Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 10-23-20

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October 23, 2020 | 5 Cheshvan 5781

Candlelighting 6:10 p.m. | Havdalah 7:08 p.m. | Vol. 63, No. 43 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Community readies to commemorate two years since Oct. 27 shooting

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Survivors remember

Congregations reflect on what’s needed at the two-year mark

Dan Leger and Andrea Wedner talk about living with the legacy of Oct. 27

Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Repair the World Pittsburgh and the three congregations housed in the Tree of Life building. Survivors Carol Black, who lost her brother, Dr. Richard Gottfried, in the shooting, and Andrea Wedner, who lost her mother, Rose Mallinger, co-chaired the group. The Oct. 25 day of community service, organized by Repair the World Pittsburgh, includes 21 service opportunities such as cemetery cleanup, blood donation and food distribution. “The synagogue shooting was very traumatic for the community,” said Julie Mallis, city director of Repair the World Pittsburgh. “This service day is an opportunity for people to have something to look forward to where they can come together as

wo years after 11 loved ones were ripped from their families, multiple bodies and minds were injured and a sense of communal serenity was shattered by the events of Oct. 27, 2018, the three congregations principally affected by the shootings — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha — are trying to find a balance between looking at the past and focusing on the future, all within the constraints of COVID-19. For Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, there are the obvious losses of Joyce Fienberg, Rose Mallinger, Cecil and David Rosenthal, Bernice and Sylvan Simon and Irving Younger. Barb Feige, Tree of Life’s executive director, said the congregation is continuing to respect each family’s journey, but the near eradication of in-person gatherings has challenged longstanding support systems. And, Feige pointed out, the congregation has suffered double displacement: First, in the aftermath of Oct. 27, 2018, Tree of Life relocated to Rodef Shalom Congregation. Then, because of COVID-19, Tree of Life went virtual. When the 2019 High Holidays arrived, additional space was required beyond what Rodef Shalom, Tree of Life’s new home, could provide. The Calvary Episcopal Church offered its 1,000-seat sanctuary free of charge, which Tree of Life graciously accepted, yet this meant the congregation was tasked with personalizing an unfamiliar space. The need for virtual programming for this year’s High Holidays helped the congregation really get a sense of itself, explained Feige: “Tree of Life is more than a building. It’s a family. It’s a community. It’s people together, and yes, there is a connection to

Please see Commemoration, page 14

Please see Reflect, page 14

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LOCAL Mental health matters

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation provides grant for teen mental health initiative Page 4  A cemetery cleanup was part of last year’s commemorative service.

LOCAL

Photo courtesy of Repair the World Pittsburgh

The art of connection

By Kayla Steinberg | Digital Content Manager

“T JPro Pittsburgh helps people network and make career contacts Page 8

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rauma seeks to disconnect us,” said Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership. “The best way to mitigate the impact of trauma is to find connection.” Now, almost two years after the shooting on Oct. 27, 2018, community organizations are working to offer that connection through the second-year commemoration. The assortment of events is headlined by a virtual commemorative gathering on Oct. 27, a day of community service on Oct. 25, and Torah study on the secular date of the shooting (Oct. 27) as well as on the Hebrew yahrzeit (Nov. 4 and 5). The 10.27 Healing Partnership’s commemoration working group is a collaborative effort of victims’ families, survivors, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh,

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL

What Judaism says about abortion

LOCAL

Lobbying for hate crime legislation

BOOK

New book tells Oct. 27, 2018, story

Headlines Two years later, wounded victims of synagogue shooting staying strong — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

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t’s been two years since an anti-Semite wielding an assault rifle stormed the Tree of Life building in the heart of Squirrel Hill, murdering 11 worshippers at the three congregations housed there: Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha. Not a day goes by that Andrea Wedner doesn’t think of her mother, Rose Mallinger, who, at the age of 97, was killed that day. The two were seated in the sanctuary, as they were most Saturday mornings, and before they could run, the gunman opened fire. “I think of her every day, multiple times a day,” said Wedner. “And it still hurts. It hurts the most that she’s not here to enjoy the family and be with us. And what bothers me a lot, too, is the way she died.” Of the 13 worshipers shot that day, Wedner, a member of Tree of Life, and Dan Leger, a member of Dor Hadash, were the only two to survive. Now, two years later, although life is forever changed for both of them, they remain strong and resilient, determined to infuse their lives with meaning. Although some of their injuries are permanent, both Leger and Wedner say they have adjusted. “I’m doing well physically,” said Leger, a retired nurse and UPMC chaplain, who was shot in the chest. “Some days are better than others. I still have some physical problems that will probably be around for the rest of my days that are the result of this. But I’m alive, and they are manageable, and here I am.” Wedner, a former dental hygienist, who was shot in the arm, acknowledged her hand

p Daniel Leger

Photo by Adam Reinherz

“is not going to be 100 percent,” but she does have use of it. “Some things are a little more challenging,” she said. “I’m grateful to have my arm and my hand. So I just deal with it.” Both are grateful to have survived, and are resolute to get the most out of life. While the pandemic has caused each of them to shift some plans — Wedner and her husband, Ron, planned trips that had to be canceled, and Leger’s plans to provide nursing services to the underserved are now on hold — they are both filling their days with activities that bring them joy and fulfillment. As he did before the pandemic, Leger volunteers with the CheckMates program

p Andrea Wedner

Photo by Ron Wedner

through AgeWell Pittsburgh, making calls to those who are homebound. He also checks in with members of Dor Hadash and is active on the steering committee of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, which helps those impacted by the shooting and others who have experienced trauma induced by hate. And he writes a lot, especially poetry. “As Jews, we’re not supposed to really retire,” Leger said. Wedner, who is also on the steering committee of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, fills her days babysitting her granddaughters, baking, taking walks, reading, and keeping in touch with family and friends. In the weeks and months following the shooting, Wedner, like others who were

directly impacted by the massacre, was showered with messages of love and support from the local community, as well as from around the world. She is still feeling that love, which she calls “the key to my healing.” “I’ve met so many wonderful people from this,” she said. “And it’s enriched my life.” As the two-year commemoration of the shooting approaches, Wedner anticipates spending the day with her family. “I know last year, leading up to it, and that day, I heard from so many people, and it was really helpful,” she said. “It’s so helpful that we get the support we get from family, friends, just the community.” Leger is trying “not to overplan,” for Oct. 27, 2020, he said, anticipating he will spend the day with his wife, Ellen, and Miri Rabinowitz, whose husband Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz was killed during the massacre. “I’m trying not to overthink it and to let whatever emotions come my way have a place to be.” He has, though, been trying to “fill in some blanks,” he said. Not only has he finally started to examine, and process, his medical records concerning his injuries, but he is also trying to identify all “the helpers.” “I’ve met with some of the police officers who have been involved, who came to help, and it led me to reach out to the Public Safety department to try to get a list of just who were all the people who were there that day,” he said. “Who were the helpers? Who came? I’m beginning to compile those names and it is just an extraordinary list, an extraordinary number of people who ran in our direction. They didn’t run away. They ran in our direction and they came to help.” He hopes to be able to reach out to some Please see Strong, page 15

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Headlines As court debate heats up, what does Judaism say about abortion? — LOCAL — By Kayla Steinberg | Digital Content Manager

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he way Rabbi Danny Schiff sees it, Judaism’s approach to abortion is complicated. “If you compare Judaism to the two political camps that we have in America called pro-life and pro-choice, Judaism doesn’t actually line up with either one,” said Schiff, the Foundation Scholar at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the author of the book “Abortion in Judaism.” “We take a position that is in between — the sense that some amount of abortion is required and yet we believe that abortion is only appropriate in circumstances where there is a very serious threat to the wellbeing of the mother.” Jewish conversation about abortion has taken shape over thousands of years in an expansive tradition, and Jews with opposing positions on abortion have drawn evidence from Jewish texts to support their stances. Cecily Routman, founder of the Pittsburghbased Jewish Pro-Life Foundation, cites a command in Deuteronomy 30:19 to “choose life” as evidence that Judaism does not support abortion. “We’re all interconnected in a very faithful way and [need to] support one another from conception onward,” she said.

p Andrea Glickman

p Cecily Routman

Photo by Bill Penberthy

Photo courtesy of Andrea Glickman

Meanwhile, for Andrea Glickman, vice president of the board of National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh Section, Jewish texts and teachings — like “tzedek tzedek tirdof, justice justice, you shall pursue” — propel her to advocate for reproductive rights. “Our Jewish values compel us to support full access to safe and legal abortion as basic health care,” she said. “I cannot stand idly by while barriers to health care place any individual’s autonomy, health, economic security or well-being at risk. “Various Jewish sources explicitly state that abortion is not only permitted but it’s

required should the pregnancy endanger the health or life of the pregnant individual,” she continued, referencing an oft-cited text in conversations about abortion, Mishnah Oholot 7:6, which says to put the mother’s life before the life of the child if the mother is struggling to give birth and “the greater part” of the child hasn’t come out yet. But Routman sees cases where the mother’s life is at risk as a limited exception to a the rule. “If a woman is having mental and emotional problems because of pregnancy, we need to help her,” she said, “not help her kill her child.” “The more secularized we get, the further

we get from these basic Torah principles of affirming life and respecting God and giving dignity to people,” Routman added. “As the moral condition of society declines, we need stronger moral controls from the government.” Should Roe v. Wade be overturned, individual states would determine the legality of abortion, with many expected to ban it — something that would run counter to halakhah, or Jewish law, according to Schiff. “Let’s say hypothetically that a state or country legislates that if a mother is in life-threatening difficulty because of the fetus, she couldn’t have an abortion,” he said. “That would be contrary to what Jewish law says, and therefore, that particular state would be acting in such a way that it would be restricting the ability of Jews to practice their Judaism.” But, he added, if women could legally have abortions without restrictions, conversations about the ethics of it would still be in order. “In other words, I’m not taking here a liberal or conservative approach — I’m taking a Jewish approach,” he said. “With or without a particular law in the books, Jewish law has an approach here which is the primary guide for Jews as far as I’m concerned.” Schiff doesn’t see legislating ethical questions as problematic, citing laws on murder and stealing. But he thinks conversation Please see Abortion, page 15

