the hook. The court’s decision in Hardison based upon their “animosity to a particular religion, to rejected an employee’s claim to have his Sabbath acreligion in general, or to the very notion of accommocommodated. dating religious practice.”

Hardison’s stingy standard, and its 'Employers cannot To countenance such bias or hostility significant consequences for American hide behind minor would undermine the very purposes Jews in the workplace, is precisely why the law — and, in the words of the inconveniences to of so many Jewish organizations with court, put Title VII “at war with itself.” varying political outlooks – including ignore the requests To be sure, the significance of Groff the Anti-Defamation League, American is somewhat blunted given that many of their religious Jewish Committee, National Jewish states have already adopted heightened employees.'

Commission on Law and Public Afstandards for when religious employees fairs, National Council of Young Israel, must be accommodated.

Orthodox Union (full disclosure: I co-authored the Before Groff, many employees could still leverage Orthodox Union’s amicus brief), and the Zionist Orstate law protections to secure accommodations. ganization of America — all filed amicus briefs before An amicus brief filed by 22 states noted that states the Court in Groff. with broader protections had not faced significant As these briefs emphasized, the lack of meaningchallenges in administering such legal regimes. ful protections for religious employees had, over the Still, the court’s decision will likely provide long years, repeatedly forced American Jews to choose overdue protections to religious employees — fulbetween their faith and their livelihood, most notably filling the long-overdue promise of Title VII. Most when it came to observing the Sabbath and Jewish notably, the decision likely ensures that religious holidays. minorities — whose observances are often out of step But in Groff, the Supreme Court overhauled the with the rhythm of the modern workplace — need not standard for employers: According to the decision, an cast aside their religious commitments as the price of employer must accommodate a religious employee employment. unless doing so imposes “a burden (that) is substantial This new standard is mindful of context and careful in the overall context of an employer’s business.” not to require substantial costs that might undermine So what does this all mean for the future of relia business. gious accommodation in the workplace?

At the same time, the court’s decision is clear that As the solicitor general noted during oral arguemployers cannot hide behind minor inconveniences ments, there are three broad categories where emto ignore the requests of their religious employees. ployees typically seek religious accommodations: In sum, the court’s decision in Groff — and unanischeduling changes such as those required to facilitate mously so — asks employers and employees to find Sabbath observance; dress and grooming policies such workable solutions to conflicts between business as kipahs and hijabs in the workplace; and religious objectives and faith commitments. expression in the workplace, which might include an In that way, it may provide a useful blueprint for employee’s desire to display (or avoid) some sort of navigating a host of recurring social conflicts across religious symbol or message. the human condition.

Under the new standard, employers who seek to reject such requests will have to demonstrate that Michael A. Helfand is the chair in law and religion and granting these religious accommodations would imco-director of the Nootbaar Institute for Law and Religion pose substantial costs. at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, visiting professor and Considerations like administrative costs and modRuebhausen Distinguished Fellow at Yale Law School, seest financial expenditures will be insufficient justificanior legal advisor to the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, tion for denying such requests. This impact will likely and senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Views expressed by columnists, in readers’ letters, and in opinion Send letters (350 words max.) to The Dayton Jewish Observer, pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinion of staff or layleaders of 525 Versailles Dr., Dayton, OH 45459 • MWeiss@jfgd.net The Dayton Jewish Observer or the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

CALENDAR Classes

Beth Jacob Classes: Sundays, 10 a.m. & Wednesdays, 6 p.m.: Beginners Hebrew, Sundays in person w. Rabbi Agar. Wednesdays on Zoom w.

Rabbi Agar. $100. Tuesdays, 7 p.m.: Torah Tuesdays on Zoom w. Rabbi Agar. Thursdays, 7 p.m.: Thursdays of Thought, Ethics of Our Fathers on Zoom w. Rabbi Agar. Saturdays after services: Book of Joshua w.

Rabbi Agar. 7020 N. Main St, Harrison Twp. bethjacobcong. org. Register at 937-274-2149.

Temple Beth Or: Thurs., Aug. 3, 10, 7 p.m.: Chai Mitzvah on Zoom. Sun., Aug. 6, 13, 20, 27, 12:30 p.m.: Adult Hebrew.

5275 Marshall Rd. Wash. Twp. 937-435-3400.

Temple Israel: Tues., Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, noon: Talmud Study in person & Zoom. Wed., Aug. 9, 16, 23, 30, 10 a.m.: Social Justice Commentary w.

Rabbi Bodney-Halasz at home of Cathy Lieberman. Fri., Aug.,

11, 11 a.m.: Living w. Loss.

Sat., Aug. 5, 19, 26, 9:15 a.m.: Virtual Torah Study. Sat., Aug. 12, 9:15 a.m.: Hybrid Virtual Torah Study. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937-496-0050.

Adults

So A Rabbi Walks Into a Bar: Thurs., Aug. 17, 6 p.m. W. Rabbi Bodney-Halasz. Dayton Beer Co., 41 Madison St., Dayton. 1st round on the rabbi.

For info. call Temple Israel, 937-496-0050

Mah Jongg Lessons: Tues., Aug. 1, 8, 5 p.m. Free. Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. RSVP at jewishdayton.org. 937-610-1555.

