Marvin Kraus 95th birthday party
The Kraus Family is REAR(left to right): Emilee and Jake Maxwell, Bari Kraus (Chris’s wife), Kim Preminger and Jacob Preminger-Kraus, Matthew Kraus, Eden (that little girl Geri used to buy birthday presents for in Michigan is now 15 years old), Shirah (to be ordained Rabbi this Spring)
FRONT (left to right): Marvelous Marv Kraus — the birthday boy, Chris Kraus, Natalie Zelina (bar owner/condo neighbor), Barrie Kraus (Matthew’s special friend). Can you believe her last name is also Kraus!)
Marvin celebrated his 95th birthday with members of his Cincinnati family celebrating at a downtown neighborhood bar owned by their Kingston House neighbor Natalie Zelina.
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Fran and Craig Coleman are delighted to announce the engagement of their daughter, Dana Belle, to Eli Griffin Gould, son of Pam Gould and Ken Gould, both of Louisville. Dana is the granddaughter of Andrea and Michael Dubroff, now of Cincinnati, formerly of Newburgh, NY and the late Adell and Malcolm Coleman. Eli is the grandson of Jan and Dave Doctrow of Lexington, KY and Sharon and Ed Gould of Louisville, KY.
Dana graduated from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School with a degree in Marketing and Real Estate. She is a Senior Analyst with Keurig Dr. Pepper in Cincinnati. Eli graduated from Miami University with a degree in Computer Science. He is a software engineer with IEL Logistics in Cincinnati. The couple were introduced by friends at the annual Latkapalooza party in 2019. A March 2025 wedding is planned.
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Erik and Avital Stillpass
John and Merrie Stillpass of Cincinnati are delighted to announce the marriage of their son, Erik Arthur, to Avital Yegudayev of Tel Aviv, Israel. The daytime wedding took place March 15, 2024, at The Jonah in Netanya, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. People said the wedding was so gorgeous that six attendees booked their weddings there during the course of the event. The weather was perfect. Rabbi David Hordan performed the ceremony.
Family and friends from Israel, the United States, Austria, England, and Russia attended in person and by video broadcast. Among those attending in person were Louis Stillpass (the groom’s brother), Jeff and Diana Stewart (the groom’s uncle and aunt), Louis Katz and Andrea Kravetz, Shelly Gerson, David Gershuny, Avi Hagage, all from Cincinnati and Joy and Mark Rothenberg of Cincinnati/Tel Aviv. Cynthia Goodman, Adam Bellos, Jennifer Shear originally from Cincinnati attended as did the groom’s uncle and aunt from London, Charles Stewart and Deena Newman.
A welcome/rehearsal dinner on Thursday night (the wedding eve) was at The Whiskey Bar & Museum at Sarona. Other activities with their wedding guests included a walking tour of Tel Aviv, a Sheva Bracha dinner, and winery tours. As with all Jewish celebrations, there was lots of food at all events. Many of the guests remained in Tel Aviv for several days following the wedding and enjoyed the attractions of the city and environs.
The couple met online. In September 2023, Merrie and John traveled to Israel to meet Avital’s family and look at wedding venues. They booked an event center and gave their deposit on October 5 for their March 15 date. Needless to say, the country of Israel is very different from when they booked that date.
Andrea Kravetz, Louis Katz, and Shelly Gerson came on a four-and-a-half-day mission trip before the wedding to listen to speakers including the families of hostages. They picked vegetables, packed meals for the IDF, and painted bomb shelters as part of the mission.
(Faces of soldiers blurred for security), Yossi Hofman, Erik, David Gershuny, John and Merrie Stillpass
Merrie and John Stillpass along with David Gershuny hosted a Purim BBQ at the Nahal Oz crossing on the Gaza border, grilling 450 pounds of meat. The Stillpasses and David all grilled, along with Erik and his new father-in-law, Rafael Yegudayev. Three hundred soldiers arrived from the front in armored vehicles during the course of the night and celebrated the holiday, complete with silly hats and a Megillah reading. They had planned the event through Yossi Hofman, a ZAKA volunteer, who organizes Shabbat and holiday dinners for the soldiers.
Erik graduated from Arizona State University. Following graduation, he fell in love with Israel on his Birthright Trip and subsequently the Masa Career Israel Internship program. Erik decided to make aliyah and currently works in technology sales.
Avital is the daughter of Rafael and Bella Yegudayev, who reside in Holon, Israel. Avital studied Biotechnology at The Open University of Israel and has made a career in the medical technology field.
Erik is the grandson of Anita Stewart and the late George B. Stewart, and Josephine Stillpass and the late Stanford Stillpass. Neither grandmother was able to travel to the wedding, but attended the Aufruf on December 16, 2023, at Adath Israel Synagogue.
The newlyweds reside in Tel Aviv.
