Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 9-11-20 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

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September 11, 2020 | 22 Elul 5780

Candlelighting 7:17 p.m. | Havdalah 8:14 p.m. | Vol. 63, No. 37 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Inspiring Pittsburgh’s youth

Making the holidays meaningful during COVID-19 Page 2

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Judaism post-pandemic: Pittsburgh Local leaders take a look ahead rabbis to address COVID-19, community and meaning in High Holiday sermons By David Rullo | Staff Writer

T institutions will move forward. “Plainly, there are going to be some difficult impacts that will be long lasting,” he said. Despite the ability to resume physical activities, Schiff, who has moved his adult education classes online, predicts some community members will wish to remain in the virtual space. “And yet, we know that, historically speaking, it’s really important in terms of creating and sustaining community, for people to be physically present,” he said. “It’s not an accident that God spent half of the book of Exodus giving us detailed instructions on how to build a physical place with architectural instructions that will bring us into God’s presence.” There is a need for the community to return to gathering in person as it did before COVID-19, he said. “Humanity is demonstrated most powerfully and profoundly when we can put our arms around each other – at times of celebration, at times of consolation – and therefore, the physical presence, the architecture and

o crib from another popular Jewish holiday, the question of the moment may well be: “How is this High Holiday season different from all others?” Pittsburgh area rabbis will be addressing that query and more this year within their holiday sermons. “It’s essential that we name what’s going on and speak with an awareness of our present circumstance,” said Rabbi Aaron Bisno, senior rabbi at Rodef Shalom Congregation. “At the same time, we must not lose sight of the timeless and ever urgent message of the High Holy Days.” “Ours is not the first generation to enter a new year in a time of tremendous challenge,” Bisno noted. While not committing to speaking specifically about the challenges of the pandemic, Bisno said he would be “addressing the new perspective and insight our liturgy suggests. This year, unlike any other, forces us to make meaning in these High Holy Days in radically new ways. We will be addressing the challenges this presents for all of us.” Beth El Congregation of the South Hills’ Rabbi Alex Greenbaum will be presenting three sermons, each with a different theme. “Rosh Hashanah day one, I will be doing racial inequality. So, modern and historic views on Black Lives Matter, from Abraham Joshua Heschel to today. Day two, the title of the sermon is ‘The Conservative Movement was created for COVID.’ It talks about

Please see Future, page 19

Please see Sermons, page 19

 Many congregations have been holding services online since the pandemic, and some may keep the online option even after COVID-19. Here, Congregation Beth Shalom's daily minyan via Zoom. Photo by Jim Busis

Past, present and future Page 10

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

SPORTS Running on faith

Haredi ‘Marathon Mother’ may miss Olympic race scheduled for Shabbat Page 22

oom services, virtual minyans, Skyped shivas, empty synagogues and half-filled JCCs have been the hallmarks of Jewish communal life in the age of COVID-19. But once the pandemic is behind us, will the practice of Judaism have been transformed fundamentally because of the changes and adaptations made during the course of the coronavirus crisis? “I am always extremely optimistic about the long-term future of the Jewish people and I remain that way,” said Rabbi Danny Schiff, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. He acknowledged, however, that the Jewish community is in a period of transition and can expect significant change that will, at times, be hard to manage. There will be three immediate challenges facing the Jewish community, according to Schiff: the impact of the stress and psychological tension caused by the virus; the need for healing, including for families who have lost loved ones; and determining how

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Headlines A meaningful High Holiday season planned for Pittsburgh’s youth — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

hile we probably won’t be seeing children at synagogue this year scampering down the aisles searching for their grandparents, playing endless hours of Match the Mitzvah Memory Game or enjoying peanut-free snacks, area educators and rabbis are nonetheless striving to create memorable and purposeful experiences this High Holiday season for Pittsburgh’s youth. Yael Eads, Rodef Shalom Congregation’s youth director, has produced an 11-day program for families to celebrate the holidays. With daily activities spanning from erev Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, much of the kit can be enjoyed at home with family, but there are also components intended for outdoor communal use, such as dissolvable paper for tashlich. “You can write what you want to get rid of on the dissolvable paper, and you can put it in water and the paper will go away,” said Eads. “It’s just like when you throw away your sins at a traditional tashlich.” Eads is finalizing details for an in-person youth tashlich service, and said that kit recipients who aren’t comfortable attending can certainly use the dissolvable paper at home. There has to be room for flexibility, as youth of all ages are experiencing numerous challenges this year, said Rabbi Jeremy Markiz, Congregation Beth Shalom’s director of Derekh and youth tefillah. “For many of them, school, playtime, community time, are on the screen, so our strategy is trying to create a balance between things that are synchronous and asynchronous, on the screen and in-person,” Markiz said.

smorgasbord of options, but rather curating programs and activities best suited to impart significance, said Markiz. To that end, Beth Shalom has produced a 48-page book complete with stories, coloring pages, games and other activities, including a guide for performing a Rosh Hashanah seder, a checklist for spurring Yom Kippur reflection and instructions for making one’s own scroll to dance with on Simchat Torah. The book is designed for users of different ages and circumstances, and while some activities can be performed p Rabbi Jeremy Markiz displays the Beth Shalom Youth by the whole family, Tefillah High Holiday Activity Book he helped design. other tasks are intended Photo courtesy of Rabbi Jeremy Markiz for individuals. “I’m proud of all the For example, a service for Beth Shalom work we create, but this is the first time we’ve pre-K children will occur virtually and ever done this,” said Markiz. “I think it will synchronously on Rosh Hashanah, but there provide real value, and I’m excited to hear also will be a prerecorded service for older what people have to say.” children so that each family can access the At Temple Emanuel of South Hills, program at a day and time most convenient families can expect several meaningful to its own needs, said Markiz. opportunities this season. Whether through Along with engaging youth through various holiday-related programs and screens, Beth Shalom is offering some services or a congregationally designed tech-free activities, including an in-person care package, complete with machzorim, tashlich for middles schoolers and a separate a discussion guide for the Rosh Hashanah program for those in high school. seder, a do-it-yourself tashlich kit and other Ensuring that children and fami- activities, there will be a number of tools lies enjoy a meaningful holiday period for enabling introspection and growth, said doesn’t necessarily mean presenting a Temple Emanuel’s Rabbi Aaron Meyer.

While educators and rabbis have worked hard during the pandemic shutdown to find ways to effectively impart meaning in a largely digital world, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot present unique challenges, said Chaim Steinberg, Young Judaea Pittsburgh youth coordinator. “We’re all in uncharted territory,” he said. “It’s kind of weird to think about how much is still ahead of us.” Since in-person youth activities largely ended six months ago, Young Judaea, like other youth groups, has hosted a number of digital events. Rather than gathering children for another virtual talk, Steinberg is offering two alternative holiday activities. Prior to Rosh Hashanah, Young Judaea youth are scheduled to go apple picking. Because of the holiday’s timing this year, there should still be apples at some of the orchards, and people can wear masks and physically distance, said Steinberg. Additionally, in lieu of an in-person sukkah hop, Young Judaea youth will enjoy a blindfolded edible-sukkah building competition. The online educational game begins with information about the laws of sukkah construction and is followed by assigning participants, all of whom are at home, into teams of two. After each team is placed into its own Zoom room, the non-blindfolded team member guides the blindfolded person on how to use edible items to build a sukkah. “The thought was, How do we do a program that isn’t just another Zoom event that no one wants to go to?” said Steinberg. “We will continue to get better, we will continue to evolve and we will continue to adapt. That’s part of Young Judaea and Jewish youth programming in general.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines JAA prepares for High Holidays — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

s the world continues to grapple with the consequences of the coronavirus crisis, Jewish communities face unprecedented challenges in finding ways to safely observe the High Holiday season. The staff of the Jewish Association on Aging is working to meet those challenges for the residents of Charles Morris Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Weinberg Village and Weinberg Terrace, and tenants at the New Riverview Apartments, by adapting familiar traditions. “It’s going to be the same, but it’s going to be different” said Rabbi Eli Seidman, the JAA’s director of pastoral care. Residents still will be offered the opportunity to reflect on the previous year and focus on hope for the future, he said, but in a different way. “We’re not going to have a big service with the whole community,” Seidman said. “We’re not going to have the rabbi’s sermon, we’re not going to have singing. We’re going to have shorter [broadcast] services and no kiddush and honey cake with a chance to schmooze.” One holiday ritual that will remain is the blowing of the shofar. The shofar blasts will be prerecorded and Seidman will fit a blue surgical mask over the horn.

p Rabbi Eli Seidman blows a shofar outfitted with a mask for the JAA’s High Holiday recording. Photo provided by the Jewish Association on Aging

When the pandemic required the cancellation of large, community seders at Passover, Seidman had hoped by the High Holidays residents would again be able to celebrate together. Unfortunately, the uptick in cases in Allegheny County the last several months has required the JAA to maintain strict safety protocols. As of press time, there had

been no new positive cases of COVID-19 at JAA facilities in several weeks. “We are dealing with the most vulnerable people, the most vulnerable populations,” Seidman said. In past years, the Orthodox rabbi offered two services at JAA facilities: a Hebrew service on Rosh Hashanah morning and

another, quicker service in English. This year, the rabbi has recorded a half-hour service that will be broadcast on closed-circuit TV. Keeping to the “same but different” theme, Seidman has included a version of Avinu Malkeinu sung by Barbra Streisand. Another half-hour service will be recorded for Yom Kippur, including Shlomo Carlebach performing Kol Nidre. There will be no in-person services at the JAA facilities. Residents are accustomed to visits with relatives during the holiday season, but in-person visits have been halted for months. Despite window visits and FaceTime calls, residents are fighting feelings of loneliness and social isolation, the rabbi said. He anticipates those feelings to be particularly difficult during Yom Kippur’s Yizkor service. “You’re still remembering, but not in the group and the group gives strength,” Seidman said. “Think about going through difficult times — your family and your friends help you, the people next to you help you, the neighbors help you, seeing others going through the same thing helps you. So now, we don’t have the group and we all have to work a little harder. That includes me, that includes the residents and staff and nurses.” For Seidman, who retires in October, this will be the final time he oversees High Holiday services at the JAA, making this Please see JAA, page 20

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Headlines Shofar blowing strategies revamped to address COVID-19 concerns — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

JCC 125th Annual Meeting Tuesday, September 15 5:15-6 PM Join us on ZOOM State of the Center by Brian Schreiber ,QVWDOODWLRQ RI 2ƯFHUV Volunteer Awards 2020 ͻ ^: EŽǀĞŶ <ŽĂĐŚ ǁĂƌĚ͗ Todd Reidbord ͻ ZŽŐĂůͲZƵƐůĂŶĚĞƌ >ĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ǁĂƌĚ͗ Scott Seewald ͻ /ĚĂ ĂŶĚ ^ĂŵƵĞů >ĂƚƚĞƌŵĂŶ sŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌ DŝƚǌǀĂŚ ǁĂƌĚ͗ Margie Ruttenberg ͻ >ŝůůŝĂŶ 'ŽůĚƐƚĞŝŶ ^ĞŶŝŽƌ ĚƵůƚ sŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌ >ĞĂĚĞƌƐŚŝƉ ǁĂƌĚ͗ Stephen Tobe ͻ >ŽǀŝŶŐ <ŝŶĚŶĞƐƐ ǁĂƌĚ͗ /Ŷ DĞŵŽƌǇ ŽĨ Bobby Goldstein ͻ ĂƉůĂŶͲ>ŝĞďĞƌ ,ƵŵĂŶ ZĞůĂƚŝŽŶƐ ǁĂƌĚ͗ Aniya Akhtar ͻ ϮϬϮϬ WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚŝĂů ŝƚĂƚŝŽŶ͗ Olivia Livingston

earing the blasts of the shofar is the central mitzvah of Rosh Hashanah, but amid a global pandemic, the blowing of the ram’s horn, like just about everything else, has become complicated. Usually, shofar blowers are surrounded by clergy and lay leaders of the High Holiday service, as well as young children eager to hear the ancient horn’s resounding blasts or observe the instrumentalist’s reddened cheeks and amusing facial expressions. Given concerns that sounding the shofar potentially can produce airborne particles transmitting COVID-19, though, local congregations are distancing shofar blowers from nearby listeners while still encouraging people to hear the instrument’s various wailing and triumphant cries. Temple David, a Reform congregation in Monroeville, is hosting online High Holiday services and inviting participants to an in-person program titled, “Drive-In Shofar on the Roof,” where people can drive to the synagogue’s parking lot, remain in their cars, and hear the shofar blasted from above, said Temple David’s Rabbi Barbara Symons. Kesher Pittsburgh is offering a similar hybrid experience. Along with online services, the independent, post-denominational community is offering in-person events in Fox Chapel and Shadyside where attendees can drive up, stay in their cars and enjoy a distanced listening. People can either roll down their windows or join in by bringing their own shofars and sounding along during the “car-cophony,” said Kesher Pittsburgh co-leader Sara Stock Mayo. Mentioned in the Bible and rabbinic literature as an instrument to denote awe, herald occasions and invite repentance, the shofar is

typically associated with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Many congregations, though, began using the shofar weeks ago at the start of the Hebrew month of Elul. As a 29-day leadup to the Jewish new year, Temple Emanuel of South Hills members are traveling throughout Pittsburgh, sounding the instrument and recording the experience for online viewing. Whether at the Forbes Field Wall in Oakland, inside Heinz Hall or beside the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, Temple Emanuel shofar blowers are seeking to awaken listeners’ souls and encourage people to connect to the seasonal spirit, said Temple Emanuel’s Rabbi Aaron Meyer. During the High Holidays, the Reform congregation plans on hosting several intimate outdoor events with shofar blowers standing approximately 30 feet from listeners. “This will both allow for better visibility and for the aerosols and droplets to disperse well before reaching a congregant,” Meyer said. Aerosolized distribution from wind and brass instruments was recently investigated by researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Maryland. In a non-peer reviewed study, released July 2020, researchers found that instruments, like trumpets and clarinets, emitted higher concentrations of aerosols, and that masks or nylon bell coverings over the instruments’ ends reduced particle concentrations. Congregation Beth Shalom’s Rabbi Seth Adelson has blown the shofar this month while masking its end with a sock but found that disturbed the sound quality. Now, he is blasting the instrument daily from the roof of the synagogue’s Early Learning Center during afternoon pickups throughout the Hebrew month of Elul. As for the High Please see Shofar, page 20