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Headlines Jewish Healthcare Foundation provides grant to support teen mental health initiatives — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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he Jewish Healthcare Foundation awarded $398,000 to 14 local organizations to aid teen mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipients include organizations currently providing emotional support, interactive experiences and other resources for teenagers. The nearly $400,000 grant builds on a Jewish Healthcare Foundation commitment to supporting the next generation, explained JHF President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein. “Any investment you make helping our teens become satisfied, productive, engaged members of the community is a really important investment,” said Feinstein. COVID-19 has provided teens with new challenges. Whether it’s remaining at home with parents and younger siblings and attending virtual school, or restricting time spent with friends or engaging in extracurricular activities, COVID-19 has uprooted many common teenage routines. Teens grappling with these changes are at “increased risk for depressive, anxiety and/ or post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms,”

said Judith Cohen, medical director of the AGH Center for Traumatic Stress in Children & Adolescents, in a statement. The need to address teen mental health is reinforced by considerable data, said Feinstein. In 2016, a community needs assessment, funded by the Jewish Fund and completed with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, indicated that 53% of teens struggled with anxiety and 42% struggled with depression. Additional studies indicate that COVID-19 has exacerbated such difficulties. A National 4H Council survey conducted by The Harris Poll found that 81% of teens believe that mental health is a significant concern for young people in the U.S., and that 64% of teens say that COVID-19 will have a lasting impact on their generation’s mental health. In Pittsburgh, young Jewish adults further noted COVID-19’s impact. According to a study conducted by the Marilyn and Maurice Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies (CMJS) at Brandeis University’s Steinhardt Social Research Center, and paid for by a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation, Pittsburgh’s 18-34-year-old demographic was most likely to feel lonely during the pandemic.

p JHF President and CEO Karen Wolk Feinstein delivers opening remarks during a 2019 program. Photo courtesy of Jewish Healthcare Foundation

Both the Brandeis study, which surveyed 15,000 respondents in 10 different American Jewish communities about their experiences during April-May 2020, and a follow-up Sept. 8 webinar moderated by Pittsburgh Jewish community lay leader and Brandeis board of trustee member Cindy Shapira, demonstrated the critical need to support teen mental health, said Feinstein.

The issue has long been on the JHF’s radar: Following the October 2018 shootings at the Tree of Life building, the JHF dedicated funding for teen mental health. What the newest grants will do is provide area teens — whether from Squirrel Hill, Homewood, Hazelwood, Lincoln-Larimer, Please see Grant, page 15

Commemorative Torah Study October 27th and the 18th of Cheshvan mark two years since the attack on Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation, and Tree of Life * Or L’Simcha Congregation. The Jewish Federation is honored to host Torah Study in honor of the eleven lives lost.

Six study sessions over three days. Twelve inspiring scholars to choose from.

October 27

12:00 pm - 12:50 pm, 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm

November 4

7:30 pm - 8:20 pm, 8:30 pm - 9:20 pm

November 5

12:00 pm - 12:50 pm, 1:00 pm - 1:50 pm

Register: jfedpgh.org/study

Learn more: 1027healingpartnership.org/commemorative-study

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Headlines Groups push for improved hate crime legislation — LOCAL — By Justin Vellucci

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tate Rep. Dan Frankel, a Jewish lawmaker from Squirrel Hill, is making a renewed push for improved hate crime legislation after another state representative was targeted with anti-Semitic literature and Pennsylvania’s second lady, Giselle Fetterman, was called a racial slur while shopping. “Hateful actions continue to be perpetrated against our neighbors simply because of who they are,� Frankel said. “We know that these types of interactions are increasing, and it is time for our legislature to take action. We cannot legislate what is in people’s hearts, but we can send a loud message that Pennsylvania stands together against hate and set an example as elected leaders by quickly moving this legislation forward.� Members of the Coalition Against Hate — a broad group that include legislators, the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, ArabAmericans and Sikhs, an LGBT center in Reading, and the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, among others — backed Frankel’s call for action. The Anti-Defamation League also supports the proposed bipartisan measures, and officials from the group spoke at a legislative session recently in support of stronger hate crime laws, according to a spokesperson. One measure, House Bill 213, would “step up civil and criminal penalties on those who target individuals or groups because of their race, color, religion, national origin, actual or perceived ancestry, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity,� according to the House Democratic Caucus. A measure in the state Senate, Bill 946, would give Pennsylvania’s attorney general the power to track hate group activity across the state in an information database

system, allowing for what some say is better protection of constituents, the marginalized, and other communities that are often the primary targets of hate. The information in the database only would be accessible to law enforcement agencies across the state, to better inform them of the hate group activity in their region, officials said. “At a time when passions are high, we must remember that despite our differences, we are all people,� said Frankel, in a prepared statement. “It is time for us to stand up to hate and send a message that hate has no place in Pennsylvania.� Here in Allegheny County, the renewed call to strengthen hate crimes legislation received backing from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, which invoked the Oct. 27, 2018, synagogue shooting as evidence of rising bigotry. “As we approach the second-year mark of the attack on the three congregations at the Tree of Life building, it is a sober reminder of the hatred that exists and the necessity to create laws that protect the most vulnerable communities,� Laura Cherner, director of the federation’s Community Relations Council, told the Chronicle. “The proposed legislation addresses gaps in our existing laws and offers a multi-pronged approach to protect vulnerable communities, deter potential perpetrators, and support the ability of law enforcement to identify a hate crime when it occurs. The Jewish community in Pittsburgh knows all too well the devastation that can occur as a result of hate-fueled violence. We encourage our law makers to act swiftly and decisively to fight hate crime.� Earlier this month, news outlets widely reported an incident involving an angry woman calling Fetterman a racial slur in public. In a second incident, anti-Semitic literature was left at the office of state Rep. Aaron Kaufer.  PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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p There is a renewed push for improved hate crime legislation after another state representative was targeted with anti-Semitic literature and Pennsylvania’s second lady, Giselle Fetterman, was called a racial slur while shopping.

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Celebrating 14 years of the JCC’s BIG NIGHT: Did you have a favorite?

Rita and Andy Rabin, Recovery Committee Chairs Dr. Elie Aoun and Justin Matase, Little Night Chairs

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Headlines Forum allows local groups to discuss COVID-19 responses — LOCAL — Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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eetings of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Council typically happen every six months. But the most recent meeting, on Oct. 15, was a little bit late — and was held online instead of in-person due to the pandemic. The Council, which is assembled by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, is composed of a variety of organizations, agencies and synagogues representing the Jewish community’s religious, political and socioeconomic diversity. Laura Cherner, director of the Federation’s CRC, talked about the off-the-record meeting after it was over. Beginning with a report from Dave Sufrin, Federation’s board chair, on the umbrella organization’s role in providing economic relief, PPE and various disaster loans, and then continuing with remarks from Congregation Beth Shalom Rabbi Seth Adelson on innovations employed to reach constituents when physical distancing has either eradicated or considerably altered in-person religious services, the conversation provided a window into the vast measures each group is safely taking to support its base, said Cherner. Along these lines, Jewish Association on

The takeaway is that each group, in its own way, is working to ensure that the health and safety of its members, and that of the larger community, is sustained. Aging President and CEO Debbie WinnHorvitz described the “Herculean efforts� that her organization is taking to ensure the protection of its residents and staff, Cherner said, while Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh CEO Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum talked about the creativity needed for the city’s three Jewish day schools to meet student and family needs. Each capsule presentation, along with one from Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Brian Schreiber on the institutional difficulties encountered during the pandemic, offered a holistic portrait of COVID-19 responses. The takeaway, said Cherner, is that each group, in its own way, is working to ensure that the health and safety of its members, and that of the larger community, is sustained. Larry Lebowitz, CRC chair, administered the 90-minute conference during which Bob Silverman, CRC’s immediate past-chair, was presented with the Sonia and Aaron Levinson Community Relations Award. Under Silverman’s helm, the CRC secured

broad communal partnerships in the aftermath of the attack at the Tree of Life building, collaborated with citywide groups to combat COVID-19 and worked hand in hand with various stakeholders and collectives to recognize and eradicate racial injustice. “I can’t think of a more worthy recipient than Bob,� said Cherner. For both Cherner and Lebowitz, the Oct. 15 event was their first as CRC staff and lay leader. “We’re really looking forward to having

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Oct. 23, 1998 — Wye Memorandum is signed

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Congregation Dor Hadash seeks an Administrative Assistant for programs and activities related to the 10/27/18 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue Duration and salary: through October 27, 2021 at $22/hour Work hours: an average of 30 hours/week; can vary from week to week Qualifications Bachelor’s degree, as well as experience with relevant administrative responsibilities and tasks. Experience in the nonprofit sector a plus. Knowledge of and facility with Microsoft Office, especially Access and Excel. Duties Handle correspondence; organize, attend and document meetings; assist with memorialization, programming, and fundraising activities; assist with other administrative activities. To apply: Send cover letter with resume to Jo Recht at jo.recht@gmail.com Two references will be requested.

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This week in Israeli history — WORLD —

Larry as chair. Bob left really big shoes to fill, but we’re confident that Larry will fill them,� said Cherner, who officially replaced Josh Sayles as director on Oct. 5. Cherner added that a follow-up email detailing COVID-19 responses from additional agencies will circulate in the coming days. Those interested in sharing their group’s efforts are encouraged to reach out to Cherner.  PJC

the 22nd Chess Olympiad in Haifa, which is held despite a boycott by the Soviet Union and its allies.

Oct. 26, 1943 — Journalist Ron Ben-Yishai is born

Ron Ben-Yishai, a recipient of the 2018 Israel Prize, is born in Jerusalem. Twice wounded, he reports on wars for TV, radio and print and produces investigative documentaries.

Oct. 27, 2018 — Israel strikes 80 Gaza targets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and U.S. President Bill Clinton recommit to the Oslo process in a memorandum signed at Maryland’s Wye River Plantation.

Oct. 24, 1940 — Politician Yossi Sarid is born

Yossi Sarid, a two-time Cabinet minister known as “Israel’s moral compass,� is born in Rehovot. A former Mapai spokesman and Alignment member of the Knesset, he helps start Meretz in 1992 and leads the party from 1996 to 2003.

Oct. 25, 1976 — World Chess Olympiad opens in Haifa Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the president of the International Chess Federation, Max Euwe, open

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After an overnight barrage of roughly 30 rockets from the Gaza Strip toward Israeli border towns, the Israeli Air Force strikes 80 Hamas military targets in Gaza.

Oct. 28, 1948 — Israel adopts state flag

The iconic Zionist banner with two blue stripes and a blue Star of David at its center becomes the official Israeli flag more than five months after the establishment of the state.

