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November 16, 2018 | 8 Kislev 5779
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL JAA and Riverview affiliate
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Politicians and celebrities call for unity and strength at downtown rally
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As donations roll in, leaders grapple with disbursement By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
W unity of the city and its Jewish community. “It’s a beautiful thing,” echoed Katriel Camp, an eighth-grader. “It’s nice that they’re choosing Jewish children to light the way for their futures.” Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers, Rabbi Jonathan Perlman and Rabbi Cheryl Klein, spiritual guides for each of the three congregations attacked within the Tree of Life building, led a group of interfaith community leaders in Debbie Friedman’s “Mi Shebeirach.” “May the source of strength, who blessed the ones before us, help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing, and let us say, Amen,” sang the clergy. Though attended perhaps by fewer people than expected, organizers delivered a star studded cast of speakers, who imparted their impressions of Pittsburgh. “People all over the world have marveled at the strength, the resolve and the love of the people of Pittsburgh, a community as we say stronger than hate and stronger than ever,” said Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey. Actor Michael Keaton, who once lived in Squirrel Hill, acknowledged the persistent rain and told attendees, “Thanks for showing up in this tough, tough weather, but you’re a tough, tough city.” Representing Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams, the event included a video
ith millions of dollars pouring in for the victims of the Tree of Life massacre, which claimed 11 lives and injured six others, community leaders have turned to the expert to determine how to distribute the funds in the fairest way possible. Washington, D.C.-based attorney Ken Feinberg, who administered the federal government’s fund for victims of 9/11, the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., the Las Vegas shooting at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival, and the murders at Virginia Tech, will help leaders here with the task in front of them. Though his portfolio in the Tree of Life disbursement is limited in scope and advisory in nature, Feinberg spoke to board members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh by phone for 90 minutes last week to suggest guidelines on how to go about distributing the donated funds. As of Nov. 12, $3.65 million had been collected and pledged through the Federation’s Victims of Terror Fund, according to Adam Hertzman, the Federation’s director of marketing communications. The money collected will be “allocated and distributed by a new committee, with the authorization of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, called the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Relief Fund Committee,” said Hertzman. The seven-member committee, which was unanimously approved by the Federation’s board, will be chaired by David Shapira, chairman of Giant Eagle, Inc., and will include: Susan Brownlee, former executive director of the Fine Foundation; Jared Cohon, president emeritus of Carnegie Mellon University; Steve Halpern, a board member of the Federation and the president of Woodland Management; Mark Nordenberg, chancellor emeritus of the University of Pittsburgh; Charles “Chuck” Perlow, a Federation board member and chairman of McKnight Realty Partners; and Nancy Rackoff, an estates and trusts attorney at
Please see Rally, page 20
Please see Allocations, page 20
Agreement offers increased cooperation, efficiency. Page 2 LOCAL A show of support from afar Flanked by state and local leaders, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto calls for a show of strength at the Nov. 2 rally. Photo by Jim Busis By Adam Reinherz and Lauren Rosenblatt
German leader pens a letter to Rabbi Walter Jacob. Page 4 LOCAL Concern warms hearts
Festival goes free, offers solace to grieving community. Page 8
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n the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, hundreds of Pittsburghers gathered once again to honor the 11 Tree of Life victims. With a steady rainfall and an overflowing fountain as a backdrop, Jewish and non-Jewish citizens rallied at Point State Park to pay their respects, show their support for the Jewish community and call for more unity and peace. “These events have to remind us how much we need to depend on one another,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf told the crowd. “Like many of you, I am still reeling. This anti-Semitic attack at a synagogue was an attack on each and every one of us. … Let’s keep hold of this spirit of unity. Let us be sure these lives were not lost in vain.” The rally, hosted by the City of Pittsburgh, boasted big names among the local Jewish community, interfaith leaders, state politicians and a few household celebrities, including Franco Harris, Brett Keisel, Michael Keaton and Tom Hanks. The event began at noon Friday with a moment of silence for the 11 victims of the Oct. 27 attack. Eleven students from Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh then carried eleven candles on stage to commemorate each of the victims. Natan Azagury, a 10th-grade student who participated, said serving in such a capacity demonstrated the collective
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Headlines Riverview to affiliate with JAA and begin $17 million renovation — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
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fter sharing the same Squirrel Hill campus for decades, Riverview Towers Apartments, Inc. — which provides affordable housing for senior citizens — and the Jewish Association on Aging have entered into a new operating structure which their respective leaders say will enhance both entities. Riverview, a nonprofit established in 1965 that is subsidized by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will now operate as an affiliate of the JAA. The JAA offers a variety of services and living options for senior citizens, including “everything from Meals on Wheels to home rehab to full scale nursing to housing with personal care,” said Andrew Stewart, chair of the JAA. Both Riverview and the JAA are beneficiary agencies of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The new affiliation agreement aims to increase efficiency and improve services for its residents and constituents. “We’re in an environment today where our community cannot afford to be inefficient about how we deliver services to our constituents,” Stewart said. “We’re seeing the consolidation across the entire spectrum of nonprofits, and the Jewish community is no different.” The JAA, which operates 11 business units including Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation, Ahava Memory Care and Sivitz Jewish Hospice & Palliative Care, is a “$38 million a year operation,” according to Stewart. Riverview’s yearly budget is about $2 million. Resources that the JAA and Riverview
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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Evan Indianer, Chairman Andrew Schaer, Vice Chairman Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary Jonathan Bernstein, Treasurer David Ainsman, Immediate Past Chairman Gail Childs, Elizabeth F. Collura, Milton Eisner, Malke Steinfeld Frank, Tracy Gross, Richard J. Kitay, Cátia Kossovsky, Andi Perelman, David Rush, Charles Saul
as Riverview is “brought under the JAA umbrella,” said Winn-Horvitz. The affiliation agreement will end years of “unspoken tension” between Riverview and the JAA, according to Robert Bernstein, chair of Riverview’s board of directors. “It seemed that there was a sense of competition, although [Riverview and the JAA] didn’t compete in any service areas,” said Bernstein, who has been on Riverview’s board for more than seven years. When Bernstein became chairman of Riverview’s board about two years ago, he got in touch with JAA’s then board chair, Mitchell Pakler, and the two leaders talked about their respective organization’s histories and their p A view of construction of the construction at Riverview Towers common mission, common needs, common Photo by Jim Busis constituents and common supporters. They will share pursuant to the new agreement housing for seniors whose yearly income decided then that it would be prudent to include development, accounting, security, exceeds that which is required to be eligible combine forces, according to Bernstein. programming and dietary services. for low income housing. “We could not find a negative to not do “We view our affiliation with Riverview “We’re excited about that,” Stewart said. it,” Bernstein said. “We wanted to create as an opportunity to extend our delivery “Now we can offer housing for other people in a community on campus, and eliminate of services to a group of people who would our community, or maybe some of our staff.” the divisiveness.” greatly benefit from them, and clearly, we There will be 191 total available units — Discussions widened to include other want to serve people who need to live in reduced from 221 — resulting from the board members from the two organizations. subsidized housing,” Stewart said. renovations. Residents who are currently With the help of the Federation in Riverview’s affiliation with the JAA will living in the buildings and whose units are securing its tax credit funding to refurbish help seniors to “age in place,” in addition to undergoing reconstruction will be tempo- and improve its buildings, Riverview leadincreasing “overhead efficiency,” said Deborah rarily relocated to other units during the ership was ready to partner with the JAA, Winn-Horvitz, president and CEO of the JAA. work period. Those residents living in units Bernstein said. Riverview will be undergoing “signifi- receiving only cosmetic upgrades will be The addition of the 40 units that will be cant” upgrades, financed through almost allowed to remain in their apartments in available at market rate will not only provide $17 million in tax credits that Riverview was the evening, as work will be done during more flexibility in terms of housing options granted by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance daytime hours, according to Winn-Horvitz. for senior citizens, but will also provide more Agency last spring. The upgrades will include Riverview will remain a “stand-alone income to Riverview, noted Bernstein. the conversion of several efficiency units to entity,” its own 501(c)(3), but voting control The market rate units are expected to be one- and two-bedroom apartments. will be in the hands of the JAA, Winn-Horvitz ready beginning in 2019, he said. Forty of the renovated units will be desig- said. Riverview’s board will be downsized to Riverview Towers will change its name to nated as “unrestricted,” meaning they will five members, and those board members will The New Riverview. PJC be available to residents of any income, and be appointed by the JAA, she added. Toby Tabachnick can be reached at will be leased at “market rate,” according Hannah Steiner, the executive director to Stewart. Those apartments will provide of Riverview, will report to Winn-Horvitz ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Michael Keaton reflects on Squirrel Hill, shares reaction to Tree of Life attack
Dear Friends,
p Michael Keaton stopped to talk with one of his fans after the rally.
Photo by Angela Leibowicz
— LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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scar-nominated actor Michael Keaton has entertained audiences for decades. Between “Spotlight” (2015), “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” (2014), “Batman” (1989) and “Beetlejuice” (1988), Keaton’s on-screen performances are indelibly imprinted on the minds of movie lovers, so given his penchant for captivating crowds, the Coraopolis native was tapped to assist the city in last Friday’s rally at Point State Park. After emceeing the event, Keaton, 67, spoke about once residing in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh’s presence on a national stage and how the city can continue inspiring others to develop a spirit of togetherness. “I used to live on Darlington for a minute,” said the former WQED-TV crew member who once worked on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” “You know, it’s funny. I was going to get up early this morning and try to drive up there and try to find my old place [but] I forget where my apartment was.” Despite an ability to recall where exactly on Darlington Road he once resided, Keaton remembered certain aspects of the neighborhood. “Squirrel Hill is just, even if you remove the Jewish community, the place physically itself is such a nice part of Pittsburgh; but that culture adds such a whole other level to it up there. One of my friends is a really good writer [Iris Rainer Dart, author of “Beaches”], and her family used to own Ratner’s. I don’t know if Ratner’s is still there, but Rattner’s Hardware Store, it was the hardware store in Squirrel Hill for a long time.” Keaton, who was joined by Pittsburgh native and producer Jimmy Miller after the Nov. 9 event, also remembered “The Squirrel Cage,” a still operating site on Forbes Avenue, which goes by a multitude of names, including Squirrel Hill Cafe and The Cage. The actor suggested that being in a city like Pittsburgh actually helped him appreciate the diversity of humankind. “Jimmy and I were talking about this last night. He was involved in Point Park Theater and I was not a theater guy here, but I was doing plays. … So we’ve always been around
different types of people,” said Keaton. They talked about “how lucky we were to be exposed early to the different ethnic groups and people of color, and it just never meant anything to me. In fact, ever since I have been a little kid, the inequity just bothered me. I don’t know why.” Kids today are on the right path, as issues such as ethnicity or sexual preference are less of a hang-up then they were in previous generations, said Keaton. “They don’t even think about it, it’s a non-issue.” He said Pittsburgh is still a special place. “When you are not inside it, but on the outside looking in on how the city has come off, it’s extraordinary,” he said. “Pittsburgh is looking really good today. I don’t think there were any exaggerations in terms of how the world is looking at Pittsburgh right now.” As both a city outsider and insider, Keaton didn’t know what to do immediately after the Oct. 27 attack at Tree of Life. “After the first couple of the days, I thought just stay out of the way. You know, sometimes the whole celebrity thing gets in the way of things, and people were hurting, so I just stayed out of the way,” he explained. But as time passed, Keaton reached out to offer assistance. When the option of aiding the downtown rally was presented, “I jumped on the plane,” said the actor. “It’s the least I could do.” Because of the connection to Squirrel Hill, news of the murders at the Tree of Life building hit pretty hard, said Keaton. “When it all went down, you just felt like you wanted to say, ‘I’m sorry,’ and you wanted to say, ‘I’m sorry for humanity.’ I don’t know why we continue to treat each other like this.” Of the attack and murders, he was angry. “I am purposely staying away from … anything that might smell of politics, because I think these are families who are grieving — they just buried brothers and sisters and fathers [and mothers], I’m staying away from that,” he said. “But really, it makes one angry when you look at some of the insanity, and you see things like this happen and when it hits your home town, it hurts. It really hurts, but there’s a change coming and I’m going to be really curious to see how much comes out of this city.” PJC
We are grieving alongside the family of Sharyn Stein, wife and Membership Vice President of Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh Region, and Leigh Stein, daughter and Life Member, who lost their beloved husband and father, Daniel Stein. We are grieving alongside the family of Marnie Fienberg, Co-President of Hadassah Northern Virginia, who lost her mother-in-law, Hadassah Life Member and supporter Joyce Fienberg. We are grieving alongside the family of Life Members Myrna “Joy” Rosenthal, mother, and Michelle Rosenthal, sister, who lost brothers David Rosenthal, and Cecil Rosenthal “two of the sweetest human beings you could ever meet,” as Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation described them at their funeral on Oct. 30. We are grieving alongside the families of Richard Gottfried, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Irving Younger, and Melvin Wax. We know our Hadassah family is grieving with us, wherever you are. In a time like this, your thoughts and prayers do help, they connect us to each other and our Jewish tradition. As Hadassah National President Ellen Hershkin said: “When one life is taken all lives are affected in common grief. And, our conviction is to make the world a better place.” We are comforted to know our Hadassah family is standing with us and is speaking against anti-Semitism and all forms of hate. Hadassah is providing a Yahrzeit for each of the 11 victims. A rabbi will say Kaddish every year in perpetuity in the Abbell Synagogue at Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem in Israel. For additional information, please contact the Pittsburgh Hadassah office at 412-421-8919. Let us help shine light on their memories. Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Rabbi receives letter of support from president of Germany — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