Go to JCCPGH.org for registration details For more information: Rosemary Alley 412-697-3519 Ralley@JCCPGH.org

p Rabbi Seth Adelson marked the first day of Elul by blowing the shofar on the roof of Beth Shalom. Photo by Jim Busis

4 SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

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Headlines Campus conversations about Israel will be different this year. Here’s what’s in the works. — LOCAL — By Kayla Steinberg | Digital Content Manager

he way Aidan Segal sees it, news articles aren’t as effective as they used to be. “The language of our time right now is these short, snappy, aesthetically pleasing Instagram posts,” said Segal, one of the University of Pittsburgh’s two fellows for CAMERA on Campus, part of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America. “If you want to reach out to people, you’re probably just going to have to speak that language.” Case in point: A post reshared on Instagram by a Pitt alumnus who graduated in the spring as an example of how things have changed. It read: “in 4 days (july 1st), Israel is planning to annex Palestine. This means many Palestinians are gonna be displaced from their homes, stripped of their rights & their resources including agriculture. Here are some donation links you can donate to and or boost!” Claire Lapat, Pitt’s Panthers for Israel president and a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow, saw the post and commented with links offering context on the annexation. The person who posted later updated his caption to reflect that he had gained perspective. For

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p Aidan Segal on Burghright

Lapat, this was a social media win. Social media trends, political events and COVID-19 are set to alter conversations about Israel on campus this year, prompting pro-Israel students and organizations to adapt their engagement tactics. For Segal, it’s about developing a strong online presence. He plans to write articles and share other CAMERA Fellows’ content. He and the other CAMERA Fellow at Pitt are also planning a Zoom introduction dinner as well

Photo courtesy of Aidan Segal

as subsequent virtual events featuring speakers. Segal hopes the events and articles he’s planning will offer nuance in conversations about anti-Semitism and Israel. He thinks that the trend to repost content — often inaccurate and one-sided — has people unknowingly transmitting anti-Semitic views. But he doesn’t cut people slack for ignorance. “If everyone just has this expectation to understand the ins and outs of certain types of racism, then I should have the same

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expectation for people to understand the dangers of anti-Semitism and what happens whenever you spread it,” he said. Panthers for Israel also plans to use digital tools to its advantage. The student group, which is within the Hillel JUC umbrella, will virtually offer its six-week Israel 360 course about Zionism, Israel and the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. And it is planning a Zoom event with Artists 4 Israel, a pro-Israel art organization. “Zoom in some ways has broadened the opportunities that we have because we can bring in anyone from around the world if the timing fits,” said Lapat. “They don’t need to be here in Pittsburgh. They just need a link.” Lapat also hopes to open channels for dialogue with other student groups, perhaps a collaboration to fundraise for the Ethiopian National Project, which strives to help Ethiopian Israelis succeed. It’s about creating programming that matches the campus “vibes,” Lapat said, though COVID-19 can make those vibes harder to discern. For example, responses to the UAE-Israel normalization might appear in new channels due to the pandemic. “Whenever something this significant happens in volatile areas of Please see Israel, page 20

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 5

Calendar >>Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q SUNDAY, SEPT. 13

Registration is open for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s 10th Annual Apples & Honey Virtual Fall Festival. The festival will include special programming, a live event and plenty of downloadable activities. 10 a.m. For more information, visit jewishpgh.org. Join Partnership2Gether and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, in collaboration with Classrooms Without Borders, for the movie “H.I. Jew Positive,” about four Polish Jews who discover their Jewish identities. A post-film conversation will include director and producer, Ronit Kertsner, Polish Jewish history scholar Natalia Aleksium and Polish Jews who are part of this ongoing process. 1 p.m. Visit jewishpgh.org for more information and to register. Chabad of the South Hills presents a Pre-Rosh Hashanah Creative Canvas Painting, outdoors and socially distanced in its parking lot. All children age 3-11 are welcome, $8/child. 3 p.m. For more information and to register, visit chabadsh.com. q SUNDAYS, SEPT. 13, 20, 27; OCT. 4, 11

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. q MONDAYS, SEPT. 14, 21, 28; OCT. 5, 12

Join Rabbi Jeremy Markiz in learning Masechet Rosh Hashanah, a tractate of the Talmud about the many new years that fill out the Jewish calendar at Monday Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAYS, SEPT. 14; OCT. 12; NOV. 9;

DEC. 14

Join Classrooms Without Borders in Israel — virtually. Monthly tours with guide and scholar, Rabbi Jonty Blackman, via Zoom. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org.

q TUESDAY, SEPT. 15

Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh President & CEO Brian Schreiber presents “The State of the Center,” at the JCC's Annual Meeting. Join the JCC on Zoom for the installation of officers and the presentation of the 2020 volunteer awards. 5:15 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jccpgh.org. q WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh online for This Is Us: 2021 Community Campaign Kickoff and help launch the 2021 Community Campaign. This first-time virtual event is partnered with The Jewish Federations of North America, featuring Eugene, Sarah and Dan Levy. 1 p.m. Learn more at jewishpgh.org/this-is-us. q WEDNESDAYS, SEPT. 16, 23, 30

Before you are ready, they will be here. The great days. The awe-inspiring opportunities for human renewal afforded to us each year. This time they will be challenging. Feeling inspiration away from synagogue and community will be hard. So, preparation is needed. Join Rabbi Danny Schiff for Readiness: The Tishrei Holyday Seminars. Learn about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot, and what they each have to offer in this unprecedented year. All three sessions are just $18. 9:30 a.m. To register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q TUESDAY, SEPT. 22

The High Holidays are traditionally the time to atone for harm caused in the past year but how should we go about doing that? When does it make sense to apologize for something that happened months ago and what does that look like? Join Moishe House Pittsburgh for How to Apologize: A Discussion. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit facebook.com/ moishehouse.pittsburgh. q THURSDAY, SEPT. 24

Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with Rodef Shalom Congregation and the Maltz Museum of Jewish heritage, present “Eva: A-7063” and a post-film discussion with Michael Berenbaum and film director Ted Green. 3 p.m. Educators attending this program are eligible to receive Pennsylvania

One of the most important decisions you will make…

Act 48 continuing education credits. RSVP at classroomswithoutborder.org. The University of Pittsburgh Jewish Studies Program in partnership with the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, the Department of Theatre Arts and the Film and Media Studies Program presents “Warsaw’s Most Beloved Jew: The Prewar and Postwar Celebrity of Lopek-Krukowski.” 5:30 p.m. For more information and to register, visit calendar. pitt.edu/department/jewish_studies_program. q MONDAY, SEPT. 28

Break your Yom Kippur fast with a kosher — and vegan-friendly meal in Moishe House Pittsburgh’s backyard. To allow guests to eat six feet apart, attendance will be capped at five households/ pods. Advance registration is required. 7:30 p.m. For more information and to register, visit facebook.com/moishehouse.pittsburgh. 7:30 p.m. q THURSDAY, OCT. 1

What are the foundational elements that make up the story of Israel, and what are some of the key questions that Israel contends with as it continues to grow and develop in a shifting regional and international reality? Find out during the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s “A Small Country & Some Big Questions — Israel from the 20th to the 21st Centuries” with Scott Copeland, vice president of education at Onward Israel. 12 p.m. Visit jewishpgh.org for more information and to register. q WEDNESDAYS, OCT. 7, 14, 21, 28;

NOV. 4, 11

The 21st century is already 20 years old. In that time, the Reform movement has produced more responsa than any other non-Orthodox movement. What have these pieces taught us about 21st century Judaism? In 21 C Reform Responsa, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will examine two decades of responsa for their statements about contemporary Judaism. Six Sessions for $30. 11 a.m. To register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q TUESDAY, OCT. 13

Join the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Pittsburgh Holocaust Center for Preserving Holocaust History through Artifacts,

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q THURSDAYS, OCT. 15; DEC. 3; FEB. 18;

MARCH 18; MAY 6; JUNE 17

We live in a time of multiple challenges. Controversial issues and struggles confront us daily. But the truth is that Jews have never desisted from addressing tough problems. In this year’s Continuing Legal Education Series, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will dive into a range of “tense topics” — difficult and troubling issues that are both powerfully emotional subjects and have substantive legal ramifications at the same time. Get up to 12 CLE ethics credits. With CLE/ CEU credit: $30/session or $180 all sessions; Without CLE/CEU credit: $25/session or $150 all sessions. 8:30 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q SUNDAYS, OCT. 18, 25; NOV. 1, 8, 15,

22; DEC. 6; JAN. 31; FEB. 7, 14, 21, 28; MARCH 7, 14

What does Jewish tradition have to say about God, Torah, mitzvot, suffering, messiah, Israel…? In his special course, Pittsburgh Rabbis on Jewish Belief, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will host 14 Pittsburgh rabbis, each teaching a session on fundamental aspects of Jewish belief. Fourteen sessions for $70. 10 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q MONDAYS, OCT. 19, 26; NOV. 2, 9, 16, 30;

DEC. 7; FEB. 1, 8, 15, 22; MARCH 1, 8, 15

Most people associate the term “Haftarah” with opaque prophetic reading on Shabbat morning. This course, “Haftarah,” will attempt to make the opaque sparkle. Choosing selectively from the most interesting Haftarah portions, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will seek to imbue meaning in these powerful prophetic passages. Fourteen sessions for $70. 9:30 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. PJC

helping you plan for what matters the most

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

Plots are available in the following JCBA cemeteries: Agudath Achim (Hampton Township) • Anshe Lubovitz • Beth Abraham B’nai Israel (Steubenville) • Machsikei HaDas • Shaare Zedeck Workman’s Circle #45 • Workman’s Circle #975 For more information please visit our website at www.jcbapgh.org, email us at jcbapgh@gmail.com or call the JCBA at 412-553-6469.

Archives and Research, a live digital program, exclusive to the Pittsburgh community, featuring the Museum’s National Institute for Holocaust Documentation and its work to collect, preserve, and make accessible to the public this vast collection of records of the Holocaust and support the museum’s wide-ranging efforts in the areas of research, exhibition, publication, education and commemoration. 12 p.m. For more information and to register for this free event, visit hcofpgh.org.

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With the increasing costs of long-term care, having the help of a legal professional when planning for your family’s future can help you make better decisions that can result in keeping more of your money. We help families understand the strategies, the benefits, and risks involved with elder law, disability and estate planning. Michael H. Marks, Esq. michael@marks-law.com member, national academy of elder law attorneys

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Headlines Gertrude Kingsbacher Sunstein: Strong woman — HISTORY — By Eric Lidji | Special to the Chronicle

selection of documents from the life of Gertrude Kingsbacher Sunstein, on a theme: “Songs of Revelry” was a booklet of lyrics compiled by family and friends in 1910, on the occasion of Gertrude Kingsbacher’s marriage to Elias Sunstein. Throughout the 20th century, it was common practice at social events, especially Jewish social events, to write inside-joke lyrics to popular melodies. The first song in the booklet is “The Pair,” to the tune of “E-Yip-I Addy-I Ay.” It recounts the couple’s romance. The first lines are, “Our Gertrude to Bryn Mawr/ Did go and was by far/ The strongest girl there of the crowd.” Almost 70 years before Title IX, Sunstein was a student athlete. She led the women’s basketball team at Rodef Shalom. At Bryn Mawr, she was captain of the basketball team and a member of its field hockey and track teams. She must have also played tennis there, because we have a photograph showing her standing midcourt, pretending to serve. A few years later, in 1914, before the wedding of her sister Florence Kingsbacher and local boy William Frank, friends and family created a fake program for an imaginary play called “Joys in Babeland,” about the soon-to-be-married couple. The program is filled with make-believe advertisements, public service announcements and upcoming attractions, each crammed with inside jokes about the couple and their social circle. Among those gags is a list of books published by the imaginary Straus Publication Society. Each title is a dig on someone in the group, including “The Iron Woman,” attributed to Sunstein. There was an actual novel by that name, published in installments in Harper’s Weekly in 1910 and 1911 and later as a bestselling hardcover. It tells the story of a widow who owns and operates an iron mill in a fictionalized Pittsburgh. Sunstein was not an industrialist, but she was enthusiastic about equality. Elsewhere in

p Gertrude Kingsbacher Sunstein was an athlete, an educator and a suffragette. Photo courtesy of Rauh Jewish Archives

the program is an advertisement purportedly placed by her, although more likely it was playfully placed at her expense by whoever made the book. “Votes for Women!” it demands, and then it goes on to explain:

