Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 3/9/2018

P I T TS B U R G H

March 9, 2018 | 22 Adar 5778

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Candlelighting 6:02 p.m. | Havdalah 7:02 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 10 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Police recruits benefit from training at Holocaust Center

AIPAC 2018 stresses foreign policy wins

$1.50

Local boy brings joy of Purim to prisoners

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

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Israel and the wider world: The United States of America will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.”

The annual conference, held in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center here, basked in Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May — a promise he made as a presidential candidate at this conference two years ago.

Inside the main ballroom, illuminated by blue and white lights, attendees rose and applauded each time a speaker mentioned the embassy move.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s actually happening after all the years,” said Lisa Schwartz of New York. “It’s very nice that this president is doing something right.”

Added University of Pittsburgh student Alyssa Berman, who attended the conference with other attendees from Hillel Jewish University Center, “There is so much

ankel Vogel, 13, may be the youngest person to walk the halls of the Allegheny County Jail — but not because he did anything wrong.

To the contrary, Yankel, who just celebrated becoming a bar mitzvah last summer, obtained security clearance to visit the lockup so he could read the Megillah to the Jewish prisoners there on Purim.

Five men who were registered with the prison as Jewish gathered last Thursday morning to hear Yankel chant the story of Esther, Mordechai, Achashverush and Haman.

Yankel is the son of Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel, executive director of the Aleph Institute, North East Region. Vogel has sent young men to read the Megillah at the County Jail and other state and federal prisons throughout the region for “many years,” he said.

Following his son’s bar mitzvah, the rabbi asked him if he would learn the Megillah so that he could help those incarcerated fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the Book of Esther.

“It’s an important mitzvah, bringing Purim to others,” Vogel said. “The day has to begin with helping others.”

While children are generally not permitted inside the jail, the warden made an exception for Yankel, Vogel said.

“The prison chaplain, [Kimberly Greway], had come to Yankel’s bar mitzvah, and she felt a connection to him,” Vogel said.

It can be particularly meaningful for prisoners to be in the presence of children, he noted. “They were happy and excited that Yankel came. It means a tremendous amount for the inmates to have a younger person come in to read the Megillah.”

Yankel read the Megillah in 32 minutes and “did well,” his father said. The prisoners were quiet and at attention for the

Please see AIPAC, page 16

Please see Prison, page 16

Joint program teaches force’s newest members about history and tolerance.

Page 2 LOCAL Lifelong learning in Squirrel Hill

Chatham University and TOL*OLS launch partnership.

Page 3 LOCAL ‘Grease’ was the Purim word Two communities offer versions of classic.

Page 4

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the AIPAC policy conference in Washington.

Photo courtesy of AIPAC

By David Holzel and Lauren Rosenblatt

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ASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence told a friendly audience at the AIPAC Policy Conference here on Monday that he was bringing greetings “from the most pro-Israel president in the history of the United States.”

Pence, speaking to 18,000 supporters of the pro-Israel lobby, sought to back up that claim.

He insisted that the Trump administration would end the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, which AIPAC spent much of its political capital opposing, if Congress can’t fix what it sees as flaws in the deal’s enforcement language.

He said that as President Donald Trump had kept his promise to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, so he would on the nuclear deal.

“Unless this deal is fixed in the coming months, the United States of America will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal immediately,” he said. “I have a solemn promise to

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle

WORLD Austria’s complicated history

NATIONAL Can Kushner navigate peace?

MUSIC Quartet performs banned music

Headlines Pittsburgh police and Holocaust Center partner on day of training — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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hat do the atrocities committed against humanity more than 70 years ago have to do with contemporary policing in the Steel City? A lot, according to organizers of a collaborative day of training between the Holocaust Center of Greater Pittsburgh and the city’s police department.

“You got to recognize things happening in the past,” said Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert. “Law enforcement was used to do things against other people.”

Bringing light to law enforcement’s role during the Shoah was a central aim of the Feb. 26 training, given that attitudes may be carried over for generations, explained Colleen Bristow, a sergeant of the training academy. As a police officer, “you’re inheriting what those before you did. And you have to understand what those before you did, the egregious things that law enforcement did before and what has been passed down.”

In gaining a better understanding of not only those sentiments but of prior acts committed by law enforcement agents, cadets and officers from Pittsburgh’s police force traveled to the Holocaust Center to meet with staff, examine relevant artifacts — including Nazi-branded weaponry — and hear from Judah Samet, a local survivor.

“It was absolutely fantastic. He had me in tears,” said Bristow of hearing from Samet, who recounted his experience as a child survivor.

Jonathan King, a recruit, similarly

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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Evan Indianer, Chairman Andrew Schaer, Vice Chairman Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary Jonathan Bernstein, Treasurer David Ainsman, Immediate Past Chairman

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2 MARCH 9, 2018

p Judah Samet, center, joins recruits for a photo.

described Samet’s speech as “amazing.”

Listening to him “deepens my understanding of what he went through.”

For many of the 40 cadets and officers present, Samet’s address was the first opportunity to hear from a living survivor. During a discussion led by Officer David Shifren, just one of 20 cadets present indicated that they had ever been to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. As intended, the daylong training furthered participants’ understandings of the police’s complicated relationship to the Shoah, said Lauren Bairnsfather, director of the Holocaust Center. “There are historical examples of times when police were put in positions that were unethical. Regarding the Holocaust, they were the Nazis’ henchmen and it went so far as the police doing the

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Photos by Adam Reinherz

crime and committing the killing. So the Holocaust provides an extreme example for law enforcement.”

“You don’t see law enforcement’s role when you watch on the History Channel,” echoed Bristow. “You think it’s all military but it’s not, it actually has a law enforcement component as well.”

Investigating the period of the Holocaust was similar to other efforts that the Pittsburgh police have made, such as reviewing the role of law enforcement during the implementation of the Jim Crow laws, said Schubert. The purpose goes beyond questioning how “ordinary police officers allowed this to happen” to learning how to apply the lessons of the past.

It’s like what the 19th-century philosopher George Santayana said, Schifrin told the

p Officer David Shifren leads a discussion with recruits.

cadets. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The partnership between the Pittsburgh police and the Holocaust Center was the brainchild of Norman Conti, a Duquesne University professor, who last August floated the idea. Since then, said Bairnsfather, the groups collaborated on creating a meaningful engagement for all involved.

Given the participants’ responses, that mission was achieved.

“This is absolutely wonderful,” said Bristow.

King agreed, saying: “I will be taking the knowledge that average people can do either deplorable things or great things with their lives, and I’ll chose to do great things.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Tree of Life and Chatham University forge lifelong learning partnership — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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eighbors Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation (TOL*OLS) and Chatham University are partnering on a series of lifelong learning events to be held at the congregation’s building on the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues in Squirrel Hill. The 15 scheduled events, running until May 17, include lectures, musical performances and interactive activities, all in the hope to “bring in a lot of people from the wider public to get a wide range of experiences,” said David Finegold, Chatham’s president.

The offerings range from a film screening and discussion of “Rosemary’s Baby” and its status as a Jewish horror film to a sourdough bread-making workshop. Other experiential sessions include memoir writing and watercolor techniques.

Although not all of the events are free, most are. Additionally, the adult educational offerings at TOL*OLS may be a closer option for those living in Squirrel Hill than similar courses and opportunities currently offered in the Oakland area, added Finegold.

For Michael Eisenberg, TOL*OLS’ pres-

presence will benefit those in ident, the partnership with the Jewish space.

Chatham represents “the final “Our new rabbi is a JTS cantor piece to get increased utilization and he knows sound and acoustics,” of the building.” said Eisenberg. “He said this is a While synagogue memberships great place to have musical events.” have declined, forcing multiple The first Chatham event, a congregations throughout western concert slated for March 8 at Pennsylvania to shut their doors, 7:30 p.m. will feature the allEisenberg has looked to other female Kassia Ensemble, which methods to preserve the congregachallenges classical music’s tion’s space. Specifically, through entrenched gender bias. strategic partnerships with area Three days later, on March 11 at worship groups and other organi3 p.m., a concert featuring Ruud zations, TOL*OLS has developed Scholars Kaitlyn Salmon, Justine a “metropolitan model” in which Barry, Francesca Fello and Elizathe building has become a bit of a p The first joint event by neighbors Tree of Life*Or beth Romano, will include works “community center,” he said.

L’Simcha Congregation and Chatham University Apart from the Conservative features the Kassia Ensemble, above. Photo by Heather Mull by Mozart, Paisiello, Faure, Chaminade, Grieg, Copland and Bernstein. congregation, the site also houses “The main thing that our leadership TOL*OLS owes its success to respectful Dor Hadash, which is Reconstructionist, and New Light Congregation, also Conser- dealings between the various parties, said wanted to know is how does a university vative. The bevy of Jewish practices allow for Eisenberg. Additionally, the congregation presence work when juxtaposed with a spirithree simultaneous Shabbat services to occur has been able to create a cohort that not only tual organization,” said Eisenberg, “and that’s each week. This is in addition to the regular tacitly acknowledges its tenants but cooper- what we’re seeing here.”

Those interested in learning more about weekday usage from NA’AMAT, Weight ates and supports the other’s programming.

Watchers and AARP, said Eisenberg.

As an example, Eisenberg pointed to last the Tree of Life and Chatham UniverPrior to creating these partnerships, the week’s commemoration of Purim, for which sity partnership can visit chatham.edu/ building would be used for morning minyan TOL*OLS and New Light held a joint cele- treeoflife. PJC and then remain dormant throughout bratory meal and Purim shpiel. the day, he said. “Now it’s being used for a Although Chatham is a secular instiAdam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz whole lot more.” tution, Eisenberg believes that its @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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MARCH 9, 2018 3

Headlines Oh, those Shushan nights! South Hills shpiels ‘Grease’ — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

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etting to watch the story of Purim unfold through a clever parody of the musical “Grease” was not the only reason to celebrate the holiday at Temple Emanuel of South Hills last week.

What may have been even more uplifting was seeing hundreds of children and adults from throughout the entire South Hills Jewish community come together to sing, laugh, be entertained and, of course, eat.

This is the second year in a row that Temple Emanuel, a Reform congregation, has invited its Conservative Jewish neighbors from Beth El Congregation of the South Hills — and the Jewish community at large — to join in its annual Purim shpiel.

As they sing in “Grease,” the energy was “electrifying.”

“Grease — the Megillah,” was penned by Norman Roth, a New York writer whose website, purimshpiel.net, offers a host of “musical megillahs,” including “Les Mis — Les Megillah,” and “Oh What a Spiel — the Jersey Boys Megillah.”

Last year, the two congregations joined together to perform “A Beatles Purim Shpiel” at Beth El. The production of “Grease” at Temple

and South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh. For Emanuel was co-directed by Douglas the second consecutive year, SHJC was Levine and Chris Laitta, with also a partner in the program at Temple Levine on the keyboard and Janelle Emanuel, providing funding, said Rob Burdell on the drums.

Goodman, director of SHJC. Coincidentally, Temple Sinai in “Last year, between the carnival and Squirrel Hill also performed a shpiel the Purim Shpiel and Chabad programbased on “Grease” on Feb. 28. ming, we had more than 1,000 members The South Hills evening opened with of the South Hills community celeRabbi Mark Mahler of Temple Emanuel brating Purim,” Goodman said, adding and Rabbis Alex and Amy Greenbaum he expected this year’s total to be similar. of Beth El leading the children in Purim p Students from Temple Emanuel and Beth El Congregaton perform a parody of About 150 people attended Chabad’s songs before the curtain rose on the Photo by Rob Goodman Purim in the Jungle event on March 1 at cast of “Grease,” and its first toe-tapping “Grease” for Purim. place of groggers; the mac and cheese, as well the South Hills JCC, he said. number, “Grease Is the Shpiel.”

The South Hills is home to 20 percent of The show, which ran about 20 minutes, as monetary donations, were then provided featured several musical numbers, including to South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM). Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish households, or Temple Emanuel and Beth El have approximately 9,000 people, according to spoofs of “Summer Love,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “Jew Jive,” and “Look at Me, I’m been working “together as a family,” said the new community study commissioned by Sandra Dee,” with the latter’s lyrics improved Beth El’s Alex Greenbaum, adding that the Federation.

“Purim is an example of our community the two congregations have also collaboto “What a guy, I’m Mordechai.”

The 20-member cast showcased the rated on programs for Selichot, Chanukah coming together,” Goodman said. “South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh is making it a priority musical and acting chops of Rosalie Bortz and Tisha B’av.

“We have a lot more in common than what to fund events and activities that get the (Queen Vashti), Elijah Brogdon (King whole community involved.”

Ahashuraus), Tim Brogdon (Haman), Eitan divides us,” Greenbaum said.

Mahler praised the power of uniting to The joint Purim program came on Schwartz (Mordechai) and Rabbi Jessica Locketz (Queen Esther, substituting in for the heels of a communitywide Purim celebrate Jewish life.

“Clearly, the exuberance was pretty much Addie Young), along with an able ensemble carnival on Feb. 25 at the South Hills composed mostly of children in black leather Jewish Community Center of Greater through the roof tonight,” Mahler said. “And jackets and cardigans.

Pittsburgh. The carnival was also a collabora- through the roof can only be accomplished The shpiel was followed by a costume tive effort, with partners including the JCC, through community.” PJC parade and a pizza dinner with homemade the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, hamantaschen. The Megillah was read after Beth El, Temple Emanuel, Chabad of the Toby Tabachnick can be reached at JC OpnHills, RadarFIN 2018_Eartique 3:46 PM ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines White-out and hand lettering reveal a crisis in Jewish education — LOCAL —

By Eric Lidji | Special to the Chronicle

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Three rabbis, three religious schools. It sounds like a turf war.

But one small detail suggests otherwise. At the bottom of the ad is a list of the charter members of the Hebrew Religious Academy.

Among them is Sol Rosenbloom.