Temple Beth Or Exploration of the Jewish Short Story: Wed., Aug. 23, 7 p.m. On Zoom. Register at templebethor.com or 937-435-3400.

JFS Mental Health First Aid Training: Sun., Aug. 6, 9 a.m.

Free. Lunch provided. RSVP

by Jul. 31 to jewishdayton.org.

Contact Tara Feiner for info., tfeiner@jfgd.net. Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. 937-610-1555.

Temple Beth Or Friends & Family CPR & Stop the Bleed: Sun., Aug. 27, 9 a.m. RSVP at templebethor.com. 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 937435-3400.

JCC Boomers Cookout: Sun., Aug. 13, noon. Free kosher cookout (vegetarian options available). RSVP by Aug. 4 at jewishdayton.org. Contact Stacy Emoff, semoff@jfgd.net.

Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. 937-610-1555.

Family

PJ Families & Hillel Academy Shabbat in the Park: Fri., Aug. 18, 5:30 p.m. Free. RSVP

by Aug. 15 to jewishdayton. org. At Iron Horse Park, 6161 Millshire Dr., Centerville. 937610-1555.

p.m. Infants-2nd grade. Contact Rabbi Sobo, educator@ tidayton.org. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937-496-0050.

Children & Teens

Chabad Camp Gan Israel: Through Aug. 11. Register at chabaddayton.com. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 937-6430770.

Community

Jewish Federation Annual Meeting: Wed., Aug. 16, 5:30 p.m. RSVP at jewishdayton.org.

Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. 937-610-1555.

Beth Jacob Afternoon at the Movies: Sun., Aug. 20, 3 p.m.

Free. The Chosen. 937-2742149. 7020 N. Main St. Harrison Twp. Beth Abraham Synagogue In-

stallation Weekend for Rabbi Glazer: W. Joey Weisenberg.

Fri., Aug. 25, 5:30 p.m.: Kabalat Shabbat, dinner, nigun circle. $26 adults, $13 children 3-12, $75 family max. RSVP

by Aug. 16. Sat., Aug. 26, 9:30 a.m.: Shabbat services followed by kiddush lunch, learning. Sun., Aug. 27, 1 p.m.: Installation concert, reception.

305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood. 937-293-9520.

2313 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood 937-293-1196 www.oakwoodflorist.com family owned and operated military discount

Temple Israel Prayer & Play at Night: Fri., Aug. 25, 5:30

MAZEL TOV! Guggenheimer-McDonnell Joel and Judi Guggenheimer are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Marla, to Jack McDonnell, son of Mark and the late Laura McDonnell.

Marla has a master's degree in social work from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, and is currently employed as the food insecurity program director with Gateway Region YMCA. Jack is a certified arborist and is currently employed as the assistant community forester with Beyond Housing in St. Louis. Marla is the granddaughter of Paul and Margaret Maranka and Henry and the late Barbara Guggenheimer. Jack is the grandson of Helen and Wayne Seyer, the late Jerry Howery, the late John McDonnell, and the late Marion McDonnell. A November 2023 wedding is planned.

Would you like to receive your own copy of The Dayton Jewish Observer each month by mail?

Email us at jewishobserver@jfgd.net

Bruce Feldman, president of Economy Linen and Towel Service, has been appointed chair of the Sinclair Community College Board of Trustees.

Bruce has served on Sinclair's board in several leadership positions since 2013.

advertising company is owned

by Linda Ohlmann Kahn and Lori Ohlmann. Linda, Ohlmann's CEO, has also been named to the board of the Miriam Rosenthal Foundation for the Arts. Established in 1965 to "further the quality and scope of professional arts available in the greater Dayton area," the foundation's original donors The Ohlmann named it in memory of Group has been impresario, fundraiser, and named one of the Bruce Feldman publicist Miriam Rosenthal.

2023 Best Workplaces in Ohio by Ohio Business Send your Mazel Tov announceMagazine. The marketing and ments to mweiss@jfgd.net.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

PAGE 17

RELIGION

CONGREGATIONS Beth Abraham Synagogue

Conservative Rabbi Aubrey L. Glazer Cantor/Dir. of Ed. & Programming Andrea Raizen Fridays, 5 p.m.

Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.

305 Sugar Camp Circle, Oakwood. 937-293-9520. bethabrahamdayton.org

Beth Jacob Congregation

Traditional Rabbi Leibel Agar Fri., Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. led by Jese Shell Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. Evening minyans upon request.

7020 N. Main St., Dayton.

937-274-2149. bethjacobcong.org

Temple Anshe Emeth

Reform 320 Caldwell St., Piqua.

Contact Steve Shuchat, 937-7262116, ansheemeth@gmail.com. ansheemeth.org

Temple Beth Or

Reform Rabbi Judy Chessin Asst. Rabbi/Educator Ben Azriel Fridays, 6:30 p.m.

5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 937-435-3400. templebethor.com

Temple Beth Sholom

Reform Rabbi Haviva Horvitz 610 Gladys Dr., Middletown.

513-422-8313. templebethsholom.net

Temple Israel

Reform Senior Rabbi Karen BodneyHalasz. Rabbi/Educator Tina Sobo Fri., Aug. 4, 6 p.m.