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Oct. 29, 1956 — Arabs are massacred at Kfar Kassem

Israeli troops, on high alert in the Arab Triangle area after the Sinai invasion that day, kill 48 Israeli Arabs returning from their fields at dusk in Kfar Kassem. The massacre results from an illegally changed curfew.  PJC

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OCTOBER 23, 2020 7

Headlines JPro Pittsburgh creates networks for Jewish professionals — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

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here can two youth engagement directors working for different Jewish organizations network? How can a fundraiser employed by a Jewish not-for-profit build a relationship with a synagogue executive director? Where can Jewish professionals get together in a casual setting to hear other Jewish professionals present exciting aspects of their career? If you answered JPro Pittsburgh for any of the questions above, you would be correct. JPro Pittsburgh is the local chapter of a national network that works to help the Jewish professional community to contribute to the vitality of their communities, support career growth and serve as the central resource for professional development, according the organization’s website. Locally, pre-COVID-19, members would attend happy hours at local bars and gather informally around some substantive programming, according to David Chudnow. Chudnow is the manager of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Volunteer Center. For the last year he has helped plan and coordinate local JPro events. He works with Classrooms Without Borders Operation Manager Ateret Cope and Shapira

p Members of JPro Pittsburgh attended the national JPro convention in Detroit in 2019. Photo provided by JPro Pittsburgh

Foundation Executive Director Josh Donner to develop local programming geared toward professional development and networking. While you must work for a Jewish agency to take part in the programming, Chudnow points out, you do not have to be Jewish to attend local JPro events. Even the word “professional� is open for

interpretation, he explained. “I think it’s a very loosely defined term. It includes Federation and its beneficiary agencies. It includes the synagogues, the early childhood education programs, whether they’re affiliated with a synagogue or not, any organization that works in the Jewish communal space.�

Chudnow became involved with the organization’s local leadership after attending a national conference last year. He said that the approximately 20 people that attended the conference in Detroit now serve as a sounding board for programming ideas. Starting in December 2019, the group asked local professionals to highlight their work at monthly happy hours. In March, JPro was forced to cancel its planned events due to the pandemic’s effects which were beginning to be felt in the city. Rather than attempt to create socially distanced events with limited participation, JPro Pittsburgh’s leadership has begun to create creating virtual events, promoting them through its social media accounts and the emails Chudnow sends to past attendees. The group has hosted virtual lunchrooms for its members and both Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center, and Squirrel Hill Health Center Dr. Jonathan Weinkle have discussed their work at virtual get-togethers. As part of the group’s fall speaker series, Raimy Rubin, manager of impact measurement for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, discussed a new report assessing the effect of COVID-19 on the Jewish community. Please see JPro, page 15

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8 OCTOBER 23, 2020

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Calendar >>Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon.

q S UNDAY, OCT. 25; TUESDAY, OCT. 27; WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4; THURSDAY, NOV. 5 Join the Pittsburgh Jewish community for the 10.27 2nd Year Commemoration: Remember, Reflect, In Spirit and Action. This year’s commemoration will be largely virtual.

q SUNDAY, OCT. 25 Join Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence for “In Memoriam 2020: Remember the Victims of Gun Violence, Demand Change,” a virtual event remembering and honoring the 11 victims of the Oct. 27, 2018, synagogue shooting. The event will place the attack into a larger context — at the intersection of anti-Semitism, anti-immigrant hatred, white supremacy and the easy availability of guns in our culture and will call for action. Hosted by Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence, Bend the Arc Jewish Action: Pittsburgh, Repair the World, and CeaseFirePA. 10 a.m. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/34BpXx5. Join Temple Sinai for their Brotherhood Brunch with Keith Burris (via Zoom). Burris was recently named editorial director of Block Communications. From 2019-2020, he served as executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Preregistration is not required. Free and open to the public. 10 a.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/KeithBurris.html# q SUNDAYS, OCT. 25; NOV. 1, 8, 15, 22 Join a lay-led Online Parashah Study Group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge is needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.

Join Repair the World for community service on Oct. 25; study Torah with a variety of scholars on Oct. 27, Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, and livestream a prerecorded Community Gathering Ceremony on Oct. 27 run by the 10.27 Healing Partnership. For complete information and to register for the different events, visit jewishpgh.org/events. q S UNDAYS, OCT. 25; NOV. 1, 8, 15, 22; DEC. 6; JAN. 31; FEB. 7, 14, 21, 28; MARCH 7, 14 What does Jewish tradition have to say about God, Torah, mitzvot, suffering, messiah, Israel … ? In this special course, Pittsburgh Rabbis on Jewish Belief, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will host 14 Pittsburgh rabbis, each teaching a session on fundamental aspects of Jewish belief. Fourteen sessions for $70. 10 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation. jewishpgh.org. q MONDAY, OCT. 26 Book launch of “Bound in the Bond of Life: Pittsburgh Writers Reflect on the Tree of Life Tragedy” by the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Panel discussion moderated by Beth Kissileff and Steve Weitzman with Barbara Burstin, Laurie Eisenberg and Adam Shear. 7:30 p.m. For more information and to register, visit calendar.pitt.edu/department/ jewish_studies_program.

q MONDAYS, OCT. 26; NOV. 2, 9, 16, 23

classroomswithoutborders.org/jewish-heritagearound-the-world.

Join Rabbi Jeremy Markiz in learning Masechet Rosh Hashanah, a tractate of the Talmud about the many new years that fill out the Jewish calendar at Monday Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q M ONDAYS, OCT. 26; NOV. 2, 9, 16, 30; DEC. 7; FEB. 1, 8, 15, 22; MARCH 1, 8, 15 Most people associate the term “Haftarah” with opaque prophetic reading on Shabbat morning. This course, Haftarah, will attempt to make the opaque sparkle. Choosing selectively from the most interesting Haftarah portions, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will seek to imbue meaning in these powerful prophetic passages. Fourteen sessions for $70. 9:30 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q TUESDAYS, OCT. 27-DEC. 22 Jewish Family and Community Services hosts Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress Management, offering the opportunity to cultivate greater awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings and actions. Increasing awareness and integrating mindfulness and meditation into one’s routine strengthens one’s ability to act with intention rather than reactively and decrease feelings of being overwhelmed. 11 a.m. To register, visit jfcspgh.org. Join Classrooms Without Borders scholar Avi BenHur on a fascinating look at Jewish heritage in six different countries across Europe and North Africa. Ben-Hur will dedicate two weekly sessions to each country in this twelve-week series. This series is co-sponsored by Rodef Shalom Congregation. 2 p.m. For more information and to register, visit

Join Jewish Family and Community Services for Art and Contemplation - Teen Edition, an artbased support group just for teens. The sessions will explore how making art can help regulate the nervous system, promote playfulness, imagination, help develop insight, and connect us more deeply to our bodies, emotions, and thoughts. For the first session, blank paper and drawing materials that have some variety of color will be needed. Free. 3 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jfcspgh.org. q TUESDAYS, OCT. 27-JUNE 1, 2021 What’s the point of Jewish living? What ideas, beliefs and practices are involved? Melton Course 1: Rhythms & Purposes of Jewish Living examines a variety of Jewish sources to discover the deeper meanings of Jewish holidays, lifecycle observances and Jewish practice. Cost: $300 per person, per year (25 sessions), includes all books and materials. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28 Log on with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Women’s Philanthropy for a Virtual Cheese Tasting featuring The Cheese Guy, Brent Delman. Your $55 registration includes a sampling of four kosher cheeses from Brent’s “The Cheese Guy” brand. For more information, visit jewishpgh.org/event/chat-with-the-cheese-guy.

Please see Calendar, page 10

Just Like Pittsburgh, today and always… Hadassah is about compassion, healing, and life. Today, and every day, Hadassah is proud to be part of this remarkable and resilient community.

Remember. Repair. Together.

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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 9 Join Temple Sinai for Cook Along with Saul Straussman via Zoom as we are walked through making one of his favorite recipes. You will be sent the ingredient list ahead of time and you can cook alongside him, asking your questions as he goes along. Free and open to the public. 6:30 p.m. Preregistration required: templesinaipgh.org/event/ cook-along-with-saul-straussman-via-zoom.html q WEDNESDAYS, OCT. 28; NOV. 4, 11 The 21st century is 20 years old. In that time, the Reform movement has produced more responsa than any other non-Orthodox movement. What have these pieces taught us about 21st-century Judaism? In 21 C Reform Responsa, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will examine two decades of responsa for their statements about contemporary Judaism. Six sessions for $30. 11 a.m. To register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q FRIDAY, OCT. 30 Put on your warmest costume and come to the Moishe House backyard for a socially distanced spooky Shabbat dinner. The candles will be lit promptly at 6 p.m., but you are welcome to come as early as 5:30 p.m. A vegetarian meal will be provided. Attendance will be capped at six guests. For more information and to register, visit facebook.com/moishehouse.pittsburgh. q SUNDAY, NOV. 1 The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh presents a discussion of the film “Soul Witness.” Completed

in 2018, the documentary includes testimony with Boston-area Holocaust survivors. The discussion will include producer R. Harvey Bravman and three descendants of survivors featured in the film. The discussion is free. The movie can be bought or rented at soulwitness.org/hcpgh. Thirty percent of the proceeds will go to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. 3 p.m. For more information, go to hcfpgh.org/events. q SUNDAYS, NOV. 1-DEC. 6; WEDNESDAYS, NOV. NOV. 4-DEC. 9 Chabad of the South Hills presents Secrets of the Bible, a new six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Study iconic stories, mystical meanings and their lessons for life. Sunday classes begin at 10:30 a.m.; Wednesday classes start at 8 p.m. Classes are presented on Zoom. For more information and to register, visit chabadsh.com. q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4 Join Drew and Jan Barkley for Temple Sinai’s Cook Along via Zoom as they walk us through making one of their favorite recipes. You will be sent the ingredient list ahead of time and you can cook alongside them, asking your questions as you go along. On the menu this time is lox, cream cheese and bagels. Free and open to the public. Registration required. For more information, go to templesinaipgh.org. q SUNDAY, NOV. 8 Classrooms Without Borders is honored to present David G. Marwell, author of “Mengele: Unmasking the ‘Angel of Death.’” “Mengele” is a gripping biography of the infamous Nazi doctor, from a

former Justice Department official tasked with uncovering his fate. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org.