Rosenbloom was a descendent of the Vilna Gaon and a star of two European yeshivas.

he Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives found the pictured photograph while collecting materials from the estate of the late Sally Kalson. A second photo, nearly identical to this one, shows the same building from the same angle, but unaltered. In that one, a smiling man stands in each of the doorways. One of the smiles belongs to Sally’s grandfather Harry Kalson, a Jewish community leader from the Hill District.

The crude doctoring done to this photograph suggests a promotional image. You get the sense that Kalson and his partner were announcing their vision Supporters of the Hebrew Religious Academy used for the building. this doctored photograph as a promotional image for But that’s just a hunch, and fundraising efforts.

Photograph courtesy of the Rauh a hunch is just a place to start.

Jewish History Program & Archives Confirming this hypothesis — figuring out what was being promoted and He became a businessman after immigrating why — requires some research. to Pittsburgh in 1886, but he remained a lifeAn easy first step for solving a mystery long advocate of Jewish education. “The best such as this one is the Pittsburgh Jewish citizen is the Jew with the best Jewish educaNewspaper Project. The project is a website tion and the most religion,” he said in a 1923 where anyone can read back issues of local interview in the Jewish Criterion, in which he Jewish newspapers — including this one also predicted the advent of collegiate Jewish — for free. Plugging “Hebrew Religious studies programs.

Academy” into the search bar brings up a Rosenbloom signed the charter for Rabbi full-page ad from the May 4, 1923, edition of Kochin’s Hebrew Religious Academy while the Jewish Criterion. The ad announces “An he was serving a term as president of Rabbi Appeal for the Hebrew Religious Academy Ashinsky’s Hebrew Institute. There must Building Fund,” and it prominently features have been a reason he wanted both schools this doctored photograph, cropped closely to exist. Statistics suggest an answer. along its left side to remove any trace of the A survey in the Criterion in June 1922 church looming in the background. counted 5,262 Jewish children between the The ad goes on to explain that the Hebrew ages of 6 and 15 attending public schools in Religious Academy was started in the spring downtown, Uptown, the Hill District and of 1921 for “the purpose of teaching the Jewish Oakland. The Jewish religious schools in Religion, the Hebrew Language and Litera- those neighborhoods could only accommoture, fostering a knowledge of Jewish History date between 1,700 and 2,300 students. More and Ethics and promoting the tenets and than half the children didn’t have a place to go. practices of traditional Judaism.” The academy An effort to expand the accommodations initially met at Kneseth Israel on Miller Street. appears to have been successful. A second It outgrew those accommodations over the survey published the following year counted summer and soon acquired this building at 4,909 children receiving some Jewish educa81-83 Tannehill Street. The “building fund” tion, with about two thirds attending Sunday was an attempt to pay down two mortgages school and the rest attending daily afterplus some debt incurred during renovations school classes such as those provided by the to the former boarding house.

Hebrew Religious Academy.

The building no longer exists. Neither does The Jewish community solved the problem Tannehill Street. The church still survives. It of having too many students in the Hill is currently St. Benedict the Moor at Craw- District just in time to address the problem of ford Street and Center Avenue. having too few. A migration to Squirrel Hill, The founder of the Hebrew Religious Greenfield and the East End started in the Academy was Rabbi Eliyahu Wolf Kochin late 1920s and really picked up in the 1930s. of Tiphereth Israel Congregation. He was The Hebrew Religious Academy building following the example of two other prom- was sold at a sheriff ’s sale in 1929. PJC inent Hill District rabbis. Rabbi Moshe Eric Lidji is the director of the Rauh Jewish Shimon Sivitz started the Pittsburgh Hebrew School in 1886, and Rabbi Aaron History Program & Archives at the Sen. John Mordechai Ashinsky started the Hebrew Heinz History Center. He can be reached at eslidji@heinzhistorycenter.org.

Institute in 1916.

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CHATHAM UNIVERSITY at Tree of Life Congregation Created with the enrichment of the community in mind, Chatham University and Tree of Life have created a lifelong learning event series featuring lectures, discussions, musical performances, workshops, and film screenings that deepen knowledge, broaden connections, and expand horizons.

7:00 P.M. at TREE OF LIFE and free to the public unless otherwise noted.

MARCH

11 15 22

Concert: Ruud Scholars, 3:00 p.m.

The Iran Nuclear Deal and What It Says About How American Foreign Policy is Made, Former Ambassador Dennis Jett Workshop: Sourdough Bread-Making, 3:00-6:00 p.m., Shauna Kearns, Chatham University, $75

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Jewish Horror Film: Rosemary’s Baby, University of Pittsburgh Professor Adam Lowenstein, at Chatham University’s Eddy Theater

APRIL

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Globalization: What It Is and What to Do About It or Not Do, Former Ambassador Dennis Jett

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Workshop: Creating a Vessel of Felted Wool, 3:00-6:00 p.m., Juliane Gorman, Chatham University, $50

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The Significance of Souvenirs, Dr. Bill Lenz, Chatham University Professor Emeritus

For more information, events, and to register, visit chatham.edu/treeoflife

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Calendar >> Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Submissions will also be included in print.

Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q SATURDAY, MARCH 10 Niki Penberg, co-founder of Vegan Pittsburgh, talks about the ease of finding vegan meals at restaurants around the city at 12:30 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation.

Participants will sample several dishes from local area restaurants. Visit rodefshalom.org for more information.

Game Day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Moishe House. Who will win the Scrabble Championship? Contact moishehousepgh@ gmail.com for the address.

The Taste of Westmoreland is set for 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Student Union (Chambers Hall) at the University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg. The cost is $25 and $20 (for advance purchases of 10 or more). Children 12 and under are $10.

This is the 25th year that Congregation Emanu-El Israel brings the “Taste� to Westmoreland County. More than 800 people are expected to visit to taste the specialties of some 20 restaurants and caterers of Westmoreland County.

Anyone bringing canned and/or nonperishable items for the Westmoreland County Food Bank will receive one free ticket for the raffle basket auction. Visit ceigreensburg.org/taste or call the CEI office at 724-834-0560 for more information.

Historian David Rosenberg presents the newest exhibition at Temple Emanuel’s Thou Art Gallery, “Who Is a Jew? Amiens, France, 1940-1945,� at 7 p.m. The exhibition focuses on a set of photo identification cards of Jews from Amiens and its region to explore how French Jews self-identified when forced to register during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Temple Emanuel of South Hills presents the event in partnership with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. There is no charge.

Visit templeemanuelpgh.org for more information. There will be a wine and cheese opening reception, as well as a brief talk with Rosenberg.

After winning the City Championship, the Pittsburgh Allderdice basketball team, with Jackson Blaufeld, will play in the state playoffs against Mt. Lebanon at 4 p.m. at Pittsburgh Obama High School. q SUNDAY, MARCH 11 The Emergency Volunteers Project (EVP) is assembling a team of volunteers from Pittsburgh for deployment to Israel if needed during a crisis, including natural disasters.

Together with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Partnership2Gether (P2G) and the cities of Karmiel and Misgav, volunteers will be certified by EVP to become local and international first responders. The training will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Pittsburgh Fire Training facility, 1395 Washington Blvd. Contact Debbie Swartz at dswartz@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5208 for more information; visit tinyurl.com/ y8tpcmym to register.

q SUNDAY, MARCH 25 Rodef Shalom Sisterhood Movie Night will screen “Bagels Over Berlin,� directed by filmmaker Alan Feinberg, who will attend and introduce the film at 7:30 p.m. “Bagels Over Berlin� is a documentary that tells the story of the Jewish young men who joined the U.S. Army Air Corp just as the United States was entering the war against Hitler and Germany. Through interviews with 30 Jewish war veterans the film reveals the anti-Semitism and discrimination these young airmen encountered as well as being in the military branch with the highest mortality rate in the first part of the war. The film is entirely in English and open to the community at no charge. Light refreshments will be served afterward along with an informal discussion with the director. Contact Rodef Shalom at 412-6216566 for more information and to RSVP. Rodef Shalom Brotherhood’s Pancake Breakfast is set for 8:30 a.m. to noon at 4905 Fifth Ave. Proceeds will help the congregation and community with needed projects. The money collected will help to rebuild the congregation’s playground and keep the Howard Levin Clubhouse running and more. The cost is $5 per person, $15 per family. Contact rmeritzer@gmail.com for more information.

J-Serve Pittsburgh is a teen-planned day of Jewish community service, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., attended each year by 300 Jewish teens in sixth to 12th grade from around greater Pittsburgh. Teens meet at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill for breakfast and a learning session led by peers. They then volunteer

at more than 15 local service locations for several hours before returning to the JCC for lunch and celebration. Transportation to the Squirrel Hill JCC for the event is available from the South Hills JCC, Adat Shalom, Temple David and Temple Ohav Shalom.

J-Serve Pittsburgh is a partnership of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Repair the World: Pittsburgh, BBYO and the Volunteer Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Visit tinyurl.com/ycd27two for more information and to register.

Congregation Dor Hadash will present a lecture by Misha Angrist titled “Steering the Wind: Genetic Screening in Jewish Please see Calendar, page 7

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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 6 Populations” at 10 a.m. at the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues. Angrist is an associate professor of the practice at Duke University in the Social Science Research Institute and senior fellow in the Duke Initiative for Science and Society. A participant in the Personal Genome Project, Angrist was among the first to have his entire genome sequenced and made public. There is no charge but RSVP is suggested at admin@ dorhadash.net or 412-422-5158.

required; RSVP at tinyurl.com/y9mdpfle.

Contact Jan Barkley at jbarkley@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5294 for more information.

The concert location is the home of three of the four congregations: New Light, Dor Hadash and Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha.

q WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

Chabad of Squirrel Hill, in partnership with Community Day School, Hillel Academy, Yeshiva Schools, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Camp Gan Izzy Fox Chapel, G2G, and PJ Library, will hold Pittsburgh’s first-ever Kids’ Mega Matzah event at Beth Shalom from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Admission is $10 per child, and registration is required by March 12 at kidsmegamatzah. com. Contact Chabad at info@chabadpgh. com or 412-421-3561 for more information.

Pi(e) Day, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Moishe House. Come over for a pie baking eating extravaganza, and vote for your favorite.

Will it be apple, lemon-meringue, or cherry?

Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for the address. q THURSDAY, FRIDAY, MARCH 15-16

Rabbi Alex Greenbaum and Beth El Congregation host a lunch and presentation

by South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM) from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hear how neighbors are helping neighbors in the effort to build better lives for others, providing 12,000 pounds of produce last year from their gardens alone. There is a $6 charge. Visit bethelcong.org for more information.

“Nightmares, Dreams & Moral Imagination,” an interfaith and interracial dialogue program with Cornell William Brooks will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Temple Sinai; a welcome reception will be held at 6:15 p.m.

Brooks, the former president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), will challenge people of faith to commit to creating a more tolerant and just society.

Visit tinyurl.com/ycz4q6mv for more information about the program and Brooks.

Brooks also will be the keynote speaker at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary as part of “Getting Woke: From Imagination to Collective Action,” a workshop for religious leaders of all faiths on Friday, March 16 from 8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. The workshop is free, but a $20 suggested donation to Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network (PIIN) can be made at the door. Register at templesinaipgh.org/Brooks.

q TUESDAY, MARCH 13

q FRIDAY, MARCH 16

Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh will present an educational program on cyber bullying.

Dr. Emily Levine will be the guest speaker.

The program will be hosted at the Hadassah office, 1824 Murray Ave., Suite 201 at 6:30 p.m. There is a $10 charge. RSVP to the Hadassah office at 412 421-8919.

Temple Emanuel will hold a Dairy Deli Food & Film program on at 7:30 p.m. (immediately following the Shabbat service). The film is “The Sturgeon Queens,” a documentary that tells the history of one food store on the Lower East Side of New York City, Russ and Daughters. The cost is $36 per person.

RSVP at templeemaneulpgh.org/event/ deli by Thursday, March 8 and mail in check payable to Temple Emanuel. Walk-ins cannot be accommodated for this event.

Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh will hold its annual meeting at 2 p.m. at Green Oaks Country Club. There will be a light lunch served with Chai Tea. The president will discuss 2017 and the organization’s accomplishments, and the 2018 executive board will be installed. There is a $36 charge.

RSVP to the Hadassah office at 412-421-8919. q MONDAY, MARCH 12

Pittsburghers Susan Sofayov and Elaine Bergstrom will be at Shaler North Hills Library at 6:30 p.m. Author Sofayov’s new book, her third novel, is “Jerusalem Stone.” Previous works include “The Kiddush Ladies” and “Defective.”

Artist Bergstrom designed the cover art for “Jerusalem Stone.” Bergstrom teaches in Pittsburgh with classes in watercolors, Oriental painting, colored pencils, pen and ink, acrylics and drawing. She is influenced by Asian, spiritual and Judaic culture.

Books will be for sale and refreshments provided at the event, which is free and open to the community. Register at 412-486-0211 or shalerlibrary.org.

An informational session about the Alexander Muss High School in Israel will be held from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at a private home. At AMHSI, the land of Israel becomes a living classroom for students. The accredited semester, eight week and summer programs can help teens develop skills and tools that will prepare them for college and beyond.

RSVP to wshapera@jnf.org by March 12 for address details. The program is organized by AMHSI/Jewish National Fund.

The Exodus Lectures, with Rabbi Danny Schiff, Foundation Scholar, on the subject “Fact or Fiction,” is set for 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation.

The program is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh, Rodef Shalom Congregation and Congregation Beth Shalom and is free and open to the community. Registration

q SUNDAY, MARCH 18 Parents of special needs children considering summer camps are invited to an information session about Quest Therapeutic Summer Camp, to be held at JFCS, 5743 Bartlett St., Squirrel Hill, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Quest Summer Camp is for children 6-18 who struggle with social relationships, impulsive behavior or emotional well-being. The session is free, but registration is requested.

Contact khorn@jfcspgh.org and include your name and the number of people attending (parents only please).

Magevet, one of the nation’s premier a cappella singing groups, will perform a free concert at noon at 5898 Wilkins Ave. (corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues) in Squirrel Hill.

