Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 1/26/2018 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

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January 26, 2018 | 10 Shevat 5778

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Rabbis, community members arrested at Dreamer protest

Candlelighting 5:13 p.m. | Havdalah 6:15 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 4 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

High schoolers prepare to confront BDS, anti-Zionism on campus

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Temple David celebrates 60 years of Jewish life in the eastern suburbs By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

Local activists were among those arrested in D.C.

“When you don’t know your own story, then you let someone else decide how the conversation begins,” noted Ken Stein, professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History, Political Science and Israeli Studies at Emory University. “And when someone else decides how the conversation begins, then you are immediately put on the defensive. I would argue that knowing the story before you go to college, even knowing a small part of it, gives you an ability to play into the thinking game without necessarily always being put on the defensive.” Addressing the problem of Jewish college students not having the knowledge and confidence to talk about Israel, several Jewish communities across the United States have created initiatives to educate high school students on the complexities of the Jewish state. Pittsburgh launched its first iteration of such a program earlier this month, a project of the Jewish Life and Learning department of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Called the Israel Engagement Fellowship, the five-session course taught on Tuesday nights by Rabbi

oz Schwartz remembers the year 1958 as one filled with “optimism.” And why not? The cohort of Jewish families living in Monroeville, which she and her husband — along with five other couples — had organized, received its charter to establish Temple David that year and finally began the process of building a synagogue as a permanent home. Now, 60 years later, Temple David continues to be a hub of Jewish learning and spirituality in the eastern suburbs and will be marking its milestone anniversary with a series of celebratory events throughout the year. “We all had young children, and my husband and I were going out to Beth Shalom [in Squirrel Hill] for services,” Schwartz recalled. “We wanted a place to raise our children with a Jewish education out here in Monroeville. So, we started out by renting an old, creaky, empty house. Then we met in churches and a local movie theater.” By 1960, the congregation, which had grown to about 125 people, had raised enough funds to begin construction of the temple located on Northern Pike, where the Reform community of Monroeville continues to congregate. “After several years of a nomadic existence, we were able to realize our Temple David building,” Schwartz said. What are now called the “eastern suburbs” of Pittsburgh was rural countryside for the first half of the 20th century, explained Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center, in an email. “There were Jewish merchants living in

Please see Engagement, page 16

Please see Temple David, page 17

Page 2 LOCAL City Council race heats up Four candidates now vying for Gilman’s seat Page 3

 The five-session Fellowship course gives students a chance to engage with the topic of Israel. Photo by Rabbi Danielle Leshaw By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

LOCAL Women’s March in Pittsburgh

Area activists took to the streets to call for equal rights. Page 4

upport for Israel among Jewish college students is declining dramatically, according to a study commissioned and published last year by the Brand Israel Group. While in 2010, 84 percent of American Jewish college students favored the Israeli position in its conflict with the Palestinians, that percentage plummeted to just 57 in 2016. The drop in young Jews’ support for Israel escalated during the Obama years, a period of often strained U.S./Israel relations. Those years also saw a rise in anti-Semitic incidents and anti-Israel initiatives on campus that were supported by groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, both proponents of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement. Jewish students who have had little or no education regarding Israel’s history and the politics of the Middle East are finding it difficult to respond to even outrageous claims made by those who oppose Israel, often not able to discern facts from distorted narratives or outright lies.

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Headlines Local Jewish activists arrested in protest to protect ‘Dreamers’ — LOCAL — By Lauren Rosenblatt | Staff Writer

wo Pittsburghers were arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 17 during a national protest in Washington of 100 Jewish activists in support of “Dreamers,” undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children and are now being threatened with deportation as a result of changing immigration laws. Tammy Hepps, a chief technology officer with a local health care company, and Joshua Friedman, a cycling coach, were among 82 activists arrested at the protest on Capitol Hill as they sang in Hebrew and English and listened to messages of how the Jewish community should align themselves with issues facing immigrants. “As Jews, we draw inspiration from our own immigration story to put our bodies on the line to protest young immigrants from being deported,” Hepps, 39, a member of Congregation Beth Shalom, said. “Who more than the Jewish people know what happens when people don’t stand in solidarity when other people are being persecuted?” The protesters were encouraging Congress to include a clean DREAM Act — legislation which would offer protections to Dreamers — in the government funding bill that Congress had to pass before Jan. 19 to avoid a government shutdown. (The short-term spending bill Congress passed on Jan. 22 did not include immigration reform.) The DREAM Act has been an increasingly debated topic in Congress since President Donald Trump announced in September he would be removing protections for Dreamers. The president has since said he would

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

Gail Childs, Elizabeth F. Collura, Milton Eisner, Malke Steinfeld Frank, Tracy Gross, Richard J. Kitay, Catia Kossovsky, Andi Perelman, Amy Platt, David Rush, Charles Saul GENERAL COUNSEL Stuart R. Kaplan, Esq.

2 JANUARY 26, 2018

t Left: Pittsburghers Tammy Hepps and Joshua Friedman were among 82 Jewish activists arrested at the Jan. 17 protest. Above: Jewish leaders and community members gather at a Senate office building to urge Congress to include a DREAM Act in the government funding bill.

Photos courtesy of Bend the Arc

be open to reserving some of those protections as long as other immigration reform is implemented. Congress has been grappling with coming to an agreement, divided on issues such as funding for a border wall and allowing chain migration, where immigrants

can bring members of their family to the United States. “The action wasn’t necessarily intended to target the members of Congress, but to show other people, the Dreamers, that they have support, and have other people be moved to action,” Friedman, 37, and a member of Congregation Beth Shalom, said. “There’s a

lot of work to do.” Hepps and Friedman joined the protest as part of the local chapter of Bend the Arc, a national group that organizes Jews around American political issues. Bend the Arc collaborated with 17 Jewish groups to organize the protest, including the AntiDefamation League and the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and many groups advocating for immigrant rights, including United We Dream and CASA. The organizers drew inspiration from the Sabbath reading that coincided with the protest, flipping the coin on the reading of Exodus in which Moses demands, “Let my people go” and chanting, “Let my people stay.” As they chanted and sang, they also listened to short speeches from clergy and spiritual leaders, giving the protest the feeling of a “collective prayer,” Hepps said. One story that stuck with her was that of a 20-year-old Jewish student at Brandeis University who came from Venezuela with his mother when he was about 5 years old. His mother later died and the young boy didn’t realize he was an undocumented immigrant until he tried to get his driver’s license. “There’s a Jewish element here,” Hepps said. “Not just one of empathy, but of actual people, Jewish people like ourselves. They just came to America at a later time. As American Jews, we need to use our story as a source of empathy.” The protesters occupied a Senate office building for about 10 minutes before Capitol police began issuing warnings. It took police an hour to arrest the protesters, Friedman said. Both Friedman and Hepps were issued a $50 fine. PJC Lauren Rosenblatt can be reached at lrosenblatt@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Four candidates now vying for Gilman’s seat on City Council — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

onja Finn of Point Breeze received the Democratic nomination for City Council, District 8, beating two other candidates in a Jan. 14 vote among the district’s Democratic committee. Finn, who owns and serves as chef of Dinette in East Liberty, was chosen as the Democratic candidate at a meeting convened for members of the Democratic committee in the district in lieu of a primary. Finn received 27 out of 47 votes, defeating Erika Strassburger of Squirrel Hill and Marty Healey of Shadyside. District 8 includes the neighborhoods of Oakland, Point Breeze, Shadyside and north Squirrel Hill. Strassburger served as Dan Gilman’s chief of staff in the City Council and had received Gilman’s endorsement for the nomination. Gilman resigned early this month to become Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff. Strassburger received 20 votes. Healey of Shadyside is a LGBT activist and businessman. He received no votes. Seventy-three committee members from District 8 were eligible to vote. Strassburger and Healey both will be running as independents, and Rennick

p From left: DJ Ryan, executive director of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee, Sonja Finn’s son Miles and Sonja Finn Photo courtesy of Sonja Finn

Remley, manager of corporate relations at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, will be running for the seat as a Republican. A special election is scheduled for March 6. That the Democratic committee chose Finn — who identifies as a “proven progressive” — with 57 percent of the vote, gives the candidate “renewed faith” in the party, she said in an email to the Chronicle. “I know this is only one race, but I hope

100% true blue

it is indicative of a larger movement of the party in the correct direction,” Finn said. “For my part in continuing this movement, I must prove that Sonja Finn, the progressive, was the right choice — that we, the Democrats, are not just a better party when we follow our collective moral compass to a more inclusive place, but also a more successful party. That means winning the City Council election on March 6, so I am

p Republican candidate Rennick Remley

Photo courtesy of Rennick Remley

more determined than ever to do just that.” Finn’s platform includes: universal Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds; raising the minimum wage; rent control; and “full stop on new money and/ or subsidies to developers and corporations until we make sure that we are going about building this city in a way that is beneficial to all Pittsburghers, not just a select few.” Please see Council, page 17

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JANUARY 26, 2018 3

Headlines ‘To the polls we must go’ carries the day for area activists — LOCAL — By Lauren Rosenblatt | Staff Writer

ittsburgh activists took to the streets on Sunday to call for equal rights for women, to protest discrimination and inequality that they argue is being perpetuated by the current federal administration and to encourage more people to register to vote. With chants of “hey hey, ho ho, to the polls we must go” and holding signs that read, “Today we march, tomorrow we run,” local protesters contributed to the national focus of the Women’s March on Washington — Power to the Polls. Kicking off a campaign to increase voter registration in Allegheny County, the goal was to spread awareness about who is eligible to vote, how to register and how to spread the word about the importance of voting. “Pittsburgh has been a stand-up city,” Women’s March director Tracy Baton told the crowd in Market Square. “In Pittsburgh, we’re a city that knows when you gather together, when the people speak, the politicians and wealthy will have to listen. We are saying yes to electing the things we believe.”

O T E C N A H C T AS

p Women’s March director Tracy Baton encourages participants to get out the vote. Photos by Lauren Rosenblatt

Baton encouraged the estimated 30,000 people who attended the march — beating last year’s attendance of close to 25,000 — to each ask 10 people if they are registered to vote. The activists were focused on the midterm elections in November, with several

signs reading “Grab them by the midterms.” “Your job is to talk to people even when they have an attitude about it. Your job is to talk to people who don’t want to be bothered. Your job is to talk to people twice, maybe three times,” Baton said. “In my America,

! R E T S I G E R

p A blow-up doll depicting Donald Trump takes is center stage in Market Square.

every citizen is excited that every other citizen can vote.” The marchers gathered in front of the City County Building at 11:30 a.m. to make Please see March, page 20

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or by calling Patti Dziekan at 412.992.5221 These are non-solicitation events. Minimum $54 commitment to Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Campaign.

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C O N N E C T I O N S We live in a world full of connections. We seem to always be connected to our phone and email, our Instagram and Facebook, our Amazon Echo and Google Home, our Twitter feed and our blog posts. Sometimes we need to connect in a different way. We want our kids to be connected to nature and the people around us, to community and friends, to traditions and continuity, to Israel and camp, to oneself and one's destiny. A summer at EKC allows our kids to be connected in a whole different way to the things that are really important to us. When they put down their devices and their school year priorities, the connections they make during the summer are deep, rich and healthy. For 110 years, alumni from EKC, Lynwood, Emma Farm, and Laurel Y have stayed lifelong friends and have even married each other. They have gotten involved in Jewish and general community at all levels. For many, their first job was at EKC. They hold dear the connections they made in Morgantown, West Virginia, and live their lives connected to those people and that place. Shalom, Sam Bloom, Director, Emma Kaufmann Camp

Headlines Bill Stein steps in as interim executive director at JRS — LOCAL —

“ Bill will oversee our day-to-day

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

ill Stein has taken the helm of Jewish Residential Services as its interim executive director following the departure of Harold Love earlier this month. Love was hired in June 2016 to replace longtime JRS executive director Deborah Friedman upon her retirement. He left his position on Jan. 5, 2018, according to Judy Greenwald Cohen, president of the board of JRS. “Harold was extremely helpful in getting us to the point where we are in the organization,” Cohen said. JRS was founded in 1993 to provide housing options for adults in the community with psychiatric or intellectual disabilities. JRS runs other programs as well, including the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse, a psychiatric and social rehabilitation program. Stein comes to JRS with significant experience in the Jewish nonprofit world, having served previously as interim executive director at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and at Rodef Shalom Congregation. The JRS board will be examining the parameters of its executive director position, Greenwald said, with an eye toward restructuring.

operations. And along with our seasoned staff, he will look at the position of executive director

”

and help us get ready for our search.

