Larry Hankin

Some people return to the places that shaped them simply to reminisce. Rabbi Jordan Shaner is returning to help shape the next generation. Years after sitting in the classrooms of Temple Sinai as a child, he has come home as the congregation’s new rabbinic director of Jewish learning, bringing his journey full circle.

During the decades before the cemetery entrance was moved, visitors to Mt. Nebo entered through a park-like promenade called the George Washington Bicentennial Memorial Grove. At the center of the grove of 200 trees was an obelisk monument erected in 1932 by the Ladies Shroud Society of BMH Congregation in commemoration of George Washington’s 200th birthday.

In the story of the American Revolution, names like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson dominate. Behind the scenes, a lesser known figure played a crucial role in the fight for independence: Haym Salomon, a Polish-born Jewish immigrant whose financial acumen and personal sacrifice helped keep the revolutionary cause alive during its most desperate moments.

From his home in Winston Downs on Denver’s East Side, Jerry Streltzer cycles for practical reasons, like running errands in his part of town, as well as for pure enjoyment as he rides to the farthest reaches of the Denver metro area to explore and take in the scenery.

Some dates are synonymous with the catastrophic events that took place on those days. Think 9/11. Think Oct. 7. For the Boulder and much of...