“A cappella” means singing without instruments. Magevet’s repertoire spans modern Israeli pop and Renaissance choral pieces to Yiddish folk tunes and Zionist classics. Magevet, the Hebrew word for towel, is devoted to spreading Jewish music to the far corners of the globe.

While admission is free, RSVPs are requested at newlightcongregation.org/ magevet or leave a message at 412-422-5158.

The concert is sponsored by four East End congregations: Beth Shalom:Derekh, Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Light*Or L’Simcha.

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Chabad of the South Hills will hold a prePassover family outing with interactive Passover activities including making a seder plate out of wood from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Home Depot, Village Square Mall, 4000 Oxford Blvd. Passover food items for the kosher food bank will be collected.

Visit chabadsh.com or call 412-344-2424 to register. Prepaid reservations by March 14 are $5 a child or $10 family maximum.

After March 14 the cost is $7 a child or $12 family maximum.

March Madness and Making Cards, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Moishe House. It’s that time of year when college basketball teams duke it out for top dawg. Come to the house and watch some March Madness with snacks. Guests will also be making cards for Children’s Hospital. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for the address. q MONDAY, MARCH 19 Faithful Responses to Gun Violence: A Pittsburgh Conversation will be held at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. This interfaith meeting is hosted by Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement.

The Exodus Lectures, with Rabbi Danny Schiff, Foundation Scholar, on the subject “How It Changed the World,” will be held from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom.

The program is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh, Rodef Shalom Congregation and Congregation Beth Shalom and is free and open to the community.

Registration required; RSVP at tinyurl.com/ y9mdpfle. Contact Jan Barkley at jbarkley@ jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5294 for more information. q TUESDAY, MARCH 20 Chabad of the South Hills will hold a prePassover lunch for seniors, including a model seder and holiday program at noon. There is a $5 charge. Call Barb at 412-278-2658 to preregister or visit chabadsh.com for more information.

Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh holds Mix and Mingle with E3: Empowered, Educated & Engaged Jewish Women for an evening of cocktail-making and mingling. Steven Kowalczuk, the cocktail chef from Steel City Mixology, will hold a mixology class from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Studio AM, 225 E. Eighth Ave. in Homestead. Appetizers will be provided. There is a $35 charge. RSVP at jfedpgh.org/E3 by Wednesday, March 14.

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Contact Rachel Lipkin at rlipkin@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5227 for more information. q WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 AARP Squirrel Hill Chapter 3354 will hold its monthly meeting at 1 p.m. at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, located at Shady and Wilkins avenues. There will be a performance by New Horizons Band of Greater Pittsburgh.

Membership is not required to attend.

Refreshments are served after the meeting.

Contact Ilene Portnoy at 412-683-7985 for more information.

Documentary Night with Moishe House from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Chatham University. This month the documentary is “The Revival: Women and Word” as part of Chatham University’s Just Films series. “The Revival” chronicles the U.S. tour of a group of black, lesbian poets and musicians and their inspirational community leadership.

Meet at the house at 6:15 p.m. to walk over to Chatham for viewing and discussion. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for the address.

The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center at 1212 Smallman St. invites the community for a reading, discussion and book signing with Judith Summerfield, author of “A Man Comes from Someplace: Stories, History, Memory from a Lost Time” from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The book is a cultural study of a Jewish family from a shtetl in Ukraine before World War I to its lives on several continents in the 21st century. Summerfield builds on the oral storytelling of her father, who escaped from Ukraine during the Russian Revolution and settled in Fredericktown, Pa. There is no charge. Visit heinzhistorycenter. org/events/books-in-the-burgh-judithsummerfield for more information. q THURSDAY, MARCH 22 Join author Judith Summerfield at the Heinz History Center for a special writing workshop from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., “The Places We Come From, The Stories We Tell,” exploring the ways that we define ourselves through the stories we tell. Writers will explore how to draw from memory, oral stories, history, genealogy, research, family artifacts, and from their own imaginations, to write their stories.

Admission is free, but preregistration is required. Visit heinzhistorycenter.org/events/ special-writing-workshop-judith-summerfield for more information and to register. PJC Hillel Jewish University Center’s Campus Superstar, a professionally produced singing competition featuring Pittsburgh’s most talented college students, will be held at 6 p.m. at Stage AE. Campus Superstar 2018 will honor Gail and Norman Childs. Ten finalists will compete for the “Elly Award” and the Ellen Weiss Kander Grand Prize of $5,000.

The proceeds of this event will benefit the activities of the Hillel JUC. Visit hilleljuc.org/ campus-superstar for more information.

The Exodus Lectures, with Rabbi Danny Schiff, Foundation Scholar, on the subject “How It Changed the World,” will be held from 7:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. The program is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh, Rodef Shalom Congregation and Congregation Beth Shalom and is free and open to the community.

Please see Calendar, page 15

MARCH 9, 2018 7

Headlines Anti-Semitic events in PA almost doubled in 2017 — NATIONAL —

“ It’s disappointing to see that it’s risen by as much as it has.”

By Rachel Kurland | Special to the Chronicle

A

nti-Semitic events across Pennsylvania rose by 43 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year — a recorded 96 incidents — according to the latest audit by the Anti-Defamation League.

The rise represents the state’s largest single-year increase and the second-highest amount of incidents over the last decade — considering the area boasted five consecutive years of declining reports of anti-Semitism from 2008 to 2012.

Nationwide, anti-Semitic occurrences were almost 60 percent higher in 2017 than 2016, with a reported 1,986 cases. For the first time in at least a decade, all 50 states reported an incident.

“A confluence of events in 2017 led to a surge in attacks on our community — from bomb threats, cemetery desecrations, white supremacists marching in Charlottesville and children harassing children at school,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and national director, in a press release. “In reflecting on this time and understanding it better with this new data, we feel even more committed to our century-old mission to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.”

— JOSH SAYLES

The annual audit just about fell on the one-year anniversary of the desecration of hundreds of headstones at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia, which was a major incident highlighted in the ADL’s review.

On the other side of the state, Joshua Sayles, director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said these numbers are distressing, but not a complete surprise.

“We really have seen an uptick in antiSemitism in general in talking with other community leaders throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area,” he said. “It’s disappointing to see that it’s risen by as much as it has.”

But recording anti-Semitic incidents isn’t an exact science, he noted. The ADL audit is based on events that have been reported to local authorities, so there may be some that go unreported.

Sayles said the Federation recently hired a

director of community security, emphasizing the mantra, “If you see something, say something.”

“The amount of incidents that have been reported to us have risen dramatically, so I would think part of the uptick [reported by the ADL] is an increase in general awareness in the Pittsburgh area and hopefully not an increase in incidents,” he said, “just an increase in our community members being better educated on how to respond.”

Relative to other states, Pennsylvania has large clusters of Jewish populations. Incidents in the state last year included 45 acts of harassment (up 10 percent from 2016) and 51 acts of vandalism (up 104 percent), according to the ADL. Incidents also nearly doubled in K-12 schools.

Pennsylvania had the sixth-highest number of incidents across the country, behind New York, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Florida.

Jeremy Bannett, ADL associate regional director in Philadelphia, credited the uptick to the increase “in anti-Semitic rhetoric and an emboldening of bigots throughout 2016.”

Early numbers from 2017 showed an enormous spike over the previous year, too.

For states with large Jewish populations, Bannett said there’s more of an opportunity for people to express anti-Semitic attitudes, but there’s also more people to report them.

“What we’re seeing is not isolated in Pennsylvania,” he said. “Anti-Semitism is real and growing. … We’re concerned about the divisive state of our national discourse, making people feel freer to express bias and anti-Semitism. On the extremes, white supremacists and hate groups are feeling emboldened to take action and express their bigotry in the real world,” and are recruiting on college campuses at “unforeseen levels.”

Although the white supremacist Charlottesville, Va., march stands out to most people from 2017, Bannett said there were actually 76 public events last year organized by white supremacists across the country.

“You can’t fight hate against just one group of people. You have to fight hate in all its forms,” he said, because “haters don’t just hate one group. They hate all sorts of groups.” PJC Rachel Kurland writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.

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ALL ABOUT THE NEED FOR A ‘POWER OF ATTORNEY’ This is one in a series of articles about Elder Law by Michael H. Marks., Esq. Michael H. Marks is an elder law attorney practicing at Marks Elder Law with offices in Squirrel Hill and Monroeville. Send questions to michael@marks-law.com or visit www. marks-law.com.

Have you signed a Power Of Attorney? If not, why not? I recommend Powers of Attorney for all my clients as part of the basic estate planning process.

A Power Of Attorney is a document that you sign to say who you want to help you if you become unable to take care of business yourself. You get to choose, select, appoint, and authorize the person you want to assist you when needed. The person making the Power Of Attorney is called the “principal,” and the person appointed is the “agent.”

In a Business and Financial Power Of Attorney (or “POA”), you authorize someone you trust to take care of your money or property – your home ownership or real estate, bank accounts, investments, pension or retirement interests, insurance, etc.

In a Healthcare Power Of Attorney, you authorize a Health Care Agent to help you – if you can no longer make or communicate your own medical decisions – to work with your doctor to make decisions for you.

Examples may include: if you have to be admitted to a care facility, the need to authorize care or treatment for you, or the right to read your medical records under the privacy laws. It also allows the Agent, and to hire or fire people to take care of you.

8 MARCH 9, 2018

A “Living Will” or “Advance Health Care Directive” describes the kind of end of life treatment that you want or don’t want to receive, if you’re unable to make your own decisions AND about to die. It says, in so many words “when I’m about to go, don’t keep me alive on the machines, wires, tubes and needles, when I’m never actually going to get better. “ Why should you make a Power Of Attorney? It’s so you can make your own choices and your own plans instead of having someone who you don’t choose make decisions for you. If you become disabled or incapacitated but have not signed a Power Of Attorney, whoever is going to try to help you – even your own spouse for many kinds of actions – has to go to court and bring proceedings before the judge, to be officially appointed as something a little different, called your “legal guardian.” That takes longer, it costs more, and it’s a lot less flexible to proceed under court-supervised guardianship, than under private Power Of Attorney. And, the judge might appoint as your guardian someone who you really did not want to be in charge of your business!

Your Will only applies after your death.

In addition to naming someone you know and trust as your Agent under Power Of Attorney, you should also name your choice as the backup or substitute or second choice, in case the first choice is not available to help you when needed. You can also name more than one person as “co-agents.”

A “Springing Power Of Attorney” only “springs” into effect when it’s needed because you have become unable to handle your own affairs, usually as certified by your doctor. An “Immediately Effective Power Of Attorney” is ready to use right away. Nothing else has to happen before your Agent can start to act

on your behalf under this kind of Power Of Attorney.

Your Agent has a legal obligation in the highest degree, a “fiduciary duty,” to act loyally for you, on your behalf and for your benefit.

At MARKS ◆ ELDER LAW, we listen and get to know you. Our goal is to provide the personalized legal guidance for setting up your Power(s) of Attorney that you need to plan for your future, to protect your assets and to provide for your loved ones. Our informative approach ensures that whatever the problem or issue, you understand the options and can proceed with confidence.

Many people don’t realize that Power Of Attorney is only valid and applicable during your lifetime. After you die, your Power Of Attorney is no longer in effect That’s usually when your Will comes into effect. The person you named in your Will is appointed as Executor or Administrator to wind up your affairs after you’re gone.]That’s the big difference between a Power Of Attorney and a Will: Power Of Attorney is only in force during your lifetime.

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Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

Grandson of Munich Olympics terrorist wins California Democrats’ endorsement California Democrats have endorsed the grandson of an architect of the Munich Massacre for a congressional seat.

Ammar Campa-Najjar, a Palestinian American, won the state party convention’s endorsement last weekend for the June primary in the 50th District, an inland district west of San Diego. Campa-Najjar has forged ties with his local Jewish community.

Duncan Hunter, a Republican, now holds the seat.

Campa-Najjar’s grandfather was Muhammad Yusuf al-Najjar, a mastermind of the terrorist murder of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes and coaches at the 1972 Games in Germany. Al-Najjar was assassinated a year later by Israeli commandos.

Haaretz recently reported on Campa-Najjar’s candidacy, saying he rejected his grandfather’s terrorism. Campa-Najjar, who lived for a time as a youth in the Gaza Strip, has said his “goal is for our generation to be better than our predecessors, and find a way to end this conflict.”

Haaretz quoted two local rabbis who spoke of Campa-Najjar’s commitment to Israel’s security, which he does not see as mutually exclusive with Palestinian rights.

Campa-Najjar emphasizes income inequality in his messaging. He is an admirer of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whose 2016 run for the Democratic nomination made him the first Jewish candidate to win majorparty nominating contests.

Hunter, under federal investigation for alleged financial improprieties, is also facing a slew of challengers in the Republican primary.

Raisman sues Olympic Committee for not flagging molester doctor Aly Raisman sued the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Gymnastics alleging negligence for not stopping former U.S. Olympics gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar from sexually abusing young athletes.

Raisman, who is Jewish and the winner of numerous Olympic medals, including several golds, filed her lawsuit Feb. 28 in California, saying they “knew or should have known” about the abusive patterns of Nassar, who is now in prison, The Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit is the latest development in Raisman’s campaign for raising awareness of sexual abuse in sports, which coincides with several other campaigns against sexual misconduct against women.

Raisman was among dozens of young female gymnasts Nassar has pleaded guilty to molesting.

The filing alleges negligence by the USOC and USA Gymnastics for failing to make sure appropriate protocols were followed in regard to monitoring Nassar, who is named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit. In January, a Michigan judge sentenced Nassar to a total of at least 140 years in prison.

Nassar spent nearly three decades at USA Gymnastics before being fired in 2015 following complaints about his behavior. He continued to work at Michigan State Univer-

Murray Avenue Kosher sity through the fall of 2016 before being hit with federal charges.

Raisman said the USOC and USA Gymnastics allowed Nassar to continue abusing athletes by not telling the university about the conduct that led them to fire him.