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n Nov. 8, 1938, Kristallnacht, the German synagogue in Augsburg where Rabbi Walter Jacob’s father served as rabbi was set on fire by Nazis. Almost 80 years to the day, Jacob, rabbi emeritus and senior scholar of Rodef Shalom Congregation, received a letter from German President Frank Walter Steinmeier, expressing condolences and shock in regard to the murder of 11 congregants at the Tree of Life building in Squirrel Hill. “My wife and I were filled with sorrow by the news of the attack on the Jewish congregation in Pittsburgh which claimed so many lives,” the letter stated, according to Jacob, translating the missive from German to English. “Let me express my compassion and solidarity along with deeply felt sympathy for the survivors. For you I wish the strength to comfort the survivors in their sorrow and despair. “Your family sought shelter from the Nazi persecution and found a new and safe home in the United States,” the letter continued. “During our time together last year I was touched and moved by your memories of those difficult times. I remain all the more concerned now that you have become a renewed victim of such barbaric antiSemitism. I can hardly fathom the sorrow and pain of lost friends in your neighboring community. These recent events again demonstrate that the struggle against anti-Semitism must continue unabated. For this you and the Jewish community can count on me and my country to always be at your side.” Jacob has a continuing connection to the country of his birth. In 1999, Jacob — along with Rabbi Walter Homolka — established the Abraham Geiger College in Germany, the first post-Holocaust rabbinical seminary in Europe. Abraham Geiger College is funded by the German government and charges no tuition fees. In 2006, the college ordained its first three rabbis — the first rabbis to be ordained in Germany since the Holocaust. In January 1933, there were about 565,000 Jews living in Germany. In 1950, there were just 37,000, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. But there has been a resurgence of Jewish life in Germany, with 100,000 now living there, making it the eighth-largest Jewish community in the world and the fourth largest in Western Europe, according to the World Jewish Congress. Soon after his father’s synagogue was burned during Kristallnacht, Jacob and his family immigrated to the United States, settling in Springfield, Mo. Jacob was 9 years old. Jacob went on to earn his rabbinic ordination in 1955 at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish
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p Rabbi Walter Jacob
File photo
p German President Frank Walter Steinmeier
Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org
Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. He served as senior rabbi at Rodef Shalom from 1966 until his retirement in 1996. Although Jacob knows firsthand the horrors of anti-Semitism, he does not believe the massacre at the Tree of Life building necessarily foretells a crisis for Jews in the United States. “It’s probably part of my nature,” Jacob said. “I see this more as an isolated matter, but it is serious.” The response of the wider community to the attack has contributed to his optimism. “The reaction of the whole country shows they are with us,” said Jacob. “That’s what needs to be emphasized. On the other hand, we need to look at this very seriously to see what can be done that’s useful.” “Obvious” solutions include addressing access to assault rifles, he said, but the community also needs to consider “how do we get people to be more sensitive to their neighbors.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Early hour collaborations after massacre were years in the making — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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hile a gunman’s bullets took 11 lives at the Tree of Life building and shattered those of countless others, the scope of the horror that Oct. 27 morning awoke a collective response among Pittsburgh’s Jewish communal organizations that might become a model for how other communities deal with tragedy. As emergency dispatchers raced to the Squirrel Hill synagogue in those first few minutes, news of the attack quickly spread. “We received information about the shooting as the police were on their way to the synagogue,” said Jordan Golin, president and CEO of Jewish Family and Community Services. According to Adam Hertzman, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s director of marketing, Brad Orsini, the Federation’s director of security, was on the scene at Tree of Life “five minutes after police were called.” Orsini, who spent 28 years at the FBI prior to working for the Federation, was determining “whether this was a lone attacker and whether the other community organizations were safe.” While Orsini assessed threats, Suzanne Schreiber, a Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha member, received several calls within moments of each other from fellow congregants seeking details
p Following the Oct. 27 attack at the Tree of Life building, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh served as a gathering spot for families and the FBI. Photo by Adam Reinherz
“ We built an infrastructure of trust and action.”
— BRIAN SCHREIBER, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH
on what happened. Schreiber and her husband, Brian Schreiber, who serves as president and CEO of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, were out of town. Just after 10 a.m., Brian Schreiber received a call from Tree of Life’s president requesting a a place for congregants to gather. Immediately, Schreiber directed parties to the JCC. He then called Jason Kunzman, the center’s chief program officer, and alerted senior staff. By 10:30 a.m., “people began to descend on site,” Schreiber said. “Very quickly we created a family support center that ultimately, once the authorities moved on scene,” transitioned “into the level of what we would call a FBI crisis center.” Once Levinson A was identified as an operational center and family space, “we were there shortly afterwards. This included me, [Chief Operating Officer] Dana [Gold], several of our staff, and some additional therapists that we had reached out to,” said Golin. These professionals were tasked with being “there with
families to find out if loved ones were still alive.” At that point, “a number of Jewish Federation staff headed to the JCC to set up shop,” said Hertzman. “People were arriving as families were arriving on scene,” said Schreiber, who returned to the center around 1 p.m. Among those gathering included the Salvation Army, Red Cross, FBI and law enforcement. “All of those services descended upon us very quickly.” Hertzman described the efforts of the Federation, JCC and JFCS as a seamless collaboration. There was “talking to the media, setting up a grief counseling center for people who didn’t know what was happening with their loved ones and serving as a conduit between the police, FBI and those families, because sadly it was a crime scene and it took a long time to inform the families about their loved ones,” said Hertzman. While the Federation acted as intermediary, food started arriving. There were packaged items and freshly prepared options
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— some of the deliveries were marked vegetarian; others read “kosher.” “I think the most important thing that we needed to do at that point was provide any level of comfort for the families we could,” said Schreiber. Despite the challenge of operating in a “semi-lockdown” state, the JCC quietly exited those who were in the building for purposes other than those relating to the Tree of Life attack. With similar concerns in mind, a decision was made, for “the dignity” of families and victims, to halt “normal operations.” The JCC did not resume regularly scheduled activities until Monday, Oct. 29. Throughout the first day, the Federation kept local Jewish organizations “up to date” and answered “questions from national organizations,” said Hertzman. Saturday afternoon and evening, the FBI issued status updates at the JCC. In order to provide as much privacy and respect as possible, a wing of the building’s third floor, which included at least a dozen classrooms, was sectioned off for families of the victims. But even before the FBI began meeting with families, the JCC had to provide a “cultural competence on Jewish customs and the way Jews mourn,” said Schreiber, in addition to explaining how all of the different communal organizations work together. “We had to do a lot of definitions and education.” JFCS staff and representatives remained onsite throughout the day and into the evening. “We left, along with most of the families, shortly after the medical examiner did her presentation about how the evening was going to proceed, with regards to identification of the victims [and] bringing families to
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the medical examiner’s office,” said Golin. Schreiber said personnel were at the JCC “until the last family member was notified, and that must have been close to 11 that night.” The organizational collaboration was rooted in bonds going back decades, said leaders. Schreiber and Golin have worked together on programs and services, such as those geared for seniors, for two decades, much in the same way Golin and Jeffrey Finkelstein, Federation’s president and CEO, have cooperated on communal initiatives since the early 2000s. In addition, Schreiber and Finkelstein have a professional relationship stretching back more than 20 years, as both were Jewish communal professionals in Baltimore prior to working in Pittsburgh. From the beginning of the crisis, “we were really able to build on pre-existing relationships as a trusting presence to be able to help,” said Golin. “Our community has placed strong emphases on relationships, collaborations and partnerships.” “We built an infrastructure of trust and action that allowed them to do their work as quickly and seamlessly without interruption,” echoed Schreiber. From what the FBI told him, “that does not happen in every situation.” Finkelstein agreed. “The immediate response to this tragedy could not have happened without the amazing collaboration among the Jewish Federation, JCC and JFCS, and many other agencies,” he said. “We have built these relationships over years, so we didn’t even need to think to work together in a moment of crisis.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. NOVEMBER 16, 2018 5
Headlines South Hills electorate turns deeper shade of blue — LOCAL — By Chris Huffaker | Special to the Chronicle
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n last week’s midterms, in a nearly 15-point swing from the 2016 presidential results in what is now Pennsylvania’s 17th District, rookie U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, a Democrat from Mt. Lebanon, won an easy reelection with 56 percent of the vote. It was a rare two incumbent election, against Republican Rep. Keith Rothfus of the old 12th District, in an area narrowly won by President Donald Trump. Precinct level turnout and vote margins suggest that part of that victory came from strong support in the Jewish community, particularly in Lamb’s native South Hills. Lamb’s margin was part of a shift toward Democrats in Pennsylvania’s suburbs; statewide, Democrats gained three seats in Congress. This shift was foreshadowed by Lamb’s special election win last year in a heavily Republican district. Lamb, a marine veteran and former prosecutor, ran as a moderate, saying he would not support the longtime House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, for speaker. He supported Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs and he was one of only three Democrats who voted to make permanent the individual tax cuts in the Republicans’ recent tax reform.
Exit polls are not granular enough to determine Lamb’s precise support in the Jewish community, but Fox News exit polls show that Pennsylvania-wide, Jewish voters pulled the lever for Gov. Tom Wolf, a fellow Democrat, by a 66 point margin. Wolf won Pennsylvania’s Jewish electorate by just half that margin four years ago.
precincts, as well as the precinct containing the Carnegie Shul, voted for Lamb at margins exceeding his district-wide lead, all over 60 percent. Lamb saw stronger audiences for both of his “Coffee and Conversation” town hall events at the South Hills JCC than did his opponents in each election, said Rob
“ I think that unfortunately, priorities for the Jewish community have shifted dramatically in the last couple of
”
weeks after the murder of 11 people.
— JOSHUA SAYLES, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS FOR THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF GREATER PITTSBURGH Another imprecise metric suggests the same trend: According to county elections data, turnout surged in the precincts containing Chabad of the South Hills, the Jewish Community Center in the South Hills, Temple Emanuel and Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, compared to both the highly-watched 2017 special election and the district’s overall turnout. And all four
Conor Lamb
Goodman, director of South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh, although those audiences were not exclusively Jewish. Goodman said his organization is “not trying to push an agenda,” just to give members of the community a chance to meet their candidates. Prior to his March special election victory in the old 18th District, Lamb encountered some skepticism over prior comments about
File photo
Israel. At his first “Coffee and Conversation,” he was asked about comments he reportedly wrote on the website of the University of Pennsylvania’s Daily Pennsylvanian as a student in 2002, accusing Israel of “terrorism.” Lamb told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle at the time that he did not remember those Please see Election, page 21
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Headlines Jewish Archives celebrates its first 30 years the local Workmen’s Circle and managing editor of the local office of the Forward. More than that she was a great and loyal friend to the Yiddish language and an advocate for the By Eric Lidji | Special to the Chronicle mountain of Jewish culture it represented. According to the newsletter, the banner recently found an old newsletter was the first object donated to the Jewish announcing the establishment of the Archives. Better depictions exist, but I chose “Jewish Archives” on Nov. 1, 1988. In this dim old Polaroid from our internal files the 30 years since that announcement, the because it shows our development. “88.2” Jewish Archives became the Rauh Jewish is an accession number. Accessioning is the History Program & Archives. Its task has remained the same: to care for objects that act of recording a collection brought into tell the story of the Jewish people in this one an archive. This first object in the Jewish archives was the second collection received corner of the world. Alongside the announcement is a photo- by the Historical Society in 1988. In the 30 graph of one of those objects. It is a banner years since “88.2,” the Jewish archive has for Workmen’s Circle Branch 45. The recorded more than 1,200 accessions, about Workmen’s Circle is a Jewish fraternal order one every nine days. Each accession number with branches all over the world. The banner represents a collection of materials given by a is a lovely expression of allegiance by its Jewish congregation, organization, business, local members, and it has a charming idio- family or person with ties to this region. Beyond recordkeeping, accessioning syncrasy: an “A” is stitched over the “E” in also triggers a set of responsibilities. Every “Workmen’s,” as though members couldn’t collection brought into the possession of decide: Should it be singular or plural? an archive must be preserved, arranged, There are four people in the photograph. described and cataloged so that anyone who To one side of the banner stand Allen and Selma Berkman, whose financial support needs the information in those collections — launched the Jewish Archives. To the other either today or hundreds of years from today side is Corinne Krause, whose historical — can find it without too much difficulty. In the folder with this Polaroid was a letter research provided an intellectual foundation for the Jewish Archives. Beside her stands to Topolsky from then-Assistant Director for Bess Topolsky, who donated the banner to Library and Archives Donald L. Haggerty. JC ReSound Rechargeable 11/12/18 9:42 AM Pageher 1 about the plans to start a telling the archive. Topolsky hadFIN_Eartique been secretary of After
— HISTORY —
I
donate the records to us. So, your action is certainly an important step in preserving the history of our group in Pittsburgh.” A few facts challenge his assertion. The American Jewish Archives opened in Cincinnati in 1947, and the University of Pittsburgh began collecting the records of local ethnic organizations in the 1960s. Jewish groups from this region had been donating their records to both repositories long before a local Jewish archive existed. So it is not quite true that no one “thought” to donate records. What the Jewish community needed was an invitation, which is what the founding of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives provided back in 1988, p A photograph of the first artifact continues to provide today and intends to donated to what is now the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives, taken at the provide going forward. time of donation in 1988. If the Rauh Jewish History Program & Photograph courtesy Rauh Jewish History Archives were a person, we would mark Program & Archive this anniversary with the blessing ad Jewish archive, Haggerty wrote, “It is unfor- meah v’esrim shanah, “until 120 years.” That is tunate that such actions were not initiated plenty of life for a person but hardly anything years ago, then someone might have been for an archive. An archive aims for a much able to preserve the records of the Workmen’s longer timeline, and so our birthday blessing Circle going back to its founding in 1904. will instead be ad olam, “until forever.” PJC We frequently have people coming to our library seeking the records of ethnic orgaEric Lidji is the director of the Rauh nizations here in the city. They think that if Jewish History Program & Archives at the anyone has kept the records then we have. I Sen. John Heinz History Center. He can be am sorry to say that generally I have to say reached at eslidji@heinzhistorycenter.org that no one from the organization thought to or 412-454-6406.