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“Men who support our cause are not necessarily henpecked. Not even if they march in the suffrage parades. FOR EXAMPLE—MY HUSBAND.” It is signed “Gertrude Sunstein, Publicity Manager, Equal Franchise League,”

a local branch of the national campaign to get the vote for American women. Seven years after helping women get that vote, Sunstein attended the “Harvey Circus,” the theme of Harvey Strassburger’s 50th birthday party at the Concordia Club. As the Jewish Criterion described it, a few days later, “The interior of the club was arranged to represent a mammoth circus. Large posters in the main hall, depicting the many thrills and attractions in the ball room above, which had been converted into a regular circus ground, with sawdust, huge canvas tent, rows of circus seats, side show, band wagon, ballyhoo, vendors of peanuts, pink lemonade, etc., in fact everything of the flare and glamor of a real circus. The ceiling and chandeliers of the ball room were festooned with myriads of colored balloons, which presented a very delightful and colorful effect.” Guests came dressed as various circus archetypes, “clowns, acrobats, midgets, bareback riders, jugglers, skeletons, ballet dancers and various wild animals,” the Criterion reported, employing at least one since-outdated term. Sunstein was Lady Samson, the “strong woman of the gay nineties” who “tears the cards and breaks the apples.” She held a giant sign that described her character as “the only genuine sideshow in the circus.” It sounds to me like a cross-generational dig, similar to “OK Boomer” today. The “gay nineties” were an invention of the 1920s. In their nostalgic yearning for the 1890s, people were shaving the rough edges off the recent past and condemning the confusing present. The only other surviving photograph from the Harvey Circus shows Harvey’s mother, Julia Strassburger, born 1854. In the gay nineties, she would have been about the age Sunstein was that evening in 1927. She is standing in the same spot as Sunstein, but she wears no costume and carries no sign, preferring dark clothing and a dour expression. PJC

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Headlines Soviet refusenik and her filmmaker daughter recount â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Operation Weddingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; LOCAL â&#x20AC;&#x201D; By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

efore the Iron Curtain crumbled there was an initial crack. The fissure, which ultimately led to more than 1 million Soviet Jews emigrating to Israel, began with a push from 16 refuseniks. Having been denied exit visas, the small group devised a plan to purchase every ticket for a 12-seater plane, board the aircraft, forcibly remove the Russian pilots and fly the

single engine machine across the western border and escape the Soviet Union. On the morning of June 15, 1970, the 16 refuseniks arrived at the Smolny Airport near Leningrad with suitcases in hand, purporting to be traveling to a wedding. But moments before boarding the Antonov An-2 aircraft, they were met by members of the KGB who had long known about the intended hijacking. A scuffle ensued, arrests were made, charges of high treason were brought, a trial was held and sentences were delivered. Mark Dymshits and Eduard Kuznetsov, the refuseniksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; leaders, were initially

p Tsipy Gur discusses the importance of remembering â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Operation Wedding.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Screenshots by Adam Reinherz

The Pittsburgh secular Jewish community wishes everyone a Healthy & Happy New Year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The goal of good health is to enable a person to acquire wisdom.â&#x20AC;? ~Maimonides

sentenced to death. The remaining defendants were to be jailed for varying durations. Among those banished to the gulag was Sylva Zalmanson, Kuznetsovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife and the only woman tried. Fifty years after those events, a subsequent appeal and an eventual prisoner exchange, Zalmanson and her daughter, Israeli-born filmmaker Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov, joined Classrooms Without Borders last week for an online program to recount the failed hijacking, imprisonment conditions, Zalmansonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s release and the process of returning to the former Soviet Union to document the ordeal.

This program was a chance to preserve a history thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quickly being forgotten, said Tsipy Gur, Classrooms Without Bordersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; founder and executive director. Prior to event, participants were provided access to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Operation Wedding,â&#x20AC;? ZalmansonKuznetsovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 62-minute film whose title pays homage to the refuseniksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; plan. The documentary, which received multiple international awards since its 2016 debut, blends archival footage with recent interviews of Zalmanson-Kuznetsovâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents, Please see Refusenik, page 20

p Sylva Zalmanson and Anat Zalmanson-Kuznetsov join Classrooms Without Borders.

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Headlines Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh marks 40 years with webinar, new digital exhibitions — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

he Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh celebrated its 40th anniversary virtually on Wednesday, Sept. 2, during a Zoom webinar. The event, dubbed “Past, Present and Future,” featured community members who have supported the Center and Holocaust education through the years, including Holocaust Center Director Lauren Bairnsfather and Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Jeffrey Finkelstein. Barbara Shapira, chair of the Center’s advisory board, opened the program by recounting the events of Jan. 29, 1979, when a group of Pittsburghers formed the Pittsburgh Holocaust Committee with the intention of creating a memorial to the Shoah. The committee’s simple plans were soon updated with a broader vision. “The committee very quickly went further,” Shapira said. “It agreed that a physical monument alone was not enough. It recognized that a physical presence and the symbolism it can project can impact and influence. However, a living memorial, dynamic and human, must be the essence of

the effort to remember.” Shapira said the intention was for the Center to include a museum, library, classrooms, meeting spaces and audiovisual center, and have the capacity to sponsor exhibits, conferences, commemorations and oral histories. She recounted the Center’s journey from original director Isaiah Kuperstein’s office in the former Oakland JCC building to its subsequent locations in Squirrel Hill and Oakland, and its present home in Greenfield. “Plans are in the works to return to the heart of the Jewish community in 2021,” Shapira noted. The Center may be relocating to the Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha building in Squirrel Hill when it is eventually refurbished. Jeff Letwin, co-chair of the steering committee at Tree of Life, said it would be a “tremendous opportunity” for the Holocaust Center to have a presence at “the site of the worst anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history.” Finkelstein praised the Holocaust Center’s work educating the wider community about the Holocaust and hate. “The Center teaches what can happen when such beliefs get out of control,” he said. “By working on educating the educators, teaching the public, training law and order professionals and, frankly, exposing those

p A panel representing the history of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh discussed the center’s 40th anniversary on a Zoom webinar. Screenshot provided by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

completely unaware of the horrors of the Holocaust, which is unfortunately a growing number in America, we hope that history will not repeat itself for the Jewish people, for any people.” Other notable presenters included Linda Hurwitz, the longest serving director of the Center, Holocaust survivor Steven Fenves

Please see Holocaust, page 20

This week in Israeli history

L'Shana Tova!

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

Sept. 11, 1921 — Moshav Nahalal founded

Have a sweet year! from your friends at Ten Thousand Villages

Moshav Nahalal, a new kind of agricultural settlement combining a kibbutz’s communal principles with private land ownership, is founded in the northwestern Jezreel Valley between Haifa and Afula.

Sept. 12, 2009 — Israeli Film wins Golden Lion

An Israeli film, “Lebanon,” wins the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival for the first time. Written and directed by Samuel Maoz, the movie follows a tank brigade in the First Lebanon War.

Sept. 13, 1984 — Peres becomes premier

Shimon Peres becomes Israel’s eighth prime minister, leading a national unity government combining his Alignment with Likud and six other parties. Peres agrees to yield the position to Likud leader Yitzhak Shamir after two years.

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and new Federation Chair David Sufrin. Emmy Award-winning producer Emmai Alaquiva, whose exhibit “Optic Voices: Roots” was displayed at the Holocaust Center in 2019, discussed the bridge between activism and art and why, as an African

Sept. 14, 1948 — Palmach integrated into IDF Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announces after a meeting with Palmach leaders

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that the Haganah strike force, formed in 1941, is being dismantled as an independent unit and integrated into the Israel Defense Forces.

Sept. 15, 2009 — Goldstone presents Gaza report

Judge Richard Goldstone presents his U.N.-sponsored report criticizing Israel and Hamas for their actions during the 2008-2009 Gaza war. In April 2011 he recants suggestions that Israel intentionally killed civilians.

Sept. 16, 1977 — Dayan Meets with Egyptian

Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan holds secret talks in Morocco with Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister Hassan Tuhami to assess each side’s willingness to negotiate toward peace. The talks lead to Anwar Sadat’s Israel visit in November.

Sept. 17, 1978 — Camp David Accords are signed

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin sign the Camp David Accords, brokered by President Jimmy Carter. The accords lead to the March 1979 peace treaty, but a section on Palestinian autonomy produces nothing. PJC

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Headlines Biden campaign launches PA Jewish outreach effort — LOCAL — By Jesse Bernstein | Special to the Chronicle

an Siegel, 32, didn’t have to say much during the Zoom-based launch of Pennsylvania’s Jewish Americans for Biden’s outreach program on Sept. 3, as his more well-known co-speakers spelled out the case that he’ll be making in the months to come as the new Jewish outreach director for Joe Biden’s Pennsylvania campaign team. Siegel, who lives in Philadelphia, will have his work cut out for him. The Biden campaign has expanded its faith-based outreach in recent weeks, according to The Washington Post. Yet not every person charged with making such appeals is based in the campaign headquarters’ city that is, in turn, inside of a crucial swing state that voted for Donald Trump in 2016. “Man, as an organizer by training, I’m overwhelmed by it,” Siegel said. “But as a member of this community, I feel empowered by the task.” During the Zoom call, a parade of familiar Jewish figures from the state extolled Biden and his campaign. State Rep. Jared Solomon, former U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, Pittsburgh-based Rabbi

p Dan Siegel pictured at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Courtesy of Dan Siegel

Jamie Gibson and Doug Emhoff, husband of vice presidential nominee and California Sen. Kamala Harris, each described several Bidens. They spoke about Biden the Vocal Opponent of Anti-Semitism, Biden the Tough But Fair Friend of Israel and Biden Who Cares About the Things That You Care About. No Biden was more frequently invoked than Biden the Mensch. The campaign’s origin story, wherein Biden resolved to run in the wake of the Charlottesville, Virginia, marches, was also discussed. Outside of Shapiro’s portion of the panel-style event, led by Solomon, Trump was largely absent. That rhetorical mix, Siegel said, is just what he hopes to get out to voters between now and November. Trump’s record, he believes, speaks for itself when it comes to

most Jewish voters, and harping on it will have limited utility. Therefore, the focus will be on the Democratic candidate himself. “What I think we need to do,” Siegel said, “is remind people that he is the person we need, not just on Israel, but on the other multitude of values that Jewish Americans vote on, care about and live every day.” Siegel is no Johnny-come-lately to the Biden orbit, nor to Jewish voter outreach in Pennsylvania. In 2010, just out of the University of Rochester, he was hired to work on Chris Coons’ Senate campaign in Delaware. Because the world of Democratic politics in Delaware is so small, Siegel and the campaign saw a lot of then-Vice President Biden, as well as his son Beau, who was the attorney general. That successful effort convinced Siegel to stick with campaign work and, in 2012, he corralled Jewish voters for Obama in Montgomery County outside of Philadelphia. He recalls with pride an event at Congregation Kesher Israel with then-Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz that outdrew an event that same night in Philadelphia that featured Alicia Keys and then-First Lady Michelle Obama. If he was just wading in before, he had now fully immersed himself in Democratic electoral politics. “It’s just what I love to do,” he said.

Part of the reason for that full immersion was that Siegel found compelling and frequent overlaps between what was important to him politically and what was important to him as a Jewish person. To him, Jewish political action in America is “the tide that lifts all ships,” bringing gains to others in their fight to improve their own lot. In the Biden campaign, Siegel believes he’s found a candidate who exemplifies such an approach. Siegel spent time as deputy regional director for J Street in Pennsylvania and New Jersey before he left for Dover Strategy Group, a communications firm where he remained until a few weeks ago. A phone call from the Biden campaign’s Pennsylvania state director, Brendan McPhillips, brought him aboard. As the election draws near, Siegel will work to convince Jews across Pennsylvania of the same vision for a Biden presidency that he and everyone on the launch event articulated. Trump won Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes in 2016 by fewer than 45,000 votes, and Siegel intends to reverse the result. “We fight for equity, because we know it’s good for everyone, and therefore us,” Siegel said. “And we see that in Joe Biden, and we get excited about somebody who is going to fight the good, hard fight.” PJC Jesse Bernstein writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication.

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Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

40 Israeli cities placed under coronavirus curfew along with neighborhoods in Jerusalem and elsewhere

Forty Israeli cities and towns, as well as neighborhoods of Jerusalem and elsewhere, have been placed under nightly curfews to curb the spread of the coronavirus. A ministerial committee tasked with declaring closed areas approved the list this week. Most of the communities with the 7 p.m. curfews for the next week are Arab and haredi Orthodox. Along with Jerusalem, Sderot, Eilat, Ashkelon, Ashdod and Beit Shemesh are among the cities to have certain neighborhoods with the curfew. While the mayors of some Arab towns reportedly said they welcomed the curfews, mayors of haredi towns told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they would not cooperate, throwing the plans into disarray. Under the curfew, residents will be forbidden from leaving their homes between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., and nonessential businesses will be required to close at 7 p.m., although there will be no restriction on movement in and out of the areas. Schools in the communities will be closed. The government failed on Sunday and Monday to approve the list of communities designated as “red” because of their high infection rates. Israel currently has the highest rate of new infections per capita in the world, with an average of 199.3 new cases a day per 1 million residents for the week ending Sept. 2, according to official figures.

New initiative will significantly lower price of Jewish teen trips to Israel

A new initiative will significantly lower the cost of group trips to Israel for Jewish-American teens. The Jewish Education Project announced Tuesday that it received a $20 million gift from The Marcus Foundation for its RootOne initiative. The funds will subsidize trips by five Jewish youth groups — the pluralistic BBYO, the Orthodox NCSY and the Reform NFTY, along with USY and Ramah, both affiliated with the Conservative movement. With the subsidies, the groups can lower the cost of the trips by $3,000 per participant. The cost typically ranges from $4,500

to $8,000 for trips lasting three to six weeks. The initiative hopes to increase the number of teens participating in the trips by 40% every year, according to a statement. “We want young people stepping onto their college campuses with deep connections to Israel and strong Jewish identities,” Marcus Foundation Chairman Bernie Marcus said in the statement. The first trips financed through the initiative are expected to take place next summer.

NFL quarterback Josh Rosen signed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed Jewish quarterback Josh Rosen, a first round draft pick in 2018, to their practice squad, ESPN is reporting. Rosen was released by the Miami Dolphins recently after unsuccessful attempts to trade him. The Bucs, who signed former New England Patriots star Tom Brady in the offseason, are Rosen’s third team in three seasons. Rosen, 23, was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals as the 10th overall pick in the 2018 National Football League draft. As part of the practice squad, he can be signed to another team’s active roster at any time. Rosen told the league’s online magazine at the time of the draft that he was motivated to play well by the anti-Semitic slurs he often hears on the field. A 2014 profile noted that Rosen became a bar mitzvah and attends Seder every Passover, but he also celebrates Christmas and he called himself “kind of an atheist.”

