Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 5-29-20

May 29, 2020 | 6 Sivan 5780

Candlelighting 8:24 p.m. | Havdalah 9:32 p.m. | Vol. 63, No. 22 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Online offerings likely to continue in post-pandemic Jewish world

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Back to business

Finding meaning in celebrating Shavuot at home

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

S

Here’s how one Pittsburgh proprietor is moving forward

models in many organizations, including synagogues,” predicted Temple Emanuel of South Hills Rabbi Aaron Meyer. “Whether they are snowbirds or former members still connected to the synagogue, or the many Jews of the South Hills who are looking for more episodic, meaningful Jewish connection, the use of technology to reach beyond our walls enables us to meet people where they are in a very different way.”

Meyer has been on the forefront of the local Jewish digital landscape, offering programing and content daily for Temple Emanuel’s members as well as the larger community. He has interviewed congregation members involved in the coronavirus fight, politicians, journalists, sportscasters and other religious leaders.

Meyer, who began his tenure at Temple Emanuel last June after serving a large congregation in Seattle, has had a demanding year. In addition to becoming acclimated to a new city, learning the names of every

havuot celebrants may find themselves eating cheesecake alone this year, but there is still a buffet of opportunities for personal growth, say local rabbis, cantors and Jewish educators.

“This year, especially, as we don’t have the opportunity, indeed the privilege, of gathering together to celebrate Shavuot, we can recommit ourselves to learning and to finding inspiration and revelation in our own home,” said Rabbi Aaron Bisno, of Rodef Shalom Congregation.

“I feel like this is a moment in Jewish life where we need to really embrace private home-based Judaism,” echoed Danielle Kranjec, senior Jewish educator at Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh.

“This is a great opportunity to think about how we value all different kinds of ritual associated with chag, and also how we can bring learning into our family experience.”

Both Bisno and Kranjec are among more than 20 presenters slated to speak at the virtual Tikkun Liel Shavuot on May 27. Although typically held in person at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh on the first night of Shavuot, the communitywide learning program was moved online and scheduled for the night before the holiday “so all can participate” this year, according to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer, of Congregation B’nai Abraham in Butler, is encouraging congregants to attend the virtual event.

“That’s the only way that I can think of that would make this Shavuot more special,” she said.

Cantor Henry Shapiro, of Parkway Jewish Center, is similarly hoping congregants click

Please see Online, page 12

Please see Shavuot, page 12

Page 2

LOCAL Feeding community

Yeshiva schools offering free meals Page 3

PHOTOGRAPHY

 A new normal: Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Young Adult Division hosted a Virtual Spiritual Shabbat Social with Chabad Young Professionals, OneTable and Repair the World on May 1.

Screenshot courtesy of Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

I

Elan Mizrahi makes his mark

A Vermeer for our times Page 14

$1.50

t used to be enough for a rabbi to be an expert in the Torah, Talmud and Hebrew, while boasting a liberal understanding of psychology. These days, they also need expertise in Zoom meetings, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Facebook Live.

In addition to guiding b’nai mitzvah students and leading services, religious leaders are now answering questions about bandwidth and latency issues. Many also have become content creators in the age of COVID-19 as Jewish communal connection has largely moved online.

As synagogue engagement has expanded beyond the building’s physical walls, and beyond its membership rolls, many rabbis and lay leaders are convinced that Jewish institutions will continue to embrace the new technology and engagement models that they have relied on during the spring of 2020.

“COVID-19 and the use of technology to keep a community connected in response is going to be disruptive to membership

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL

Dreams deferred

WORLD

On trial

FOOD

Vegan quiche

Headlines How one small business owner is welcoming back customers — LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

T

wo large signs sit outside Moxie Cloth, a women’s clothing and accessory boutique in Mt. Lebanon. The first states the hours the store is open and that customers can simply call for drive-by pick-up. The second lists the requirements for customers who wish to shop inside.

Before being allowed entrance into the shop, customers must stop in front of a locked door where owner Jeannie Gabbay verifies through a quick visual inspection that a face mask is worn. She then unlocks the door and takes the potential shopper’s temperature with a handheld thermometer.

Finally, once inside, guests are required to place their hands under a touchless hand sanitizer dispenser. For those who may still feel uneasy shopping in a store where touch is sometimes required, Gabbay has a supply of white cotton gloves that she washes after each use.

Moxie Cloth closed March 16 due to COVID-19. It reopened on Friday, May 15, the day Gov. Tom Wolf moved Allegheny County into the yellow phase.

The Jewish retailer said she considered “what I could live with and what I couldn’t live with,” before deciding to welcome customers back.

After a process that included creating a list of pros and cons, Gabbay decided she would reopen her doors, but only after she created a new set of rules that would allow her, and her customers, to feel comfortable.

“I had to set my standards really high,” Gabbay explained. “I have a lot of customers that are immune-compromised. I had to figure out what was the highest level I could live with and still open my shop. It all came

p Owner Jeannie Gabbay has reconfigured Moxie Cloth’s floor plan to promote a safe shopping experience.

Photos by David Rullo

p Shoppers at Moxie Cloth are greeted by two signs before they enter the store.

down to keeping my customers safe and keeping my family safe.”

Gabbay’s standards are more stringent than those created by the Centers for Disease Control, whose guidelines include promoting healthy hygiene practices, wearing face masks, increased cleaning and social distancing.

“After two months of being closed, coming into the shop was now a luxury,” Gabbay said. The small business owner realized that by choosing to reopen, “she could set guidelines customers would follow.”

This type of thinking is counter to the conventional wisdom ubiquitous among small business owners, Gabbay explained.

While the previous mantra was “the customer is always right,” in the age of a pandemic, “that dialogue has changed. I had to let go of old retail thinking before COVID-19.”

Part of that “old retail thinking” included allowing as many people as possible into a store. Gabbay, however, is only allowing a maximum of five people in her boutique at one time and is encouraging clients to make appointments rather than stop and shop.

While walk-ins are permitted — as long as they follow the new regulations — preference is given to those who have appointments.

Traditionally, the psychology behind a shop’s layout is based on customers’ buying habits. More expensive products are usually placed in the front, impulse buys near the cash register. Moxie Cloth’s floor plan is now based on the ability to social distance and to help both customers and staff remain safe.

Clothing racks have been placed with space between them, encouraging shoppers to keep a minimum of six feet between one another. Gabbay has moved all of her one-size-fits-all clothing to the back of the store. “What that does is allow people not Please see Business, page 13

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Headlines There is such a thing as a free lunch — and breakfast — at Yeshiva Schools — LOCAL —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

A

long Forbes Avenue these days, some gestures of community goodwill come packaged as boxes of nutritious cereal and containers of macaroni and cheese.

Earlier this month, Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh started offering free kosher breakfasts and lunches to students’ families — and many more — through the National School Lunch Program. It has been an incredible success, organizers said.

Yeshiva Schools staff, who were working virtually, chipped in with scores of volunteers to launch the program, according to Chezky Rosenfeld, the schools’ chief operating officer. Parents gather daily at the girls’ school on the corner of Forbes and Denniston to collect their meals, which often contain kitchen staples like milk, juice and sandwiches. The school estimates it served 600 children last week alone.

What is most exciting for Rosenfeld, though, is that families do not need to meet any financial metrics to qualify for the meals. And, in times where food insecurity

p Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh is providing hundreds of free kosher meals during the pandemic.

Photo provided by Chezky Rosenfeld

is heightened, nobody is quizzed about their affiliation to Yeshiva Schools when they pick up their food. “It’s open to anyone — anyone can come,�

Rosenfeld said. “And there are no income requirements. We’re hoping anyone who can

benefit comes to use this service.�

The national lunch program, signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946, subsidizes nutritionally balanced meals in public and nonprofit private schools and residential child care facilities. Rosenfeld

said an application for subsidies might take months but he was inspired by other local schools who were providing meals to their students, as well as families in need. “If they can do it, we can pull it really quickly,� he said. “We were able to mobilize our staff to come together to make this work.�

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh also threw support behind the initiative, awarding a $35,000 grant recently to Yeshiva Schools to help families who keep kosher and might be facing food insecurity.

This funding enables implementation of the program rather than paying for the food itself, which is reimbursed, in part, from government funds.

The need in Pittsburgh’s communities — Jewish and otherwise — is readily apparent, according to Adam Hertzman, director of marketing for the Federation. “Our planning experts are seeing skyrocketing demand from families facing food insecurity — a 33% increase at the food pantry and 47% increase among homebound households,� Hertzman said. “Programs like the kosher breakfast/lunch programs will enable children to focus on learning and reduce family stress at this difficult time, Please see Yeshiva, page 13

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Headlines Emergency grants made by Jewish Women’s Foundation — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

J

ewish Women’s Foundation issued four emergency grants in response to COVID-19’s impact on women and girls.

The unrestricted gifts, which total approximately $47,000, were made on April 23 to Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, Women’s Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, HEARTH and Angels’ Place.

“We felt these four agencies really were spot on to need the love and care and extra funding that we could provide as an organization,” said Joan Gurrentz, one of three JWF co-chairs.

In recent months it has become clear that COVID-19 has “made the inequities in our society even more apparent,” said Judy Greenwald Cohen, JWF’s executive director.

Whether it is the “potentially dangerous situations for women who have violent partners” and are homebound, or the “many women who are doing the essential work that is needed during the pandemic but are still p JWF trustee and past co-chair Lori Guttman, center, on a site visit to Angels’ Place Photo courtesy of Angel’s Place paid less than men typically,” JWF wanted in 2018. to address current plights experienced by women and girls and to assist the organiza- girls during the crisis, so we did some anal- of COVID-19,” said Cohen. tions that serve them. ysis of our 2019 grantees and decided with Whereas JWF’s grant-making protocol “Our leadership felt that we needed to the approval of our advisory committee that typically begins with a community-wide help some of the agencies that were on the we were going to do a special grant making request for proposals and is followed by JC Opn doing News REVISED 12/9/19 PM to Page 1 ground work to FIN_Eartique support women and 2:26cycle impact agencies working in the area trustee meetings, JWF expedited this

round, according to Lauren Goldblum, a JWF co-chair.

“All four of these agencies were already agencies that had been vetted by our trustees, so they were already agencies that we had given to in the previous cycle,” Goldblum explained. “So, we knew our trustees trusted them and valued them and valued their work.”

Within weeks, and with approval of JWF’s advisory committee, JWF delivered more than $11,000 to each of the four organizations, whose work ranges from providing crisis centers or transitional housing to supporting single parents and their children.

The approximately $47,000 in grants came from four sources: funds that would have been spent on the foundation’s canceled annual meeting; remaining dollars from last year’s allocations; additional trustee contributions; and a JWF match to each trustee-donated dollar. “It’s really the generosity and the commitment of our trustees to women and girls in the Pittsburgh area that we were able to do that,” said Goldblum.

After its establishment in 2000 to address the needs of women and girls in both Jewish and non-Jewish communities, JWF began issuing grants in 2003. At least 50% of its funds each year are invested into the Jewish community.

Please see JWF, page 13

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Headlines Futures deferred for the class of 2020 — LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

Z

ahava Rubin pictured graduation differently.

The University of Pittsburgh neuroscience major had not expected her semester on campus to end abruptly at the conclusion of spring break due to COVID-19, or having to watch her graduation ceremony from her home with her family.

The experience has been an “emotional rollercoaster,” she said. “This is supposed to be hyped up for four years, and all you get is a 20-minute video. I was expecting this last moment to say goodbye to friends. I missed that and don’t think I’ll ever have anything to replace it.”

The 22-year-old had intended to take a two-month trip with her friend to Thailand to celebrate the milestone. Instead, she is “babysitting and saving money for graduate school.”

Rubin’s story is emblematic of the predicaments faced by members of the 2020 class of college graduates whose plans have been upended due to the pandemic.

Sarah Labovitz graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster with degrees in Spanish and psychology. Her plan was to move to New York City immediately after graduation. Instead, she moved home after on-campus classes were canceled for the spring semester.

“A lot of opportunities have been paused” due to COVID-19, Labovitz said. Despite the difficulties of finding a permanent job in her field, she said “the pandemic has created an entire network of jobs that all the recent grads are trying to get, because it’s pretty good pay and there isn’t a lot out there.”

Labovitz hopes to get a job in contact tracing to help prevent the spread of the virus, which, she said, “I can do remotely.” A friend of hers found a job teaching this fall in New

York City, and is moving to the city in July, but still doesn’t know if she will be working remotely. Labovitz intends to join her.

The Robinson native said that she feels like her life and post-graduation goals are on hold: “I’m trying to move forward but I don’t even know if that’s possible right now.

The future seems so open, none of us knows what’s going to happen next.”

Hannah Perloff, 22, just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, earning a degree in speech-language pathology. Rather than return home to Philadelphia, Perloff stayed in Pittsburgh due to the pandemic.

“My plan was to take a year off, a gap year between undergraduate and graduate school,” Perloff said. “I was going to get a pretty good head start looking for jobs for the year while I’m home in Philly. Right after our spring break, in early March, everything started to take a turn. I haven’t been able to look for jobs like I was going to.”

Perloff ’s difficulties in finding employment were complicated by the type of work she was seeking.

“My goal was to work in a school next year, or even a camp this summer and then a school,” she said. “Now, though, camps are all canceled or they are deciding what to do in the next few weeks and no one knows if schools will be in session in the fall. So, it became a little more difficult to find the job I was searching for.”

Unable to find employment at a school or summer camp, Perloff is now “looking at different jobs — I don’t even know 100% if they are still hiring — like some sort of therapist I could get a certification for and help at a private practice or organization, maybe with special needs children.”

Aviva Symons just graduated with a Master of Arts in Jewish nonprofit management from the Hebrew Union College’s Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management, and a Master of Communications Management Please see 2020, page 13

p Bari Zweben, Arielle Stein, Hannah Perloff, Allison Cohen and Julia McDonald celebrate their recent graduation from the University of Pittsburgh without any public ceremonies or celebration.