— JUDY GREENWALD COHEN, JRS BOARD PRESIDENT “Bill will oversee our day-to-day operations,” Cohen said. “And along with our seasoned staff, he will look at the position of executive director and help us get ready for our search.” Though a search committee has not been formed, the board hopes to have the position defined and a new executive director in place within six to nine months, said Cohen. JRS and ACTION-Housing are now working on converting the former Poli’s restaurant property at 2607 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill to a six-story complex, called the Seymoure and Corinne Krause Commons, which will include 33 affordable housing

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units, the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse and administrative offices for JRS. Half of the apartment units will be designated specifically for individuals with disabilities, with the remainder open to people with or without disabilities but with limited incomes. In addition to administrative duties, Stein will “help to coordinate the building project at Forward and Murray,” he said. “I will be part of the frequent group meetings with the architects and the builders.” While he will also “look around to see if there are opportunities for improved operations,” Stein said he is impressed with the work JRS is doing with its clients.

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p Bill Stein

Photo courtesy Bill Stein

“That’s one of the things we do well,” he said. “And that will continue.” The reorganization at the executive level is “not about our mission or who we serve,” Cohen stressed. “We have the same incredible staff, and we’re proud of the work they do.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. JANUARY 26, 2018 5

Headlines q MONDAY, FEB. 5 q SUNDAY, JAN. 28 Rodef Shalom Sisterhood’s Movie Night Series features “Rosenwald,” a remarkable story about a remarkable man, at 7:30 p.m. in Levy Hall at Rodef Shalom. The documentary by Aviva Kempner is about Julius Rosenwald, the son of an immigrant peddler who rose to head Sears and partnered with Booker T. Washington to build 5,400 Southern schools in African-American communities in the early 1900s during the Jim Crow era. The free movie is open to the community.

>> 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 FRIDAY, JAN. 26 Breakfast for Dinner Shabbat at Moishe House from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with pancakes, eggs and mimosas. PJs are welcome (extra points for footsies). Visit tinyurl.com/ ybuurzsn for more information. q SATURDAY, JAN. 27 The Holocaust Center, in partnership with the Carnegie Mellon University Department of Modern Languages and Rodef Shalom Congregation, marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a screening of “Sterne” (“Stars”) at 7 p.m. at Rodef Shalom. The East German film is a drama about a sergeant in the Wehrmacht and how his life is changed by the establishment of a transit camp for Jews arriving from Greece. “Sterne,” which won the 1959 Special Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival, is a linguistic triumph, speaking to the diversity of Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The film features dialogue in Bulgarian, German, Greek, and Ladino. Because English subtitles were not completed until 1999, the film has gained new life in the 21st century. This is the first time “Sterne” has been screened in Pittsburgh. Visit hcofpgh.org/sterne/ for more information. The event cost is $10 and free for students with valid ID and for survivors. Clues and Schmooze (with some Booze), a trivia event that includes a raffle, open bar and snacks is set for Beth Shalom Congregation at 7:30 p.m. Trivia will be in teams of four. Bring your own team or be matched up at the door. Visit tinyurl.com/clues2018 for more information, including charges. q SUNDAY, JAN. 28 Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha holds a Tu B’Shevat seder with Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at 5898 Wilkins Ave. Sample foods from Israel. There is a $5 per person charge; children are free. Contact aspeck88@yahoo.com for more information I-Volunteer & MoHo: Packing Medical Supplies from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. for targeted communities in need throughout the Western Hemisphere. Come to MoHo at 12:15 p.m. or meet at Global Links, 700 Trumbull Drive at 1 p.m. Visit tinyurl.com/ya7mujc3 for more information.

6 JANUARY 26, 2018

q NOMINATIONS DUE

BY FRIDAY, JAN. 31

The Shore-Whitehill Award nominations are open for 2018. The Shore-Whitehill Award, created in 1996, is named for Robert Whitehill and the late Barbara Shore and celebrates volunteers who promote inclusion of people with disabilities in the fabric of Jewish life through advocacy or direct service to individuals and families. Organizations that nominate awardees receive a grant of $1,000 to help underwrite the costs of a recognition event and/or inclusion activities. Awardees receive an original sculpture by the late Sylvia Plutchok, who was a Pittsburgh-based artist. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Jewish Residential Services give the award annually. Visit jrspgh.org/shore-whitehill for the nomination form and contact Jewish Residential Services at shorewhitehill@jrspgh. org or 412-325-0039 for more information. q THURSDAY, FEB. 1 IMAGES: “Remembrances of The HolocaustThe Eva Schloss Story,” a one-woman stage performance of the story of Anne Frank’s stepsister and Holocaust survivor, Eva Schloss, starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Mt. Lebanon High School Fine Arts Theater, 155 Cochran Road. J.E. Ballantyne Jr., a 1966 graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School, said that one of his main reasons for writing “IMAGES” was to guarantee that something would be in place to continue to tell Schloss’ story when she is no longer able to do it herself. There is a $20 charge. Visit evaschlossstory.com for more information. Beth El Congregation’s Adult Education Speaker Series presents Rabbi Ron Symons, senior director of Jewish Life at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, on “Back in the Garden: Tu B’Shevat and Global Warming” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 1900 Cochran Road. The talk follows a wine and cheese reception. RSVP in advance at bethelcong.org or call 412-561-1168. The program is free and open to the community.

survived the Holocaust. The program is at 6:30 p.m. at Wilkins and Shady avenues.

Beth El Congregation’s Adult Education Speaker Series presents Ria David Ph.D. and Dr. Mark Perlin on “DNA Justice and the Jewish Question” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 1900 Cochran Road. The talk follows a wine and cheese reception. RSVP in advance at bethelcong.org or call 412-561-1168. The program is free and open to the community.

q FRIDAY, FEB. 9

Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, at 1900 Cochran Road, invites the community to its First Mondays program with Rabbi Alex Greenbaum and producer Bob Cahalan from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch and an audio-visual program on Pittsburgh that will illustrate Pittsburgh as a metropolitan city through photography and music. Segments include area economy, natural beauty, sports, special attractions, events, houses of worship, downtown, bridges and more. There is a $6 charge. RSVP at bethelcong.org or 412-561-1168. q TUESDAY, FEB. 6 Israel Your Way at the GA Parlor Meeting: The Israel Action Network. Learn about the Jewish Federation’s Israel Advocacy organization, the Israel Action Network (IAN). Max Chamovitz, deputy director of IAN, will discuss the latest national and global efforts to strengthen and expand support for Israel. To RSVP, contact Becca Hurowitz at bhurowitz@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5226. q WEDNESDAY, FEB. 7 Chabad of Squirrel Hill hosts an inspirational talk, entitled “Creating Light from Darkness” at its new location, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. at 7:30 p.m. The presentation will be given by guest lecturer Dina Horowitz, a mother of seven from California whose life was turned upside down when her husband, Rabbi Yitzi, was diagnosed with ALS in 2015. The cost of the event is $10 per person. A soup bar will be available for guests to enjoy as well. For more information or to make a reservation, please visit chabadpgh.com/light or call 412-421-3561. q THURSDAY, FEB. 8 The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s Generations Speaker Series with Judah Samet and Miriam Cohen. The free series is hosted in-person and live-streamed and consists of dialogues between Holocaust survivors and their family members. Samet will present his story, which includes surviving the horrors of Bergen-Belsen as a 7-year-old child alongside his brave mother. His sister, Miriam Cohen, will speak about being born in Israel after the war’s conclusion, and the experience of being raised by Holocaust survivors beside siblings who also

q FRIDAY, FEB. 2 Temple David hosts a Young Family Shabbat Service and Picnic Dinner. The Shabbat service begins on the bimah at 6 p.m. and a picnic in the social hall will follow at 6:30 p.m. There is no cost. Chicken fingers, sides and drinks will be provided. Bring your picnic blankets. The event is for children under age 10 with their families and children of all ages in the family are welcome.

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Temple David and AgeWell Pittsburgh are partnering to offer a Caregivers Forum to learn what supports you need as a caregiver, be it a safe, nurturing place to talk, resources for your loved one or supports for yourself, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at 4415 Northern Pike, Monroeville. Coffee and light snacks will be provided. RSVP by Feb. 2 to Sybil Lieberman, AgeWell at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, at slieberman@jccpgh.org or 412-697-3514. q MONDAY, FEB. 12 Beth El Congregation’s Adult Education Speaker Series presents Rabbi Danny Schiff, Foundation Scholar at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, on “Our Flawed Ancestors” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 1900 Cochran Road. The talk follows a wine and cheese reception. RSVP in advance at bethelcong.org or call 412-561-1168. The program is free and open to the community. q THURSDAY, FEB. 15 Men’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh presents its first social event of the year, Men’s Scotch & Cigars at Three Rivers Cigars, Inc. from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Join your fellow men for a cigar, a variety of scotch tastings and hors d’oeuvres. Limited to the first 30 registrants. Visit tinyurl.com/ yaglf48t to register and for more information. Rabbi Barbara Symons of Temple David holds a book discussion on “Forest Dark” by Nicole Krauss at the Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd. at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. q TUESDAY, FEB. 20 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh unveils the findings of the 2017 Pittsburgh Jewish Community Study at 5:30 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will make the opening remarks. Register at tinyurl.com/ yd25xfqa or contact Chrissy Janisko at cjanisko@jfedpgh.org or 412-697-6652. q WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21 Join South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh, Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Brandeis University’s Cohen Center of Modern Jewish Studies for a South Hills Please see Calendar, page 7

q SUNDAY, FEB. 4 A Conversation with Uri Keidar, executive director of Israel Hofsheet (Be Free Israel), starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Room 202 in the Kaufmann building. The conversation will provide an opportunity to learn about the struggle for religious pluralism in Israel, why more than 700,000 Israeli citizens cannot get married in Israel and why Israel accepts only Orthodox conversions and what can be done. Founded in 2009, Israel Hofsheet is a nonpartisan Israeli grassroots movement that has a mission to promote freedom of religion and Jewish pluralism in Israel. Seats are limited. RSVP at tinyurl.com/yaknklzn.

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Headlines Calendar: Continued from page 6 Town Hall Meeting from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the South Hills JCC, 345 Kane Blvd. for a demographic snapshot of Jewish Pittsburgh, from a suburban perspective, as well as a review of current patterns of Jewish engagement. Snacks and light refreshments provided. The meeting is free and open to the entire South Hills Jewish community. RSVP at southhillsjewishpittsburgh.org/townhall. Jeffrey Cohan, executive director of Jewish Veg, demonstrates the connection between animal-free diets and Judaism when he speaks on Plant-Based Diets: A Jewish Imperative for Our Time at 7 p.m. at Rodef Shalom, in the Lippman Library. The program is free and open to the community. q SATURDAY, FEB. 24 Adult Purim Carnival at Temple Sinai from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Get a preview of the games in store for the kids, with some special “adult” twists. Prizes, food and drinks for 21 and over at 5505 Forbes Ave. Visit templesinaipgh.org/adult-purim-carnival for more information and to purchase tickets.

pittsburgh@zoa.org for more information or to establish a scholarship.

q SUNDAY, FEB. 11

q WEDNESDAYS TO MARCH 14

The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh invites the community to the latest art exhibit for the opening of CHUTZ-POW! The Art of Resistance from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., at 826 Hazelwood Ave. The Art of Resistance immerses viewers in the stories of real-life heroes that used various forms of resistance to defy the Nazis and shows how their stories were brought to life in the comic series. The opening will also include the unveiling of “CHUTZ-POW! Volume III: The Young Survivors.” Tickets to the opening are $5, and free for students (with valid ID) and Holocaust survivors. Visit hcofpgh.org/chutzpow3/ for more information. of Greater Pittsburgh, on “The Critical Lessons of Purim” from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 1900 Cochran Road. The talk follows a wine and cheese reception. RSVP in advance at bethelcong.org or call 412-561-1168. The program is free and open to the community. q TUESDAY, FEB. 27

q MONDAY, FEB. 26

Chabad of the South Hills holds a pre-Purim lunch for seniors at noon at 1701 McFarland Road in Mt. Lebanon. Lunch will include hamantashen, musical entertainment

Beth El Congregation’s Adult Education Speaker Series presents Rabbi Danny Schiff, Foundation Scholar at Jewish Federation

and raffle prizes. There is a $5 suggested donation; the building is wheelchair accessible. Call 412-278-2658 to register.