Saudi Arabia’s king tells Trump his country will not pursue normalization with Israel until there is peace with Palestinians

The king of Saudi Arabia has thrown cold water on the assurances of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President Donald Trump who is leading Middle East policy, that all Arab countries will follow the United Arab Emirates’ lead and normalize ties with Israel. Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz said his country would not pursue normalization with Israel until there is peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The king told Trump in a phone call that his kingdom appreciates efforts made by the United States to bring about peace but that Saudi Arabia would like to see a peace treaty based on the Arab Peace Initiative, which was proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported.

The conversation comes on the heels of the U.S.-brokered normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and Trump’s announcement Friday that Israel and the Muslim-majority Kosovo would establish diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia allowed an airplane carrying Israeli and U.S. diplomats to fly through its airspace, offering some hope that it might be open to changing its relationship with Israel. The kingdom later announced that it would allow any airplane from any country arriving or departing from the UAE to use its airspace.

a role in last month’s deal normalizing Israel’s relations with the United Arab Emirates. Kremer says he is happy to be a role model for Israeli children who want to play professional baseball. “It’s awesome to be able to hold the torch, so to speak, for guys like me,” Kremer told MiLB.com. “There is a list and it’s growing every year. We’re just showing the kids over there that it’s possible.” He has told reporters that he takes his Jewishness seriously and would not pitch on Yom Kippur, the CBS affiliate in Baltimore reported.

Dean Kremer, first Israeli drafted into the Major Leagues, notches a win in Orioles pitching debut

Vienna-born Israeli man, Ben Zion Lapid, 84, becomes first Jew to reclaim his Austrian citizenship under new law

limited number of visitors will be permitted in Step 2; in Step 3, indoor visits will be permitted in designated neutral areas. Visitation is limited to residents who have not been exposed to COVID-19 and who have not had a positive test result for the virus in the past 14 days. All visitors will be screened prior to the start of the visit. The JAA will move to Step 2 if there is no new onset of COVID-19 cases for 14 consecutive days from the commencement of Step 1. Step 3 will begin if there is no new onset

14 days from the start of Step 2. The reopening plan is applicable to AHAVA Memory Care Center, Charles Morris Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Weinberg Terrace and Weinberg Village. “If at any time, there is an onset of COVID-19 cases, all steps of the plan are voided and a return to original restrictions will take place,” according to the statement. More information can be found at jaapgh.org. PJC

Dean Kremer, the first Israeli baseball player to be drafted into the Major Leagues, was called up to the Baltimore Orioles and earned a victory in his debut — all in less than 24 hours. Kremer led the Orioles to a 5-1 win over the New York Yankees on Sunday, allowing just one hit and one earned run while striking out seven in six innings on Sunday afternoon. He got the call that he would be starting at 10:30 the previous evening, MiLB.com reported. Kremer, 24, was born in California to Israeli parents. He was drafted in 2015 by the San Diego Padres but did not sign, opting to play another year at the college level. In 2016 he was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and signed with the team. He was traded to the Orioles in July 2018 and had been playing in the minor leagues until the call-up. The 6-foot-3-inch, 185-pound righthander pitched for the Israeli national team in the 2014 European Championships and in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He also played for the gold-medal winning Team USA in the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel. While Kremer is the first Israeli citizen to pitch in the Major Leagues, he is not the first Israeli citizen to play in the majors. That designation belongs to Ryan Lavarnway, who obtained Israeli citizenship in November in order to play for Team Israel at the Tokyo Olympics this year, but they were postponed to next summer due to the coronavirus. Lavarnway was called up to the Miami Marlins in August but was later designated for assignment. Kremer’s entire extended family, including his grandparents, lives in Israel, and one of his brothers is serving in the Israeli army. His great-uncle is Haim Saban, the AmericanIsraeli billionaire businessman who created the Power Rangers franchise and also played

A Vienna-born Israeli man who left Austria 76 years ago at the age of 8 became the first Jew to receive Austrian citizenship under a new law that allows those who were persecuted by the Nazi regime and their direct descendants to obtain Austrian citizenship without giving up their current passports. Ben Zion Lapid, 84, received his official passport at the Austrian embassy in Israel Sept. 4, days after the new law went into effect. Thousands of Jews around the world are expected to apply for Austrian citizenship under the new law. Lapid told the Austrian newspaper Der Standard that his grandchildren urged him to reclaim his Austrian citizenship. “I’m in the autumn of my life, I don’t care who or how I am, but I want to leave something to my four children and eight grandchildren. You can now also become Austrians, and if you ever have to leave here and need refuge, then you have a place,” Lapid said he told his family. “For me it comes full circle. … I didn’t go of my own will; I was a child. Israel is my home, of course, but it’s also something like coming home. Because I still speak German and I’m interested in what’s happening in Austria. And because my brother lives in Austria,” he told the newspaper. “Now I’m coming back as Ben Zion Lapid after 76 years.” Lapid fled Austria with his mother in 1946, residing in Slovenia and Italy before boarding a crowded boat for Mandatory Palestine. The British intercepted the boat and he spent nine months in a refugee camp in Cyprus, separated from his mother, before being smuggled into Israel. He was later reunited with his mother. He said he chose his surname, Lapid, which means torch, because to him it represented freedom. PJC

JAA plans for phased reopening

he Jewish Association on Aging is planning a three-step reopening process to incrementally lift the COVID-19 restrictions which have been in place since March. The plan will be implemented in accordance with requirements issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Department of Human Services, according to a Sept. 8 written statement from the JAA. The goal is to resume the entry of visitors and volunteers and to reinstate communal 12 SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

dining, activities and outings for residents. JAA enacted Step 1 on Sept. 8, allowing the resumption of communal dining and social activities among five or fewer residents with safety protocols in place, including proper social distancing, handwashing and mask wearing, according to the JAA’s statement. Steps 2 and 3 will allow the inclusion of larger numbers of residents for communal dining and activities, with a maximum of 10 in Step 2, and more than 10 in Step 3. Outdoor visits between residents and a

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

— Toby Tabachnick PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Rosh Hashanah dinner, Yom Kippur break-fast, sukkah hops: How risky are these High Holiday activities during COVID-19? Pilgrimage to Uman

— NATIONAL — By Shira Hanau | JTA

hen Passover arrived just a few weeks after the pandemic set in earlier this year, it was clear that Seders with families and friends would not be happening. Five months later, as Jews across the country prepare for the High Holidays, calculating risk has become much harder. The pandemic seems under control in parts of the country but is still raging in others; some people are staying home as much as possible while others have practice going out safely; and the costs of disruption and isolation are beginning to feel more acute. That means the questions surrounding how to observe the holidays have murkier answers: Is it safe to do Rosh Hashanah dinner with the grandparents? What about our annual Yom Kippur break-fast with the neighbors? Can we still go sukkah hopping? We spoke to two epidemiologists who have been advising Jewish communities during the pandemic about the risks involved in these classic High Holiday traditions and more. Here’s what they told us.

p A socially distanced outdoor service at the Green Road Synagogue in Cleveland, Ohio, in August 2020. Courtesy of Rabbi Binyamin Blau

Fasting on Yom Kippur — and breaking the fast

In-person services

While most non-Orthodox synagogues are planning to hold services exclusively over livestream, some synagogues, including many Orthodox ones, are planning to gather for in-person services, often truncated or otherwise adjusted to minimize disease risk. Among the most important ways to keep these services safe are maintaining distance between people, requiring masks, screening for illness or exposure to the virus and ensuring proper air flow. Eili Klein, a professor of emergency medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, said he won’t be attending in-person services this year. But for those who are, he said, outdoors is better. Klein cautioned that large tents erected by some synagogues to allow outdoor services might carry similar risks to being indoors. You want to be sure you’re not gathering in a place where the air flow might not be very good, he said, and the center of a large tent can easily be one. “This gets into fluid dynamics and all these things where, if you’re getting to that level, you’re probably getting to a place where that’s not a good idea,” Klein said. Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, the chief of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau on Long Island and an assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere, a large Orthodox synagogue in Long Island’s Nassau County, said he would feel comfortable praying at an indoor or outdoor minyan “if they’re done properly.”

How can an indoor service be done properly?

For Glatt, that means screening participants for illness or exposure to the virus, maintaining at least 6 feet of distance between people and keeping masks on while indoors. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Most Jews don’t include travel to Ukraine as part of their High Holiday traditions, but every year tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews belonging to the Bratslav Chasidic sect head there for a Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage to the grave of Rebbe Nachman of Bratslav. Last week, Ukraine decreed that foreigners would not be able to enter the country until the end of September, in part to keep out the pilgrims (some have already arrived in the country). But some lawmakers in Israel and the United States are pressing for a small number of pilgrims to be admitted. “Should I go to Uman?” was one item in Glatt’s latest update to members of his community. His answer: “NO. Absolutely no. … Uman could be the world’s worst COVID-19 super-spreader event.”

p Rebecca Crystal blows the shofar in Chicago in August 2020 in preparation for welcoming the High Holidays. Courtesy of See3 Digital Events

And it’s not just about keeping to the guidelines while the services are taking place, he said. The safety of the in-person services depends on people adhering to safety guidelines in their lives outside of synagogue as well. “If you wish to be in public places like a minyan then you have to take the guidelines seriously, which means you’re masking and social distancing as best as possible at all times,” Glatt said.

Outdoor shofar blowing

Hearing the shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is considered a sacred commandment, so some synagogues are offering standalone shofar-blowing services outdoors to accommodate those who do not feel comfortable attending services in person. Both Klein and Glatt agreed that a short, outdoor shofar-blowing service would be relatively safe. But keeping people distanced and wearing masks is key. Some have suggested covering shofars with masks to prevent the virus from being dispersed when they are blown. Glatt has suggested that having someone blow the shofar who has already recovered from COVID-19 would be ideal, but he said the actual blowing of the shofar is unlikely to be a major risk. “Do it in the street, do it outside, have a set number of people showing up so you don’t have more people than you expect,” he said. Klein believes that outdoor situations with proper social distancing and participants largely wearing masks would be a “fairly safe environment,” even with a somewhat

large gathering. “The problem becomes, in any of these situations, if you have people violating those things, then that puts everyone at risk,” he said.

Rosh Hashanah dinner with grandparents

Risks are involved in getting together with people outside of your immediate bubble, according to Klein and Glatt. But there are ways to gather in small groups safely, beginning by keeping the gathering outside and guests from different households far apart. “Outdoors is better than indoors,” Klein said. “That reduces the risks dramatically.” Both Klein and Glatt said the main problem with big meals is the gathering of people, not the sharing of food. “There’s been a lot of evidence that this does not seem to be spread by food,” Klein said, meaning that giving gifts of food could be a way to celebrate the holiday without gathering in groups. Glatt said he would have one family, not a lot of different people. “Assuming the parties are all responsible, an outdoor meal is doable,” he said. Still, if you live in a part of the country where the virus is still largely uncontrolled or if someone you’ve invited may have been exposed to the virus, it’s best for everyone to stay home. And people who may be particularly vulnerable to the disease, including the elderly and those with other medical conditions, may want to avoid any risk at all.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

There’s no reason to avoid fasting on Yom Kippur during a pandemic if you are otherwise able to do so, Glatt said. But the calculation would be different for someone who has the virus, as it is for anyone with special medical conditions. “There’s no evidence that if somebody doesn’t have COVID that fasting is a problem,” he said. “If somebody does have COVID, they should discuss with their doctor.” When it comes to sharing a Yom Kippur break-fast with friends or neighbors, the same guidance would apply as to a Rosh Hashanah dinner: Outdoors is better than indoors, distancing should be in place and the groups of people who do not live together should be kept to a minimum. This may be more challenging at break-fast, which often features buffet setups. The danger in a buffet is less likely to be sharing utensils — although offering hand sanitizer probably isn’t a bad idea — but in the way diners are encouraged to congregate near each other. If you’re hosting, you probably want to think about how your guests will get their food.

Sukkah hopping

For some communities, sukkah hopping, in which people (often kids or families) visit several sukkahs and eat something in each one, is a classic Sukkot holiday ritual. Sukkahs would seem to be perfectly designed for the pandemic because they are not enclosed. Still, because many sukkahs are small in size and sukkah hopping often involves many people, Klein and Glatt said the activity would need to be seriously modified to be safe. “Any activity which has mixing with a large group of people either serially or in a big group is not a safe activity,” Klein said. Klein suggested keeping the time spent inside the sukkahs to a minimum so people aren’t crowded in small spaces for prolonged periods of time. If that can’t be done, sukkah hopping should be avoided. “It’s not something that it’s going to be terrible if we don’t have the children go to a sukkah hop,” Glatt said. “It’s a fun thing, but sometimes we don’t do fun things because pikuach nefashos [saving a life].” PJC SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 13

Opinion Yiddish is a connection to our past Guest Columnist Oliver Elkus

ow more than ever we are digging letters out of the attic, both literal and figurative ones. Isolation is forced reflection, so it’s only natural if quarantine has us thinking of the past. As a translator of Yiddish, I’m always thinking of the past. But beyond that, some of us have had more time than usual to contemplate the metaphysical, asking who we are and where we come from. Others of us have dealt in the plain physical, schlepping boxes around, dusting off photo albums, having finally had a chance to dig through those unexamined family keepsakes that clutter the caverns of our homes. Recently it was my pleasure to receive a relic of such excavation. It was a letter dated June 14, 1939, which told the story of Breyndl, our protagonist, who was, nebekh, very sick. In her Russian-inflected Yiddish she told of her harrowing journey from Horodok to Pinsk by parakhod, Russian for steamship, and from Pinsk to a sanitarium in Otwock. After her sons Noah and Velvl spent every last cent they had, she turned to her brother in Detroit, in the form of this letter, asking that he “not forget his

dear older sister” and “save her from the brink of death.” Tragically, Breyndl never could have anticipated the German invasion of Poland which would begin a mere two months, two weeks and four days from the date of that letter. Such micro-histories as these are casually tucked away, just as this one was, in attics and basements the country over, waiting to be translated in order for their story to be told. Now, you could say this is nothing particular to Yiddish, and that loads of immigrant families must have letters tucked away some place which are written in German, and Arabic, and Mandarin, and Italian, and French, and so on. You’d be right, but also very wrong. Perhaps I’m biased, but I think Yiddish is special. You see, the Germans left behind German in Germany, and the Italians left behind Italian in Italy, and the Jews left behind Yiddish in... well, I suppose we just left it behind then didn’t we? The point here being Yiddish doesn’t have the infrastructure that most other languages have. There is no nation to protect it, nor an organization to define it. Due to this predicament there was an attempt at standardization in the 1920s which was embraced by some, but as you can imagine, not by all. As the saying goes, “two Jews, three opinions.” And even if it had been embraced by all, an attempt at standardization in the 1920s is quite late considering written Yiddish dates back to the 13th century.