Fridays, Aug. 11, 18, 25, 6:30 p.m.

Sat., Aug. 12, 10:30 a.m.

130 Riverside Dr., Dayton.

937-496-0050. tidayton.org

Temple Sholom

Reform Rabbi Cary Kozberg 2424 N. Limestone St., Springfield. 937-399-1231. templesholomoh.com

ADDITIONAL SERVICES Chabad of Greater Dayton

Rabbi Nochum Mangel Associate Rabbi Shmuel Klatzkin Youth & Prog. Dir. Rabbi Levi Simon. Beginner educational service Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. 2001 Far Hills Ave. 937-643-0770. chabaddayton.com

Yellow Springs Havurah

Independent Antioch College Rockford Chapel.

Contact Len Kramer, 937-5724840 or len2654@gmail.com.

'What did you hear at Mt. Sinai?'

An open letter to a bar/bat mitzvah student

By Rabbi Cary Kozberg Temple Sholom, Springfield First of all, mazel tov on your upcoming big day!

As you approach becoming a full-fledged member of the Jewish community, we hope that in addition to enjoying the celebration, that you also understand and appreciate the true significance of this milestone in your life: you are now beginning to forge your own unique link in a chain that began over 3,500 years ago…and is continuing!

Perspectives Indeed, it is our fervent hope that you will not be among those who have chosen to stop adding to this chain, but instead, that as you grow into full adulthood, you will continue to nurture the desire to keep this chain going and that it will grow and always be a part of who you are as a Jew. We hope that it will inspire you to eventually have children of your own, who themselves will be new links, and that their children will in turn also add new links.

Now…your reaction to what I’ve just said is probably “Whoa! Hold on! I’m still basically a kid…and you’re talking about ME having kids??”

Yeah…didn’t mean to freak you out. You probably haven’t gotten that far in your thinking about your own future.

Given that you are just beginning your teenage years, you probably haven’t given much thought to getting married and having a family of

August

Av/Elul Shabbat Candle Lightings August 4: 8:29 p.m.

August 11: 8:20 p.m.

August 18: 8:11 p.m.

August 25: 8:01 p.m.

PAGE 18

your own. And that the Torah was thoughts about not just given to the how you will Jewish people, but personally fit into more importantly, the future of the to each individual Jewish people have Jew. probably not yet And therefore, appeared on your connecting to it radar screen. should be an indiSo, let me share vidual, personal a few thoughts experience — an that hopefully will experience that a make what I’m tell- Rabbi Cary Kozberg person has — not ing you a bit less just with their head, “out there,” but instead more but more importantly with personal. their heart! This is really what The rabbis of old taught that becoming a bar/bat mitzvah when God spoke the Ten Commeans: As a new “son/daughmandments at Mt. Sinai, every ter of the commandments,” Jewish soul that ever was and you have been given the opever will be was present at that portunity to personally receive moment. the Torah just as you did 3,500 Now, that does sound kind years ago when you stood with of “out there.” If it’s true, the rest of us at Mt. Sinai. obviously not every soul there But there’s more… actually had a body. But nevThose rabbis of old also ertheless, they imagined taught that not only did that every Jewish every single Jewsoul was there ish soul hear to hear the God speak, words that but each would transperson heard form a bunch what was spoof newly freed ken, according to slaves into a people their own individual with a sacred purpose. ability: men according to their What they were getting at is abilities, women according to this: receiving the Torah is not theirs, the elderly according supposed to be understood as to their abilities, the young acan event that happened “once cording to theirs. upon a time.”

And… if God was truly able It was, and is supposed to to make that happen, then cerbe a personal experience that tainly God was one can relate to in the presable to speak to ent. It’s not enough to just sit every individual in a religious school class and there in a more hear words from a teacher, personal way who heard them from his/her and give each teacher, who heard them from person a meshis/her teacher…all the way sage directed back. only to them.

Nope, not at all!

So…with this This notion that every Jewin mind, let me ish soul that ever existed was make this sugpresent at Sinai is to remind us gestion to you (and if it sounds too weird or silly, well…just work with me for a bit).

If you really want to make your bar/bat mitzvah truly special and truly personally Torah and uniquely meaningful to Portions you; if you want it to be an event that you will remember August 5: Ekev as having been special and not (Deut. 7:12-11:25) just a chore and something you August 12: Re'eh had to go through, try this little (Deut. 11:26-16:17) exercise: A few minutes before the August 19: Shoftim service begins, or just before (Deut. 16:18-21:9) you are called to the Torah for August 26: Ki Tetze your first aliyah, close your (Deut. 21:10-25:19) eyes, take a deep breath, and

imagine yourself going back in time and really standing at the foot of Mt. Sinai with literally all your fellow Jews.

Imagine anticipating with us something that is about to happen — a “once-in-history” experience that will be incredibly miraculous and truly “awe-some.”

Imagine the people there: what they look like, different people from different places, of various color and facial features.

Imagine the sounds you hear that are gradually getting quieter as everybody gets ready to listen.

Imagine the smells: of the wilderness, of sheep and cattle, of your own clothes.