France. 7 p.m. For more information, including a link to view the film and information on the speakers, visit hcofpgh.org/events.

q MONDAYS, NOV. 9; DEC. 14

q TUESDAY, NOV. 10, 17; DEC. 1, 8, 15; FEB 9, 16, 23; MARCH 2, 9

Join Classrooms Without Borders in Israel — virtually. Monthly tours with guide and scholar Rabbi Jonty Blackman via Zoom. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org. q TUESDAY, NOV. 10 The University of Pittsburgh’s Jewish Studies Program welcomes via Zoom Natan Meir, Lorry I. Lokey Professor of Judaic Studies at Portland State University. Meir will present “Epidemic and the Marginalized of Society: A View from the Jewish Past.” 6 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jewishstudies.pitt.edu. Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for a virtual tour of Kibbutz Eshbal, Israel’s first educator’s kibbutz. Eshbal is located in Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether region of Karmiel and Misgav and is working on revolutionizing education as well as creating a strong and equal Israeli society. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is a longtime supporter of its important work with at-risk youth. For more information, visit jewishpgh.org. In commemoration of the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is partnering with Film Pittsburgh to present “An Irrepressible Woman: A Discussion of the Holocaust in France (Kristallnacht Commemoration 2020)” featuring a panel discussion about the film and the Holocaust in

Treating Jewish jokes as text, From Sinai to Seinfeld invites students to analyze and interpret the evolving concerns, styles, rhythms, preoccupations and values of the Jewish people that lie buried deep in words that make us laugh as Jews, and that bond us as a people. $50 per person, (10 sessions), includes all books and materials. For more information and to register, visit foundation. jewishpgh.org. p THURSDAY, NOV. 12 New Light Congregation, Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, Congregation Dor Hadash and the 10.27 Healing Partnership present “An Evening with Beth Kissileff & Eric Lidji,” editors of the new book “Bound in the Bond of Life: Pittsburgh Writers Reflect on the Tree of Life Tragedy” moderated by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle CEO & Publisher Jim Busis. 7 p.m. For more information on this free Zoom event and to register, visit the event page at newlightcongregation.org. q MONDAY, NOV. 16 Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Cardozo Society and Women’s Philanthropy for a virtual tour of the Illinois Holocaust Museum’s exhibit “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” 5 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jewishpgh.org/event/ notorious-rbg.  PJC

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Opinion The passage of time: Reflections two years later Guest Columnist Rabbi Jeffrey Myers

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s long as we live we will never forget the lives of those we lost on Oct. 27, 2018. We will never forget who we were with and what we were doing, how we responded and what we have done to honor these beloved martyrs of our community. As we commemorate one of the most significant events of our lives, we still grieve, we still remember, we still survive in a time that continues to challenge us in ways we never imagined. Despite these challenges, we will continue to reach out to teach each other about hope, love and community. Are we better as a nation two years later? While I cannot lessen the impact of more than 200,000 COVID-related deaths in the United States alone, I have learned that during times of trauma, people’s authenticity inevitably rises to the surface. If you are innately a good person, you will find ways

to utilize your goodness to help better the lives of others. In the days and weeks following the Oct. 27 attack that killed 11 worshippers from three congregations, strangers from across the globe offered condolences, prayers, encouragement and even lengthy, handwritten letters pouring out their tears. As we approach the second year commemoration, good people once again reach out, offering continued support, reminding us that they have not forgotten. I still believe that deep down the vast majority of humanity is comprised of good people. They reject all forms of “H” (that word is eliminated from my vocabulary), bigotry, racism and the all too frequent violent acts that often accompany these words. Perhaps during periods of great stress, who we really are is seen in full view, stripped of all pretense and protective gear. Studies have shown that during great stressors throughout history, anti-Semitism rises. When coupled with so much else occurring in America at this time, some might suggest that it’s no surprise that the proverbial pot is boiling over. Social unrest.

Pandemic. Political upheaval. Economic stress. Serious divisiveness. All at once we find ourselves coping with these entrenched daily travails on top of the indelible mark that Oct. 27 left on each of us. Despite it all, we remain resilient and resolute in moving forward with our lives, with plans to rebuild our synagogue as well as our dreams. There are plenty of helpers out there and we should look to them, in a reference to the famous advice Mister Rogers’ mother gave him as a child when things were upsetting. We, too, must be helpers because they need our support to swing the perceived pendulum in the opposite direction. It can seem overwhelming to simultaneously take down the bad and build up the good, but the old adage that “if you sit on the fence and watch you will get splinters” applies. We need to disassemble the fences that separate us and use the wood to instead build bridges. We are all more alike than we recognize, and too frequently we allow the differences to define us. We must use our commonalities to unite us in the goal of making this experiment of a mixing pot called the United States successful.

The silent majority of good, decent people have been silent for too long. When will the day come that they rise up, and state with moral clarity, that words of “H,” bigotry, racism and the violence that they inevitably lead to are unwelcome, and do not belong in our society? Where are the Hebrew Bible prophets reminding us of our responsibilities to protect the orphan, the widow and the stranger? It is “we, the people” who are being tested to extreme limits. Will we pass the test? Each of us can try harder. Do more. Do better. Only the passage of time will show if our collective resolve and hard work creates a unity that truly honors those we loved and lost. On a personal note, I remain humbled and grateful to still be here among congregants, family, friends and community members who share that place, time and memory of something so profound that happened to us all and changed us in the process. May their memories be a blessing to us forever.  PJC Rabbi Jeffrey Myers is the rabbi of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha.

What we have learned in the past two years Guest Columnist Donna Coufal

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t’s been two years since the tragic shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue, when we lost 11 beloved community members in a place they trusted to be a safe and sacred space. In these two years, we’ve learned several invaluable lessons that have helped us grow stronger as a community:

Leadership that lacks empathy

We do not live in New Zealand, where, following the horrific shootings in Christchurch, militia-style weapons were immediately banned. We learned that the words (or lack of them) of the leader of our country matter — whether it be the refusal to call out white supremacy or to wear masks or to acknowledge that the view of Black people as inferior and dangerous courses through the veins of our most important American institutions. Many of us have learned not to ignore that a country that prides itself as a nation of immigrants has never been free of prejudice against anyone who is different and now glorifies itself as it vilifies people escaping unlivable situations. We have learned that Facebook has stopped posting the words of Holocaust deniers in 2020 after years of allowing hate speech to be indistinguishable from free speech. In 2020, we are learning to come to terms with the devastating consequences of leadership that lacks empathy. 12 OCTOBER 23, 2020

Bringing closeness and building resilience through community

We have strength. We at Dor Hadash pride ourselves as a lay-led congregation. While we treasure the infusion of spirit and learning from religious professionals, it is our community, our commitment to work together that has helped us build resiliency. We commit to healing ourselves and one another. There is also healing as the direct consequence of acts by others. A few months after the tragedy, Reconstructing Judaism’s Seth Rosen (board chair) and Rabbi Deborah Waxman (president) visited us and wrote an op-ed, “Amalek and Memory in Pittsburgh: Evil Must Not Define Us,” describing Dor Hadash as a role model following the unimaginable horror that occurred on 10/27, noting that we were a model of resilience in the face of tragedy. When Seth Rosen spoke these words to our congregation, that was the moment that I cried. This is what it means for someone to understand your pain, and instead of pity to invoke admiration. As I cried, I realized that through our pain we were becoming stronger and more resolute. In speaking up against anti-Semitism, gun violence and anti-immigration policies, we were holding on to our values. We continue to work toward treating each other, all human beings, without violence, with justice and compassion. This is an ongoing process among ourselves, the Jewish community, the Pittsburgh community and beyond. We’ve learned to hold each other close. The first year we physically came together. We hugged one another. And now, in spite of the isolation that we are forced to maintain

to protect ourselves from the coronavirus, our lay-led Saturday morning service and Torah discussion are more vibrant than ever. We have experimented with partnering with rabbis and cantors on Friday nights while maintaining our lay leadership. We have learned to find ways to hold one another dear. We are working to reach out to our most vulnerable members and to welcome new members looking for a spiritual home in this most isolating of times. We learned that we are part of the larger Jewish community. Although we disagree on many fronts, we value our Jewish heritage and our shared love of Jewish values. We come together in the ways that we can, and we find strength in community and power in community resources. There is so much talent and heart in our community. We must tap into these resources.

Finding heroes among people who face challenges

We are learning not to turn away from new tentacles of hatred that are coming to light; with the explosion of awareness of systemic racism. Who do we learn from now? We are embracing the fact that people of color, people with disabilities (or different abilities), people in the LGBTQ community, people who have risked their lives to live in our country are some of our most valuable voices. There are people who can be leaders in the Jewish community who have spent generations feeling the hate and diminishment of others. Just as our congregants were victims who became role models, we understand that if you want to find heroes, look to the people who have kept their spirit alive, not because they have never experienced

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hatred, but because they refused to let hatred win. We may not all look alike, be ablebodied or love the same people, but we can all be pioneers and heroes.

Listening to our youth

It is the young people in our congregation who lead the way. They are asking us to rethink what it is to be Jewish, asking that we no longer divide people by categories of race and gender. Reconstructionists believe that we must evolve at the same time that we treasure our traditions. We try to stay grounded as we move into a future that we want to see filled with compassion and openness. Only by evolving and defending the rights of all can we succeed in our fight against intolerance and hatred. It is our youth who lead the fight to insist on breathing and helping others to breathe. A knee to the neck. Gasping for air because of COVID-19 or wildfires. We must not give in to suffocation, nor let any person die unnecessarily of suffocation. We have learned that we never again want to hear the words “I can’t breathe.”

Coming to terms with our loss

Our dear friend Jerry will not be coming back. If there was one person who embodied the best of Dor Hadash, it was Jerry Rabinowitz, may his memory be a blessing. I hope that we catch glimpses of his kindness, his silliness, his brilliance, his humility and his bravery in one another. And I hope that in the year to come we can embody just a little bit more of his spirit.  PJC Donna Coufal is the president of Congregation Dor Hadash. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Opinion New Light moves forward, remembering those lost Guest Columnists Barbara Caplan and Stephen Cohen

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very day seems like Sunday morning, Oct. 28, 2018. The day before, Oct. 27, was filled with horror and grief. But that Sunday — and every day afterward — started with one question: What do we, as the leaders of New Light Congregation, do now? New Light Congregation was not immune to challenges. The previous year, 2017, we faced a difficult decision. We were in financial distress. Do we close our doors or seek a new path as a renter? We opted to rent; and we were lucky because the area synagogues in Squirrel Hill had plenty of extra room to accommodate our needs. New surroundings, yet the same. New Light has never been an activist congregation. We made it a policy many years ago not to invite politicians as event speakers. We do not issue endorsements and rarely issue press releases and posts on our website of our reactions to the daily issues of life in America. Our outreach was personal, as in our long-term relationship with the Rodman Street Baptist Church in East Liberty.