The USOC is conducting an independent review of when former CEO Scott Blackmun and others learned the details about abuse cases at USA Gymnastics and whether they responded appropriately. Blackmun stepped down earlier this week to deal with prostate cancer. Raisman, several high-profile gymnasts and two U.S. senators had been calling for his ouster for weeks.

USA Gymnastics and the USOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AP. USA Gymnastics has undergone a massive overhaul in the last year. Former president Steve Penny, named as a co-defendant in Raisman’s lawsuit, resigned last March.

Its longtime board chairman Paul Parilla, another co-defendant in the suit, and the rest of the board stepped down in January.

Labour extends Livingstone’s suspension for saying Hitler supported Zionism The British Labour Party extended its suspension of former London Mayor Ken Livingstone over his 2016 assertion that Adolf Hitler had supported Zionism in the 1930s.

The party’s National Executive Committee decided to prolong Livingstone’s one-year suspension past its April 27 expiration, BBC reported last week, until the conclusion of an internal probe into his conduct over allegations that his claims were anti-Semitic or otherwise offensive to Jews.

The move is the second measure applied in recent weeks against a high-profile Labour official accused of anti-Semitism. It follows accusations by leaders of British Jewry that Labour under its left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn is whitewashing and failing to confront what they say is a proliferation of hateful rhetoric on Israel and Jews in the party’s ranks.

Last month, Tony Greenstein, a Jewish anti-Zionist who supports Corbyn, was expelled from Labour for breaching three of the party’s rules: “offensive comments online; offensive posts and comments on his blog; and an email in which he mocked the phrase ‘final solution.’”

Among the offensive comments was the use of the term “Zio,” an anti-Semitic term used to describe supporters of modern-day Israel. Greenstein was first suspended from the party in 2016.

Dozens of Labour members have been kicked out on rhetoric deemed anti-Semitic, but many others have been allowed to stay or were readmitted.

Under Corbyn, who in 2009 called Hamas and Hezbollah his “friends,” thousands of people, many from the far left, joined Labour, in a development that leaders of British Jewry say has generated an antiSemitism problem in the party’s ranks.

This means that “most people in the Jewish community can’t trust Labour,” Jonathan Arkush, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said in 2016. A British parliamentary committee of inquiry in 2016 upheld claims that the party’s leadership is failing to confront seriously anti-Semitism in its ranks. PJC

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1916 MURRAY AVENUE 412-421-1015 • 412-421-4450 • FAX 412-421-4451 PRICES EFFECTIVE SUNDAY, MARCH 11 - FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2018

Candle Lighting Time Friday, March 9, 2018 • 6:02 p.m.

READY TO SERVE PASSOVER SPECIALS MAIN DISH ROAST CHICKEN WHOLE ONLY ROAST CHICKEN LEG ROAST CHICKEN BREAST APRICOT LEG APRICOT BREAST SHERRY MUSHROOM CHICKEN BONELESS BREAST ROAST TURKEY BREAST WHOLE OR HALF ROAST TURKEY LEG (DRUM & THIGH) BRISKET SINGLE BEEF MEATBALLS SWEET ’N SOUR STUFFED CABBAGE

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Dobi’s Schmaltz Herring

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Krinos Pitted Olives with Garlic Salad

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STORE HOURS Sun. -Wed. • 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. | Thurs. • 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. | Fri. • 8 a.m. -3 p.m.

OUR KITCHEN & DELI WILL BE KOSHER FOR PASSOVER STARTING SUNDAY, MARCH 18 HOMEMADE SALADS & SOUPS DELI PARTY TRAYS

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We Prepare Trays for All Occasions UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF VAAD OF PITTSBURGH

CATERING SPECIALISTS DELICIOUS FRIED CHICKEN WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES.

MARCH 9, 2018 9

Headlines Austria, with a far-right party in the government, hosted Europe’s largest conference on anti-Semitism — WORLD —

By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA

V

IENNA — Until December, Milli Segal’s main challenge as a producer of Jewish-themed events in Austria was balancing her duties at work with her hands-on approach to being a Jewish grandmother of four.

As an organizer of prestigious Holocaust commemoration projects, Segal, 63, is on a first-name basis with some of the country’s most senior politicians, and draws on 20 years of experience to prevent or solve most any complication.

Last year alone, she headed the communications efforts around the unveiling of memorial monuments at the Aspangbanhof train station and the Herminengasse subway station. That’s while Segal was negotiating the relocation of a museum that she had established recently in this capital city for child survivors of the Holocaust.

But Segal has new dilemmas since the far-right Freedom Party entered the Austrian government in December. She and a community that has boycotted a party established by former Nazis in the 1950s must now work

with ministries and officials who are either under the party’s control or working closely with it in government. “It’s not as simple as before, you need to use a lot of diplomacy� now that the Freedom Party is in the government, Segal said.

Her latest challenge ended last week with the conclusion of a five-day conference on anti-Semitism where Segal handled media for the European Jewish Congress and three other co-organizers. The prestigious event at the University of Vienna featured government ministers and some of the world’s best-known scholars on anti-Semitism. It came off despite her organization’s initial discomfort at holding a summit against anti-Semitism under the auspices of the only government in Europe with a far-right party in its ruling coalition.

The Austrian government is led by the center-right Austrian People’s Party of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The Freedom Party, which clinched 25 percent of the popular vote in October’s parliamentary election, is its only coalition partner.

With the Freedom Party entering the government, the event’s co-organizers wondered whether Austria was an appropriate host for what was to be one of the largest academic events of its kind in Europe in recent years.

p Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, left, of the Freedom Party and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the Austrian People’s Party speak at a news conference in Vienna after their first Cabinet meeting.

Photo by Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

“We tore the hairs off our heads,� said Dina Porat, chief historian at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. “Of course we had our doubts.�

Porat decided to remain as a co-organizer to make a stance against the Freedom Party. Besides, she said, changing the venue on short notice would have meant the event’s cancellation.

— WORLD — on a beachhead north of Tel Aviv and embark on one of the worst terrorist attacks in Israel’s history.

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

March 9, 1914 Arthur Ruppin purchases land for Hebrew University

March 12, 1947 The Truman Doctrine is delivered

In a speech delivered to a joint session of Congress, President Harry Truman outlines a new, decidedly anti-Soviet direction for American foreign policy.

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Arthur Ruppin, head of the Palestine Office of the World Zionist Organization, purchases the estate of Sir John Gray Hill on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem for the purpose of building a university.

March 10, 1970 Knesset amends Law of Return to define “who is a Jew�

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Last month, officials representing the Jewish community of Austria boycotted the parliament’s annual Holocaust commemoration event over the participation of government officials from the Freedom Party, which the community was not able to block.

Segal said there are other complications

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March 11, 1978 Coastal road massacre takes place

A group of 11 Palestinian terrorists, who had departed from Lebanon by boat, land

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March 13, 1881 Czar Alexander II is assassinated

Czar Alexander II, the leader of Russia, is assassinated in St. Petersburg when a bomb is thrown into his carriage.

March 14, 1473 Massacre of Jews in CĂłrdoba takes place

A riot breaks out against the conversos or marranos — Jews who had publicly converted to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism behind closed doors.

March 15, 1972 King Hussein proposes federal plan

In a radio address delivered to the Jordanian people on Amman Radio, Jordan’s King Hussein proposes a federal solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.  PJC

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Headlines Can Jared Kushner navigate Middle East peace without top-secret clearance?

— NATIONAL —

By Ron Kampeas | JTA

W

ASHINGTON — Jared Kushner has had better weeks.

Kushner, who along with being the son-in-law of President Donald Trump carries the titles of assistant to the president, senior adviser to the president and director of the Office of American Innovation, had his security clearance downgraded. John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, made good on a promise to remove interim topsecret clearance from staffers who have yet to be cleared by the FBI. What prompted the delay in clearing Kushner has not been disclosed, although the Kushner family real estate business is known to be in debt and have financial entanglements overseas. Perhaps not coincidentally, when news of the downgrade broke last week, The Washington Post quoted U.S. officials as saying that officials in four nations — the United Arab Emirates, China, Mexico and Israel — have said that they see Kushner as “manipulable” through his business interests and inexperience in foreign affairs.

What does this mean for the proposal to

p Jared Kushner, left, at a U.N. conference in New York with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and his fellow Middle East peace negotiator Jason Greenblatt.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

revive Israeli-Palestinian talks that Kushner and his team are said to be releasing “soon”?

Four former U.S. officials — all had top-level clearance when they served in the executive branch — offered their take.

“Jared Kushner still has access to the most

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important piece of classified info in this biz, his father-in-law,” said Aaron David Miller, a Middle East negotiator under Republican and Democratic presidents.

Miller said that Kushner’s access to the decider was probably enough to overcome

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any hindrance imposed by a lack of access to critical intelligence.

Daniel Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel under President Barack Obama and a one-time senior member of the national security team who dealt with Israel, agreed.

“If you’re someone who’s close to the president,” Shapiro said, “it comes with its own weight.”

Right now, the team aiming to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks is preparing a proposal, not a plan — and that doesn’t require much in the way of intelligence briefings.

“Kushner can go ahead and put his ‘ultimate deal’ on the table without having to consult a single piece of information,” Miller said, using the sobriquet that Trump has given the proposal.

(Stephen Colbert joked about Kushner’s downgrade and the embryonic nature of the proposal. “How will he fix the Middle East now?” the late-night host asked. “He was so close to starting.”)

Miller said the real damage to Kushner is to his reputation.

“There’s a prestige factor, a credibility factor,” he said.

Please see Kushner, page 17

MARCH 9, 2018 11

Opinion Israel’s political bellwether?

— EDITORIAL —

I

srael’s small, left-wing Meretz party has been cheating oblivion since the beginning of this century. With its derisive reputation as made up of leftist, secular, Ashkenazi Tel Aviv elites, the party has not been able to get traction for its liberal and dovish platform favoring a two-state solution, LGBTQ rights, social equality and opposition to religious coercion. Meretz has five seats in the Knesset. It hasn’t been part of a governing coalition since Yitzhak Rabin was prime minister in the early 1990s.

Last week an earthquake hit the party. Its chairwoman and its No. 2, both in their 60s, dropped out of the running for party leadership in a March 22 primary. This makes

way for a generational change in the party and, perhaps, a change in approach. The frontrunner is MK Tamar Zandberg, 41, but there are other young contenders, including Avi Buskilia, 42, who during his short tenure as head of the Peace Now movement, tried to forge a dovish argument that would ring true to Israel’s Mizrachi majority.

Elsewhere, the Labor Party, Israel’s legacy center-left party, last year picked an unlikely leader in Avi Gabbay, a millionaire businessman who helped found the centrist Kulanu party. In the next election, which the parties are planning for as if it is imminent, Gabbay will be competing against former journalist Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid for the position of prime minister.

And who will eventually follow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lead

Likud, Israel’s legacy right-wing party? With scandals swirling around him, Netanyahu, the consummate political survivor, has groomed no young leaders as did David Ben-Gurion, Yitzhak Shamir and Shimon Peres — all from different parties, but who cultivated successors when their hold on the premiership waned. Still, despite accusations and investigations, polls show Netanyahu would be returned as prime minister if elections were held now.

Netanyahu has survived because he has wedded the Likud to the growing ultranationalist and haredi Orthodox parties that champion a kind of ethnic and religious tribalism. Their growth and the shrinking of the secular Zionism of the state’s founders is explored by political theorist Michael Walzer in “The Paradox of Liberation: Secular Revo-

Voting for Jewish values means voting for Conor Lamb Guest Columnist Joel Rubin

Y

ou may not realize it, but western Pennsylvania’s Jewish values are being debated right now in the special election to succeed former Rep. Tim Murphy. The winner of this election will represent those values in Washington.

As a native Pittsburgher with deep roots in the Jewish community going back multiple generations, I believe that there is a clear choice for who will best represent these values. That person is Conor Lamb. It most definitely is not Rick Saccone.

There are many reasons to not vote for Rick Saccone in the upcoming special election to fill the seat left empty by the disgraced Murphy. That Saccone recently boasted of being “Trump before Trump was Trump” would — given President Trump’s repugnantly callous response to the Parkland, Fla., school shooting, his reckless attacks on our

country’s intelligence agencies and his flouting of democratic norms, to name a few — be enough on its own. So would Saccone’s fullthroated endorsement of so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques” despite overwhelming evidence proving such techniques are little more than torture and are ineffective at extracting truthful information. And that’s to say nothing of his well-known proclivity for dining on lobbyists’ dimes despite public, vocal denunciation of money in politics.

Any one of these things would be enough.

The word dayenu comes to mind. Had Saccone said he was “Trump before Trump was Trump,” dayenu. Had Saccone compared himself to Trump without being a torture apologist, dayenu. Had he been a torture apologist without being in the pocket of lobbyists, dayenu.

As Jews, we simply can’t vote for him. It would contradict our values.

One of my favorite Jewish concepts is that of tzedakah. I learned about this at Congregation Beth Shalom, where I attended Sunday school growing up in Squirrel Hill.

It’s a value of which we’re all likely familiar: As Jews, we’re expected to be charitable, to

look out for those less fortunate than we are, to do our part to help those in need. There’s more to it than that, though. The literal translation of the Hebrew word tzedakah is “righteousness,” and it isn’t an expectation — it’s an obligation. We are obligated to help others. We are obligated to be charitable. It is a vital tenet of our faith.

How, then, can members of our community vote for a man who has justified his mercenary, hardline approach to cutting Pennsylvania’s state budget with these words: “When [special interests] line up, I mean even good causes like Alzheimer’s or food banks, and they say they need more money, I ask where we should take it from. We don’t have the money.” He said it despite claiming $18,665 in per diems for personal use in 2016, one of the Pennsylvania legislature’s top claimants.

He said it despite spending 20 percent more from his taxpayer-funded expense account than the average Pennsylvania legislator.

We can’t support someone who spurns those in need while lining his own pockets with taxpayers’ money. Such a candidate isn’t just incompatible with our beliefs; he is antithetical to them.

lutions and Religious Counterrevolutions.”