Imagine who is standing nearby: your friends and fellow students, your parents, your grandparents, even your ancestors from the place your family originally came from before coming to America.

Just imagine it all.

And then…imagine hearing the Voice. The Voice speaks the words, “I am the LORD your God…” And when the Voice finishes speaking to all of you, the Voice speaks only to you.

Whatever the Voice says just to you — that's your unique message.

And it’s not just for the day of your bar/bat mitzvah. It’s for the rest of your life.

Even if you’re not able to fully understand or appreciate it —I ask you to just remember it and tuck it away in your head and your heart.

As you move on in your life, as you experience life’s milestones — graduations, marriage, having your own kids — as you face and respond to life’s challenges and celebrate your successes: those are great moments in which to recall, think about, and hopefully gain strength from your personal message.

As you forge a new link in our continuing chain, may you listen to what the Voice said to you so long ago. And may its message continue to inspire and bless you.

And again…mazel tov!

The Torah was not just given to the Jewish people, but more importantly, to each individual Jew.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

RELIGION

And Just Like That star Alexa Swinton celebrates her own bat mitzvah

By Lior Zaltzman, Kveller.com Last year, Alexa Swinton brought us arguably one of the most high profile TV b’nai mitzvah ceremonies of all time — or rather, the “they mitzvah” that wasn’t. Swinton, who plays Rock Goldenblatt in And Just Like That, not only gave us a relatable portrayal of a teen struggling with their gender identity, but also of a teen who struggles to connect with their Judaism.

In the final episode of the first season of the show, Rock refuses to celebrate their Jewish coming of age, and their mom, Charlotte York Goldenblatt, takes to the bima instead — both in affirmation of her own faith, and her own way of accepting her child’s choice around their Jewishness.

In real life, Swinton, a gifted and prolific actress who has starred in shows like Billions and Emergence, is celebrating the return of season two of HBO’s And Just Like That, which premiered at the end of June, and her own bat mitzvah.

Swinton and her family recently boarded a plane to Israel, where she and her older sister, Ava, who didn’t get to experience the Jewish rite of passage because of the pandemic, celebrated in a joint ceremony.

While Rock may have flubbed their bat mitzvah readings, Swinton was highly invested in hers.

“My portion is from Pinchas,” an ebullient Swinton tells me over Zoom, sitting side by side with her Jewish mom.

“I get to learn about the four sisters,” she recounts, “and it’s a lot about feminism…and how women have been trying to make history and a name for themselves for so long. I get to talk about that in my bat mitzvah, which is very exciting.”

It was Swinton’s first visit to Israel, where she has many relatives she’s never met before.

Swinton was also part of

a program that allowed her to honor a child who was killed during the Holocaust — “where you get to learn about their history and kind of give them a chance to also have their own bat mitzvah while you have yours. I think it’s really beautiful,” she says.

Just like Rock and her upcoming character in the Netflix movie Maestro, Swinton comes from a mixed background.

Swinton’s Jewish mother, Inna, emigrated from the Soviet Union as a child. Her father’s family is Scottish (and yes, she is distantly related to Tilda Swinton.)

After the b’nai mitzvah in Israel, the family travels to Scotland on a heritage trip of sorts. “I get to celebrate both parts of my culture and who I am as a person,” Swinton says.

Swinton is very connected to her Judaism, precisely because her grandmother could not practice her faith in the Soviet Union. “Being Jewish to me is more about who I am as a person than the religion,” she says, “It’s beyond God.” She celebrates both Christmas and Chanukah (“I’m not going to complain about eight nights of gifts,” she jokes with me),

While Rock may have flubbed their bat mitzvah readings, Swinton was highly invested in hers.

Craig Blankenhorn/Max

Unlike her character Rock, the gifted actress is very proud of being Jewish.

and her favorite food is her grandmother’s chicken soup (she knows it’s basic, she tells me, but it’s really unbeatable). She loves going to temple, where she talks to friends of her mother and grandmother and learns about their Jewish childhoods.

In fact, the actress has played her mother on stage and on screen, in the Alexa Swinton as Rock on HBO's And Just Like That off-Broadway play and the upcoming short film Kooky Spook, which tells the story of Inna’s young adulthood as a new immigrant in Fair Lawn, N.J., and her first Halloween. They filmed For your Bar or Bat Mitzvah the movie in both Fair Lawn, where Inna’s family landed after immigrating to the U.S., and in Riga, Latvia.

Swinton has been up for a lot of Jewish roles — from Hannah in Fleishman Is In Trouble, where her younger brother, Maxim, did end up getting the role of Solly, to Anne Frank in Disney’s A Small Light.

That role went to another Corner of Far Hills & Dorothy Lane gifted Jewish actress, Billie Boullet, and losing it left Swin2977 FAR HILLS AVE ton a little heartbroken. “Being DAYTON OH 45419 a young Jewish girl, like an actor, your dream role is going to be Anne Frank,” she professTHEFLOWERSHOPPE.COM es — but she was up for both Continued on Page 20

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

PAGE 19

and it makes you feel Alexa Swinton playing, much more connected.”

Continued from Page 19 Maestro and A Small Light at the same time, and at the end of the day “we were super happy” to get that role, she says.