Our focus is, and has been, directed at fostering a Jewish community focused on worship and G-d. Through a community linked by ritual, each and every member of our congregation can be refreshed each week to face the daily challenges of life. Through a community linked by ritual can life events be made sensible. But Oct. 27 was different. The three congregations housed together in the Tree of Life building — Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, Dor Hadash and New Light — suffered 11 irreplaceable losses. With the death of Richard Gottfried, Daniel Stein and Melvin Wax, New Light lost our lay religious leaders. These men, under the leadership of our rabbi, Jonathan Perlman, led our services, populated our choir and managed our events. These men were the beating heart of our community linked by ritual. Four individuals pointed the way forward. Rabbi Perlman, himself a survivor and hero, ensured that our rituals continued unabated. Jeff Finkelstein, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, provided direction to all three congregations on the tasks needed to ensure continuation; David Shapira, Federation board member and chairman of the Giant Eagle Corporation, brought the larger issues of the event into clear focus through fair and open discussion; and Debby Firestone — along with the entire board of Congregation Beth Shalom — welcomed us into their home and

accommodated our every need. But it is Jewish ritual, specifically the ritual of grieving, that offers a way forward. The rules are ancient: • Aninut: the period from death to burial; • Shiva: the first seven days of mourning; • Sheloshim: the first 30 days of mourning; • Yud-bet Chodesh: the 12 Hebrew months following the day of death; and • Yahrzeit: the anniversary date of death per the Hebrew calendar. It is customary to place a monument (matzeviah) on a grave, dedicating it in a brief ceremony, known as unveiling, which usually takes place within a year after the death. The end of 2018 and all of 2019 blurred together as we passed through the first four stages, housed yet again in new surroundings, asking: How do we comfort the families of the victims, the survivors, and the congregation? How do we remember the deceased? How do we recreate that community linked by ritual without its leaders? How do we remember? How do we commemorate? This year, 2020, we began to answer those questions. We made permanent our commitment to our new home in the Helfant Chapel of Beth Shalom. We found within our members the individuals to assist in continuing the rituals so fundamental to us all. And we began to identify concrete steps to commemorate those innocent lives needlessly torn from us. We created physical memorials to our lost congregants: a memorial monument

(donated by John Dioguardi of Rome Monuments) and a pear tree (a “Survivor Tree” donated by the 911 Memorial and Museum) at our cemetery; a memorial board in Helfant Chapel; and an entire building (with funding from the Sylvia and Martin Snow Foundation and the thousands of individuals from throughout the nation and the world who donated to the congregations after Oct. 27, 2018) dedicated to the history of New Light and those we lost. The process of grieving never ends. It is custom to visit the graves of our loved ones at least once a year. This commemorative season we are dedicating, as a congregation, those physical memorials to those we lost. On the 18th of Heshvan (Nov. 5) and the following weekend, our members will gather together in person and on Zoom to remember, to reflect, and to honor the memory of Richard Gottfried, Daniel Stein and Melvin Wax as we unveil the Memorial Board in Helfant Chapel, the Memorial Monument at our cemetery and view the almost-complete Memorial Chapel being erected at the cemetery. We have begun the long and never-ending process of healing, creating those physical spaces needed to allow our members to remember and reflect — in spirit and in action — on those we have lost. May their souls be bound up in the bond of life.  PJC Barbara Caplan and Stephen Cohen are co-presidents of New Light Congregation.

A message to my beloved Squirrel Hill Jewish community, from a Jew with a touch of color Guest Columnist Naomi Kitchen

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am Syrian, Hawaiian, Colombian, Korean, Israeli, Persian, Mexican, Native American, white, Cambodian and Indian...or at least that’s what I’ve been told. I come from an Israeli American mother with a head of big, black curls and glowing olive skin, which I’ve inherited from her. My Saba and Savta, my mother’s parents, are proud Israelis, children of Holocaust survivors. My Savta loves to tell me about the time in her childhood in Israel when the Ashkenazic neighbor yelled at her daughter in Polish to stop playing with the “dirty Sephardic,” my Savta, to which her own mother, my great-grandmother, replied in her own refined Polish some version of, “No, thank you.” I have also been inundated with stories of my mother being called “shvartza,” the Yiddish slur for Black, by the other Jewish kids during her own childhood. I come from a half-white, half-Korean father, from whom I’ve inherited every facial feature. His father, from whom he gets his whiteness, comes from a family living in America since the time of the Mayflower. His mother, who raised him, is a Korean immigrant. My Korean grandmother to this day calls herself “Oriental” and, to say the

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least, her favorite feature of mine is my big (unAsian) eyes. I have lived in Pittsburgh since I was 7 and in Squirrel Hill for nine of those 10 years. I studied at Community Day School through eighth grade before enrolling at Allderdice High school. I’ve tried all the Jewish youth groups, prayed at Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox synagogues, attended Jewish summer camps, celebrated my bat mitzvah, learned to speak, read, and write Hebrew, studied abroad with Alexander Muss High School in Israel for two months, joined with family and friends for Shabbat dinner almost every Friday night of my life, participated in IAC and AIPAC conferences, worked as an editor for a Jewish magazine, entered the JCC at least three times a week (before COVID), and decided to enlist in the IDF next year. You get it — I’m Jewish, right? Yeah, you’d think. Whether it comes in the form of questions about how my Jewishness is possible, or subtle suspecting looks, my Jewishness is often up for debate in too many of our Jewish spaces. Why is that? I can tell you in one word: color. You can imagine based on my familial racial makeup that I don’t have a significant amount of “color.” Sometimes I am immediately recognized as a “person of color,” while other times, I’m assumed to be a white Jew. In my ninth grade math class I was put in a study group with two other students. One of

them asked me the classic question: “What are you?” Before I could answer, he started guessing ethnicities. The other boy in my group, who had previously seen me in Jewish spaces, said “Are you stupid? She’s just white and Jewish.” Boy number one responded by asking if boy number two was blind. This back and forth continued on for a while. I had always known that some people saw my “color” the moment they laid eyes on me, whereas others had to see proof of my one Korean grandmother to believe it. But this was the first time I wondered if, when I have been accepted without question as a Jew, my color was invisible. To Jews, did my color either cancel my Jewishness or my Jewishness cancel my color, never coexisting? I don’t have an explanation for why some people see me as a person of color and why others do not, but what I have settled on is that at the least, I am not completely white. I have a touch of color. My touch of color is the reason why I’ve received undeserved (but appreciated) welcomes and warmth in Native American flea markets out West and other spaces with POCs. It is also why I’ve received coldness and funny looks in some Jewish spaces. Racism in America and, unfortunately, in America’s Jewish community is pervasive. But, in my experience, Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is one of the most welcoming American Jewish communities. Squirrel Hill’s Community Day School is an actively

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anti-racist environment. My teachers there, Chaim Steinberg, Jackie Goldblum and Cara Shuckett, are visionary educators who have cultivated this culture by leading conversations about tikkun olam, racism and injustice at every opportunity. All Jewish institutions should follow Community Day School’s lead. In the Squirrel Hill Jewish community that I know, overt racism is not the problem. The problem is the assumption that all Jews are white — fully white. They are not. We are not. This assumption must be quashed because the consequences of it will be monumental. We will lose our Jews of color. The coldness that I have felt in too many Jewish spaces pushes me into the arms of groups, who unlike the Jewish community, have no real claim to me, but look at me like they do, like I am theirs. Because of this absurdity, I must constantly remind myself who I am and what I am. I am not Syrian, not Hawaiian, not Colombian, not Persian, not Mexican, not Native American, not Cambodian, not Indian. I am Jewish. I love Pittsburgh’s Jewish community with all of my heart. It is because of this love that I so fervently want us to be better. I ask this for myself and for other Jewish children of color: When you see us is Jewish spaces do not give confused, cold looks. Look at us like we are yours, because we are.  PJC Naomi Kitchen is a senior at Allderdice High School. OCTOBER 23, 2020 13

Headlines Commemoration: Continued from page 1

a community and just do something that is going to make you feel good … It’s just basically a physical way of working through and processing grief and trauma.” The Torah study, spearheaded by the Federation, offers another outlet. “The idea is that it would give comfort to people, that it would elevate the souls of the deceased by studying our sacred texts,” said Rabbi Amy Bardack, director of Jewish life and learning at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The study, which requires preregistration to get the Zoom information, has six time slots with a choice of two scholars at

each. Topics include repairing the soul and the world, resilience and accompanying others through loss. The virtual commemorative gathering, planned by the 10.27 Healing Partnership, will reflect on the lives lost with survivors, families of the deceased, first responders and the congregations at the Tree of Life building. In addition to the three main programs, the commemoration includes healing activities — an effort of Jewish Family and Community Services and the 10.27 Healing Partnership — such as canopy conversations outside of The Children’s Institute and a drop-in Zoom room with yoga, therapy and grieving activities. There are also events planned by partner organizations like a two-part gathering for young adults: preparing for Shabbat on Oct. 22 and Shabbat dinners on Oct. 23.

“The first event really provides that purpose to give the meaning and the intent of the main event, which is the commemoration of Shabbat, specifically in honor of those who perished on that day,” said Rabbi Henoch Rosenfeld of Chabad Young Professionals. “One is a pregame for the actual game.” The “actual game” won’t look like last year’s group dinner. Rather, young adults will host their own Shabbat dinners using kits offered by the event’s organizers: Chabad Young Professionals, Moishe House, OneTable, Repair the World and the Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation. “We have a very important task to make sure that their death was not in vain,” said Rosenfeld. “And the way we do that is by letting their good deeds and their actions

Reflect: Continued from page 1

the building at Wilkins and Shady without a doubt — generation to generation has grown up in that building and celebrated simchas in that building — but we’re still a congregation, a family celebrating simchas together.” Still, the lack of in-person connection had an impact. “I think people missed that, and that’s unrelated to our trauma, maybe it piles on,” said Feige. “We know that one of the things the shooting did was highlight the preciousness of life, and you want to recognize those connections even more, and I think that COVID made people recognize that. That’s what’s important for Tree of Life right now: to continue to maintain things that bring us together and keep us together because we can’t do it with physical space right now.” For New Light, the past two years have required solidifying a home and creating a safe space for members to grieve the losses of Richard Gottfried, Daniel Stein and Melvin Wax. “They were the religious heart of our congregation,” said New Light co-president Stephen Cohen. “They led our services. They were our choir. They were our event managers. They did everything. All of the day-to-day stuff that makes an organization work lay in the hands of those three individuals, and they’re missed. They’re missed terribly every single Saturday, every single day, because of what they contributed to the congregation.” Approaching the second commemoration has been difficult, said New Light co-president Barbara Caplan. “It’s a hard time. It’s a hard thing to talk about. It’s a hard place to be, but I think we’re doing the best we can,” said Caplan. “It’s just very emotional right now. It’s building up.” Since the Oct. 27, 2018, attack, the congregation has adopted different supportive measures, like regularly checking in on Gottfried’s, Stein’s and Wax’s families. “We’re just trying to make sure everybody’s doing all right, but it’s just very difficult,” said Caplan. “It’s a very emotional time for everybody, especially the families, obviously.” New Light has several plans to mark Gottfried, Stein and Wax’s second yahrzeit. Apart from unveiling a new memorial board inside its current prayer space, the 14 OCTOBER 23, 2020

p Families light yahrzeit candles for their loved ones at the 2019 commemoration of Oct. 27. Photo by Joshua Franzos

“ It’s a hard time. It’s a hard thing to talk about. It’s a hard place to be, but I think we’re

”

doing the best we can.

