The Dayton Jewish Observer, July 2026

To celebrate Observer at 30, Grace Jewish Federation fundsbook digitization David Moss designs After Meals in comic form p. 22project p. 3

THE DAYTON

OBSERVER

30

Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton

The Miami Valley’s Jewish Monthly

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID DAYTON, OHIO PERMIT NO. 59

July 2026 Tammuz/Av 5786 Vol. 30, No. 11

Celebrating 30 Years

daytonjewishobserver.org

Address Service Requested

Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton 525 Versailles Drive Dayton, OH 45459

BMB

ai1781016837619_DL-JewishObsvr_Ad_MOULIN ROUGE_PR.pdf

1

6/9/26

10:53 AM

DAYTON

Readings of new play about English sisters who saved 29 Jews from Nazis

Playwright Michael London presents two readings of his new play, Those English Girls — 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 25 at Wright Memorial Public Library in Oakwood, and 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 1 at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture and Education in Centerville.

Through their love of attending operas in Austria and Germany, English sisters Ida and Louise Cook helped 29 Jews escape the Nazis in the lead-up to World War II. Those English Girls completes London's Resilience Trilogy series of Holocaustrelated plays.

The first is Anschel, based on the book Anschel’s Story by Renate Frydman about her late husband Charlie Frydman's survival in Playwright Michael Nazi-occupied Poland London

English sisters Ida and Louise Cook

as a slave laborer and then as a partisan fighter when he was a youth.

The second, Varian, focuses on American writer and editor Varian Fry’s time in Vichy France during World War II. There, Fry helped rescue anti-Nazis and Jews, including artists Marc Chagall and Max Ernst, writer and poet André Breton, and philosopher Hannah Arendt.

The development process for The English Girls is sponsored by the Dayton Holocaust Resource Center with a grant from the Montgomery County Arts District through Culture Works.

Wright Memorial Public Library is located at 1776 Far Hills Ave. Registration is required for the reading at the Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., at daytonholocaustresourcecenter@ gmail.com.

Ar t s ............................................. 2 1 Obituaries...................................... 23 Ca l e n da r. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 6 O p i n i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 5 Mazel Tov.................................................17 R e l i g i o n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 8

Happy Anniversary, DJO, with love from your friends at Wright State Classes begin August 24 The College of Liberal Arts offers bachelor’s, master's, and certificate programs, from anthropology and art to environmental studies and theatre studies. Major in something you love! Apply to Wright State— and go further.

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© 2025 Global Creatures. Moulin Rouge® is a registered trademark of Moulin Rouge.Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.

PAGE 2

THE 2026 THEDAYTON DAYTON JEWISH JEWISH OBSERVER OBSERVER •• JULY MAY 2026

DAYTON

Mazel Tov to The Dayton Jewish Observer on 30 years

To celebrate Observer at 30, Federation funds digitization

3-year project includes predecessor local Jewish papers, back to 1944

Corner of Far Hills & Dorothy Lane THE SHOPS OF OAKWOOD 2977 FAR HILLS AVE 2316 FAR HILLS AVE DAYTON OH 45419 DAYTON OH 45419 937-224-7673

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Bark Mitzvah Boy ‘Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.’

Word. c O Menachem

From the editor’s desk

When I started production on this 30th anniversary edition of The Observer, the news came that Peter Wells had died.

Toward the end of 1995, I left a voicemail message with him, looking for Marshall work. Peter called me back. He told me Weiss about the newspaper his Jewish Federation was planning to publish for Dayton's Jewish community. What struck me about Peter when I met him a few weeks later — he profoundly cared about helping young professionals in the Jewish communal field.

As the executive vice president of our Jewish Federation, Peter changed the trajectory of my life.

As a friend, he was always there to offer encouragement, fatherly wisdom, and often, just to listen. He stayed in touch with all of us – everyone whose lives he had touched.

What I learned from Peter is that people come first. Thank you, Peter. Your memory is surely for a blessing.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

Pr em ier RETIREMENT LIVING AT ONE LINCOLN PARK

E

COLN LIN PA RK

to date on Jewish news in our region has always

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer Thanks to funding from the Jewish Federation been The Observer's highest priority," Gardner said. "Another very important role The Observer of Greater Dayton, the full 30-year run of The plays — as did our predecessor local Jewish Dayton Jewish Observer to date and the complete news publications —is to provide a historic runs of the Dayton Jewish Chronicle (1958-1995) record of Jewish life here in our region. This and Jewish Federation News (1944-1995) will be digitization project will bring our digitized, searchable, and accesJewish history alive, from generasible to the public for free. tion to generation."

The three-year project, under The first third of the digitization the auspices of Ohio History project is underway in partnership Connection, is scheduled to be with Dayton Metro Library, which completed by the end of 2028. is loaning its complete Dayton Access to these publications Jewish Chronicle collection to Ohio will also be available for free via History Connection for scanning. the Historical Jewish Press website of Tel Aviv University and the Dayton Jewish Chronicle National Library of Israel.

In 1958, the Ohio Jewish ChronJewish Federation CEO Cathy icle, based in Columbus, began Gardner said it's the Federation's publishing a Dayton edition. gift to the community in honor of Daytonian Anne Hammerman beThe Observer's 30th anniversary. came its editor and in 1961 started The Observer is published by The Dayton Jewish Observer's publishing it as the Dayton Jewish the Jewish Federation. interviews with Elie Wiesel and Stephen Schwartz, October 2007. Continued on Page Five "Keeping our community up

“MAZEL TOV TO THE JEWISH OBSERVER ON 30 YEARS!”

ON

Dayton Jewish Chronicle's local coverage connected to the Six-Day War, June 15, 1967.

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Dayton J.C.C. (Jewish Community Council) News, June 25, 1948, after Golda Meir's visit to Dayton.

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PAGE 3

DAYTON

'Looking for new ways to continue to make a difference'

Dayton Children’s

An interview with outgoing Dayton Children's President & CEO Deborah A. Feldman

By Marshall Weiss The Observer After 14 years as president and CEO of Dayton Children's, Deborah A. Feldman retires June 30. She came into the role after 30 years with Montgomery County, the last 16 as county administrator.

To celebrate Feldman's contributions to the region, Dayton Children's has named its new urgent care clinic in West Dayton the Feldman Center for Healthy Children; the University of Dayton presented her with an honorary degree at its May 10 graduation ceremony.

Here, the Washington, D.C. native and Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton past president talks about why it's time to retire, the greatest challenges she's faced at Children's, and her plans for the future. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you decide to retire at this time?

It was a really difficult decision because I love what I do. I love the mission, and I love seeing the kids and families every day. But I felt that at this point in my life that it was time for me to find some flexibility. I've been in full-time work for 45 years. It was time to really think about different ways of finding meaning. And particularly my

had committed themselves to us and we were going to be committed to them. But we did ask them to do some different things. We had people The world threw you some curves that no hospital admin- come in to be screeners istrator could ever prepare for. and temperature takers that would normally not How did you navigate that? be doing that kind of I don't think any of us ever work. But we really kept really thought that we would our staff engaged. We see the world shut down the kept our staff compensatway it did. But we never shut ed, and I think that paid down here at Dayton ChilDeborah A. Feldman dividends in the end. dren's. I came to work every single day. I never worked from owed it to the community What were some of the tough- that when they brought their home. You learn a lot about est decisions you had to make yourself. You learn a lot about children here, that they would the people that you work with. during the Covid pandemic? be safe, and that we owed it One of the toughest decisions to our staff that had believed And what I learned was that I worked with an incredible team was shutting down surgeries. that the vaccine was something The governor had required we that was so secure in what we that would keep them safe, that do that. Children were getting did here that our goal was to their colleagues would also be. sick and there was this sense of, keep it going. Leaders don't And so we mandated it. why can't we continue business There were a lot of difficult conknow all the answers and you have to be willing to admit that, as usual? Sending staff home, versations. I spent time roundeven though they were going to ing in the hospital, trying to just but communication is absobe paid, was incredibly difficult. listen. Two of our employees lutely critical.

The hardest decision of the I spent a tremendous amount died of Covid, one before the entire time was the vaccine. of time on virtual town halls vaccine and one after. And that communicating what we knew, And we made the decision was just so tragic. to mandate the vaccine here when we knew it, always at Dayton Children's. It resaying that this could change Was Covid the most difficult ally came, frankly, as a great tomorrow because none of us challenge that you've experisurprise to me that everybody really knew. And I knew from enced at Children’s? didn't want the vaccine, because the beginning that we had to Oh, for sure. No question I wanted the vaccine. We had take care of our staff. We never about it. It's in its own category a small but strong minority of laid anyone off here at Dayton from everything else that we've Children's. We paid everybody, employees that did not want to done here. I wasn't overly comtake the vaccine. we continued to pay everyone fortable with remote work and Continued on Page 10 We felt strongly that we because we knew these people grandchildren are at key ages at 12, 10, 5, and 2, and I really wanted to be able to have some more time to spend with them.

Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton is proud to be accredited by the National Institute for Jewish Hospice

THE DAYTON

OBSERVER daytonjewishobserver.org Editor and Publisher Marshall Weiss mweiss@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Contributors Rabbi Leibel Agar, Candace R. Kwiatek Advertising Sales Executive Patty Caruso, jewishobserver@jfgd.net Administrative Assistant Samantha Daniel, sdaniel@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Billing Sheila Myers, smyers@jfgd.net 937-610-1555 Proofreaders Rachel Haug Gilbert Steven H. Solomon Observer Advisor Dr. Elaine Knoll Gaglione Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Dan Sweeny President Marni Flagel President Elect Meredith Levinson Secretary Neil Friedman Treasurer Ben Mazer VP Personnel Teddy Goldenberg VP Resource Dev. Mary Rita Weissman Immed. Past Pres.

Cathy Gardner CEO The Dayton Jewish Observer, Vol. 30, No. 11. 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.

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324 Wilmington Ave., Dayton 937.256.4490 1.800.653.4490 www.OhiosHospice.org

The Dayton Jewish Observer

Please recycle this newspaper.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

DAYTON

Digitization

Continued from Page Three Chronicle. Subsequent publishers of the weekly were Irene Seiden, and Philip Zukowsky and Leslie Zukowsky.