Swinton will play Leonard Bernstein’s youngest daughter, Nina, in the upcoming Netflix movie, Maestro. She did know of the Jewish composer beforehand — “we’re a very musical family” — but she’s done a lot more research to prepare for the role, including spending time at the Bernstein family home.

When she and her mother got the script “we were like, oh my God, this is beautiful, this is about Leonard Bernstein. It’s an incredible script about a Jewish family,” she tells me.

Unfortunately, the timing was not great — Swinton was on a trip with her mother and sister, and had to film her audition in the hotel closet.

She didn’t really think she would get the role. But then she got a direct audition with Bradley Cooper — and the rest is history.

“I don’t really know if I met Bradley,” she jests about working with Cooper on Maestro. “I think I might have just met a modern rendition of Leonard, because he was always on.”

Swinton is proud of the Jewish representation she’s been able to bring to her projects.

“I think it’s wonderful that I’ve gotten to play so many Jewish people,” she says. ”It’s nice just to have something in common with the character you’re

For now, you can watch Swinton playing the moody and lovable Rock in the new season of And Just Like That, which airs a new episode every Thursday until Aug. 3, and which marks the much awaited return of Kim Cattral to the franchise.

This season, Rock will be investing a lot more time in their hobbies. “I think they find a lot about themselves,” Swinton says, “and they wear some pretty cool clothes.”

Swinton tells me she didn’t know her character would be non-binary at first.

“One of the audition scenes was the scene where Rock was like, oh, I don’t really feel like a girl. So I was like, ‘Oh, I’m interested to see where this will go.'”

Ultimately, she was happy to see representation of young people like herself who are non-binary or questioning their gender. “A lot of times, kids that are exploring their identity don’t really have a lot to back off of,” she says. “Like, maybe there’ll be one random TikToker who is 25 years old. It’s great, because finally, there’s someone who’s 13 years old on television, who is trying to figure out who they are as a person.”

She also loves the kind of parent Charlotte is to Rock. “She was so willing to learn. I think that’s really beautiful because that teaches a lot of people that are watching that it’s OK to try and learn and be there for your kid even if you’re not sure what’s really going on.”

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Sonya Sanford

One-Bowl Sour Cherry Cake An Eastern European delight

By Sonya Sanford The Nosher Sour cherries are only available fresh for a few short weeks in early summer. When they’re in season, it’s a frenzy at the farmers’ market to snag a few pounds of these highly-coveted cherries.

While their season is short, you can find them jarred or frozen.

They are aptly named, as they are very sour when eaten raw. When they are cooked with any kind of sweetener, sour cherries transform into something much more palatable and subtly tart.

Sour cherries are native to Europe and Southwest Asia.

They are commonly grown in Eastern Europe. Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine features sour cherries in myriad recipes such as compotes, vareniki, with blintzes or even pickled.

Sour cherries are also popular in Persian, Turkish, and Greek Jewish cuisine, where the fruit is often used in

syrups, preserves, and juice. It is also added to savory dishes like Persian saffron rice.

Sour cherries are especially delicious in baked goods, like this one-bowl sour cherry and sour cream snacking cake. This simple recipe can be prepared with either fresh, frozen or jarred sour cherries, and the sour cream can be substituted with Greek yogurt. The sour cream adds a rich tenderness to the cake that perfectly pairs with the bright acidity of the cherries.

If you’re looking for a pareve alternative, you can make this cake non-dairy by substituting the butter for vegan butter and the dairy for a non-dairy unsweetened yogurt.

2 large eggs 1 cup sugar 4 Tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (about half a lemon) 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. kosher salt ¼ tsp. baking soda 2 cups all purpose flour + 1 Tbsp., divided

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2 cups pitted sour cherries, fresh, frozen or jarred 1 Tbsp. Turbinado sugar (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and line a 9-inch square or round cake pan with parchment.

In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the eggs, sugar, and melted butter.

Whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy, and increased in volume, about two to three minutes.

Add the sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, baking powder, kosher salt, and baking soda and whisk together until fully incorporated.

Add two cups of flour to the bowl, and using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the batter until just combined and mostly smooth — be careful not to over mix.

Dust the pitted cherries in the remaining tablespoon of flour; this helps the cherries from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

Add the dusted cherries to the bowl and mix until just evenly incorporated.

Transfer to the lined and greased baking pan. Top with the Turbinado sugar and a few extra cherries if desired.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a small skewer or cake tester comes out clean.

Cool and serve topped with powdered sugar or whipped cream. Keeps for three to four days stored covered at room temperature.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

JEWISH FAMILY EDUCATION synagogue courtyard into which each isn't it?” the sage observed wisely. The family could pour just one jar of homerooster prince crowed happily. made wine. Delighted with the idea, After some time, the sage requested Chelmers were soon observed adding to a pair of pants from the royal seamthe barrel. stress. As he began putting them on, The mayor arrived to great fanfare the rooster prince protested, "Chickens and visited throughout the day. As don't wear pants!” The sage countered, experience like public embarrassment he prepared to return home, the rabbi "Why should humans have all the comtriggers such an intense reliving of the presented the town’s gift. Surprised and event that complex thinking, perception, fortable things?” pleased, the mayor insisted on toasting A few days later, the sage asked and language processing — core feal’chaim before setting off. for a shirt. The rooster prince glared. tures of human identity — are stymied.