— BARBARA CAPLAN, NEW LIGHT CO-PRESIDENT congregation will host a special service at the New Light cemetery. The latter will include the dedication of a monument and bench, as well as recognition of a tree seedling donated by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. The events will occur in-person and on Zoom — a hybrid pattern New Light has adopted during the pandemic, such as holding in-person and streamed Shabbat services. “Ritual is very important to us, and under Jewish law there are some things that require in-person attendance in order to do the ritual, like Torah reading,” said Cohen. The ability to maintain these practices is a credit to New Light’s landlord, Congregation Beth Shalom, continued Cohen. Across the city COVID-19 shuttered synagogues, but when New Light expressed a desire to hold in-person gatherings, Beth Shalom’s leadership and medical team worked to safely

enable New Light’s wish. “Beth Shalom has proven to be the most wonderful landlord,” said Cohen. “They have accommodated us in every way.” That includes allowing New Light to hang its memorial plaques on the walls, and affix artwork in areas beyond New Light’s designated space inside Beth Shalom’s Helfant Chapel. “They’ve helped us make a house a home,” said Cohen. For Dor Hadash, honoring the memory of Jerry Rabinowitz and aiding those harmed by the events of Oct. 27, 2018, requires both words and action. “For us on the second commemoration, we’re aware that our country is changing,” said Donna Coufal, Dor Hadash’s president. “Our country is not a predominantly white country anymore. Our country is

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live through us. By commemorating that through Jewish values, we really give them an opportunity to continue to make an impact on this world though they’re not here in a physical way.” Carol Black remembers her brother by continuing to do the things they did together. But she also sees value in a commemoration. “I don’t really need a commemoration to remember,” she said. “But I do want the world to remember. If our commemoration does anything to help keep the lives that we lost alive in our hearts and minds, then that’s a good thing. “For my part, I just want to honor my brother’s memory.”  PJC Kayla Steinberg can be reached at ksteinberg@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. not a binary gender anymore. There’s a lot of changes happening, and people … fight those changes in violent ways. And we’ve been the recipient of that violence.” Losing 11 people because of hate, Coufal said, means that for Dor Hadash “it’s really important to us to continue to stand up against hate, stand up against gun violence. And this 10/27, we intend to speak out on all of these issues.” Dor Hadash has plans for events surrounding the commemoration (see above) but it is important to the congregation to make explicit that the Oct. 27 attack was specifically directed against Jews; that white supremacist ideology promotes anti-Semitism, xenophobia and the demonization of people of color; and that the enactment and enforcement of reasonable firearm legislation would prevent future terror. But Dor Hadash’s inclination toward action has necessarily been complicated by the pandemic. People can only handle so much Zoom, Coufal said, so there need to be ways to facilitate aid and remedy problems from afar. Whether it’s caring for the vulnerable without physically being in the same room or speaking out about matters of concern from a distance, Dor Hadash plans to continue helping those hurt by past trauma as well as confront present-day difficulties. Such work begins with a framework of memory, said Coufal: “My understanding of Judaism is that remembering is really important. We remember Jerry Rabinowitz and how we loved him and love him. I didn’t know all of the other people who perished. But they were people who were going to synagogue. They were people who loved being part of a community. It’s just the best way people can be. And we want people to be able to do that in a safe and happy way.” With the second commemoration days away, congregations and their members recognize the need to carefully protect those in pain while reaching out beyond the bounds of a congregation. What gives us a sense of purpose as a community,” said Coufal, “is both looking inwards to help our own people, but also working to create a kinder and more just world.”  PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Strong: Continued from page 2

of those people, and, if he is allowed, to acknowledge them publicly. The trial of the gunman still has not been set, the delay due in part to the federal government seeking the death penalty. While Wedner does not spend a lot of time thinking about the eventual trial, Leger finds its delay difficult. “It’s a prolonging and agonizing process that

Abortion: Continued from page 3

could be better than legislation in this case. “If you tell somebody, ‘You’re not going to be allowed to do this and it’s going to ruin your life et cetera,’ that creates a lot of emotion,” he said. “If you tell people, ‘Look, you know, obviously the choice is going to be yours, but let’s study this material and let’s think this through and let’s figure out what the finest human conduct might look like,’ people become much more amenable to that sort of conversation.”

Grant: Continued from page 4

or even the North and South Hills — with stress management and mindfulness skills, as well as opportunities for mentorship, tutoring and connections to trusted adults, said Deborah Murdoch, JHF’s program manager. At the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, $72,000 in funding will provide teenagers the chance to enjoy increased safe in-person gatherings, as well as expand an internship program at the JCC’s The Second Floor, said Chris Herman, teen division director at the JCC. Whereas The Second Floor previously offered internships to six teenagers and engagement experiences once a month, the grant will allow The Second Floor to

JPro: Continued from page 8

“They’re super interesting,” Chudnow said. “It’s not something that necessarily directly affects our work but its something that a colleague within our space is doing.” The opportunity to hear about other’s work is important, Chudnow explained, because each agency and organization is working in the same Pittsburgh Jewish community. “Whether JFCS is coming at it from a perspective of helping people in dire need or JRS is coming at it from helping their clientele and JAA is helping people in their community, the synagogues are helping PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

needs to come to as much closure as it can,” he said. “When people lose their lives, the people who lose those people from their very existence don’t have the opportunity of closure. But there are opportunities for closure about certain elements of the experience.” He is trying, he said, to “learn as much as I can about why it is that we have such a proclivity in our culture for not being able to communicate well enough so that something like this can be avoided.” There are many opportunities, Leger

stressed, to honor the memories of “the beautiful people that we lost that day, things like learning opportunities and service opportunities. If anyone ever thinks they need an excuse to do something good, think about one of these people and do something in their memory. That’s how we keep them alive.” For Wedner, the memory of her mother, Rose Mallinger, is constant. She remains an inspiration and she is “always around.” “Life goes on,” Wedner said. “You have

to keep going. My mother would want us to do that and I have to live on for her and through her. A lot of the things I do and say, I think of her. She’s always there. She keeps me going. She was a strong lady, so I think I may have inherited that from her. She was pretty amazing. She was a hoot. She was something, she really was. I miss her. We all miss her.”  PJC

And that’s where Judaism comes in. “The Jewish people certainly internally and to some extent externally as well is responsible for bringing that conversation to the table, to try to get humans to think through what conduct best elevates them to the highest human functioning and to act upon it,” he said. With Judge Amy Coney Barrett likely to be confirmed to the Supreme Court, Glickman is worried. “I really do think that the nomination of Judge Barrett to the Supreme Court is really the greatest threat to Roe v. Wade,” she said. “Our Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state, which

really means that judges can’t impose their personal religious beliefs on the law. Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s private religious affiliations aren’t really the issue, but her public political agenda is.” As a judge on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Barrett voted for the court to reconsider a law — that had been struck down — requiring fetal remains to be cremated or buried after an abortion. She also voted for the 7th Circuit to rehear a case requiring minors to inform their parents before an abortion. But in a case regarding buffer zones protecting abortion patients from protesters, she voted to uphold the zones.

Routman isn’t sure how Barrett would vote on Roe v. Wade. “Something happens with these really brilliant legal minds,” she said. “Somehow, they can say, ‘Well, there’s some sort of legal precedent or there’s some sort of legal theory that overrides a fact.’” Schiff is also uncertain about what’s next. “I think even the conservative justices will be nervous about the idea of overturning Roe v. Wade because they have wives and sisters and mothers,” he said. “I think it will be very complicated.”  PJC

welcome a total of 11 interns — six in Squirrel Hill, four in the South Hills and one in the North Hills — and between four and eight programs every four weeks, added Herman. The Friendship Circle Pittsburgh will similarly use its $30,000 in funding to empower teens through a program called FC Crews. The peer-support initiative will enable teen leaders to become active listeners and supportive friends, which will ultimately benefit all of Friendship Circle’s teens, said Rabbi Mordy Rudolph, Friendship Circle’s executive director. Along with aiding FC Crews, funding from the JHF will enable Friendship Circle to welcome a behavioral health specialist who will help shape the FC Crews program, added Rudolph. Recipients of the JHF grant are utilizing the funds in a variety of ways, said Murdoch. At Repair the World Pittsburgh, volunteer and mentoring services will be bolstered,

while a technology-based arts education will be advanced. At The CHILL project, a mindfulness program piloted at Baldwin High School by Allegheny Health Network, the use of expressive arts, including puppetry, painting, sculpting, dance and poetry to reach students with learning disabilities, will be increased in emotional support classes or with non-native English speakers. The expectation is that funding will be used through either June or August 2021, depending on how each organization runs its programming schedule, said Murdoch. The nearly $400,000 grant builds on JHF’s previous commitment to supporting community-based teen mental health programming. In March 2020, the organization provided Jewish Family and Community Services with $80,000 to develop a teen mental health and wellness space called UpStreet. And although UpStreet is ultimately intended to

be a Squirrel Hill-based drop-in center for teens, JFCS has responded to COVID-19 by providing virtual programs and a web-based peer support network under the UpStreet banner, said Feinstein. Moving forward, JHF is excited to see how its newest grant recipients utilize funding to benefit area teens, noted Murdoch. Additionally, JHF will enable the organizations to collaborate and share ideas by welcoming each grant recipient into a newly formed teen mental health agency alliance. Ultimately, although no one knows when the COVID-19 pandemic will end, it’s clear that teens are suffering and require immediate attention, said Feinstein: “We know it’s a problem. Studies indicate it’s a problem. We have to do something.”  PJC

people looking for a spiritual connection — it’s still the same people.” For Cope, who has been a leader in the organization since it was reconstituted in 2016, JPro helps Jewish professionals feel connected across agencies. “It makes you feel like you have coworkers in one of the other organizations and that you are not siloed to a specific organization. We are all working together to make a better Jewish community.” Rebekah Malkin, young adult engagement director at Temple Sinai, had not attended a local JPro event before going to the Detroit convention in place of a co-worker who was unable to attend. She viewed it as an opportunity to meet people doing similar work

with similar challenges from which she could learn and grow. “I really enjoyed it,” she said. “It was a fun opportunity to meet other Jewish professionals in the Pittsburgh area and kind of build a network there as well.” She now attends as many JPro Pittsburgh events as possible and pointed out that it offers local professionals a chance to better serve the community by learning about other agencies and careers not connected to their profession. “If I didn’t have JPro as an opportunity to meet my colleagues at JFCS or the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry, I wouldn’t know what resources were available to the community and then, If I were to work with a young

adult who had a need, I wouldn’t be able to connect them,” Malkin said. Chudnow agreed that forming relationships with others working in the Jewish communal space is a strength of the organization, both in members’ professional and personal lives. “Creating relationships outside your daily lists of tasks is important to professional development,” Chudnow said. “Broadening your horizons and learning how to facilitate conversations better in general is important. I think it helps create more holistic growth.”  PJC