The Jewish Learning Institute presents Communication: Its Art and Soul, a six-week course taught by Rabbi Yisroel Altein. This course will contrast Jewish thought with scientific discovery to unearth the essence of communication and how to utilize its powers to better ourselves, our relationships and all of society at 7:30 p.m. at Chabad of Squirrel Hill, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. Visit chabadpgh.com for more information on continuing education credits and to register. The cost is $90. q ONGOING

q DEADLINE WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 The Zionist Organization of AmericaPittsburgh District announces the 56th year of its Israel Scholarship Program to assist local students traveling to and studying in Israel. The program is designed to encourage and assist student participation on approved educational trips to Israel. Up to three $1,000 scholarships are available to students who will be entering the junior or senior year of high school in the fall of 2018. In addition, the Anouchi Research Scholarship of $750 is available to full-time college students who have completed at least one year and graduate students. Contact ZOA Executive Director Stuart Pavilack at 412-665-4630 or

The Saint Vincent Gallery at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe is exhibiting “Image, Action, Idea: Judaism and Contemporary Art” curated by Ben Schachter, professor of visual arts. The exhibit showcases artists who focus on the things that Judaism says they must do (or not do). The exhibition celebrates the recent publication of Schachter’s book, “Image, Action, and Idea in Contemporary Jewish Art.” The Saint Vincent Gallery is located on the third floor of the Robert S. Carey Student Center. Gallery hours are Tuesdays through Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. The Gallery is closed Mondays. Contact Fr. Robert Keffer, O.S.B., administrative director, at 724-8052107 for more information. PJC

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JANUARY 26, 2018 7

Headlines Rejected by other venues, LGBT bingo has found warm embrace at Rodef Shalom Congregation seriously and will remember that they are here to raise funds for the Shepherd Wellness Community and PGH Equality Center. As the players race to fill their cards for both traditional and “special” bingo games, they also have a chance to win random cash prizes, outrageous products from “as seen on TV” and participate in a 50/50 raffle. At intermission, guests enjoy a drag king and queen show. “It’s a big, gay wedding every month,” said Gary Janchenko, board chair of the PGH Equality Center and a volunteer at OUTrageous Bingo for nine years. Janchenko helped lead a digital regrowth of OUTrageous Bingo about five years ago, bringing online ticket sales, a special Twitter game and increased presence on the Web and social media. As the game has grown in popularity, Janchenko said he has seen more straight allies of the LGBT community attending the event and the crowd continuing to get more diverse. Ed Motznik, who has managed the finances for OUTrageous Bingo for 16 years, said the changes in the makeup of their players reflects how society has become more accepting as a whole, which is encouraging, he said, after years of Pittsburgh’s LGBT scene sticking to the shadows. “Twenty years ago, there wasn’t a whole lot to do other than bars. This was an alternative,” Motznik said. “Ten years ago, or even five years ago, if someone showed up with a camera, people were freaked out. That’s all completely changed now.” “It started off and really was extremely popular,” he continued. “There really was a need for something like it in the community.” The group holds a few themed bingo nights throughout the year — one for Pittsburgh Pride week in the spring and one for Halloween — and often hosts toy and clothing drives in December for the holidays. They have also teamed up with Rodef Shalom in past years to host a Pride Shabbat and a drag performance for Purim and worked with the synagogue to craft a Passover meal. Bet Tikvah, a queer-centric independent minyan, has also met at Rodef Shalom since 1994. At Rodef Shalom, the group feels “not just accepted, but included and involved,” Motznik said. “It was a place that wanted us when other people rejected us.” At Saturday night’s game, a hush fell over the crowd each time Allison began calling numbers for a new game, interrupted only by cheers of excitement and despair when someone yelled “bingo” and the heckling each time Allison read the number “O 69.” “Our logo is, it ain’t your grandma’s bingo,” Allison said. “You just don’t know what you’re going to see.” PJC

— LOCAL — By Lauren Rosenblatt | Staff Writer

nce a month for the past 20 years, Rick Allison has started his night with the same affirmation: “Sit down, shut up and play bingo.” He’s addressing the crowd at OUTrageous Bingo, a monthly game that offers community support, a safe space and fundraising for the LGBT community in Pittsburgh. Last Saturday, he was talking to 500 people gathered at Rodef Shalom Congregation, as they prepared for an evening filled with nearly 20 bingo games, a drag king and queen performance and Allison’s tonguein-cheek humor. “People are comfortable. They feel safe, they don’t feel different,” Allison said of the game that he helped start in 1997 after a friend of his attended a similar event in Seattle and wanted to bring it to Pittsburgh. “We wanted it to be a social event where people could bring their families and the LGBT community could feel comfortable.” The games routinely sell out within hours of tickets going on sale, and the event caters to a diverse population of players, from young adults to children to grandparents. “We have every spectrum of the LGBT community here,” Allison said. The monthly bingo game is run entirely by volunteers and raises money for the Shepherd Wellness Community, an organization that helps people living with HIV/AIDS, and the PGH Equality Center, a community center for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. “We’re promoting diversity and tolerance and acceptance for the whole community, and that, as a side effect of bingo, is wonderful,” said Scott Peterman, executive director of the Shepherd Wellness Community. The organizers could not disclose how much money they raised each game, but directors from both organizations said the funds are considered one of their biggest sources of revenue. OUTrageous Bingo came to Rodef Shalom about five years ago, when they were struggling to find a new location after the building in which they previously held games shut down. They were turned away from a handful of churches and had moved on to outdoor games to keep the tradition going while they looked for other options. Rodef Shalom heard of their struggle and extended an invitation to the group to host the event. “It’s an embodiment of our values,” Carolyn Frischer, director of member engagement at Rodef Shalom, said of the event. “Like it says on our door, we are a house of worship for everyone, for all people. This event brings together so many people you wouldn’t imagine bringing together for such a good cause.” Allison starts each night by asking how many “OUTrageous Bingo virgins” are in the crowd. About half the room usually raises their hands, but Allison said there is also a small contingent of people who have

8 JANUARY 26, 2018

p Two members of the Sisterhood of Perpetual Indulgence volunteer at OUTrageous Bingo by selling tickets for the 50/50 raffle.

p Gary Janchenko, board chair for the PGH Equality Center, sells “special” bingo games to participants.

p Rick Allison, who has been calling the bingo game for 20 years, holds up a cash prize before announcing the winner. Photos by Lauren Rosenblatt

been coming for all 20 years of the program. He makes a point throughout the night to celebrate birthdays and commemorate the passing of loyal bingo players at each game,

contributing to the sense of community. Before the games begin, players raise their dotters in their right hand to pledge that they promise to have fun, won’t take the game too

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

>>The next OUTrageous Bingo will be at Rodef Shalom Congregation on Feb. 17. For tickets, visit outrageousbingopgh.org. Tickets are $20 online, $22 at the door (if available). Lauren Rosenblatt can be reached at lrosenblatt@pittsburghjewishchronicle.com.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Netanyahu trip comes as Israel-India defense, tech ties continue to grow — WORLD — By Yaakov Lappin | JNS

sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to India is occurring against the backdrop of a massive and still growing river of defense sales and technology transfers from Jerusalem to New Delhi. Israel’s defense industries have been supplying ever-increasing numbers of cutting-edge weapons and platforms to India’s military. Last April, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced a $2 billion sale of medium-range, surface-to-air missile defense systems to the Indian Army. IAI’s Barak 8 air- defense system, which can detect threats that are more than 60 miles away, is in service in the Indian Navy. Another prominent development in bilateral defense ties is a $525 million order from India for the purchase of Spike antitank guided missiles produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems — a deal that was initially canceled by India for reasons relating to the country’s “Make in India” policy but that was reportedly revived shortly before Netanyahu’s visit. “India has deep defense cooperation with Israel,” Vinay Kaura, an assistant professor of international affairs and security studies at the Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice in Rajasthan, India, said. “This has been a mutually beneficial relationship,” he added. “India has diversified its arms purchases while getting highly advanced weapons. Israel has benefited substantially monetarily. Israel has been a very reliable supplier of military spare parts to India during time of crisis. India has also turned to Israel to upgrade some of its Russian-origin military equipment.” For its first few decades of independence, India, under the direction of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his Congress Party, sought friendlier relations with Arab states and aligned itself with the third-world Non-Aligned Movement, which was often hostile to Israel. Despite a number of similar conditions that surrounded their establishment, India viewed the Jewish state as a proxy of the imperial Western powers. This approach changed when the end of the Cold War caused Indian leaders to rethink their global strategy, including relations with Israel. In January 1992, India and Israel opened their first bilateral diplomatic missions. Since then, one of the most important aspects of Indian-Israeli relations has been military and defense sales cooperation, with Israel becoming one of the top weapons exporters to India along with Russia and the U.S. Kaura said that in past conflicts India experienced with Pakistan, such as the 1999 Kargil war in Kashmir, as well as in other conflicts, Israel “has provided India with actionable intelligence that proved very useful for India. India and Israel are cooperating on intelligence sharing and countering terrorism.”

p Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a joint appearance in India. Photo by Avi Ohayon/GPO.

p An INS Kolkata ship of the Indian Navy fires an Israeli-produced Barak 8 long-range surface-to-air missile in 2015.

Photo courtesy Indian Navy via Wikimedia Commons

“ This has been a mutually beneficial relationship. India has diversified its arms purchases while getting highly advanced weapons. Israel has benefited

”

substantially monetarily.

— KINAY KAURA, SARDAR PATEL UNIVERSITY Netanyahu’s visit, which comes six months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel, “will further deepen the already close defense ties,” said Kaura. Additionally, he argued, “There are many advanced American weapons systems that India could not access directly. India could get these weapons through Israel.” One challenge for Israeli defense firms has been to find ways to work with the Make in India initiative, set up by the Indian government to ensure local production. Kaura said Israeli firms have been able to work with this policy by forming a growing number of joint ventures with Indian partners. Israel’s Elbit Systems, for example,

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teamed up with India’s Adani Group to form Adani-Elbit Advanced Systems, which manufactures drones in India. “Similarly Israel’s IAI has signed a memorandum of understanding with India’s Kalyani Strategic Systems to develop and market selected air defense systems and lightweight special purpose munitions. India’s Tata Power SED has become a partner of Israel’s DSIT Solutions, to supply portable diver detection sonar to the Indian Navy. These are just a few examples of a growing list of joint ventures,” Kaura said. “Israel is recognized as a cybersecurity powerhouse. It has approximately $6.5 billion of cyber product exports to its

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

credit. India, which has been facing innumerable cyber threats, can benefit a great deal by institutionalizing cooperation on cyber security issues,” he added. One element that is missing is an institutionalized, government-to-government channel to support defense cooperation regarding highly sensitive technologies, Kaura stated. “It is important to set one up,” he said. “There are reports that India is planning to ink a Spike anti-tank guided missiles deal through the government-to-government route. This could be a good beginning.” Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which makes the Spike missiles, said in a prepared statement that it “prides itself in being able to create partnerships with international leading aerospace and defense companies overseas.” Rafael said that “India and Israel are strategic partners and Israel has always supported India’s urgent operational necessities during times of crises. For Rafael too, India is a strategic and significant partner. Rafael has always stood by India to supply systems at short notice during various operational contingencies.” As a result, the state-owned company said that it has been keen to create ways to ensure the transfer of Israeli defense technology to India. “We already work with the different branches of the Indian military and the Indian security apparatus,” Rafael said. Rafael’s advanced camera surveillance, ordnance and air defense systems have been integrated into the Indian Armed Forces. “We have done so while maintaining and implementing our strategy to forge local partnerships and address India’s Make in India policy,” the Israeli company stated. The list of joint ventures between Rafael and India is expected to grow in 2018. “A significant work share of Rafael contracts is being manufactured in India,” said the company. Rafael has sold the Indian Air Force its Litening precision targeting pods, and in that transaction, has surpassed the contract’s expectations of setting up 30 percent of the manufacturing in India, instead going on to produce a “large scope of the pod in India, through a tech tie-up with DEFSYS, located in Gurgaon,” according to the company. In other joint ventures, Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems has been formed to ensure “maximum Indian component manufacturing of various systems and other future munitions;” Astra Rafael Communications is designed to domestically produce electronic warfare systems and software defined radio systems; and Rafael Reliance Advanced Defense Systems will enable India to make its own air-to-air missiles and missile defense systems. Earlier this year, IAI’s outgoing president, Joseph Weiss, noted that his company had worked with Indian defense industries and armed forces for the past 25 years “as part of our strategic partnership.” “We continue to stand with our partners in India at the forefront of technology for the defense and security of both our countries,” he said. PJC JANUARY 26, 2018 9

Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

‘Baby Moshe’ returns to Mumbai Chabad House Moshe Holtzberg, who lost both his parents in a 2008 terror attack at the Chabad House in Mumbai, visited his old room accompanied by the Indian nanny who saved his life and by Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Moshe, 11, known even now in the Indian media as “Baby Moshe,” found the marks on his wall where his mother had measured his height as a toddler. Netanyahu marked his present height on the same wall during their visit last week. It is the first time that Moshe, who lives in Israel with his grandparents, has returned to the building since being spirited away by his nanny during the attack. In July, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries; it was the first visit to Israel by an Indian head of government. During the visit, Modi met with Moshe, who said he missed India. Modi invited the boy to return at any time. Netanyahu offered to bring Moshe with him on his next trip to India. Sandra Samuel, the Indian nanny who ran out of the Chabad House carrying 3-year-old Moshe, accompanied him to Israel, remaining

with him out of loyalty and love. She also returned with him on his visit to India. The Chabad House attack was one of several carried out in Mumbai over four days in November 2008 by a Pakistani Islamist group that left 166 dead — including Moshe’s parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg — and hundreds injured. In addition to the Holtzbergs, four other Jewish visitors to the Chabad House were killed in the attack. Natives of Israel, the Holtzbergs moved to Mumbai in 2002, where they opened the city’s first Chabad House, a synagogue and community center for Jewish residents and tourists. During Thursday’s event, Moshe and Netanyahu unveiled a plaque in memory of the attack. The top floors remain in the same condition as they were after the attack, with bullet holes marking the walls, as part of a memorial and education center that Chabad calls a “living memorial” to the Holtzbergs and the other victims. Following the unveiling of the plaque and museum, Moshe spoke to the guests and reporters gathered in the building. He thanked Netanyahu for inviting him to India and invited Netanyahu to return with him in two years to celebrate his bar mitzvah. “My heart beats, my heart is moved, to return to my parents’ home, the Chabad House that has been rebuilt and refurbished,” the boy said. “Here I was born, and here I spent two years. I have absorbed my beloved parents’ sense of mission, to leave the Prom-

ised Land on behalf of the rebbe. From the lowest of places. The house that is open to everyone, to Jews from around the world, who sought a warm corner. My beloved parents did what they did here for the Land of Israel.” Netanyahu said to Moshe: “The Jewish people have been with you throughout and there is a good reason for this. What happened here expressed many things. It expressed hatred of Israel and love of Israel. Your dear parents’ love of Israel, that of the Chabad emissaries here and around the world, which embraces every Jew and has a home for every Jew everywhere, including here in the heart of Mumbai.” Following the event, Netanyahu met with leaders of the local Jewish community. The visit to Mumbai was the last stop on the prime minister’s five-day visit to India. Palestinian group pulled out of Women’s March over Scarlett Johansson’s Israel ties A Palestinian women’s group pulled out of the Women’s March Los Angeles over the inclusion of Jewish actress Scarlett Johansson as a featured speaker. Several other pro-Palestinian groups also boycotted the march held last Saturday, one of dozens that took place across the United States to fight for women’s rights and progressive causes. The first march held last year took place in cities around the world the day after President Donald

Trump’s inauguration. The Palestinian American Women’s Association cited in a Facebook post Johansson’s “unapologetic support of illegal settlements in the West Bank, a human rights violation recognized by the international community whose calls only led to a reaffirmation of her position, sending a clear message that Palestinian voices and human rights for Palestinians do not matter.” Johansson is a former spokeswoman for SodaStream, whose main plant was formerly located in the West Bank. In 2015, the plant was moved to the Negev Desert in southern Israel, where it has 1,400 employees, one-third of them Bedouin Arabs. More than 70 of the West Bank Palestinians who worked for the company when it was located in Maale Adumim also work at the new plant. Johansson resigned as a goodwill ambassador for Oxfam, which supports boycotting West Bank settlements, over her employment by Soda Stream. PAWA added: “While her position may not be reflective of all organizers at the Women’s March Los Angeles Foundation, [we] cannot in good conscience partner itself with an organization that fails to genuinely and thoughtfully recognize when their speaker selection contradicts their message.” Other pro-Palestinian groups that boycotted the march included Al-Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Jewish Voice for Peace; Code Pink; BDS-LA; and Jews for Palestinian Right of Return. PJC

This week in Israeli history Jan. 29, 2005 Ephraim Kishon dies

— WORLD —

Israeli writer, playwright and film writer/ director Ephraim Kishon dies at the age of 80 in Switzerland.

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

Jan. 26, 1919 Weizmann sends warning to Gen. Arthur Money

working

alcosan & you

Chaim Weizmann warns that unless world Jewry secures a place of their own they will be faced by a terrible catastrophe.

together for clean water

Jan. 27, 2001 Taba Summit concludes

Treatment Plant Expansion Plan Public Information Meetings

ALCOSAN's long-term plans include a $335 million expansion of its North Side treatment plant. The project is a necessary component of ALCOSAN's Clean Water Plan to reduce the volume of overflows of untreated wastewater into the region's rivers and streams. Learn the details of the plan by attending one of two free public meetings.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 10:30 a.m. -or6:30 p.m.

A week of discussions between Israeli and Palestinian leaders concludes in the Egyptian resort town of Taba. The talks at Taba take place during the height of the second intifada.

Jan. 28, 1790 France grants citizenship to Sephardi Jews

Free shuttle service from the North Shore T Station near PNC Park and the Allegheny T Station at Heinz Field will be available beginning at 9:30 a.m. for the morning session and at 5:30 p.m. for the evening session.

ALCOSAN O&M Building Auditorium 3300 Preble Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15233

Sephardi Jews living in France are granted equal rights and given French citizenship by the National Assembly.

Jan. 30, 1933 Recha Freier establishes foundations of youth aliyah

The same day that Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul Von Hindenburg, Recha Freier establishes the Committee for the Assistance of Jewish Youth.

Jan. 31, 1961 Ben-Gurion resigns over Lavon Affair

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion resigns as a result of the controversial, covert operation in Egypt, setting the stage for new elections in the summer of 1961.

Feb. 1, 1979 Khomeini returns to Iran

After 15 years in exile, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran, two weeks after the Shah of Iran flees the country. PJC

Can’t attend either meeting? Visit ALCOSAN’s Facebook page at facebook.com/ALCOSAN to watch live video streaming of the 10:30 a.m. session.

10 JANUARY 26, 2018

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

There’s a camp for every child at the JCC! Early Childhood Squirrel Hill: ages 2-4 Session 1: June 18-July 13 Session 2: July 16-August 10

Campers thrive in a safe and structured environment with a program that has a good balance of outdoor and indoor activities. Our summer program is inspired by children’s interest-driven experiences that include art, nature, sports and water play. All camps include a kosher lunch and snacks.

K’ton Ton Camp: age 2 7 am-6 pm • 9 am-noon • 9 am-3 pm 2-, 3- and 5-day options

Yeladim Camp: ages 3-4 Monday-Friday 7 am-6 pm 9 am-12:45 pm 9 am-3 pm

J&R Day Camp Age 3-grade 5 June 18-August 17 Register by the week Monday-Friday • 9 am-3:30 pm Family Park in Monroeville

James & Rachel Levinson Day Camp provides children with an enriching summer filled with sports, arts, nature, Judaics, cookouts, swimming, ropes course, biking, tennis and more. Children participate in age-appropriate activities with qualified, professional supervisory staff and caring CPR/AED-certified counselors. At J&R we promote an environment of respect, cooperation and caring where children can discover new interests and talents every day. Fee includes lunch, a camp shirt and bus transportation.

Performing Arts Squirrel Hill: Grades 4-10 June 18-July 13

Performing Arts Camp offers a full day of training in theater, music and dance. The all-camp production at the conclusion of the session enables campers to experience the special camaraderie and energy that builds with the unfolding of a performance. For info: Kathy Wayne, 412-339-5414, kwayne@jccpgh.org

June 13-16

• Advanced Dance Camp

July 9-13

• Intro to Drone Flying Missions: grades 1-2 • Ultimate Drone Obstacle Challenge: grades 3-5 • Minecraft Level Design & Engineering: grades 2-6 July 16-20

• The Great Outdoors: grades 3-6 • Super Shooters Basketball: grades 4-6 • Modding in Minecraft: grades 2-6 July 23-27

Noar and Bogrim Travel Camp Grades 5-9 June 18-August 17 Register by the week Monday-Friday • 9 am-3:30 pm Family Park in Monroeville

New this year! JCC Meet-Ups

JCCPGH.org

Squirrel Hill and Family Park: Grades 1-6 Register by the week

• The Great Outdoors: grades 1-2 • Super Shooters Basketball: grades 1-3

PreK ages 3-5 June 18-July 13 Family Park in Monroeville Monday-Friday: 9 am-1 pm

For info: Lewis Sohinki 412-697-3537, lsohinki@jccpgh.org

Specialty Camps

June 25-29

J&R Stepping Stones Half-Day Camp

Stepping Stones is a developmentally appropriate, half-day camp. Children take a dedicated bus with seat belts and bus counselors to and from the JCC in Squirrel Hill. They follow a schedule that is suitable for young children. Campers are in groups of 10 to 12 with a senior counselor, a junior counselor and a counselor-in-training, and are part of our Pre- Kindergarten Unit, Karmiel.

Early Bird Rates end February 28

For info: Liza Baron 412-697-3530, lbaron@jccpgh.org

We’re inviting travel campers from other JCCs, such as Cleveland, Rochester, Columbus and Akron, to join us at our home base for our adventures during the week of July 23-27. New friends will add to the fun as we travel around the Pittsburgh region. There are two five-day trips out of town planned for the summer: Club Getaway, July 9-13 and Cleveland, July 30-August 3.

June 18-August 10 Register by the week

Early Childhood K’ton Ton: age 2 • Yeladim: ages 3-4

9 am-12:30 pm • 9 am-3 pm 2-, 3- and 5-day options Daily swim time, water play, nature, music, sports and crafts.

• The Great Outdoors: grades 3-6 • Real World Robotics with Snapology: grades 2-6 • Elite Tennis Camp with Mark Haffner: grades 1-6 • Modding in Minecraft: grades 2-6

Camp Sabra: grades K-2

July 30-August 3

An enriching summer filled with sports, nature, arts & crafts and Judaics. Special field trips included.

• American Ninja Warrior: grades 3-6 • Elite Tennis Camp with Mark Haffner: grades 1-6 August 6-10

• Animal Planet: grades 2-6 • Mini-Mensches: grades 1-4 August 13-17

• Super Soccer Stars with British Soccer Camps: grades 2-6 • Intro to Drone Coding Games: grades 1-2 • Drone Superhero Missions: grades 3-5 For info: Meredith Brown 412-697-3520, mbrown@jccpgh.org

For info: Lewis Sohinki 412-697-3537, lsohinki@jccpgh.org

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

JCC South Hills Day Camps

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Swim lessons, free swim and lunch daily. Children grow and flourish and have fun. Sports, arts &crafts, nature, drama and Judaics.

Camp Chalutzim: grades 3-6

Adventure Camp: grades 2-8 Mini Adventure Camp: grades K-1 Experience many different adventures during excursions around Pittsburgh.

Counselor-in-Training: grades 7-10 Learn the responsibilities of a day camp counselor and develop social and leadership skills.

Performing Arts Camp: grades 2-8 July 16-August 10 Be part of a complete musical show. For info: Jason Haber 412-278-1782, jhaber@jccpgh.org

JANUARY 26, 2018 11

Opinion Children as political props — EDITORIAL —

hildren, by virtue of their age, inexperience and vulnerabilities, are protected by law and custom from exploitation. Except in extraordinary circumstances, parents have the right to have the last word on how the world interacts with their children. That includes children being used for political ends — or it should. The Frisch School, a Jewish high school in New Jersey, provided a test case. News surfaced last week that Rabbi David Sher, the school’s director of Israel education and advocacy, sent an email to students urging those believing “that the president made the right decision” on recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordering the even-

tual relocation there of the U.S. Embassy to send letters to President Donald Trump expressing their thanks. He even provided a template for the students to cut and paste. “Just remember to sign your name on the bottom,” students were told. The email noted the letter writing was a project of NORPAC, a rightward leaning, pro-Israel political action committee. Frisch is the alma mater of Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, an adviser to the president on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s Mideast envoy, had children who graduated from the school last year. But, as is the case more broadly, Trump is not universally popular at the school. There is something disturbing about the orchestrated letter-writing campaign. Apparently some parents thought so too, and complained to the school’s principal,

Rabbi Eli Ciner. He issued a clarification, saying the letter writing was purely voluntary. But he opened another can of worms by adding, “We often write to our political leaders if we agree, or disagree, with their decisions.” According to Haaretz, some parents disagreed, pointing out that “students had not been encouraged to write letters protesting recent racist remarks allegedly made by the president,” as just one example. The Haaretz article has drawn criticism over how reporter Judy Maltz obtained information. Critics complained that Maltz drew some of her information from a private Facebook group. Jason Shames, chief executive officer of the Paramus-based Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, said the school was “unfairly targeted.” We’re not so sure. The fact is that Frisch

encouraged its students to take a position on a sensitive political issue without notice to their parents, and certainly without their express consent. That’s not the right way to do things — even if the school’s intentions were honorable. But Frisch is not the only guilty party. Jewish schools across the country are increasingly using kids for political advocacy and sometimes only notifying parents after the fact. Whether it’s hosting a state legislator to offer thanks for tuition-funding legislation, busing kids to a state capitol to express their gratitude, taking them to a rally for a photo-op holding signs, or encouraging a politically motivated letter-writing campaign, administrators need to be careful — even if their hearts are in the right place. Children should never be used as political props without their parents’ consent. PJC