He took a big drink…and spit out “What?” asked the sage. “Why should In Jewish thought, public embarrassplain, ordinary water. “You ChelmI shiver just because I'm a ment or humiliation of another person ers have a wicked sense of humor,” he chicken?” Soon the sage for any reason is considered a grievous laughed amiably as he mounted his transgression, described in rabbinic texts put on socks and shoes to horse. “Wine indeed!” protect his bruised feet. as akin to murder.

When accusations Not long after, the sage The prohibition itself is established began flying among heard his stomach grumin the Holiness Code of Leviticus, but the townsfolk, the ble and asked for a plate illustrations can be found throughout rabbi held up his of food. The very next day the Bible. hands. “Let’s just the rooster prince asked for Before revealing his identity to his make this right. some pants, a shirt, shoes, brothers in Egypt, Joseph asked everyEvery family that one from outside the family to leave the and socks, and a plate of food, wishes to do so will have anand was soon behaving room. Despite his brothers’ earlier acother chance to add their wine tions, he didn’t want to embarrass them like a human again. to the empty barrel in the synagogue The wine barrel. in front of others. A similar circumcourtyard, and we’ll all deliver it to the There was great excitement stance took place in the story of Tamar mayor.” in Chelm upon hearing that the honorand Judah.

Even if not explicitly stated, the Torah able mayor of Lublin would visit, but To spare a transgressor from embardemands more than merely fulfilling the inhabitants soon discovered a probrassment, both the sin offering and the specific commandments. “Ve’asita hayaslem. What gift could such a poor town voluntary burnt offering for the Holy har ve’hatov — Do what is right and good give the mayor to thank him for comTemple were slaughtered in the same in the eyes of the Lord,” Moses teaches ing? A barrel of wine would be ideal, manner in the same public location. in Deuteronomy. This is the standard to but too expensive.

The Torah even commanded that which we must aspire: the standard of a The townsfolk went to see the rabbi, the Kohanim (priests) use a ramp when holy people, the standard of a mensch. ascending to the Temple altar, not stairs who suggested putting a barrel in the that might cause the immodesty of uplifted priestly tunics. If this caution applies for inanimate stone stairs, which aren’t actually embarrassed, Rashi concludes, how much more so when it comes to another person.

“Morality is not just a set of rules...,” writes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. “It is also about the way we respond to people as individuals.”

The rooster prince. The king and queen were distraught. Deciding he was a rooster, their son had begun crowing and pecking at crumbs on the floor, fully naked! Although the king’s wise men had no suggestions, an old sage arrived at the palace one day claiming to have a A Celebration of Fine and Performing Arts cure.

Shortly thereafter, the prince and Thursday, September 21, at 7 p.m. the sage pecked away under the table, Levitt Pavilion clucking and crowing and talking to134 S. Main St., Dayton, OH 45402 gether. “It’s good to live the life we like,

The right and the good The Power of Stories Series

A popular exhibit at one children’s museum is the recycling collection truck with its steering wheel, buzzers, and lever-induced sounds of a revving motor and compacting trash.

Once youngsters have claimed a seat there, it’s difficult to entice them to leave without bodily removal accompanied by kicking and wailing, much to the embarrassment of children and parents alike.

Candace R. Kwiatek However, an unexpected scene played out recently when a grandmother reminded her grandson, “Other children would like a turn. It’s time to share.” His iron grip on the steering wheel, the youngster shook his head.

“That’s so unlike you,” the grandparent responded, with a deliberate puzzled lilt. “You’re a person who’s very good at sharing.” The child looked at the grandparent, then at the waiting children, and promptly got out of the truck.

The renowned psychiatrist and author Rabbi Abraham Twerski offers a similar story from his childhood. “When my father disapproved of something I did, he would say in Yiddish, ‘Es past nisht (That does not become you. It is beneath your dignity).’ I was not told that I was bad, but rather that what I did was inappropriate for someone as good as me.”

These stories suggest that when individuals err, a reminder of their better angels and aspirations preserves their dignity and identity as worthy beings in the image of God. On the other hand, publicly highlighting another's deficiencies either by word or deed provokes embarrassment or humiliation. A related study by psychological science researchers found that simply remembering a socially painful

Wright State ArtsLive!

A kickoff to

Literature to share

• Performances by Wright State dance program students

The Museum of Lost Teeth by Elyssa Friedland. When Toothy notices he’s loose, he panics. What will happen now? And what does a museum have to do with teeth? This imaginative and delightfully illustrated tale for primary ages (and adults) is hilarious all while creatively teaching good health.

• Short film selections by Wright State motion pictures program students wright.edu/artsgala

Picture in the Sand by Peter Blauner. A grandfather who has kept secret the story of his own life in Egypt at the time of the State of Israel’s birth. A grandson who is about to make the same mistakes by fighting in a holy war. Masterfully using email letters between Grandpa Ali and his disaffected American grandson Alex, Blauner draws the reader into a thoroughly engaging story. On the surface it’s a historical fiction thriller, but this novel is also a glimpse into mid-20th century moviemaking, Middle East history, a powerful character study, and a warning about the seductive power of fanatics of any stripe.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • AUGUST 2023

• Visual art creations by Wright State art program students and faculty

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• Wright State music program jazz band and percussion ensemble performances • Musical numbers by Wright State theatre program students

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PAGE 21

Arts&Culture

Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Helen Mirren plays Golda Meir in a new film. They're also (kind of) related.