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Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Kayla Steinberg can be reached at ksteinberg@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. OCTOBER 23, 2020 15

16

Life & Culture ‘Bound in the Bond of Life’ collects Pittsburghers’ reflections on the Oct. 27 massacre — BOOKS — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

T

wo years after the shooting at the Tree of Life building, “Bound in the Bond of Life: Pittsburgh Writers Reflect on the Tree of Life Tragedy” collects essays from 24 writers as they attempt to make sense of the Oct. 27, 2018, tragedy. The Pittsburgh journalists, spiritual leaders, historians, writers, poets and academics presented in the collection share their pain, fear, confusion and anger in writings that are scholarly and personal, raw and profound. Co-editor Beth Kissileff came up with the idea for the book, initially thinking it would be a collaboration with Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center. It was Lidji who initially floated the idea of including other local writers. “Our prime criteria,” Kissileff said, “was writers, people, that would be able to process the event through writing. We wanted to be sure that it contained good writing.” Kissileff is married to Jonathan Perlman, rabbi at New Light Congregation, one of three synagogues that shared the Tree of Life building. Three members of its congregation

were murdered during the Oct. 27 attack. Kissileff believed it was important that local voices told their story in the collection. “We really wanted to elevate the stories and perspectives of local writers. The national media has a certain angle and story and way of framing things,” she said. “A lot of people don’t even realize there were three synagogues involved. So, we made sure there were two writers from each synagogue who wrote for the book. It was really a chance for different perspectives to be heard.” Lidji explained that the pair originally considered an anthology of previously published pieces but by 2019, the idea evolved to solicit original material from local authors who had unique points of view. “We feel like this is the beginning of a bigger process,” Lidji said, “allowing people to tell their stories.” Rather than feature stories by those that were a part of the shooting, “Bound in the Bond of Life” reaches into the broader Jewish and Pittsburgh community. Perlman’s essay in the book, “Eleh Ezkerah, Nusach Pittsburgh,” is the only contribution from someone in the building from the day of the attack. By looking beyond the three synagogues, the

geographical limitations of Squirrel Hill and the Jewish faith, Kissileff and Lidji illustrate that, like a pebble dropped into still water, the shooting had effects that rippled

throughout Pittsburgh. In his essay “I Read Somewhere That Pittsburgh is Stronger Than Hate,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman ties the shooting to others that have captured national attention, including those in Charleston, South Carolina, and Las Vegas, Nevada, and highlights several others, both in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and the larger city. He ties anti-Semitism to America’s other long simmering hate, racism, illustrating the point with examples from his own life. Norman said that when first approached, he wasn’t sure what he could add to the anthology. “And then it occurred to me: I’m a member of this community. I was profoundly affected and shocked. You know, I can do this. It will definitely be from a different perspective.” The columnist said he wrote his essay before George Floyd was murdered while being arrested by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, spurring Black Lives Matter protests. “There’s an interesting confluence between these things,” Norman said. “And I think people have become much more aware of the fact that there are these tribal hatreds out Please see Bound, page 20

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OCTOBER 23, 2020 17

Celebrations

Torah

Bat mitzvah

A leader need not be flawless to move humanity in the right direction

Ella Sydney Roth, daughter of Sharon and Jason Roth, will become a bat mitzvah at Adat Shalom during Shabbat morning virtual services on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020. Grandparents are Stuart and Arlene Zarembo and Sandra and Stephen Roth. Ella is an eighth-grader at Shady Side Academy. She enjoys swimming and baking. For her bat mitzvah project, Ella organized a fundraiser that raised over $6,000 for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.  PJC

New Light Congregation-Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation Dor Hadash - 10.27 Healing Partnership

Presents $Q (YHQLQJ ZLWK (GLWRUV %HWK .LVVLOHÎ? (ULF /LGML Featuring Their New Book:

“Bound in the Bond of Life:

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Thursday, November 12, 2020 Zoom 7:00 - 8:30 PM Free www.newlightcongregation.org/events/ bound-in-the-bond-of-life

Join us for readings by the editors and essayists: Laurie Eisenberg, Molly Pascal, and Arlene Weiner Followed by a moderated discussion remembering those we lost, grief and healing, and our community’s attempt to come to terms with the attack of October 27, 2018. This event is free but registration is required. The anthology may be purchased at a discount during registration. The Editors

%HWK .LVVLOHÎ? is the author of the novel “Questioning Returnâ€? and editor of the essay collections “Reading Genesis: Beginnings and Reading Exodus: Journeys.â€? She is the spouse of Rabbi Jonathan Perlman of New Light Congregation, who survived the October 27th attack. Eric Lidji is the director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center. He is the author of “John Riegert and The Seventeenth Generation: The Lifework of Rabbi Walter Jacobâ€? and a co-editor of +HU 'HHGV 6LQJ +HU 3UDLVHV 3URČ´OHV RI Pittsburgh Jewish Women. +H LV RYHUVHHLQJ WKH HÎ?RUW WR SUHVHUYH GRFXPHQWDWLRQ RI WKH DWWDFN IMCHA

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t’s the end of the world. Violence is everywhere. Hearts are full of hate. Waters are rising. The story of Noah is a challenging text to read — especially when we imagine God looking at our world today, with waters rising, forests burning, violence and hatred. We might wonder if God again “regretsâ€? making humanity as we read in Genesis 6:6: “ ... and God’s heart was grieved.â€? Rabbi Mary Brett Koplen writes, “God is heartbroken. The people whom God formed with such care, the people into whom God exhaled God’s own divine spark, the people God loved — had chosen a path of corruption and crime. God sees this corruption, is filled with regret over having ever created humans in the first place, and is overcome by grief.â€? Yes, I can imagine God feeling that way today. I can imagine God crying alongside us as we mourn the world that could have been, the world we hoped would be. So what does God do with God’s grief? God chooses a leader to begin rebuilding. God chooses Noah. “Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his generation.â€? But with these words, our Torah portion opens the door on another central challenge of the text. Was Noah actually righteous? Why include the caveat “in his generationâ€?? On one hand, explains Rashi, it could mean that “he was righteous even in his generation; it follows that had he lived in a generation of righteous people he would have been even more righteous ‌ â€? But on the other hand, it could mean that it was only “in comparison with his own generation he was accounted righteous.â€? If he had lived in another time, he would never have risen to this position. He’s no Abraham, or Moses, or Esther. His actions prove this, as he fails to

argue with God’s decision, or protest in any way, or to fight for his people. Noah is adequate, not exemplary, and this gives me hope. As I write these words, our country is in the midst of an important leadership decision, arguably the most important in recent history. We, like God, find ourselves with the opportunity to choose a leader. So yes, the idea that this leader need not be perfect is comforting. Had God found a flawless leader, we might think that we too should look for leaders without flaws. Instead, we get to practice imitatio dei by choosing leaders who are humans, who overcome challenges, who are flawed. While I can not find the origin of the quote, I am moved by the analogy of voting to public transportation. Buses move in every direction, but rarely to the exact destination we hope to be. We shouldn’t give up, remaining where we are, but rather look for the bus that moves us in the right direction. Judaism has always placed importance on engaging with the work, even when the task is too big to accomplish on our own. We are commanded to pursue justice, even when we might not see its fruition. We are commanded to perform mitzvot, sacred opportunities, to bring about the world to come, eventually. We are inspired by Honi, who plants a carob tree that will not bear fruit until long after his death. It is not upon us to complete the task, but neither are we free to desist from it. And the same is true of our leaders. We should choose a leader who will bring us in the direction of our values, one step closer to tikkun olam, repairing the world. We will not be so heartbroken by the state of the world that we will fail to make a choice — rather, we must vote. Make a plan, tell five friends, and, to paraphrase Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel, pray with your vote.  PJC Rabbi Emily Meyer lives in Pittsburgh. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.

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LEGAL NOTICE Jacqueline Slavkin, deceased, of Pittsburgh, PA,

One of the most important decisions you will make‌

No. 4602 of 2020, Robert Slavkin, Executor, c/o David J. Slesnick, Esq., 310 Grant Street, Suite #1220,

The Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh (JCBA) welcomes inquiries about the purchase of burial plots. JCBA is committed to the proper care and maintenance of sacred grounds, preserving existing rituals, and is devoted to the stewardship of Jewish cemeteries.

Plots are available in the following JCBA cemeteries: Agudath Achim (Hampton Township) • Anshe Lubovitz • Beth Abraham B’nai Israel (Steubenville) • Machsikei HaDas • Shaare Zedeck Workmen’s Circle #45 • Workmen’s Circle #975 For more information please visit our website at www.jcbapgh.org, email us at jcbapgh@gmail.com or call the JCBA at 412-553-6469. JCBA’s expanded vision is made possible by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Foundation 18 OCTOBER 23, 2020

Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Legal Notice Richard Mandus, Deceased of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania No. 02-20-3889 Gregory Mandus, Co-Executor; 3502 Washington Pike, Bridgeville, PA 15017; and Jeffrey Mandus, Co-Executor; 2411 Milford Drive, Bethel Park, PA 15102. or to Bruce S. Gelman, Esquire, Gelman & Reisman, Law & Finance Bldg., 429 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1701, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