Photo courtesy of Hannah Perloff.

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MAY 29, 2020 5

Calendar >>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 q SUNDAY, MAY 31 Hungry for more learning after Shavuot? Couldn’t stay up all night? Join Congregation Beth Shalom at 10 a.m. for Derekh Post Shavuot Learning. Rabbi Seth Adelson presents “Foundational Rabbinic Texts: Telling the Story of Rabbinic Judaism” followed by lay-led study sessions. 10 a.m. bethshalompgh. org/05-31-20-derekh-post-shavuot-learning Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Young Adult Division for a game night with host Zach Schwartz from the comfort of your own home. They’ll be playing Jackbox games, so your phone will be your controller. You must register in advance to receive the Zoom link to join and there are only 10 spots available.

7 p.m. jewishpgh.org/event/yad-virtual-game-night q SUNDAYS, MAY 31, JUNE 7, 14, 21 This six-week Introduction to Judaism course will cover an overview of love and sex, life cycles from birth to death, the Holocaust, Israel and the Jewish mission to heal the world. 2 p.m. For more information and to register, visit bethshalompgh.org/ intro-to-judaism. q SUNDAYS, MAY 31, JUNE 7, 14, 21, 28 Join a lay-led Online Parashah Study Group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge is needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/ online-parashah.

q MONDAY, JUNE 1

q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

At the next Lion of Judah Lunch & Learn, Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff discusses the extent to which we really believe in pluralism and diversity and whether we really are one people with one mission. Open to all women. 12 p.m. via Zoom. To register, visit jewishpgh.org/event/ lion-lunch-learn.

The Jewish Community Camps of North America Flagpoles are community-wide rallies of solidarity and song hosted by renowned Jewish musician Rick Recht. The JCC Association is launching this series of interactive and music events that also will feature leaders, clergy and JCC camp families sharing inspiring stories from their own communities. 8 p.m.

For more information, including how to stream, visit jccpgh.org/event/jccpghvirtual-special-events/?cflk=0.

Join JFCS for another Parent Support Group as they explore options and resources for summer activities during a time of social distancing. There will also be space for open conversation and support. Participation is encouraged to enhance this experience. 5:30 p.m. jfcspgh.org/event/parentingsupport-group-exploring-options-and-resources-forsummer-activities-during-a-time-of-social-distancing q MONDAYS, JUNE 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 Join Rabbi Jeremy Markiz in learning Masechet Rosh Hashanah, a tractate of the Talmud about the many new years that fill out the Jewish calendar, at Monday Talmud Study. 9:15 a.m.

For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/ mondaytalmud. q TUESDAYS, JUNE 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 During this time of uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, the Center for Loving Kindness-JCC Pittsburgh presents a new series, “Comforting Conversations.” Members of the Center for Loving Kindness team talk with members of the community about topics you and your family may be dealing with right now. There is a new conversation each Tuesday. jccpgh.org/event/comfortingconversations/?cflk=1 Join the JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness Director Rabbi Ron Symons for Lunch & Learn at 12:15 p.m.

To register, email Rabbi Ron at rsymons@jccpgh. org and he will send you the link to join. For more information, including weekly topics, visit jccpgh. org/event/jccpghvirtual-new-classes/?cflk=0.

Join the JFCS: Art-Based Support Group and explore ways art-making can help regulate the nervous system, promote playfulness, imagination, help develop insight, connect more deeply to our bodies, emotions, thoughts and worldviews. Bring any basic art supplies, drawing tools and curiosity.

For the first session, you will need some blank paper and any drawing materials that have some variety of color. No previous art-making experience is required. Free. 5 p.m. jfcspgh.org/virtualgroup q SUNDAY, JUNE 7

q WEDNESDAYS, JUNE 3, 10, 17, 24, Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/life-text. q W EDNESDAYS, JUNE 3, 10; FRIDAYS, MAY 29, JUNE 5, 12 The JCC with Vitalant (formerly Central Blood Bank) is hosting drives for desperately needed blood donations in our Squirrel Hill and South Hills facilities in controlled and safe environments following CDC and Allegheny County guidelines. 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Appointments strongly encouraged. Visit vitalant.org and click on the “Make an Appointment” button and search with group code C189 (Squirrel Hill location) or C438 (South Hills location). q THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Congregation Beth Shalom invites you to join them in reading and discussing the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches”

by Tony Kushner. “Angels in America” takes place in another time, not too far away from our own, and in another pandemic: HIV affected millions of Americans who struggled to survive, love and heal in the midst of a debilitating disease. 1 p.m.

Participants are asked to register ahead of time to Rabbi Markiz at jmarkiz@bethshalompgh.org. q TUESDAY, JUNE 9 Attend (virtually) The Sound of Jewish Music, a celebration of Jewish music, art and words of inspiration, presented by women from all parts of our community, on the theme of “Far Apart, Close at Heart.” There is no charge for this event, but registration is required at SoundOfJewishMusic.com in order to get the link for the event. 7:30 p.m. q THURSDAY, JUNE 11

Classrooms Without Borders presents Coping with the Pandemic: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Responses to the Medical, Religious and Emotional Issues Raised by COVID-19, a panel discussion featuring Rabbi Aaron Bisno of Rodef Shalom Congregation, Rev. David Poecking of Archangel Gabriel Parish and Imam Chris Caras of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh. Free. 3 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/monotheisticpanel-discussion

Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh, presents the film “Shalom Italia” and a post-film discussion with the film’s producer, Tamar Tal Anati. RSVP to receive a link to the film. The post-film discussion will be offered on Zoom. 3 p.m. jewishpgh.org/ event/shalom-italia-post-film-discussion-with-filmproducer-tamar-tal-anati PJC

Robert Levin to reacquire family business, take two

R

obert Levin is at the head of the table once again. After earlier attempts to reacquire his family’s furniture business failed, Levin announced on May 19 that he had reached an agreement to buy the Levin Furniture brand out of bankruptcy and will serve as the new company’s chairman of the board.

“We have worked tirelessly over the past two months for an opportunity to buy back the Levin Furniture brand,” said Levin in a statement.

Pending approval by the bankruptcy court in the coming weeks, Levin Furniture will reopen selected stores in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

“My goals have always been to protect as many jobs as possible for Levin associates, and to continue to serve our loyal

customers,” Levin said. “Today’s agreement is the first step in accomplishing those goals,” Levin first attempted to purchase the Pennsylvania and Ohio assets of Levin Furniture and Wolf Furniture through a court restructuring of parent company Art Van Furniture, LLC months earlier. That deal crumbled when Art Van Furniture filed for bankruptcy in March 2020.

“My heart broke when I read the stories of customers who made deposits, and who were left with nothing when the company suddenly closed leaving them with no one to contact for help since all employees had been let go,” said Levin. “We will help those customers who have been unable to get refunds. We have been working on ways that our new company can provide solutions including fulfilling their orders. Our

customers are the heart and soul of Levin Furniture’s business.”

Last month, Levin sent checks for more than $1,500 to eligible Pennsylvania employees of Levin Furniture and Wolf Furniture. In an April 23 letter, issued along with each check, Levin wrote: “I can’t express how heartbroken I am for the disappointment that occurred when I was unable to buy back the company.”

“My motivation to rescue the business was based on my concern for you and for the customers that have supported us all for many years,” the letter continued. “When I was informed that the stores were closing, and the sale was off because of issues with lenders and the pandemic, I felt that our hopes had been swept away.”

“This gift from me is tax free and does not need to be paid back. Please use it for health

care premiums or for any expenses or needs you may have,” Levin wrote.

Levin plans on opening several locations this summer, with headquarters based in Pittsburgh. Matt Schultz and John Schultz will serve as co-CEOs of the new company, while Levin will serve as chairman of the board.

“The Schultz family has been in the furniture business for 80 years and operates stores in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Their family shares the same values as Levin’s in putting employees and customers first,” said Levin.

“This year is Levin Furniture’s 100th anniversary. I am so pleased to be able to continue the story of Levin Furniture, and to have something that we all can celebrate.” PJC — Adam Reinherz

Every Friday in the

news JEWS CAN USE. 6 MAY 29, 2020

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Headlines Kalemenson: Jewish humor is as old as the Bible itself — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

S

arah Silverman, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and a golfer walked into a punchline.

Technically, it was several punchlines — and a few stories — threaded together

by Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson during a May 21 Zoom lecture.

Kalmenson, executive director of Chabad of Belgravia, London, and the author of “Seeds of Wisdom,” “A Time to Heal” and “Positivity Bias,” peppered his hour-long talk, hosted by Chabad of Squirrel Hill, with quips, anecdotes and interpretations while illustrating that the origins of Jewish humor date back to the Torah itself.

There are numerous examples from biblical and Talmudic writings that demonstrate the longstanding connection of Jewry to jocularity, said Kalmenson. Within the Book of Psalms, for example, an aspect of God’s persona is revealed by the verses: “He who sits in heaven laughs,” and later, “There go the ships, and Leviathan that You formed to sport with.”

It may seem incomprehensible that God would create a sea monster merely to play with, but the Babylonian Talmud examines the concept during a discussion of time management, said Kalmenson. The Talmud notes that each day consists of four parts, and that God spends each quarter engaging in a different activity, but during the final portion of each day, “He sits and makes sport with the Leviathan.”

Much can be learned from the biblical and Talmudic passages, and their description of God’s regular activities, explained the rabbi: “Playfulness, joy and laughter are not just good traits, but godly traits.”

Jewish humor encompasses this totality of experience. There are multiple episodes of persecution and sadness throughout Jewish history, and many comedians have mined those moments for a laugh. Part and parcel of Judaism, though, isn’t just laughing because it’s too hard to cry, but understanding the singular bond between God and the Jewish people even in times of crisis, Kalmenson said.

“As far back as the Talmudic times, and even biblical times for that matter, the Jewish people saw God in a very different way than did other peoples. God could be treated like

GET THE

p Rabbi Mendel Kalmenson

Courtesy of Rabbi Yisroel Altein

“ Playfulness, joy and laughter are not just good traits, but godly traits.”

— RABBI MENDEL KALMENSON

a member of the family.” Humans “argued with, negotiated with, debated with, and yes, even sometimes criticized, and God does not mind.” The ultimate example is Abraham, “who negotiates and even gently, or not so gently, admonishes God in the leadup to the biblical destruction of the city of Sodom.”

As related in Genesis 18, Abraham begins bargaining with God by saying, “Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?”

“I don’t know an equivalent statement of

chutzpah,” said Kalmenson. “A mere mortal of flesh and blood challenging God on the notion and his track record of justice. And is Abraham demoted for this? On the contrary.

This enshrines and establishes his role as the optimal Jewish leader, and the same with Moshe and many others that we see.”

God’s response to the chutzpah is telling, much in the same way that what one chooses to laugh at is revealing, said Kalmenson.

“What gives God nachas is when his children take responsibility for the world.”

This give and take, “or dance,” that’s exhibited by early narratives, and even jokes, helps form the Jewish psyche.

“Jewish humor, like Jewish values, Jewish ethics and Jewish social justice, is not a modern invention but deeply rooted in our rich and enriching tradition,” said Kalmenson. “Our tradition, our faith, our community, are all a derivative of the way in which the Torah speaks, the actual stories it tells, the way in which it describes us, our leaders and even God himself.”

Jewish humor reflects “a certain way of looking at the world,” which is applicable to the days ahead, noted Kalmenson. Passover is a time of freedom, when “we were given our physical and existential freedom,” but Shavuot is something different. Celebrating the reception of the Torah marks the period when the Jewish people received their “spiritual freedom,” so in a sense, “Shavuos is the punchline of Pesach,” said Kalmenson.

“Don’t forget the punchline.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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MAY 29, 2020 7

Headlines 5 things to know now that Benjamin Netanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corruption trial is underway â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WORLD â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Marcy Oster | JTA

A

fter more than three years of investigation, charges in three cases and three national elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered a Jerusalem courtroom on Sunday, May 24, for the start of his corruption trial.

Netanyahu was indicted more than a year ago on three charges. Two have to do with allegations that he bought himself positive press, and the third alleges that he received illegal gifts from a rich donor. He has denied them all and called the investigations against him a â&#x20AC;&#x153;witch hunt.â&#x20AC;?

Netanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trial was delayed by two months after emergency measures put in place to battle the coronavirus pandemic effectively shut Israeli courthouses. Now with Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure creaking back to life, the district court is open for business again.

During that time, Netanyahu narrowly managed to hold onto power â&#x20AC;&#x201D; meaning that on May 24 he became Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first sitting prime minister to go on trial. (Every other prime minister for the past two decades has been investigated; Ehud Olmert, who ultimately went to jail for corruption, resigned

prior to his indictment.)

The trial is â&#x20AC;&#x153;really unprecedented,â&#x20AC;?

Yuval Shany, vice president of research for the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute, said.

Here are five things to know now that the trial is underway.

1. Netanyahu will make only limited appearances in court.

Every day that Netanyahu spends in the courtroom keeps him away from other government business â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and deepens the troubling optics of having Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leader sitting at the defendantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s table.

Netanyahu asked the three-judge panel hearing his case to excuse him from the first day of the trial, claiming in part that his five bodyguards would violate the Health Ministry guidelines setting limits on the number of people allowed in the courtroom and that the first day is just a â&#x20AC;&#x153;technicalâ&#x20AC;? discussion among the attorneys.

The judges responded that he had to be there for the trialâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the case in every criminal procedure, including the current criminal procedure,â&#x20AC;? they said.

But the judges likely will not insist that Netanyahu show up for every session after that, according to Israel Democracy Institute researcher Amir Fuchs. Still, Fuchs notes, he

SAFEGUARDING YOUR PRESENT & FUTURE

p Benjamin Netanyahu, seen on Nov. 12, 2019, is the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be indicted.

Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90 via JTA

will need to be briefed and consulted with after every court session. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He will have to be inside the process even if he is not physically there,â&#x20AC;? Fuchs said.