By Philissa Cramer, JTA JERUSALEM — Helen Mirren will soon become linked with Golda Meir in the minds of many viewers when she plays the late Israeli prime minister in a new film. But the award winning actress has another, real-life connection to Meir: the two are related, Israeli genealogical researchers revealed July 13.

Mirren was in Jerusalem for the Israeli premiere of Golda, the dramatic film she headlines about Meir’s handling of the Yom Kippur War — when Egypt, Syria, and a coalition of their allies invaded Israel and made significant headway before ultimately being rebuffed.

The movie headlined the Jerusalem Film Festival, with a red-carpet screening that evening.

During a press conference before the screening, researchers with MyHeritage presented Mirren with evidence linking her to Meir, who served as prime minister from 1969 to 1974 and remains the only woman to head Israel’s government.

The connection is distant, stretching nine generations back through Mirren’s paternal Russian ancestry, and through marriage only. The genealogy also connects Mirren to two Israeli presidents, Chaim and Ezer Weizman, and to the British royal family.

Still, Mirren — who is not Jewish — said the revelation offered an important lesson.

“It’s miraculous, isn’t it, really? It just goes to show that we are all one family actually,” she said. “In times of divisiveness and strife as I know Israel is in right now…It would be a very good thing to remember that fact.”

Israel’s political turmoil was a central topic of conversation during the press conference.

Mirren and her Israeli collaborators — including director Guy Nattiv and co-star Lior Ashkenazi — reflected on the widespread protests against the right-wing government’s efforts to sap the power of the country’s Supreme Court.

“I am not Israeli...I’ve watched it

'I'm a horribly greedy actress.

All I want to do is play great women.'

from afar these past weeks,” said Mirren, who said at the Berlin premiere of Golda in February that she thought Meir would be “utterly horrified” by the current government’s efforts.

“I’m personally moved and excited when I see those huge demonstrations,” she added. “I think maybe it’s a pivotal moment in Israeli history.”

Nattiv said that he had been attending the demonstrations Helen Mirren attends a press conference ahead of the with his father “to stop this Israeli premiere of the movie Golda in Jerusalem, July 13. crazy thing from happening” and that he had encountered a veteran It shows her deeply struggling over of the Yom Kippur War who compared the deaths of Israeli soldiers who might the current moment to the existential have lived had she heeded warnings of threat that Israel faced — and overcame war.

— then.

In 1974, Meir resigned amid divisions “In a way we are fighting to shape within her party over where to assign the future of our country,” he said. blame.

The film portrays Meir being caught “She understood that as the leader of flat-footed by aggression from neighthe country she had to take responsibilboring Arab countries, then overseeing ity, and she did — unlike many other a military response that transformed leaders who, when things go pearfrom fumbling to triumphant — and shaped, start pointing fingers at other eventually led to Israeli-Egyptian peace people,” Mirren said. “I think that must in 1979, years after Meir left office. have been incredibly painful.”

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Mirren’s connection to Israel dates back to 1967, when she traveled with a Jewish boyfriend to work for a month on a kibbutz in the country’s north. “I’m amazed every time I come,” she said.

Her casting drew criticism for the decision to have a non-Jewish actress play one of history’s most prominent Jewish women.

About the debate over whether roles should be filled by actors whose identities overlap with the characters’, Mirren said, “I adhere to both camps.”

She noted that she collaborated closely with the British theatre director Peter Cook, who pioneered color-blind casting in the 1970s and died last year at 97.

Nattiv said one of his Israeli colleagues had initially suggested Mirren because of her resemblance to his own grandmother.

He said, “I saw the Jewish soul in Helen immediately. We feel like it was the right move.”

Mirren said her motivations for taking the role were simple.

“I’m a horribly greedy actress. All I want to do is play great women,” said Mirren, who won an Oscar for portraying Queen Elizabeth II and has also played Queen Elizabeth I, among other historical figures.

“And Golda was one of the greatest.”

Before Golda hits U.S. screens Aug. 25, Mirren has another major role — as the narrator in Barbie.

She said both movies offered portrayals of strong women, and suggested a possible addition to the mounting list of promotional tie-ins for the hotly anticipated live-action film about the iconic doll.

She said, “I think we need a Golda Meir Barbie, don’t you think?”