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Obituaries GRADMAN: Dr. Alan How ard Gr a d m an . Beloved husband of Temima Gradman for 50 years, father of Arielle (Jack) Berlin, Gideon (Juliette) Gradman and Jonathan (Alexandra) Gradman, grandfather of Benji and Sammy Berlin, Yuval, Eli and Lev Gradman, and brother of Lisa Lipton and the late Marc Gradman, passed away at his home in Pittsburgh on Oct. 1 from pancreatic cancer. He was 74. Dr. Gradman was born Sept. 26, 1946, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to David and Gertrude Gradman and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Duke University as an Angier B. Duke Scholar and received his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship in cardiology at Stanford University in California. Dr. Gradman spent 13 years on the faculty at Yale University School of Medicine as associate professor of medicine and chief of cardiology at the West Haven Veterans Administration Hospital. He and his family came to Pittsburgh in 1990 when he became chief of cardiology at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, where he engaged in research, teaching and caring for patients for the next 19 years. He also served on the faculty of Temple University Medical School as professor of medicine. Dr. Gradman’s research in cardiovascular diseases specialized in hypertension and heart failure, and he authored over 130 articles, reviews and book chapters. He lectured all over the world, combining his love of teaching with his love of travel and adventure. This passion for teaching extended into his volunteer work, including his decadeslong volunteering in India teaching doctors at the Satya Sai Superspecialty Hospital in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, India. Outside of medicine, Alan had a broad range of interests, from ancient history to current events. He was a voracious reader and a perpetual student, who took the time to understand topics deeply, often seeking out primary sources and first-hand accounts of historical events to gain insight into the events and issues of today. His family and friends enjoyed his conversations and looked forward to his insights, which will surely be missed. He also loved hiking, especially in the West, which he enjoyed with his sons Gideon and Jonathan, and his brother Marc. He had a special fondness for Yosemite National Park, where he went on an annual family hiking trip for over 20 years. Graveside services and interment were held at Poale Zedeck Memorial Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made in his name

to the Yosemite Conservancy (yosemite. org), Mekor Habracha / The Center City Synagogue (mekorhabracha.org) and ZOA, 6507 Wilkins Ave., Suite 102, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family-owned and -operated. schugar.com LEVENSON: Michael J. Levenson. On Thursday, Oct. 15, age 59, passed away peacefully at his home. Michael was loved for his larger-than-life presence and personality as well as his kindheartedness and caring. He lived life according to his own terms, working many years as an engineer modifying, certifying and repairing commercial and military aircraft. Michael loved sports cars, travelling the world and enjoying good food, and was a wine connoisseur. A big fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Michael would frequently go to the arena just before puck drop to check on last-second ticket availability. Son of the late Abe and Ann Levenson, he is survived by his fiancée, Sisa Beckwith, and half-sister Rita Tauberg with whom he shared the same father. He also had a very close and special bond with his nephew David Tauberg (Anne Hawkins), niece Faith Siskind (Steven) and great-nephews Samuel and Adam Siskind. Michael will be dearly missed by many close friends from around the country and the world. A special thanks to all his wonderful, loving home caregivers and the kind, passionate staff at UPMC homecare and hospice. Donations to honor Michael’s memory may be made to Just Harvest at justharvest.org, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org, or Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank at pittsburghfoodbank.org. There will be a private ceremony. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family-owned and -operated. schugar.com ROSEN: Joel “Skip” Rosen. On Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, after a month-long battle with lung disease. Beloved son of the late David and Martha Rosen; loving brother of Arleen Wolf; dear uncle of David Wolf. Skip worked for UPMC at Shadyside Hospital for 15 years where he assisted in starting the pharmacy robotics program. He also traveled to the UPMC Transplant Hospital in Palermo, Italy to bring its pharmacy program up to UPMC standards. He was a very special person who was loved by everyone who knew him. Services and interment private. Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 444 Liberty Ave., Suite 1300, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Arrangements entrusted to the Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family-owned and -operated. schugar.com  PJC

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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday October 25: Milton Cohen, Rose Elinow, Fannie Titlebaum Frank, Elizabeth S. Kalovsky, Frank Mayer Marcosky, Dr. Geneva Markus, Mary Opter, Elaine R. Rubin, Morris Spector, Fae Velardi, Dorothy Weinberg, Harry Wishnev Monday October 26: Sarah N. Cohen, Sol Feinberg, Isadore Feldman, Milton Gottlieb, Isadore Krouse, William S. Lichtenstul, Sylvia R. Melnick, Minnie Toig Pearlman, Louis Rosner, Harry Sparks, Regina Brown Wand, Sarah Weinbaum Tuesday October 27: Pauline Berzosky, Anna Birnkrant, Leonard Farber, Hanna Ficks, Jeanette Kohen Kuperstock, Hannah Rae Levine*, Barnett Marcus, Lillian Pretter, Henry Rosenfeld, Samuel Rosenfeld, Sam Schllessinger, Peter Shaffer, Meyer Shepman, Alberta Myers Walken, Adolph Weitzen, Miriam Yahr, Max Zweig Wednesday October 28: Mildred Caplan, Frances Citron, Marcia Green Farbstein, Eva Frank, Reva Cohen Goldberg, Sarah B. Gordon, Lawrence L. Green, Rose K. Judd, Jacob Levinson, Samuel Nathan, Jerrilyn Ruth Perilman, Sara Recht, Sam Sambol, Herman Solow, David Srulson, Tobe L. Unger Thursday October 29: Arthur Levine, Solomon Linder, Jennie Rosen, Mayer Eli Ruben, Rose Shapiro, Freda Siegel, Charles Weiss Friday October 30: Benjamin C. Brown, Evelyn Wolk Caplan, Ruben Cohen, Dr. Bernard Cramer, Samuel T. Greenberg, Frank Grossman, Ida Kaplan, Dena Katzenberg, Morris Krantz, Minnie M. Lavine, Raymond Paul Lazier, Rebecca Paris, Milton L. Rosenbaum, Adolph Roth, Nina Ruben, Anna Sadowsky, Leonard Schulhof, Helen R. Seiavitch, George Sherman, Abraham Wechsler, Doris Wechsler Saturday October 31: Goodman George Altman, Jacob L. Berkovitz, Leo Berkovitz, Sylvia Breman Braun, William Cohen, Sidney Leo Friedman, Jennie Gernstat, William Glasser, Helen B. L. Hersh, Norman Katz, Rachel Klahr, Arnold Klein, Nathan A. Kopelman, Phillip Levy, Edwin E. Lichtenstul, Michael J. Niderberg, Paul Numerosky, David Rosen, Meyer David Rosenthal, Harry H. Samuels

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OCTOBER 23, 2020 19

Headlines Bound: Continued from page 16

there. They’re quite primordial and quite deep, and that there needs to be a reckoning. We need to really talk about what this is all about.” Barbara Burstin teaches courses on the Holocaust and American Jewish history at both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. In her essay, “Fall Semester 2018,” she recalls her experience of teaching her first class Tuesday morning following the shooting the previous Shabbat morning. “Clearly, my experience going into the classroom was pretty dramatic and traumatic,” she said. Burstin viewed her writing as an opportunity for the community to learn about Jewish life and history. “I wrote to celebrate life and not just death. I think that’s an important message to come out of this,” Burstin said. Conscious that Jews are often presented as victims in Holocaust lessons, she writes that she tries to underscore the lives Jews led before the Holocaust, talking about their hopes and dreams, accomplishments and disappointments. She worries that because of events like the Tree of Life shooting, American Jews are mired in a swamp of anti-Semitism. When the Tree of Life building is reimagined and rebuilt, she said, “I would hope that a good chunk

“ We feel like this is the beginning of a bigger process, allowing people

”

to tell their stories.

— ERIC LIDJI, CO-EDITOR

of that reestablishment would involve the celebration of the Jewish community.” Historian Laurie Zittrain Eisenberg’s essay “Sharing Their Stories” is unique to the anthology. Instead of addressing her reaction to the shooting, it instead looks at the artifacts left behind by the community to show their grief. Her writing is accompanied by photos showing both the expected and unusual items people left at the Tree of Life building memorial. In the pictures, there are a pair of tennis shoes next to a menorah surrounded by flowers; a framed leaf from the Raoul Wallenberg Tree on the Righteous Among the Nations Walk in Israel; stones decorated by grieving members of the community; a guitar; and crosses affixed with Jewish stars by

a man who has traveled the country leaving white crosses for other shooting victims. Each of the items shown, and those discussed by Zittrain Eisenberg, are puzzles that the historian and Tree of Life member has attempted to solve by reaching out to the community asking for information about the objects. “I came up with a project to try and identify the back stories of all the things that people left for us, most of which were left anonymously, or with inadvertent clues as to who the benefactor had been,” she said. “I got over 50 stories that came from people. The essay is kind of my sharing those stories and trying to make sense out of them, trying to find intent and put that in context.”

10 10.27.20 1 0.2 2 27 7.2 2 20 0

The historian feels a responsibility to document what she calls the “positive, loving, supportive” response from the community, including those from outside of the Jewish community and Pittsburgh. In addition to Burstin, Norman and Zittrain Eisenberg, other contributors to the anthology include several current and former writers from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, including David Shribman, former executive editor of the paper during the Tree of Life massacre, staff writer Andrew Goldstein and religion editor Peter Smith (the paper won a 2019 Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the shooting); Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle Editor Toby Tabachnick; former Director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Linda F. Hurwitz, Poale Zedeck Rabbi Daniel Yolkut and author Jane Bernstein. For Kissileff, serving as a co-editor of a collection of writings trying to comprehend the incomprehensible makes sense. “There’s not one Jewish way to experience things, but the Talmud is a compilation of ideas,” she said. “Anthology is very much a Jewish genre. We really wanted to put something together that would express and promote a variety of ideas, that there’s just not one way to see the world but you know, that a better comprehension can come from looking at an event from a multiplicity of perspectives.”  PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

TOGETHER, WE REMEMBER. TOGETHER, WE HEAL. Leading legislative efforts to address health disaparities resulting from systemic racism

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20 OCTOBER 23, 2020

Safety Candidates, co-chair of the PA SAFE Caucus

Paid for by the Dan Frankel for the 23rd District Committee.

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Community Experiencing the chagim at Community Day School Community Day School students enjoyed the recent holidays through artwork, observation and engagement. During Sukkot, students blessed the lulav and etrog inside the school’s sukkah and prepared for Simchat Torah by seeing a Torah scroll and creating flags.

p First-grader Tatum Baron shakes the lulav and etrog.

p Seventh-grader Sylvia Svoboda admires the four species.

p Seventh-grader Jacob Capezzuto proudly holds the lulav and etrog.

p First-grader Aner Barak observes a Torah up close.

Toga! Toga!

p First-grader Seth Samberg displays a timeless Simchat Torah decoration. Photos courtesy of Community Day School

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p Members of the Jewish Greek Life Association at Pitt held their annual fall brunch with bagels to go provided by Hillel Jewish University Center. Photo courtesy of Hillel JUC

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

OCTOBER 23, 2020 21

Community Shabbat Shalom from the South Hills

What’s new at Hillel Academy

Rabbi Aaron Meyer and musician Tim Brogdon joined forces — along with a special appearance by Rabbi Jessica Locketz — during an Oct. 16 Shabbat service.

p Tim Brogdon gets soulful.

p Pre-K Students learn about planting after a visit from a gardener.

p Rabbi Jessica Locketz shares inspiring words.

p Rabbi Aaron Meyer closes out the service.

Screenshots provided

p Early childhood students enjoy a class Zoom with Morah Elaine Catz.

All day at the J in South Hills With parents at work and many area students attending school virtually, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh “All Day at the J” program enables participants in grades K-6 to complete their online learning requirements with additional support and enjoy activities that ensure mental, emotional and physical health needs are met.

p A helping hand p Fun games, fun times

22 OCTOBER 23, 2020

Photos courtesy of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

p Early childhood students begin a unit on shapes. Photos courtesy of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

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