P I T TS B U R G H
January 12, 2018 | 25 Tevet 5778
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Candlelighting 4:57 p.m. | Havdalah 6:00 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 2 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
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New CMU anthology showcases works inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Steady hand at many celebrations hangs up his ladle Pittsburgh caterer Chuck Schwartz ends a career spanning a half-century. Page 2 LOCAL Teen goes on trip of a lifetime
A Jewish volunteer in Mumbai provides informal and experiential teaching.
Photo courtesy of Gabriel Project Mumbai
Washington County tech wiz attends Technion competition. Page 3 LOCAL Grab a warm bowl for the game Chili is the perfect food for postseason football. Page 14
Volunteers observe and aid Mumbai despair By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
S
lumming it may not seem like the most satisfying use of time, but Aviva Rosenberg would disagree. The Squirrel Hill attorney and mother of three recently returned from Kalwa, an Indian city 14 miles northeast of Mumbai. The trip was an opportunity to volunteer in one of India’s poorest parts as well as learn more about an organization committed to caring for vulnerable children. “My passion is international health and international development. There’s really not a lot of that going on in Pittsburgh,” said Rosenberg, 41. “Forget about from a Jewish perspective, just from a public health perspective, most of that goes on in D.C. and New York.” Interested in global aid but unwilling to relocate due to local responsibilities, Rosenberg reached out to a contact at OLAM, a coalition of Jewish organizations that supports at-risk people in developing countries who informed her about Gabriel Project Mumbai, a Jewish volunteer-based cause that provides “hunger relief, literacy
support, health and empowerment to children living in the Mumbai slums.” Rosenberg connected with GPM’s founder and director, Jacob Sztokman, and after researching the initiative was intrigued by both its efforts and efficacy despite limited resources. “GPM is a grassroots community-run-and-led organization. We are embedded in the community, are led by the community members, have committees with community representatives and hire almost exclusively people in the slums,” explained Sztokman, who added that he is the “only person in the organization not Indian and not from the communities where we operate.” Rosenberg spent a year disseminating organizational information by speaking at Rotary Clubs in Fox Chapel, Shadyside and West Mifflin with the hopes of raising money and awareness about GPM. But last fall, she and Sztokman agreed that the best way for the foreign friend to truly appreciate and advocate GPM’s undertakings would be to experience them firsthand. So Please see Mumbai, page 16
By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
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im Daniels dolefully admits that the same words could ring true every single year at his presentation of the Carnegie Mellon University Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Awards: “In light of recent events, these awards are more important than ever.” The poetry and prose writing contest for area high school and college students that Daniels established in 1999 has produced a stunning collection of original and personal pieces about race, prejudice and feelings of otherness. The contest, and the works submitted, continue to be timely. “I look at the winners for this year,” Daniels said. “I’ve got one called ‘Charlottesville.’ I’ve Please see Anthology, page 16
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