Congratulations to The Dayton Jewish Observer on 30 years of service to our community.

Jewish Federation News

When Dayton's Jewish Federation reorganized itself as the Jewish Community Council in 1944, it began publishing a newsletter, the J.C.C. News.

In the absence of a local Jewish newspaper — and with the extent of the Holocaust beginning to come into focus — the council looked to Max Kohnop to serve as its editor.

Kohnop was the Sunday editor of the Dayton Daily News from 1939 to 1964. He would continue as editor of the J.C.C. News for 43 years, until 1987, by which time the council had returned to the name Jewish Federation.

Kohnop's successors as Jewish Federation News editors were Federation employees Linda Patterson and Don Cohen.

It was Cohen in his role as Jewish Community Relations Council director who staffed a Federation committee chaired

by Ellen Faust to start a new monthly Jewish newspaper for the Dayton area.

Federation President Ralph Heyman and Executive Vice President Peter H. Wells fasttracked it as a priority.

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The Dayton Jewish Observer

When I arrived to start the publication in 1996, it already had a name — The Dayton Jewish Advocate — the winner of a name-the-newspaper contest the Federation held months before.

Until I received a call from the publisher of The Jewish Advocate newspaper in Boston, no one here knew the phrase Jewish Advocate was trademarked by that publication.

Before we changed to The Dayton Jewish Observer, I called every publication with Jewish Observer in their names to confirm they had no objections.

At our website, daytonjewishobserver.org, you can search for stories from The Dayton Jewish Observer dating to 2009. You can also find electronic versions of our print publications dating to 2014.

And in a few years, you'll be able to see and search for everything we've ever run in print.

We'll keep adding to our digitized collection as long as there is a Dayton Jewish Observer.

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

PAGE 5

DAYTON

Retired Federation Exec. VP Peter H. Wells dies at 86

Dayton Metro Library supports digital equity.

Our 17 branches and website offer loanable laptops, public desktop computers, wireless hotspots, streaming services, adaptive technology, and more.

By Marshall Weiss, The Observer rabbinic program in Cincinnati in 1962. Two years Peter H. Wells, who served as executive vice presilater, his father died of a heart attack. Wells returned dent of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton from to New York to support his mother and sister and run 1978 until his retirement in 2005, died June 3 in Indithe family’s insurance business. ana. He was 86. He and his wife, Joan, had recently He also became the principal and youth director of moved from Sarasota, Fla. to Fishers, Ind. to live near the Greenwich Village Temple. This led to his work their daughter, Jennifer Ramos, and her family. in regional director positions with B'nai B'rith Youth Wells led the Jewish Federation and its Organization in Ohio, Indiana, and agencies during a golden age for Dayton's Kentucky.

Jewish community, when approximately It was a friend's father — the direc6,000 Jews were affiliated with Jewish congretor of Youngstown's Jewish Federation gations and programs.

— who convinced Wells to apply for an He expanded the Jewish Federation's offerassistant director job opening with Dayings to its peak, navigated Jewish population ton's Jewish Federation. Wells and his shifts from the suburbs northwest of Dayton wife, Joan, arrived here in 1973. to the suburbs in the south, and ultimately When his predecessor, Robert Fitteroversaw difficult cuts to programs and man, retired as executive vice president services when Jewish affiliation numbers dein 1978, Wells became responsible for the clined, a trend seen across the United States.

Dayton Jewish Federation and its newly He was at the helm when Dayton's Jewish completed Jewish Community Center Federation resettled nearly 200 Jews from the and five-year-old Jewish nursing facility former Soviet Union between 1989 and 1992 Peter H. Wells, 1939-2026 on a 75-acre campus in Trotwood with as part of United Jewish Appeal's Operation nearly 200 employees.

Exodus.

His needs assessments in partnership with laylead"He went out of his way to take care of the people ers and staff brought about a low-income housing who needed to be helped," said Bernie Rabinowitz, apartment complex on the campus, transportation a past Jewish Federation president. "He was a true and kosher lunch site/delivery programs for seniors, mensch. He tried to treat everybody as fairly as posthe Jewish Foundation of Greater Dayton, The Dayton sible and give everybody the benefit of the doubt."

Jewish Observer, and the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Wells' activism was ingrained in his upbringing.

Culture and Education in Centerville.

His parents fled Nazi-occupied Vienna shortly after “We need to be driven by the heart in our efforts,” Kristallnacht. Wells was born in a refugee camp in Wells told The Observer in 2005. “My greatest joy on Trinidad. As a child, he grew up in Queens, N.Y. and the job is helping people in need. This community has attended Temple Emanuel. historically taken risks on all kinds of projects in relaA Hunter College graduate, Wells enrolled in tion to services. We have to continue to reach out and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion's take risks so that people are truly serviced.”

Learn more at

DaytonMetroLibrary.org or by calling the Ask Me Desk at 937.463.2665.

PAGE 6

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

DAYTON Photos: Marshall Weiss

Pastrami & rye on the fly It was up, up, and oy vey when All The Best Delicatessen made its first takeout delivery via drone, thanks to a Dexa autonomy delivery aircraft, June 2. Just in time for lunch, the drone set a takeout box with a pastrami sandwich at the home of Jon Klein, about a mile southwest of the Washington Township deli.

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Mazel Tov to The Observer on 30 Years!

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Mazel Tov to The Dayton Jewish Observer at 30!

Shown here after sandwich liftoff are (from R) Flippo with her parents, Igal and Gloria Sharret, who came from New Jersey for the demo, and All The Best owner Lee Schear.

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FBI charges 8 tied to U of Michigan pro-Palestinian movement with threatening officials, Jewish Federation Adam J. Dewey/Anadolu via Getty Images

By Jackie Hajdenberg president, Santa Ono; its and Andrew Lapin, JTA chief investment officer The FBI arrested eight and provost; members of pro-Palestinian demonits Board of Regents and strators connected to the their businesses; a camUniversity of Michigan pus police officer; and June 10, charging them multiple companies. with conspiracy to threatThe TAHRIR Coalien university leaders and tion, a pro-Palestinian their families as part of a collective at the Univerpressure campaign to get sity of Michigan that has the school to divest from coordinated much of the Israel. campus’s protest activThe charges were filed ity, rallied supporters May 20 and unsealed June 10 to protest outside June 10 following arrests Protesters at the pro-Palestinian encampment at the courthouses in Detroit University of Michigan, May 13, 2024, Ann Arbor. in multiple states. Acand Milwaukee where cording to the charging docureplied that the group needed the suspects had been detained. ments, the defendants “used to “get into that house then Jordan Acker, a Jewish encrypted messages, social burn it down.” university regent, is not named media platforms, and overseas “In America, we rule by in the indictment. But one of collaboration platforms to relaw not by fear. These alleged the incidents described is the search, target, and attack their threats and attempts to terrorvandalism of his law office in victims.” ize government officials, busiJune 2024. (Acker’s car was The Jewish Federation of nesses, and the Jewish Federaalso vandalized with proMetropolitan Detroit was intion are anti-American,” U.S. Palestinian graffiti while he and cluded in the indictment as one Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr., his children were home, a few target of the demonstrators. of the FBI’s Detroit office said months later.)

The charging documents in a statement.

Acker did not return a JTA allege the eight defendants The eight people charged in- request for comment. A spokeshunted down information clude three men and five wom- person for the Jewish Federaabout multiple targets; deen between ages 21 and 28. tion declined to comment. scribed to each other how they They were arrested in multiple Federal and state authorities would “kill,” “torment,” and locations in Michigan as well as raided three homes belonging “terrorize” their targets; and Chicago and Milwaukee. to campus protesters in April carried out some of their plans.

The indictment alleges the 2025 as part of a federal probe In one message, Ahmet defendants were responsible into acts of vandalism cited in Korkaya, who was at the time for vandalism of the Jewish the indictment. a medical student, allegedly Federation building on Oct. 7, The unsealed indictment repwrote to another defendant 2024, the first anniversary of resents the second major set of about a member of the univerthe Hamas attack on Israel. charges made against a group sity’s Board of Regents that he In addition, the targets of pro-Palestinian protesters at would “poison her ass slowly.” named in the indictment the university.

His co-defendant allegedly include the university’s former In May 2025, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel dropped state charges she had filed against seven proPalestinian student protesters — a different group from those arrested June 10.

Nessel’s charges, brought the previous September, were related to the protesters’ participation in university encampments in May 2024.

For your business The attorney who defended & personal needs. the protesters, Amir Makled, bested Acker for the state Tax & Business Planning Democratic Party’s nomination & Transactions for a university oversight posiTax Controversies tion this spring.

Nessel’s office was listed Employee Benefit Solutions by the FBI as having provided “assistance” on the investigaTaft Stettinius & Hollister LLP tion. Reached for comment, 115 Madison Street, Suite 700 a spokesperson for the state Dayton, Ohio 45402 attorney general told JTA the 937-641-1735 office “was not involved in mfeuer@taftlaw.com • www.taftlaw.com today’s warrant operations.”

Mazel Tov to The Dayton Jewish Observer at 30!

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Attorney at Law

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PAGE 8

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

THE REGION

Hebrew Union College claims Ohio’s charitylaw suit violates its 1st Amendment rights

By Andrew Lapin, JTA The Reform movement’s central rabbinical seminary filed a motion to dismiss Ohio’s lawsuit against the school June 12, claiming the suit violates “foundational Jewish religious doctrine.” It's the latest escalation in a pitched battle between Hebrew Union College and the state attorney general’s office, which has accused HUC of violating nonprofit law by shuttering degree-granting programs on its historic Cincinnati campus. The suit, HUC argues, “violates the First Amendment by entangling government and religion.”

The suit was originally filed in April by thenOhio AG Dave Yost — his second against the college related to its controversial plan to wind down its Cincinnati operations in favor of its New York and Los Angeles campuses.

Yost claimed HUC’s actions in Cincinnati misled its donors by leaving a city where they were actively fundraising to support operations, and also violated its charter, which states that the school would “permanently maintain” a residence there.