Israel’s founders, Walzer suggests, were not able to create a Zionist Israeli culture with deep enough roots to reproduce for more than a generation or two. As in other countries founded by liberationists, the vacuum has been filled by religious revivalists.

This may help explain the near disappearance of Israel’s left. But it doesn’t predict what will come next. Most Israelis are neither fully secular nor haredi. They want peace and economic opportunity. With a new leadership and new approach, Meretz may be in a position to test how willing Israelis are to vote for a party touting social equality, accommodation with the Palestinians and freedom of religion. Then again, they may remain in the political wilderness. When a vote comes, it will be interesting to watch. PJC

Meanwhile, Saccone’s opponent, Conor Lamb, has a history of public service, of standing up for those who need the help most. After serving in the Marines, Lamb worked as an assistant U.S. attorney at the Justice Department’s Pittsburgh office, working with local law enforcement to combat the heroin epidemic. Making sure that all Americans have access to affordable health care is an important part of Lamb’s platform, as is reforming our too-often onerous student loan system. He has shown himself to be committed not just to charity, but to righteousness, to using his office to serve his constituents and not himself.

In Bava Batra, the third of the Talmud’s three tractates, it’s written that “tzedakah outweighs all other commandments.” Whether you choose to translate that word as “righteousness” or “charity,” one thing is clear: Saccone embodies neither while Lamb represents both.

As Jews, our choice this election is clear. PJC Joel Rubin, a Pittsburgh native, is a former State Department official and founding board member of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

Jewish voice should be backed by Jewish vote Guest Columnist Bob Silverman

T

his is a banner year for elections in Southwestern Pennsylvania. On March 6, Pittsburghers elected the replacement of former District 8 City Councilman Dan Gilman, who stepped down to become Mayor Peduto’s chief of staff. On March 13, voters in the 18th Congressional District will head to the polls to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Tim Murphy. On May 15, registered Democrats and Republicans will

12 MARCH 9, 2018

vote in their respective primaries in advance of the November midterms.

It is important for the Jewish community to have a strong turnout in each of these elections. Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, in order to ensure the well-being of our community, we must have a prominent voice with our elected officials at every level.

There are many ways to achieve this, but the simplest and most important is by voting.

As a member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council (CRC), I regularly see the importance of relationships with elected officials.

Strong leadership from these officials can help to secure federal and state funding for Jewish social service and health care orga-

nizations. They safeguard our religious freedoms and shape policy on Israel. They even raise the profile of our local community by participating in Jewish communal events, milestones and religious observances. If candidates who do not share our values earn seats in public office because we did not take advantage of our constitutional right to vote, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

That is why the CRC, in partnership with several Jewish and non-Jewish organizations, hosted three nonpartisan forums to introduce the community to local candidates. A total of more than 500 people attended separate “Coffee & Conversations” with congressional hopefuls Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone at the South Hills

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

JCC, as well as a District 8 City Council Town Hall at the Squirrel Hill JCC. We seek to serve as both a convener and a voice of reason during these politically polarized times.

High attendance at these programs demonstrates how important the Jewish voice is in our region and helps us get the ear of government officials when we need them most. More importantly, we must have a strong turnout on Election Day. If you live in Pennsylvania’s 18th District, be sure to vote on March 13.

To find your polling station, visit www. pavoterservices.pa.gov. PJC Bob Silverman is a member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council.

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Opinion Saccone’s no liberal, but he’s just what we need Guest Columnist Jon B. Tucker

R

ick Saccone should have the near-unanimous support of our Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Community because he has the expertise and experience to champion those issues most important to us. Saccone is staunchly pro-Israel. His platform supports the renegotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and endorses the U.S. Embassy’s move to Jerusalem.

On domestic issues, it is clear that Rick is a thoughtful and educated conservative, supporting religious freedoms, educational and family values, lower taxes, a stable business climate and a simplification of government regulations. Rick’s six-plus years of experience in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, specifically his voting record and bill sponsorship, manifest his commitment to these important issues.

Rick Saccone’s qualifications are impeccable. He served in uniform and civilian capacities in both South and North Korea, as a counter-intelligence officer. He holds a Ph.D. in international affairs and graduate degrees in national security and public administration. Rick had a distinguished military career and an equally impressive civilian Foreign Service career.

Saccone has both an academic and working knowledge of foreign affairs, especially in the Korean theater. Rick’s advanced education and training will enable him to have an immediate impact in Congress. He studied in Egypt and Africa, has written scores of articles on foreign affairs, and traveled to 75 countries. Rick taught English as a second language and was a political science professor at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, where he has continued to teach since becoming a state representative. He has authored nine books, two of which deal with North Korea. His knowledge of domestic affairs of importance to Pennsylvanians has been honed through his service in the legislature. He will represent us well in D.C. It is true that some of Rick’s positions

are at odds with a strictly liberal platform.

His opponent, however, has taken extreme far-left positions on the matters most important to us. More alarmingly, Conor Lamb runs away from his positions, most notably suffering selective amnesia over comments he made about the Israeli Defense Force being a “terrorist organization” while a student at the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. The key for our Jewish community is deciding which aspect of a candidate’s platform is most important to us.

Like most American Jews, I personally embrace a liberal social agenda, a position common to those of us who make up the families of survivors of the horrors of the Holocaust and its assaults on basic freedoms, property ownership and life itself. But we also support a commonsense economic and political agenda. We recognize the requirement that rogue nations and their dictators be kept in check; that Israel, the Jewish nation state, be supported; and that a strong economy and military be in place to effect the same. Social issues can be addressed through religious, eleemosynary and community programs, but important economic and security matters can only be addressed by our national government.

While there is some allure presented by a young handsome candidate, it only makes sense to elect the most qualified individual to promote our collective agenda, the person with the requisite wisdom garnered from advanced education, military and political experience. Our district needs a strong, unwavering voice in the House; a person who has the training and experience necessary to understand and interpret correctly the issues before him, and to promote the interests of his constituents. Rick Saccone meets all of these criteria and has a documented track record unmatched by his opponent.

Rick Saccone supports the issues of importance to our Jewish Community that can only be addressed at the federal level.

His platform is aimed at providing the security and prosperity we need so that we are able to champion the social issues that are important to us. PJC

— LETTERS — Saccone’s ‘Christian nation’ Thank you for your informational article about the special election in the 18th Congressional District (“Special election in District 18 has whole country watching,” March 2). The most interesting part of the article, though, is what was not written.

You report on candidate fund raising and spending. But the idea that it’s important which candidate is spending more money to influence our votes is itself troubling. A couple weeks ago, the Republican Jewish Coalition was calling synagogues asking to arrange a “meet and greet” with Rick Saccone on Shabbat. I don’t think that sort of politicking in a shul would be kosher. But I would have liked to ask the RJC about its support of Saccone.

I learned a lot about the Christian nation movement when I came up against Saccone a few years ago. The movement has been sweeping the country since the 1950s, but it has recently increased in fervor, spurred by fear of immigrants and a kind of distasteful xenophobia.

Proponents legislate based on religious tenets. Blue laws, for instance, come back into vogue, while municipalities and counties pass anti-Sharia laws. They legislate in Christianity, while they legislate out anything else.

As an example of this mindset, Saccone was the author of a resolution declaring 2012 the “Year of the Bible.” It passed. The year before, he cosponsored House Bill 2029, which was essentially the anti-Sharia law that statehouses tried to pass around the country.

When I first met him, Saccone was pushing one of the Christian nation foot-in-the-door initiatives: getting public buildings, including schools, to post “In God We Trust” on the walls. He was spending months of his full-time taxpayer-funded job in the state House crisscrossing the state pushing for these signs. He tried to bring a sign to Allegheny County Council, sponsored there by Councilwoman Sue Means, and Saccone thought it would be a stealthy no-brainer just to get the sign hung up as he’d done in other localities.

Saccone pushes his own religion as if it were the very basis of all of our civil laws, as if all law comes from the Christian Bible. Do Jews support this brand of exclusionism? Should we support it?

Audrey N. Glickman Squirrel Hill

Some first steps to stop the killing

In response to a recent d’var Torah, society has to take responsibility for the carnival of events that led to the killings in Florida (“We all must take responsibility,” March 1). This starts with the local sheriff and FBI, who dropped the ball on the tips about the shooter. Additionally, that the shooter, who was mentally unstable, was able to legally purchase a firearm is unconscionable. Had he been handled through law enforcement, this may have been averted.

Let’s also look at why schools and malls are the favorite targets of mass shootings.

Law-abiding citizens will not bring firearms to these places, but criminals will. Outlawing weapons will not help either. Criminals will get them on the black market. If they cannot get them at all they have other weapons they can use.

But if you’re so worried about saving the lives of our children, let’s address a practice that kills more than any mass shooting. There were 652,639 abortions in the United States in 2014, according to the CDC. Why are you not outraged at this statistic? We certainly can restrict the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens to have guns; we can also ban the tools that kill more than 652,000 unborn children each year. Judaism teaches us that our neshama belongs to us, and the vessel holding it belongs to Hashem. We are commanded not to alter it unless our life is in danger.

Andrew Neft Squirrel Hill

Jon B. Tucker, M.D., is the chief medical officer and chief strategist of Tucker Independent Medical Experts.

We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 500 words and may be edited for length and clarity; they cannot be returned.

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Correction In the article on the District 8 candidates’ forum in the March 2 issue, candidate Marty Healy was incorrectly identified as Mark Healy. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle regrets the error.

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MARCH 9, 2018 13

J E W I S H S O U T H W E S T E R N P E N N S Y LV A N I A N S

There’s a special election for Congress This Tuesday, March 13

We MUST VOTE to defend our Jewish values

And it’s

CONOR LAMB who represents our values

Health Care • Quality Jobs • Common Sense Accountability • Repair our Infrastructure Fight the Heroin Crisis • Respect for People’s Views Strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship

J e w i s h S o u t h w e s t e r n PA

VOTE THIS TUESDAY March 13 If Not Now, When?

-Rabbi Hillel, Pirkei Avot 1.14 Paid for by Party Majority PAC and the Jewish Democratic Council of America

14 MARCH 9, 2018

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Life & Culture Local quartet revives music suppressed by Nazis — MUSIC —

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

K

orngold. Ullmann. Schulhoff.

If you don’t yet recognize the names of these gifted composers whose work was suppressed during the Holocaust, you’re not alone. But a group of four Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians, dubbed the Clarion Quartet, is on a mission to change that.

The Clarion Quartet — Marta Krechkovsky (violin), Jennifer Orchard (violin), Tatjana Mead Chamis (viola) and Bronwyn Banerdt (cello) — last month released a CD with the music of the three Jewish composers whose music was labeled as “degenerate,” or entartete, by the Third Reich.

The inspiration for the CD, called “Breaking the Silence,” emerged following a concert the quartet played in the summer of 2016 at the Theresienstadt concentration camp in the Czech Republic, which included music that had been composed and premiered at that camp by inmate Viktor Ullmann.

While touring with the PSO in Europe, the Clarion Quartet, colleagues, board members and PSO music director Manfred Honek traveled to Theresienstadt. After a tour of the camp, the quartet ascended the small stage, called “the Attic.”

“We took a piece that was written in the midst of the Holocaust [by Ullmann] in Theresienstadt, which is the concentration camp where the Nazis allowed music-making so they could prove they were allowing people to go on with their lives,” said Chamis. “That was the only camp the Red Cross visited, and they made it look like everything was humane, and they put on concerts and they had the children sing.

“But it was still a horrific concentration camp, and we went to visit it in the midst of one of our tours, to see where this piece that we were playing had been composed, and to

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Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for the address and to RSVP. q MONDAY, MARCH 26 Moishe House Trivia Night from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Social, 6425 Penn Ave. Is your head filled with useless fluff you thought would never be useful? Come to bar trivia to put that knowledge to good use. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for the address and to RSVP.

The members of the Clarion Quartet, which initially was formed to play a concert of suppressed Holocaust composers for Young Israel in Pittsburgh, are not the only musicians seeking to revive these lost works. The OREL Foundation is working on a national level to encourage the performance of this music and raise awareness in the academic community about the importance of these p From left: Jennifer Orchard, violin; Tatjana Mead Chamis, viola; Bronwyn Banerdt, cello; and Marta suppressed musicians.

Krechkovsky, violin Photo by Todd Rosenburg “I believe that the spirit see how something so beautiful could have of this ‘lost generation’ now needs to be heard,” come from such horror.” wrote OREL founder James Conlon on the While there, the Clarion Quartet also played organization’s website. “The creativity of the compositions by Erwin Schulhoff, a Czech first half of the 20th century is far richer than composer and pianist who was labelled “degen- we may have thought. Alongside Stravinsky, erate” by the Nazis prior to the start of the war Strauss and other major and more fortunate and had to go underground to make music. figures, the varied voices of composers from “It was an unbelievable music-making Berlin, Vienna, Prague and Budapest, whether feeling,” Chamis said of the concert at Ther- Jewish, dissident or immigrant, reveal much esienstadt. “It’s one of the most memorable about the musical ferment of their time. Their concerts in my whole career, and I’ve played music, I believe, is accessible and relevant.” so many concerts.”

Squirrel Hill resident Dr. Michael Nieland A German videography team, Nick and has been an advocate for the music of these Clemens Prokop with the label Klanglogo/ suppressed musicians for years and is a TYE, were filming the concert that day and strong supporter of the Clarion Quartet. expressed interest in creating a recording of the “They’re an amazingly fine group of Clarion Quartet. Last summer, the team trav- players, and the music they are performing eled to Pittsburgh to make that happen. is of incredible quality and deserves to be The result is the newly released CD, which heard by as wide an audience as possible,” includes the music of Ullmann, Schulhoff and said Nieland, a violinist who has played Erich Korngold, an Austrian-born composer some of these works himself. exiled during the war, who moved to HollyWhile the Clarion Quartet’s CD is not wood and created film scores. He put classical the only recording of these pieces, Chamis composition on hold until the war was over. is thrilled that she and her colleagues are The CD also includes “Eli, Eli,” composed adding to the canon.

by Israeli David Zehavi in 1945.