2. The trial could last at least a year.

Olmertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s did, even with the court meeting several times a week. In Netanyahuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case, it

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could be several months before court is in session in the trial again since the defense must be given time to review all the materials generated during the investigation.

When the court reconvenes, it could hear

Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.

May 29, 1911 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Poet Leah Goldberg born

Poet Leah Goldberg, an Israel Prize winner, is born in KĂśnigsberg, Prussia.

She starts publishing in the 1930s before moving to Tel Aviv in 1935. She later chairs the Hebrew University general and comparative literature department.

May 30, 1972 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 26 killed in Lod Airport massacre

Contracted by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, three Japanese Red Army terrorists kill 26 people at the Lod airport. Two terrorists die in the attack; the third is captured, tried and convicted.

May 31, 1936 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Politician Zevulun Hammer born

Zevulun Hammer, a National Religious Party politician who is elected eight consecutive times to the Knesset, is born in Haifa.

He is first elected in 1969 and serves until his death from cancer in 1998.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

June 1, 1967 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Dayan named defense minister

Seeking government unity as war approaches, Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol gives up the defense portfolio and appoints Moshe Dayan to serve as the defense minister.

June 2, 1990 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 3rd Tel Aviv student film fest opens

The third biennial Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival opens in the Fastlicht Auditorium on the campus of Tel Aviv University, whose film students and faculty founded the prestigious festival in 1986.

June 3, 1948 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ben-Gurion reports to provisional government

David Ben-Gurion, serving as prime minister and defense minister of the provisional government, reports on the status of the War of Independence and accuses the British of aiding the Arab war effort.

June 4, 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Obama speaks in Cairo

President Barack Obama calls for â&#x20AC;&#x153;a new beginningâ&#x20AC;? in relations between the United States and the Muslim world during an address at Cairo University. He reaffirms the U.S. commitment to Israel.â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC

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Headlines JDC aid organization lays off 53 staffers around the world — NATIONAL —

By Shira Hanau | JTA

S

ince the start of the coronavirus pandemic, JDC has been helping the poorest Jewish communities around the world through health crises and economic devastation.

Now the aid organization formerly known as the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is scaling back as it contends with its own pandemic-induced financial challenges. JDC has laid off 53 employees — 15 in the United States and the rest across its 30 overseas offices — and eliminated another 50 positions by reducing employees’ hours or leaving open positions unfilled.

JDC leadership said the moves were necessary to preserve the group’s ability to provide aid to Jewish communities and in crises around the world.

In total, the organization is reducing its workforce by 10% from a peak of 1,029 employees. JDC is also drawing $5 million from its $170 million endowment and imposing salary freezes until the end of 2021.

JDC leadership said the moves were necessary to preserve the group’s ability to provide aid to Jewish communities and in crises around the world.

“To ensure JDC can continue this

— WORLD — From JTA reports

Orthodox synagogue in LA holds services despite ban An Orthodox congregation in Los Angeles held Friday night services despite California’s ban on religious gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Congregation Etz Chaim, a group of about 70 families that meets in a house in the Hancock Park neighborhood, reopened though most other Orthodox institutions in Los Angeles have committed to staying closed, the Forward reported.

Etz Chaim’s decision to reopen came the same day that President Donald Trump called on governors to open houses of worship. In states that have started to reopen businesses, Trump said, “they have places ‘essential’ that aren’t essential, and they open.

And yet the churches aren’t allowed to open and the synagogues and — places of faith — mosques, places of faith.”

The synagogue’s religious leader, Rabbi Chaim Baruch Rubin, told the Forward PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p Elderly Ukrainians receive food packages at the Hesed social welfare center in Donetsk run by JDC.

Photo courtesy JDC via JTA.org

indispensable work on behalf of the Jewish people, we engaged in a process to strengthen JDC’s financial position in light of expected shortfalls and reinforce our ability to carry out our mission,” its president, Mark Sisisky, and interim CEO, Asher Ostrin, wrote in an email to the organization’s board.

JDC works in 70 countries assisting poor Jewish communities and responding to crises affecting Jews and non-Jews around the world.

The organization has equipped workers and volunteers with proper safety equipment to continue its work providing food, medicine and home care to elderly Jews in the former

Soviet Union throughout the pandemic.

The organization did not impose pay cuts for any employees, according to a spokesperson. Its previous CEO, David Schizer, earned $908,188 in 2018, the most recent year in which tax filings were available. Schizer left the organization in December and has not yet been replaced.

The cuts aim to close an anticipated $16 million gap in this year’s $373 million budget, a spokesperson said. Donations are expected to fall, and the need for aid has increased.

JDC was facing challenges even before the coronavirus crisis. After the previous president’s term ended last year, the organization

saw the first contested nomination of a board president in its 106-year history. Several major donors withheld gifts during the board fight, according to a report in Jewish Insider, and the clash led one major foundation to end its support of a new project.

Michael Geller, a spokesperson for the organization, said the board tensions were unrelated to this year’s budget shortfall.

“These changes are in no way related to the past presidential election,” he said.

“Projected shortfalls in income are expected as a result of the pandemic and they have driven these adjustments.” PJC

that he believes Trump’s statement gave him the permission he needed to reopen. Rubin added that local police assured him that they would not arrest anybody for participating.

“Sometimes the state law becomes so ridiculous, so adverse to God’s law, without any rationale,” Rubin said. “When you have public safety as a primary concern, I agree with that.

But when you allow sports activities, and massage parlors, and marijuana distributors and liquor stores, and every activity that is non-essential, or not as essential as prayer, then quite frankly, the law is useless.”

The synagogue will have a modified seating plan to accommodate only about 30 worshippers, will require masks and will not have a kiddush.

Over a dozen Orthodox synagogues in Los Angeles signed a letter saying they would stay closed an additional two weeks after the state permits gatherings of 10 or more.

Argentina has banned commercial flights to stem the spread of the coronavirus, but the allowance for the rabbis indicates the importance of the Israeli export market for the country’s beef, Reuters reported.

Argentina is the world’s fifth-largest beef exporter and Israel is its third-largest buyer, at a cost of over $100 million annually, according to Mario Ravettino, head of Argentina’s ABC meat export consortium.

In normal times, up to 15 Israeli rabbis travel to Argentina twice a year and stay for a few months since there aren’t enough local rabbis with expertise in kosher slaughter to handle the volume.

Argentina is currently allowing only citizens to enter the country.

inside, not wearing personal protective equipment, not social distancing and plainly in violation of the governor’s executive orders,” the Times Herald-Record reported. The county health department issued a cease-and-desist order to the school the following day.

In March, the state of New York issued an order mandating the closure of all schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19, an order that remains in effect.

Ron Coleman, an attorney for the United Talmudical Academy system, told the Times Herald-Record that “the school was not operating as a school,” but administrators had allowed the boys to study independently in the building, which school officials believed was permitted under the state executive order.

Chris Ericson, a deputy county health commissioner who visited the school, told the newspaper that the classrooms were full, teachers were in the rooms and few wore masks.

The United Talmudical Academy is a Chasidic school system for about 14,500 children in and around Kiryas Joel. PJC

Argentina bringing Israeli rabbis to certify kosher meat

Argentina will charter a private plane to bring several Israeli rabbis to certify kosher meat in the country.

School found operating with ‘hundreds of students inside’

A school in the Chasidic village of Kiryas Joel in New York was ordered to close after it was found operating with hundreds of students in its building.

Orange County said in a statement that officials visiting the school last week “found what appeared to be hundreds of students

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

MAY 29, 2020 9

Opinion The unique challenges, and opportunities, of being a 2020 grad Editor’s Desk Toby Tabachnick

M

y son graduated from college last week. It was a huge milestone, as it was for each of my three older children. The pride a parent feels when a child has completed a rigorous course of study successfully, and that earned degree is officially conferred, is immeasurable.

This graduation, of course, was different.

Instead of being among a crowd of thousands at Yankee Stadium — as was the plan for New York University students — and watching a parade of robed and mortarboarded graduates enter the field, then being inspired by an eminent commencement speaker, our immediate family sat on the living room sofa and watched the virtual ceremony on YouTube.

The deans from each division of the school offered congratulations on a recorded Zoom call, and students representing the various divisions spoke briefly about their college experiences and aspirations. When the president of the university announced things

were official, my son stood in front of the screen and we tossed some confetti his way.

The achievement was monumental. The celebration was, to put it bluntly, meh.

This is how joyous occasions and rites of passage are marked these days: necessarily tinged with a bit of sadness, because whatever festivities you can muster are just not what they are supposed to be.

As a parent of a 2020 grad, my heart sinks a bit when I think of all that my child has missed during the Semester of the Pandemic.

Hugs that should have been shared with faculty members — some who have been his trusted instructors and mentors for four full years — were replaced with meek Zoom goodbyes. Parties with friends and colleagues to mark the end of a communal college journey never happened.

Of course, not being able to attend a flashy graduation ceremony, and not being able to throw the type of party you want, while distressing, are minuscule in significance when compared to the very serious and lifechanging traumas faced by too many during this pandemic. More than 95,000 Americans have died as of press time. More than 20 million people have lost their jobs. More than 100,000 small businesses in the United States have closed permanently. Food insecurity

has increased dramatically. Some people may never recover from the devastation that COVID-19 has wreaked on their finances or their physical and emotional health.

The other losses, though, are nonetheless still losses. The weddings that had to be postponed, or shifted to a backyard with a truncated guest list. The bar and bat mitzvah children who are unable to share their big day with friends and who cannot read the haftorah, which they worked for months to learn, in front of their congregation. The Zoom brises, with close relatives unable to be physically present as their newest family member is formerly welcomed into Judaism.

The birthdays. The anniversaries.

“We will celebrate properly later,” I keep hearing, I keep saying. And I am sure we will. But I also think it is OK to acknowledge that the parties and celebrations and festivities that the coronavirus is robbing from us now are real losses, too.

Because I am living with a newly minted college grad, it is his losses that I am feeling most acutely right now. Instead of being back in Manhattan, where he had intended to dive into a career as a musical theater performer, he is social distancing in Pittsburgh, back in his childhood bedroom. I am so grateful that he escaped from the dangers lurking in New

York and is safe here at home, but simultaneously heartbroken that his life right now is not anything close to what he thought it would be, what it should be.

All of the brief speakers at his commencement ceremony acknowledged the unique challenges of being a 2020 graduate. Their words also were inspiring, as one by one, they encouraged the new graduates to be motivated by the lessons they are most certainly learning from the coronavirus crisis.

Resiliency. Resourcefulness. Appreciation for what matters most.

Use the pandemic to make the world a better place. That was the message delivered to the graduating drama students by Dean Allyson Green of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, who quoted the writer Toni Morrison: “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

Morrison’s passage continues: “I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge — even wisdom.” PJC

I was teaching in Israel when the pandemic struck.

Here’s why I chose to stay Guest Columnist Ziva Shapiro

I

did not expect my yearlong teaching fellowship in Israel to coincide with a once-in-a-century global pandemic. But when the choice to leave and go back home to New Jersey came, I was confident in my decision to stay.

I arrived in the Tel Aviv-area city of Bat Yam in August as part of the Masa Israel Teaching Fellows program with a goal of immersing myself in my new community and making connections with my students.

By the time the pandemic arrived, I had found myself quickly rooted in Bat Yam — waking up to the constant rain of beeping horns, the patches of parks nestled between streets, the bakery on the corner with my favorite seeded bread — and I wasn’t ready to let my community go so suddenly.

Being stuck in my apartment has only strengthened many of the communal bonds I felt. Elizabeth, an Israeli teacher I work with, still calls me every Friday before sundown to check in. Before the orders to stay at home,

10 MAY 29, 2020

she already showed such warmth and care toward me and my co-teacher by inviting us over for meals and during the High Holidays. She would make sure I had a jacket if it was chilly outside and always offered us tea in the teachers’ lounge. Now she calls to make sure that my roommates and I have enough food and continues to offer a loving shoulder to lean on.

Every time I pass one of my neighbors on the stairwell, I receive a smile and often a question about whether we have everything we need. And my roommates and I have not forgotten how to have fun. We eat family-style meals, launch into impromptu dance parties and laugh whenever we can. Even with the heaviness in the air of knowing that everyone is struggling to cope with the pandemic in their own way, I have been inspired to see people band together. Along with my peers in the program, I feel deeply grateful for the opportunities to volunteer and support low-income families and at-risk community members during this crisis.

In many ways, this lockdown has been an unexpected opportunity to reflect upon, celebrate and deepen my Jewish practice.

Since the order to stay at home took effect, my friends and I have made a conscious effort to have Shabbat dinner every Friday

night and do Havdalah every Saturday night. I’m no stranger to this — my father is a rabbi living in New Jersey, and the sounds and rhythms of Jewish living are like old friends I grew up with. Yet many of these practices fell by the wayside as I became a teenager, went to college and grew up. These days, weeks and months have been like a high school reunion — rediscovering great friends and, at the same time, discovering new things to love about them. As different as things are, it is comforting to know what stays the same.

On the eve of Yom Hashoah each year, Masa Israel Teaching Fellows in Bat Yam deliver flowers to local Holocaust survivors.

This year, we wore masks and gloves. When we knocked on doors, we immediately stepped back at least six feet.

While my friend and I were walking door to door, a middle-aged Israeli woman with short, curly red hair began talking to us in rapid-fire, almost angry-sounding Hebrew on the street. Startled, it took us a second to understand what she was telling us so passionately: We were carrying the flowers incorrectly, in a way that would make them wilt faster. We exchanged a laugh, changed our grips on the flowers until she approved, thanked her and continued

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

delivering the flowers.

The next morning, I stood silently at home as the siren blared and Israelis across the country reflected on our 6 million brothers and sisters who perished in the Holocaust. The children we’d taught in Bat Yam, their parents, their cousins, our fellow teachers, our friends and that woman who wanted to make sure that survivors’ flowers would last a little longer all sat silently in their homes, too.