The state seeks to seize HUC’s assets in Ohio and redirect them to a new, yet-to-be-decided nonprofit with a similar mission; an upstart rabbinical school founded by HUC alumni says it wants them. Such a move “is an unconstitutional and illegal governmental assault upon religion,” HUC’s strongly worded motion reads.

It continues, “The Attorney General has no role in dictating the religious affairs of institutions like HUC. The Court should reject his overreach into religious matters and should dismiss the Complaint because it is unconstitutional and unlawful.”

HUC also argues its vote to shutter the Cincinnati campus was done in full compliance with the law, adding it intends to maintain the campus’s other assets, including the Klau Library, the American Jewish Archives and the Skirball Museum. In addition, citing a passage in the Torah that states “God will come to his people wherever they welcome him,” the school argues that considering “Jewish demographic realities” is part of its religious mission.

“These decisions were made thoughtfully and responsibly to ensure the long-term success of the institution and our ability to continue graduating strong Jewish leaders,” HUC president Andrew Rehfeld said in a statement accompanying the motion. The lawsuit, he added, “improperly seeks to interfere in the decisions of a religious organization, and this cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.”

Yost himself resigned as AG in June to join the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group that, in 2022, represented a Tennessee adoption agency that refused to foster a child to a Jewish couple. The suit against HUC continues under the state AG’s office.

30th Birthday, Jewish Observer!

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Bethany Village congratulates The Dayton Jewish Observer on 30 years of informing, connecting, and enriching our community.

Meet Your Neighbors At Bethany Village For Linda, life is good. Following in the legacy of her mother who lived at Bethany Village, Linda continues to find joy in all of life's little pleasures like cooking, exercise, travel and spending time with friends and family.

Scan the QR code to see how Linda lives her life to its fullest at Bethany Village, or call us to schedule a personal consultation with Amy today.

(937) 731-3900 BethanyLutheranVillage.org/neighbors

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

PAGE 9

Feldman

Continued from Page Four was anxious to have staff come back.

We still do have some staff who are remote in their roles, and it's fine.

THANK YOU to Our Lead JCF Sponsors BUSINESS SPONSORS The Pookie and Charles Weprin Legacy Fund • Louis S. Cantor, Rose Sorokin Cantor, Samuel L. Cantor and Lena Cantor Temple Israel and Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton, Inc. Fund Economy Linen & Towel Services Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton Rieck Services Bernstein’s Fine Catering • Dayton Optometric • Reflections Hard Surfaces Restoration A & A Safety • Boost Engagement • Houser Asphalt & Concrete • Oldies 97.3

GOLD AMBASSADORS AND AMBASSADORS Rabbi Karen Bodney-Halasz and Scott Halasz John and Elaine Gaglione David and Lynn Goldenberg Robert and Deborah Goldenberg Carol Graff Michael and Teri Halasz Joan Knoll Fran Rickenbach The Rose Family Foundation Mitchell and Sara Faust Jonathan and Heidi Freeman Alan and Julie Halpern The Sobo Family

130 Riverside Drive • Dayton, OH 45405 • www.tidayton.org PAGE 10

What are the other great challenges you've faced?

The biggest challenge I faced was when I came to Dayton Children's, frankly, we were not thriving as an organization. We had very stiff competition from Cincinnati Children's to our south and Nationwide Children's to our east. We had a lot of difficulty attracting physicians, and we didn't offer all of the services that our families needed.

So what we needed was to have a clear North Star of why. Why did we exist? We believe that every child in the Dayton region deserves a great children's hospital close to home. Our mission is the relentless pursuit of optimal health for every child within our reach.

We became laser focused on what the needs of the Dayton region were and what the needs of the children of the Dayton region were. And so we had a very aggressive strategic plan. We've gone from 47 employed physicians to over 260 employed physicians.

We've added 12 specialties. We have become a Level 1 trauma center. We've become a Magnet hospital, which is the highest nursing designation a hospital could have. We're a Level 1 pediatric surgery center.

The most important thing that I had to do here at Dayton Children's was constantly communicate where we were going, constantly rally people around our strategies. We knew that in order to really succeed against a stiff competitor who was an excellent hospital, we had to provide what we call above-andbeyond experience. Getting families in quickly and then providing them with an exceptional experience, we believe is sort of our secret sauce. And we have amazing physicians here. Once we get those families in, we usually keep them.

The result was that we're 300% bigger than we were when we started this, and we certainly don't have 300% more children in the Dayton region. We have convinced our families that this is the place that they can come if their children need pediatric healthcare, that they should look to us first. We know we're not always going to be able to meet their needs, but then we want to be the very best connector of care possible.

One area you've significantly expanded is mental health services.

It's definitely something that has dramatically increased in our kids.

Certainly there was always some mental illness, and certainly some of it was undiagnosed. No question about that.

But the volume that we're seeing is due to the changing nature, frankly, of our society and of our kids. And it is serious. It is the healthcare crisis of this generation.

When I came to Dayton Children's, we did not employ one psychiatrist.

We did not have any inpatient beds for

behavioral health or mental health. We have 24 pediatric child psychiatrists at Dayton Children's now and 48 inpatient beds, and they are almost usually full.

What we know is that with early intervention and treatment, most of this can be resolved. But that if it goes unresolved, it will end up being a serious adult or lifelong adult mental illness.

We know that 50% of all adult mental illness begins in childhood. If we can address that early, we can change that trajectory.

Children's healthcare issues have been greatly politicized in recent years.

How have you navigated that?

We will support any initiative from either party that supports kids. But we also know that we are the trusted pediatric advisors of this community and it is our responsibility to be science-based.

There are times when we take positions that we believe are rooted in science that may not be ones that make some of our elected officials happy. And of course, the one that has been focused on the most is vaccines.

We are strong supporters of childhood vaccines. We support the American Academy of Pediatrics vaccine schedule, and we share that with our families.

That said, we respect our families as well, and we believe the key is to keep the conversation going. We don't want to shut our families down, but we try to provide them with the most sciencebased information that we can.

And then we hope that over time, those that are reluctant will eventually feel that they want to follow our advice.

We know that's not always the case. But we don't take positions just because we have opinions. We take positions based in science.

How have you maintained your own emotional health?

It's really important to be able to compartmentalize. It's not always easy, but it's important that you enjoy each segment of your life. I have been blessed with an incredible family and two amazing children and a friendship group that has been really so supportive of me, and blessed to be in the Dayton Jewish community.

I've always been active in the Jewish community here in Dayton. And I get a lot of my enjoyment from participating in our activities. The Dayton Jewish community grounded me in a place where I felt like I really belonged.

What will you be up to now?

I am going to spend more time with the grandkids. And we are going to travel. But I am looking for what's the next role and how I can make a difference. I’m definitely not stepping back from my interest in the well-being of children and the Dayton community and other interests that I have, more nationally.

I'm just going to be looking for new ways to continue to make a difference and further what interests me. But I'm going to do it with a little bit more flexibility. I am looking forward to that.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

July 2026 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

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Jewish Community Day at the Ballpark

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Connect with us! Check out our events.

For more information, check out our calendar at jewishdayton.org.

2026 ANNUAL MEETING

of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton & its Agencies

Save the Date!

Sunday, August 16 11:30AM – 1PM at the Boonshoft CJCE 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville, 45459

For more information, contact Alisa Thomas at athomas@jfgd.net

Jewish Community Center Jewish Federation Jewish Foundation Jewish Family Services ®

OF GREATER DAYTON OF GREATER DAYTON OF GREATER DAYTON OF GREATER DAYTON

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

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July 2026 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

Whether you have a little talent or a lot, join us for this special program!

WORKSHOPS

Get stage-ready with our interactive workshop rehearsals! Open to participants of all levels and ages, this program helps build confidence, strengthen stage presence, and explore vocal performance — all while connecting with others in a supportive, creative community. Learn from industry professionals in this 4-week program as we build toward an end-of-summer informal performance, aka “informance!”

Workshops will take place at the Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture & Education, 525 Versailles Drive, Centerville, 45459.

Week 1 • Pick Your Piece • Thursday, August 6, 6 – 8PM Participants will select their monologue, scene, or song and begin exploring character choices, motivations, and learn about storytelling.

Week 2 • Vocals/Lines • Thursday, August 13, 6 – 8PM Participants will focus on vocal technique, clarity, projection, and text interpretation.

TALENT PERFORMANCE Sunday, August 23, 5PM Boonshoft Center for Jewish Culture & Education 525 Versailles Drive, Centerville, 45459 Join us for this informal performance, aka “informance,” emphasizing creativity, confidence, and the joy of performance.

Participants of all ages will have the opportunity to shine while fostering meaningful connections throughout the Jewish community.

No cost. RSVP by August 21 at jewishdayton.org/events.

Week 3 • Choreography/Blocking • Thursday, August 20, 6 – 8PM Participants will learn how to stage their pieces through movement and spatial design.

Week 4 • Rehearsals • Sunday, August 23, 3 – 5PM Participants will refine their performances before the big show!

No cost. Sign up by July 31 at jewishdayton.org/events.

Signing up for the workshop series also signs you up to perform on Aug. 23.

PAGE 12

QUESTIONS?

Contact Marc Jacob, JCC Executive Director, at mjacob@jfgd.net.

Jewish Community Center OF GREATER DAYTON

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

July 2026 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

The Heuman Scholarship Awarded The Jewish Foundation of Greater Dayton is pleased to announce Avi Gilbert has been named this year’s recipient of the Heuman Scholarship.

Avi attended Hillel Academy and is a recent graduate of Centerville High School. He will attend The Ohio State University this fall, majoring in marketing.

In high school, Avi was a member of DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) and the National Honor Society. When asked why attending a post-secondary school is important to him, Avi said, “Beyond academics, higher education provides an environment where students are challenged to explore new perspectives, collaborate with diverse groups of people, and engage in real-world problem solving. I am excited by the idea of learning not only from professors, but also from peers whose experiences and ideas will push me to think more broadly and creatively.”