The two-state delusion is the greatest obstacle to peace Guest Columnists Jeff Ballabon Bruce Abramson

he Arab-Israeli conflict is entering a phase more likely to lead to resolution than any that preceded it. The mindless mantra “there is no alternative to the two-state solution” is giving way to reality. The Palestinian Authority has never been a partner for peace. A 23rd Arab state shoehorned into Israel would solve nothing. And plenty of superior, principled alternatives exist. The two-state solution is a proven failure — a bad idea, derived from a lie, perpetuating instability and suffering. It is, in fact, a relabeling of the PLO’s 1974 Phased Plan: the PLO announcement that it would “liberate” territory piecemeal and wage its genocidal war from each new parcel. The relabeling was designed to give plausible deniability to those who regret allowing the long-suffering Jews to exercise self-determination. That it sucked in Israelis tired of policing hostile Arab towns and Diaspora Jews chasing approval and acceptance was an added bonus. Tragically, the scheme achieved its primary goal: It recast one of the world’s most tolerant, multi-ethnic, peaceloving, life-affirming bastions of human rights as an illegitimate oppressor. How did this defamatory campaign deceive so many into believing such an obvious absurdity? Particularly when, for decades, no decent person supported a terrorist PLO state? When as late as 1980, even anti-Israel Jimmy Carter said he was “opposed to an independent Palestinian state” because it would be a “destabilizing factor” in the region? It began in the early 1990s, when elements of the Israeli far left and the PLO — in clear violation of Israeli law — hatched a “peace”

12 JANUARY 26, 2018

plan: The Arabs would concede the legitimacy of Jewish self-determination in the historic Jewish homeland and, in return, Israel would accept the lie of a distinct “Palestinian” people, partition the homeland (yet again) and create a quasi-governmental Palestinian Authority. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin agreed — with the caveats that Israel would never concede any part of Jerusalem and never accept a new Arab state. Pocketing these enormous concessions, the PLO dug in. President Bill Clinton injected the United States to finalize the Oslo Accord of 1993. Suddenly, terrorist Yasser Arafat was a statesman and the terrorist PLO a government. In 1998, with PLO terrorism still active, first lady Hillary Clinton sent shock waves when she implied support for an independent Palestine; the White House’s repudiation was immediate and unequivocal. In 2000, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak broke the final taboos, offering the PLO a state and parts of Jerusalem. Arafat responded by launching a terror war. Barak and Clinton sweetened the offer. Arafat was clear: He preferred war. Any rational observer would have seen Arafat’s rejection as the end of the game. But as Arafat foresaw, Oslo’s inversion of oppressed and oppressor hopelessly warped global public opinion. The 21st century has enshrined Arafat’s fabrications while challenging Jewish history. It ignores the character of leadership and culture, bestowing honors upon Arab terror movements while defaming Israel’s liberal democracy. It vilifies those — like George W. Bush and Benjamin Netanyahu — who would condition statehood on evidence of a willingness to coexist. No longer a stratagem for peace, “Palestinian” statehood has become an entitlement. But 21st-century events have demolished the broader myth system on which “Palestinian” peoplehood rests. Iraq and Syria have followed the Lebanese path. As those multi-

ethnic European constructs collapsed, their citizens quickly shed the state-based identities they had been assigned in favor of the ethnic- or faith-based identities that had defined their families for centuries. They fight — and die — as Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, Alawites, Druze and Christians. That collapse is hardly coincidental — and it is highly relevant. There have never been distinct Iraqi, Syrian, Lebanese — or Palestinian — nations. Having all but purged their once-vibrant Christian minority, today’s “Palestinians” are merely Sunni Arabs whose patrilineal ancestors resided west of the Jordan River during the final two years of the Mandate for Palestine. A new state affirming misguided labels that European imperialists imposed upon the indigenous peoples of the Middle East cannot possibly help stabilize the troubled region. The clear alternative is a return to the pre-Oslo reliance on responsible state actors — i.e., Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel — to provide citizenship and opportunity to the stateless Arabs. The sooner Israel stops paying lip service to the “two-state” lie, the sooner it can leave behind its self-inflicted wounds. The primary objections to this have always been that a, the world will condemn Israel, and b, those countries won’t comply. Both are absurd. The world condemns Israel freely already, and the United States can ensure those countries are incentivized to comply. To achieve the stability the region so desperately needs, the Arab states must reintegrate nearly 20 million displaced or stateless Arabs chafing beneath artificial Syrian, Iraqi, Lebanese or Palestinian labels. Far from laying this issue at Israel’s feet, any “solution” to the Arab-Israeli conflict must arise within that regional context. The international community should treat Arab refugees like it treats other refugees — humanely rather than as political pawns and cannon fodder. Integrating them into communities with whom they claim ethnic and cultural kinship is the

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best way to help refugees build new lives. The myths of “Palestinian peoplehood” and a “two-state solution” have impeded peace, stability, security, development, regional integration and justice. Arab terrorists lauded as martyrs and freedom fighters murder and maim Jews. Jew-haters treating Arabs as expendable rob millions of educational and economic opportunities, basic dignity and decent lives. The American Jewish community tears itself apart. College students from Christian and Jewish Zionist homes find themselves supporting an Israel defamed across campus as an oppressor. And in living memory of the Holocaust and of the miraculous return of Jews to their indigenous Jewish homeland, the United Nations denies the Jews’ connection to Judea and demands their ethnic cleansing. All in the service of a lie. Reality-based plans have languished in the face of Oslo’s persistent myths. All start from two key principles: Israeli sovereignty must continue within secure borders, and the Arab states must assume primary responsibility for the welfare of Arab refugees. These principles are grounded in history, morality and law, in Jewish security and Arab development, and in the critical goal of regional stability. What has worked around the world will work in the Middle East if the Arabs allow it to work. The Arabs will allow it only if pushed. President Donald Trump, for the first time in history, has begun to push in the right direction. PJC Jeff Ballabon is CEO of B2 Strategic, a senior fellow at the American Conservative Union’s Center for Statesmanship and Diplomacy, and an adviser to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Bruce Abramson is the president of Informationism, Inc., vice president and director of policy at the Iron Dome Alliance, and a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research.

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Opinion We can’t rationalize prejudice Guest Columnist Karen Wolk Feinstein

s Jews, we should be especially attuned to the dangers of placing prejudiced rhetoric in an innocuous-looking wrapper. I believe that we have a responsibility to speak out when hate speech is manipulated into something that sounds less inflammatory, something that has the veneer of socially acceptable behavior. When we allow such discrimination to seep into our everyday language, it becomes normalized. It becomes acceptable to devalue those who are different in words which all too often manifest in deeds. And, as Jews, we know too well the danger of excuses like, “Forget the rhetoric. It doesn’t mean anything.” Silence can enable actions that can turn deadly. That’s why I was dismayed to read a recent editorial in the Pittsburgh PostGazette (“Reason as racism: An immigration debate gets derailed,” Jan. 15). The editorial — published on Martin Luther King Day, no less — is an ill-conceived attempt to rationalize President Donald Trump’s use of an

epithet to describe African countries, and explain away his prejudice against providing immigration opportunities to individuals from Africa and Haiti in favor of immigrants from countries like Norway. It places Trump’s demeaning, dehumanizing comments in an undeserved wrapper of decency. Now more than ever, we rely upon credible news sources to hold truth to power, to give a voice to the voiceless and to respect the dignity of the most vulnerable among us. In this case, the esteemed Post-Gazette fell well short of this standard. A president’s ill-chosen defamations should not be excused by a major newspaper to suggest that if he’d said it this way, if he’d used different adjective and if he’d explained his point carefully and thoughtfully, his words and their meaning would be acceptable. Leave that kind of backpedaling and rhetorical gymnastics to White House aides. The point is, Trump painted immigrants from a whole continent with a broad brush that did not respect their individuality and the complexity of the immigration issue. You cannot have a balanced and credible conversation in this picture.

— LETTERS — Thank you, Chronicle Peter Braasch and I would like to thank Toby Tabachnick for her thoughtful and informative article about Kulam (“Jewish learning for ‘everyone’ starts second season in Pittsburgh,” Jan.19). Our first session on Jan. 17, led by Leah Rosenthal, energized its participants with novel insights, and we expect future sessions to be similarly enlightening. I apologize that in our interview I neglected to emphasize that Kulam would not be possible without the generous support of many donors, the Jewish Life and Learning department of the Federation, last year’s support from the Steel Tree Fund from the Federation, and the provision of space and logistical support from the Jewish Community Center. We are grateful for all of the support provided by our community and hope that Kulam can play a role in deepening Jewish students’ understand of our rich tradition. David Brent Pittsburgh

Please see Feinstein, page 14

Don’t destroy the two-state solution Guest Columnist Jonathan Greenblatt

everal recent political measures in Israel — including announcements by Israel’s parliament, attorney general and ruling party — have significantly begun to undermine the possibility of achieving a two-state solution. Let me be clear: When discussing why the peace process has been stalled for so many years, one has to begin with the Palestinians. There is little evidence to suggest that the Palestinians have yet made the necessary qualitative leaps to accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state, to negotiate in good faith on the outstanding issues or to stop inciting its people to violence and instead prepare them for peace. In past decades there were several occasions — the 1993 Oslo Agreement, the 2000 Camp David summit, and the 2007’08 Annapolis process — when it looked as though Palestinian leaders could be on the verge of accepting Israel in a serious and responsible way. Unfortunately, that hope foundered as former Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat and then Mahmoud Abbas refused to make serious, specific responses to significant Israeli peace proposals. In sum, principal responsibility for the absence of peace rests with the Palestinian side, even while they do have some legitimate grievances and aspirations. We at the Anti-Defamation League have

long held that the two-state solution is important for the safety and survival of the Jewish people. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself has stated Israel’s commitment to such a solution. However, the central committee of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ruling party voted on Jan. 2 to demand “free construction and application of Israeli law and sovereignty in all liberated areas of settlement.” Doing so could make any potential Palestinian state unviable by annexing far-flung settlements to Israel that separate Palestinian population centers from each other. This is something Israel, under both rightand left-wing governments for 50 years, has refrained from doing, in part for international legal reasons. Instead, Israel has maintained judiciously that the difficult situation on the West Bank is only a temporary one, albeit long-lasting, because of the absence of peace. But that distinction was also blurred by a Dec. 31 directive from Israel’s attorney general, who under pressure from the country’s justice minister instructed government agencies to apply new civilian laws when possible to cover the West Bank as well as Israel proper. Finally, Israel’s parliament voted on Jan. 2 to make it well-nigh impossible for Israel to give up any part of Jerusalem in peace negotiations. It raised the bar for Knesset approval of any peace agreement that would include ceding part of Jerusalem to a foreign entity from a majority to a supermajority of 80 of the body’s 120 votes. The law itself might be reversed by a simple majority vote at a later date, but it also sends

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Please see Greenblatt, page 14

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JANUARY 26, 2018 13

Opinion Feinstein: Continued from page 13

In fact, there are many people from Africa and Haiti who make outstanding citizens when afforded the opportunities once granted, if grudgingly, to many of our ancestors. At the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, we are fortunate to have individuals from Kenya and Uganda as part of our team.

They are wonderful additions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the kind of resourceful, honorable, intelligent, family-oriented people who enrich the Pittsburgh community and our nation. The Post-Gazetteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s editorial board downplays the importance of Trump using an epithet to typecast whole nations, saying that â&#x20AC;&#x153;America today is a sadly crass place where many of us use vulgar, corrosive language we ought not use in private and work conversations.â&#x20AC;? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not acceptable

for any of us, much less the president. When we hear something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anti-Semitic, racist, homophobic or that otherwise devalues a whole segment of our society, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our civic responsibility to call it out. Failure to do so starts us down a dangerous path. The P-G suggests that we only use the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;racistâ&#x20AC;? to describe individuals like Dylann Roof, a mass-murderer fueled by racial hatred. How can that possibly be an acceptable standard? Blind and bold prejudice â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the kind that

Greenblatt: Continued from page 13

worrying signals about Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term intentions. This was further exacerbated that same day by President Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ill-advised tweet stating â&#x20AC;&#x153;we have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table.â&#x20AC;? That telegraphs the wrong message to Israelis and Palestinians, and it stands in direct contradiction to the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own historic speech on the matter. On Dec. 6, Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and specified that â&#x20AC;&#x153;we are not taking a position on any final status issues, including the specific boundaries of the Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem.â&#x20AC;? He similarly confirmed that Jerusalem would remain â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of the most sensitive issues in those talks.â&#x20AC;? ADL welcomed the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speech because Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel since its founding and the spiritual

p From left: Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

home of the Jewish people for millennia. But we also called on the parties to redouble their efforts to foster conditions necessary for an eventual two-state solution and to resume negotiations immediately. Whatever oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s views on the particulars of

any future peace agreement, however remote it may seem today, three priorities for Israel should be respected by all: Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fundamental right to security; its need to maintain a substantial Jewish majority; and the need to protect and strengthen Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s democratic

Dr. King and countless others worked to eradicate and the kind that has exterminated Jews throughout history â&#x20AC;&#x201D; metastasizes when we look the other way, when we excuse language that diminishes basic humanity. Civility, respect, precision, balance â&#x20AC;&#x201D; we have to stand for something or the wonder that is American democracy wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t survive.â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC Karen Wolk Feinstein is president and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. values and institutions. At the same time, it is essential that a final resolution also address the concerns of the Palestinian people and allow them to control their own destiny through some form of statehood. And we continue to believe that such a mutually beneficial outcome, one that delivers on the needs of all people, will be determined only through direct negotiations between the two parties as both sides make the tough choices that are required to achieve peace. A two-state solution still offers the only hope to achieve all these goals. Security is possible with the right terms. A Jewish majority can be assured by separating from the Palestinians. And Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s democratic character and respect for civil rights depends upon its continued pursuit of the two-state solution. It is complicated and challenging, but it still must be the ultimate goal.â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC Jonathan A. Greenblatt is CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League.