This means, although there are conventions, there is no standardized spelling for anything in published — or certainly anything in hand-written Yiddish. To add insult to injury, although Yiddish uses the Hebrew alphabet, the “cursive” script found in Yiddish letters written in the 19th and 20th centuries is not the same script employed by modern or ancient Hebrew. You can imagine such idiosyncracies make the translation of Yiddish letters much more difficult, but anything worthwhile is hard, and the peculiarity of Yiddish merely serves to make its translation all the more important. Yiddish has “localisms” — these are words used by Yiddish speakers in some areas of Europe, and not in others. Breyndl’s Yiddish had elements of Russian, but of course that wouldn’t be the case for a Yiddish speaker in Romania. Localisms are an intrinsic part of the language we find in these letters, and due to the lack of infrastructure for the language, sometimes these letters are all we have. So when a letter degrades, it’s sad enough that a story is lost, but, as is the case with Yiddish, a piece of the language, a piece of the culture is lost as well. So how did we get here? Well, since the “golden age” of secular Yiddish culture in the ‘20s, assimilation has moved quickly, exponentially even. Jews who made the decision not to raise their children in Yiddish have lived to see the Yiddish world unravel, and some feel remorse or deep regret about that.

In this way I found learning Yiddish could be a frustrating task. There was even a sort of indignation about it. Everything about Yiddish still felt so familiar and so natural to me, yet at the same time I could feel it slipping away. So to grab hold of it before it’s too far gone, I rummage through poetry and collections of short stories, trying to weave together the threads of Yiddishland to create the fullest portrait of this evasive place — like rummaging through old letters in the attic, trying to piece together family history. I do this because I believe if we understand Yiddish, we understand our past and, without exaggeration, we understand ourselves. And that’s what interests us about these old family keepsakes is it not? It’s a connection to the past which forms a larger sense of self, a self that begins not with our birth but with everything that came before us. That happens to include bubbe’s music box and zeyde’s rubber ducky. That’s why we hold on to them, even if we don’t display them on the mantle. And in the case that it’s not a music box or a rubber ducky, and it happens to be a Yiddish letter, a postcard or perhaps a newspaper clipping, I do hope you’ll drop me a line. PJC Oliver “Ollie” Elkus is a Yiddish translator currently under fellowship with the Yiddish Book Center. For translation requests he can be reached at ollieelkus@gmail.com.

We navigated my daughter’s Type 1 diabetes diagnosis thanks to the help of Jewish moms Guest Columnist Laurie Pearlman Park

n the winter of 2015, the pediatrician called me a half hour before I was supposed to pick up my then 16-year-old daughter from her after-school activity. “We got Jenny’s blood work back and it looks like she has Type 1 diabetes,” she said. “You need to take her to the emergency room at Children’s Hospital immediately.” I texted Jenny: “Dr. W just called and thinks you have Type 1 diabetes. She said I need to take you to Children’s Hospital ASAP. I’ll pick you up outside the high school in 10 minutes.” After giving blood and urine samples, Jenny was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (formerly known as juvenile diabetes) in the emergency room. A nurse injected her with insulin. At the time, neither of us knew she would require an insulin injection seven times a day, every single day, from then on. During her three-night hospital stay, endocrinologists, nurses, dietitians and certified diabetes educators treated Jenny and taught her, my husband and me the theory and practice of basic T1D management. We learned how to test blood sugar,

14 SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

check for ketones, give insulin injections, dose her insulin based on the food and drink she consumed, and more. Jenny asked the endocrinologist if she would still be able to go on the BBYO trip to Israel she was looking forward to taking that summer, which was then less than four months away. The doctor replied that, ultimately, that was a decision our family was going to have to make. (We later decided that it was too soon after diagnosis for her to go.) My head felt like it was going to explode, but I kept telling myself that I had to keep it together for Jenny’s sake. Our lives had changed irrevocably and there was no going back. We were going to have to figure out a way to live “a new normal.” Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the pancreas stops producing insulin. Since we all need insulin to live, Type 1 diabetics must inject or infuse man-made insulin into their bodies multiple times a day, every day of their lives. Type 1 diabetes can strike children or adults at any age, although it more commonly strikes in childhood, adolescence or young adulthood. Type 1 is not caused by eating too much sugar, being overweight, or not getting enough exercise. It cannot be prevented or reversed and there is no cure. The prevalence of Type 1 diabetes has increased dramatically over the past 20 years.

Having Jewish ancestry does not increase one’s risk of developing Type 1 diabetes. While Jenny was in the hospital, she and I told a few close friends about her diagnosis. Word spread like wildfire, not in the petty way that gossip spreads, but in a benevolent way intended to identify people who would be able to help us. Looking back now on the weeks following Jenny’s diagnosis, I realize how much support we got from Jewish mothers. The stereotype of a “Jewish mother” isn’t always flattering, but I freely and proudly identify as a “Jewish mother” and noticed that the best support Jenny and I got after her diagnosis came from other Jewish mothers. Nancy Rosinger, an acquaintance from our daughters’ preschool days, and her daughter paid a surprise visit to Jenny’s hospital room to share the story of her son’s T1D diagnosis and to assure us that he is able to live a “normal” life. Debbie Levy, another acquaintance whose son also has Type 1 diabetes, texted me, offering to come to our house the day Jenny was discharged to make sure that we were giving injections properly. Debbie told me that Nancy Glynn, a woman I had neither met nor heard of, was expecting my phone call. An associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and the mom of a daughter with Type 1, Nancy became my T1D mentor.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

In the hours before Jenny was discharged from the hospital, several inches of snow fell in Pittsburgh. I wondered if I would be able to drive my car into my driveway to park in the garage. I knew that my husband wouldn’t have had time to shovel because I had asked him to go directly from the hospital to the pharmacy to fill Jenny’s prescriptions, then to the supermarket and Target to buy the items we were told we should have at home. I was stunned to find my driveway freshly shoveled, and later learned that my friend and neighbor Sharon Helden had done it herself when she heard that Jenny was coming home later that day. There were many factors which enabled Jenny and the rest of our family to successfully navigate Type 1 diabetes and adjust to our new normal. One critically important factor was the unsolicited support we got from other Jewish mothers. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, the strength which these women had and inspired in me was invaluable. It made me think of a variation on the line about immigrants from the musical “Hamilton”: Jewish mothers, we get the job done! PJC Laurie Pearlman Park lives in Upper St. Clair. She is the author of “A NEW NORMAL: A T1D Mom Shares Facts, Tips, & Advice About Type 1 Diabetes” (2020). Her daughter, Jenny Park, graduated from college and is now pursuing a master’s in public health. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Opinion With theaters dark, all the world must now be a stage Guest Columnist Adira Rosen

rowing up, Judaism always took center stage, but when I moved to Pittsburgh to study directing at the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, suddenly theater was in the spotlight. For the first couple of years, it felt like I had to give up practicing Judaism in order to pursue theater full time. Choosing rehearsals over Shabbat or having to miss High Holiday services for class felt like I had opted to practice the religion of theater over Judaism. I felt unbalanced choosing one over the other. Ultimately I wouldn’t be pursuing a career in the theater if it weren’t for my Jewish community. I frequently sang and led prayers at synagogue and got my start participating in theater at my local JCC. For me, Judaism and theater have always been not only linked, but have offered the two most prominent communities in my life. Over time I began to realize that my Jewish background could inform my art. I began making theater that uplifted Jewish narratives and allowed me the space to connect to both communities simultaneously. Unfortunately, right now, due to

COVID-19, it feels like both my communities are on pause. I am proud of my Jewish community and proud of my theater community for finding temporary solutions. But I cannot help but crave the act of gathering together to share in prayer or experience the ephemeral moments of live storytelling. When it was announced that Broadway would not be opening until at least, 2021, it became clear to me that this wasn’t just a craving to be together, it was a need. In discussing the loss of my two most meaningful communities with my friends, we realized that the live in-person theater side of our problem wasn’t without a solution. We just had to gather a little differently. In Judaism, one needs a minyan — 10 people — to pray communally, but in theater, only one person needs to be watching in order to have an audience. So, my friends and I set out to create safe, live, in-person theater to begin to rebuild this community of ours that has gotten lost somewhere in the streaming plays and Zoom readings. Practically overnight, Shadyside Shakespeare was born. This company, founded just a few weeks ago by a group of young theater-makers living in Pittsburgh, works collaboratively to stage theatrical productions from the comfort of our own homes. Audiences, in small groups, take in the theatrical performances from the sidewalk as they look up at the windows or

— LETTERS — Trump is not the man to lead America

I am responding to the recent column by Binyamin Rose (“Many Orthodox Jews support President Trump. I’m one them — here’s why,” Sept. 4). He is sadly delusional as he itemizes the points for supporting Trump. I strongly disagree with his arguments. Mr. Rose expresses admiration for Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner’s father, despite the fact that he spent time in jail for illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering. This is not a man to admire. Yes, Trump has been a friend to Israel but that is more to please the evangelicals than the Jews. Mr. Rose claims catching COVID-19 is a big worry for Orthodox Jews, but some have flaunted the rules for prevention, leading to large outbreaks in some of their communities. He also states they are worried about the rise in anti-Semitism. Do they think Trump will do anything about either problem? It has been proven that he has utterly failed to handle the pandemic. Do they think 180,000 deaths are containment? Trump has encouraged white supremacy by not condemning these right-wing groups. The white supremacists hate Blacks, Jews and Native Americans. They will not be suppressed by this president but rather encouraged. Last but not least, he is a pathological liar. The Washington Post estimates that he has told more than 20,000 lies. This is the man you want to run the United States of America? AGAIN?? Suzanne Paul Pittsburgh

balconies of the homes from a safe, COVIDappropriate distance. Unlike traditional theater, Shadyside Shakespeare invites its audiences to take a lovely walk through the quaint neighborhood of Shadyside as they watch a new section of the play at each new home. Desperate to raise the curtain once again, we jumped right in with our very first production: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” It was undoubtedly a dream come true. In two short weeks, we cast, rehearsed, marketed, sold out and performed our abridged production live and in person with a live, in-person (masked and socially distanced) audience. It was electric. This group of 14 college students came together to find a creative solution to a problem we never thought we would face. Unfortunately, not everyone shared in the joy of our creativity. During our first weekend of performances, we were reported to the police and some of us were threatened with an eviction notice if our theater-making continued. With a heavy heart, we decided to cancel our completely sold-out second weekend of performances. It is humbling moments like this when I realize that both my theater community and my Jewish community are very small in the scheme of the world. However, Shakespeare makes a great point in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” He wrote: “Though she

Adira Rosen is a directing student at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. She is co-founder of Shadyside Shakespeare along with Cameron King and Jackson Eick.

a piece implying that white nationalists live too far away to do any harm. I fully support featuring a wide range of Jewish opinions in the Chronicle, but in the context of what our community has been through, Rose’s dismissal of the threat of far-right extremists is ignorant and insensitive. (Rose also used incorrect data to support his claims, writing that 80% of ultra-Orthodox Jews voted for Trump in 2016. The actual figure was just 56%, as Rose correctly notes earlier in the column, a far less impressive majority.) Right-wing extremism continues to be a real threat to Jews as well as to many of our friends and neighbors. I have been encouraged in recent months to see many community members speaking out against white supremacy. I am sorry to see that the Chronicle is providing a platform to those who continue to ignore it. Moses Hetfield Squirrel Hill

Op-ed framing Orthodox Jews as monolithic is harmful, tone deaf to our community

I was dismayed to read the article you reprinted from Binyamin Rose, editor of Mishpacha magazine (“Many Orthodox Jews support President Trump. I’m one of them — here’s why,” Sept. 4). While I appreciate that a community paper such as the Jewish Chronicle wishes to present many views on the topic of the upcoming election, I cannot understand why you would choose — for such a divisive topic — to print the views of someone not only outside our Pittsburgh community, but outside the United States itself. Worse, Rose repeatedly presents himself as representing the opinions of “Orthodox Jews” — an audacious claim undermined by his own statistics, but one that could easily be taken at face value by the many readers in our community who have not met the many and varied Orthodox Jews here in

Pittsburgh Chronicle should not provide platform for those who ignore dangers of white supremacy