Outside of academics, Avi’s involvement in the Dayton Jewish community and beyond is vast. Avi attends Temple Beth Or, where he is currently a song leader. Over the years, he has participated in BBYO, NFTY, Maccabi, and the JCC’s Children’s Theatre. He attended Goldman Union Camp Institute (GUCI) from 2016 – 2023. Most recently, Avi traveled to Israel, an experience he said deepened his connection to Jewish history, culture, and identity. Avi intends to be an active member of The Ohio State University’s Jewish student body through participation in its Hillel programs.

Avi’s parents are Dr. Heath Gilbert and Rachel Haug Gilbert.

Mazel tov, Avi! 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.

DAY AT THE

T U O E N DI

Sunday, July 26, 1 – 4PM Day Air Ballpark 220 N. Patterson Street, Dayton, 45402

Sunday, June 28, 5:00 – 6:30PM Thai 9 11 Brown St., Dayton, 45402 Meet up with the JCC Boomers for a fun night out! We will go to Thai 9 before the JCC Film Festival movie, Matchmaking 2. The movie starts at 7:30PM at The Neon. Purchase JCC Film Festival movie tickets separately – seating is limited, get your tickets early!

Cost of Dinner: On your own RSVP by June 26 at jewishdayton.org/events.

Questions? contact Stacy Emoff at semoff@jfgd.net or 937-610-5513.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

Join us for Jewish Community Day at Day Air Ballpark! Join friends, family, and community members for an afternoon of fun.

Come for the ballpark food, stay for the games and activities, and don’t forget – there’s even a baseball game!

Cost is $18.32 per person. RSVP by June 27.

For more information, visit jewishdayton.org/events.

50% of the proceeds will support JCC family programming.

Questions? Contact Jennifer Holman at jholman@jfgd.net.

PAGE 13

July 2026 JEWISH FEDERATION of GREATER DAYTON & ITS AGENCIES

Legacies, Tributes, & Memorials JCC

FEDERATION

LINDA RUCHMAN MEMORIAL FUND In memory of Julie Ruchman Sheila Myers JEWISH CEMETERIES FUND In memory of Marilyn (Myrnie) Moscowitz Heath Gilbert Donna and Marshall Weiss Marcia and Eddie Kress Andi Rabiner, Jodie and Gary Scher HOLOCAUST PROGRAMMING FUND In memory of Marilyn (Myrnie) Moscowitz Adam Levin In honor of Helene Gordon’s 70th birthday Samantha Daniel JOE BETTMAN MEMORIAL TZADIK AWARD In memory of Marilyn (Myrnie) Moscowitz In memory of Julie Ruchman Jean and Todd Bettman

FILM FESTIVAL In memory of Joseph Jacob Bill and Claudia Fried In honor of a speedy recovery for Judy Chesen Samantha Daniel JFS

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES ENDOWMENT FUND In memory of Herman Glaser Donna and Marshall Weiss JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES DISCRETIONARY FUND In honor of Helene Gordon’s 70th birthday Janice and Bob Kohn In memory of Julie Ruchman Cathy Gardner

Did you know you can honor a friend or family member through a Legacy, Tribute or Memorial?

A donation to one of the Jewish Foundation's many endowment funds benefits our Jewish community while honoring a loved one. For more information, please call 937-610-1555.

JEWISH CHORALE FUND In honor of Cantor Andrea Raizen for her dedication to training Torah readers Anonymous

When you don't know where to turn, turn to JFS. Guided by Jewish traditions, Jewish Family Services of Greater Dayton provides individuals and families in the Miami Valley with the tools and services to lead happy and healthy lives.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please contact Jewish Family Services at 937-401-1551 or email Licensed Social Worker Kate Scarpero at kscarpero@jfgd.net.

Jewish Family Services OF GREATER DAYTON

PAGE 14

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

OPINION

A Jewish way to mark the 250th: A close reading of America’s ‘sacred’ texts

With democracy under pressure in the U.S. and Israel, the Pardes Institute and Faith250 ask Americans to read the founding documents the way they would a verse of Torah.

By Andrew Silow-Carroll Fireworks, parades, a mixed martial arts smackdown on the White House lawn. Those are a few of the ways Americans are marking the country’s 250th birthday.

A Jerusalem-based yeshiva and an interfaith project started by a rabbi are suggesting a different idea: a little learning. What if you celebrated America by studying the Declaration of Independence the way Jewish tradition treats its most sacred texts: poring over it, arguing with it, putting it in conversation with ancient sources?

That’s the similar idea behind Talmud of America, a collection of four essays published by the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, and Faith250, the brainchild of Rabbi Michael Holzman of Northern Virginia.

“The Torah is a living document,” Rabbi Leon Morris, president of Pardes, told me recently. “Classic Jewish texts have something fresh and relevant to say about everything — including the Declaration of Independence.”

The four essays in Talmud of America — on equality, on “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” on the right of rebellion and on ideas of sacrifice and civic engagement — are written by Pardes faculty members Yiscah Smith, Leah Rosenthal, David I. Bernstein, and Rabbi Rahel Berkovits. Each was born in America and lives in Israel.

Talmud of America applies the techniques of the beit midrash — the Jewish study hall — to America’s founding document. The Talmud preserves its arguments, including the minority opinions and the unresolved disputes, because the wrestling matters as much as the conclusions.

The idea for seeking common ground over “sacred” American documents arrives at a fraught moment. Liberal democracy is under pressure in the United States and in Israel, with rising authoritarian tendencies, deep polarization, and the fraying of norms that once connected the two countries. With many also seeing the erosion of the wall between church and state, is reading American texts from the perspective of any faith group a helpful exercise?

Holzman, a rabbi of the Northern

So, what do you think?

Virginia Hebrew Congregation in Reston, Va., insists it is.

Faith250 encourages churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples to come together and read America’s “sacred texts” — including the Declaration and Emma Lazarus’ Statue of Liberty poem The New Colossus — as affirmations of shared civic values. So far, 246 congregations have signed up.

“We desperately need a sense of dignity between American citizens at a moment when all of the cultural forces are pushing us towards conflict,” Holzman said. “So we decided to try out this methodology of studying American documents the way we study scripture, and then see how people react to encounters with their neighbors over these shared treasured documents.”

Holzman called the conversations he attended “magical.”

“It’s something to behold because people walk in with this really profound sense of anxiety that they’re going to talk about America with a bunch of strangers,” he said. “And then you see them interact with each other over dinner (and study) and you just watch the anxiety evaporate right in front of you.”

Although not by design, most of the participants have been Jewish and mainline Protestant, with fewer Catholic, African American, and Latter-day Saint congregations.

Evangelical churches tend not to engage in interfaith work, Holzman said. “The Evangelical church, although it’s a very loose term, has broadly embraced MAGA Republicanism,” he said.

“They’ve opted out.”

A project like Faith250 acts in some ways as a counterweight to efforts to put a distinctly Christian stamp on the anniversary, as seen at the National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving hosted by the Trump administration in May. That modestly attended event on the National Mall featured mostly Christian pastors from the religious right.

Critics of the “Jubilee” event said it reinforced a one-sided Christian narrative at the expense of the First Amendment, a theme of a number of efforts this year by groups on the Christian right.

In April, the Evangelical Liberty University hosted an academic conference to explore America’s “Christian heritage” and to assert the “biblical principles” presenters say animated the founders.

Although some Jewish scholars

insist on the “Hebraic echoes” in the American political tradition, the Pardes project isn’t out to prove that America is founded on Jewish ideas.

Instead, the authors offer close readings of the Declaration of Independence and bring in Jewish texts for exercises in compare and contrast.

“We didn’t want to produce something that just said, ‘Oh, all these great American ideals? We had them in the Torah first,’” said Morris. “We wanted it to be filled with nuance and tension.”

Morris was also careful to say the project is not driven by a political agenda; nonetheless, each essay deals with concepts bedeviling Americans — and to some extent Israelis — on the milestone birthday.

Berkovits, in her essay on equality, traces “all men are created equal” to the creation story in Genesis — but then, as Talmud scholars are wont to do, runs into a textual problem: Are some more equal than others? A famous passage in Mishnah Sanhedrin declares each person “a world entire,” which in its original form applied to all human beings, Jew and non-Jew alike. Later, however, editors added the words “from Israel,” narrowing the universal to the particular.

Similarly, the Founding Fathers limited their conception of equality, in their case excluding women and enslaved people from their grand proclamations.

Berkovits suggests both traditions were subject to a human problem that hasn’t been resolved, either in 250 years or two millennia.

In her essay on “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Smith argues that America is still dealing with tensions that arise over the notion of rights.

The Declaration’s conception of “rights,” Smith contends, was very different from the rabbis’. Where Thomas Jefferson describes rights as “inalienable,” Jewish tradition insists rights have to be earned through merit and fulfilling obligations.

As a result, Smith worries that too many Americans, out of a sense of entitlement, have chosen self-gratification over a life of service and focusing on the needs of others.

“I’m not convinced that 250 years ago people were as self-centered and selfabsorbed as now,” she said. “I’m going to be 75, and I can tell you: When I was in college protesting the Vietnam War, I didn’t hear as many people saying ‘you’re violating my rights’ the way I hear it today.”

Rosenthal asks what may be the most crucial question in these divisive times: What are the limits on resistance to an unjust government, and when does the

accumulation of injustice justify overturning established authority?

A late-2025 Public Religion Research Institute poll reported that 20% of Americans agreed with the statement that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.” A separate PBS News/NPR/ Marist poll found that number closer to 30%, showing a sharp rise from previous years across all political affiliations.

Rosenthal’s essay compares the Declaration’s justification for legitimate rebellion — “a long train of abuses and usurpations” — to a Talmudic debate over when the rulings of a court can be overturned.

In contrast to the Declaration’s calls for rebellion, Rosenthal paraphrases a “more nuanced position” by the Talmudic sage Rav Nachman: “He resists a system in which every dissatisfaction becomes grounds for reversal. Stability requires a measure of acceptance, even in the face of imperfect outcomes.”