“Hopefully, this will stir other people to

look into the works of these three composers, especially, and to play them themselves if they are musicians,” she said.

Chamis said she feels a kinship to the suppressed musicians.

“It’s so powerful for us to feel these were musicians, just like us, in the height of their careers, just playing, touring, being applauded, and then suddenly suppressed by government by something that had nothing to do with art,” she explained. “And they were forgotten and lost. And not only were they forgotten and lost, they’re still undercover. Without knowing, we as musicians are continuing that cycle of suppression.

“It gives us incredible meaning in our music-making to be part of giving these composers’ voice, and making sure it gets into the main repertoire, which is really where it deserves to be, because they are just as amazing works as those that we just keep playing again and again.”

The Clarion Quartet will be performing at Temple Emanuel of South Hills on April 15 at the South Hills Interfaith Movement’s Holocaust remembrance program. The quartet is also planning an upcoming concert in Philadelphia at the Curtis Institute of Music, where three of the quartet’s musicians studied.

“We play a lot of music, and we get very focused on the details of what we know, and here and there we play some new works, but we very rarely go digging in the past,” Chamis said. “Somehow, it always felt like what survived was the best stuff, the stuff we play.

And I never would have thought, ‘Well, maybe some of the best stuff just isn’t known yet.’

Which is so exciting. It’s like finding this treasure trove of music that’s so accessible. It’s such a shame that they aren’t heard, and that more people don’t know. I just want music students, and more schools, to know this exists. We don’t want to be the only ones doing it.” PJC

q THURSDAY, MARCH 29

Rabbi Barbara Symons of Temple David will discuss “My Name is Asher Lev” by Chaim Potok, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Monroeville Public Library.

Women of Reform Judaism Atlantic District Pittsburgh Area Sisterhood Day will hold a lunch and panel discussion about human trafficking from noon to 2 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Speakers include Alison Hall, executive director of PAAR; Liz Miller, chief of adolescent and young adult medicine at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and professor of pediatrics at UPMC School of Medicine; and Brad Orsini, community security director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Attendees are invited to bring travel sizes of shampoo, conditioner, soaps, toothpaste, toothbrushes, K-cups, instant creamers, paper coffee cups with lids, and nonperishable food snacks to be used at PAAR’s drop in center for victims of trafficking. This is a women only event.

There is an $18 charge and lunch is included.

RSVP to Shirley Tucker at 412-420-3411.

q SUNDAY, APRIL 8

q MONDAY, APRIL 9

Temple Sinai’s Rummage Sale will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sale will have housewares, kids’ items, sporting goods, crystal, jewelry, art, small furnishings and more. Proceeds benefit the Nathan & Hilda Katzen Center for Jewish Learning. Visit templesinaipgh.org/rummagesale for more information.

The Women of Temple Sinai invite the community to learn about Tapas & Easy Appetizers with Barbara Gibson at 6:30 p.m.

Anyone age 16 and older is welcome. The cost for this class is $10. RSVP by Friday, April 6.

Visit templesinaipgh.org/wots-cookingclass-6 to RSVP and for more information. PJC

Carbfest Potluck from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Moishe House. Looking for something to do with your chametz before Pesach? Come for a carbfest potluck with pizza and bread; you’ll bring whatever chametz you need to get rid of. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail. com for the address and to RSVP. q SATURDAY, MARCH 31 Temple David in Monroeville will host a second Passover seder, led by Rabbi Barbara Symons, at 6 p.m.

Food for Thought will be catering the event. The cost is $36 for Temple David members, $54 for nonmembers, $18 for children 12 to 18 and free for children under 12. For additional information or to make a reservation contact 412-372-1200 or stanb@ templedavid.org, or visit templedavid.org.

The deadline is Monday, March 26.

Temple Emanuel’s second night of Passover family seder will be at 6 p.m. led by Rabbi Mark Mahler and cantorial soloist Dr. Charles Cohen who will tell the story from the Haggadah.

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Temple Emanuel’s in-house catering department will prepare the seder. Special dietary needs can be accommodated if stated on the reservation form.

RSVP at templeemanuelpgh.org/event/ seder2018 by March 21 or contact the Temple office at 412-279-7600 for more information.

Walk-ins cannot be accommodated. The cost ranges from $20 to $42. Attendees are encouraged to bring a canned good to donate to SHIM’s food pantry or make a donation to Mazon, a Jewish Response to Hunger. q WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4

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

MARCH 9, 2018 15

Headlines AIPAC: Continued from page 1

American support for the State of Israel from the grassroots movement to the leaders of our nation, that as long as we continue to be vocal, we will be able to preserve Israel as a Jewish state in this world.”

AIPAC emphasized its bipartisan, big-tent brand, asserting support for a two-state solution in the face of a non-committal Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We must all work toward that future: two states for two peoples,” Executive Director Howard Kohr told attendees early in the conference. “One Jewish, with secure and defensible borders; and one Palestinian, with its own flag and its own future.”

Pittsburgh delegation co-chair Amy Weiss agreed.

“In order to have peace, you need two sides to come to the table to talk. Unfortunately, the Palestinian leadership has not promoted peace,” she said. “There would be nothing better than a two-state solution but in order to have two states you need both sides to accept and recognize the other.”

Enjoying a personal moment, Weiss also noted a shoutout her husband, Pittsburgh community leader Lou Weiss, received from Kohr.

Kohr “featured Lou … as a Kenyon College friend who makes the journey to policy conference every year in spite of mobility limitations from his MS,” Amy Weiss said.

“He mentioned him as the guy you see shlepping around Capitol Hill with his trekking poles as he visits our congresspeople and makes the case for the U.S.-Israel relationship. They then put our faces on the jumbo screens which I turned into a kiss cam!”

‘A huge pep rally’

For many attendees, political nuance took a back seat to total immersion in a pro-Israel environment. “I love AIPAC,” said Clara Sandler, 16, from Los Angeles. “It stands for all the things I stand for.”

“AIPAC is like a huge pep rally, where all people come to support Israel,” Lisa Schwartz said. “Sometimes you feel like you’re alone in your support. But here you come and you see how many people really support Israel, how

Prison: Continued from page 1

duration of the reading, which was followed by hamantaschen and orange juice, along with a blessing for the food.

The Aleph Institute covered 30 prisons in the area during the 24 hours of Purim.

Students from New York, as well as volunteers from all over Pennsylvania, brought the Megillah to Jewish prisoners throughout the region.

While Yankel said he was “excited” to read the Megillah at the jail, the experience also was “a little scary.”

But, he added, he was glad he did it.

The determination of the prisoners to celebrate their Jewishness while incarcerated is inspiring, Vogel said. It is a complicated process for them to be allowed to participate.

16 MARCH 9, 2018

many technological advances Israel makes and the argument for what is just in the Middle East.”

For others, the draw was learning more about Israel, sometimes to use that knowledge as ammunition in its defense.

Alyson Schwartz, 22, a student at Seton Hall University School of Law in Newark, N.J., said she came to the conference to make sure she had the tools to combat anti-Semitism on campus. “The main speakers have shown the confidence that people have in Israel and I want to take that confidence back to my community,” she said.

Pittsburgher Ken Eisner, 58, said the conference gave him a much better understanding of the “interplay” between Israel and other countries in the Middle East, including Syria and Iran. He said he went into the conference most concerned about the nuclear threat North Korea poses but left understanding the greater threat posed by Iran to Israel and eventually to the United States.

“At least the United States and Israel are completely on the same page about the need to disarm Iran’s nuclear capabilities and I think the U.S. is committed to making that happen soon,” said the North Hills resident, a past president of Temple Ohav Shalom.

Eisner said he is not a Trump supporter, but that he is pleased with the president’s foreign policy as it relates to Israel, especially the embassy move. But, because he is adamantly opposed to many of the president’s domestic policies, Eisner said it was “almost a little uncomfortable to be applauding for him when I just don’t support so much of what he stands for.”

If there was a star at the conference, it was U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. In 2017, she brought attendees to their feet by declaring, “The days of Israel bashing are over.”

On Monday, Haley largely directed her fiery speech at the United Nations, defending Israel from what she called the international body’s “bullying.” She compared Israel’s geopolitical circumstance to her family’s when she grew up in the only Indian family in Bamberg, S.C. “My father wore a turban, my mother wore a sari. There were times when we were bullied,” Haley said. “You don’t pick on someone just because they look differently than you. … It turns out bullying is a common practice in the U.N.” Roberta Winter, 75, of Skokie, Ill.,

contrasted Haley with Trump, who she called “the chaotic man at the helm.” Haley was the standout star of the administration, she said.

“She’s a real hero of our time. She says enough of the one-sided anti-Semitism in the U.N.” For speakers of any stripe, AIPAC was no place to appear soft. Avi Gabbay, the leader of Israel’s left-leaning Labor Party, gave a hawkish speech Sunday, calling for a non-nuclear Iran.

While he differed with Netanyahu and Trump by calling for a Palestinian state, albeit a demilitarized one, he also demanded the Palestinian Authority stop making payments to “terrorist groups.” (The Palestinian Authority pays families of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or serving time in Israeli prisons for participating in terror attacks.)

Gabbay also uttered the taboo word — settlements. “We must stop building these caravans on hilltops and glorifying these remote settlements because they do not provide any security value to Israel,” he said, referring to the so-called outpost communities built by Israelis deep in territory meant to comprise a future Palestinian state.

Will the bipartisanship hold?

Susan Wagner and her husband, Alan Klinger, of New York were finishing lunch on Sunday in the convention center’s mammoth lower level, called AIPAC Village. A self-described progressive, Wagner seemed to be at the conference on a fact-finding mission — not so much to learn about Israel as about the nature of AIPAC itself.

“Most of the speakers are going to say what Fox [News] is saying all the time,” she said.

“I want to see if there are articulate, honest right-wing positions I haven’t heard before.

Some, eating lunch in the AIPAC Village among the display of the Iron Dome missile defense shield and the walk-through timeline of the Iran nuclear deal, say the organization is moving to the right. Netanyahu aligned himself with Republicans in Congress when he made plans to address the body against the Iran nuclear agreement without consulting the Obama administration, they pointed out.

Others, like Eiran Warner of Washington, say the reason is the cause of his “biggest fear” — that “some elements of the Democratic Party are moving farther from Israel.”

Squirrel Hill resident Julie Paris, 38, said the message that Democrats and Republicans have

to work together on keeping Israel a priority was reiterated time and again at this year’s conference. Although she felt that the speakers offered a wide variety of opinions, political and otherwise, she understood the concern that the conference must remain bipartisan.

“Every issue right now is based on partisan politics,” she lamented. “I think this conference was really designed around finding common ground.

“Those who are pro-Israel really agree on much more than they don’t,” added the veteran of four other AIPAC conferences.

“What I’ve taken away [from the conference] is there’s a lot of support for Israel in our government and that’s something we should not take for granted.”

Alan Klinger was willing to adopt a wait and see attitude. “We’re here to see if the bipartisanship holds,” he said. The Klingers had just attended a hopeful session, “Telling Israel’s Stories,” in which “speakers reflected a progressive view and didn’t ignore the Palestinians in their vision,” he said.

That session was closed to journalists.

Ironically, so was a session called “Free speech and freedom of the press in Israel.” In addition to the plenary sessions, journalists were granted access to 18 speakers and panels over the conference. In contrast, there were 46 sessions barred to the press on Sunday between 1:15 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. alone.

Looking at an increasingly partisan divide when it comes to Israel, Karen and Alan Perleman of Chicago offered several arguments. He said that progressives — “Bernie Sanders Democrats” — “are not necessarily anti-Israel,” but they take a “Palestinians-are-the-victims approach to diplomacy.”

“It’s not AIPAC going to the Republicans. It’s Democrats leaving Israel,” Karen Perleman said. “But AIPAC is also trying to support Netanyahu and he’s pretty far to the right. It’s tough for AIPAC to look mainstream when part of their job is to represent the [Israeli] government’s interests.” PJC David Holzel is the managing editor of the Washington Jewish Week, an affiliated publication of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Lauren Rosenblatt is the digital content manager of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Washington Jewish Week staff members Jared Foretek and Dan Schere contributed to this report.

They have to file requests in advance, and then be thoroughly checked when leaving their cell units, and then again when they leave the chapel.

“It’s an ordeal for them,” he said. “But they do what they can. To see the dedication people have … they want to celebrate.”

Vogel said he hoped that Yankel would continue to “have a heart” for this type of mitzvah and feel the Jewish prisoners are “an important part of our community.”

The Aleph Institute continues to have openings for volunteers.

“It’s such a mitzvah,” Vogel said. “These individuals need our help. Having these inmates celebrate the warmth of Judaism, they can use it as an anchor to lead a productive life when they get out.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

p Yankel Vogel, left, reads the Megillah to Jewish prisoners as his father looks on.

Photo by Kimberly Greway

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Headlines Austria: Continued from page 10

impeding commemoration efforts in Austria — a country that only accepted its culpability in the Holocaust decades after its partner in crime, Germany.

“I am organizing a commemoration exhibition with a large company,” she said. “I told an official from that company we don’t want at the event any officials from the Freedom Party.”

That’s tricky because the party heads a government ministry that works closely with the company.

The Austrian Jewish community and its representatives try to avoid events where Freedom Party officials will be present. But when that proves impossible, Segal said, “we certainly will not shake hands with a Freedom Party official.”

No Freedom Party officials were at the conference on anti-Semitism. But their shadow was strongly felt.

Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, who is an unusually blunt and outspoken critic of the party, declined an invitation to attend the conference, which had the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy as its keynote speaker. The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s representatives were embassy staff — an unusually low-level delegation for an event that featured addresses by a government minister and the head of the opposition in Austria, as well as prominent members of academia.

During a speech by one of those officials, Education Minister Heinz Fassmann, Jewish students unfurled a banner reading “Mr. Kurz! Your government is not kosher!” before being escorted out of the university hall.