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Headlines Free concert and food warm hearts and stomachs
p The Nov. 11 Stronger Together event brought out a free music and food loving crowd.
— LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
W
hat was once intended to be an international food festival, costing attendees $45 each, became a free concert for families with a virtual unlimited supply of complementary hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey sandwiches and even cups of cholent. Following the Oct. 27 attack at the Tree of Life building, event organizers of the Nov. 11 affair quickly realized the neighborhood, still in a state of communal shloshim, needed something other than an upscale kosher smorgasbord of chardonnay and charcuterie. “When the events happened last week we
just felt that it wouldn’t work,” said Rabbi Chonie Friedman, of Bnai Emunoh in Greenfield, “so we decided to transform it into a community event where everybody could come and get their spirits lifted a bit and be together as a community beyond just for mourning.” Housed at Congregation Beth Shalom, the afternoon event was headlined by three of the Orthodox Jewish world’s top singers: Avraham Fried, Shulem Lemmer and Lipa Schmeltzer. Fried, who is actually Friedman’s uncle, decided to participate after he heard about the adopted focus. “I said, ‘Hey, if I can be part of something and help to heal than I am in,’” said the artist, who has released more than 30 albums since 1981.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
“We’re all in this together,” echoed Lemmer, whose signing this past summer with Universal Music Group made international news — Lemmer is among the first haredi Orthodox American singers to get a major record deal. The purpose of the concert was to “strengthen each other and give us strength to go forward, to go on with daily life,” said Lemmer, a Belz Chasid. What happened at the Tree of Life building was personal, said Schmeltzer. “For every Jew, when something happens on the other end of the world it’s like it happened in my home, and that’s why I came as a volunteer to show that even people who dress up Chasidic, with the whole black and white garb, are supportive. When it comes to supporting one another, it doesn’t matter if their dress is yellow or black
or no yarmulke or yarmulke — we’re one.” “This was an attack on all of us,” echoed Lemmer. The artists performed an array of recognizable tunes before the diverse audience. Schmeltzer paid homage to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” by interspersing the number with a freestyled overlay, while Lemmer belted out “God Bless America,” the same tune he delivered on Sept. 16 at Fenway Park during the seventh inning of a Boston Red Sox and New York Mets game. “Together we are stronger,” affirmed Fried. “That’s the message.” Festival attendee June Labovitz, of Squirrel Hill, agreed. Standing beside her sister, Eileen Berger, of Squirrel Hill, Labovitz said, “I feel like I’m related to everybody here. We’re all Jewish and we all need each other.” It’s a common thought, said Faigy Chapley, of Greenfield. Perched over the crowd, which police estimated at approximately 1,000, Chapley said, “Now that I’m up here watching this beautiful sight, I’m able to see all different diverse Jews coming together to gather. It’s really meaningful and unique. We’ve been around different communities and this doesn’t happen.” The unity of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is truly remarkable, said Geri Coffey, of Squirrel Hill. Coffee, a Friendship Circle volunteer who planned on returning to the Murray Avenue site later in the day, added, “This is unbelievable. I’m so proud of our community for what they’re doing. That’s what’s so important, to reach out to one another.” Speaking after the event, Friedman said it was a success. “One family told me this was the first time that their children have gone out [since Oct. 27]. They’ve been scared for the last two weeks,” said Friedman. “So to see the kids smiling and celebrating it makes it so worth it. “Our kids needed it, our families needed it. Bnai Emunoh is so proud to do this. There are so many people in this community, and each plays its part and we are happy to do our part.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
CAPTURE YOUR STORY PRESERVE YOUR LEGACY The outpouring of love and support from the Pittsburgh community and beyond has truly helped to strengthen our broken hearts during this extremely difficult time. The family of the late Daniel Stein
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8 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
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"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Joyce Fienberg Richard Gottfried Rose Mallinger Jerry Rabinowitz David Rosenthal Cecil Rosenthal Bernice Simon Sylvan Simon Daniel Stein Melvin Wax Iriving Younger
May their memory be a blessing. Pittsburgh City Councilperson Erika Strassburger
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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 10 q SATURDAY, DEC. 8 South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh will hold the South Hills 7th Night Chanukah Celebration and Menorah Lighting from 5:45 to 9 p.m. at the South Hills Jewish Community Center, 345 Kane Blvd. The evening will include dinner and activities for the family. Visit southhillsjewishpittsburgh.org/chanukah18 for more information. q SATURDAY, DEC. 8 Shalom Pittsburgh, a project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, will hold the 13th annual Vodka Latke from 7:30 to 11 p.m. at HIP at the Flashlight Factory, 831 West North Ave., for young adults (22-45). Contact Meryl Franzos at mfranzos@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5204 for more information or visit jfedpgh.org/vodka-latke for registration and pricing information. q WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19 The Derekh Speaker Series will feature Sally Kohn at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. This series of talks by authors from across the country is made available through the Jewish Book Council. The program kicks off with political commentator Kohn and her book “The Opposite of Hate: A Field Guide to Repairing Our Humanity.” There will be a book sale and author signing at the end. Visit bethshalompgh. org/derekh for more information. PJC
q THURSDAY, DEC. 6 There will be a free lecture by Linda Tashbook in connection with the release of her new book, “Family Guide to Mental Illness and the Law: A Practical Handbook,” at 6 p.m. at the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. Visit pittsburghlectures.org/lectures/linda-tashbook for more information and to reserve a seat.
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Calendar q MONDAY, NOV. 19
q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 28
Congregation Beth Shalom will host “Understanding Stress and its Management” from 2 to 4 p.m. that will offer education to help you understand the mental and physical effects of stress and provide skills that will minimize the effect of stress on your health. The program will be facilitated by Bruce S. Rabin, M.D., Ph.D., and emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Aleph Institute and Congregation Beth Shalom are the organizers. Visit bethshalompgh.org/ events-upcoming for more information. There is no charge.
JGrads Pittsburgh and Jewish Law Students Association will present The Menorah on Trial, a re-enactment of the landmark First Amendment case concerning the display of a Menorah at Pittsburgh’s City-County Building. Attorneys Jon Pushinsky and Charles Saul will present opposite sides of the case from 1989, which ended in the Supreme Court and granted permission for the Menorah to be displayed. Open to the University community and the general community as well. Registration is required at jewishpittsburgh. wufoo.com/forms/menorah-case. The event will begin at 6 p.m. at the Teplitz Memorial Moot Courtroom, Barco Law Building, 3900 Forbes Ave. Contact 412-952-4702 for more information. There is no charge.
The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh will present Hopeful Responses to Addiction at 7 p.m. Visit jccpgh. org/center-loving-kindness for more information or contact Rabbi Ron Symons at rsymons@jccpgh.org. q TUESDAY, NOV. 27 Blind Date with a Book, from 7 to 9 p.m., Moishe House. Do you love to read actual, physical books? Are you short on space and cash? Come to a book swap with a twist. Bring a book (or two, or as many as you want). All leftovers at the end of the event will be donated. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for location information. >> Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions will also 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.
Whiskey Distillery Tour, time TBD, at Boyd & Blair Distillery, 1101 William Flynn Highway, Glenshaw. Contact moishehousepgh@ gmail.com for more information.
q FRIDAY, NOV. 16
AMOTT (Addressing Mental Health in Our Teens Together), will hold a program, Suicide Alert and Prevention Training, for ages 15 and above, from noon to 3 p.m. The location will be sent individually after registration. A light lunch will be served. The training will be given under the safeTalk program by Rabbi Yarden Blumstein, leader of UMatter in Detroit. Visit livingworks.net/ programs/safetalk for more information on the course. Contact amottpgh@gmail.com for questions, concerns or to register. The program is made possible by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.
Chabad of Squirrel Hill invites the community to participate in Loaves of Love to bake two challahs, one to keep and one to give away, and learn how to make turkeyshaped loaves in honor of Thanksgiving. The event will be held at Chabad of Squirrel Hill, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. from 9 to 11 a.m. There is a $10 charge. Visit chabadpgh.com/lol for more information. q SATURDAY, NOV. 17 PIZMON — In Concert, a family friendly program open to the community. PIZMON is the nation’s first collegiate co-ed pluralistic Jewish a cappella group from New York City. This concert is a collaboration of Congregation Beth Shalom’s Derekh, Community Day School and J-JEP, and was made possible by a grant from the Department of Jewish Life and Learning of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The concert will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. Tickets are $15 per adult, $10 per child ages 5-13. Children ages 4 and under are free. Tickets sold at the door will be $20. Visit bethshalompgh.org/cometogether for more information and to purchase tickets. Gary and Diane Schwager will present over 50 letters and photos exchanged between their family members desperately trying to leave Germany and their final destinations at Temple David in Monroeville from 7 to 9 p.m. The evening includes Havdalah service and light refreshments. There is no charge. Come Together — Beth Shalom’s annual fundraiser party and silent auction will be held from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Strolling dinner, desserts, libations and child care will be available. Visit bethshalompgh. org/cometogether for more information and pricing.
q SUNDAY, NOV. 18
An Evening to Discuss and Learn: Mental Health in Teens and Youth, presented by AMOTT (Addressing Mental Health in Our Teens Together), a panel discussion for parents and educators, to challenge stigma, promote conversation, gain practical tools and spread awareness regarding mental health challenges that impact youth in the Orthodox Jewish community. Discussion topics Include: understanding depression, anxiety, self-harm and isolation due to social issues; how to achieve proper communication with children and teens; and understanding those struggling with religion as well as feelings of disapproval and betrayal. Panel experts will include Rabbi Akiva Sutofsky, M.S. Mental Health Counseling LPC; Dr. David A. Brent M.D. Academic Chief Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Rabbi Yarden Blumstein, Friendship Circle Teen Director and Mentor, Founder of UMatter, Detroit, Michigan; Aprilyn Artz Counselor, Clinical Director of Quest Program; and Dr. Heather Ufberg PSY. D. Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychologist. The program will be led and moderated by Heidi Leibovich, LCSW and Dr. Robert Davis M.D. The program will be held at 7:45 p.m. at Friendship Circle, 1922 Murray Ave.