Bernstein, meanwhile, finds a point of convergence between American and Jewish texts. Both traditions call for sacrifice, even martyrdom, in service of a higher cause. But they also insist that citizenship is not only about heroic action, but the daily work of living in and creating a just society. “Both traditions converge on a profound insight: the ultimate test of commitment is not only what one is willing to die for, but how one chooses to live,” he writes.

As for when these ideals fall short, Morris noted that the founding documents of both Israel and the United States are “incredibly aspirational” texts, and that a society that stops wrestling with them is a society in trouble.

He floated a future project: a Torah commentary on Israel’s Declaration of Independence. “It’s really the basis of a constitution that we don’t yet have,” he said.

Smith said Jews have a particular need to revisit America’s founding ideals. Having just returned from a speaking tour in the United States, Smith encountered a Jewish community gripped by fear of antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and a cultural climate in which Jewish identity feels increasingly embattled.

“American Jews need to know they can be American and they can be Jewish,” Smith said. “The whole Declaration of Independence is very much inspired and affected by core Jewish values. That really needs to be brought to their attention. I think we’re at the right place at the right time.”

Talmud of America is available for free to synagogues, JCCs, educators, and anyone who is interested.

Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor at large of the New York Jewish Week and managing editor of Ideas for JTA.

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 • JULY 2026

PAGE 15

CALENDAR Classes

Beth Jacob Classes: W. Rabbi Agar on Zoom. Call to register, 937-274-2149. Tuesdays, 7 p.m.: Torah Tuesdays.

Thursdays, 7 p.m.: Thursdays of Thought.

Chabad Classes: Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m.: Talmud Class in person & Zoom. Call for Zoom link & location. Fridays, 9:30 a.m.: Women’s Class.

Call for location. Mondays, July 13-Aug. 3, 7 p.m.: $54.

JLI-For Sinai & Civics, in person & Zoom. Register at

cLAssicAL, kLEzMER, fOLk & pOp

l€Vant

Music STUDIO sTudiO MUSIC

MOIRA LEVANT Professional Musician & Music Teacher

937-361-8520 levantmusicstudio.com/book

dAyTON sTRiNg TRiO

Temple Beth Or Classes:.

Thurs., July 16, 6 p.m.: Navigating Loss w. Andy Chaet.

Register at templebethor.com/ calendar. 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp. 937-435-3400.

Temple Israel Classes: Wednesdays, 10 a.m.: Torah Study Commentary in person & Zoom. For Zoom info., email info@tidayton.org. Saturdays, 9:15 a.m.: Virtual Torah Study on Zoom. For Torah Study Zoom info., email Fran Rickenbach, franwr@gmail.com.

Thurs., July, 9, 16, 23, 30, noon: Talmud Study in person & Zoom. Sat., July 18, 9:15 a.m.: Torah Study in person and Zoom. tidayton.org/calendar. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton.

RSVP to 937-496-0050.

Family

Classical, Jazz Folk & Pop Call or email to check our availability for your date

chabaddayton.com/calendar.

2001 Far Hills Ave, Oakwood.

937-643-0770.

937-361-8520 moira@levantmusicstudio.com

PJ Library Picnic in the Park: Sun., June 28, 5:30 p.m. Free.

RSVP by June 26. Email Kate Elder for more info., kelder@ jfgd.net. Iron Horse Park, 6161 Millshire Dr., Centerville.

Beth Abraham Rhythm ‘N’ Ruach: Fri., July 10, 5:306:15 p.m. At Temple Israel, 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937-2939520.

JCRC’s Upstander initiative.

For info. email Alexandria King, garyuzzking@hotmail.com. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton. 937-4960050.

Children

Beth Jacob Active Shooter Training: Sun., July 12, 1 p.m. Free. W. Jewish Federation Security Dir. John Davis.

RSVP to 937-274-2149. 7020 N. Main St., Harrison Twp.

Chabad Camp Gan Israel: Mon., July 20-Fri., Aug. 7, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Ages 5-12.

Register at cgidayton.com/ register. 2001 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. 937-643-0770.

Temple Beth Or, Art & the Bible: Classic to Contemporary: Sun., July 26, 10 a.m.

Free. Includes breakfast. W. Carol Salus. Registration required at 937-435-3400. 5275 Marshall Rd, Wash. Twp.

JCC Camp Shalom: Through Fri., July 24. For info., contact Jennifer Holman, jholman@ jfgd.net. At Temple Beth Or, 5275 Marshall Rd., Wash. Twp.

Adults

Those English Girls play readings: By Michael London.

Thurs., June 25, 6:30 p.m.: At Wright Memorial Library, 1776 Far Hills Ave., Oakwood. Free.

Wed., July 1, 6:30 p.m.: At Boonshoft CJCE, 525 Versailles Dr., Centerville. Free.

Registration for July 1 reading required at daytonholocaust resourcecenter@gmail.com.

Temple Israel Sacred Stitching: Wed., July 8, 22, 11 a.m.

Make items for donation w.

Community

Jewish Community Day at the Ballpark: Sun., July 26, 1:05 p.m. $18.32. RSVP by June 27 at jewishdayton.org/ events. Day Air Ballpark, 220 N. Patterson Blvd., Dayton.

Beth Abraham Shabbat Under the Stars: Fri., July 31, 7:15 p.m. W. Cantor Kevin McIntyre. Beth Abraham patio.

RSVP to bas@bethabrahamdayton.org. 305 Sugar Camp Cir., Oakwood.

We’ll see you at PICNIC in the PARK on June 28!

ENROLLMENT IS OPEN FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR 3 YEARS THROUGH 8TH GRADE Contact Hillel to schedule a private tour at our new location in Temple Beth Or 5275 Marshall Rd. Washington Twp. 937-277-8966 PAGE 16

mhattenbach@daytonhillel.org

daytonhillel.org

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

MAZEL TOV! Temple Israel

Suzanne Shaw

Annette Stogdill

Four stalwart Temple Israel staffers retire this summer.

Executive Director Suzanne Shaw completes 22 years of service at the end of June. Also retiring in June are 12-year employee Annette Stogdill, the temple's receptionist, and Marketing and Communications Manager Jodi Phares, at the temple since 2023 following nearly 20 years with the Jewish Federation. Administrative Assistant Ellen Finke-McCarthy, a 15-year employee, retires in July.

John Hunter began his work as Temple Israel's new executive director in May. An Air Force veteran, John received a dual master's degree in emergency and disaster management as well as homeland security from American Military University. He served as Crime Free Multi-Housing coordinator of the Colorado Springs Police Department, and with Dayton's St. Vincent de Paul Society as manager of safety and security, director of shelter ministries, and most recently as chief of operations.

The American Heart Association honored Dr. Gary Fishbein at the Dayton Heart Ball in May for his work as an Dr. Gary Fishbein interventional cardiologist and researcher with Premier Health.

Ellen Finke-McCarthy (L) and Jodi Phares

1981 by Holocaust survivors. It supports the well-being of IDF soldiers, veterans, and their families. A native of Akko, Israel, Sigler started in the IDF as a combat engineering soldier.

He completed his service as a reserve brigade officer. Sigler has served as Hebrew and Judaic coordinator at Akiva Academy in Youngstown.

The International Peace Museum presented Dayton Holocaust Resource Center’s founder and director, Renate Frydman, with its 2026 Miami Valley Peace Maker Award for "transforming remembrance into action, educating generations about the Holocaust while inspiring individuals to stand up for dignity, justice, and peace."

John Hunter

The United Way of the Greater Dayton Area presented Lion Group with its Excellence in Philanthropy Award. LION matches 50% of United Way workplace campaign employee donations. Accepting the award for the family-owned business was Andy Schwartz, corporate counsel and chief procurement officer. Andy's brother, Steve Schwartz, is LION's CEO. Send your Mazel Tov announcements to mweiss@jfgd.net.

United Way of the Greater Dayton Area

Doing more together.

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dinsmore.com

Contact Patty Caruso at jewishobserver@jfgd.net to advertise in The Observer.

Martin Foster, copresident of Economy Linen & Towel Service, has been named to the Boys & Girls Club of Dayton Board Martin Foster of Directors.

Ohio Friends of the Israel Defense Forces has named Kobi Sigler director of its Southern Ohio Chapter, overseeing Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati. Ohio FIDF was founded in

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

PAGE 17

RELIGION

WORSHIP SERVICES

Temple Israel

Beth Abraham Synagogue Conservative Rabbi Aubrey L. Glazer Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.

937-293-9520 Check website for location, bethabrahamdayton.org.

Beth Boruk Temple

Reform Cantor Andrea Raizen 2810 Southeast Pkwy., Richmond, Ind. bethboruk@yahoo.com.

Friday night Shabbat service monthly, September through May. For schedule, go to bethboruktemple.com.

Beth Jacob Congregation

Modern Orthodox Rabbi Leibel Agar Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. Evening minyans upon request.

7020 N. Main St., Harrison Twp. 937-274-2149. bethjacobcong.org

Chabad of Greater Dayton

Orthodox 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., Oakwood.

937-643-0770. chabaddayton.com

Temple Anshe Emeth

Reform Worship led by Jese Shell 320 Caldwell St., Piqua.

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

Temple Beth Or

Reform Rabbi Judy Chessin Fridays, 6:15 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. facebook.com/ templebethsholommiddletown

Temple Israel

Reform Senior Rabbi Karen BodneyHalasz. Rabbi/Educator Tina Sobo Fri., July 3, 6 p.m. Fridays, July 10, 24, 31, 6:30 p.m. Sat., July 18, 10:30 a.m. 130 Riverside Dr., Dayton.

937-496-0050. tidayton.org

Mazel tov to Temple Israel's 2026 confirmands (L to R): Beau Kleinholt, Jonah Halasz, Hillary Katchman, Jonah Dritz, and Matteo Chaiten.

Beth Abraham $300K post-flood campaign to bridge gaps, cover future maintenance needs now

Only a month after President Julie Liss-Katz announced the launch of a special $300,000 campaign at Beth Abraham's annual meeting May 13, the congregation had already raised $258,600, with 100% board participation. Liss-Katz said the campaign bridges the gap between insurance coverage and restoration needs from the Feb. 19 sprinkler pipe break that flooded Beth Abraham's building. She said the campaign also extends to tackling upcoming maintenance needs now.

"While the ceilings and the walls were exposed for restoration, we decided we would look at everything that might need repair. That way, we wouldn't have to, in the near future, break down a wall or take down a ceiling."

Julie Liss-Katz Liss-Katz anticipates the synagogue will wrap up the fundraising campaign by the High Holidays. "We're not going to do a Yom Kippur appeal," she said. "We're doing very well. This is going to supersede that."

Middletown temple reduces service schedule Declining membership and low attendance have led Temple Beth Sholom in Middletown to cut its service schedule beginning June 1 from every other Friday night to only the High Holidays, Chanukah, and Passover. Rabbi Haviva Horvitz, who serves the 123-year-old congregation on a part-time basis, will continue to lead those services and officiate at life-cycle ceremonies for its 17 memberships. The Reform temple's president, Rachel S. Lewitt, said congregants are able to schedule and lead additional services. "Through a lot of generosity, we are able to remain in our building," she said. "At this time, our largest issue is membership. Temple Beth Sholom is just such a huge part of my life and my heart, as it is with all of our board members, and I cannot be more grateful for the time they all put into our little temple that can and will survive."

Rachel S. Lewitt

July • Tammuz/Av

Temple Sholom

Reform Rabbi Cary Kozberg Fridays, 6 p.m.

2424 N. Limestone St., Springfield. 937-399-1231. templesholomoh.com

Yellow Springs Havurah

Independent Antioch College Rockford Chapel.

1st & 3rd Saturday each month.

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

PAGE 18

Shabbat Candle Lightings July 3: 8:50 p.m.

July 10: 8:48 p.m.

July 17: 8:44 p.m.

Torah Portions July 4: Pinchas (Num. 25:10-30:1) July 11: Matot-Masei (Num. 30:2-36:13)

July 24: 8:39 p.m.

July 18: Devarim (Deut. 1:1-3:22)

July 31: 8:33 p.m.

July 25: Vaetchanan (Deut. 3:23-7:11)

Destructed but not destroyed

By Rabbi Leibel Agar Beth Jacob Congregation As Shavuot fades into the background of our minds, one cannot help but begin thinking of summer. For some of us, it means trips to the beach, amusement parks, and other fun-time destinations. For others, it means hot and sultry nights spent with neighbors at a backyard barbecue.

For me, summer always meant spending a few weeks away from home at Camp Mogen Avraham or NCSY Camp East. It was a great time of year, full of friendship and fun, a chance to just be a kid,

Perspectives without the hectic “school, homework, sleep, repeat” drudgery that settled into my soul from September until June.

However, it is another aspect of the summer that I wish to share with you — one which begins with difficulty, but ends with a head held just a bit higher and a back just a bit straighter.

During the summer, we Jews face one of the darkest periods of our liturgical year: that period of the Three Weeks, which marks the anniversary of the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of both Holy Temples.

We are taught about this sad period in our history from the time we are children, but it often does not really sink in.

After all, how can a child (or even many adults for that matter) feel the pain of a loss we know nothing about? We have never experienced life with the Holy Temple, so how can we truly understand what it means to lose it?

Imagine, if you will, you have a special house. You spent many Rabbi Leibel Agar weeks renovating the structure, getting it exactly the way you wanted it. You spared no expense to get exactly the right marble for the countertops and exactly the right shade of bricks for the fireplace.

Everything has to be perfect or it is simply no good. Finally, the house is ready and you are about to move in.

However, the night before, an earthquake rolls by and destroys the house. Imagine how sad you would be to see the once beautiful structure reduced to nothing but a pile of rubble.

Worse still, you have to wait for a Divine signal before you are allowed to rebuild. That, my friends, is small potatoes compared to the loss of the Temple.

However, not all is lost. One retaining wall still remains. We can gather at its base and allow it to remind us of the glory which was the Holy Temple.

We stand together, Jews of all colors, backgrounds, religiosity, and political leanings, praying as one. We are all united as “One People, One Heart” as we ask our Father in Heaven to redeem us and once again dwell in His house.

We mourn for what we have lost, but do not fall victim to despair; rather, we use it as a catalyst to push us closer to God. It is this hidden strength which has carried us for nearly 2,000 years, and enables us to say with a full heart, “May we merit to see the redemption swiftly and soon.”

Fast of the 17th of Tammuz July 2

Commemorating numerous calamities that fell on the Jewish people on this day, this fast is observed from dawn until dusk.

Among the calamities were the breach of the walls of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. and by the Romans in 70 C.E. Marks the beginning of the Three Weeks, a period of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, culminating on the Ninth of Av.

Tisha B’Av Ninth Day of Av • July 23

The day of fasting to mark the destruction of the First and Second Temples, the loss of Jewish sovereignty, and numerous other tragedies said to have fallen on this day. The Book of Eicha (Lamentations) is read.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

Grandma's Giant Potato Knish

By Ronnie Fein The Nosher To feed the 13 of us, my grandma would make one giant, doughwrapped dish, cut into rectangles.

She called them knishes even though she used strudel dough. It was her knish filling recipe, so knishes they were!

And when I discovered puff pastry, I did what my grandma did: make it even easier.

Note: This freezes well for up to two months. Bake it first, let it cool, then enclose it in plastic wrap.

When it’s time to serve, let it thaw in the fridge and bake it in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 12 minutes until heated through.

Time: 2 hours. Yield: 2 rolls.

3 lbs. all-purpose potatoes, such as Yukon Gold 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I use avocado oil), divided 2 medium onions, sliced 1 large egg salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 sheets frozen puff pastry Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks, and boil them for about 15 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Drain the potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl.

Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil and mash the potatoes until they are fluffy.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Add the onions to the potatoes. Add the egg, salt, and pepper and stir gently to mix

ingredients. Let cool.

Using one sheet of puff pastry at a time, roll the dough slightly thinner (about 13 X 9).

Place half the potato filling down the center of the dough, using up the middle third of the dough and leaving a 1-inch margin at both of the short ends.

Enclose the filling: place one side of the dough over the filling, then place the other side of the dough over the filling, slightly overlapping. Press the short ends to enclose the filling at the top and bottom.

Place the roll, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the dough feels cool and firm.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut with a serrated knife.

Mazel Tov to The Dayton Jewish Observer on its 30th Birthday!

Mazel Tov to The Dayton Jewish Observer on its 25th birthday!

Mazel Tov to The Dayton Jewish Observer on 30 years.

The Pavlofsky Families Contact Patty Caruso at jewishobserver@jfgd.net to advertise in The Observer.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

PAGE 19

JEWISH FAMILY EDUCATION

'Seek the welfare of the city' America 250 — In the news series

Jews, Judaism, and the American Founding. The Jewish Impact on the Founding of America. Meet the Jews who played pivotal roles in American history.

There is a common misconception that the Jewish American story began with the massive migration waves of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Candace R. Kwiatek This era often conjures vivid images of the estimated 2.5 million Eastern European Jewish immigrants fleeing recurrent pogroms, crushing poverty, and political persecution.

Crowding ships’ rails and spilling down wooden gangplanks, they packed the tenements of New York’s Lower East Side, creating the most densely populated neighbor-

hood on earth.

Similar scenes played out in smaller numbers but with equal intensity in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Galveston, Texas.

The reality is that Jews were deeply woven into the fabric of early America long before steamships arrived.

Their presence dates back to 1492 when, to escape the Spanish Inquisition, the multilingual converso Luis de Torres (born Yosef ben HaLevi HaIvri) joined Christopher Columbus on his first voyage.

Certain he would encounter traders and diplomats in Asia who spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic, Columbus welcomed de Torres as his interpreter. At least five other conversos were also part of the crew, and some historians believe Columbus himself shared their ancestry.

After months of exploring the Caribbean, Columbus went back to Spain, while de Tor-

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Mazel Tov to The Jewish Observer on 30 years!

res stayed behind with about three dozen sailors tasked with building a fort at La Navidad on Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti).

Upon his return many months later, however, Columbus found that infighting and an attack by local tribes had wiped out the whole garrison.

Today, de Torres is remembered as the Americas’ first Jewish resident, described

by Forward culture reporter P. J. Grisar as “a refugee of faith… the first of the pilgrims.”

Despite the tragic fate of Hispaniola's earliest European pioneers, the Caribbean became a sanctuary for conversos in the 1500s.

Although the Spanish Crown had strict prohibitions against "New Christians" and those with Jewish ancestry settling in the Americas, thousands migrated there anyway.

Among them was Hernando de Castro, who arrived in Cuba in the 1520s.

When many of the settlers abandoned Cuba for the mainland in search of gold, the island’s population shrank and its economy floundered.

Seeking to reverse these declines, de Castro sent a direct petition to the King of Spain in 1543 for approval to construct a sugar cane mill, which de Castro eventually built.

This initiative provided a vital economic lifeline, laying the groundwork for Cuba’s foundational role in the 16thcentury Caribbean sugar boom.

These two stories of early pioneers highlight vastly different ways of encountering a new land.

The experiences mirror the prophet Jeremiah’s directive to the exiled Israelites in Babylon: “Seek the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you… for in its prosperity you shall prosper.”

Jewish-American Hall of Fame's bronze medal to honor Asser Levy, one of the first Jewish settlers in New Amsterdam in 1654.

At La Navidad, Luis de Torres’ contingent ignored this call. Instead of building relationships, they treated the indigenous population as servants and property, triggering a violent backlash that destroyed the garrison.

Conversely, Hernando de Castro embodied Jeremiah’s call to invest in the common good. Rather than exploiting or abandoning Cuba, he sustained it by establishing a vital sugar mill, tying his personal future to the island's survival. He clearly demonstrated that the well-being of the Jewish Diaspora was inextricably linked to the prosperity of their new home.

Jeremiah’s imperative took root on the North American mainland through countless pioneers who dedicated their talents, resources, and labor to the common good.