C

OBITUARIES Richard "Ric" Blum, age 69 of Clayton, passed away on July 3 after a courageous battle against cancer. Ric was vice president of Ohio Loan Company, a longstanding family-owned business. He served in many capacities at the state and national level of pawnbroker associations, including being named the National Pawnbrokers Association Pawnbroker of the Year in 2014, named the Ohio Pawnbrokers Association 2015 Ohio Pawnbroker of the Year, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Midwest Pawnbrokers Association in 2017. Ric was passionate about the industry and building relationships with others, exemplified by his many articles published in Today's Pawnbroker Magazine. He was a longtime member of Beth Jacob Congregation, Beth Abraham Synagogue, and Temple Israel. Those who knew him know that he was willing to help anyone with anything they needed, and his quick wit and sense of humor would put a smile on anyone's face. Ric was preceded in death by his father, Hyman F. Blum, in 2020. He is survived by his beloved wife of 45 years, Linda Blum; mother, Sylvia Blum; his four children, Stephanie Henning (fiancé James Back Jr.), Michael (Kristin) Blum, Amy (Noam) Siegel, Emily Blum (fiancé Justin Clouser); grandchildren, Joel Henning, Gabriella and Charles Blum, Isla and Henry Siegel, Alex (Mackenzie) Henning, Brandon (Skyler) Henning; brother, Kenneth (Lisa) Blum; nephew, Philip (Rabbi Cantor Lily) Blum; great-grandchildren, Scott Henning, Dominic Henning; great-niece, Sunny Blum, other relatives and many friends.

Interment was at Beth Jacob Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Northmont Education Foundation or Beth Jacob Congregation in Ric's memory.

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Melvin Saul Caplan passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 23. He was born Feb. 14, 1937 in Norfolk, Va. He attended Yeshiva University from 1955 to 1961 and graduated with a master's in social work. He was an Army veteran. He was a varsity wrestler in college and had two nationally published papers on social work. He taught at the University of Dayton for five years. He was the executive director of the Dayton Jewish Community Center for nearly 30 years and subsequently served as the chief operating officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton for several years. He enjoyed puzzles, fishing, reading, playing games, and finding the cheapest gasoline in the city. He is predeceased by his loving wife of 53 years, Carolyn Caplan; his sister Rae Stern; and his parents, Arthur and Rosa Caplan. He is survived by his children, Jay (Rachel), Robert (Kathy), and Richard (Jessica); and his grandchildren, Andrew, Anna, Corbin, and Joshua. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.

Anthony B. “Tony” Char, age 85 of Sarasota, Fla., formerly of the Dayton area, passed away on May 18. He was preceded in death by his wife, Helaine (Moltz) Char, and his parents, Isaac and Beebe Char.

He is survived by his children, Debbie of Sarasota, DeeDee and David (Deb) of Dayton; grandchildren, Brandon (Candi), Brittany (Dustin), Jonathan (Ashley) and Benjamin; great-grandchildren, Carter, Wyatt, Mayson and Liliana; his brothers, Sherman (Joan) Char and Jerry

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remembered as a dedicated, strong, selfless, and loving mother, wife and daughter who devoted her entirety to her family and was loved dearly by them. Monique was born in Paris, France on June 20, 1934 to Estelle and Simon Knoploch. Her early life was disrupted by World War II, however, hidden as a young child, she was among the survivors in her family. After completing school, she embarked upon a career translating foreign films between French and Italian. She visited the United States later in life where she met her beloved husband, David Sterling Margolis, with whom she was married for 41 wonderful years. Monique and Sterling had two children and raised their family in Dayton, in what Monique treasured as among the happiest times of her life. Monique was known as a beautiful and elegant lady. She enjoyed piano, ballet, classical music, literature, and tennis. After Sterling’s passing, Monique spent time in Houston, Palm Beach, and New York City with her children and grandchildren. She gave more to her family than she ever asked for in return and will be dearly missed. She loved life and saw the beauty in life to the very end. She is survived by her son Michael and Mitra Margolis, her son Gregory and Lori Margolis, and her two grandsons, Blake and Jesse Margolis. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery. The family kindly requests that donations be made in Monique’s memory to Temple Israel or to support the research of breast cancer and its cure, to the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. Gifts may be sent to Cleveland Clinic Foundation, P.O. Box 931517, Cleveland, OH 44193-1655 or made online at clevelandclinic.org/giving.

Monique Margolis, age 89, passed away peacefully at home on July 10 in Houston, Texas surrounded by members of her family. She will be

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Jonah Jordan Chesen was born in Buynaksk, Russia on Nov. 16, 1992 and passed away at the age of 30 in Miami Township. He leaves behind his loving mother and father, Judy and Alan Chesen, and his grandmother, Ethel Chesen. He was predeceased by his grandmother, Elsie Mintz; by his grandfathers, Harold Mintz and David Chesen; and by his uncle Jeffrey Chesen. He is survived by his aunts, cousins, and too many wonderful friends to mention. Jonah attended the University of Toledo, Sinclair College, and Franklin University. He loved movies, travel, soccer, hiking, and weightlifting and bodybuilding.

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(Judy) Char, sister-in-law Ruth Moltz and numerous nieces and nephews throughout the country.

Tony was a lifelong golfer and a founding member of the Michigan State University Chapter of Evans Scholars Golf Fraternity. His professional life was spent serving the local governments of Dayton, Troy, and Piqua, Ohio; and Louisville, Ky. Tony was instrumental in the growth and development of each of the communities he served, most notably the City of Dayton. Many of his initiatives are still evident today in each of those locations. He was very active in community association management in Sarasota and the greater area and served as president of each of the communities in which he resided. He was a force and is already missed by those who knew him. Interment at Riverview Cemetery.

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