Conference organizers anticipated such scenes, Porat said.

“Besides, we did feel this is the right time

and place to have such a conference exactly because of the problematic aspects of the Freedom Party,” she added.

Nearly 20 years ago, at least one large Jewish group did decide to cancel an event in Austria over the Freedom Party. The Conference of European Rabbis was supposed to meet in Vienna in 2000, when the Freedom Party entered the coalition governing coalition for the first time.

“As an act of protest, we moved the summit to Bratislava in Slovakia,” Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the organization’s president, recalled.

The Freedom Party was founded in 1949 by a former SS soldier, Anton Reinthaller, and changed its name to the Freedom Party in 1956. Before it styled itself as a party focused on blocking the spread of Islam into Austria, anti-Semitic rhetoric was the party’s calling card and political currency.

In recent years, the Freedom Party under Heinz-Christian Strache has kicked out several members who engaged in antiSemitic rhetoric, which he said has no place in his movement. Strache, who has visited Israel, and other party officials have spoken favorably about the Jewish state. He said in December that he would have liked to see the Austrian Embassy move to Jerusalem — against the European Union’s stance.

But Austrian Jews, and consequently the state of Israel, are not convinced of the makeover.

On Tuesday, Oskar Deutsch, president of the Jewish community in Vienna, called the Freedom Party an entity “that still tolerates anti-Semitism to an alarming extent.” He cited a slew of incidents, including a 2016 article in a Freedom Party-affiliated newspaper alleging that the survivors of the Nazis’ Mauthausen concentration camp were “mass murderers.”

In November, Freedom Party lawmakers

p Milli Segal says “you need to use a lot of diplomacy” as a producer of Jewishthemed in events in Austria now that the Freedom Party is in the government.

Photo courtesy of Milli Segal

declined to stand in parliament during a moment of silence for Holocaust victims.

Earlier this month, a former regional minister from the party resigned following the revelation that his university fraternity published anti-Semitic songs in its publications. The songs prompted Strache to announce an internal review of his party.

To Segal, this “ability of the Freedom Party

Kushner: Continued from page 11

Intercepts, phone calls between foreign officials and sensitive human intelligence gathered from agents in the field are classified top secret; Kushner is not privy to them.

“They now know Kushner will not be reading any material related to them,” Miller said, which broadens the interlocutors’ ability to prevaricate.

Tamara Cofman Wittes, a top Middle East policy official at the State Department in Obama’s first term, said just the fact that anyone involved in a negotiation does not know what you know can be helpful.

“If that’s available with regards to these actors, that’s very helpful information when you’re working the issues,” she said.

Shapiro said Kushner’s lack of clearance could sideline him even among the team he leads.

“It’s a significant burden to having a functioning role in a team,” he said. “There are certain types of conversation, certain documents you don’t have access to.”

Part of the utility of possessing intelligence is the ability to share it and thus leverage or entice the other side into a concession.

The United States and Israel regularly share

“ Is it essential? No. Policymaking is always decision-making under

”

conditions of imperfect information.

— TAMARA COFMAN WITTES

what they know. The United States and the Palestinians do not.

“Anything we talk about with the Palestinians is not top secret,” said Ilan Goldenberg of the Center for a New American Security, who was part of the small team behind former Secretary of State John Kerry’s failed attempt in Obama’s second term to broker a deal.

Nevertheless, said Goldenberg, Kushner could work around that.

“There’s intelligence you’re not privy to, but most of it is going back and forth

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between Israel and the Palestinians, and you don’t need it,” he said.

Miller said that top-level clearance gives U.S. officials a familiarity with the region, even if it is not directly related to the Israeli-Palestinian talks, that all sides value.

He recalled that when he participated in talks in the 1990s, the Israelis would raise concerns about other actors in the region and expected American officials to join in the conversation.

“You have to know what they know,” he said. “In order to be credible and not vulnerable to perception of naivete, you have to

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

to speak with two tongues is perhaps the most worrisome development,” she said. The Freedom Party that entered the government nearly 20 years ago “was far less dangerous than the one that’s in it now,” she added.

Once dismissed as the political home of the impressionable, its penetration of universities has made it a party of ideologues with “an advanced academic degree,” Segal said. PJC

immerse yourself in intelligence. A lot of it relates to what the Israeli view of Syria is, the situation in Lebanon.”

Wittes said negotiators ultimately must decide on gambits absent the fullest information, however high their clearance — so Kushner’s disadvantage is relative, not absolute.

“Is it essential?” she said. “No. Policymaking is always decision-making under conditions of imperfect information.”

However, should Kushner’s proposal take off and the parties embrace it, the sides will get down to brass tacks — and that’s when the higher classified information could come in handy, Miller said.

“The problems come with discussing Israeli-Palestinian security arrangements, with collaboration between the Palestinians and the CIA,” he said.

Why talk about what happens when the sides get down to brass tacks when the likelihood is that it will not happen? Miller said.

“The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is so fraught, so troubled, in the deep suspicions dividing Netanyahu and Abbas, and on the substance, that Kushner could have every access to information in the Middle East, including intercepts between leaders, and it wouldn’t make a difference,” he said. PJC MARCH 9, 2018 17

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Torah Reaching the heights of purity through the basest of implements Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Parshat Vayakhel-Pekudei Exodus 35:1-40:38 Shabbat Parah

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he Tabernacle and all of its furnishings are described in exquisite detail in this week’s Torah portion, with one exception: the kiyor, the large wash basin in which the priests sanctified themselves by washing their hands and feet prior to each Divine service. Whereas virtually all the other items in the Tabernacle are given exact measurements, here the Torah speaks only in general terms. What makes the wash basin unique? What message is the Torah conveying in highlighting its uniqueness?

For an answer, we turn to the verse that states that the basin was made of the “mirrors of the service women.� According to Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch (19th century Germany), the phrase bamarot hatzovot

Rashi continues: “When the husbands would come home exhausted from backbreaking work, their wives would bring them food and drink. And they would take the mirrors, and would appear together with their husbands in the reflection of the mirror. Thus they would entice their husbands [in order to] become pregnant.�

The mirrors thus represent the women’s unswerving faith in their people’s future, which is all the more impressive given that at that time, the Israelites were being enslaved and their male babies thrown into the Nile during the Egyptian subjugation.

Logic certainly dictated not having any children. After all, how could one bring innocent babies into a life of suffering and likely death?!

But the women were sustained by the tradition of the Covenant of the Pieces found in Genesis, God’s promise of redemption. Consider what would have happened

They looked into the mirrors and saw not only themselves and their husbands, but the multitudes of a Jewish future.

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suggests that the copper mirrors were not melted down at all, but that the wash basin was “fitted together almost without any alteration at all, so that it would be recognizable that the basin consisted of mirrors.�

This explanation raises additional questions. Of all contributions to the Tabernacle, why should the mirrors retain their unique identity? Does it not seem curious that the very symbol of vanity would find a new incarnation as a central piece inside the Tabernacle? Indeed, without first stopping at the basin to wash their hands and feet, the priests could not begin the Divine service.

How could such “vanities� become such a significant aspect of serving in the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple?

According to Rashi, the inclusion of the women’s mirrors is really the story of a religious metamorphosis — not the rejection of the physical, but rather the sanctification of the physical. And herein, it seems to me, lies the true message of the Tabernacle.

In his commentary, Rashi cites the Sages who taught that when the Israelite women brought a gift offering of the actual mirrors, they were initially rejected by Moses because they were made for the evil instinct. But God said to Moses: “Accept them. These are more beloved to me than anything else. Through these mirrors, the women established many legions in Egypt.� (This is a play on the word tzovot, translated as “service women� but which literally means “legions,� and is a reference to the multitudes of children whom the women conceived and birthed.)

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had the Israelite women not found a way to entice their husbands. Jewish history would have ended almost before it began, in the very first exile of Egypt, devoid of a next generation of Jewish continuity.

In effect, the transformation of these mirrors of desire into the basin of purification is the Torah’s way of rewarding the women for their devotion and explaining to future generations the Torah’s ideal of the sanctification of the physical and the uplifting of the material. They looked into the mirrors and saw not only themselves and their husbands, but the multitudes of a Jewish future.

A Talmudic teaching brings home this point to a striking degree: “Rav Katina said: When the Jewish people would go up to Jerusalem during the festivals, the keepers of the Sanctuary would roll back the curtain covering the holy ark, and would reveal to the Jews who came up to Jerusalem, the cherubs, which were in the form of a male and female embracing each other. And they would say, ‘See the love that God has for you, like the love of a male and female.’�

Love for another, expressed in the highest form by love for one’s beloved, is the greatest manifestation of sanctity, and it is precisely this attraction that has the power to secure our Jewish eternity. Thus, the Tabernacle and the Temple are sanctified by the mirrors of the women in Egypt, who taught by their example how to turn the most physical human drive into the highest act of Divine service.  PJC Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is chief rabbi of Efrat.

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Obituaries GREEN: Leah Drucker Green, age 74, of Pittsburgh, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 23, 2018. She was a dedicated social worker and lifelong traveler who visited nearly 100 countries on every inhabited continent. Leah, the daughter of Sonia and Nathan Drucker, was born in Pittsburgh on March 3, 1943. She graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and earned a bachelor’s degree, master’s in education and a master’s of social work, all from the University of Pittsburgh. She began her career as a clinical social worker at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and then continued her career at University Orthopedics. She then spent almost three decades as an employee and volunteer at St. Margaret Memorial Hospital, and was a critical supporter of the “Bed Fund” program to provide financial assistance to disadvantaged people seeking medical care. She also participated in missionary work and taught English overseas. Leah was enthusiastic about the arts and an epicure. She loved stylish eyewear and had a wry sense of humor. Her passions included attending theater and film and gardening; she was especially adventurous in her thirst for unconventional experiences and eagerness to sample new cuisine. She will be remembered as a devoted mother, sister and friend. Leah is survived by her son, Nathanael “Nick” Green, and her brothers, David and Saul Drucker. Donations may be made to the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work or the St. Margaret Foundation. Professional Services trusted to D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd. GRINBERG: Dorothy Amdur Gr inb erg passed away on Thursday, March 1, 2018, at the wonderful age of 101. Dottie was, in addition to being a wife and mother, an active member of Rodef Shalom Congregation and many civic organizations. She was awarded the Anne Copeland Award for years of devotion to the Jewish People of the Pittsburgh Community and the State of Israel. Dottie was corresponding

secretary of the National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh Section, was a walking tour guide at Rodef Shalom Congregation’s Biblical Garden, was president of Mt. Scopus Hadassah, was a founding member of Garden Clubs Limited, and was part of many more civic organizations. She was a lifetime resident of Pittsburgh and a very proud civic supporter for the city. Twice the Pittsburgh City Council pronounced it Dorothy Amdur Grinberg Day. The last time was to celebrate her 100th birthday. She loved her friends, her family and her city. Dottie is survived by her two sisters, Miriam Hershman of Boca Raton, Fla., and Sylvia Busis of Pittsburgh. She was married to Bernard J. Grinberg of Homestead in 1937. She had three children, the late Richard Grinberg and his wife Ellen, Max Grinberg Warren and his wife Deborah, and Bob Grinberg and his wife Debbie Lewis. She is survived by four grandchildren, Bryan Grinberg and Edye Grinberg of Scottsdale, Ariz., Barrie Grinberg of New York City and Jeremy Grinberg of Los Angeles. Services were held at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. KESSLER: Minnie “Micki” Kessler, on Wednesday, February 28, 2018. Dearly beloved wife of 64 years of the late Jack Kessler. Beloved mother of Steve Kessler of Pittsburgh, Barry (Jennifer) Kessler of Monroeville and Richard (Kim) Kessler of Dallas. Dear “Grammy” of grandchildren, Mindi (Joe) of Grand Prairie, Texas, Brian of Johnstown, Tiffany of Austin, Texas, Cameron and Robbie of Dallas and Noah and Katie of Monroeville. Also survived by four great-grandchildren. Dearest sister of Pauline (Charles) Davis of Monroeville and the late Rosalie Brody. Sister-in-law of Ruth Daniels. She will also be missed by her wonderful nieces and nephews and many friends. Micki was a charter member of Parkway Jewish Center and in its early years served as president of the PJC Sisterhood.

Graveside services and interment were held at Homewood Cemetery. Contributions in her memory may be made to Parkway Jewish Center, 300 Princeton Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc.

Chai

Please see Obituaries, page 20

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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday March 11: Joanne Brodell Alpern, Ann Goldstein Beck, Marvin Berman, Matilda Helfgott Brand, William Brand, Herman B. Cohen, Benjamin B. Crone, Rabbi Abraham Feinberg, Jennie Fisher, Esther Gottlieb, Albert Gross, Joseph Harris, Yolan Katz, Sadie Klein, Kathryn Levenson, Lena Levinson, Dr. Herman Meyers, Mischa Mueller, Oscar Paris, Sarah Rothstein, Herman Samuels, Jennie Schoen, Frank Shapiro, Eugene Silverman, Isadore Smalley, Nathan Louis Stearns, Sarah Verbin, Albert Weinberg, Esther Wolovitz Monday March 12: Gertrude Alpern, Grace Bahm, Samuel Barres, Ruth Becker, Joseph Bleier, Belle Finkel, Fannie Friedman, Mary Gordon, Audrey Brown Green, William Horwitz, Edward J. Levine, Matthew Marcus, Herbert Meyers, Emanuel Morris, B.J. Mundel, Samuel Rosenfeld, Herbert Rothman, Audrey M. Seigworth, Himan Sigal, Bernard Beryl Sirota, Rosalind C. Solomon, Sophie Warmstein, Tillie Rosenberg Westerman, Dora Wilson, Harry Ziff Tuesday March 13: Freda Benowitz, Allen Cohen, Sonia Fogel, Verner William Friedman, Esther Glick, Max Glick, Ann R. Klein, Joy Ellen Levin Leff, Leo Abraham Levine, MD, William J. LeWinter, Frank Mandel, Ethel Plesset, Henry Louis Rosenburg, Julius Rosenfeld, Aaron Louis Shefler, Morris Simon, Anna Snitkin, Sam Weiss Wednesday March 14: Harry Birnkrant, Sara Esther Dickter, Marjory S. Eiseman, Joseph Eisenberg, Nathan Handelman, Mayer Handley, Sidney Jay Israel, Oscar K. Light, Rory Sue Melnick, Belle G. Meyers, Samuel Ostfield, Rowena M. Rosenthal, Mary W. Roth, Isadore Herbert Rudick, Moses J. Sadowsky, Rose Schultz, Milton Schwartz, Beltran Shine, Bertha C. Talenfeld, Rachel Verk, Geraldine Wald, Ethel Zamsky Thursday March 15: Rabbi A.M. Ashinsky, Pearl Cohen, Henry Dentel, Hyland Gefsky, Rita Serrins Glazer, Morris Harris, Hannah Hershman, Joseph Kleinerman, Edward Kornstein, Bella Lencer, Meyer Levine, Lena R. Mallinger, Morris R. Mandelblatt, Gussie Marcus, Joseph J. Reader, Nettie Ripp, Gertrude Rosenberg, Helen R.B. Sand, Samuel Schwartz, Rose Sigal, Jacob M. Stone Friday March 16: Eleanor P. Backer, Louis H. Broudy, Sam Cartiff, Adele Cherkosly, Edgar Danovitz, Maurice Gutmacher, Libbie Broida Hirsh, Sara Louise Leff, Selma B. Leuin, Max Loefsky, Michael Loffer, Evelyn Selkovits Marcus, Eleanor Silverstein, Archie Steinberg, Abe Stept, Harry Volkovitz, Anna Sarah Waldman Saturday March 17: Edna Anish, Herman Berliner, Morris Bloom, Rose Edith Donofsky, Emanuel Epstein, Cecelia Feingold, George Fink, Audrey Green Frank, Mary R. Goodwin, Bessie Halpern, Lilly Hirsch, Evelyn R. Johan, Marty B. Kaplan, Bernard Lieberman, Calvin Morgan, Hetty S. Numerosky, Sylvia Peris, Bella Pirchesky, Belle Pirchesky, Jacqueline Goodman Rubin, Alvin Schonberger, Anne Schwartz, Anne Simon, Judith V. Tucker, Benjamin Weiss

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MARCH 9, 2018 19

Obituaries Corinne Azen Krause was a scholarly supporter of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

C

orrine Azen Krause, a scholarly force behind several Pittsburgh Jewish communal institutions and undertakings, died on Sunday, Feb. 11 at her Oakland home. Krause was 90.

Born to Louis and Martha Azen on March 3, 1927, Krause’s early years provided a model for her future activity in the community. Her paternal grandfather, Max Azen, was a successful furrier who helped found B’nai Israel Congregation after moving to Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood in 1920.

“It didn’t take me long to realize that there was something that is very essential to the life of a Jewish community lacking. I wondered time and again, how it was possible that in a section where so many well-to-do, and God-loving Jewish families resided, there should be no house of worship, no House of God,” Max Azen wrote in the May 25, 1923, edition of The Jewish Criterion. “After meeting most of my new neighbors, I came to the conclusion that we were all equally sincere in our desire to have a House of Worship of our own, that we all sensed our great need, and that we were all willing to do our utmost toward that end.”

Years after B’nai Israel’s completed construction, and shortly before Max Azen’s passing in 1943, he and four of his sons created the Max Azen Foundation, which the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center describes as “a nonsectarian charity for individuals and for educational, charitable and religious organizations.”

“That was her background,” said Barbara Krause, Corrine Krause’s daughter, of her late mother. “Judaism was just an important part of the person that she was.”

After graduating from Taylor Allderdice

Obituaries: Continued from page 19

LINDNER: Marshall Warren Lindner, age 80 of Matthews, N.C., passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 22, 2018. He was the beloved son of the late Martin Zell Lindner and Annabelle Litman Lindner. Marshall was born in Pittsburgh on May 26, 1937. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his undergraduate and Dental School education, where he was president of Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity. Marshall was married for 59 years to his childhood sweetheart, Faylinda Raffel Lindner since 1958. He is also survived by his three sons, Michael S. Lindner and his wife Catherine Spezia, Jonathan R. Lindner and his wife Marilyn, and Andrew D. Lindner and his 20 MARCH 9, 2018

High School in 1944, Corrine Krause went to the University of Michigan, where she was instrumental in starting Sigma Delta Tau. Decades later, both her daughter Barbara and granddaughter Molly would also join the historically Jewish sorority.

After college, Corrine married Seymoure Krause, a cardiologist whose contributions to medicine were feted within the field.

The couple, married for 67 years, raised four children and actively supported Rodef Shalom Congregation.

“She was brought up to be educated, but not necessarily to have a career,” said her daughter.

Nevertheless, a thirst for knowledge drove Krause back to class. After receiving a bachelor’s degree with honors in economics from the University of Michigan, she earned a master’s degree in history from Carnegie Mellon University and later a Ph.D. in history from the University of Pittsburgh.

Along with serving as a research associate in the history department at the University of Pittsburgh, teaching oral history at the University Graduate School of Library and Information Science and being a Commonwealth Speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Krause had students of virtually “every age,” said granddaughter Molly Krause. “She taught elementary school to high school — she just wanted to educate people.”

Krause’s literary contributions included a book on the refractory industry and a cookbook for people with potassium deficiencies.

She also completed an oral history project of three generations of American women of Italian, Jewish and Slavic descent that resulted in a nationally distributed report, multiple scholarly articles and a 1991 book entitled “Grandmothers, Mothers, and Daughters.”

Her other publications included “Isaac W. Frank: Engineer and Civic Leader” (1980) and “Los Judios en México” (1987), a social history of Jews in independent Mexico.

But of all of Krause’s academic endeavors, a 1982 exhibition titled “Roots and Branches,” most hit home. Although previous efforts had been made by others to tell Pittsburgh’s Jewish story, “it was really the first time, as far as I know, that anyone had brought the entire history of our community together in one place for the public to enjoy,” said Rauh program director Eric Lidji.

Housed at 407 S. Craig Street in Oakland, “Roots and Branches” included more than p Corrine Azen Krause Photo courtesy of Molly Krause 300 photographs, documents, artifacts and ritual objects depicting “the requisite services to appropriately aid those story of immigrant families, neighborhoods, with mental illness, she helped establish religious and communal life” dating back Jewish Residential Services. Nearly 25 years to 1847, a report in the News Record From after the organization’s inception, construcNorth Hills said at the time. tion is currently underway on the Seymoure Credit for the exhibit’s success rested and Corinne Krause Commons, a multistory on its director, wrote the Pittsburgh Press. Squirrel Hill site that will house the Sally and “Dr. Krause’s enthusiasm for the project Howard Levin Clubhouse, JRS’ administracoaxed old family portraits, heirlooms and tive and supportive living program offices almost-forgotten recollections out of strings and more than 30 apartment units, half of of generations.” which will be designated specifically for Representatives from the Rauh program people living with disabilities. echoed that praise by explaining that Being the “driving force” behind JRS was Krause’s papers provided an early foun- “among her proudest accomplishments,” said dation for the group. “It was the first place Barbara Krause. to look for answers to reference questions “Her presence had such a magnificent about local Jewish history, and it provided a force in my life,” echoed Molly Krause. “She framework for understanding the relevance was just this worldly, cultured, humble, of other materials that were donated to the generous woman.” archives over the years.”

Corinne Azen Krause is survived by her chilKrause would later become the Rauh advi- dren, Barbara Krause (Larry King), Dr. Norman sory committee’s first chair and serve four (Ann Goodwin) Krause, Kathy Krause and Dr. terms between 1988 and 1992.

Diane Krause (Liz Hellwig); sister Felice (late But Krause’s contributions to the Jewish Sidney) Brody; sister-in-law Elaine Lampl; community went far beyond her significant grandchildren Spencer, Molly and Mason academic accomplishments, according to Krause; and multiple nieces and nephews. PJC those who knew her.

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz Decades ago, after discovering that the Pittsburgh Jewish community lacked the @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

wife Gwen; his brother Robert “Bob” T. Lindner and his wife Linda; and his eight grandchildren Nathan, David, Annabelle, Maxwell, David, Emma, Sam and Lily Joy. Marshall had a distinguished career as a dentist in the United States Air Force for over 22 years, which included Thai language studies at the Defense Language Institute.

During the 1970s he became the youngest man in the Air Force to hold the rank of full colonel. During the Vietnam War he was awarded the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross & Campaign medals, Commendation medals AMSUS medal and the Vietnam Service Medal. Marshall leaves behind a rich and varied legacy within his community. After retiring from the Air Force he was the director of Dental Health Programs for the city of Dallas. He then served as the director of Golden Acres, a large and respected senior living campus in Dallas. After moving to Charlotte, N.C., he served on the board

of directors, and as Treasurer at Temple Beth El. He helped launch the Create Your Jewish Legacy and the Foundation for the Jewish Community. He created the S.P.I.C.E. Program for active seniors at Temple Beth El, which now bears his name. In his lifetime he had served on more than 25 nonprofit boards. Marshall will always be remembered for being a great storyteller, for his rich sense of humor, his love of family and community, and his constant willingness to volunteer.

He was an avid sports fan, especially any Pittsburgh team. He also enjoyed a good poker game. Services were held at Temple Beth El, Charlotte. Interment at the Hebrew Cemetery in Charlotte. Contributions in Marshall’s memory may be made to the Marshall W. Lindner S.P.I.C.E. Program at Temple Beth El or the Carolina Neuromuscular ALS Center for A.L.S. Research Fund.

Arrangements by Hankins and Whittington.

ROSENBLUM: Ray Rosenblum, on Tuesday, February 27, 2018. He is survived by his wife

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Helen Faye; sons Joshua, Steven and Charles; daughter-in-law Joanne Lessner; grandchildren Julian, Phoebe and Riley; brother Joel, nephew Dai and nieces Georgia and Jeanine. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment private. Contributions may be made to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, 1 N. Linden Street, Duquesne, PA 15110.

SHUMAN: Herbert Shuman, age 90, of Pittsburgh, on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, passed away peacefully at his home. Herb was born in Pittsburgh on February 10, 1928. He is survived by his wife, Nancy Kravetz Shuman; two children, Mark and Neil Shuman; his daughter-in-law Jennifer Celenzi Shuman; his two grandchildren Sam and Ava Shuman and his brother Ed Shuman. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the Greater Pittsburgh Region of Hadassah, 1824 Murray Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, or a charity of your choice. PJC

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MARCH 9, 2018 21

Community Young adults rock it out on Purim The Young Adult Purim Party, presented by Shalom Pittsburgh, a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and J’Burgh, a program of Hillel Jewish University Center, took place on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

 Rachel Wagner designed and silk-screened her own Shalom PittsburghJ’Burgh tote bag at the party. More than 160 young adults attended the event.

 Michal Gould sampled the chocolate fountain at the Willy Wonka-themed dessert table at the Purim party. The event was a party with a purpose: Attendees donated gift cards and canned goods to support 412 Food Rescue, which delivers food directly to people in need and teaches consumers how to prevent food waste.

Photos by Joshua Franzos

 From left: J’Burgh board member Sam Kline, Emily Brok and Eli LaBelle posed for a photo at the Shalom Pittsburgh-J’Burgh Young Adult Purim Party.

This is the first year the two organizations partnered to present the event.

Shalom Pittsburgh and J’Burgh provide programming that builds community and connections among young Jewish adults.

Chabad of Pittsburgh Purim festivities

A preschool Purim

Photo courtesy of Chabad of Pittsburgh

22 MARCH 9, 2018

 Mrs. Wolper, dressed as a clown and holding her dog, celebrated Purim at Jewish East Suburban Preschool with her pre-K class. The children dressed in their favorite costumes, baked hamantaschen and made shalach manot baskets.

Photo courtesy of Jewish East Suburban Preschool

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Community JCC’s Big Night

“A Farklempt Purim”

Big Night: Kick Off Your Boots, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s 12th annual party-with-a-purpose, was held on Saturday, March 3 at the JCC in Squirrel Hill, and was attended by 950 guests. Radio Tokyo provided live music for dancing.

Tree Of Life*Or L’Simcha and New Light congregations celebrated Purim together, which included The Not Ready for Purim Time Players doing “A Farklempt Purim.”

 Marc Brown, the immediate past JCC board chair, with his wife Betsy

 New Light Congregation’s Rabbi Jonathan Perlman and Beth Kissileff with their daughters Yael and Ada

Photo courtesy of JCC of Greater Pittsburgh

 Uh, oh, look who showed up for Purim.

Photos by Barry Werber

 From left: Big Night co-chairs Marty and Elyse Eichner and Lauren and Jason Kushner Photo courtesy of Matt Unger for the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh

 Loop Rawlins, lasso artist extraordinaire, performs for an awestruck crowd.

Photo courtesy of JCC of Greater Pittsburgh

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Purim fun at Congregation B'nai Abraham

 Ben Vincent and Cantor Michal hold a scroll showing, in emojis, the beauty treatments available to the maidens competing to be the Queen of Persia at Congregation B’nai Abraham. Also pictured, from left, are Shirley Grossman, David Perelman, Ethan Binus and Helene Grossman.

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Photo courtesy of Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer

MARCH 9, 2018 23

PASSOVER in the

AISLES! Celebrate the

Foods of Passover!

Join us for sampling of delicious kosher foods and fabulous food artists, who will create an original matzo piece incorporating Seder foods.

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at each store!

MARCH 16

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PASSOVER for KIDS at Bring your little ones for story time and a scavenger hunt with Danielle West of the Jewish Community Center PJ Library, who will be reading The Matzah Ball Fairy by Carla Heymsfeld at our Market District stores on March 17!

South Hills Market District 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.

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24 MARCH 9, 2018

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