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14â&#x20AC;&#x192;JANUARY 26, 2018

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Life & Culture A pluralistic project for millennials takes a page from the Chabad playbook — RELIGION — By Ben Sales | JTA

EW YORK — At a small stove in the kitchen, a man exploring conversion to Judaism is frying tofu with red onions. Chatting with him is a woman who works for a Conservative rabbinical seminary. Across the room is a recent college graduate who, raised in a secular home, decided to keep kosher on her own at age 9. She is standing next to Avram Mlotek, 30, an Orthodox rabbi who shares the downtown Manhattan apartment with his wife. The crowd of 15 is not there to eat the hearty vegetarian spread. Instead, on this Tuesday night, one participant gives a brief speech comparing the weekly Torah portion to the Women’s March. Then the group heads over to a nearby homeless shelter and serves the food they had cooked to the men staying there. They have been cooking this weekly dinner since 2015, when Mlotek decided to walk over to the shelter, introduce himself and ask if the residents wanted any help from some millennial Jews. “There are stories in the Talmud, before you go out to daven, you go out to give tzedakah,” Mlotek said ahead of the march, using Yiddish and Hebrew words for praying and charity, respectively. “I think that, for me, is what Jewish spirituality is. It’s not solely focused on one’s individual needs. It’s in partnership with the community.” Mlotek and his wife, Yael Kornfeld, run one outpost of Base Hillel, a new organization aiming to be a pluralist Jewish salon for the post-college set. The organization employs rabbis and their spouses to open their homes to young Jews across the country and engage them in Jewish ritual, study and service programs. Since it was founded in the summer of 2015, it’s drawn more than 8,000 participants. “There is a trope that millennials don’t care about community or commitment,” said Faith Leener, Base Hillel’s co-founder and director. “And it’s not true. Millennials want something to believe in and feel committed to. They want something to feel grounded in in a really ungrounded stage of life.” Leener and her husband, Jonathan, started the organization with Mlotek and Kornfeld after recognizing that they were already doing this work — hosting informal Jewish programs in their Manhattan apartments — just without funding. The project has since been adopted by Hillel International, the campus Jewish network, which has long sought a place for twentysomethings to land after college. Its name, Base Hillel, is a pun on the Hebrew for Hillel House. Mlotek and Jonathan Leener are both alumni of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the liberal Orthodox seminary here. Other rabbis come from the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, its Reform counterpart. The organization now runs a total of nine houses in New York,

p Base Hillel participants prepare food for the homeless.

p Rabbi Avram Mlotek, right, at his Base Hillel home in New York City.

Photos by Ben Sales

Chicago, Los Angeles and a few other cities, including Berlin. Some of the Base leaders have been bridging communities since they were kids. Mlotek grew up among both religious Zionists and Yiddishists — his father, Zalman, is the artistic director of the National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene. Faith Leener grew up in a home that regularly hosted foreign visitors as part of a government program. The Berlin Base is run by one of the first couples where both husband and wife are studying to be Orthodox clergy. “There are not enough people who understand the potential of what it means to be a rabbi,” Faith Leener said. “It has either come to mean you’re a pulpit rabbi or a teacher, and what a rabbi really can be is a community organizer, a pastoral counselor, a spiritual guide, charismatic speaker. The pulpit can be a neighborhood.” Base occupies a middle ground between the home- and synagogue-based outreach of Chabad, the outward-looking Chasidic movement, and Moishe House, a network of homes where young Jewish singles host social and holiday events in exchange for rent subsidies. While Chabad offers its

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services to all comers, its guiding philosophy is haredi Orthodox. Base is intentionally more pluralist; Mlotek, for example, courted controversy last year by arguing that Orthodoxy should do more to embrace intermarried couples. But it’s also more religious than Moishe House, placing an emphasis on Jewish observance and pastoral counseling. “I feel like Moishe House is the JV team and they’re the varsity team,” joked Suzanne Greene, a member of the West Village Moishe House who collaborates with Mlotek’s Base. “We do this with our free time. They’re pros. They’re able to bring a level of depth and authenticity in the most fun, accessible and warm, welcoming way.” After returning from the homeless shelter on Tuesday night, Mlotek led a class on the weekly Torah portion where he acted equal parts facilitator and participant. He sat in a circle with his students in a living room that boasted Jewish books, a vinyl collection and a diaper-changing pad. He alternated between teaching a lesson and debating interpretations with his students. It’s one of several regular events at the apartment. The couple regularly host Shabbat dinners, as well as an “ask-me-any-

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thing” session on Judaism. Mlotek said much of his time involves one-on-one meetings with young Jews. “I always feel in this place I’m in the company of true, genuine, curious scholars,” said Jared Gimbel, 29, a regular Base attendee who attended Orthodox day school and then distanced himself from Judaism for a few years. “A lot of personality types really come to Base. We have exchanges, and what’s more, we realize that every person here has very, very deep stories that deserve to be told and deserve to be shared.” The organization’s pluralist approach has drawn a tapestry of involved and unaffiliated Jews, mostly in their mid- to late 20s. A survey commissioned by Base and conducted by Jewish sociologist Steven M. Cohen showed that, for example, 13 percent of participants in New York last year were from non-Jewish homes and 21 percent Orthodox. Thirty percent went to Jewish day school, while 21 percent had no Jewish education. Samantha Bowser, 30, a former high school classmate of Mlotek’s who comes to Base weekly, said she finds it difficult to be fully herself at Orthodox or Conservative synagogues. “If I was in an Orthodox religious setting, I couldn’t show I was politically liberal,” she said. “In a politically liberal setting, I wasn’t comfortable saying I’m religious. So I feel like I can fully express myself and be myself holistically in this space.” Base is still in its formative years — expanding across the country, seeking long-term funding and figuring out what programs work. Cohen, the sociologist, noted that it still doesn’t have anything close to the scale of Chabad, whose husband-andwife teams of shluchim, or emissaries, run thousands of houses, schools, camps and other institutions. It also isn’t clear what will happen in five or 10 years, as the rabbis and their spouses approach middle age and are no longer peers with the young adults they seek to serve. Kornfeld, Mlotek’s wife, is a full-time social worker aside from her Base work (Mlotek serves Base full time). She loves seeing her apartment filled with guests on Friday nights, and feels inspired hearing about the highlights of their week. But she isn’t sure she’ll have the same enthusiasm as their two kids, now toddlers, grow older. “My hope and my dream is that it keeps growing,” Kornfeld said. “How long is this sustainable for our family? It certainly can get in the way of bedtime. That’s definitely something we’ve talked about.” Her husband, for his part, also isn’t sure what the future will bring. But, smiling and leaning back in his chair in a thirdwave cafe that donates part of its proceeds to charity, Mlotek sounds, for now, like he’s found his calling in ministering to the young Jews of Manhattan. “I get paid to host Shabbat meals, to teach Torah in my backyard,” he said. “You give people something that’s authentic and open and engaging, they’re thirsty for more. They’ve fueled my passion for learning, for community.” PJC JANUARY 26, 2018 15

Headlines Engagement: Continued from page 1

Danielle Leshaw at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill, has nine students enrolled — high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Leshaw, a Reconstructionist rabbi and a senior educator for Hillel International, also serves on the Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet for J Street. While Leshaw stopped short of claiming that the goal of the Fellowship is to create Israel advocates, she is hoping to provide the students with a framework to think about Israel and decide for themselves if and how they want to engage with the topic of Israel once they get to campus. “My ultimate goal is to provide them with really important information so they can move forward and make strong decisions about how they want to be present on campus and what voice they want to use,” Leshaw said. “And I think that the more information

“We talked about the intersections of different identities and how Linda Sarsour in particular is claiming that people can’t be pro-Israel and feminist,” Leshaw said. “So, we began to unpack the different ways that activity emerges on campus, with faculty or guest speakers or students, trying to tell Jewish students what they can and can’t be. This is the beginning for some of them of recognition or awareness that people might try to tell you that you can’t have multiple ideals or multiple truths at one time.” The topics that Leshaw plans to cover in the five 90-minute sessions include contemporary history of Israel (pre-World War I through the present day), BDS, anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and case studies of recent BDS campaigns on different campuses. She is also presenting guest speakers from national organizations, including StandWithUs and the David Project, via Skype. That Pittsburgh needed a course to prepare Jewish high school students for campus anti-Israel activity was recognized several years ago by community leaders, and a committee had

“ We’re calling it an Israel Engagement Fellowship because we want these kids to have an understanding, to care about Israel, but we’re not defining what that looks like in terms of their ideology. But we do want them to have an understanding of what anti-Israel activity

”

might look like.

— RABBI AMY BARDACK, DIRECTOR OF JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING AT THE FEDERATION

they have in high school, the better they are going to be able to be active participants in their Jewish campus living. If the first time they hear the words ‘boycott divest and sanction’ is when they are freshmen in college, we haven’t prepared them well enough.” Leshaw intends to teach the teens “about all of the different anti-Israel activities going on and how different Hillels and other Jewish campus organizations have responded, and to begin to ask them the question, ‘How do you imagine responding? What happens if your student government tries to pass BDS resolutions?’” The first class was held on Jan. 9 and covered “new anti-Semitism and BDS trends on campus,” Leshaw said, including a look at Linda Sarsour — the Palestinian-American political activist and organizer of last year’s Women’s March on Washington who told The Nation that a person could not be both a feminist and a Zionist — and the hot-button term “intersectionality.”

been formed under the auspices of the now defunct Agency for Jewish Learning to prepare a curriculum for the course. Local attorney Charles Saul was part of that committee. “One can be very educated with respect to Israel’s issues and still not know how to answer some of the bizarre accusations made by those who are anti-Israel and pro-BDS,” Saul said. “The teens need to know what claims will be made and how to respond to those claims.” Sometimes those affiliated with pro-BDS groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace “can be very passionate, very articulate and very persuasive,” he continued. “They’ve been brainwashed with false information, so when they speak, they believe that stuff. Jewish students can be sucked into that, and you end up with Jewish kids in these groups.” While Saul is not involved in the current iteration of the Israel Engagement Fellowship, he is “very glad they are doing it.”