Please see Letters, page 24

In last week’s op-ed about Orthodox support for Trump, Binyamin Rose does not dispute that “Trump’s diatribes have emboldened far-right extremists and white nationalists.” However, he brushes off this concern by asking, “for an Orthodox Jew, what’s the bigger present threat? A far-right extremist in a distant rural town, or a looter in a Jewish neighborhood?” Here in Pittsburgh, the answer is clear. I am not aware of a single instance of looting in Squirrel Hill, but we are all aware of the real, present danger that far-right extremists pose to our community. Furthermore, this extremism is not confined to a few isolated individuals in unpopulated areas. The white supremacist who attacked our congregations two years ago came from Baldwin, and the Poway synagogue shooter came from the “distant rural town” of San Diego. I am astounded that a Jewish newspaper in Pittsburgh, of all places, chose to publish PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

be but little she is fierce … ” I feel like this applies to both my theater community and my Jewish community. Time and time again I learned from the stories of the Jewish people that no matter the size, community is essential to survival. If the arts are to survive — more specifically, if theater is to survive — this pandemic we need the support of our community. Theater-makers are lost in the wilderness, wandering in a barren, theaterless desert looking for a new home. To quote Shakespeare again, “All the world’s a stage ... ” and we have no choice right now but to take that literally. The theater industry was one of the first to close and will be one of the last to reopen. We live in a culture that consumes more art than we even realize yet the arts are still deemed nonessential. For me, both my theater community and my Jewish community are my kehillot kedoshot, my sacred communities. To put it into more current terms, they are my essential communities. I wouldn’t be who I am without them. With theaters closed and ghost lights on, we are asking our community, we are asking Pittsburgh, to see the arts as something worthy of kedosha, something sacred and essential. PJC

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 15

Life & Culture Three recipes to enhance your holiday meals — FOOD — By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

raised sweet and sour cherry roast is a consistent Shabbat and holiday entree at my table. It elevates a normal cut of beef like chuck roast, making it much more affordable to serve meat for the meal. You can absolutely make the same recipe using a more expensive cut of beef like brisket, but it isn’t necessary. If I’m having a large crowd, I often just make two chuck roasts. There are two secret ingredients in this recipe that are not typical outside of most Sephardic communities: Aleppo pepper and tamarind sauce, which are both available online and in most Middle Eastern markets. Tamarind sauce, also known as “ou” and “tehrmendi,” is added to many Syrian and Persian recipes and gets a tart, lip-smacking reaction when tasted in its pure form. There are even mock ou recipes using lemon juice and prune jam; a batch keeps in the fridge for up to a year. This is a staple in my kitchen because small amounts are used in many of my recipes. This recipe has sugar and fruit, and it caramelizes and creates the sought-after “bark effect” that is popular in barbecue. Aleppo pepper adds a mild smokiness to all kinds of dishes. It is about half as spicy as cayenne pepper and it adds more depth of flavor. I appreciate this recipe because I can cook it ahead of time. The meat seems to taste better once sliced and reheated in its sauce, and it freezes beautifully. Most of us are working full time and hustling to prepare holiday meals, so anything that can be prepared ahead is a lifesaver. Braised Sweet and Sour Cherry Roast Ingredients: 1 2½-3 pound chuck roast 1 large sweet onion, sliced 2-3 tablespoons of avocado or neutral oil 2 cans sweet cherries in water, strained with juice reserved, or 2 cups frozen cherries Juice of 1 lemon ⅓ cup tamarind sauce ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

Set oven to 325 degrees F and place rack in the middle of the oven. Sauté sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until onions are brown but not caramelized. Use a heavy-bottomed pan if possible, like an enameled Dutch oven. Scoop cooked onions into a bowl, add 1 more tablespoon of oil if needed, and brown the chuck roast for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove pan from heat and remove the roast from the pan. Scoop about 2/3 of the onion back into the pan, add the roast, and scoop the rest of the onions on top of the roast. Pour the tamarind sauce, lemon juice and cherries over the roast, then sprinkle with salt, sugar and Aleppo pepper. If using canned cherries, add a ½-cup from the drained liquid. If using frozen cherries, don’t 16 SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

add any liquid. Roast uncovered for 1½ hours. Remove from heat and taste sauce. If you prefer a more sour sauce, add a tablespoon of tamarind sauce. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, add 2 tablespoons of sugar, or more, to your taste. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and roast for at least a half-hour more, or until fork-tender. Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing the roast. After slicing, place it back in its sauce and stir. Heat covered at 300 degree F for a half-hour before serving. If you choose to freeze this roast, take from the freezer the day before your meal and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Serve with plain or festive rice.

¼ cup sliced or slivered almonds ¼ cup unsalted pistachios ¼ cup pine nuts ¼ cup dried apricots, diced 2 teaspoons kosher salt 3¼ cups boiling water

Put 2 cups of Basmati rice in a small bowl, and cover with cold water. Let soak for 30

minutes, pouring off the water on top and changing the water several times. The water will still look cloudy even after 30 minutes of soaking and changing. Set oven to 400 degrees F, and place rack in the upper middle third of the oven. Please see Recipes, page 17

Festive Easy Rice Pilaf

This recipe is steamed in the oven and always comes out just right. There are a few steps before baking, but at that point you just set a timer and walk away. The addition of fruits and nuts really brightens up the Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot menus. Ingredients: 2 cups Basmati rice 2 tablespoons olive oil ¼ cup orzo pasta

p Above: Festive Easy Rice Pilaf; Braised Sweet and Sour Cherry Roast

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Photos by Jessica Grann

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Life & Culture Recipes: Continued from page 16

Measure out orzo, nuts and diced apricots into a small bowl. Boil 3¼ cups of water. Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over low-medium heat, and add all of the ingredients in the bowl at once. Stir constantly for 1½ to 2 minutes, watching carefully that the ingredients are toasted, yet not burned. Remove from heat and scrape ingredients into a 9-by-13 casserole or disposable half pan. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt and add in the drained rice. If there is a little water in the rice bowl after draining, that is perfectly OK. Slow-pour the boiled water into the casserole, then cover with heavy duty aluminum foil. I like to tear a large piece of foil and fold it in half because it creates a stiff seal when folded over the edge of the pan. I also like to bake the pan on a cookie sheet, just in case a little water spills out. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand covered for 5 minutes more. Uncover, fluff with fork, and scoop onto serving bowl or platter. Salt to taste. The colors and textures add a beautiful side dish to your table. Grandma Millie’s Apple Cake

This apple cake is a recipe handed down to me by my beloved Grandma Millie. I recall eating it as far back as I can remember and it’s a staple in our home today. It is a dense cake full of apple and nuts. The apples are chunky, the edges get crisp and it has a slightly rustic appeal. It works both for brunch and for dessert This apple cake also freezes really well, so you can make it ahead or freeze half for a later time so it will be ready to thaw if unexpected guests are coming over. Ingredients: 1½ cups neutral vegetable oil of your choice, or liquid coconut oil

1½ cups sugar ½ cup light brown sugar 3 large eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 3½ cups peeled, diced Granny Smith apples; I typically use 3 medium-large apples 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 easpoons cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract 2 cups chopped pecans, or walnuts if you prefer

Set the oven to 325 degrees F and place the rack in the middle of the oven. Combine oil and sugar in a stand mixer bowl, and mix on low speed until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Sift together all dry ingredients, including spices. Add 1 large spoonful at a time into the mixing bowl until well blended. Add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and mix for a moment more. Remove bowl from mixer. This is a very dense batter, and it takes a strong rubber spatula to manually fold in the diced apples and chopped nuts. Oil and flour a 4-inch-deep Bundt pan. Scoop batter into the pan, and pat until it is evenly distributed. Bake for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. This is the hard part: This cake must be completely cool before turning out onto a plate. This sometimes takes 2, even 3 hours. Be patient — it is worth it for a perfect result. You may need to insert a knife around the edges of the cake before turning it out. Simply place a large plate over the pan and flip, then remove the Bundt pan from the cake. This cake stays fresh for days, and I have a feeling it will be a welcome addition to your fall holiday menu. PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

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Photo by Jessica Grann

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 17

Life & Culture Reviews: Searching for home, and for the messiah — BOOKS — By Jesse Bernstein | Special to the Chronicle

Growing Up Jewish in Texas

“A Place of Exodus: Home, Memory and Texas” David Biespiel; Kelson Books

“Y

ou are always the receptacle of what has gone before you,” James Baldwin once wrote, “whether or not you know it and whether or not you can reach it.” David Biespiel, critic and poet, uses that quote early in “A Place of Exodus,” his memoir of Jewish childhood and adolescence in Meyerland in Texas. The rest of the book is a demonstration that he really knows what it means. In Meyerland, an old Jewish neighborhood in Houston, Biespiel receives a birthright befitting the son of “shul people”: an abiding awe of God, all of the Jewish books devoted to interpreting and praising Him, and a belief in the inexhaustible worthiness of those books. Less explicitly given over are the stories of the people around him. As his birthright begins to burden him, it’s the intermingling of his life with the stories he’s been told and taken part in that constantly reconstitute him. People once

18 SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

told Biespiel, a star student at Beth Yeshurun Day School, that he could be a rabbi when he grew up; considering the possibility, he saw it as a life of “enduring myths.” Instead, he became a writer. “No great leap,” Biespiel writes. As a child, he had come to understand that being Jewish and being Texan might be one and the same. “Chanting Hebrew prayers inside the magnetism of Texas lore was my open range of obligation, my 254 counties of faith, my Book of Third and Long,” he writes. “Dots and dashes slashing across the siddur, the Jewish prayer book, were my hominy and grits, my leaves of trees budding in February, my hot bowls of chili, my Davy Crockett at the Alamo.” It’s warm love, all the way down, from the way he describes the shape of Hebrew letters to the awesome power of Earl Campbell’s thighs. Even the cover, painted by Biespiel, expresses this love. And why shouldn’t he feel that way? Everyone he loves is Jewish — and vice versa; Jewish books and Jewish education are what matters to his family. All of it takes places beneath the “bright, massive skies” of Texas, a place that Biespiel still longs for decades after moving away. What animates the beauty and mystery of one seems to animate the other; at the conclusion of a tenderly recounted seder in 1974, as the cry for Jerusalem goes up, you can’t help but feel that another year in

Meyerland wouldn’t be so bad. Biespiel does elide the fact that there are likely to be some liberties taken in reconstructing evenings like that, with long conversations recounted beat by beat. There’s even a misremembered Freddy Fender song title — he recalls hearing “Until the Last Teardrop Falls,” rather than “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.” But there’s poetry to that misremembrance! In a book so concerned with exploring memory, it would seem appropriate, even fruitful, to at least nod at that particular tension. In any case, the problem of fusing Texas and Judaism is that doubts and fears about one element jump, spark-like, to the other. His father’s stroke strains the family, and as Biespiel lives the life of a precocious teen, he finds that he can no longer “focus on the bagel,” as his rabbi implores him to do; he cannot help but stare at the hole he sees in what he’s taught. “Am I the only one asking, why are we doing this?” Biespiel thinks, like any budding solipsist (or writer) should. Biespiel and the rabbi don’t just bicker — they have “The Quarrel,” and on that fateful day, he walks out of the synagogue for the last time. Soon after, he walks out of Texas, not to return for 40 years, an exodus from Judaism itself. When he thinks of home, he sees it as “a distant horizon, staggering in and out of view.” He makes a brief return and, by the end of his journey, he’s even more

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confused than when he arrived. One day, it seems, you leave home and you never stop leaving. But home never leaves you. I can only imagine that, when Biespiel writes, he points the desk toward Houston.

An Ongoing Search

“Searching for the Messiah: Unlocking the Psalms of Solomon and Humanity’s Quest for a Savior” Barrie Wilson; Pegasus Books No passage of “Searching for the Messiah” better exemplifies this alternately illuminating and frustrating book better than a graphic presented by the author on page 148. Attempting to describe the complex web of requirements that one must meet to qualify as a messiah, the author provides a word bank with 25 different concepts like “New David” and “World Transformation.” “These represent jumbled themes,” he explains. There are a lot of interesting tidbits and a few big ideas in this new book by Barrie Wilson, professor emeritus of religious studies at York University. His argument, as briefly as space allows: In the Gospel of Mark, Peter tells Jesus that he believes that he is the Christos — the messiah, in Greek. Aside from one other instance in Mark, Jesus does not confirm or deny this in any Please see Books, page 24

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Headlines Future: Continued from page 1

the encounters are a critical part of building strong community.” Rabbi Levi Langer of the Kollel Jewish Learning Center also has moved his educational programs online during the pandemic. Still, he noted, a large part of Jewish observance is personal experience. “Judaism really has an immersive component to it,” Langer said. “Personal involvement cannot be replaced by a computer screen.” Langer doesn’t fear for the future. He said the community is already anxious to get back to real-world Judaism. “If we cannot get people inspired to get out of the house, then we are looking at a very serious situation in Judaism,” Langer said. “You have to inspire people to be excited.” The Black Lives Matter movement is an example, he said. “People cared, so they went out there. They would have otherwise stayed at home. The real question is, how do you give people a sense that Judaism has meaning in their life? I think every house of worship and every Jewish institution has to think about inspiring Jews.” Still, the online platforms have offered some benefits, said Danielle Kranjec, senior Jewish educator at Hillel Jewish University Center. She noted many of her students have been inspired by the move to virtual events. “By leaning into the benefits and the particular characteristics of our online gatherings we’re actually seeing a strengthening

of Jewish community,” she said. One advantage is that the 18- to 24-yearolds who may have felt intimidated going to the Hillel building are now logging in for events like the weekly pre-Shabbat gatherings. “Obviously, it’s different,” Kranjec acknowledged. “Learning about something like challah baking over Instagram Live, that’s a very different experience than doing it live in the Hillel building.” Kranjec is confident, though, that in the post-pandemic world, the Jewish community will be able to effectively implement the lessons it learned while operating virtually, including providing greater accessibility and focusing on individual relationships. Hebrew priestess Keshira haLev Fife agreed that increased accessibility will continue to be a priority post-pandemic. “From a disability justice standpoint, from the standpoint of folks who might want their kids to experience Judaism on a Friday night and feed them dinner and make sure they get to bed at a reasonable hour, for folks with social anxiety, panic attacks and anything else that might be a barrier to entry, this has been a time when people are able to access Judaism more readily,” said Fife. Conversations have begun taking place about what the new model of Jewish community will look like, allowing tradition to continue while maintaining a virtual community, added Fife, spiritual leader of Kesher Pittsburgh. Some of the changes experienced by the Jewish community have been painful, admitted Rabbi Aaron Meyer of Temple

Emanuel of South Hills. But he said, “ultimately our Jewish tradition serves Jews, Jews don’t serve Jewish tradition.” One of the advantages of the pandemic, Meyer noted, has been the loss of geographical borders, allowing people from around the globe to connect online. “I’m never going to turn my back on them again,” he said. There are many more unaffiliated than affiliated Jews in the South Hills, Meyer said, and the virtual tools now available allow them an easy opportunity to join the Jewish community. Of course, virtual opportunities still come at a cost, and for much of the pandemic, congregations and other Jewish institutions have been shouldering those costs while offering learning opportunities and services for free. “There’s going to be a reckoning coming to the Jewish world,” Meyer said. “The financial crisis of 2008 saw the Union of Reform Judaism congregations lose 20% of their membership who never came back. I don’t think it’s because they don’t value Judaism. I believe our financial model is broken. At some point we have to pull the Band-Aid off and have the hard conversations.” Rabbi Yaier Lehrer, spiritual leader of Adat Shalom Synagogue, is confident members will continue to support Jewish institutions as long as they are offered something meaningful. “They won’t support them just because they always have,” he said, “but they will if we offer them something of value.”