It is difficult to be in a country that is both familiar and unfamiliar. I feel acutely the absence of my family and my home. There are some people in my program that I haven’t seen for more than a month. There are times when it is very lonely. There are moments when I feel misunderstood. But I try to step back and remind myself that we are all just doing the best we can.

It might be a cliche, but home isn’t just a place — it’s a feeling. It’s the small and big and medium-sized things that make you feel welcomed, loved and seen. People around the world were asked to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s why I stayed in Bat Yam. PJC Ziva Shapiro is a 2019-2020 Masa Israel Teaching Fellow.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Opinion

With High Holidays on the horizon, high anxiety for synagogues Guest Columnist David Suissa | JNS

It’s such an essential truth of our pandemic

I

find it somewhat amusing that President Donald Trump thinks he can click his fingers and open our houses of worship.

Does he have any clue what he’s up against?

Even if every governor honored his wish, how many worshippers would actually show up?

Here is the brutal reality: Until there is a proven vaccine or cure for the coronavirus, most people will be afraid to wade into crowded spaces, whether that space is a Broadway theater or a synagogue.

It’s such an essential truth of our pandemic era that it’s worth repeating: Crowds have become danger zones.

This poses an especially complicated problem for places like synagogues, because a huge part of what they offer is a live communal experience. As much as a synagogue is a place of worship, it also serves as a crucial gathering space where one reconnects with friends and community.

If people attended synagogue only for prayer and sermons, that would be one thing.

But they don’t. They go to feel the energy and warmth of their community. They want to mingle. They want to hug. They want the exact opposite of social distancing. They want to chant in unison without fear that their saliva might release dangerous particles.

Here’s the other problem: Synagogues are enterprises that must protect themselves against liabilities. That means even if they do re-open, they will be forced to institute stringent protocols that will undercut the very value of what they offer.

How many congregants, for example,

era that it’s worth repeating: Crowds have become danger zones. would be willing to pray and chant for several hours while wearing a mask? And if a synagogue doesn’t require wearing one, who would take the risk of showing up?

The fear of a lethal virus has shaken both sides of the “synagogue transaction.” On one side, safety restrictions undermine the freewheeling and open nature of the synagogue experience; while on the other, congregants who normally value that experience see it as simply too risky during these pandemic times.

To summarize this conundrum, at this unique point in time, synagogues can no longer offer us what we no longer want.

Until people feel safe wading back into crowds, this unfortunate situation is likely to persist. I get annoyed by smug “experts” who look at past disasters such as 9/11 or the 2008 financial crisis to claim that “disasters are nothing new” and “we will lick this one, too.”

Well, sure. Eventually, we “lick” all disasters.

But here’s the difference with COVID-19: Modern American Jewry has never had a situation where we are deathly afraid to get physically close to one another.

The fact that this truth leaves us with few appealing options is no reason to ignore it. As we get closer to the High Holy Days, a time when most Jews are used to sitting in large

— LETTERS — Sovereignty not annexation The world is in a tizzy over Israel’s intent to declare sovereignty over its “settlements.”

People fear it will end any chance for peace, but they are wrong. It’s the same logic that delayed moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. When that occurred, the world didn’t end.

These “settlements” are modern cities. They are in three blocs, which lie close to the 1948 Armistice Line. Furthermore, they are in Area C, which the Oslo Accords gave Israel complete control over. In every discussion of peace these communities were intended by both sides to be part of Israel.

Laws and agreements from Balfour, to the League of Nations, the U.N., Article 51 of the Geneva Convention, and back to the U.N.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) all give Israel the rights to Judea and Samaria. Israel can’t annex what it already has good title to.

The peace process has been flawed since the Camp David Accords. Land for peace has led from one unsuccessful attempt to the next. The Arabs agree to a plan and walk away from it until a new deal is given them. The Palestinian Authority has not complied with provisions it had agreed to under Oslo, it continues to incite hatred, encourages terror, murder and suicide bombing.

Three years in the making, President Donald Trump announced his “deal of the century.”

It sounds like a game show, but it exposed the harsh realities in dealing with the PA. The deal was to be created with input from the PA and Israel, however the PA refused to cooperate.

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crowds, this truth will become unavoidable.

In the non-Orthodox world, it will be painful but more manageable because there is the fallback position of online prayer services.

In the Orthodox world, where use of technology is not permitted on Shabbat and holidays, it will be more painful with limited options. Some synagogues may offer smaller services with strict safety protocols.

But I suspect we will see plenty of services in private homes, many of them outdoors where it is safer.

Regardless of denomination, we can’t expect classic synagogue services with crowded gatherings to happen anytime soon. For most people, fear of a deadly virus is trumping everything.

When our backs are against the wall, though, the best in humanity seems to come out. I have never seen so many inspirational messages from spiritual leaders.

Communities are making an extraordinary effort to stay connected through online programming and other initiatives.

I have seen volunteers delivering meals to the needy, or spending time with lonely Holocaust survivors stranded in their homes.

In other words, no one is giving up. If anything, the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19 is bringing out our most

compassionate and resourceful sides.

Many people are finding their own silver linings. Some are using the crisis to become better human beings. Someone told me recently that by being forced to pray at home on Shabbat, he is getting closer to God and finding more meaning in the prayers. As much as he values the social aspect of the synagogue, he has come to value the intimacy of prayer in the serenity of his home.

Maybe this is a sign of the changing Jewish landscape — community online, intimacy offline. Our physical spaces now allow for very small groups, either indoors or outdoors, which means more emphasis on family, nature, self-reflection and close friends.

Meanwhile, our online spaces enable us to keep our connections with our broader communities, expand our Jewish learning and nurture our charitable interactions.

But let’s be honest — in so many ways, we’ve been humbled and thrown off balance by this nasty virus. Online or offline, it is a slower, uncertain, more modest communal experience that is suddenly upon us. It’s to our credit that we are making the best of it.

What will happen when our fear of the virus is behind us? Will we flock back to our gathering places or will we have settled into new habits? Maybe a combination of both?

And what will those gathering places look like? How will we have changed?

Those questions are important but not immediate. Right now, all I know is that regardless of what our president thinks, “safety first” is dominating our consciousness and challenging our habits, including that timeless habit of getting choice tickets for those crowded High Holiday services.

David Suissa is editor-in-chief and publisher of Tribe Media Corp and Jewish Journal, where this piece first appeared.

No surprise, but the deal was to give $50 billion for the PA and Palestinians in surrounding countries. The PA wouldn’t even discuss it.

Trump’s deal is different from other plans because one side wouldn’t be able to stop it. It lays out steps for both sides to follow. If one side stops, the other side would continue its steps of the plan.

But the deal exposes another element. It’s not about negotiated issues. It’s about the hatred of the Palestinians for the Jewish people and their desire remove the Jews from all of what they consider to be “their land.”

Stuart Pavilack, executive director, Zionist Organization of America: Pittsburgh Wheeling, West Virginia

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MAY 29, 2020 11

Headlines Online: Continued from page 1

member of his Reform congregation, and making connections with community leaders throughout Greater Pittsburgh, he also had to figure out how to conduct interviews online, broadcast Shabbat services on YouTube and Facebook Live and teach Torah Study on Zoom.

While most of the people currently accessing Temple Emanuel’s online programming already have an established connection with the congregation, going forward, an expanded virtual community might be created that includes others as well, Meyer predicted.

“My hope is that as more people join us virtually, they will continue to find those sources of connection that allow them to build their community locally,” he said.

It will be useful to embrace the new technology and to continue to engage members across the various digital platforms, agreed Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. But, he quickly cautioned, congregations are different, with different requirements.

“There are a number of considerations, the age of our membership, our physical plant… each has to come up with an appropriate plan that reflects their own congregants and business needs,” Myers said.

Despite the differences, “there will be an increased presence of technology,” Myers said. “It will be in different ways, but part of that will reflect what has been going on in the congregation for the last 10 weeks. For

example, if you were already using video conferencing for meetings, it is likely to continue in some manner. I would say the same thing for classes and even services. I’m expecting some sort of hybrid model.”

As Conservative congregations move forward, they will be forced to grapple with the intersection of technology and halacha, or Jewish law.

The Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, on March 17, issued guidelines on conducting “remote minyanim” through “electronic means.”

Two months later, the committee formally approved the use of electronic devices to stream worship services on holidays and Shabbat. Noting the “unprecedented time” brought on by the virus, the movement’s Jewish law authorities said they would allow livestreaming with a number of caveats, including that the equipment be set up in advance or that a timer be used to avoid the active use of electricity on Shabbat and holidays, when it is traditionally forbidden.

The ruling, written by Rabbi Joshua Heller of Congregation B’nai Torah in Sandy Springs, Georgia, notes that it is applicable to the current situation only and that “its conclusions will need to be reassessed as we transition to a ‘new normal.’”

Rabbi Alex Greenbaum of Beth El Congregation of the South Hills doubts the Conservative movement will go back to its pre-COVID 19 stance prohibiting streaming on Shabbat and holidays.

“With all these people coming to our services — I have homebound people and bedridden people coming, as well as people from Florida, North Carolina, Arizona,

people who are in the hospital are coming to services. I can’t imagine telling all these people, ‘well it’s nice seeing you, see you in 100 years when we have the next quarantine,’” Greenbaum said.

Although the Chabad centers do not stream Shabbat or holiday services or create virtual minyans, they have increased the amount of programming available online.

Rabbi Mendy Schapiro of Chabad of Monroeville thinks that a hybrid combining online participation with physical classes will be a likely model moving forward.

“I think there will be some in-person class events, but I believe almost every class we have will have to also be broadcast on Zoom for anyone that doesn’t feel comfortable coming out to be able to participate,” Schapiro said. “None of the Chabads or Orthodox shuls are going to broadcast on Shabbat.”

Chabad programming has increased since the beginning of the stay-at-home mandates, with an uptick in collaboration between Chabads across the city for virtual events. All of the local centers recently participated in a Zoom meeting with Rivka Slonim, education director at the Rhor Chabad Center of Binghamton University about the Netflix series “Unorthodox.” The event was watched by more than 200 “attendees.” Shapiro believes these type of community events will continue post-COVID-19.

“Whatever we can do to keep the community Jewishly engaged — whether it’s classes, cooking programs, Shabbat packages. We’re trying to be there to help people in whatever way we can,” he said.

One good thing coming out of coronavirus

Shavuot: Continued from page 1

in as a way to foster self-growth during this difficult period.

“We’re having less of a connection with each other overall — this is the nature of the times that we’re living in and the circumstances that we’re living in — but it doesn’t mean that we can’t connect where we are,” Shapiro said.

The coronavirus crisis has naturally led to introspection, noted Bisno.

“As we go through this quarantine, we are being changed by it,” he said. “Hopefully we are becoming more empathic, and more appreciative and more understanding about our own experience and how fortunate we are, and about the experience of others, such that when we come out from our isolation hopefully we’ll come out better people. If not, we’ve been doing it wrong.”

While Shavuot is a major holiday, it generally is not as widely celebrated as are Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Passover.

That may be because “it doesn’t have as many foods, customs, etc., associated with it,” said Gray-Schaffer.

Or, its placement on the calendar may have led to its underappreciation. “People are already thinking about their summer plans,” noted Shapiro.

Timing is rele vant to the 12 MAY 29, 2020

p Some traditions will still be the same this Shavuot.

holiday’s prominence on campus, according to Kranjec. “Often Shavuot happens in the lull between Birthright and Onward Israel, so the majority of what our energy is focused on is not in America,” she explained.

This year is different, though. Because those college summer programs are currently suspended, students are seeking Jewish engagement virtually. In response, Hillel JUC has provided increased learning over Zoom.

Photo by happy_lark/iStockphoto.com

Through regular courses, many of which bring “marginalized Jewish voices to the center,” Kranjec has remained connected to both current students and alumni, she said. The situation is actually a boon for the upcoming holiday, continued the Jewish educator: “The fact that we’ve kept learning going in a particular way means that Shavuot is more likely to be accessible.”

Specifically, by offering the Tikkun online, it allows those “all over the country to sign

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crisis, according to Adam Hertzman, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh marketing director, has been the recognition of the “absolute demand for online programming, activities and events.”

Through virtual programming, the Federation has engaged community members “who we don’t often see but are more than willing to come to an online event,” Hertzman said, opining that the future will be built on hybrid events across multiple platforms.

“For certain we will be doing more virtual events than we did,” he said.

Part of Federation’s mission includes raising money and allocating funds to build community. Hertzman said that mission continues, regardless of whether it takes place in person or through other, new methods.

“We would still love to meet people in person,” he said. “Fundraising is all about relationships and it’s tough to replicate that without meeting someone in person. Our fundraisers are still raising money today. In the absence of being able to visit someone, a video conference still allows you to engage with somebody, but it’s not the same as visiting their home or joining someone for a meal.”

The coronavirus pandemic will have a long-term impact on Judaism according to Temple Emanuel’s Meyer.

“What were the disruptive times in Jewish life? The destruction of the Temple, the expulsion from Spain, the Holocaust.

COVID-19 is going to have the same effect on the Jewish community,” he said. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

on to learn with our rabbis and leaders in Pittsburgh,” she said.

While many will be primarily experiencing Shavuot from home, the location of the observance need not negatively impact the meaning of the holiday, echoed Rabbi Barbara Symons, of Temple David.

“For our Erev Shavuot service, though we are postponing confirmation until we can be in person, each of our eighththrough 10th-grade students will provide a personal interpretation of one of the Ten Commandments,” she said.

“Shavuot celebrates revelation, the receipt of Torah into our midst and into our community,” explained Bisno. “And Torah becomes the emblem of our love of learning, and our embrace of the world around us and what we can learn from it. Judaism understands that revelation, while it took place at Mount Sinai, is an ongoing process and there is knowledge and wisdom, and empathy and understanding — that is to say there is Torah — to be learned in every moment, and every relationship, and every encounter and experience.

“So we may have to work a little extra hard to recognize the opportunities to learn in this experience, but there are many,” continued the rabbi. And, it is “essential we make our own.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Business: Continued from page 2

to linger and ruffle through the clothing looking for a size,” she pointed out.

Unlike other clothing stores, Moxie Cloth will allow customers to use its fitting rooms.

“I can live with that because if someone changes out of something, my steamer is parked between my two fingers. If someone decides they don’t want a garment, I steam it right away. That means, if there is any coronavirus on it, it is killed immediately,” Gabbay said.

Yeshiva: Continued from page 3

and they would not be possible without unrestricted funding from the community campaign, which enables our community to redirect resources in extraordinary circumstances such as those we face now.”

Rosenfeld said Yeshiva Schools surveyed Orthodox families throughout Pittsburgh before pursuing the subsidies, the grant or

JWF: Continued from page 4

JWF is a “Jewish women’s organization” but nonetheless looks “at our community as a whole,” deciding on grant recipients based

2020: Continued from page 5

from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism.

Symons, the daughter of Pittsburgh Rabbis Barbara and Ron Symons, has spent the last two months at home with her family. She is

Netanyahu: Continued from page 8

over 300 witnesses for the prosecution, according to reports.

That means the trial could take up to a year, and with appeals to the Supreme Court, a final verdict could take even longer.

Olmert’s appeals after his conviction, for comparison, took more than three years.

Even if the court rules in Netanyahu’s favor, the saga may not be over. In Israel, the prosecution can appeal a court’s acquittal of a defendant, and often does.

3. Netanyahu will probably be able to serve out his term as prime minister.

According to Israeli law, a prime minister who has been convicted of a crime must step down — but only once there is a final PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Even with all the precautions, Gabbay knows it’s possible that one day a customer who has been infected with the virus might shop at Moxie Cloth. So she’s created a contact tracing trail.

“If anyone walks into this store, they have to give me their name and number and I record the date that they were here,” she said.

“I ask them to please inform us if anything would happen. That is my responsibility.

We’ve opened our doors and said people can come in. It’s a calculated risk but I can do more than a big store can.”

Gabbay also has adjusted the store’s return policy from its former 14-day period.

“For safety reasons, I cannot allow garments to be in your home for more than five days,” she said. The store will not accept returns of any items other than clothing, again to ensure the safety of both employees and customers.

“I know I can steam a garment; I cannot steam a necklace; I cannot steam jewelry or a handbag. I cannot steam scarves,” she said.

The boutique’s customers were loyal to the store during the months the shop was closed.

Moxie Cloth has no website, but Gabbay used social media to engage her clients and continued to sell items through videos posted three times a week.

the program itself.

Shayna Creeger was one of the parents who helped get the wheels rolling on the free kosher food program. Creeger, who hails originally from Los Angeles but has been living in Squirrel Hill for about 17 years, has six children in Yeshiva Schools.

“It’s so nice to have prepared foods — I think it’s a good opportunity to provide this service,” she said.

Creeger, along with a team roughly 15-people strong, now helps handle

administrative and support duties for the food program, taking in orders and dealing with kids’ allergies and preferences. She previously has volunteered at the school.

“I enjoy working on programs that rely on organized data for optimal success,” Creeger said. “It is a great opportunity to be involved in offering this needed service to the community during a very chaotic time.”

The program’s kosher food is prepared and packaged daily at the girls’ school, whose facilities are overseen by the Vaad Harabanim

of Greater Pittsburgh, Rosenfeld said.

Just as many are hesitant to commit to timelines for stay-at-home recommendations or school re-openings, Rosenfeld said he could not say how long Yeshiva Schools would be offering the free breakfast and lunch program.

“We’re kind of playing it by ear,” he said.

“We want to continue to do it as long as we able. We’re taking it week by week.” PJC

on need, Gurrentz said. “For 17 years we’ve been reaching out and helping women and girls — it’s really the first line that we look at.”

Although recipients of the emergency grants are “general community agencies,” it doesn’t mean their operations don’t affect Jewish women or that Jewish organizations

will be excluded from the fall 2020 grant making cycle, explained Cohen.

Whether it’s possibly aiding Jewish Family and Community Services’ Career Development Center as it seeks to “help get women back on their feet,” or supporting National Council of Jewish Women’s Center

for Women, “that’s where I think our work in the Jewish community will really be impactful and helpful with our grant making in the fall,” she said. PJC

thankful for that support while finishing her college career and plotting her future.

“One of the reasons I’m grateful to be home is that, if I were in Los Angeles right now, I would completely associate the end of my time there with the lockdown,” she said. “ At home, I’m able to be in my childhood bedroom and see my parents and siblings and not associate Los Angeles with the quarantine.

“I love being home and being pampered in

a way that I wouldn’t have been in Los Angeles on my own,” Symons added. “That’s a perk.”

Unlike many recent college graduates, Symons has been able to find a permanent job, although before she secured that position, she did feel a lot of stress, she said. Beginning June 1, she will be the new director of member engagement at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kansas.

While college graduation is often a time of anxiety coupled with jubilation, Labovitz said that the COVID-19 crisis has caused the graduation class of 2020 to feel more “fear than excitement. It’s like classes ended and there were no ceremonies to celebrate. It just felt like, OK, now what do we do?” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

verdict. Under the terms of a governance deal that Netanyahu struck this month, he is set to remain prime minister only for 18 months before handing the reins to his coalition partner Benny Gantz on Nov. 17, 2021.

After that date, Netanyahu is set to take on the title of deputy prime minister. That could cause trouble for him, even if a final verdict still has not been reached. That’s because other government ministers and lawmakers do have to resign or take a leave of absence while under indictment.

But a recent lawsuit suggests that things won’t be cut and dry then, either. In response to a lawsuit making the case that Netanyahu should not be allowed to form a government while under indictment, the court ruled that it did not have the legal grounds to interfere with the workings of the Knesset, or the executive branch.

Once Netanyahu steps down as prime minister, the court will likely be asked to force him to resign. Doing so would require undermining the precedent it just set.

4. Netanyahu is not the only person on trial.

A host of prominent Israelis will parade through the courtroom. Also on trial are Arnon Mozes, publisher of the daily Hebrewlanguage Yediot Acharonot newspaper, and Shaul and Iris Elovitch, the controlling shareholders of Israel’s Bezeq telecommunications company and also owners of the Walla news website. They are charged with providing Netanyahu with favorable coverage in exchange for political favors.

Also, three former government workers whom Netanyahu hired are expected to testify against him. Shlomo Filber was the director-general of the Communications Ministry

who allegedly proposed regulatory changes to benefit Elovitch at Netanyahu’s request.

Ari Harow was Netanyahu’s former chief of staff and recorded Netanyahu’s in-person meetings with Mozes. And Nir Hefetz was a Netanyahu media adviser and spokesman who allegedly directed the positive coverage of the prime minister on Walla. All have been given immunity from prosecution.

5. The trial will not be televised.

Israelis who are eager to hear what the star witnesses and others in the trial have to say are likely to have to get their information after the fact. In a pilot program launched last month to make Supreme Court proceedings more transparent, the high court streamed a hearing. But while there have been calls from many quarters asking the Jerusalem court to televise the Netanyahu trial, thus far there are no plans to include it in the pilot. PJC

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Like other small business owners that have decided to reopen during Allegheny County’s yellow phase, Gabbay has recognized the need to “pivot and change what retail looks like.”

“As a shop owner, it’s my duty to change rules and be as informative as possible,” she said. “The luxury is, I don’t have to do anything. I do not have to let anyone in. I didn’t have to reopen but I wanted to and so that created the loving desire to say we want to see you again.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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

MAY 29, 2020 13

Life & Culture A Vermeer for our times: Viewing the world through the lens of Elan Mizrahi — PHOTOGRAPHY —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

I

n 2017, photographer Tom M. Johnson was the teacher and Elan Mizrahi the apprentice.

A couple of weeks ago, though, Johnson saw a photo Mizrahi posted to Instagram and was blown away. It was a simple setup: a woman drinking coffee inside a home in the time of COVID-19 quarantining, a man in the shadows. But the composition and framing reminded Johnson not of Mizrahi’s earlier work but of Johannes Vermeer, the Dutch-born 17th-century painter who specialized in domestic scenes of middle-class life.

“I was really surprised with that; I was jealous of it,” said Johnson, who moved from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles last year. “I feel he’s taking his work to another degree.

What he really has going for him is that he’s hungry, he’s enthusiastic.”

Johnson paused.

“I think Elan’s going to be one of the best photographers in Pittsburgh,” he said.

Mizrahi didn’t dream of taking pictures.

He was born into a Jewish Pittsburgh family with business in its blood — his grandfather ran an accounting firm, his mother a downtown marketing and communications agency — and he followed that trajectory, graduating Taylor Allderdice High School, studying business in college and launching his career in Manhattan in advertising.

In 2015, he simply pivoted. He and his wife, Vanessa, took a year to travel the world — locales as far flung as Colombia, Vietnam and the Philippines — and Mizrahi documented the sites on a blog, “Chasing Corners,” using a Samsung 5 Active cell phone and a GoPro. “I’ve definitely come a long way since then but the natural eye was there,” said Mizrahi, 31, who lives in Polish Hill and whose family attends services at Temple Sinai. “I don’t like the way I edited some of those things. It’s a little oversaturated. But not knowing what I was missing gave me a lot of freedom.”

“I think that was sort of this trip to find himself and ask himself what he wanted to do with his life,” said Mizrahi’s sister, Gilli Mizrahi, a business consultant who lives in Seattle. “I feel like he’s landed. In the last few years, he’s where he wants to be.”

Upon returning stateside, Mizrahi purchased his first DSLR camera — a Canon 70-D — and tried to make a go of freelance photography.

Mizrahi doesn’t recall anymore his first paying gig; one early assignment that still resonates, though, took him to a job training site in Homewood.

“It was the first time I feel I successfully used studio lights on location,” Mizrahi said.

“I felt comfortable pushing my ideas. And I could be proud of my work, that I was a professional.”

Since the assignment, Mizrahi has paid the bills — and, more importantly, grown

14 MAY 29, 2020

p An empty baggage claim at the Pittsburgh International Airport on April 22, 2020

Photos by Elan Mizrahi

p The Talmy family photographed in their home for the photo series ‘Isolated Radiance’

p Rush hour in downtown Pittsburgh on March 25, 2020

creatively — through his lenses, now specializing in editorial and portrait work.

“Editorial is really where my passion lies,” Mizrahi said. “It gives me the opportunity to share and tell the stories I want to tell.”

Last week, Mizrahi released on his website, www.elanmizrahi.com, a new series dubbed

“Isolated Radiance.” Though his portfolio online features some impressive COVID19-inspired work — empty halls and ticket counters at Pittsburgh International Airport, armed quarantine protestors downtown — “Isolated Radiance” is masterful through what it suggests about our current cultural moment

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p Elan Mizrahi

in the details: a child and two parents crouching over a laptop, a woman cutting a man’s hair, a couple split between two windows, an elderly pair video chatting with a teenager.

All of the photos in “Isolated Radiance” are domestic scenes and all of them are shot through windows from the street outside, with living rooms and kitchen interiors providing the only light — a formal mode of voyeurism in the era of the coronavirus.

“My imagination kind of runs wild when I’m driving at night,” Mizrahi said. “I thought it would be intimate to show how these families were functioning.”

“He’s really focused on capturing the true essence of people,” said Mizrahi’s sister, Gilli.

“His ability to storytell has evolved a lot.”

Chuck Beard agrees.

He’s been working as art director of Pittsburgh Magazine since 2010. A photographer himself, he stressed that Mizrahi stands out from the pack of Pittsburgh shooters.

“I get a lot of submissions from photographers looking for work — probably 10 to 15 a day,” Beard told the Chronicle. “Elan’s submitted portfolio had an impact from the start. His portrait imagery had a painterly quality, with beautiful lighting and creative posing of his subjects.”

“Most every photographer considers himself or herself a portraitist, but few have Elan’s technical skills and imaginative compositions in one package,” Beard added.

“I have a stable of 20 to 25 photographers that I consistently hire for the magazine, and Elan is one of the few who is great in any style of photography, from journalistic to artistic.”

Mizrahi said his style is pretty straightforward — he wants to frame images and play with light in a way that evokes emotion.

“You want to pull something out of the viewer,” Mizrahi said. “Especially in these days, with all the massive number of photos coming through our devices — it’s got to tell a story or it’s got to pull out an emotion.” PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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Life & Culture A plant-based, healthy Shavuot — FOOD —

By Moshe Barber | Special to the Chronicle

O

Photo by Moshe Barber

n Shavuot — and throughout the rest of the year — I eat neither dairy nor any other animal foods. As a Type 1 diabetic, my goal is to arrest the progression of this chronic degenerative disease.

In 1981, after having read a book by the Nathan Pritikin, a layman and pioneer in lifestyle medicine, I spent a few weeks at the Pritikin Center in Los Angeles. Pritikin’s story and his program inspired me. After suffering a heart attack and having all his blocked coronary arteries replaced in his mid -60s , he soon started to relapse. Pritikin was determined to improve the quality of his life, read the medical and nutritional literature and discovered the connection between food and health.

Chag sameach (have a happy holiday), kabolat hatorah besimchah ubepnimiyut (receive the Torah with joy and sincerity).

Roasted pepper and tomato vegan quiche with sweet potato crust

Adapted from a recipe from immigrantstable.com Servings: 8 | Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Photo by Martin Keiler/istockphoto.com

Ingredients:

While at the Pritikin Center, I developed a dietary plan to keep myself healthy while I watched others reverse their heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, arthritis and other disabling and lethal conditions.

So, if your ideal diet is plant-based whole foods, what do you do about the tradition of eating dairy and meat meals on Shavuot?

Above all else, Judaism affirms and values life. In the beginning of the Shulchan Aruch, the code of Jewish Law, one is urged to be healthy in order to learn Torah, serve G-d and fulfill the mitzvot. In fact, one of the 613 mitzvot, as written in Deuteronomy 4:9, is: “But beware and watch yourself [lit. your soul] very well.” While this verse has been interpreted as relating to the giving of the Torah on Shavuot — be careful not to forget the day of the giving of the Torah —the rabbis also interpret it to mean that a person is responsible for safeguarding their own health and well-being.

More than a thousand years ago, the great sage (and physician) Maimonides commented: “Since maintaining a healthy and sound body is among the ways of G-d — for one cannot understand or have any knowledge of the Creator if he is ill — therefore he must avoid that which harms the body and accustom himself to that which is helpful and helps the body become stronger.”

The Creator set up the world so that PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

humans are required to eat, and we have the choice to eat in a way that can maintain our health. Over the last 100 years, evidence from scientific studies has shown that eating exclusively plant-based whole foods can help prevent, arrest or reverse chronic degenerative disease. Science partially reveals the order of the universe that the Creator made so perfectly.

Well, if I have to eat this way, it has to be delicious. So over the last 40 years I have learned to cook, and with my wife’s help, founded VegOut Cuisine, a Pittsburghbased kosher personal chef and catering business, in 2011.

For Shavuot this year, VegOut prepared several dishes that are a respectful nod to the dairy tradition and the excitement of special holiday foods. I do caution you that some ersatz dairy dishes can be as harmful as what one is trying to avoid, such as those utilizing refined oils, protein extracts, coconut (the only plant-based source of cholesterol) and avocados (high in saturated fat). Most use either soy or nuts, both of which are relatively high in natural “good” fat but are best used in moderation to avoid the “fat vegan” syndrome. But don’t worry: the Creator has given us a cornucopia of jewels to consume if we look for them.

Crust:

2 medium sweet potatoes, 3 cups grated 2 tablespoons tahini sesame butter 1/ 4 teaspoon sea salt and pepper

Filling:

1 pint cherry tomatoes 2 bell peppers — red, yellow or orange 10 to 12 oz. block drained firm tofu (see note) 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 3 tablespoons hummus 3 large garlic cloves minced 1 teaspoon cumin 3 /4-1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt black pepper to taste red pepper flakes optional Instructions

Grate sweet potatoes (by hand or w food processor), mix with 1/4 teaspoon salt and squeeze until dry.

In a large bowl, mix sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons tahini, salt and pepper. Use a non-stick pie dish or place baking parchment paper inside a pie plate, and arrange sweet potatoes in the shape of a pie crust.

Roast on high heat (450 F) in the oven until the sweet potatoes begin to scorch in places, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

While crust is baking, place parchment paper on a baking sheet or use a non-stick baking sheet for this step. Arrange tomatoes and whole bell peppers in a mixing bowl,

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drizzle or mist a small amount of water and a healthy pinch each of salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place on the baking sheet in the 450 degree oven with the crust. The tomatoes with be done just when they start to shrivel and turn brown slightly. Remove tomatoes and continue baking peppers, turning peppers over to ensure all sides darken evenly. Place peppers into a resealable plastic bag, seal and allow to sweat for about 10-15 minutes. Peel peppers and cut them into strips. (These two stages can be done in advance).

To prepare quiche filling, add drained tofu (see note) to a food processor with nutritional yeast, hummus, garlic cloves, cumin, sea salt and pepper and optional red pepper flakes. Process until smooth.

Add roasted peppers and tomatoes to a mixing bowl and top with the tofu mixture. Toss to coat. Fill quiche crust with mixture, spreading it into an even layer and smoothing the top.

5. Bake quiche at 375 degrees for a total of 30-40 minutes, until top appears golden brown and firm. If the crust browns too quickly, loosely cover the edges with foil. You can check the crust after 15 minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn.

6. Let cool briefly before serving. To reheat, place in a 350F degree oven for 5-10 minutes, taking care not to burn the edges.

Note: To drain tofu, place the tofu block on a cutting board with an object underneath to make the water drain off into a sink or within a larger holding pan. Place a tray or flat plate on top of the tofu and put a heavy object on top of the tray or plate. Let this sit for 30-60 minutes.

Since I discovered Trader Joe’s firm tofu, I have had no need to squeeze out the tofu: just open up and put it into the food processor. PJC Moshe Barber is a chef and co-owner of VegOut Cuisine, a kosher personal chef & catering company.

MAY 29, 2020 15

Retail Directory: Businesses now open Alterations Express

Cienne Designs

6401 Penn Ave. 15206, 412-661-0538 1597 Washington Pike, Bridgeville 15017, 412-279-0197 8199 Mcknight Road, 15237, 412-364-6373 17015 Perry Highway, Warrendale 15086, 724-799-8889 Hours starting 6/1 are Mon.-Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-4

5886 Ellsworth Ave. Shadyside, PA 15232 412-759-7777 CienneDesignsVintageMarket.com

Must wear a mask; number of people permitted in the store is posted at each location American Window Industries & Premiere Kitchen and Bath 106 Rockwood Ave. 15221 8-4 412-823-2320 Americanwindow@aol.com

By appointment only 4740 Liberty Ave. 15224, 412-960-0246 Mon.-Sat., 12-8, Sun., 12-5

Must wear a mask; no more than 10 people in the store at one time

Ann Greathouse Realtor Howard Hanna Sq Hill

Must wear a mask

412-913-0885 Agreathouse@howardhanna.com

College Quest Offices in Squirrel Hill and Mt. Lebanon

Apricot Lane

412-521-GRAD (4723) Eva@mycollegequest.com, mycollegequest.com

Dina Ellen 817 S. Aiken Ave 15232, 412-621-6133 Wed.-Sat., 10-4

Elaine Rybski Notary Public

Squirrel Hill area Julie: 917-861-0989, Kathy: 412-889-9620 Arnheim.arbonne.com Julie.arnheim@gmail.com,

412-965-8563 522 Gettysburg St. 15206 Email: Notary@rybski.net Web: facebook.com/notaryhpgh

Shop online 24/7 and by appointment

Set up for social distancing notarizing

Avalon Exchange

Elegant Edge Catering Company

5858 Forbes Ave. 15217, 412-421-2911 Mon.-Sat., 11-8; Sun., 12-6 Must wear a mask

P.O. Box 81046, 15217 Office: 412-385-2332, cell: 412-657-9767 Elegantedgecateringcompany.com

Bejuled3

Follow Instagram or Facebook BeJuled3. Call for appointment or to do virtual shopping.

Biketek 5842 Forbes Ave. 15217, 412-521-6448 Mon.-Sat., 11-7

Must wear a mask

Caliban Book Shop 410 S. Craig St. 15213, 412-681-9111 Mon.-Fri., 11-6 for curbside pickup

Private browsing by appointment only; must wear a mask Cafe Eighteen (aka Eighteen — the cafe at Pinsker’s) 2028 Murray Ave. 15217, 412-421-3033 Sun.-Thurs. dinner, 5:30-8:30. Email or phone in orders for takeout or delivery. cafeeighteenpittsburgh@gmail.com Cafeeighteen.com

Kitchen requires advance orders (at least one hour for regular dinner pickup. Priorday or three hours advance for lunch or any other times). Follow us on Facebook.

Carole Mantel Certified Health Coach 412-491-2311, Darbypaw2@icloud.com

Child’s Wardrobe 2200 Murray Ave. 15217, 412-422-3033 Mon.-Fri., 10-5

635 S. Braddock Ave. 15221, 412-243-2772

Gordon Shoes 108 W. Bridge St., Homestead PA 15120 Mon.-Fri., 11-6; Sat., 11-7; Sun., 12-5 412-464-1007. customerservice@gordonshoes.com

2004 Murray Ave. 15217 24/7 service 412-422-2004 and 24/7 support line, Fax 412-422-1002. MurrayAve.locksmith.com

New Balance Pittsburgh

Green Oaks Country Club

Offering curbside pickup

5741 Third St., Verona PA 15147 Open on a limited basis. 412-793-2000

New Balance Wexford

We are following all of the state mandated requirements for golf courses.

6310 Forbes Ave. 15217 412-421-9121. Sherri Mayer: 412-760-0412

Must wear a mask; appointment requested Invitations Plus

10616 Perry Highway, Wexford PA 15090 Mon.-Fri., 11-6; Sat., 11-7; Sun., 12-5 724-940-2400 customerservice@gordonshoes.com

Offering curbside pickup Orr’s Jewelers 5857 Forbes Ave. 15217 Mon. and Wed.-Sat., 10-5; Tues., 10-7

Paititi Inti 1823 Murray Ave. 15217 Mon.-Sat., 11-8; Sun., closed. 412-716-2898

Judah Cowen — Follow us on Facebook or Instagram or both

Must wear a mask; no more than 10 people in the store at any one time

Must wear a mask

Eons Fashion Antique

Kards Unlimited

6018 Centre Ave. 412-996-9113 Thurs.-Sun., 10:30-8

5850 Ellsworth Ave. 15232 Sun. - Fri., 12-5; Sat., 11-5. 412-361-3368

5522 Walnut St., 412-622-0500 Mon.-Sat., 9:30-8; Sun., 10-5

Paris 66

Must wear a mask

Must wear a mask; one-way aisles

Curbside delivery and takeout home delivery via Uber Eats. Special menu for takeout

EVEN Hotel Pittsburgh Downtown

Kitay, Lawrence, Rauker & Associates, LLC

Paul Richard Wossidlo Photography

2790 Mosside Blvd., Suite 850, Monroeville 15146 412-372-5400, ext. 205 Email: rkitay@klracpa.com, Web: klracpa.com

7457 McClure Ave. 15218, 412-480-4698 Open by appointment Email: pwossidlo@aol.com Web: paulrichardwossidlo.com

425 Forbes Ave. 15219, 412-301-2277 Sara.scardina@ihg.com

Open 24 hours/7 days a week Everyday Noodles

Adhering to COVID-19 guidelines L&M Distributors INC

5875 Forbes Ave. 15217 11:30-9. 412-421-6668

Takeout and delivery only. Check out our online ordering portal. Please pay by credit card.

Eyetique 2242 Murray Ave. 412-422-5300 Tues.-Sat., 9-6; closed Sun. and Mon.

Must wear a mask; temps are taken. All patients must answer a four-question screening before being seen by the doctor.

Pickups for glasses and contacts are done curbside.

Four Seasons Dry Cleaners

Frank and Stein Associates/ Green Light Wireless Mon.-Fri., 9-5 412-228-3000. greenwifi.com, hello@greenwifi.com

Supporting all new and existing customers onsite according to Federal CDC guidelines.

Gaby Et Jules 5837 Forbes Ave. 15217 Mon.-Sun., 9-5. 412-682-1966, option 0 (zero)

Must wear a mask; two people per party

55 Loockerman Plaza, #147, Dover DE 19903 8-7. 302-659-1595 handwarmersstore@gmail.com, handwarmers.com

Law and Mediation Office of Jeffrey Lawrence Pollock, Esq. 1320 Shady Ave., Suite 100, rear 15217 7 days/week by appointment or 24/7 by email and VOX 412-421-2232 JLPLAW15217@aol.com, JLPLAW15217@gmail.com

Little’s Shoes 5850 Forbes Ave. 15217 Mon.-Sat., 10-6; Sun., 12-5 (initial hours) 412-521-3530

243 W. Eighth Ave. (West Homestead) 15120 Mon.-Fri., 7-6; Sat. and Sun., closed 412-461-7500

Must wear a mask Pennhollows 244 S. Highland Ave., 412-665-0767 Sun. and Mon., 12-6; Tues.-Sat., 11-5

Must wear a mask Perfectly Planned by Shari

Man Up Apparel

Perlora Furniture

5935 Penn Ave. 15206 412-385-7166

By appointment only; must wear a mask Moda 5401 Walnut St. 15232, 412-681-8640 Wed.-Sat., 11-6; Sun., 11-4

Must wear a mask Moda 3701 Butler St. 15201, 412-904-2944 Thurs.-Sat., 11-6; Sun., 11-4

2220 E. Carson St. 15203; 2837 Smallman St. (in the Strip) Southside: 412-431-2220 Strip: 412-434 7425

By appointment only Petagogy 5880 Ellsworth Ave. 15232, 412-362-7387 Curbside, Mon.-Sat., 10-8; Sun., 11-4.

In-store, Mon.-Sat., 12-6; Sun., 11-4

Must wear a mask; private appointments are available

Must wear a mask; no more than three people at a time in the store; delivery within five-mile radius of the store Petagogy

Chocolate Moose

Must wear a mask; two people per party

By appointment. Showroom opening soon

2115 Murray Ave. 15217, 412-421-8807 gamesunl.com

Penn Automotive

412-901-0082. By appointment Info@perfectlyplannedbyshari.com perfectlyplannedbyshari.com

Marvista Kitchen and Bath

Games Unlimited

Social distancing “porch portraits” now available. Special pricing for scaled-back events

Curbside pickup/mail-out and home delivery still provided

6006 Penn Ave. Mon.-Sun., 11-6, 412-661-1966

16 MAY 29, 2020

Murray Ave. Locksmith

Offering curbside pickup

Must wear a mask; private appointment available

Curbside pickup or delivery via Uber Eats

Orders by phone with non-contact pickup.

Website ordering with free delivery

112 West Bridge St., Homestead PA 15120 Mon.-Fri., 11-6; Sat., 11-7; Sun., 12-5 412-464-1002. customerservice@gordonshoes.com

Gaby Et Jules

5830 Forbes Ave. 15217, 412-422-2208 Mon.-Sat., 10-6; Sun., 12-4

2004 Murray Ave. 15217. 412-421-4996

2136 Murray Ave. 15217 Tues.-Sat., 10-6; Sun., 12-5. 412-421-4533

Must wear a mask

Lawrenceville, Pittsburgh, local farmer’s markets Always open online chezlapingoods.com, Chezlapingoods@gmail.com

Glenn Greene’s Stained Glass Studio

Murray Ave. Apothecary

Jerry’s Records

Cheeks

Chez Lapin

Must wear a mask

Five-person occupancy limit, curbside pickup available, appointments for high-risk customers. Strict CDC guidelines followed. Call for more details.

All clients and staff are required to wear masks. No more than three people per party.