Competitive Crafting, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Moishe House. What can you create with a bag of miscellaneous objects, craft supplies and a hot glue stick given 30 minutes? 10 minutes? 5? Show off your creativity and skill at MoHo’s first ever competitive crafting event. Yes, there will be a prize. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for location information. Music at Rodef Shalom will present mezzosoprano Kara Cornell at 8 p.m. in Levy Hall for its opening free concert of the season. Abigail Eagleson will be the collaborative pianist. Pittsburgh singer Cornell will present folk songs of the celebrated American composer Jake Heggie, and a group of songs by Clara Schumann, one of the most important women musicians in history, who was the wife of composer Robert Schumann. The program also features favorite opera arias from “Carmen” and the “Barber of Seville” as well as songs and arias by Leonard Bernstein celebrating the centennial year of his birth. The concert is free and open to the community. There will be a reception to meet the artists after the concert. q WEDNESDAY NOV. 21
AND THURSDAY NOV. 22
Rebecca Gilbert, author of “It’s Easy to Start Eating Vegan” and founder of the website “Yummy Plants,” will teach how to find and make vegan versions of popular dishes. The South Hills Healthy Living: A Blueprint for Tomorrow series continues from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center South Hills, 345 Kane Boulevard. Visit southhillsjewishpittsburgh.org. q SUNDAY, DEC. 2 The Young Adults (22-45) will hold an I-Volunteer event to make welcome baskets for Ronald McDonald House while watching the Steelers game at Jewish Residential Services Goldberg House from 1 to 4 p.m. I-Volunteer is a collaboration organized by the Jewish Federation’s Volunteer Center. The Friendship Circle partners with Shalom Pittsburgh, Repair the World and Moishe House to encourage young adults of all abilities to combine entertainment with community service in a comfortable social setting. Together, they perform meaningful work within the Pittsburgh community. Contact David Chudnow at dchudnow@ jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5209 for more information. q MONDAY, DEC. 3
Weight Watchers meetings formerly held at the Tree of Life building will be temporarily located at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave., on the corner of Fifth and Morewood avenues. Meetings are Wednesdays 5 p.m. for weigh-in, 5:30 p.m. for meeting and Thursdays 10 a.m. for weigh-in, 10:30 a.m. meeting. There will be no meeting on Thanksgiving. q TUESDAY AND THURSDAY,
q THURSDAY, NOV. 29
NOV. 27 AND NOV. 29
The Pittsburgh OASIS Intergenerational Tutor Program is seeking volunteers (50+) to tutor in Pittsburgh and Woodland Hills School Districts in grades K-4. An hour a week can change a child’s life. Trainings from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 411 Seventh Ave., Suite 525 (Duquesne Light Building) downtown Pittsburgh. All training, materials and clearances are provided free of charge. For more information or to register, contact John D. Spehar, OASIS Tutoring Program Director at (412) 393-7648 or by email at jdspehar@oasisnet.org. OASIS is a program of Literacy Pittsburgh
The annual South Hills Lights Community Chanukah Festival will be held at 5:30 p.m. for the Giant Menorah Lighting & Mega Gelt on the corner of Potomac and Belrose avenues followed at 6 p.m. by a Chanukah Musical Laser Light Show and festivities at the Hollywood Theater, 1449 Potomac Ave. in Dormont. There will be live music, latkes, doughnuts, prizes and festivities for all ages. There is no charge. RSVPs will be appreciated at chabadsh.com, 412-244-2424 or mussie@chabadsh.com. For easy parking, enjoy a complimentary shuttle from the Dormont Pool parking lot to the festival. See website for more parking options. Project of Chabad of the South Hills and co-sponsored by South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh. An evening celebrating the work of Chabad of Squirrel Hill will feature Chassidic rapper Nissim Black who will share his incredible story, The Religious Rapper: A Miraculous Journey Out of the Darkness. Rabbi Yanky and Devorah Leah Davidson will be receiving the Community Lamplighter Award. Wine and cheese reception at 7 p.m., presentation at 7:30 p.m. at Chabad of Squirrel Hill, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. Visit chabadpgh.com for cost and tickets. Please see Calendar, page 11
10 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
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Headlines Hamas ‘raises the stakes’ with mass rocket assault on Israel’s south — WORLD — By Yaakov Lappin | JNS
H
amas and other armed Gazan factions launched a widespread rocket and mortar assault on southern Israel as evening descended on Monday, in an assault seen by the terror organizations as a calculated risk. The battering began with a shoulder-fired anti-tank missile that struck a bus near the Gazan border, injuring one Israeli, before more than 400 projectiles bombarded southern Israeli communities. The Israel Defense Forces responded with a growing number of airstrikes on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets across the Gaza Strip, including terror tunnels, weapons manufacturing sites and the destruction of Hamas’ Al-Aksa television station in the heart of Gaza City, which the military said passed along operational information to terrorists. IDF spokesman Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters that Hamas in its actions is “bringing destruction upon the Gaza Strip,” and warned that the attacks are “unacceptable.” The fact that Hamas chose to target Israeli civilians to revenge the killing of its fighters the previous night, during a firefight with an elite IDF unit that was exposed while on an important mission in Gaza, will likely prove
to be a step too far for Israel. Initial signs suggest Israel will not seek to contain the situation, as it has during previous escalations in recent months. (The parties reached a ceasefire just before press time, but it was unclear whether it would hold.) Dr. Reuven Erlich, director of the Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, said that the latest escalation should not be viewed in isolation. Noting that many hundreds of rockets have already been fired at Israel since March 30, when Hamas launched the “Great March of Return” and began escalating violent incidents on the Gaza-Israel border, Erlich said “this is a policy that Hamas initiates, and it is one of controlled escalation.” Erlich, a former IDF Intelligence analyst, said the escalation rounds should be seen as part a wider policy, which includes violent border marches instigated on Fridays. He added that Hamas “finds a new excuse every time to initiate an escalation round. Now, we are in a new round. The excuse is not important.” Assessing that the situation looks likely to escalate, Erlich cautioned against the idea of trying to stabilize the situation with humanitarian gestures or suitcases with millions of dollars of Qatari cash in them, like those that entered Gaza in recent days. Trucks full of fuel will not achieve that goal either, he said. “Hamas is acting like the mafia. It is getting protection money, then it lowers the
p A man stands outside a house that was hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.
Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90
flames, and then very quickly raises them again,” he stated. “The same hand that lowers the flames is the one that raises them back up. Gaza will not calm down until Israel finds a way to return to the status quo of quiet that was in place until March 30 of this year [the date when Hamas initiated the first mass border disturbances],” said Erlich. “Hamas feels that its policy is paying off. It absorbed tolerable strikes [from Israel]. It has assessed, based on Israeli statements, that there will not be a full-scale war here,”
explained Erlich. “Hence, it is willing to continue this policy. Until a situation is created in which Hamas concludes that this is not worth its while, this will not change.” He compared Hamas’ increasingly dangerous risk-taking to the actions of a burgeoning drug addict who becomes used to a certain dosage, and then increases it. This pattern can be seen in the hundreds of rockets that Gazan terror organizations fired in the space of just three hours on Monday evening. “They do not know when to hit the brakes, and they are raising the stakes,” Erlich said. “Hamas must conclude, before it engages in these maneuvers — including the Friday ‘return marches’ — that this will not be worthwhile.” Such a shift may well be in the works, as the IDF begins targeting symbols of Hamas’s sovereignty in Gaza in a way it hasn’t done before, like the strike on Hamas’s official television channel building. The IDF spokesman also signaled that the military is prepared to go further, if needed — alluding to the possibility of a stepped-up, persistent air campaign, and a possible ground offensive. “What we’ve done is enhance our capabilities with infantry forces, with different defensive systems such as Iron Dome,” Conricus said. “And we’ve enhanced our intelligence, as well as our abilities to strike these targets.” PJC
This week in Israeli history about peace to the Knesset, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin replied with an invitation Nov. 15.
— WORLD — Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Nov. 20, 1977 — Sadat addresses Knesset
Nov. 16, 1947 — Kadima reaches Haifa
You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear You’ve got to be taught from year to year It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear You’ve got to be carefully taught You’ve got to be taught to be afraid Of people whose eyes are oddly made And people whose skin is a diff ’rent shade You’ve got to be carefully taught
Nov. 17, 2012 — Leah Gottlieb dies
Leah Gottlieb, known as the queen of Israeli fashion, dies at 94. A Holocaust survivor, she was the co-founder and chief designer of the swimsuit manufacturer Gottex.
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late Before you are six or seven or eight To hate all the people your relatives hate You’ve got to be carefully taught
Nov. 18, 1958 — Jerusalem reservoir opens
The roots of Hatred. In 1949 the show South Pacific debuted on Broadway. There were those who wanted this song dropped from it. Rodgers and Hammerstein fought to have it included. It is probably even more important today than it was then. This space was donated by Dan Askin.
Dan Askin
412-901-5433 • askinsure@msn.com 12 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
The Kadima, a ship carrying 781 refugees trying to reach the Land of Israel despite a British ban, arrives in Haifa under escort after being intercepted en route from an island south of Venice. The would-be Jewish immigrants, including 70 from the Exodus, are arrested and shipped to a camp in Cyprus.
A reservoir for Jerusalem opens at Bayit Vegan, completing a project that began in 1955 to promote development in and around the city. The sale of Israel Bonds financed the project.
Nov. 19, 1977 — Sadat visits Jerusalem
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat arrives at Ben Gurion Airport and is driven to Jerusalem for a historic 36-hour visit. Sadat made a speech Nov. 9 in which he offered to speak
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“I come to you today on solid ground, to shape a new life, to establish peace,” Sadat tells the Knesset, where he appears after praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque, visiting Yad Vashem and laying a wreath at a memorial for Israeli soldiers.
Nov. 21, 1880 — Trumpeldor born
Joseph Trumpeldor is born in Pyatigorsk, Russia. He loses an arm while fighting in the Russo-Japanese War and spends two years as a POW in Japan. After settling in Israel in 1912, he is deported to Egypt at the start of World War I and organizes the 700-member Zion Mule Corps to fight with the British. After the war, he is killed defending a Jewish settlement in the Upper Galilee from Arab attack.
Nov. 22, 1967 — The meaning of ‘the’
The U.N. Security Council adopts Resolution 242, enshrining the principle of Israel’s trading land captured in the Six-Day War for peace with its Arab neighbors. Drafted in English, the resolution calls for withdrawal from “territories occupied in the recent conflict,” omitting “the” and thus leaving up for negotiation exactly which lands Israel should give up. PJC
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Life & Culture Pizmon coming to Pittsburgh
p Pizmon will be performing a family-friendly concert on Saturday.
— MUSIC — By Adam Reinherz I Staff Writer
P
izmon, the co-ed pluralistic Jewish a cappella group from Columbia University, Barnard College and the Jewish Theological Seminary, is coming to Pittsburgh to deliver a family-friendly concert in Congregation Beth Shalom’s main sanctuary on Saturday at 6 p.m. The scheduled 90-minute show is a collaboration between the synagogue’s Derekh program, Community Day School and J-JEP, and was made possible by a grant from the Department of Jewish Life and Learning of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
Apart from their Saturday evening act, which through unique lighting will attempt to create an experience of being in an area other than a prayer space, the group will perform throughout the weekend, said Judith Adelson, chair of the Derekh culture portal. On Friday, Pizmon will sing and speak with students at Community Day School. On Saturday they will visit the Second Floor at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and discuss Jewish life on campus. That evening, following their scheduled set at Beth Shalom, Pizmon will perform at a private fundraising event at the synagogue. On Sunday the group will visit J-JEP and participate in another student-focused session. Pizmon’s visit represents a gift back to the community, explained Robin Freyberg, an alumna of Pizmon. Shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh two years ago, Freyberg felt immediately welcomed by Pittsburghers. In an effort to say thank you, she worked over the past year to bring Pizmon here. “I thought it would be amazing for the
community,” said Freyberg, who sang with the group between 1997 and 2001 while a student at Columbia University. Rabbi Jeremy Markiz, Beth Shalom’s director of Derekh and youth tefillah, who worked with Freyberg and others on welcoming the group, said he’s “always searching for cultural methods for inspiring community.” Pizmon is made up of college students and “they represent the future,” said Markiz. “College is quintessentially a time for engagement and new experiences, and having those college students here encourages us to try new things.” CDS Head of School Avi Baran Munro similarly raved about the group’s arrival. “Pizmon could not be coming to CDS and Pittsburgh at a more important time,” she said. “We look forward to uniting our dynamic community this Shabbat by sharing in the beautiful Jewish spirit of their music and to showing our students how vibrant Jewish life can be at the university level.” Regarding the limited time between their visit and the murders at the Tree of Life building, “it is important to focus on the positive,” said Adelson. Although the period of mourning continues, Pizmon was sensitive to the community’s needs, she explained. At first Pizmon considered canceling, “but what developed from conversations was the realization that the group will provide an experience as uplifting as possible.” She hopes the power of their music serves as “the balm to help with the healing process.” Freyberg agreed. “I thought this weekend would be a really important source of healing for our community,” she said. “There is a power in music and song,” echoed Markiz. “Song and music is a language that all human beings share. It’s universal, and bringing music into this world in order to bring us together is great.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Dear Friends, We express our sincerest sympathy to all who have been affected by the horrible tragedy which took place in the Tree of Life Synagogue. Sadly, this occurred shortly before the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht which took place on November 9th 1938, and is considered by many to be the beginning of the Holocaust. When thinking of these tragic events, we look forward to the day when everyone can live together in peace. With sympathy, Connellsville Bible Students
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NOVEMBER 16, 2018 13
To the first responders, police, FBI and law enforcement agencies To the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Family and Community Services, and to our other sister Jewish agencies both in Pittsburgh and across the nation To the City of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services To the Salvation Army, American Red Cross and Center for Victims To the many individuals, restaurants and businesses from across the region and the country who donated everything from flowers, food and T-shirts to bringing support dogs and providing special children’s activities To the many who set up funds and contributed financial support For the many, many acts of kindness That brought together our community Following the tragedy at Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light We offer our most heartfelt thanks
14 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
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Our heartfelt sympathy to the victims of the tragedy at Tree of Life, Dor Hadash and New Light May their memory be a blessing Joyce Fienberg
Bernice Simon
Richard Gottfried
Sylvan Simon
Rose Mallinger
Daniel Stein
Jerry Rabinowitz
Melvin Wax
Cecil Rosenthal
Irving Younger
David Rosenthal
Wishing a complete recovery to congregants
and first responders
Dan Leger
Anthony Burke
Andrea Wedner
Timothy Matson Daniel Mead Tyler Pashel John Persin Michael Smidga
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NOVEMBER 16, 2018 15
Life & Culture Children’s Museum invites all to enter the wacky world of Rube Goldberg — EXHIBITS — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
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p Children are encouraged to interact with the exhibit. Photos provided by Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
The exhibit includes a 3D version of Goldberg’s “A Simple Way to Sharpen a Pencil”; interactive Rube Goldberg machines that allow visitors to move balls and ramps
to trigger chain reactions, then figure out how they work by resetting each part; an Please see Goldberg, page 21
Bottom photos by Toby Tabachnick
ven those who are too young to remember Rube Goldberg the person are probably familiar with “Rube Goldberg” the adjective: “accomplishing by complex means what seemingly could be done simply,” according to Webster’s. Take sharpening a pencil, for instance. For Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and inventor Goldberg, who died in 1970, a “simple” way to sharpen a pencil would begin with: opening a window, then flying a kite, whose string would lift a small door, allowing moths to escape and eat a shirt. As the shirt becomes lighter, a shoe steps on a switch which heats an iron which burns a hole in a pair of pants. The smoke from the pants then enters a hole in a tree, which forces out a possum, which jumps into a basket, that pulls a rope, which lifts a cage permitting a bird to chew wood from a pencil. While Goldberg, who was a trained engineer, created these types of zany machines only in cartoons, several have been brought to life in all their wacky ingenuity at the
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in a wondrous exhibit, “Rube Goldberg: the World of Hilarious Invention,” running through May 5, 2019. The Children’s Museum created the exhibit in partnership with the Heirs of Rube Goldberg, and with support from the Fisher Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation. Although Goldberg’s family had opportunities to work with other museums to create this exhibit — which will begin a 10-year tour to other museums and science centers throughout the country after its Pittsburgh run — the heirs found they were “in sync” in terms of vision with the Children’s Museum, according to Jennifer George, Goldberg’s granddaughter. “I wanted to have a way to use the zeitgeist of my grandfather’s work as an experiential event, something where it is not just reading his cartoons or looking at his work, but something that took you into the work, into the humor or into the processes,” said George, speaking from her home in New York. “And I have to tell you, during the process with the team in Pittsburgh — they blew me away. They are such a creative group. They put the funny in, and that’s not easy to do.”
16 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
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PHOTO: Dave DiCello | davedicello.com
Mister Rogers Memorial Statue – Pittsburgh’s North Shore
WE ARE PITTSBURGH Accepting Compassionate Inclusive Tolerant We are the home of Mister Rogers. His values – kindness and neighborliness – are our values. With each other and with neighbors far and wide, we stand united against hatred, violence and bigotry of all kinds.
Together, we are stronger than hate.
#412GETHER The Allegheny Conference on Community Development Board of Directors Robert O. Agbede Hatch USA Leroy M. Ball, Jr. Koppers Inc. John A. Barbour Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC Eric Boughner BNY Mellon Jeff Broadhurst Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Inc. David Burritt United States Steel Corporation Helen Hanna Casey Howard Hanna Real Estate Services Nicholas J. DeIuliis CNX Resources Corporation Leon F. DeJulius, Jr. Jones Day Vince J. Delie, Jr. F.N.B. Corporation
William S. Demchak The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. J. Christopher Donahue Federated Investors, Inc. Audrey Dunning CGI John J. Engel WESCO International, Inc. Mark Eubanks Eaton Michele Fabrizi MARC USA Karen Wolk Feinstein Jewish Healthcare Foundation Daniel K. Fitzpatrick Citizens Bank of PA / NY / NJ / DE Kimberly Tillotson Fleming Hefren-Tillotson, Inc. Patrick D. Gallagher University of Pittsburgh
Kenneth G. Gormley Duquesne University Steven J. Guy Oxford Development Company Charles L. Hammel, III PITT OHIO Richard J. Harshman Allegheny Technologies Incorporated Paul Hennigan Point Park University David L. Holmberg Highmark Health Christopher B. Howard Robert Morris University Michael Huwar Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania, Inc. Scott D. Izzo Richard King Mellon Foundation Farnam Jahanian Carnegie Mellon University
Laura Karet Giant Eagle, Inc. Ronald C. Keating Evoqua Water Technologies, LLC Gerald F. MacCleary Covestro LLC Henry J. Maier FedEx Ground David J. Malone Gateway Financial Group, Inc. Michael H. McGarry PPG James McQuade Dollar Bank, FSB David J. Morehouse Pittsburgh Penguins Linda L. Moss FirstEnergy Corporation David L. Motley BlueTree Venture Fund
Todd C. Moules KeyBank Morgan K. O’Brien Peoples Natural Gas Grant Oliphant The Heinz Endowments Stacey Olson Chevron Antonis Papadourakis LANXESS Corporation Stefani Pashman Allegheny Conference on Community Development Richard Riazzi Duquesne Light Company James H. Rock Seegrid Corporation David K. Roger Hillman Family Foundations
Jeffrey A. Romoff UPMC Steve R. Schott Calgon Carbon Corporation James R. Segerdahl K&L Gates LLP Venkee Sharma Aquatech International Corporation Susie Shipley Huntington Bank George L. Stewart, II Reed Smith LLP William E. Strickland, Jr. Manchester Bidwell Corporation Nish J. Vartanian MSA Safety, Inc. Sunil Wadhwani Wadhwani Family Foundation Lara Washington AHRCO
AlleghenyConference.org
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NOVEMBER 16, 2018 17
Opinion The Knesset talks anti-Semitism — EDITORIAL —
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ast week, the Knesset’s Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Committee met to discuss anti-Semitism in America in the wake of the Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life building. Absent from the discussion were American Jews themselves, something that was noted — not uncritically — in news coverage of the meeting. A headline in JTA read, “Israeli lawmakers debate American anti-Semitism without American Jewish input.” The JTA article noted that former Knesset member Dov Lipman, who was present at the committee meeting, “was taken aback by the lack of American speakers. He told JTA
that the way for Israel to become involved should be by asking ‘how can Israel help you’ and not projecting and suggesting what they need. There needs to be a dialogue.” And former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who was not at the meeting, was quoted as being as critical of the lack of American input, adding that the best dialogue between Israel and the United States would be “characterized by listening in which Israelis don’t insert themselves into American politics.” We disagree with much of the criticism, and are concerned by what appears to be a double standard. Diaspora Jews talk about Israel — and what’s best for it — all the time, both with and without input from Israelis. And we do the same thing regarding many
issues relating to Jewish communities in other parts of the world. Indeed, members of the U.S. news media of all stripes, a large number of Jewish organizations and many American lawmakers spend a great deal of time engaged in rather targeted critique and assessment of Israel’s policies, large and small — from settlement activity, to peace negotiations, the Nation State Law and issues relating to the rabbinate. In each of these areas, we are rather free with our opinions and conclusions, very often without direct input from Israelis. That’s not to say the consultation isn’t necessary; nor is it a suggestion that those who live outside the United States shouldn’t presume to know what our communities need in order to confront and combat
anti-Semitism. It is, instead, a reaffirmation of the recent JFNA General Assembly theme that “We have to talk.” And through that talk we will get to know each other better, and perhaps even contribute more effectively to meaningful and realistic solutions to one another’s problems. When all is said and done, let’s recognize that our international relations are not a one-way street, and that we aren’t the only people with knowledge and concern about the well-being and best approaches for our international Jewish community. We are our brothers’ keepers, and they are ours. The better we know each other, and the more we each listen to the concerns and suggestions of the other, the stronger our bond will be. PJC
This is the gravest threat to the future of liberal Judaism Guest Columnist Ammiel Hirsch
S
omething is rotten in the state of liberalism that threatens the future of progressive Judaism. Jews who call themselves “liberal” join organizations seeking to boycott, divest and sanction Israel in disproportional numbers. They lead the attack against Israel with a kind of ferocity normally reserved for the world’s worst regimes. Their antipathy for Israel leads them to join groups that even have anti-Semitic tendencies. But the danger is not only in the political realm. Like everything else in life, our actions — our politics — are dictated by our core values and principles. Many liberal Jews are uncomfortable with Jewish particularism, asserting that it is an illiberal idea whose time has passed. While there was always a healthy tension in Jewish thought between the centrality of Jewish peoplehood and Jewish interactions with, and obligations to, the world at large, it is increasingly difficult for liberal Jews today to accept that Jewish distinctiveness is a core Jewish value or even a contemporary social good. Thus, liberal Jews are abandoning their Jewish identity in accelerating and unsustainable numbers. According to a Pew study published in August, nearly half of American Jews prefer not to identify with organized religion. Their distancing from the Jewish community has already caused a significant contraction of our movement and, if not contained, will cause an implosion of the instrumentalities of Reform Judaism itself. If we do not reverse these trends, Reform Judaism two generations from now will be a shadow of what it is today. Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon’s commencement address last spring at the 18 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion addressed these issues directly. Before a sanctuary filled with newly minted or soon-to-be Reform rabbis, cantors, educators and other Jewish professionals and their families, Chabon told these future leaders of Reform Judaism that since the last of his children’s b’nai mitzvah, his retreat from religious practice has been near total. He contended that Judaism, like every other religion, is
we required to discard attachments and loyalties to Jews? What is this new Jewish progressivism that asserts that the acceptance of others requires the negation of self? Is a marriage between two Catholics, Hindus, Muslims or Universalists illiberal? Is a marriage between two indigenous Australians, eager to preserve Aboriginal civilization, illiberal? To care about fellow Jews, to feel connected
The growing inclination among liberal Jews to de-emphasize Jewish distinctiveness is the gravest threat to the future of liberal Judaism. one giant interlocking system of division intended to enforce the division between, among other things, Jews and non-Jews. Chabon touched upon the very heart of Jewish distinctiveness and peoplehood. “An endogamous marriage is a ghetto of two,” he said. “I want [my children] to marry into the tribe that prizes learning, inquiry, skepticism, openness to new ideas. I want my children to marry into the tribe that enshrines equality before the law and freedom of conscience and human rights. … There will be plenty of potential partners for my children to choose — a fair number [of whom] are even likely to be Jews.” Such is the wounded state of Jewish liberalism today that in response, Chabon received a rousing ovation from most (but not all) of the crowd of students about to embark on their first full-time positions in Reform synagogues, supported by many of their professional mentors. Under what theory of liberalism are
to the Jewish people and to be attached to the Jewish state are not proof of ghetto Judaism. In fact, not to be committed to these values is evidence of Jewish decline. Don’t liberals believe in diversity, in a pluralism of communities? Don’t we believe in the dignity of human difference? Or do we believe in diversity for everyone but Jews? We didn’t build walls to keep people out; they built walls to keep us in. The goal of the particular existence of the Jewish people is to bring light to all the peoples of the earth. God “appointed you to be a light to the nations,” Isaiah preached, “opening eyes deprived of light, bringing prisoners, and all those who sit in darkness out of their dungeons.” The point of the particular existence of the Jewish people is to promote the dignity of all people. Jewish chosenness never implied superiority. To the contrary, we were the lowest of nations. We were slaves. We liberal Jews never seem to speak about Jewish solidarity anymore. We speak about
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our obligations to the world with profound conviction and eloquence, but never seem to speak about our obligations to Jews. Thus, for many Reform Jews, “tikkun olam” implies everyone in the world except Jews. It is rare to meet an American Reform youth or activist who considers tikkun olam to include the obligation to assist, say, impoverished Jews in Israel or the former Soviet Union. A Reform tikkun olam mission would more likely travel to a poor African village than a soup kitchen for Jews in Ukraine. The irony is that the very concept of prophetic values emerged from the Hebrew prophets, who were fierce particularists. At no time did they abandon the Jewish particular in favor of the universal. To the contrary, the universal was a function — a product — of the particular. The impetus and urgency of prophetic morality was an outcome of the centrality of the Jewish people, not its negation. The growing inclination among liberal Jews to de-emphasize Jewish distinctiveness is the gravest threat to the future of liberal Judaism. For what are the prospects of the continuity of the people if the people are not committed to its own continuity — and does not even agree philosophically that it is a legitimate objective and a social good? Is it possible to sustain the Jewish people without being committed to the Jewish people? Can Judaism survive without Jews? It is the will to Jewish distinctiveness that ensures Jewish distinctiveness. It is the will to continue that has led to continuity. There is a ferocity to Jewish survival instincts, an indomitable sense of Jewish destiny. When these are lost, the future is lost. In the modern world, those who are not committed to Jewish survival will not survive as Jews. PJC Ammiel Hirsch is the senior rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, a Reform congregation on New York’s Upper West Side. This article is adapted from his 2018 Yom Kippur sermon, “From the Ghetto.”
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Opinion Tragedy aftermath highlights the power of intergroup relations Guest Columnists David Bernstein Melanie Roth Gorelick
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n the aftermath of the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history, the Jewish community is asking itself how to best counter rising anti-Semitism. How can we ensure that there aren’t other attacks? How do we keep anti-Semitism on the margins of society? There are numerous tried-and-true ways to combat anti-Semitism and hate violence, from enhanced monitoring of hate groups and tougher hate crimes laws to publicly calling out anti-Semitism, to better security at Jewish institutions. One of the most effective yet unheralded ways to fight anti-Semitism is to build alliances with other religious and ethnic communities. And we American Jews need more of them. In the past two weeks, Jewish Federations and Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) have held hundreds of vigils across the country. In the 70 vigils the Jewish Council for Public Affairs has tracked, nearly all of them featured clergy and ethnic leaders offering their condolences and support. In some communities, particularly those that have invested heavily in intergroup relations, there were scores who showed up. These Jewish communities often did little to recruit these non-Jewish leaders to participate. They already knew them and their organizations.
They asked to attend. In a Greater Washington, D.C. vigil, more than 350 faith and ethnic leaders participated in one of several vigils held in the community. The Washington community has been conducting high level intergroup relations for many years, which paid off in spades when it needed the support. But such efforts need not be limited to the bigger, most resourced communities. Just prior to
safety and security of the Jewish community through building strong intergroup relations in order to advance a pluralistic and democratic America and the security of American Jews. Through our 75-year history we have seen the importance of these relationships and alliances. We see four primary purposes in building intergroup ties. First, intergroup relations allow Jews to sensitize other minorities to anti-Semitism
Despite the incredible showing at vigils across the country, the Jewish community cannot take for granted these relationships. the Pittsburgh shootings, the small but active Jewish community of Reading, Pa., took an interfaith mission to Israel. In the aftermath, the president of the Islamic Center of Reading, Elsayed Elmarzouky, who participated in the mission, offered his full support. “If it happened in a church or a mosque I wouldn’t expect any less from my Jewish family,” he told his friends in the Jewish community. “It’s a very difficult time for all of us that we have to live in fear despite our own motto, ‘one nation under God.’” JCPA, the hub of the 125 JCRCs and 16 national agencies, was created to ensure the
and other communal priorities. As they get to know their Jewish partners, they become aware of our concerns and we of theirs. Second, intergroup relations send a message to the larger public that Jews cannot be scapegoated. When other groups show their support, they make it clear to all those watching that Jews are an integral part of society, not an alien force. A show of solidarity exposes anti-Semitism as a marginal phenomenon and the anti-Semite as a marginal figure. Third, building a web of relations ensures that a community has ties to others when
they really need them. In several instances around the country, other faith communities came together and created a “ring of peace,” joining hands to form a protective circle around Jewish congregations, showing their care and support. It is in times like these when we not only need physical security, but emotional support from our neighbors. We offer the same in their time of need. Fourth, intergroup relations amplify our voice. When we join forces with others on issues of common concern, we become stronger. We have a much better chance of advancing our agenda both domestic and international. Despite the incredible showing at vigils across the country, those of us who have been doing this work for many years know that the Jewish community cannot take for granted these relationships. They must be nurtured and prioritized. We are currently seeing a generational overturn in the Jewish, civil rights and faith community leaders. In order to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community, and all communities in the United States who are the targets of hate, bigotry and xenophobia, it is important that we strengthen our work with the methodology that we know makes the difference. Now is the time for the Jewish community to double down on intergroup relations. PJC David Bernstein is the president and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Melanie Roth Gorelick is the organization’s senior vice president.
We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 500 words and may be edited for length and clarity; they cannot be returned. Mail, fax or email letters to:
Correction In “Anti-Semitic shooter cared for by Jews at Allegheny General” (Nov. 9), it was incorrectly reported that Ari Mahler is a member of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha. Mahler is a member of Temple Emanuel of South Hills. The Chronicle regrets the error. PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
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Headlines Rally: Continued from page 1
played at an emotional pre-game ceremony for the Pittsburgh Penguins followed by comments from Roberto Clemente Jr., who called himself a “Puerto Rican Jew,” Franco Harris and Brett Keisel. Though referencing the Steel City’s status as a “City of Champions,” Keisel implored attendees to become something new. “ “We must become united as one, as champions of change,” said the former Steeler. Actor Tom Hanks and Joanne Rogers, wife of the late Fred Rogers, praised the city for acting as a positive example of a community that does not let different neighborhoods divide it. “A visitor will know Pittsburgh is a great city because Pittsburgh has been tested,” Hanks read from a letter composed by Rogers. “Thank you Pittsburgh for your example, for your inspiration and for your love of each other.”
Allocations: Continued from page 1
Eckert Seamans. Pro bono services will be provided to the committee by the law firm Cohen & Grigsby, PNC Bank — which will hold the money and distribute it as the committee directs — and the accounting firm Schneider Downs . The committee was scheduled to have its first meeting on Nov. 13, and “will meet regularly until the final distribution will be completed,” Hertzman said, adding that while the committee will operate separately from the Federation’s board, it will “act with the advice of the board.” There are specific steps that should be taken, in a specific order, when determining how to distribute funds to victims of a terror attack, according to Feinberg. The first step is to determine how much money there is to distribute. “That colors everything,” he said in a phone interview from his office in Washington. “Is there one fund? Are there various funds that you are going to consolidate? What about money that was sent directly to the synagogue? First and foremost, find out the scope and amount of money available for distribution.” The next step is to determine who is eligible to be compensated from the pool of funds. “Those who died are obviously eligible,” he said. “Those who were physically injured and hospitalized, they are probably eligible. And what about the congregants who weren’t physically injured but witnessed the carnage in the synagogue? Should they be eligible to receive compensation?” After eligibility is determined, administrators should define the methodology they will use “to decide who gets what,” Feinberg said. “Are all 11 victims to be treated the same?” He recommended the Federation view all lives as equal in value. “A 97-year-old woman who died should get the same amount of money as a wage earner who is 70 or 60,” he advised. Administrators then should determine how to compensate “individuals who have been injured physically, wounded by the shooter,” Feinberg said. “And I suggested they might get a portion of the money based on how long they were hospitalized. If you are in the hospital for a month, versus two nights, 20 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
Tacking on to the end of her letter, Rogers proclaimed, “Let us replace guns with hugs.” Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto issued a similar call, listing several recent tragedies related to gun violence throughout the country, including the death of 12 people at a bar in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and the death of two people at a yoga studio in Tallahassee, Fla. “Let Pittsburgh and Thousand Oaks and Tallahassee and other cities around this country show what a sacrifice means and what strength is about,” Peduto said. “That strength is not about how many guns you have, but strength is made by the compassion of your heart.” Much like the speakers themselves, attendees at the rally came both to show their support and find a path forward. Rebecca Lee, 41, came to the rally looking for guidance on how to “make something change.” She brought her 6-year-old son, Keegan, to help him understand more about the tragedy and to illustrate actions of accord. The mother and son were carving pump-
kins on Oct. 27 when they heard news of the shooting. It “stopped everything in our tracks,” Lee said. “It’s an important time right now to come together.” Shawn Smith, a general contractor for the new Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh building, said he attended the rally to show support for the Federation. The atmosphere at work these days is solemn, he said, but they do what they can to keep good spirits and “let them know we’re behind them 100 percent.” After Smith heard about the shooting, he called his boss and said they needed to do something. So they designed a shirt for those working on site that read “Stronger Together” with the first “o” replaced by a Jewish star and the second by a heart. He hoped the rally would help “bring the city together to mourn a little bit and move on as a community.” Rep. Conor Lamb, (D-District 18), who stood beneath an umbrella beside attendees in the park, agreed.
“We all have our part to play,” said Lamb. “Those of us in public life, we have to take action, we can’t just talk about it and say ‘thoughts and prayers.’ We have to get bills passed, we have to convene experts, we have to train and pay our police officers what they’re worth.” Contributing to the message of unity and peace, Jeff Finkelstein, president and CEO of the Federation, shared words typically recited by a congregation upon completing each of the books of the Torah: chazak chazak v’nitchazek, “be strong, be strong and we will be strengthened.” “This resilient city of Pittsburgh will be strong and we will be strengthened by each other,” he said. “Our Pittsburgh Jewish community is strengthened by your support.” PJC
chances are you were more seriously injured.” Next, administrators need to determine what type of proof is required by claimants in order to receive funds. “What I mean by proof is you want to make sure that the money is going to the family member who is supposed to get the money,” he said. “I see problems all the time with family members who are in dispute. You get into that whole battle, and before you can cut checks and deliver money, you have to make sure that the money is going to the right people, and that takes proof.” Whether or not those who are eligible will be given the opportunity for a hearing also needs to be decided, Feinberg said. The Pittsburgh Jewish Community Relief Fund Committee will offer those eligible to receive money from the fund an opportunity for such a hearing, Hertzman said. Feinberg counseled Federation leaders to distribute all funds to individual victims, and not to reserve any of those funds for social service organizations that provided help during the crisis. “There isn’t enough money to have an appreciable impact on that,” he explained, and “it would tie the administrator up in knots trying to determine which claims from which programs should be compensated.” But donor intent must also be considered. “You have to evaluate the source of the funds,” he said. “Somebody may have sent in a check and said, ‘Pay to the order of the community of Pittsburgh.’ Well, you can’t send that to the victims. That donor wants that money used in other ways. And all this money that came in ‘pay to the order of Tree of Life synagogue,’ well Federation has to sit down with the Tree of Life and find out if they want to use that money to compensate victims or do they want to repair the synagogue, or do they want to increase their endowment? That’s up to the negotiations between the Federation and the Tree of Life.” Decisions by the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Relief Fund Committee will be made “in consultation” with Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, Dor Hadash and New Light, and with the first responders who were injured, according to Hertzman. While the Federation has held “productive talks” with the three congregations affected
by the attack, “they have not completed a legal arrangement yet,” Hertzman explained, and the individual fundraising efforts of those congregations are “not part of the Victims of Terror Fund.” Other funds, however, could still be “brought under the purview of this committee,” he added. Aside from the Federation fund, more than $1 million has been donated through a GoFundMe campaign specifically to “Tree of Life Synagogue.” That fund was launched by an Iranian asylum-seeker studying at Johns Hopkins University, Shay Khatiri, who has no connection to Pittsburgh. “I woke up to the news, and I was staying with a friend of mine who is Jewish, and she was upset, and I wanted to do something to make myself feel better,” Khatiri said. “And I thought maybe I could donate some money to make myself feel better, and later I thought maybe I could perhaps do something bigger.” Other money specifically designated to Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha has come in as well, according to Michael Eisenberg, chair of that congregation’s capital repair committee. While some of those funds will be used to repair the building, some also will go to the victims “to varying degrees,” Eisenberg said. “We don’t know yet what proportion will go to the victims,” he said. “It’s too early.” Eisenberg, who knew all 11 victims personally, said that each one of them would want to see the funds used to propel the community forward, and he hopes to honor them by doing so. “It is heartwarming to see how much support there is in the community and worldwide.” In addition to money, the Federation also has received “many offers of goods and services,” Hertzman said. “There have been so many. We had to designate one Federation employee just to track all of the offers of goods and services.” Those goods and services have ranged from counseling to “food to free radio air time to send messages of support to the community, to the Steelers, the Pirates, and especially the Penguins doing things at their games, raising money themselves, sending money from their organizations.” Last week, the Penguins presented the Federation and Tree of Life representatives a check for almost $350,000. “United Airlines donated the flights for some
of the family members who had to get in at the last minute, and American Airlines also made a very generous donation,” Hertzman added. “We’ve even had local hotels give hotel rooms for family members coming in for the funerals.” The Federation also has established “a separate fund for security that has garnered a significant amount of money, over and above the money that has been raised for victims of terror,” Hertzman noted. Other GoFundMe campaigns specifically designated for Congregation Dor Hadash and New Light Congregation — the other two congregations that were present in the Tree of Life building during the attack — have raised $6,000 and $23,000 respectively. Neither congregation has yet determined how those funds will be distributed, according to their presidents. Many additional funds have been set up as well, including one called Muslims Unite for Pittsburgh Synagogue, which raised $238,000. That money was distributed to the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, which disbursed it to the families of the victims. Some of those funds will also be used to foster Muslim-Jewish relations, according to the fund’s LaunchGood site. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh also has been the recipient of several, unsolicited, fundraising efforts, including a “Virtual 5K” run, and a campaign by Macy’s department store, which is asking customers to “round up” their purchases to benefit the JCC. “We have had a lot of hard costs associated with all the services we’ve been able to provide over the last couple weeks,” said Cathy Samuels, the JCC’s senior director of development and communications. “We’ve been here for the community, and helping families,” and have not yet “assessed our emerging needs. So much has come in, from so many different ways.” Expediency is important, Feinberg stressed, and he advises that the Federation’s disbursements be completed within 90 days. The distribution of the Victims of Terror Fund will conclude within six months, said Hertzman, although the committee “will strive to make the majority of its distributions within a few months.” PJC
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Lauren Rosenblatt can be reached at lrosenblatt@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Election: Continued from page 6
comments. “Israel is our friend, one of our closest and most important allies in the world, and I will always support Israel,” said Lamb. Rothfus, Lamb’s opponent on Nov. 6, is also a supporter of Israel. Joshua Sayles, director of community relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said, “Israel is a key issue, always a key issue. We’re seeking leaders who support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and Democratic state.” Between Lamb’s two elections, the makeup of his district became more favorable to Democrats, switching from a Trump +19.6 district to a Trump +2.5 district, and it lost a fraction of the Jewish community, as Upper
Goldberg: Continued from page 16
opportunity for visitors to create their own cartoons, using Goldberg’s work as inspiration; and the chance to step into a 3D replica of Goldberg’s “Self-Operating Napkin Machine” for a photo opp. The exhibit was designed to appeal to children and adults of various interests and ages, said Anne Fullenkamp, the museum’s director of design. “It’s so inclusive,” she said. “If you’re a science kid, an actor, a writer … there are just so many ways for kids to get involved.” Also included in the exhibit is a “Rubeinspired” way to paint a picture in a 3D version of Ed Steckley’s “An Epic Way to Paint a Picture.” Steckley is an illustrator who worked with George in creating a children’s book inspired by the inventions of Goldberg, “Rube Goldberg’s Simple Normal Humdrum School Day,” which features a 7- or 8-year-old character based on a young version of George’s celebrated grandfather. “The Children’s Museum wanted to include life-size working machines, not just based on my grandfather’s work,” but also on the work of Steckley to show “how we are taking Rube into the next millennium,” George said. Another notable aspect of the exhibit are the prescient Goldberg cartoons displayed at its entrance: One depicts a patient being treated by a doctor on a television or computer screen, another shows a man with a traveling video camera recording every aspect of his life. These drawings were created decades before such innovations existed. “Toward the end of his life, he was interviewed for the Smithsonian exhibit,” George recalled. “I heard the interview — it was about two weeks before he died. He was always being asked about the inventions. And it kind of bewildered him that this is what he was known for, after 50,000 cartoons. This very tiny slice of his oeuvre is what he would be known for. It obviously touched a nerve. “It was the dawn of the Industrial Revolution,” she explained. “And he was poking fun. He said, ‘They are really not machines; they are really satirical represen-
St. Clair remained in the 18th District, which is now dominated by Pittsburgh. The Jewish community also changed. “I think that unfortunately, priorities for the Jewish community have shifted dramatically in the last couple of weeks after the murder of 11 people,” said Sayles. Goodman said he has seen people put politics aside following the massacre. “Regardless of what their feelings are, I have seen just a huge outpouring of warmth and kindness and tolerance,” he said. Rabbi Don Rossoff of Temple Emanuel emphasized the importance of politicians not supporting or tolerating hatred: “I, for one, am very troubled when public discourse divides and demonizes, so I expect our elected officials to remember well that words matter. Words provide the air that keeps anti-Semitism and
other forms of prejudice and hatred alive.” Sayles said that one question the attack has raised is gun control. “A priority of the community, I think, is to work to prevent gun violence. I think we’re still healing as a community and the policy of how to prevent gun violence — we’re not ready to discuss that, but it’s at the front of everybody’s mind.” Rossoff agreed: “Prior to the murders at Tree of Life, most Jews, regardless of political affiliation, wanted more done to decrease gun violence in our country.” Rick D’Loss, vice president of Congregation Ahavath Achim (the “Carnegie Shul”) and chair of the Carnegie Democratic Committee, said one of his priorities would be to push Lamb to support banning assault rifles, the type of weapon used in the Tree of Life shooting. “Conor has said that he doesn’t support a ban
tations of progressive nothing.’ I think there is this overwhelming almost Dadaist thing that he came to understand later in his life: that we always kind of overcomplicate our lives in an effort to try to simplify it. It’s just so, so human. And if you can laugh at yourself, that’s half the battle.” While George does not believe her grandfather was predicting the future, she does acknowledge the foresight of his work. “There’s the Forbes cover of the future of home entertainment,” which is in the exhibit, she said. “In 1967 he was asked to do a drawing of the future of home entertainment. Every person in the room has their own screen, and there is the mother of the household sitting in her comfortable chair and her screen is on a stand, and there is the globe behind the stand, with a camera projected [outward] and on the screen are skiers — so she’s on the World Wide Web, watching skiing live. So I look at things like that and I have to say, I kind of wonder. It was the stuff of science fiction in those days.” Although she was just 11 when her grandfather died, George does remember enough about him — and has since read everything she could get her hands on about him — to know that he would be “thoroughly amazed that people are still talking about him,” she said. “I think he would be thrilled to see kids engaged in something that he left behind. Just seeing how his work has been interpreted, reimagined, for all kinds of purposes — education, humor, inspiration. It would make him pretty happy.” On March 3, the Children’s Museum will be hosting a Rube Goldberg Contest, in which school-age children will compete in building their own Rube Goldberg machines. Rube Goldberg contests have been held since 1988, pitting teams of students against each other in designing humorous contraptions that accomplish simple tasks in complicated ways. The competitions “encourage teamwork and out-the-box thinking,” according to rubegoldberg.com. Area schools are encouraged to compete in the Children’s Museum’s March 3 event, which will be for ages 8 through 11, said Fullenkamp. PJC
JCC names new leadership team at Emma Kaufmann Camp
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh will have a new leadership team for Emma Kaufmann Camp effective November 26. Aaron Cantor will be joining the JCC as director of Emma Kaufmann Camp and Rachael Speck will assume the new position of associate director of Camping and Innovation at EKC. A native of Rochester, New York, Cantor has a Bachelor of Science in camp management and outdoor recreation from the State University of New York at Cortland. He has served as an overnight camp director for nearly 10 years. Most recently, Cantor served as senior director of youth services at the Rochester JCC. Cantor is a current fellow in the JCC Association and Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Lechu Lachem Camp Director Leadership Program. Cantor also serves as a board member of the New York State Camp Directors Association and the American Camp Association local council of leaders for Upstate New York. Cantor will report directly to JCC chief program officer, Jason Kunzman. Cantor and his wife, Amanda, have
on assault rifles. He does support background checks and making sure that those folks that are mentally ill don’t have weapons. Maybe at some point we can pull him along.” Of course, many Jewish voters prioritize any number of other issues. “It was the economy, health care, the discussion of the president’s tweets” at the town halls, said Goodman. D’Loss, for example, is a supporter of Medicare-for-all, and would like to see Lamb shift left. Lamb supports the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid. “Ultimately, what is good for American Jews is what is good for all Americans and vice versa,” said Rossoff. “Really the bottom line is being seen in the community and allowing yourself to be accessible and hearing what they say. I think Conor will do that,” said D’Loss. PJC
two daughters in elementary school who look forward to relocating to the greater Pittsburgh area later this year. The JCC also announces the promotion of Rachael Speck to her new role as associate director of Camping & Innovation. Speck has been a part of the EKC family for 19 years, as both a camper, seasonal staff member, and in her full-time role at EKC since February 2015. She has led the EKC alumni network and played leadership roles in camper recruitment, camper care, communication/marketing and the Staff-inTraining program. Speck has a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, majoring in journalism and sociology. She completed the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s Yitro Professional Leadership program in 2017. Speck has worked as an educator in the JCC’s Early Childhood Development Center and as coordinator in the Children & Family Division as well as nearly four years within the Young Adult Division at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. She resides in Greenfield with her husband, Alex, and young son. PJC
Volunteers of the Year The publication of the first edition of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle Volunteers of the Year has been rescheduled for the Dec. 7 edition. Volunteers will be honored in a special section in print and will also be featured on our website. (This program was transferred from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to the Chronicle this year.) Your Jewish nonprofit is invited to nominate a single, living person that will be recognized for their significant time and energy spent volunteering for your organization, and by their work, they have demonstrated a commitment to the Jewish community. With your nomination, the Chronicle requires a color headshot of the volunteer,
the organization and a short (no more than 100 words) description that you provide to describe the nominee’s efforts and what the contributions have meant to your organization. Either the organization or the nominee will provide the headshot, and additionally, the Chronicle hopes to compose a photo collage of nominees in action during their volunteer activities. The action photos are optional, but would be appreciated. With your nomination, include the name as it should appear; home and email addresses are required, along with a headshot. For those who have not yet sent in a nomination, send all materials by email to aleibowicz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org by noon on Monday, Nov. 26. PJC
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Celebrations
Torah
Bat Mitzvah
Portion’s message: refuse to cower in fear
Malka Rose Rubin, daughter of Michele and Sam Rubin of Murrysville, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 9:30 a.m. at Parkway Jewish Center in Eastmont. Malka is the granddaughter of Phyllis Birk of Jeannette and the late Mildred and Israel Rubin of Pottstown, Pa. PJC
RESOLUTION IN MEMORY OF MARCIA CHAMOVITZ Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh expresses a sense of sadness and loss with the passing of our beloved Past President of the Western Pennsylvania Region, and as a member of the National Board. WHEREAS: Marcia Chamovitz was a lifelong member of Hadassah and among other endeavors, she opened Aliquippa’s first preschool program in the town’s synagogue, was active in the American Association of University Women and in the burgeoning civil rights movement in Aliquippa in the 1960s. WHEREAS: Marcia Chamovitz fulfilled her dream in 1984 and moved to Israel where she filled her days with her husband, David, and taking care of her grandchildren, stray cats and finding ways of touching everyone’s life. WHEREAS: Marcia Chamovitz made it her mission to expose their many visitors to as much of Israel and Zionism as possible. Their home was known to be open to all Pittsburgh Young Judaea year course participants. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter express its deepest sympathies to her daughter, Dr. Raina Rosenberg and professor Daniel Chamovitz, their spouses, five grandchildren and their partners and one great-grandson, all of whom live in Israel. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT Marcia Chamovitz be remembered for her bond to Jewish tradition, her profound commitment to Jewish values and her tireless leadership by example. Hadassah Chapter Past Presidents, Rochelle Parker, Nancy Shuman, Freda Spiegel Presidium
This November we take time to remember the victims of transphobic violence we have lost.
Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld Parshat Vayetze | Genesis 28:10-32:3
O
ur community is still reeling from the events of a couple weeks ago, but as time passes opportunities for reflection present themselves. The story of our community is the story of our parshah. Anti-Semitism is not new. It has been around for thousands of years, and there is no indication that it will disappear, short of the arrival of Moshiach. We must always remind ourselves that although we cannot control the acts of hate that are cast toward us, we can control the way we react to them. Over the past few weeks I had the opportunity to meet with many survivors of the horrific attack. I met with families of those holy individuals who were torn away from us in the most brutal of manners while sanctifying G-d’s name. I saw pain and sorrow that is real and fresh. I also saw resolve and determination that is stronger than ever. When in a time of pain, we must always turn to Torah to guide us on how to proceed. We need to look no further than our parshah. While following the instruction of G-d, Yaakov leaves the comforts of home to travel to Charan, a land filled with temptation and evil. Immediately, Yaakov is chased down by a messenger of his brother Esav. He had sent him with a mission of hate: Go find him and kill him. Undeterred, Yaakov continued his journey. Upon arriving in Charan, he met his future father-in-law, Lavan, who spent the next 14 years lying and swindling at the expense of Yaakov. Once he finally gained independence from his father-in-law and built a large family, Yaakov began his journey home only to learn of Esav’s plans to greet him on the way with a myriad of men intent on destroying him. Yaakov was being persecuted by hate. Wherever he went, hate followed him. When he prevailed over it, somehow hate resurfaced. Hate just would not go away. Why wouldn’t hate let up? That is the
question Yaakov never asked, because it didn’t matter. He knew it would always be there as long as he was doing the right thing. Yaakov knew he could not afford himself the luxury of self-pity. If he paused for it, hate would gain the upper edge. So how did he prevail each and every time? He countered senseless hatred with boundless love. Yaakov did not fear hate; in fact, the only time he mentions fear is when referring to fear of G-d, for there is nothing else to fear if you have Him. Yaakov had his eyes on his mission. The Torah tells us that in the beginning of his struggles Yaakov is reminded of a time when hate will be eradicated from this world. A time when G-d will reunite all of His people in the land of Israel when Moshiach arrives. A time when Yaakov’s descendants, the Jewish people, will be as numerous as the stars of the heavens. Anything that distracted him from getting closer to that time, was just that — a distraction.
Perpetrators of antiSemitism must be made aware that hate will not deter us from our service of G-d. Living in Pittsburgh in 2018, after experiencing the most horrific act of hate toward Jews since the founding of this country, we must take a lesson from Yaakov: Do not let us be slowed down! Perpetrators of antiSemitism must be made aware that hate will not deter us from our service of G-d. The 11 souls that ascended on high, united with their Creator, are counting on us to not back down. We must unite together as a community and to remind the world that although a people who target us expect us to cower in fear, we will always respond with increased Jewish pride. PJC Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld is the dean of Yeshiva Schools and Lubavitch Center of Pittsburgh. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.
Bet Tikvah Congregation P. 0. Box 10140 Pittsburgh, PA 15232 Web: www.bettikvah.org
I am changing my name from Golda Leah Perelman to Golda Leah Schreiber.
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On November 9, 1938 government leaders turned their back to Jewish citizens in Germany, Austria & Czechoslovakia. On that day, Police Officers & emergency officials turned their backs. On that day, community leaders turned their backs to death, destruction & violence that led to the Holocaust. On November 9, 2018 government leaders stood in support of our Jewish community in Pittsburgh. On this day, Police Officers & Emergency officials spoke against hatred. On this day, community leaders denounced anti-Semitism. On this day, we stand united that hate against one is hate against all. We are Pittsburgh, we are stronger than Hate. Never Again.
William Peduto
Mayor City of Pittsburgh
24 NOVEMBER 16, 2018
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Obituaries ELLENBOGEN: Marjor y (Margie) Ellenbogen, 88, of Pittsburgh and Highland B each, Fla., on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, peacefully with her family by her side. Survived by her daughters, Joan (George Handelsman), Lynn (Steve Safran), Nancy (Mitchell Feldman); and her grandchildren, Shellie Handelsman, Nicole and Tom Safran, and Zach (Natalie), Tyler and Lexi Feldman. Preceded in death by her husband, Alexander (Alex), their son, Tom, her brother, David Blons, her sisterin-law, Liesl Blockstein, brother-in-law, Bill Blockstein, and her parents, Agatha and Maurice J. Blons. Margie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, attending the University of Chicago during what would have been her junior and senior years of high school, and then finishing her degree at Roosevelt College (now University). She earned her Master of Education degree at the University of Pittsburgh. Raising her children was her passion and family was her first priority, but her grandchildren were her true pride and joy. Although she never really enjoyed cooking, family dinners were always lively and interesting, and no meal was complete without dessert. She made wonderful picnic feasts for frequent days of hiking in many of the local parks. Margie also taught elementary school for many years after her children were in school. She loved listening to music, especially when her husband, Alex, was singing. And she enjoyed hiking, swimming, tennis, golf, jigsaw puzzles and traveling. Margie was an avid reader, belonging to several book clubs, including the Brandeis book club in Boca Raton. Margie was passionate about her beliefs and worked tirelessly for better education, anti-smoking laws, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She also volunteered at St. Clair Hospital, the Boca Raton Hospital and for the Palm Beach County Court system, providing oversight of court-appointed guardians for the incapacitated. She was always ready to help someone in need and expected nothing in return. The family is forever grateful for the exceptional kindness, compassion and care provided by AHAVA Memory Care, an assisted living facility run by the Jewish Association on Aging. Interment was private. Arrangements entrusted to Beinhauer Family Services where online condolences may be sent to the family at beinhauer.com. Contributions may be made in Margie’s memory to Jewish Association on Aging (designated for AHAVA) or a charity of the donor’s choice.
HUNT: Louise Hunt on Friday, November 9, 2018. Beloved wife of Bill Hunt; loving mother of Melissa (Nehemiah) Moore; dear grandmother of Mina Moore; sister of Joseph (Phyllis) Bayewitch and the late Judy (the late Roy) Joseph; daughter of the late Benjamin and Elsie Bayewitch. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Louise was a past board member of the Beth Israel Center and a current board member of New Light Congregation. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment New Light Cemetery. Contributions may be made to New Light Congregation, 5898 Wilkins Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or the American Heart Association, 2.heart.org. schugar.com NEIMAN: Jeanette Neiman, age 99, of McKeesport, died Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. She was born in Braddock on June 24, 1919, and is the daughter of the late Beni and Rose Halpert Berger. She is the wife of the late Max Neiman and is survived by daughters Marlene (Dr. David) Jacobs of McKeesport and Sheila (Dr. Paul) Spivak of Carnegie; grandchildren Jeffrey (Marilyn) Jacobs, Benjamin (Jennifer) Jacobs, Robert (Renee) Spivak, Alicia (Albert) Sohnen and Todd (Melissa) Spivak; also great-grandchildren. Services were held at Strifflers of White Oak Cremation and Mortuary Services. Rabbi Moshe Russell officiated. Interment at Gemilas Chesed Cemetery. SHIMENKO: Yefim Shimenko, age 77 of Pittsburgh, formally of Ukraine, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. Devoted husband of Ada Shimenko, loving father or Michael (Tina) Shimenko and Galina Shimenko. Beloved grandfather of David, Alexander and Daniel. Interment Homewood Cemetery. STEELE: Eric “Ricky” Steele, on Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Beloved son of the late Allen and Ruth Steele. Loving brother of Marcy A. Steele. Cousin of Susan Klein, Iris Caston, Dr. Irwin Browarsky and Diane Levine. Graveside services and Interment will be held on Friday, Nov. 16, at 11 a.m. at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Autism Society of Pittsburgh, 4371 Northern Pike, Monroeville, PA 15146. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com STEIN: Ida E. Stein, on Saturday, October 27, 2018. Beloved wife of the late James Stein. Beloved mother of Robert A. Stein. Sister of the late Harry, Jack and Sol Tarlo. Grandma of Matthew (Haley) K. Stein and Marin J. Stein. Great-grandmother of Mira and Sadie Stein. Graveside services and interment were held at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com PJC
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Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from ...
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Anonymous ...........................Norma Cohen Dobrushin
Donna Kruman ......................................Estelle Kruman
Anonymous ........................................Sheila Dobrushin
Donna Kruman .........................................Jack Kruman
Patricia & Charles Bluestone & Family ... Ben H. Unger
Leff Family .................................................... Meyer Leff
Hedy Caplan ..................................... Benjamin Mitchel
Randy Malt ................................................. Marian Malt
Carolyn L. Goldberg ........................... Gerald Goldberg
Sylvia Reznick ..................................Ida Ruth Maretsky
Dr. Gloria Y. Golden ............................Morris D. Golden
Marion Reznik ...................................Eleanor Bergstein
Sandra Press Kearns ........................ Hilda Stern Press
Irwin & Annette Shapiro ........................Fannie Shapiro
Sandra Press Kearns ........................Dr. Sanford Press
Patricia Green Shapiro ................... Karen Kaplan Drew
Donna Kruman .............................. Gertrude Berenfield
Owen A. Silverman ...............................Sam Silverman
Donna Kruman ...................................Mayer Berenfield
Yetta Speiser ..................................................Max Blatt
Donna Kruman .................................. Simon Berenfield
Marcia J. Weiss ......................................Anne C. Weiss
Donna Kruman ....................................... Anna Bernfeld
Marcia J. Weiss .....................................Dr. Louis Weiss
THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday November 18: Leo L. Americus, Fannie Bowytz, Karen Kaplan Drerup, Irving Gibbons, Clara Helfand, Eva Herron, Rebecca Levy, Jennie W. Mogilowitz, Jack Myers, Louis Sadowsky, David Louis Smith, Martha Spokane, Samuel Srulson, Dena Stein, B. William Steinberger, Sylvia E. Swartz, Sari R. Talenfeld, Betsy Mark Volkin, David A. Weiss, Ida C. Wise, Anna Zacks Monday November 19: Nettie R. Broudy, Pescha Davidson, Gerald Goldberg, Israel Levine, Selma Levy, Max Mallinger, May Schachter, Ben E. Sherman, Louis Thomashefsky, Charles Wedner Tuesday November 20: Dr. Solomon Abramson, Max Adler, Saul Cohen, Ethel Simon Cooper, Robert Davidson, Chaya Dobkin, Marcella Dreifuss, Nathan Fireman, Ruth Hirsch, Isador Katz, Bessie Levine, Irene Marchbein, Lena Riemer, Sara Berkowitz Rozman, Etta M. Sigal Wednesday November 21: David Ackerman, Bertha Lillian Berliner, Bella Beron, Simon Blatt, Morris Braun, David Breman, Sarah Cramer, Gussie Finkelstein, Jacob Firestone, Sol Z. Heller, Rebecca Hoffman, Hyman Kalovsky, Ithamar Lando, Frances Elling Levine, Morris Levine, Tema Lewinter, Sam Makler, Benjamin Mitchel, Esther Bluestone Morrow, Jacob Offstein, Elly Mars Goldstein Resnik, Sam Sacks, Silas J. Simensky, Sam Simon, Ethel Solomon, Dr. Louis Weiss, Bessie Zakowitz, Samuel Zaremberg Thursday November 22: Max Blatt, William Finkel, David H. Fischman, Walter Frank, Fern Halpern Kaye, Lawrence L. Lifshey, Marian Malt, Edward C. Meyer, Sam Salkovitz, Harry B. Saltman, Harry Soltz, Abe Stolovitz, Samuel Tufshinsky, Jacob Winer Friday November 23: Eleanor Bergstein, Thomas Berlinsky, Maurice A. Berman, Sybil Young Cherington, Henrietta Chotiner, Bessie C. Cohen, Hyman Cohen, Gertrude Dugan, Joseph O. Goleman, Helen Gusky, Meyer Leff, Leona Mandel, William Nathan, Hyman Parker, Samuel Silverman, Anna R. Weil Saturday November 24: Dorothy Abrams, Flora Breverman, Harry A. Cohen, Lillian Cohen, Sol M. Cohen, Morris D. Golden, Myron (Bunny) Klein, Edward Lamden, Pvt. Joseph Mandel, Louis J. Rubenstein, Fannie Solomon, Edward E. Strauss, Blanche Strauss Zionts
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Community Visitors at CDS
Stronger Together
On Thursday, Nov. 8, Community Day School was honored by a visit from a busload of students who made a day trip to Pittsburgh from Magen David Yeshivah High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., to share their love and support with Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. Masha Shollar, a Pittsburgh native, brought her seventh-grade English class from the school. The visitors took a CDS student docent-led tour of the Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs: A Holocaust Sculpture and then worked with CDS seventh- and eighth-graders to paint rocks with messages of kindness and compassion to spread throughout the community. They heard a message about the power of love to combat hatred from Janice Myers, CDS teacher and wife of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation’s Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. The Magen David students also visited the Zone 4 Pittsburgh Police station and paid their respects at the TOL memorial outside the building.
Stronger Together: A Day of Community Healing dedicated to the families of Pittsburgh was held at Congregation Beth Shalom on Sunday, Nov. 11, and included a free food festival and unity concert. This festival replaced the food festival Bnai Emunoh had scheduled for that day.
p Eileen Berger, left, and June Lebovitz were at the Stronger Together event.
p CDS docents share with MDY students the powerful Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs: A Holocaust Sculpture.
p Lipa Schmeltzer, left, and Avraham Fried converse before going on stage. Photos by Adam Reinherz t Feeling the music
p MDY presented a Chanukah menorah to the Zone 4 Pittsburgh Police Department to add light and faith to the Squirrel Hill community.
u Bundled up for the cold
Photos by Alex & Olive Photography
p MDY students reflect on those lost as they walk by the memorial Stars of David. Photos by Alexandra Nava-Baltimore
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Community Shabbat with Chabad at Pitt
Hall of Famer visits Pittsburgh NFL legend Tony Dorsett returned to his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, as part of the Hometown Hall of Famer program presented by the Ford Motor Company. The Pro Football Hall of Fame and Ford also presented a check to the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation, the site of the killing of 11 congregants.
After an emotional but memorable week of reaching out to Jewish students at the University of Pittsburgh, Chabad at Pitt hosted a Shabbat dinner on Friday, Nov. 2, joined by Hillel Jewish University Center, on the entire main floor of the William Pitt Union, taking over the three largest ballrooms on campus in order to accommodate about 200 students for services and an overflow crowd of 600 students for dinner. Chancellor Pat Gallagher, Senior Vice Chancellor Kathy Humphrey, Dean of Students Kenyon Bonner and trustees participated in the warm atmosphere set by Shabbat songs and unity. Photos courtesy of Chabad at Pitt
Interfaith gathering at Congregation B’nai Abraham
p From left: Tony Dorsett, Stacey and Alan Hausman (Tree of Life Congregation) and George Veras (executive vice president, Pro Football Hall of Fame). Photo by Sammy Steinlight
Holocaust Center event
Thirteen clergy members at the Butler Interfaith Gathering & Vigil held at Congregation B’nai Abraham on Nov. 1 remembered and mourned the victims murdered in the Tree of Life building. Approximately 500 people attended. Yahrzeit candles were lighted for each of the victims, who were eulogized by the participating pastors. After the service, attendees lined Butler’s Main Street and marched several blocks singing “We Shall Overcome.”
p From left: Jessie B. Ramey, Ph.D., director of the Women’s Institute at Chatham University, Holocaust survivor and distinguished speaker Magda Brown and Lauren Apter Bairnsfather, Ph.D., director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Brown’s lecture was held in the packed Campbell Memorial Chapel at Chatham University. Photo courtesy of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh
Photo by David Hoffman
Riverview Solidarity
Travelers in Solidarity with Pittsburgh
p Catholic travelers at the Kotel in Israel are holding photos of the Tree of Life building victims. Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Diocese
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p Riverview Towers’ employees demonstrated their solidarity with the Jewish community. Photo courtesy of Riverview Towers
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NOVEMBER 16, 2018 27
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