The 1654 refugees: Arriving destitute in New Amsterdam from Recife, Brazil, where under new Portuguese rule the Inquisition was reemerging, 23 Jewish refugees fought Director-General Peter Stuyvesant’s opposition by promising to contribute capital and labor.

Winning the right to stay, they propelled forward the notion of religious tolerance in

the colonies while linking New Amsterdam to major Caribbean and European commercial hubs.

Asser Levy: When New Amsterdam barred Jewish residents from the volunteer burgher (citizen) guard, Levy successfully petitioned for the right to military service, proving public safety is a shared civic duty.

His continued advocacy for his Jewish compatriots secured more rights for others as well — citizenship, property and business ownership, and trade — laying the groundwork for broader ethnic tolerance.

Abigail and Abraham Minis: Arriving in Savannah in July 1733, the Minis family anchored the fragile, newly founded Georgia frontier. By developing land, establishing merchant networks, and securing critical trade supplies, they wove themselves into the permanent economic fabric of the American South.

Aaron Lopez: A Portuguese religious refugee, Lopez transformed Newport into a powerhouse of international trade. He built a massive shipping fleet, established whale oil manufacturing, and became the town’s highest taxpayer by the early 1770s, funding vital civic spaces and public infrastructure.

From the Caribbean to the North American mainland, these and other early American Jews transformed Jeremiah’s ancient directive into a tangible reality.

They did not merely seek shelter; they actively sought the welfare of the cities that reluctantly received them. Their enduring legacy challenges us today to take note of their example, reminding us that our own future remains deeply bound to how well we invest in the common good.

Next month: Let freedom ring!

Literature to share

Formerly

Formerly

Formerly Formerly

PAGE 20

Mazel Tov, Dayton Jewish Observer, on 30 years!

A Promised Land: Jewish Patriots, the American Revolution, and the Birth of Religious Freedom by Adam Jortner. This exceptionally readable and timely work delivers a lively, story-driven look at how early Jewish citizens shaped the nation’s founding. It immediately hooks the reader with fascinating biographical vignettes and engaging chapters like The Rabbi of the Revolution and The Jew Bill. Seamlessly blending rigorous research with the pacing of a great storyteller, A Promised Land completely refreshes our understanding of early American life and liberty.

The Boston Chocolate Party by Tami LehmanWilzig and Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz, illustrated by Fede Combi. This delightful picture book weaves together the history of the American Revolution and Sephardic Chanukah traditions for readers ages 5 to 9.

Through a story of friendship and resilience, it serves as a delicious and inspiring way to introduce children to a lesser-known chapter of American colonial history. It also includes valuable end notes featuring detailed historical summaries about Sephardic settlers and authentic recipes for colonial hot chocolate and traditional buñuelos.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

Arts&Culture

In The First Salute, Philadelphia’s Weitzman Museum reframes the nation’s 250th birthday through a global, Jewish lens Shoot from Within

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

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Tadmor, its president and CEO. American Jewish studies

By Andrew Silow-Carroll, JTA As a result, it is not subject to the who helped shape the PHILADELPHIA — At a efforts by the Trump administration exhibit’s focus around moment when institutions to shape what can and can’t be said those objects, the exacross the country are asking about slavery, the treatment of Native hibit’s power lies in its how to celebrate America’s Americans, and other reminders of the insistence on intercon250th birthday, the Weitzman nation’s founding paradox. nectedness.

National Museum of AmeriSteps away from the Weitzman is the “Early American hiscan Jewish History is putting President’s House monument, where tory didn’t happen in Jews at the center of the origin efforts by the administration to remove isolation,” she said. “It story. panels that deal bluntly with George was shaped by global Its new exhibition, The First migrations, by diasporas, Washington and the enslaved people Salute, is about the tiny Caribin his household have landed in the by people who moved bean island of Sint Eustatius courts. goods and ideas across and the relative handful of “We must say honestly — the freeborders. Jewish merSephardic Jewish merchants doms practiced on its shores did not chants were central to who were at the center of extend equally to all who lived there,” that story.” what became a pivotal mosaid Alida Francis, the island governor Also central to the ment in the Revolutionary of Sint Eustatius, in her remarks at the story is race. A display War. opening. “But history is rarely simple, that includes wrist The show opens with a and the truth does not become weaker shackles used by slave cinematic retelling of Nov. when we tell it fully.” owners notes that en16, 1776, when the American Leibman, who has written extensiveslaved Africans were “a brig Andrew Doria sailed into ly about the Jews in the Caribbean, said the island’s harbor flying the Historian Jonathan Sarna views a facsimile of a letter from 18th-century Ger- significant part of the man Jewish trader Jonas Phillips in The First Salute exhibit at the Weitzman island’s population and it was important to talk about the anniGrand Union flag, an early versary, and the Jewish community, in economy.” It cites a 1781 iteration of what became the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, April 22. all its complexity and contradictions. census recording that Stars and Stripes. After firing The exhibit also includes a Torah Jews on the island owned 86 people, or a 13-gun salute, it received a return only to survive, but to participate in scroll from Suriname, where by 1800 volley from the Dutch governor — an what they recognized as a revolutionary 6.4% of the island’s total population.

Although the Weitzman is a Smithso- about half of the Jewish community had exchange widely regarded as the first moment.” at least one African ancestor, making it nian “affiliate,” the museum is auformal recognition of the fledgling UnitThe exhibition, on view through tonomous and independent, said Dan ed States by a foreign power.

Continued on Page 23 April 2027, argues that Jewish merBut as the exhibit makes clear, the chants on St. Eustatius were instrudiplomatic demonstration was the culmental in supplying the American mination of a commercial and cultural colonies with the materials needed to drama in which Jews played an outsustain their war against Britain — a sized role. risky proposition that would eventually By the eve of the American Revoluinvite British retaliation. tion, Sint Eustatius — known as the In 1781, British forces under Admiral “Golden Rock” — had become one of George Rodney seized the island, tarthe busiest free ports in the Atlantic geting its Jewish population for plunder world. and deportation.

Sugar, textiles, rum and, crucially, According to one of three major arms and gunpowder passed through videos that anchor the exhibit, Rodits docks. Sephardic Jewish merchants, ney’s obsession with what he called many of them descendants of refugees the island’s “nest of vipers” allowed from Iberian persecution, had built unhindered French ships to trap the far-flung family and business networks British Army at Yorktown, forcing the stretching from Amsterdam to the surrender that effectively ended the Caribbean.

Revolution.

“These were people who understood The show is organized as a jourstatelessness, vulnerability and opporney — beginning with the Sephardic tunity all at once,” said Jonathan Sarna, diaspora, moving through the Revoluone of the historians who consulted tionary era in both the colonies and the on the exhibit, which opened April 23.

Caribbean, and ending with a coda that “They leveraged those networks not asks what independence meant in pracJTA tice for those who had helped secure it.

Multimedia installations place visitors in the bustling port of Sint Eustatius; 18thcentury portraits come “alive” to explain the tense geopolitics of the late 18th century. Artifacts from around the world — many on view in the United States for the first time — reinforce the narrative: shipping records, personal correspondence, ritual LEARN MORE AT The Dutch municipality Sint Eustacius was a major port objects carried across oceans. in the 18th century, and the site of the first recognition For Laura Arnold Leibman, FRONTSTREET.ART @FRONTSTREETARTIST of the breakaway 13 colonies by a major power. the Princeton professor of

PAGE 21

The Time Is Now. Several years ago, the community came together and created Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Dayton to protect and preserve the eternal homes of our loved ones.

Research showed the need to raise $5 million for an endowment fund.

Thanks to the boards of Beth Abraham, Beth Jacob and Temple Israel, as well as hundreds of donations, we are now only $100,000 away from reaching our goal.

Once completed, JCGD will ensure the sanctity of our cemeteries and financial security for each congregation.

You can turn our dream into reality.

Now is the time to make your pledge.

Make your pledge today with Kate Elder kelder@jfgd.net Preserving Our Past Ensuring Our Future

daytonjewishcemeteries.org PAGE 22

Arts&Culture

Graphic novel illustrates story of first synagogue in U.S.

By Olivia Haynie, Forward

Remnants by Julian Voloj & Andre Deniz FairSquare Graphics, 14 pages, $13.99 Graphic novelist Julian Voloj was walking through Manhattan’s Chinatown when he stumbled across the cemetery of the oldest Jewish community in the United States, Shearith Israel.

This inspired him to write Remnants, an interpretation of the story of 23 Jews from Brazil who established North America’s first congregation.

Remnants sheds light on the Sephardic immigration that introduced Judaism to the Americas. These Jews were originally from the Iberian Peninsula and had fled to the Netherlands during the Portuguese and Spanish Inquisitions that lasted from around the middle of the 15th century to the 19th century.

When the Dutch began occupying Recife, Brazil in 1630, several Jews immigrated to that new South American colony and founded the first synagogue in the Americas, Kahal Zur Israel.

Through the eyes of a young girl, Remnants recounts how they had to flee for their lives again in 1654, when Recife was seized by the Portuguese, who banished all Jewish and Dutch settlers. This group of Jews eventually arrived in New Amsterdam, now New York. Although there had been a community of crypto-Jews in Mexico as far back as the 16th century, historians are not sure they were an organized community; Shearith Israel is widely recognized as North America’s first organized congregation.

Voloj challenges assumptions about the homogeneity of Jewish identity in his work. His graphic novel Ghetto Brother told the story of a Puerto their petition was refused, Levy later successfully peRican gang member living in the Bronx who finds titioned the government of Holland as an individual out later in life that he comes from a family of cryptoand was allowed to serve as a soldier. Barsimon and Jews. Recently, Voloj cocreated the graphic novel Hyother Jews later successfully appealed to Holland to phen: Jewish Stories in Our Own Words, which features overrule Director-General Peter Stuyvesant’s discrimia dozen personal stories of Jews from across the globe. natory practices against the Jewish people.

In Remnants, vibrantly illustrated by Brazilian comic It’s not just bigotry that puts the Jews in Remnants book creator Andre Diniz, Voloj turns his attention to in danger; during their migration out of Recife, they the diversity of American Jewish history. face terror on the open waters when their ship is Voloj weaves together multiple Jewish stories in seized by pirates. The scene is inspired by a historical Remnants. The young female narrator is a fictionalreport from a Venetian rabbi, Saul Levi Morteira, alized daughter of Asser Levy (stylized though historians have debated whethin Remnants as Asher Levy), America’s Voloj challenges er or not these captured Jews were the first kosher butcher and an early advo- assumptions about same ones who arrived in New Amstercate for Jewish civil liberties. dam. If what Morteira wrote is accuthe homogeneity Although Levy was one of the first rate, the Jewish hostages were eventuJews to arrive in New Amsterdam, of Jewish identity ally saved by the French. However, in there are differing accounts of what Remnants, the Jews find salvation in a in his work. ship he arrived on and it is unknown different, unexpected source — another if he was on the ship with the group piece of Jewish history that Voloj has from Recife. He was originally from Vilna, then part woven into the tale. of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Asser Levy Although it’s a complex history, Voloj and Diniz’s Place, a section of Avenue A in Manhattan that spans illustrative approach helps make the story of Ameri23rd to 25th Street, and the Asser Levy Recreation ca’s first Jewish congregation accessible to readers of Center are named for him. all ages. Through the optimistic perspective of Levy’s Jacob Barsimon, another Jew who arrived in New daughter, the story of Recife’s Jews is not solely about Amsterdam a month before the group from Recife, the tragedies of exile and discrimination, but a tale of features prominently. In Remnants, he is the main adstrength, resilience, and the occasional miracle. Alvocate for the newly arrived Jews after they are jailed though Voloj takes some liberties to bring the different for allegedly not paying the ship that brought them to historical narratives into one storyline, Remnants proNew Amsterdam. This is a slight historical liberty — vides a well-timed look into America’s Jewish history. it’s not known if Barsimon was directly involved with With the U.S. Semiquincentennial, Jewish institutions freeing the Jews from prison. But he did partner with across the country are creating programming about Levy to abolish the ban on Jews serving in the milithe stories of Jews in America. Remnants takes readers tary and the exemption tax imposed on them. Though back to the colorful beginning.

THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

OBITUARIES Laura Michelle Holzinger, 58, beloved wife of Michael Levin, happily married for over 21 wonderful years; adored daughter of Martin and Joan Holzinger; much loved sister of Debbie (Kevin) Mattis; dear sister inlaw of Robin Levin, Andrew (Ruchel) Levin and Ellen (Jeffery) Rasof; cherished aunt of Julia and Joey Mattis, Joshua, Jordan and Jacob Rasof and Sonya Haber-Levin; and treasured friend to many — passed away June 7. Laura was the brightest ray of light in so many lives.

She dedicated her 30-plusyear career as a medical social worker at UChicago Medicine to serving others at the most critical moments of their lives.

She was an endless delight to her family and friends, always filled with love and generosity — and sometimes a little bit of mischief. When Laura wasn’t bringing people together in her beautiful home or the latest restaurant, she traveled the world, always seeking new adventures and experiences. Donations may be made to The UChicago Medicine Transplant Patient

and Family Assistance Fund, inspired directly by Laura’s decades of service as a medical social worker. Laura helped create this fund, hoping to establish a legacy of continued support for patients and their families in need, and/or the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure and improving the quality of life for those affected by bile duct cancer. Interment was at Shalom Memorial Park, Arlington Heights, Ill. Peter Wells, 86, a dedicated community leader and champion of Jewish causes worldwide, passed away peacefully June 3 in Indiana. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Oct. 16, 1939 to Herta and Egon Werberg, Peter's life began amid his parents' courageous flight from Vienna to escape Nazi persecution. Several months after his birth, the family reached the United States, changed their surname to Wells, and settled in Queens, N.Y., where Peter grew up in Sunnyside and later Rego Park.

Peter attended Hunter College in the Bronx and continued his studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of

Religion in Cincinnati until the passing of his father led him to take over the family insurance business. On Aug. 25, 1968, he married the love of his life, Joan Levitt Wells, and the very next day they embarked on a new adventure together in northwest Indiana. Peter's career was marked by tireless service to Jewish communities across the Midwest. He served as regional director for BBYO, first covering Indiana, Kentucky and southern Ohio, then the northern Ohio territory based in Cleveland.

In 1973, the family moved to Dayton, where Peter worked in community relations and campaigning before becoming executive director of the Jewish Federation in 1978, a position he held with distinction until his retirement in 2005.

A passionate advocate for Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, Peter traveled extensively throughout his life, making over 40 visits to Israel, Eastern Europe, and former Soviet republics.

He and Joan shared a love of travel, exploring destinations from Europe to Alaska to Southeast Asia during their 57 years of marriage. In retirement, Peter continued his life's work

through consulting for various Jewish and Israeli organizations.

He served on the boards of Save A Child's Heart, The Western Galilee Health Center, and the Jewish Federation of SarasotaManatee. In 2010, Peter and Joan moved to Sarasota, Fla., before returning to Indiana in early 2026. Peter is remembered by all who knew him as smart, kind, caring, thoughtful, and generous — a true friend to everyone he met. His radiant smile could light up even the darkest of places. Countless people whose lives he touched along his magnificent journey referred to him as a precious gift. The world was undoubtedly a better place for having him in it. Peter is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Joan Levitt Wells; his daughter, Jennifer Ramos, and sons-in-law, Jose Ramos and Kyle Linville; his granddaughters, Madeline and Lauren Linville. His daughter, Rebecca Linville, preceded him in death.

Interment was at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation North Cemetery. A celebration of life will be held in Dayton in the coming weeks. Arrangements are still pending. Memorial contributions may be made to Save a Child's Heart or the Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton.

May his memory be for blessing.

First Salute

exciting business opportunities. twined,” said Pamela Nadell, the than ever, Tadmor said.

“There was an overlap For Sarna, professor of Jewish American University historian who specializes in American between core Jewish values history at Brandeis UniverContinued from Page 21 Jewish history. “They were not and the values of the founding sity and one of the museum’s perhaps “the most multiracial simply neutral traders. They fathers,” he said. founding historians, Phillips’ Jewish community at the time, were people whose own histo“The idea that America was but also, honestly, today,” Leib- correspondence is distinctly ries of exile and exclusion made founded as a Christian nation is American, written at a time man said. the American cause legible and based on a misconception and a when Jews were offered rights The exhibit also reframes compelling.” lie. The founding fathers, who patriotism — rejecting the “heri- in Europe only at the indulWith the growth of Christian were Christian men, founded gence of its various governtage American” idea champinationalism, which insists that this country on religious liberty ments and sovereigns. oned by JD Vance and others, the United States was founded and not on any denomination or “It’s all wrapped up here in which defines Americanness by as an explicitly Christian nation, specific faith. So all of that is in the rags-to-riches story that is ancestry. Instead, the exhibit that message is more important here.” so American,” Sarna said. “A celebrates an identity rooted in an adherence to a set of univer- lot of people came to America with that (economic) hope, but sal principles, including relialso of liberty. So you have in gious liberty. one little Yiddish handwritten In The First Salute, the Jews letter all sorts of ideas that are represent all of the newcomFrom From Generation Generation To To Generation.

Generation. ers, who, as one of the exhibit’s going to be central” to the idea of America. films puts it, “leverage their That framing is not incidentrade networks and family ties LICKLER LICKLER tal. The Weitzman, located just for a risky and revolutionary blocks from Independence Hall, cause: freedom.”

UNERAL UNERAL has since its opening in 2010 Sarna pointed to a facsimile of a letter written by Jonas Phil- positioned itself, and by extenOME OME sion the Jews, at the center of lips, a German Jewish trader & & REMATION American history. With The First who arrived in the New World REMATION Salute, it doubles down on that as an indentured servant.

ERVICE mission, using the semiquincenIn a letter home, written in ERVICE tennial to argue that the story of Yiddish, Phillips included a Since 1913 Larry LarryS. S.Glickler, Glickler,Director Director copy of the newly issued Decla- American independence cannot LarryONLY S. Glickler, Dayton’s Jewish Funeral Dayton’s ONLY JewishDirector Funeral Director Director be fully told without its Jewish ration of Independence. SharDayton’ s ONLY Jewish Funeral Director 1849 Salem Avenue, Dayton, 45406-4927 protagonists. ing news of the newly created 1849 Salem Avenue, Dayton,Ohio Ohio 45406-4927 1849 Salem Avenue, Dayton, Ohio 45406-4927 “For these merchants, comcountry, he also suggested that (937) (937)278-4287 278-4287 lgfuneralhome@gmail.com lgfuneralhome@gmail.com 937-278-4287 • lgfuneralhome@gmail.com the Revolution offered new and merce and ideology were inter-

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THE DAYTON JEWISH OBSERVER • JULY 2026

With deep sorrow, we announce the sudden passing of our beloved daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, Julie Elizabeth Ruchman. Born on July 12, 1965, Julie passed away on May 20, 2026, leaving her family and friends heartbroken. Julie is remembered for her quick wit, warm humor, and remarkable gift for storytelling. She had a special way of turning ordinary moments into cherished memories that brought laughter and joy to everyone around her.

Julie embraced life with passion and joy. She was especially proud of her nephews — Brad, Bryce, and Heath — and loved sharing their accomplishments and adventures with family and friends. She also treasured time with her 21-month-old niece, Logan. Julie was a devoted fan of The Ohio State University, and on game days she could always be found in her OSU sweatshirt or T-shirt, enthusiastically cheering on the Buckeyes, whether on TV or on her phone.

Julie was preceded in death by her mother, Linda Wasserman Ruchman. She is survived by her father, Marshall (Judy Aronoff) Ruchman, and her brothers, John (Bibsy) and Todd (Cindy) Ruchman. Interment was at Riverview Cemetery. A Celebration of Life is tentatively scheduled for July 12 in Atlanta, with details to follow. Donations in Julie’s memory may be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Fund. Those interested in participating in the Celebration of Life may contact Judy Eichel at judyeichel6@ gmail.com. Julie’s memory will remain a blessing to all who knew and loved her.

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