Sermons: Continued from page 1

the focus of continuous community and adapting to the times, especially with technology and Judaism.” On Yom Kippur, Greenbaum said his message will focus on hope. “Hope in a time of hopelessness, light in a time of darkness. We’ll start around Passover, the ninth plague of darkness, talking about a time of darkness and where we find hope. How to manage hopeless feelings in a time of quarantine,” Greenbaum said. Chabad of Squirrel Hill Rabbi Yisroel Altein has been working for some time on his sermons and acknowledged the need to scale back their length this year. “It’s something you always want to think about in advance but, the shorter you speak, the longer you need to think about it,” he explained. “You’ve got to think long and hard to get it to the point, concise and uplifting.” Rather than comment strictly on today’s news, Altein is trying to keep his messages spiritual and focused on the season. “That being said, we obviously need to learn from our current events and how they affect our High Holidays and our relationship with God,” he said. “So, we will definitely be speaking about the idea of how we can learn from COVID-19 in our relationship with God.” Another theme Altein will address is community and the individual. “The importance of seeing how the community comes together to support each PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Pittsburgh rabbis have found a way to meet head-on the storied curse: “May you live in interesting times.” other and how each individual matters and can affect each other,” Altein said. “The underlying message of all the issues we’re experiencing is how we interact with the community without losing the importance of the individual, and how the community interacts with the individual.” Temple David Rabbi Barbara Symons said it is important for people to focus on their own voices this year. “Given that we all feel a little powerless due to the pandemic and the health concerns and so forth, all we have is our voice,” she said. One of the themes she will explore is how to seek meaning through words. “So, the actual Kol Nidre prayer and talking about other words that come out of our mouth including and related to racist words and other words that maybe we don’t even realize speak to a larger culture,” she said. Symons will also address the issues being experienced by the community in the current climate. “I think the key here is that Black Lives Matter and the pandemic are exposing some of the cracks, and the question is, ‘What do we do to fill in those cracks?’ I think that

weaves through all of my sermons, but some are more focused on that than others.” “I try to find some part of my sermon that is relevant to all the Jewish texts,” explained Parkway Jewish Center’s spiritual leader, Cantor Henry Shapiro. “It all starts there, but you have to connect it to the times you’re living in. I usually work to incorporate something I can relate to and themes that will draw me back to a Jewish center.” The cantor likens his message this year to a “self-help” approach. “What can you do when you’re under circumstances that you have no control over? That’s my basic premise and starting point,” he said. Trained as a musician, Shapiro likes to give himself some opportunity for improvisation in his sermons, identifying larger themes and ideas, but not finalizing his messages too early. One of the themes he’s still riffing on is the idea of “the overarching effort we all make to be positive and what we do to improve things, and that they will, in the long run, prevail. Certainly, we should acknowledge that we’ve given our all.”

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The pandemic has been an inflection point for congregations, proving the need to engage members where they feel comfortable, Lehrer explained. “We have to find our congregants where they are, even if it’s in the home. I mean with services, classes, Zoom book clubs.” Despite the challenges, the Jewish community will learn positive lessons from the pandemic, stressed Rabbi Mendel Rosenblum of Chabad of the South Hills. “As a Jew, you have to believe in the concept of Divine Providence and that everything God creates in this world is for a purpose and reason,” he said. “From a faith standpoint, before you get into your own reason and logic, you have to believe it will bring something positive.” Rosenblum is confident that the Jewish people will come out stronger after the pandemic. “I believe that there’s a deep yearning of the human spirit, the Jewish spirit, to connect with community,” he said. “I don’t think it’s possible for those other mediums to replace the in-person experience.” Despite the uncertainty of the future, Schiff is certain of one thing: community is vital for the Jewish people. “Why do we put so much emphasis on having a minyan?” Schiff queried. “Because we want to bring people together. It seems plain to me that as soon as we have the opportunity, that’s the preferred structure.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

In addition to the unusual pandemic backdrop of the rabbis’ High Holiday messages, the manner in which some of them will be delivered is also unique. While Beth El’s services will be broadcast live on Zoom, some safeguards have been built into the programs. “Not everyone is comfortable using Zoom,” Greenbaum noted, “so we’re also livestreaming so you can just view it. But, because we have to prepare for anything, we have to prepare for the possibility that something will go wrong with the internet or Zoom. So, we are also prerecording everything. If something goes wrong, we can put that up immediately.” Bisno stressed the need to find ways to keep the congregation engaged when they are tuning in to services online. “We’re streaming it aware that the person is alone, they’re not in community, and can walk out at any time,” he said. “We have to keep their attention in a very different way.” Rodef Shalom’s services will be 60 minutes, Bisno said, and “preaching fits into that. So, in one of our sermons, Rabbi Sharyn Henry and I have a conversation, but we’re seated on a long row in the middle of our sanctuary. We’re conversing across it and recording it with four different cameras. The next one, I address people starting at the ark.” The look and duration of this year’s High Holiday services may be different, but one thing is certain: Pittsburgh rabbis have found a way to meet head-on the storied curse: “May you live in interesting times.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 19

Headlines JAA: Continued from page 3

season particularly bittersweet. Before his tenure with the JAA, Seidman served as an Army chaplain from 1987 to 1995. He served in the National Guard until 2014. “We used to speak about making a ‘sacred space’ out in the field, far from a synagogue or temple, even on the hood of a Jeep,” he said. “With extra effort, any space can be sacred.” The rabbi learned a lesson during his time

Shofar: Continued from page 4

Holidays at Beth Shalom, the shofar will be sounded from inside the Conservative synagogue’s sanctuary on the second day of Rosh Hashanah during livestreamed services. The shofar blower will be in the choir room, distant from where the service leaders will be, and separated by a curtain.

Israel: Continued from page 5

the world, you’re going to see an increase of everything,” said Isaac Minkoff, Hillel JUC’s IACT Coordinator for Israel Engagement. “Specifically on Pitt’s campus, it’s really hard to say, especially because of the nature of the pandemic. Things that would ordinarily be visible when people have the physical ability to gather will not necessarily be visible now.” Counter-protests might also look

Refusenik: Continued from page 9

other members of the refusenik group and former KGB officials, and depicts how the failed hijacking was perceived differently by various people. To some Russians, the refuseniks’ act was an anti-governmental measure akin to terrorism, but to others, it was a nonviolent attempt for international acknowledgment of human rights violations.

in the Army that is particularly relevant this year, he said: “Synagogue helps us to create an atmosphere, and without it, it’s more difficult, but we can do it.” In addition to High Holiday services, the JAA staff is endeavoring to make the season feel special in other ways, working within the precautions put in place due to the pandemic. The residents will be able to view a video prepared by Rabbi Eli Wilansky showing how shofars are created and will have a holiday meal filled with traditional favorites. “We’re serving traditional brisket, apple

kugel, honey cake and fresh challah bread with raisins,” said Michael Kohanbash, JAA’s director of food and nutrition. “We really try and keep the holidays nice and traditional with comfort food people are used to eating.” Kohanbash likes to serve a new fruit each year, honoring the mitzvah of the first fruits. This year residents will sample star fruit. At the New Riverview Apartments there will be an extra holiday treat from Hanna Steiner, director of Riverview: a flower for each of the residents. While the holidays will be different this

Young Israel of Pittsburgh, an Orthodox congregation, considered covering the shofar’s end with a mask, but after consultation with the congregation’s medical advisory team, it was decided the blower will stand either in front of or behind the Squirrel Hill building and blast the instrument while Young Israel’s windows are open, according to Young Israel’s Rabbi Shimon Silver. To date, Silver has authored several pieces on the Jewish legalistic implications

regarding shofar blowing and COVID-19, and has followed debates regarding best practices. Rabbi Daniel Schon, Kollel Jewish Learning Center associate dean, who has read Silver’s writings in Halochoscope, said plans for his institution were still up in the air as of press time. The shofar blower may stand outside the Kollel while listeners remain indoors with windows open, or another location for the shofar blasts may be selected,

depending on the recommendations of the Orthodox institution’s medical team. “One on the one hand, we’re taking COVID very seriously,” Schon said. “And on the other hand, we’re taking shofar blowing very seriously. We have two good values here, and we’re making sure neither gets compromised.” PJC

different, though Segal isn’t worried. Pitt’s Students for Justice in Palestine group is small — maybe 15-20 people tops, Segal said — with pro-Israel groups unlikely to set up tables to distribute information, he is not expecting much pushback. Birthright — including Hillel JUC’s Burghright trip for Pittsburgh-area students — is guaranteed to look different due to the pandemic. As a placeholder for these trips, Hillel JUC is putting together care packages with goodies like Bamba and Bissli and Israeli

chocolates, giving students a taste of Israel without actually going there. It’s not the same, of course. “So much of the way we build memory and a phenomenological perspective toward the world has to do with our experiences — the things we smell, the things we see, the people we interact with, the faces we see, the voices we hear,” said Minkoff. “And you can’t do that just by looking at a picture of a map on the wall.” But Minkoff also sees the positives. “From the ashes of that frustration, I

really realized how good technology is today and how privileged we are,” he said. “If this happened in the early 2000s, we wouldn’t be able to do anything.” He’s contextualizing this moment in the larger Jewish story. “We’ve been through so much in our multi-millennium history,” said Minkoff. “This is just a tiny blip. We’re going to make it through this.” PJC

Through haunting visuals, like Zalmanson dancing in the prison’s courtyard while demonstrating that waltzing was a way of remembering life outside the cold cemented confines, viewers are privy to a daughter’s wish to share her parents’ story and their sacrifices which catalyzed eventual freedom. Watching the documentary and listening to the mother-daughter duo prompted numerous questions from the more than 200 virtual attendees, who signed on from 25 states and four countries.

When asked how one perseveres in isolation, Zalmanson replied: “You have no choice, you have to survive. You have to go through everything and to test your strengths. Better not to know how strong you are.” Zalmanson-Kuznetsov largely abandoned her former employment in popular media and promotional productions, dropped other projects and clients and went years without receiving a salary to make the film, she said. For almost an hour, Zalmanson and her daughter fielded questions regarding

anti-Semitism, current Russian opinions and family history. After years of Russian imprisonment and international attention, Zalmanson settled into a more quiet life, foregoing public activism. “I have a daughter,” Zalmanson said. “I dedicated my life to my daughter. I have my opinions about many things, but they’re private.” Her daughter added: “She did enough.” PJC

Chronicle wins 2020 Golden Quill Award

hronicle Editor Toby Tabachnick won the 2020 Golden Quill Award for Excellence in Written Journalism, Nondaily – History/Culture for her article “Neglected Jewish Cemetery in White Oak Restored by Non-Jewish Volunteers.” Adam Reinherz and David Rullo, Chronicle staff writers, were finalists for five Golden Quills. Reinherz was recognized in two categories: Excellence in Written Journalism, Nondaily – Traditional Feature for “Cleaning up, After the Unimaginable”; and Excellence in Written Journalism, Nondaily – News Feature for 20 SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

“Charleston Survivor Comforts Congregants.” Three articles by Rullo were recognized in the category of Excellence in Written Journalism, Nondaily – History/Culture: “Pittsburgh’s First Torah by Female Scribe Commissioned by Temple Sinai,” “Rediscovering the Jews of Amiens” and “Temple Beth Am Shutters Its Doors, Buries Prayer Books.” The annual journalism competition, sponsored by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, aired Sept. 3 over a virtual broadcast in lieu of its usual in-person event. PJC — Kayla Steinberg

Holocaust: Continued from page 10

American, he felt it important to have his work displayed at the Center. Shaler Area School District teacher Nick Haberman, the 2018 Holocaust Educator of the Year who created the Leadership through Innovation in Genocide and Human Rights Teaching Initiative, was also featured at the event. While Bairnsfather understands that Zoom fatigue may be setting in across the Jewish community, she said it was nonetheless important to mark this anniversary.