Private appointment available

1716 Murray Ave. 15217 Mon.-Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-3. 412-420-5075

Must wear a mask; appointment is also available

5406 Walnut St. 15232, 412-682-5443 Mon.-Sat., 10-5

Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat., 11-4

1406 Negley Ave. 15217 412-421-7778. Mon.-Sat., 10-6 Invitationsonshady@gmail.com

Adhering to COVID-19 regulations 5873 Forbes Ave. 15217, 412-521-0600 Mon.-Sat., 10-5

Curbside pickup and contactless deliveries

Howard Hanna

Must wear a mask

Arbonne - Independent Consultants

412-973-9500

3719 Forbes Ave. 15213, 412-621-1300

Must wear a mask; call for appointment

Coldwell Banker 5887 Forbes Ave. 15217, 412-521-2222 Cheryl Gerson: 412-401-4693 Tamara Skirbol: 412-401-1110

Must wear a mask; no more than 20 people in the store at one time

Gidas Flower Shop

Glassworks And Cheeks

Clothes Minded

We adhere to COVID-19 guidelines.

5533 Walnut St. 15232 Mon.-Sat., 12-5; Sun., 12-4 412-932-2092

Curbside pickup

412-652-9027

Moxie Cloth Mt. Lebanon Shops 300 Mt. Lebanon Blvd. 15234, 412-341-4100

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

6150 Lincoln Highway, #300 15601 724-691-0315

Same hours and restrictions as Ellsworth Ave. location Please see Directory, page 17

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Life & Culture New album by trumpeter Ben Holmes explores Jewish music — MUSIC —

By Matt Silver

W

ith “Naked Lore,” Ben Holmes’ third album as a leader, the trumpeter decided to devote himself to exploring what makes Jewish music sound Jewish.

The short answer is the Freygish scale, which is essentially a harmonic minor scale with a flatted second note, or a note that instead of being a whole step away from the first note in the scale is just a half-step.

Hence, the Freygish half-step.

Often called the “Jewish mode,” a common misconception is that Freygish melodies pertain specifically, and exclusively, to Ashkenazi musical traditions. They figure prominently in Sephardic, Balkan, Roma and several Middle Eastern musical cultures, too, and some have argued their origins may actually not be Jewish — or at least not Jewish in the sense that we think.

Musical historians like Yale Strom and Abraham Idelsohn have suggested that rather than originating in the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe, the musical rudiments that make folk idioms like klezmer “sound Jewish” likely originated many centuries earlier, in the Middle East.

Please see Holmes, page 20

p Naked Lore is Ben Holmes (trumpet), Brad Shepik (guitar) and Shane Shanahan (percussion).

Photo by Caroline Mardok

Retail Directory: Businesses now open Directory:

Appointment only until June 2 Continued from page 16

Petland/ASAP Rescue

Remax Realty Brokers 5608 Wilkins Ave. 15217 412-521-1000, Jill Portland 412-496-5600, Mark Portland 412-480-3110

Mon.-Thurs., 9-5; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-2; Sun., closed 412-421-3300

Must wear a mask; delivery and pickup available Squirrel Hill Jewelry

6401 Penn Ave. 15206 Mon.-Sat., 10-5; Sun., 11-5 412-363-7387 Eastsidepets@comcast.net, petlandvillageeastside.com

Must wear a mask; appointment requested 5415 Walnut St. 15232 (Shadyside). 412-681-8188

Steel City Garage Doors

Now doing curbside pickup and delivery for orders over $50 within a 3-mile radius. Our hours will be expanding in the following weeks.

Must wear a mask; call for an appointment.

2004 Murray Ave., #1 15217 24/7 service: 412-218-3003

Pinsker’s Judaica

Must wear a mask; call for an appointment.

1700 Forbes Ave. 15219 412-765-3400. Mon.-Fri., 7:30-5 Steve@ssapgh.com

Rytar Painting

Switch and Signal Skatepark

2028 Murray Ave. 15217 412-421-3033. Sun.-Fri., 1-6 or by appointment Pinskers18@gmail.com

Please call with questions or orders. Phone will forward to cell phones. Entry to store with mask, one person at a time, or curbside pickup.

Please follow our Facebook page: Pinskers Judaica.

PND Landscape Designs 412-805-2298 44 Brucewood Drive, Pittsburgh, PA Mon.-Fri., 8-8 Email: pd@pndstudio.com Web: pndstudio.com

Meeting with clients and holding site visits while maintaining social distancing and mask wearing.

Pursuits 740 Filbert St. 15232 412-688-8822, 412-302-7343 Curbside pickup, Mon.-Sat., 10:30-5

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Roberta Weissburg Leathers

Rubinoff Realty 925 Liberty Ave. 15222 412-231-1000, Melissa Reich 412-215-8056

206-799-9372 — Serving South Hills

Samuel Baron Clothier 201 S. Highland Ave. 15206. 412-441-1144

Must wear a mask; appointment requested Seven Seasons Paper Goods 5861 Phillips Ave. 15217 970-989-2648. Online orders 24/7 @ sevenseasonspapergoods.com

All online orders are available for same-day pickup. Free delivery on orders over $75 in Squirrel Hill and Greenfield Shadyside Variety Store 5421 Walnut St. 15232, 412-681-1716 10-until closing (call for closing hours)

No more than two people or families in the store at any one time. Must wear a mask

1925 Murray Ave. 15217. 412-421-9243 Squirrelhilljewelry@gmail.com

Steve Schwartz Associates, Inc.

7518 Dickson St., Swissvale PA 15218 Mon.-Fri., 12-4 (in-person pickup), Sat. and Sun., 12-3 (in-person pickup). 412-871-0023 info@switchandsignalskatepark.com switchandsignalskatepark.com\Facebook (@switchandsignal) and Instagram (switchandsignalskatepark)

Ten Toes 5502 Walnut St. 15232, 412-683-2082 Mon.-Sat., 11-5

Must wear a mask Tennis Village 5419 Walnut St. 15232, 412-621-2399 Mon., Tues., Thurs. and Fri., 10:30-6; Wed., 10:30-9; Sat., 10:30-5:30

Must wear a mask The Dress Circle

Squirrel Hill Flower Shop

738 Bellefonte St. 15232, 412-681-7799

1718 Murray Ave. 15217

By appointment only; must wear a mask PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

The Jim Recht Agency, LLC 2520 Mosside Blvd., Suite 4A, Monroeville PA 15146 Mon.-Fri., 9:30-6 412-349-8257. Jrecht@farmersagent.com

TNT Fashions 6401 Penn Ave. (Village of Eastside) 15206 Mon.-Sat., 10-8; Sun., 12-5. 412-661-9981

Must wear a mask Wagner Agency Inc. 5020 Centre Ave. 15213 3510 Route 130, Irwin PA 15642 Mon.-Fri., 8:30-4:30; Sat. by appointment Wagner@wagneragency.com

No visitors allowed until Allegheny and Westmoreland counties turn green. Virtual appointments using MS Teams, email and phone Wossidlo Pet Sitting Services 7457 McClure Ave. 15218 412-480-7473 By reservation Email: dtlenny0196@aol.com

Adhering to COVID-19 guidelines WINNERS FITNESS: In Home Personal Training & Massage Therapy 412-657-9403, thewinnersfitness.com

VegOut Cuisine 810 Fifth Ave. 412-736-7444 Moshe@VegOutCuisine.com

Free delivery with $18 minimum to Squirrel Hill, Greenfield, Shadyside, Point Breeze and Oakland. Delivery to other areas can be arranged for a fee. PJC

MAY 29, 2020 17

Celebrations

Torah

Engagement

A lesson from Mount Sinai DATER: Eve Skirboll and Elliot Dater announce the engagement of their son, Jake Dater, to Kimberly Argente, daughter of Nancy Argente and the late Bobby Argente of Charlotte, North Carolina. Jake is the grandson of Jackie Skirboll and the late Alan Skirboll of Pittsburgh, and Gail and Leon Dater of Boynton Beach, Florida. Kimberly is the granddaughter of Lucy Encinareal of Queens, New York, and the late Doris and Larry Argente from the Philippines. Jake is a First Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. Kimberly is a project manager in corporate and investment banking at Wells Fargo, and lives in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. The couple is also developing entrepreneurial activities in the e-commerce industry. A November 2020 wedding is planned in Lake Norman, North Carolina.

Birth

With gratitude to HaShem, Rabbi Cheryl and Mark Klein are overjoyed to announce the birth of their grandson, Perry Herschel (Herschel Peretz) born on May 18, 2020. Perry is the son of Adina (Klein) and Maksim Fudym and younger brother to Sammy. The family lives in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Perry is also the grandson of Yakov and Rimma Fudym of San Francisco, California and great-grandson to Betty Barlow Balsam of White Oak, Pennsylvania.

Perry Herschel is named for his paternal great-grandmother of blessed memory, Pasha Oberman and his maternal grand-uncle of blessed memory, Hyman Levy. PJC

Pittsburgh organizations receive $3.86 million to compensate for Oct. 27, 2018 losses

N

ine local organizations received just over $3.86 million from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime through the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) to reimburse for costs resulting from the Oct. 27, 2018, attack on three Squirrel Hill congregations that left 11 people dead and seven seriously injured.

The organizations receiving funds are the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Family and Community Services, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Center for Victims, Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation, Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation, and the 10.27 Healing Partnership.

The 10.27 Healing Partnership was founded after the attack “to be a resource for people who are dealing with grief and other emotions as a result of hate-induced violence, and for the larger community in its ongoing response to violence and more specifically to the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue building,” said Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, in a prepared statement. “This funding is instrumental in being able to fulfill this mission and continue working with our incredible partners in the community and we are humbled to work with so many wonderful community partners.”

18 MAY 29, 2020

The Rauh Jewish Archives will use the funding it receives to archive and digitize items of support sent from around the world, and to create a website showcasing those items and letters.

“These objects are filled with humanity — grief, love, heartache, friendship, pain and hope,” said Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives, in a prepared statement. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to preserve and share these objects, and we hope that this project will help people in their ongoing effort to heal.”

The three congregations that were attacked on Oct. 27, 2018, will receive funds to help defray the costs associated with the anti-Semitic attack.

Funds also will go to organizations that help both the Jewish community at large and people outside the Jewish community, including the Center for Victims, JFCS, the JCC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

“We were honored to help coordinate the one-year commemoration of our city’s solidarity against this terrible, anti-Semitic attack,” says Jeffrey Finkelstein, president and CEO of the Federation in a prepared statement. “Reimbursement of expenses we incurred in the aftermath of the attack will enable us to continue to help Jewish Pittsburgh heal and will free up critical funds for people in need.” PJC

Rabbi Shneur Horowitz Parshat Shavuot II Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17

T

his week, we celebrate the holiday of Shavuot, commemorating the day G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish nation.

The Midrash tells us that before G-d gave the Torah on Mount Sinai, the different mountains each argued their case before G-d to have the Torah given on them. Each mountain extolled its height and its other unique virtues.

However, G-d deliberately chose Mount Sinai, the lowest mountain, since it possessed the character trait of humility. G-d desired to convey the message that the Torah ought to be given on a mountain that symbolizes humility.

This begs the obvious question: If G-d wanted to teach us the importance of humility, wouldn’t it be better to give us the Torah on a plane, or even better, in a valley?

Wouldn’t these locations convey an even stronger message of humility?

The answer is simple. The Torah is teaching us that although we must incorporate humility into our lives, we must still maintain the ability to stand up for ourselves. When we run into obstacles that stand in the way of doing the right thing, we must summon the courage to be a mountain.

For example, there are times when we

feel embarrassed of our Judaism and try to practice it inconspicuously. The lesson of Mount Sinai is that we must be proud of who we are, and not try to blend in with our surroundings. True, we must not be aggres-

The Torah is teaching us that although we must incorporate humility into our lives, we must still maintain the ability to stand up for ourselves. sive or combative; on the contrary, the Torah is meant to bring peace and unity into our world. Still, we must retain the confidence of Mount Sinai. We must be comfortable in our role as proud Jews, wherever we may be. PJC Rabbi Shneur Horowitz is the director of Chabad Lubavitch of Altoona, Pennsylvania.

This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.

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— Toby Tabachnick PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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Obituaries ADELSHEIMER: Carol Adelsheimer, 82, of Pittsburgh. On Saturday, May 16, 2020, in Boca Raton, Florida, we lost our sweet Muggy due to complications of a stroke. She was the glue of our family and taught us that the most important values in life are love and family. She had boundless energy in a fun sized body and proved that good things come in small packages.

Survived by her loving husband of nearly 61 years, Harry Adelsheimer; sons Gregg Adelsheimer (Pamela Aranson Adelsheimer), Marc Adelsheimer (Jamie Stern), and daughter Lynne Adelsheimer Goldstein (Michael Goldstein). Eight loving grandchildren: Andrew (Amanda) Adelsheimer, Jeremy Adelsheimer, Eric Adelsheimer, Hannah Adelsheimer, Rachel Adelsheimer, Jacob Adelsheimer, Alex Goldstein and Sara Goldstein. She was born in Dormont, Pennsylvania, to Alice and Lewis Leventon.

She attended Penn State University and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in education. She began her career working at Dormont High School and Taylor Allderdice High School during which time she met the love of her life. After having her three children, she began working in the family business as a buyer at Lintons in Squirrel Hill. She was one of the leading forces behind the success of this prosperous women’s boutique. She enjoyed playing mahjong, canasta, golfing at Westmoreland Country Club and Boca West Country Club, and exercising at the JCC. Throughout her life she was very involved in many charitable organizations including Ladies Hospital Aid Society, National Council of Jewish Women, Temple Sinai and the United Jewish Federation. Her most cherished times were spent with her family of 16, especially on her yearly trips to Beach Haven, New Jersey. She was extremely involved in all of her grandchildren’s lives, taking each one on a special bar/bat mitzvah trip, knowing all of their exam schedules and sending vibes for every occasion. She loved to travel with Harry and their many friends, and her daughter was lucky enough to enjoy 11 trips to their special place, Rancho La Puerta. She touched everyone’s lives and lit up every room she walked into. Our precious Muggy will be missed most by her dear husband and her loving family, as well as her multitude of friends. Services and interment private. In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be sent to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, 5738 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to the Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com SCHORIN: Dorothy Schorin passed away on Saturday, May 9, after suffering a stroke earlier in the week. Dorothy (née Kaufman) was born on Sept. 6, 1926, to Nathan and Sarah (Paper) Kaufman and grew up in Squirrel Hill, attending Colfax Elementary School and graduating from Taylor Allderdice High School. She attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Carnegie Mellon University), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education.

Dorothy married Nathaniel Schorin on Dec. 23, 1947, and they remained married for 53 years until his passing in August 2001.

They worked side by side at Nasco General Supplies, which was founded by Nathaniel.

Dorothy also taught shorthand and typing at night school. For most of their life together, they lived in Stanton Heights, where they raised four sons: Marshall, Larry, Mel and Chip. Their sons gave them six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. For the last seven years of her life, Dorothy resided at Weinberg Terrace in Squirrel Hill. Dorothy had a sister, Phyllis Helfer (deceased), and a brother, William Kaufman of Massachusetts.

Services and interment were private. The family requests that contributions be made to Congregation Beth Shalom of Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh chapter of Hadassah.

Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com GROBSTEIN: Stephen Charles Grobstein, 78, of the Squirrel Hill area of Pittsburgh passed away May 20, 2020.

He is the only child of the late Isadore Barney and Hannah (Malasky) Grobstein.

Beloved husband of 54 years to Rachelle (Aronson) Grobstein. Father of Howard (Andrea) Grobstein, of North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania and Judith Grobstein (Brent) Edwards of Sydney, Australia. Loving Zadie of Howard (Andrea) Grobstein’s children, Alexander Isaac and Elizabeth Hannah.

He will be greatly missed by loving family members and dear friends. Services and interment private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Steve’s memory may be made to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, 5115 Centre Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15232, or Family Hospice at Canterbury Place, 310 Fisk St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com ROTH: Wilma Roth of Pittsburgh on Friday, May 22, 2020, matriarch of her extended family and avid traveler. Beloved wife of the late Allan I. Roth; beloved mother of Stuart Joseph (Lori) Roth and David Frederick Roth; grandmother of Alex Lindsay Roth, Dean Samuel Roth and Allan Jacob Roth; sister of Dolores Turets; aunt of Steven Turets and Thomas Turets. Private ceremony with interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Focused Ultrasound Foundation (fus foundation.org) in honor of their work with Parkinson’s disease. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

Please see Obituaries, page 20

Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from …

In memory of …

Anonymous ................................................Bessie Averbach

A gift from …

In memory of …

David Neft ....................................................................Saul Neft

Anonymous ......................................................... Anna Alpern

Jo Anne Persons..................................... Dr. Harold Kaiser

Sylvia & Norman Elias ..................Robert N. Moldovan Sylvia & Norman Elias .......................... Harry Moldovan

Mrs. Audrey Rosenthall ..............................Blanche Sigal Karen K. Shapiro ........................................Hyman Shapiro

Sylvia & Norman Elias ....................... Samuel Modovan Ivan L. Engel ...................................................Mildred Simon Idelle Hoffman .... Mildred “Mitzie” Greenwald Miller

Rhoda F. Sikov ..............................................William R. Finn Bruce B. Weiner .................................................Fannie Wolk

Aaron Krouse ............................................Abraham Krouse

Martin Winkler...........................................Benjamin Horne

Jere Leib ..................................................................Max H. Leib

Robert & Susan Zohlman ................. Elsie K. Goldman

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday May 31: Ida Friedman, Dora Samuel Goldfarb, Mollie T. Golomb, Phyllis Elaine Gutmacher, Anna B. Hausman, Michael O. Kohn, Sarah Koppleman, I. Hyman Lerner, Charlotte Perelstine, Sarah Y. Rudick, Irving Shapiro, Alex Silverman, Jacob Slome, David Soltz, Helen Tenenouser Monday June 1: Morris Borof, Sonia Drucker, Dora Felman, Sarah K. Gellman, Sylvia Gerson, Alvin Abe Golomb, Albert William Hertz, Albert Horn, Freda Horn, Leah Korobkin, Rochelle L. Lubarsky, Tillie Marshall, Helen Ohringer, Ernestine L. Rosenfield, Fannie Schachter, Nathan Silver, Rhoda Freedel Sternlight, Frances Tenor, Esther Martin Wallie Tuesday June 2: Goldie Ackerman, Mollie Goldberg, Charlotte Haffner, Sadie Katz, Sam Kaufman, Ida R. Kovacs, Irwin J. Kravitz, Tobias G. Lang, Clara M. Leon, Naomi Levinson, Sam Match, Frank R. Phillips, Louis A. Safier, David Sanes, Natalie Iris Santos, Rose Supoznick Schwartz, Jennie Raffel Silverman, Hyman Weiner, Edythe L. Wolfe Wednesday June 3: Aaron Cohen, Rose Blockstein Fisher, Freda Kalik, Gertrude Klein, Abraham Krouse, Dr. David Lipschutz, Louis Ruttenberg, Louis Sable, Theodora Helen Samuels, Morris Shapiro, David Sheffler, Margaret Katherine Stark, Rose H. Weisburgh, Norman Wesoky, William H. Yecies Thursday June 4: Edward Balter, Edith Rodney Berman, Lillian Cazen, Jacob Dickman, Ethel Sofer Frankel, Fannie Gordon, Morris Oberfield, Charles Zola Pollock, Leonard Robinson, Herman Shapiro, Isadore Thomashefsky Friday June 5: Rebecca Adler, Nellie Bricker, Anne Stein Fisher, Samuel Hankin, Albert Jacobson, William Moldovan, Rose Rattner, Norma Rosenstein, Samuel Rotter, Martin Rubin, Blanche Sigel, Seward Wilson, Fannie Wolk Saturday June 6: Sarah Lee Backal, Irving H. Cohen, Robert Cohen, Lena Davidson, David Friedman, Tillie Gordon, Marjorie Leff, Morris Hyman Leff, Fannye B. Mermelstein, Freda Oawster, Phillip Pattak, Samuel Schneirov, Florence Sherwin, Morris Thomashefsky

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

MAY 29, 2020 19

Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 19

STECKEL: Sarah Mittman Steckel, 97, formerly of Cleveland, Ohio, and Pompano Beach, Florida, passed away on Monday, May 18, 2020, at LGAR nursing facility in Turtle Creek.

Loving mother of Dee and Jeff Weinberg of Squirrel Hill and Larry and Cindy Mittman of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She was preceded in death by her husband Robert Mittman of Cleveland and Leon Steckel of Brooklyn, New York. Sarah was the proud Gramma of Jessica and Jason Neiss of Squirrel Hill and Seth and Yaffa Weinberg of Israel.

Holmes: Continued from page 17

For the wryly witty Holmes who, having been raised in a mixed-faith home with a decidedly non-Jewish sounding last name, has grappled with his own Jewish identity, there is an irony at work here that he particularly enjoys.

“I love the idea of being a guy who is often perceived as non-Jewish, but is,” he said, “while exploring a sound that is often identified strongly as Jewish, but isn’t.”

To put a finer point on things, it’s not that the sound Holmes explores on “Naked Lore” isn’t Jewish; it’s that it isn’t just Jewish.

Holmes is one of just a handful of musicians to have played klezmer every which way. For straight-ahead klez, see his work on powerhouse clarinetist Michael Winograd’s latest recording, “Kosher Style.” The two have also partnered to front the Tarras Band, a sextet assembled in tribute to the clarinetist and klezmer-revivalist Dave Tarras.

Meanwhile, Holmes has played regularly with klez fusionists Slavic Soul Party! and Inna Barmash’s Romashka for years.

With “Naked Lore,” though, it’s clear from

Great grandmother of Ellia, Moriah, Joshua, Dovid, Chava, Esther, Avrahmi, Zecil and Bracha. Her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were blessed with her love for six wonderful years in Pittsburgh.

Services and interment were private in Florida.

Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com WOLKEN: A lifelong Pittsburgher, Tobey Holstein Wolken died on May 19, 2020, a month shy of her 91st birthday. Tobey was a fiber artist, and an active member of the Fiberarts Guild and the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. In her early 50s, Tobey started

the trio format and slightly unorthodox instrumentation of trumpet, guitar (Ben Shepik) and percussion (Shane Shanahan) that Holmes is after a different trumpet sound. One that is more Miles Davis and less Earth, Wind & Fire. More lyrical improvisation and fewer of the recursive riffs and static dynamics associated with ensemble and section playing.

Dynamics that are sufficiently varied and nuanced so as to suggest connection with narrative underpinnings — “Naked Lore,” Holmes said, is to be the soundtrack of Jewish folk history, from the ancient to the contemporary to a future yet to be conceived; from the Middle East to the shtetl to the Diaspora.

These stylistic changes aren’t arbitrary and capricious but in line with Holmes’ evolving musical and anthropological interests. Holmes, who’s gone mainstream as a sideman for Vampire Weekend and Gogol Bordello, has seemingly gone off the reservation without reservation here, intent to explore the ancient musical origins that birthed the music we think of as Jewish, as well as all those related strains without which Jewish music could not be.

In its grandeur and scope and sprawl, “Naked Lore” actually is quite literary; that

quilting and using her sewing machine to embroider onto fabric. Her inspiration was nature, especially that of Woods Hole, Cape Cod where she spent many summers with her husband, the late Jerome J. Wolken. Tobey loved reading mysteries, cooking elaborate meals, tending to her garden, and delighting people with a subtle joke and a full body wink. Tobey’s family thanks Ahava at JAA for the incredible care and love that they provided to her and her

family over the past year. Tobey Wolken is survived by her daughter Johanna Zorn and husband Eric Zorn, son Erik Wolken and partner Rachel Winters, step-daughter Ann Alexandra Wolken, grandchildren Alex, Ben and Annie Zorn, Cassandra Wolken McGrath and Sarah Frederickson Wolken.

She outlived her sisters Harriet Holstein and Dorothy Unitan, husband Jerome J. Wolken, and step-son Jonathan Wolken. Services and interment private. All gifts in Tobey’s name should be made to the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, P.O. Box 9211, Pittsburgh, PA 15224. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com PJC

it seeks to evoke narrative is not surprising.

Though, it’s less of a plot-driven page-turner than an epic book of ideas. The album announces itself as a musical history of a world, but, deep down, it really aspires to be a musical history of the world.

The trio’s exploration, inversion and subversion of Freygish motifs is as thorough as advertised — and, yet, there’s a lot more, let’s call it texture, here. Holmes is too well schooled in too many modes not to give the listener at least a small taste of everything in his arsenal.

While the majority of the album’s compositions (all originals) are loosely foregrounded in Semitic motifs, nearly every track is the product of intermarriage.

Boleros cohabitating with driving Balkan

grooves. New Wave-influenced horas shacking up with distinct Flamenco flavors.

Post-bop and the Portuguese 12-string guitar taking it slow, first casually acknowledging each other’s existence then falling into a torrid love affair.

Conventional wisdom might dictate that combining these ostensibly disparate musical influences will be something like putting all your favorite foods between two slices of bread and expecting that sandwich to taste good. And then you ask yourself: “Wait, why wasn’t that supposed to taste good again?” PJC Matt Silver is a staff writer for the Jewish Exponent. He lives in Philadelphia.

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p A new, certified kosher Baskin-Robbins has opened on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill, just in time for summer. Kosher certification is under the supervision of the Vaad Horabonim of Greater Pittsburgh.

Photo by Jim Busis

20 MAY 29, 2020

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MAY 29, 2020 21

Community Repairing the world

p Repair the World Fellows helped purchase groceries and sort food supplies at Ratzon: Center for Healing and Justice.

The good stuff

Dinner and a movie

p Hadley Schmitt, daughter of Erika Schmitt, holds a stuffed Torah.

Photo courtesy of Temple David

22 MAY 29, 2020

Photos courtesy of Jason Edelstein

p More than 120 people watched the online premiere of JFCS’ Annual Meeting video “Hope & Healing” on May 21. The video highlighted successes and stories from each department, and included a presentation of the Howard and Beverly Mermelstein Leadership Award to Jillian Zacks.

Photo by Stefanie Small

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Community Powerful PowerPoint

Masks delivered to Pittsburgh

p Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh 12th-grade girls met with Dr. Rona Novick, dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University. Novick discussed resilience, physiology and growth in times of stress.

Screenshot courtesy of Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh

p Jewish Healthcare Foundation is working closely with local partners to protect health care workers and their families. Along those efforts, JHF supported the Allegheny Conference on Community Development for the Protective Mask Fund.

Photo courtesy of ACCD

Sweet times at JAA

Jewish Association of Aging residents received candy-grams from loved ones.

It’s your day May 22 was proclaimed Community Day School Class of 2020 Day in the City of Pittsburgh.

The proclamation was sponsored by Councilman Corey O’Connor.

p Ida G. holds a candy-gram.

p Molly Muffet, Kylee Shevitz and Kevin Shevitz

Photo courtesy of Community Day School

ZOA scholarships awarded

p Rachel Lessure

p Janet W. holds a candy-gram.

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Photos courtesy of Jewish Association on Aging

p Natan Marcus

p Alex Zatman

Rachel Lessure, Natan Marcus and Alex Zatman each received a $1,000 scholarship for Israel travel from Zionist Organization of America: Pittsburgh. As part of the application process, students were required to submit an essay on the topic, “What the State of Israel and Zionism Means to Me.” Funding made possible by endowments established by Avraham and Patti Anouchi; Harold and Marla Scheinman; the late Thelma Esman; the late Bernard and Esther Klionsky; and the Novick family, in loving memory of the late Ivan Photos courtesy of Zionist Organization of America: Pittsburgh and Natalie Novick.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

MAY 29, 2020 23

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