“The Jewish community has been remiss in not better educating our students on Israel,” he said. While the program is open to all teens in grades 10 to 12, they had to formally apply to participate, said Rabbi Amy Bardack, director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Federation. While no student was turned away, the goal was to have a small, intimate group, she said. Like Leshaw, Bardack also stopped short of saying the Fellowship is intended to create Israel advocates. “It’s not really about what is your position,” said Bardack, who formerly served on the Rabbinic and Cantorial Advisory Board of J Street. “We’re calling it an Israel Engagement Fellowship because we want these kids to have an understanding, to care about Israel, but we’re not defining what that looks like in terms of their ideology. But we do want them to have an understanding of what anti-Israel p Rabbi Danielle Leshaw activity might look like.” Photo courtesy of Danielle Leshaw Leshaw was selected to teach the course because of her deep familiarity the history and diversity of Zionism, an introwith anti-Israel activity on college campuses, duction to the modern state of Israel through according to Bardack. maps reaching back to the 1890s and the “It was important that we have somebody Palestinian narrative as told by a Palestinian. who really knows what’s going on today on “The program began at the request of a campuses that could speak authentically and donor,” explained Samantha Vinokor-Meinis in conversation about what’s happening rath, manager of teen engagement and with BDS and is in conversation with what philanthropy at the Jewish Federation of college students are currently experiencing,” Greater Washington. Despite the donor’s Bardack explained. “Danielle is one of the children having attended a Jewish day school, professional staff of Hillel International, and being raised within an “Israel-engaged she works with several college campuses family,” when they got to college, “they still across the country, she’s in all these confer- didn’t know how to respond to criticism and ence calls about these issues, so she’s attacks on Israel. Our donor wanted to invest really on the ground, and that makes her in a program to mitigate this issue.” uniquely qualified.” The course is co-taught by Vinokor-MeinLeshaw is approaching the class with the rath, colleagues from the Israel Action assumption that her students have a founda- Center of Washington’s Jewish Community tion of knowledge about the history of Israel. Relations Council, Israeli shlichim and a “I’m treating this not as a beginners’ class,” variety of outside speakers and experts. she said. “This is not intro to Zionism. This The success has been anecdotal but noteisn’t Zionism 101. I went into the class confi- worthy, said Vinokor-Meinrath, and includes dent that the Jewish community of Pitts- graduates of the program contributing to a burgh has taught our students well, and I’m wider campus conversation on Israel, as well getting them at a pretty high, sophisticated as just being able to explain aspects of the level already.” conflict to a roommate with misinformation. While Leshaw is “not in favor of BDS at Maddie Herrup, a senior at Pittsburgh all and [hopes] that our students aren’t,” she Allderdice and a graduate of Community knows the students ultimately will make Day School, is enrolled in the new Fellowtheir own decisions on the matter. ship in Pittsburgh. She is eager to be learning “As a campus professional, I know that about Israel from a nuanced perspective. students make their own decisions,” she said. “I want to hear different narratives,” she “And as a parent, I can coach and I can teach said. “I support Israel and I would advocate and I can train, but in the end, everyone is in for Israel. But the situation is very complicharge of their own decisions. And I think cated. People say they outright support one that’s what we know as adults with our chil- side or the other side, but I feel it is more dren. I would be very pleased if our Jewish complicated than that. students were not in favor of BDS, but I can’t “I think [this course] will help me to stand make that determination for them.” up for Israel,” she continued. “In this class, we’re The Fellowship was modeled, in part, on the going to try to explore both sides. There are Israel Engagement Fellowship in Washington, strong opinions on both sides. It’s great to talk D.C. That program, which serves several about Israel from multiple perspectives.” PJC cohorts a year and has already engaged about Toby Tabachnick can be reached at 200 pre-college teens, runs for eight weeks and has a specific curriculum that includes ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 16 JANUARY 26, 2018

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Headlines Temple David: Continued from page 1

various towns but no established Jewish communities like there were along the rivers. A series of events in the 1950s turned the region into the suburb it is today.” Those events included the construction of the Penn-Lincoln Parkway and the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, which connected Monroeville to downtown Pittsburgh, and the opening of the Miracle Mile Shopping Center, according to Lidji. “The first Jewish families began settling in the Garden City and Eastgate Manor sections of Monroeville during this time, arriving from Pittsburgh and from small towns in the area,” Lidji said. “They formed the Monroeville Jewish Congregation and voted

Temple David has always placed a high value on education, according to Richard Myerowitz, a 38-year member of the congregation and a member of its board of directors. Its emphasis on Jewish learning led to the hiring of its first rabbi, Jason Z. Edelstein, a skilled educator. Edelstein served as the temple’s rabbi until 1994, at which time he became rabbi emeritus. Rabbi Richard Rheins led the congregation from 1995 to 2005 and was followed in 2006 by Rabbi Barbara Symons, the current spiritual leader of the congregation. Symons attributes the congregation’s continued emphasis on education to the tone set by Edelstein almost 60 years ago. “The way Rabbi Edelstein helped craft this congregation was key to the strength we still have,” Symons said. The congregation maintains an active

p Temple David kicked off its 60th anniversary celebration with a Shabbat dinner on Jan. 19. Photo courtesy of Kay Liss

to associate with the Reform movement in the summer of 1957. They held services that fall and adopted the name Temple David, inspired by local signs for King David Realty. They chartered the congregation in 1958.” The 60th anniversary year kicked off last weekend with events including a Shabbat dinner, a lunch on Saturday, and a program on Sunday in which Lidji spoke about the history of Jews and the Reform movement in Monroeville. Other 60th anniversary events to occur throughout the year include a Hamantaschen Hop on Feb. 24, an Art in Residence weekend on April 20-22 and a celebration of six decades of religious school on April 29. An anniversary reunion weekend will be held in October, and a closing celebratory weekend will take place in December.

religious school — students are required to attend through confirmation — and also hosts the Jewish East Suburban Preschool. Eight members of the congregation have gone on to become rabbis over the years. Several adult education programs are also offered. “We have education at all levels,” said Myerowitz. “Education is our specialty.” Another strength of the congregation is its lay leadership, according to its president, Kay Liss, who noted the “active auxiliaries, including Sisterhood.” “We are very much a lay-led congregation, and I take deep pride in that,” added Symons. Celebrating the congregation’s 60th year is a way to “mark sacred time, allowing us to reflect back with pride and look forward to what is next,” Symons said.

Council:

supporter of Israel, and earlier this month that if was the face of a 2014 ad elected to City Council she in The New York Times, would focus on issues such with the caption: “My as clean water, strategic name is Rennick Remley. growth and infrastructure. I’m a gay American. And Healey, a graduate of I support Israel.” Duquesne University, The ad went on to did not respond to intercondemn ISIS, Hamas and view requests from the Iran, who “kill gays like me.” Chronicle. A former presThe ad, he said, “was ident of Tri-PAC, the first one of the proudest things LGBTQ+ political action I’ve done in my life. I committee in Pittsburgh, have always loved Israel. Healey also served on the I believe it is one of the board of the Lupus Founmost moral countries dation and the Pittsburgh Erika Strassburger in the world.” AIDS Task Force. He is p File photo From 2013 to 2014, currently on the board of Remley served as the chief the Persad Center. Remley of Squirrel Hill entered the operating officer of This World — The Jewish City Council race last week, having been Values Network, a nonprofit “based on the nominated by Republican District 8 teachings of Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and his passion for bringing universal Jewish values to committee members. Although he is not Jewish, he is a strong mainstream American culture and beyond,”

Continued from page 3

Finn, whose father is Jewish (“‘Finn’ was changed from Fivenzinsky by Irish immigration officers at Ellis Island”), identifies as a Jew and said that Judaism was the only religion in her home growing up. Strassburger is gearing up her campaign as well, saying that she looked “forward to running for District 8 as an independent,” in a prepared statement following the committee vote. “While 47 people voted today, there are many, many more voters in the community who I am I excited to talk to about my campaign,” Strassburger said. “I have truly loved every minute of being a public servant for District 8 for the last four years and would be honored to continue that service on City Council.” Strassburger began her career as an environmental advocate. She told the Chronicle

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p Groundbreaking for Temple David in 1958

What’s next will be layered onto the already strong foundation the congregation has established, but with an eye toward evolution. “We want to continue the themes we had in the past and approach them in a way that is relevant to our times,” said Symons. “Temple David is a house of learning, a

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Photo courtesy of Temple David

house of prayer and a house of gathering. My goal is to make Temple David a second home for people. The relevancy of Judaism is what we’re trying to bring to our congregants and other Jews in the area.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. according to the organization’s website. He also worked on Boteach’s congressional campaign in 2012. This is Remley’s first political campaign. Although Pittsburgh has not had a single Republican city councilman since the Depression, Remley saw an opportunity in this election because the three other candidates are Democrats, which could cause the votes of that party to split three ways. “I actually have a chance to become a new voice, and a dissenting voice, in Pittsburgh,” Remley said, “and to help create a new city.” His platform, thus far, is focused on basic issues such as clean water to drink and a long-term solution to snow removal and pothole repair. Remley said that if elected, he hopes “he can be half as good as Dan Gilman,” in terms of responsiveness to constituents, adding “that he has big shoes to fill.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. JANUARY 26, 2018 17

Celebrations

Torah

Engagement

When struggling, focus on — and celebrate — your success

Levinson/Opper: Margaretha and Jan Levinson are happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Hannah Elisabet Levinson, to Stephen Noah Opper. Hannah has a licensed master social worker (LMSW) degree from Fordham University and works as a geriatric social worker for the Met Council, Manhattan. Stephen has a Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California and works as a debt analyst for Reorg Research, Manhattan. He is the son of Lorraine and Michael Opper of Sacramento, Calif.

Births Lince: Stephanie D. Broff and Alex Lince of Pittsburgh are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Jane Broff Lince, on Dec. 6, 2017, named after her late great-grandmother, Jane Broff. Maternal grandparents are Laura and Chuck Broff of Pittsburgh. Maternal great-grandmother is Helene Wechsler of Chatham Village, N.J. Paternal grandparents are Pamela and Tom Toole of Middlesboro, Ky., and Gaspar Lince and Claudia Navarro Bustamante of Panama. Paternal great-grandmother is Louise Hearn of Middlesboro, Ky.

Rabbi Yisroel Altein Parshat Beshalach Exodus 13:17 - 17:16

“P

aroah b’pajama b’emtza halayla (Pharaoh in pajamas in the middle of the night).” You are probably familiar with the classic children’s song about Pharaoh searching for Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night, begging them to take the Jews out of Egypt before the plague of the first born strikes him. Pharaoh has clearly reached his breaking point, prepared to do whatever it takes to be spared from death.

of Egypt is not just an event of the past but an experience that continues to take place in the present as well. We are commanded to remember and relive the Exodus every day. This is the difficult task of liberating ourselves from our yetzer harah (evil inclination), bad habits, negative characteristics and undesirable behaviors. In this process of self-liberation, it is easy to get discouraged. Hard as we work at getting rid of a bad habit, we sometimes stumble or fail. Even when we succeed in controlling our behavior, we still face inner conflicts that may lead us to wonder if will we ever be free from our struggles. The story of the Exodus teaches us that

Even when we succeed in controlling our behavior, we still face inner conflicts that may lead us

Packer: Lisa and Jason Packer of Albany, N.Y., are thrilled to welcome their new daughter, Sara Gabrielle. She was born on Dec. 27, 2017, and is named in loving memory of her maternal great-grandmother, Selma Jackson (Sarah Leah). Big sisters are Anna and Maya, and big brother is Benjy. Sara’s grandparents are Ellie and Mark Diamond of Mt. Lebanon and Andrea and Neal Packer of Niskayuna, N.Y. Sara is also blessed to have two great-grandmas still living — Hilda Diamond from Squirrel Hill and Beverly Packer from Albany. She is also the great-granddaughter of the late Harriet and Harry Finkle, the late Murray Packer, the late Mel Jackson and the late Saul Diamond. PJC

to wonder if will we ever be free from our struggles. And yet, when the Jews left Egypt, it was under the original agreement that they would be gone for only three days and then return. That’s why in this week’s parsha, Pharaoh chased the Jews down. In the words of the Torah: “It was reported to Pharaoh that the people had fled.” They’d fled? one might wonder. But Pharaoh had sent them out! Rashi explains, “Pharaoh sent officers with them, and as soon as the three days [the Israelites] had set to go [into the desert] and return had elapsed and [the officers] saw that they were not returning to Egypt, they came and informed Pharaoh.” This is very perplexing. Had Moses said to a frightened Pharaoh, “We are ready to go, not just for three days as originally requested, but for good,” would Pharaoh not have acquiesced? The Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, has a wonderful explanation for this in his book “The Tanya.” The liberation

even when we left Egypt, we were not free of Pharaoh. The only way out was to trick him and flee. And yet, this is celebrated as freedom because, in actuality, we were no longer under Pharaoh’s jurisdiction. The next time you find yourself struggling and manage to control yourself but feel down that you are struggling, remember to focus on the success of the results and celebrate; after all, the holiday referred to as the foundation of Judaism is a celebration of outwitting the evil regime, not getting rid of it. May we merit the coming of Moshiach, when we will have achieved a new level, the total eradication of evil. May it be speedily in our days! PJC Rabbi Yisroel Altein is the spiritual leader of Chabad of Squirrel Hill. This column is a service of Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.

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Obituaries KATZ, M.D.: Aviva Lynn Katz, on Wednesday, January 17, 2018. Beloved wife of Daniel Weiner. Beloved mother of Gabriel, Samuel, Channah and Shoshana. Sister of Adam (Dalit) Katz and Aaron (MaryAnn) Katz. Aviva was an associate professor of surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. She served as the director of the Consortium Ethics Program (UPitt) and the Ethics Consultation Service (Children’s Hospital). She was a vice chair of the University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board. She was a past chair of the Committee on Bioethics of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Health and Human Services Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protection. Aviva dedicated her life to the care of children, both her own and others. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment at Tree of Life Memorial Park. Contribution may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 333 E. Carson St., #441 E., Pittsburgh, PA. 15219. MELNICK: Mollie Gertrude Spokane Melnick, on Sunday, January 14, 2018. Beloved daughter of the late Rebecca (Erenbaum) and Bennie Spokane. Devoted wife of the late Henry Melnick. Loving mother of Renee Abrams of Pittsburgh, Martin (Beth) Melnick of West Hartford, Conn., Larry (Beverly) Melnick of Atlanta and Glenn (Gregg Batts) Melnick of Glendale, Calif. Sister of the late Harold and Morris Spokane, sister-in-law of Rachel Spokane, Elaine and Milt Melnick, Shirley and the late Pershing Melnick and Dorothy and the late Ben Melnick. Adoring grandmother of Heather, Les and Ben Abrams; Allie, Jamie and Gabrielle Melnick. Survived (loved) by cherished nieces and nephews. Mollie was married to Henry for 60 years. Their romance began while Mollie was at Schenley High School and Henry was a student at the University of Pittsburgh. Her kindness, compassion and articulation of thoughts drew many people to her. We are grateful for the example of her life. Mollie was an athlete in high school, loved to travel, sharing afternoons with wonderful friends, but most of all focused on her children and grandchildren. They were her pride and joy. In the community, Mollie served as committee member, chairman, officer and president of organizations. She guided some agencies through an era of reorganization: president of Adath Jeshurun Sisterhood, president of Lieba Chapter BBW International of Pittsburgh. And it was with BBW that Mollie enjoyed participating in their musical productions. She was a life member

of both BBW and Hadassah, president of Morningside PTA and devoted her time and talents to many other organizations. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment at Adath Jeshurun Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, 217 E. Patty Lane, Monroeville, PA 15146. MILLER: Sandra “Sandy” Miller, on Saturday, January 20, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Marvin M. Wolynn and Edwin L. Miller. Cherished Mother of Shelly (Rob) Hanlon, Holly Wolynn, Mark Wolynn, Todd (Jacqui) Wolynn and the late Bari Wolynn. Sister of the late Raymond Lazier. “Bubby” to Haleigh (Frank) Bartos, Justin Hanlon, Riley, Zack and Aidan Wolynn. Also survived by two great-grandchildren. Sandy was a loving and devoted mother and a successful businesswoman who enjoyed spending time with her family. In her early years she was proud of her contributions to B’nai B’rith theatrical productions. She will be greatly missed. Contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 333 E. Carson St., #441 E., Pittsburgh, PA. 15219. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. SOLNIT: Rose Horne Solnit, on Sunday, January 14, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Benjamin Horne. Beloved mother of Audrey (Jerome) Milch and Eileen (Martin) Winkler. Sister of Elaine Malkoff and the late Esther Barfield, Sam and Abe Weiss. Grandma Rose to Barbara (Etty Reut) Milch, Eric (Leah) Milch, Elise S. (late Menachem) Nerenberg and Pamela J. (Jay) Lindner. Great-grandmother of Kim (Kaya) Ahissar, Allyson (Nissim) Betech, Ben (Talya) Lemkin, Elizabeth, Caroline, Elly, Anna, Li, Maya, Dahlia, Chana, Coby (Yakov) and Leah. Great-greatgrandmother of Gavriel. Graveside services and interment at Beth Abraham Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. WOLFSON: Frances Wolfson, on Thursday, January 18, 2018. Beloved wife of the late David E. Wolfson. Cherished mother of Herbert J. (Sharyn) Wolfson and the late Howard A. Wolfson. Sister of the late Rose Lanson, Sadie Meyers and Edward Wittlin. “Dede” to Lynne (Shmulik) Gazit and Arthur (Amira) Wolfson. Great-grandmother of Yael Chaya and Asaf David Gazit, Arianna and Aidan Wolfson. Also survived by many beloved nieces and nephews. Graveside services and interment at Tree of Life Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. PJC

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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday January 28: Ethel Graff Braun, Moses Brown, Moses Brown, Anna C. Feigus, Minnie Feldman, Max Green, Meyer Grossman, William Gusky, Eva Hinkes, Jesse L. Kann, Samuel Karp, Fannie London, Samuel Robins, Ethel Ruben, Louis Samuels, Belle Sokolow, Irvin H. Tapper, Phyllis Weiner Unger, Ida Winer, Morris Wolk Monday January 29: Jacob Bahm, Jack Hart, Helen Betty K Israel, Edward Josephs, Pearl Karp, David Kart, Diane L. Katz, Anna Lazier, Marian Levine, Belle Wise Levy, Joseph G. Luptak, Erna Metzger, Samuel Rosenberg, Morris Roth, Mollie Simon, Samuel Sloan, Max Spodek, Herman Spolan Tuesday January 30: Herman A. Bloom, Irving Glicken, Morris Goodman, Mollie Greenfield, Harry Gruskin, Clara Ida Harris, Helene Heppenheimer, Esther Mankovitz, Martha Rogal, Edgar Schaffel, Harry D. Wald Wednesday January 31: Esther Berkman, Harry A. Cohan, James H. Darling, Ida S. Goldberg, Sidney Hyde, Walter E. Katz, Carl Labovitz, Ludwig Landman, Sheldon G. Lindner, Philip Rosenthal, Harry Shapiro, Jennie Shrager, David Silverblatt, Minnie Rhea Silverblatt, Jennie Sobel, Dorothy Spolan, Annie Stearns, Julius Wolf Thursday February 1: Jacob Adler, Ida Alpert, Simon Bostocky, Fradel Gessner Brown, Froomie Brown, Eva Cohen, Mollie Hilsenrath, Michael Hoffrichter, Daniel Levinson, Rebecca Luick, Dorothy Pollock, Leon Prinz, Mollie Ryave, Max Schoenberger, Benjamin W. Steiner Friday February 2: Chia Sora Brody, Hyman Browarsky, Ethel Golanty, Morris D. Herwitt, Samuel Horelick, Hyman Klahr, Richard L. Linder, David Lundy, Isadore Lupovitz, Joseph Markovitz, Lew J. Miller, Isadore Pachtman, Milton Ripp, Eunice Roth, Lena G. Skirble, A. Leonard Winer, Ivan Lee Wolinsky Saturday February 3: Myer Borovetz, Saul Frank, Marcus Gropper, Max Halle, Irving Hochhauser, Lillian Y. Horwitz, Samuel M. Krause, Ernest Metzger, Mildred Pechersky, Jennie Pink, Freda Z. Rosen, Rose Rosenfeld, Irving Ross, Alexander Roth, Mark J. Serbin, Philip Solomon, Leon Stein, Mabel Z. Swartz

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Headlines March: Continued from page 4

posters and listen to speeches focused on the upcoming elections, especially the race for Tim Murphyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s empty seat in the House of Representatives between Rick Saccone and Conor Lamb on March 13. There was also a focus on the March 6 election to fill Dan Gilmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s District 8 City Council seat among Democrat Sonja Finn, Republican Rennick Remley and independents Erika Strassburger and Marty Healey. The protesters then marched through downtown Pittsburgh with chants of â&#x20AC;&#x153;power to the people, power to the pollsâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;people united can never be defeated.â&#x20AC;? They ended in Market Square to hear speeches from influential activists about the importance of a single vote and the push to redistrict parts of the state to more accurately represent voters. Mayor Bill Peduto touted the importance of staying unified and encouraging more people to spread their efforts to diverse groups. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will see victory in this next year if we stay together as one and make sure everyone votes,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It feels like thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fist right up to your face and you want to fight back and you want to take that swing. Remember this, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fight fire with fire.â&#x20AC;? With chants of â&#x20AC;&#x153;no hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,â&#x20AC;? and references to solidarity between the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March and the Black Lives Matter movement,

said he was there not to speak, but to listen, marching in solidarity with women. Suzi Neft, public relations director for the Pittsburgh Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March, said she marched last year because of her fear that the federal administration would take â&#x20AC;&#x153;our country backward.â&#x20AC;? Now, she says sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even more frightened than before. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prejudice on all levels against all people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; racial prejudice, religious prejudice â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has just come out so strongly,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want us going back to the 1950s, to the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s. We fought this battle, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to fight it again.â&#x20AC;? Neft, a poll-worker trainer, said she learned the importance of voting from her 90-year-old mother who has never missed p Mayor Bill Peduto addresses Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March participants in Market Square. an election. Every election day, Photo by Lauren Rosenblatt Neft said, she receives a call the marchers also brought attention to the march because she wanted to model for from her mother checking to make sure she issues of discrimination and inequality for her students that it was important to act on has been to the polls. minority groups. your values. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, social action is a big â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you want to get out a certain party and â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was amazing to see on the signs how part of who I am as a Jew and as a spiritual maybe change an area from red to blue or many different thoughts there were, how leader,â&#x20AC;? she said. blue to red, you make sure your vote counts,â&#x20AC;? many issues that women are really dissatisRabbi Jeremy Markiz of Congregation she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have to stand up now, and we fied with,â&#x20AC;? said Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer Beth Shalom said he attended the march have to keep standing up.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC from Congregation Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nai Abraham in Butler. to â&#x20AC;&#x153;help raise womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voices.â&#x20AC;? Wearing a Lauren Rosenblatt can be reach at Gray-Schaffer, who teaches a confirmation sign quoting the Talmud, reading â&#x20AC;&#x153;Silence class at her congregation, said she attended equals ascent and I will not be silent,â&#x20AC;? he lrosenblatt@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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JANUARY 26, 2018 21

Community Tropical treats at CDS Families and friends of Community Day School partied as if they were on a beach vacation on Saturday, Jan. 20 at Sun and Schmooze: A Tropical Gala, which was the perfect escape from the winter blues. The August Wilson Center was transformed into a lush tropical paradise, where more than 400 guests celebrated Community Leadership Award winners State Rep. Dan and Debbie Frankel and Volunteer of the Year Dana Himmel, all three CDS alumni parents. There were aloha shirts galore and plenty of flipflops, and even a shark and mermaid floated around the party. Live tropical fish were on every table, and party-goers enjoyed fruity concoctions at the tiki bar, tropical bites such as Hawaiian meatballs and jerk chicken and dancing to the island beats of DJ Sosa. More than $190,000 was raised to support the academic programs at CDS and to expand access to a day school education for more of Pittsburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewish children.

p Dr. Ken Levin, left, and Adrienne and Evan Indianer

p From left: Lou Weiss, Clifford Levine, CDS Community Leadership Award winners State Rep. Dan Frankel and Debbie Frankel, Rosanne Levine and Amy Weiss

p From left: Katie Rutherford, Ruth Apter and Holly Eidinge

p From left: Alan Himmel, CDS Volunteer of the Year Dana Himmel and Drs. Marcie Mitre and Ken Levin

q Rabbi Seth Adelson and Judy Adelson

p Pete and Rachel Cravotta and Josh and Megan Amster

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Photos by Joe Appel Photography

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Community In appreciation Arielle Di Porto, director of the Aliyah Division of the Jewish Agency for Israel, was the featured speaker at the inaugural Lion of Judah & Shofar Society Appreciation Event on Thursday, Jan. 18 at Rodef Shalom. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh sponsored the event to thank participants in the Lion of Judah endowments and the Shofar Society, which benefit the Jewish Federation’s Community Campaign.

p From left: Lori Plung, Lou Plung, Bob Shure and Steve Latterman socialize during the event’s pre-reception.

p Arielle Di Porto, center, joins event chairs Lori Plung and Steve Latterman. At the event, Di Porto shared experiences helping Jews make aliyah. Photos courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

Making an impact t The Goldston Teen Philanthropists, under the leadership of Rabbi Ron Symons, visit Hebrew Free Loan to learn how zero-percent interest loans allow people to remain financially stable and self-sufficient when common large expenses arise.

p From left: Legacy Fund advocates Becca and Scott Tobe join Men’s Philanthropy chair Todd Rosenfeld at the wine-and-dessert reception before taking the stage to speak about the importance of endowing Community Campaign commitments.

Rodef Shalom Congregation welcomed more than 100 teens from across Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, Delaware and parts of West Virginia as the host of the North American Federation of Temple Youth — Pennsylvania Area Region: Winter Institute (NFTY-PAR WINSTY) Jan. 12 to Jan. 14. “WINSTY” is a gathering of teens from the Reform Movement for a social action-themed weekend and is the only synagogue hosted event. Each year a different synagogue is chosen to host. It has been almost a decade since WINSTY was held in Pittsburgh, and Rodef Shalom’s Teen Board was hands-on throughout the entire p Rodef Shalom teens and fellow NFTY teens from across the region with youth group advisor Marissa planning process. Tait, center

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Photo by Jordana Avigad

u Hebrew Free Loan board member Yana Warshafsky explains HFL’s impact on her life with the Goldston Teen Philanthropists. Warshafsky shared her journey, beginning as a borrower, completing both undergraduate and law school with the help of tuition loans from HFL and now helping to chart the direction of the organization as a lay leader.

Photos courtesy of the Hebrew Free Loan

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

JANUARY 26, 2018 23

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