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year at the JAA, Sharyn Rubin, the director of resident and community services at Charles Morris, is confident that “the sentiment will be there.” “In some ways, we’re going to be more celebratory because we’ve gotten to this point,” Rubin said. “We’re hoping that we’ve gotten through the summer with COVID behind us. We’re filled with hope and it’s a new year and I think it resonates a lot.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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

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

“I said, ‘This will be worth it, people need to hear from us. It’s been 40 years, let’s do something special,’” she said, adding it was “very emotional to see all those people who’ve been involved all these years.” The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh will continue to mark its 40th anniversary by offering online exhibits throughout the year, including an archive of past press coverage and a digital photo album, an exploration of the Center’s history and a time capsule. Its “CHUTZ-POW!” comic books, volumes I-III, will also be available online. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 21

Life & Culture Haredi ‘Marathon Mother’ runs on faith but might miss the Olympics for it — SPORTS — By Kayla Steinberg | Digital Content Manager

eatie Deutsch, Israel’s women’s marathon champion, believes that each of us has gifts we’re meant to use to make the world better. Hers is running. The self-branded “Marathon Mother,” who is Orthodox, runs in modest dress — a below-the-knee skirt, head scarf and long sleeves — and does not run on Shabbat. She says morning blessings in her warmups and listens to Torah classes during her runs. Deutsch, 31, is poised to qualify for the postponed Tokyo Olympics, but because of her faith, might be unable to participate. Her race was moved from its usual Sunday to a Shabbat in August 2021. Running might not seem like an obvious violation of Shabbat, but because it is Deutsch’s job — Israel pays her to train — it’s forbidden. The New Jersey native, who made aliyah at 19, started running in her mid-20s after having four children in a span of six years. Wanting to consistently exercise, she set a goal. “Most people do the couch-to-5K route,” she said. “I did the couch to marathon.” Though Deutsch runs marathons, her journey has been more of a sprint. She placed sixth in her first marathon just four months after she started running. The next year, she ran the Tel Aviv Marathon while seven months pregnant with her fifth child, embodying her “Marathon Mother” moniker. And two years later, Deutsch won Israel’s National Championships Marathon in Tiberias in 2:42:18, a time that would have qualified her for the 2016 Olympic women’s marathon. That’s when the Olympic Committee of Israel began sponsoring her Olympic training. In March 2019, the Olympics introduced new standards for the 2020 Games, slashing the qualifying standard for the women’s marathon to 2:29:30. There are two ways to qualify: Run the standard or rank in the top 80 in the world at the Olympic designated cutoff point. Deutsch clocked in at 2:32:25 at this year’s Tiberias Marathon, missing the standard but reaching the top 80.

But with the Olympics postto the Court of Arbitration for poned due to COVID-19, the Sport, based in Switzerland, cutoff deadline is also pushed which resolves sports-related back, likely to next spring, and disputes including those between qualifying races are suspended athletes and the IOC. until this December. In order to qualify, Deutsch either needs to The stakes are high. run the standard or rank in the “There are probably a lot of top 80 at the new cutoff point. up-and-coming athletes that are Each day, except Shabbat, she going to look to her struggle, and trains hard, working to beat the if they see that it’s possible to have standard. On workout days, she it all — to compete at the highest wakes up at 5 a.m., runs until level and be observant — that will 8:30 a.m., does strength training be inspiration and motivation for at the gym, works out some more them,” said Shapiro. (often a swim or another run) and Deutsch is public about her path, completes a flurry of tasks — she posting regularly on social media cleans the house, posts on social to 13,000+ followers on Instagram media, responds to emails and and 5,000+ on Facebook. She is picks up the kids from school — candid in her posts, discussing all before bed at 10 p.m. motherhood, running and mental But even if she runs the stanhealth — she raises money for Beit dard, she won’t be able to compete Daniella, a therapeutic program in the Olympics unless the established to help people strugdate is changed. gling with mental health issues Deutsch asked World Athletics, transition out of hospitals. the governing body for running Even if her request to the IOC events, for an accommodation is denied, she said, “at least I based on her religious practices. showed many Jews all around She saw her struggle as bigger than the world that it’s OK to speak herself, one that religious athletes up. Hopefully, for everyone, we’re across the globe might face. moving toward a place where “I think sometimes, religious p we can be more tolerant and Beatie Deutsch on the podium with her daughter after Photo by Tomer Feder understanding and accepting of teenagers [and] youngsters feel winning the 2019 Tiberias Marathon like ‘I can’t go into sport,’” she everyone’s differences.” said. “I just want to give hope and inspiration He reached out to Deutsch, offering to make She already has seen the impact of her to people like that.” a reasonable accommodation request to the story. Since she started running, Deutsch has World Athletics, however, told Deutsch IOC on her behalf. noticed more Orthodox women doing the that it would not change the women’s mara“Athletes of faith kind of hit a glass ceiling same. People who used to be embarrassed thon date. Then came another blow – this one — whether they’re Jewish or Muslim or running in a skirt told her that they don’t feel from the International Olympic Committee. Christian or anything else — where they’re ashamed anymore. “While we put athlete considerations forced to choose between their faith and “Someone told me, ‘I never would have imagfirst in all decisions, particularly health and their sport,” said Shapiro. “That’s not consis- ined myself doing this, but I started talking to welfare, we are unfortunately not able to tent with the Olympic ideals.” God while I was running,’” Deutsch said. “And adjust the schedule to the particular situation In a letter sent to the IOC president I was like, ‘All right, my job here is done.’” of each individual athlete,” a spokesperson and executive board members last month, As Deutsch awaits the IOC’s decision, she’s for the IOC told The Telegraph in July. Shapiro laid out Deutsch’s case, noting, staying positive. “I’m lucky that I have a lot of among other things, that the IOC moved faith and trust in God,” she said. “Whatever But there’s still hope. events and set up alternative meal times at Hashem wants for me is what I’m meant Fellow Shabbat-observant Jew Akiva Shapiro, the 2012 Olympics to accommodate Muslim to do here.” PJC a New York lawyer whose parents have lived athletes’ fasting during Ramadan. in Pittsburgh for more than two decades, If the IOC continues to decline the Kayla Steinberg can be reached at ksteinberg@ heard about Deutsch’s story from a friend. request, a next step could be appealing pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Celebrations

Torah

Bar Mitzvah

A reminder to speak sweetly

Luke David Sigal, son of Megan and Justin Sigal, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Luke is a seventh-grader at Winchester Thurston. He enjoys baking, talking with his friends and playing with his three young brothers and numerous cousins.

Anniversary Judy and Harold Haffner will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Sept. 11. Their children and grandchildren, Barry, Dani, Mark, Shelly, Ilyssa, Alex and Lauren, share in the happiness and love they have for each other.

Wedding Nancy and David Johnson are delighted to announce the marriage of their son, Eric, to Kathleen Kerr, daughter of Captain Martin Kerr and Dena Kerr of Annapolis, Maryland. The couple were married Aug. 8 in a joyous, intimate, socially distant ceremony in the groom’s parents’ backyard. Eric, an Allderdice and University of Virginia alum, is pursuing a Ph.D. in linguistics at Carnegie Mellon University, where he is also teaching Italian. Kathleen, who is a registered nurse working in the intensive care unit at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and is earning a Master of Science in nursing at Carlow University. The newlyweds reside in Squirrel Hill with their dog, Basil. PJC

The Original

Rabbi Mendy Schapiro Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30

ith Rosh Hashanah approaching, it’s a good time to talk about the apple dipped in honey, a classic symbol of the Jewish New Year. On Rosh Hashanah night, the entire Jewish nation the world over will dip slices of apple in a bowl of honey and wish one another, “Yehi ratzon shetechadeish aleinu shana tovah u’metukah (May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year).” There is also the custom to eat a pomegranate and say, “Yehi ratzon she’yirbu z’chuyosainu k’rimon (May it be Your will that our merits increase like the seeds of a pomegranate).” Some also have the custom of eating the head of a fish, or the head of any other kosher animal, and saying, “Let us be a head and not a tail.” Some communities have other symbolic food items on the table at Rosh Hashanah, based on a connection between the name of that particular food and blessing for the new year. For example, the word selek, which means beets, can allude to yistalku (may our enemies depart). Temarim, which means dates, alludes to yitamu, which evokes the phrase “She’yitamu oivainu (may our enemies cease to exist).” What is unique about the first three symbolic foods and their respective good wishes and blessings? Perhaps what is special about those three is that they refer to positive things. Namely, that we may have a good and sweet new year; that our merits increase; and that we should be a head and not a tail. This is not the case with the other symbols which evoke prayers “that those who hate us be cut off,” “that our enemies cease to exist,” etc. Those are all negative things — and on the night of Rosh Hashanah, when we wish one another “Shana tovah,” the main focus should be positive. And that brings us right to this week’s Torah portion. At the end of Parshat Nitzavim, the Torah (Devarim 30:15-19) tells us, “Behold, I have set before you today life and goodness, and death and evil … and you shall choose life.” In the Book of Mishlei (Proverbs), Shlomo HaMelech (King Solomon) says, “Death and life are in the

the soft meat as opposed to the tough meat to teach them a moral lesson. He said: “Take note of your actions and learn that when you speak, you should also act thusly — choosing a soft and pleasant tongue, not a hard one.” In the socially connected atmosphere that prevails nowadays, choosing to speak softly and pleasantly is of paramount importance and a good habit that everyone can resolve to take on in honor of Rosh Hashanah: to always choose positive language and a soft tongue. PJC Rabbi Mendy Schapiro is the director of Chabad of Monroeville. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.

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In the socially connected atmosphere that prevails nowadays, choosing to speak softly and pleasantly is of paramount importance and a good habit that everyone can resolve to take on in honor of Rosh Hashanah: to always choose positive language and a soft tongue.

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hand of the tongue” (Mishlei 18:21). Perhaps we can say that the “choosing life” of which the parshat speaks depends on the tongue — on what we choose to say, and more importantly, on what we choose not to say. We’re told in the midrash (Vayikra Rabbah, Chapter 33) that Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (Rabbi Judah the Prince) “made a feast for his students and served them soft and tough tongues, and the students started selecting the soft ones and putting aside the tough ones. He said to them, ‘Know what you are doing! Just as you are selecting the soft tongues and putting aside the tough tongues, so shall you do with your own tongues!’” Rabbi Yehudah used the opportunity of his students specifically choosing

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 23

Headlines Letters: Continued from page 15

our area. Framing the Orthodox community as monolithic is harmful, implicitly “othering” us to any on the outside. Given that Rose does not represent Orthodox Jews as a whole, could not the Chronicle have found a local voice in support of Trump whose writing would have more relevance to our community? Rose is at his most painfully irrelevant (and tone deaf) when he writes: “But for an Orthodox Jew, what’s the bigger present threat? A far-right extremist in a distant rural town, or a looter in a Jewish neighborhood?” Here in Pittsburgh, we all tragically know the answer to that question. Yitzhak Mandelbaum Squirrel Hill

In praise of Rabbi Jamie Gibson for making the case for Biden

I cheered as I read the passionate, compelling essay by Rabbi Emeritus Jamie Gibson (“Make America Good Again,” Sept. 4), in which he makes a powerful case to elect Joe Biden president on Nov. 3. In less than half a page, the Rabbi catalogues so many atrocious and outrageous policies

Books: Continued from page 18

Christian text. And yet, Christians believe that Jesus was the messiah, and that his return will bring about the messianic age. It’s not clear, Wilson argues, what makes someone a messiah, or that Jesus even believed he was the messiah. To try and explain, Wilson reads the Torah closely for mentions of messiahs, eventually settling on certain elements as vital for being an

anointed leader (as opposed to a universal savior). However, these elements do not necessarily constitute the job description as Peter would have understood it at the time. So Wilson consults a text that would have been widely disseminated around the time of Peter, “known today only to a handful of scholars.” “Psalms of Solomon” describe, in detail, what a messiah should be. Wilson applies this definition to Jesus, and supposes that if this was Peter’s working definition, then Jesus fell short of being the messiah; in fact, Wilson believes,

and postures of our hateful, intolerant, bigoted and incompetent Donald Trump, who has done so much to bring our nation and its people down and to render us a laughingstock and an object of scorn and pity among the countries of the world. He also notes the many positive attributes of former Vice President Biden, an honorable, decent, good-hearted and sincere man who, unlike his opponent, possesses and demonstrates genuine empathy and basic human decency. As I write this, our abnormal president is seeking not to calm tensions and bring us together as racial unrest erupts, but to fan the flames, encouraging his armed supporters (“GREAT PATRIOTS” to the Tweeter-in-chief) to take to the streets to combat counterprotesters. He assumes that a supporter of his, a 17-year-old child who is proudly pictured with his rifle, and who shot two people to death in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was a victim, asserting before anyone knows all the facts, that he “must have been in some trouble” and “would likely have been killed” if he had not used his weapon to kill others. It had to be difficult for Rabbi Gibson to refrain from stating his views throughout the years of our long national nightmare, the Trump presidency, and no doubt it is difficult for other members of the clergy to remain silent. Now, though, unrestrained by being an active full-time rabbi, Rabbi Jamie may do so. We readers are the beneficiaries. Thank you and bless you, sir. Oren Spiegler Peters Township this was probably part of Mark’s “created Jesus,” which retrofitted the historical Jesus with distorted myth. Wilson then spends a few chapters talking about Woodrow Wilson, Hitler, “Paw Patrol” and the Avengers as examples of our persistent, misguided desire for messiahs. He finishes by arguing that the desire for a messiah distracts from the real work of personal transformation. No proof is provided for the idea that “Psalms of Solomon,” though uncanonized and certainly obscure to the general

public, is only known to a few scholars. In fact, a Los Angeles Review of Books review of his past work notes that Wilson and his co-author made a similar claim once before, having described a “lost gospel” that was neither lost nor a gospel. Wilson’s book leaves you with more questions than answers. That’s not a bad thing, but they’re likely not the ones that Wilson intends to inspire. PJC Jesse Bernstein writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication.