Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 4/20/2018

P I T TS B U R G H

April 20, 2018 | 5 Iyar 5778

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Candlelighting 7:46 p.m. | Havdalah 8:48 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 16 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Bingo mania in South HIlls

Merchandise, like memories, fill a closing newsstand

$1.50

JFilm offers 11 days of Jewish-themed films exploring culture, politics, humanity

By Chronicle Staff

J

Congregation Beth El continues to pack ’em in with promises of regular jackpots.

Page 2 LOCAL Un-binding Judaism a holy task

 Murray Avenue Newsstand’s ephemera will soon be no more.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Podcaster has some advice for communal organizations.

Page 4 LOCAL Woodworker has a case for that CMU grad returns to Pittsburgh to crank out stylish phone-wear.

Page 6

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

N

estled behind the cluttered counter of Murray Avenue Newsstand is Marc Haber. But he is not there for long. Ambling between boxes of flip flops and reminiscing about past placement of arcade games is how a visit with the Greenfield resident and store owner goes. One minute the sexagenarian is probing Pittsburgh Pirates hats with a patron, the next he is wiping dust off of the lids of antiquated board games plucked from a 10-foot high shelf.

The irony of Haber’s sitzfleisch is that he has been at the same job in the same location for 37 years. At the age of 25, the East Ender acquired the newsstand from Eddie Millstone, who operated there for 31 years.

“Eddie could have sold it for more money to someone else,” explained Haber, 62, resituating himself near a nook just shy of the cigarettes. “But it was more important to him to keep it going than making an extra $5,000.”

Murray Avenue Newsstand, a site where

trinkets now outnumber periodicals, is slated to close April 30.

“This is a great loss for the community,” said Jeffrey Krasnow, 62, of Squirrel Hill. “I have been coming here for 40 years, even before Marc was here.”

In kibitzing with Haber, Krasnow was one of several supporters to stop in and say goodbye.

After parking her metal basket beneath wool winter hats hanging from a string, Joyce Penrose, 80, recalled how her now 44-year-old son used to frequent the venue more than three decades ago. The newsstand was one of the few places the then 9-year-old boy was permitted to venture unattended.

“It was such a safe place,” said Penrose.

“Marc used to keep an eye on the kids.”

“People grew up in here,” Haber added as he drifted by a bunch of blue University of Pittsburgh scarves. But before the

Film opens its 25th annual festival on April 26 at the SouthSide Works Cinema with the Pittsburgh premiere of ““Heading Home: A Tale of Team Israel,” a film about Jewish baseball players who travel to Israel together, many connecting with their heritage for the first time. The opening will be followed by a Q&A with Pittsburgh sports writer Jonathan Mayo, who traveled with the players to the Jewish state, and a pop-up after-party.

The festival will continue through May 6, showcasing 20 films — mostly Pittsburgh premieres — ranging from a documentary about the Oslo Accords to a drama about a German baker grieving the loss of his closeted Israeli lover.

The films come from around the world, including Germany, Israel, Argentina and Belguim.

Reviews of five of the films follow. For a complete schedule and to view trailers, go to filmpittsburgh.org/festivals/jfilm-festival/.

‘Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel’

(87 minutes) April 26, 7 and 7:30 p.m. at Southside Works Cinema Followed by a Q&A with Jonathan Mayo and a pop-up after-party across from the theater. OPENING NIGHT. They really knocked it out of the park with this film’s title. “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” is a recounting of the 2017 World Baseball Classic and Team Israel’s historic run. Prior to competition, ESPN

Please see Newsstand, page 24

Please see JFilm, page 21

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Headlines Bingo still booming at Beth El — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

I

t is 6 p.m. on a Tuesday, and the doors of Beth El Congregation’s social hall open wide to a crowd of more than 100 people pouring in, each person claiming his or her spot at one of the many re-purposed banquet tables arranged in long rows and filling the room.

By 7 o’clock, most have procured plates of food — spaghetti is on the menu this particular evening — set out their gaming tools and arranged their trinkets and talismans for good luck. Finally, a Beth El volunteer takes the stage and after a bit of patter, calls out, “O-64.”

Men and women seated throughout the room resolutely take their colored daubers and stamp the cards spread out before them on which the called number appears. They are all looking forward to a night of fun, some good food and, if fortune is on their side, hoping to take home a bit of cash as well.

Welcome to Beth El Bingo, a decades old tradition at this South Hills synagogue, and one of the congregation’s most dependable and lucrative fundraisers.

For the last 18 years, the enterprise has been headed up by longtime Beth El member Jay Feuer, and is currently co-chaired by Debbie Goldberg, who has been a bingo volunteer for about 20 years. Each week, between 20 and 30 additional Beth El members volunteer their time to make sure the venture is running smoothly.

“We’re operating a big business here,” Feuer said. Each week, the game takes in about $2,500, with expenses claiming about a third of that amount. The congregation

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2 APRIL 20, 2018

clears about $50,000 every year from bingo, according to Goldberg.

“This is money coming in from outside the synagogue,” Feuer is quick to note.

“Currently, there’s not one Beth El member who is playing. So, the important thing is, we are not asking members for money. That’s what’s nice about it.”

The evening includes 16 regular rounds of bingo, with winners splitting a $100 pot, and two games where the prize is $150. There are also special games featured, like the popular Queen of Hearts, a lottery-type game where the prize money builds each week there is no winner. Last year’s winner walked away with a pot that had accumulated to $24,000, according to Feuer.

Bingo has been a popular American pastime since at least the 1930s, when various social halls, churches and synagogues began hosting weekly games. But in the last two decades, many of the games have shut down, some from lack of volunteers and others due to disapproval from religious leaders because of the game’s gambling stigma. In Beth El’s long history, only one rabbi — Ken Stern, who served from 1990 to 1996 — “wasn’t thrilled with it,” Feuer said.

“But he didn’t stop it.”

Currently, Beth El is the only synagogue in the Greater Pittsburgh area that sponsors a weekly bingo game.

Feuer sees bingo as not only a great fundraiser and a way to engage members as volunteers, but as a means to expose the greater South Hills community to Jewish culture. Beth El provides apples and honey to players around the High Holidays, matzah and cream cheese during Passover, and hamantaschen around Purim. At Chanukah, every player gets some chocolate gelt.

“For some players, it’s their only exposure

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 Bingo players wait for the next number to be called.  Jay Feuer holds up winning cards.

Photos by Toby Tabachnick

to Judaism,” Feuer explained.

Carol Sedora, of Canonsburg, “loves to play bingo.” She began playing when she was 18, and now, at 60, makes it a point to play twice a week, once at the Heidelberg Fire Hall and on Tuesday nights at Beth El, where she works her 36 cards.

She enjoys coming to Beth El, she said, “because the people are so friendly here, and the money goes to a good cause.” Sometimes she brings friends along, but she is also content to play solo because of the congenial atmosphere.

“Everybody knows everybody’s name here,” Sedora said. “This is an evening’s entertainment. I don’t have kids, and

my husband bowls on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I like to try to get out of the house.”

Lots of other bingo games are closing, Sedora said, pointing to the lack of volunteers.

“But this place still has volunteers,” she said.

One of those volunteers is Warren Sufrin, who has been working the games every other week for almost 35 years.

“I know what this does for the congregation in terms of underwriting our operating costs,” said Sufrin. “I usually have the time, so why wouldn’t I volunteer?” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Native Pittsburgher aims to create a ‘joint venture’ in Israel — LOCAL —

By Lauren Rosenblatt | Digital Content Manager

W

hen the second intifada broke out in 2000, Sarah Kreimer, a native Pittsburgher who had been living in Israel for about 20 years, said it felt as if the country was in flames. From her perspective, the success of the last several years of her work trying to foster connections between Israelis and Arabs was also going up in flames.

People who had previously been willing to work with one another no longer wanted to.

They “just would not see each other,” she said.

In her own personal form of coping, Kreimer began to write — as she put it recently, “in a crisis of trying to understand what to do next.”

“We have not yet figured out how it is that we should be sharing this piece of land. I chose to do it by telling my story and the stories of so many people … who have done wonderful and brave things,” she said of the book that took her nearly a decade to complete.

Kreimer, who grew up in Point Breeze and attended Taylor Allderdice High School, returned to Pittsburgh on April 8 to share her

book with members of Congregation Beth Shalom. She came as part of a tour with Beit Berl College, where she serves as the director of external relations and resource development. She reached out to Nancy Bernstein, a member of the Adult Education Committee

and violent uprisings, a new economic venture, a battle with cancer and countless partnerships.

As Kreimer tells it, she moved to Israel with the intent of staying for only two years. She signed up to work with an orga-

“ Ultimately — if there is an ultimate — resolving the Palestinian conflict is part of having full, full partnership

”

within Israel.

— SARAH KREIMER at Beth Shalom about organizing an event in the city. Kreimer met her during Bernstein’s previous trips to Israel.

The event was a part of the Israel component of Derekh, a new programming venture at Beth Shalom.

Kreimer’s book, “Vision and Division in Israel,” follows her 40 years of activism in Israel, weaving her autobiography with the history of the country, including bombings

nization called Interns for Peace that brings volunteers into Jewish and Arab towns to help create connections among citizens and promote collaboration. She and her colleagues had been successful at pairing schools in the neighboring Jewish and Arab towns for programs that allowed the students to work and play together.

They were in the midst of planning an end-of-the-year gathering when war with

Lebanon broke out. Nearly every school in the Jewish town decided to cancel the program, except one. Students from that school still came together with their partners in the Arab town for a day of singing, acting, eating and celebrating.

“It was such a moving and meaningful event, and it was at that point, I said this is not magic. … This is hard work and it doesn’t happen with everybody,” she said.

“At that point, I decided to stay in Israel and continue working in this field.”

After a brief stint back in Pittsburgh, Kreimer returned to Israel to focus on improving workplace relations, industry opportunities and economic equality first through Interns for Peace and then through her own nonprofit, the Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development. The Center, which she founded in 1987, operated under the idea that inequalities against Arab citizens would only harm Israel’s economy as a whole.

As the Center worked to create more collaboration within Israel, it also encouraged international partnerships to advance Israel’s economy. In 1994, it brought the first Jordanian business delegation to the country, a group from the textile industry, Please see Kreimer, page 26

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Headlines ‘Unbinding’ Judaism with podcast host Dan Libenson — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

D

an Libenson did not get into the business of re-imagining the Jewish future because his father was a Conservative rabbi. Or because he made aliyah along with his family at the age of 14.

Or because he attended an Orthodox high school in Israel.

In fact, the Chicago-based co-host of the popular podcast “Judaism Unbound” admits he “hated” all of those things about his life.

“I see the story much more like Michael Corleone in ‘The Godfather [Part III],’ when he says, ‘Every time I try to get out, they pull me back in.’ I’ve actually tried to avoid it,” he said.

Nonetheless, Libenson — in Pittsburgh last week for the opening plenary panel of Rodef Shalom Congregation’s “The Weeks of Jewish Flourishing” program — has found himself at the epicenter of contemporary discourse on where Judaism is headed and how to steer it on a course that will preserve the enterprise into the next generation. He is the founder of an organization he calls The Institute for the Next Jewish Future, whose primary function is the production of the podcast.

In “Judaism Unbound,” which has about a

half million downloads a year, Libenson and co-host Lex Rofeberg chat with guests who are exploring new ways to approach Jewish life, with an eye toward engaging those Jews who do not participate in traditional or established Jewish institutions.

Libenson had been teaching at a Catholic law school when he turned his attention back to Judaism, he explained.

“There was this struggle at the Catholic law school about what kind of law school they were going to be,” he recalled. “Was it going to be left/social justice tradition, or right/culture wars sort of thing? And I was so interested in this struggle.”

That’s when he got the idea to explore that struggle in his own community, he said, and left law to work as executive director of the University of Chicago Hillel. He was dismissed from that position after six years when he and other Hillel leaders demanded independence from the Jewish United Fund/ Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, which controlled campus Hillels in Illinois, according to a 2012 report in The Forward.

Libenson then launched a new organization at the University of Chicago intended to engage students, calling it jU. While jU still appears as one of the Institute for the Next Jewish Future’s “affiliated labs” on its website, Libenson said that because of funding challenges, that organization is no longer active.

Now, he is focused on his podcast,

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh presents

 Dan Libenson

Photo by Toby Tabachnick

Libenson is convinced that at least one of the reasons for the mass exodus from organized Jewish life is that the “vast majority of Jewish institutions are not looking for creativity, but numbers.”

He pointed to Forward columnist Jay Michaelson’s theory that in order to flourish, synagogues will have to look to a “food court” model rather than a “restaurant model.”

“I think the real question for synagogues is, ‘Does your pride allow you to become a stall in that food court, or would you rather just sell the whole thing and let the food court move in because you can’t do that contracting?” Libenson queried. “That would be sad, because I think what the synagogue offers is still important and rich for a lot of people, just not enough to sustain the institution at its current size.”

It will be imperative, he said, for institutions to overcome longstanding territorialism and embrace new models of engagement and cooperation in order for Judaism to thrive.

“If you think that the goal is to stay the way that we were, this stuff is threatening,” he acknowledged. “But if you see the goal — and this is where I think the language of flourishing is really valuable — the goal is to not preserve any particular kind of

which he and Rofeberg began as a way to do research for a book they hoped to write about the future of Judaism, “because we thought more important people would talk to us if we did it as a podcast.”

That strategy worked. They are getting big names on their show, including renowned American Jewish history scholar Jonathan Sarna, author Anita Diamant, and Amichai Lau-Lavie, founder of the Lab/Shul NYC. That Jews are currently in a crisis was well-described, he said, by Rabbi Benay Lappe, the founder of the “traditionally radical yeshiva” SVARA: “You know you’re in a crash by how many people are headed JCthe OticonZPower _Eartique 11/28/17 9:12 AM Page 1 for exits.”

Please see Libenson, page 28

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Headlines Ben Saks builds a ‘case’ for sustainable business the University of Pittsburgh graduate. “This is a fun place to work. Every day we’re doing 20 different things.�

For now, Giammattei is the sole person at the small business besides Saks. “We lost our third wheel a few weeks ago,� explained the founder. “Now it’s just the two of us.�

By keeping the company trim and focusing on each individual customer, Saks is shaping KerfCase into a mold he likes. “We’re doing it locally, the way we want to do it,� he said. “We’re in control of the process, and the product turns out the way we want it.�

Pride is patent but so too is the staff ’s specificity, technicality and love of lumber. During a tour of the Point Breeze plant, Saks beamed when passing a stack of tree remnants. Some

— LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

Y

our smartphone may be built in China but its case could be constructed from the tree next door — at least, that is what Ben Saks has been proposing for the last few years. The Carnegie Mellon University graduate, who is founder and sole-owner of KerfCase, came upon the idea of creating natural phone covers while working in the CMU woodshop in 2013.

Back then, Saks had purchased the iPhone 5 and an accompanying case. “I hated the case, bought another case and hated that one, and thought I should make my own,� he said.

So as any resourceful, determined — and talented — person would do, the one-time Shaker Heights resident took a discarded window sill from the school, repurposed the scrap and manufactured a wooden sleeve for his device.

Saks’ buddies thought it looked cool, so he “made a few more for friends.�

Five years later, the former Clevelander is still churning them out. But as opposed to the plastic counterparts readily available online, these are a bit pricier. Currently, kerfcase.com has a “limited edition amboyna burl case for the iPhone 8 Plus� as its costliest offering. The

THE

$419-plus price tag is well shy of the $649plus sticker on the sold out “limited edition ebony case for the iPhone 6/6s Plus.� “Positioning ourselves as a luxury product took some time,� he explained. But because of the strength of the yield and the company’s customer service, a loyal client base sprouted.

There is an appreciation for what is being done there, explained Phil Giammattei, KerfCase’s operations manager. “If you want a case made out of solid ebony, we’re the only game in town.�

Having the ability to be involved in every step of creation is “super energizing,� added

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Headlines ‘Wait for it’ — there’s evidence that Alexander Hamilton was Jewish Porwancher. When she was released, she fled St. Croix for the island of Nevis, a British colony about 150 miles south. It was there

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer — and while she was still married to Levine — that she met the Scotsman James n his hit musical “Hamilton,” Lin-Manuel Hamilton, who fathered the future Founding Miranda paints Founding Father Father out of wedlock.

Alexander Hamilton as the ultimate If Rachel did convert, Porwancher said, outsider, the “bastard, orphan, son of then “according to the Talmud, her children a whore,” who by sheer grit and smarts are still Jewish.” achieves political greatness, leaving a permaPorwancher has found support for his nent mark on the American landscape as the theory that not only was Hamilton Jewish architect of its financial system. according to Jewish law, but But according to at least that he was raised as a Jew. For one Hamilton scholar, the first example, he is not listed in the Secretary of the Treasury and baptismal records of the island, chief author of “The Federalist and — believe it or not — he Papers” was even more of attended a Jewish day school. an outsider than previous “These are facts known by biographers have noted — he Hamilton scholars,” Porwwas also a Jew. ancher said, adding that “for Andre w Por wancher, Andrew Porwancher external political reasons, who earned his doctorate at Photo provided it is unlikely that a Jewish Cambridge University and is school would take in a an associate professor at the University of Christian child.”

Oklahoma, began researching the religious When Rachel died in 1768 back in St. roots of Hamilton years before Miranda’s Croix, she was not buried in a Christian celebrated musical hit Broadway’s Richard cemetery, but instead on the grounds of her Rodgers Theater. The evidence he has found sister’s home; there was no Jewish cemetery that Hamilton was born and raised as a in St. Croix at the time. She kept the last Jew — at least until the age of 13, when his name Levine until her death. mother died — is pretty convincing.

Hamilton maintained a “lifetime of silence Porwancher shared his findings with on his childhood,” Porwancher said, postuPittsburghers on April 9 at the University lating that he “needed a nominal pretense of of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning, his a Christian background” in order to advance appearance sponsored by Pitt’s Department socially and professionally. of Jewish Studies and History. His upcoming At some point, Hamilton began identifying book, “The Jewish Founding Founder: as a Christian, at least by the age of 17, when Alexander Hamilton’s Hidden Life,” is he arrived in New York. Still, Hamilton’s expected to be published by Harvard connections to the Jewish community University Press in 2019. continued throughout his life.

The support Porwancher has for his thesis “He forges relationships with American is not definitive — he has, for example, Jewry that we don’t see with any other no records of Hamilton’s bris or bar Founding Father,” explained Porwancher, mitzvah, assuming they occurred — but it noting that he defended Jewish rights in the is compelling. courts, and that he put a Jew on the board of The story begins on the Danish colony Columbia University — the first Jew on the of St. Croix, where before Hamilton was board of any American college. born, his mother, Rachel Faucette, married Moreover, Porwancher noted, Hamilton a man named Johann Michael Levine, who had “an abiding apathy to Christianity. sometimes went by the name of Lavien, He never mentioned church and never a Sephardic version of the name Levine. took communion. He was only nominally Porwancher is convinced that Levine was Christian.”

Jewish and that Rachel must have converted But perhaps most notably, Hamilton spoke in order to marry him, as that was the law of out against anti-Semitism.

Denmark at the time.

“That Hamilton was willing to speak out “Levine is the quintessential Jewish against anti-Semitism even though he did not name,” Porwancher said, and although he is identify as Jewish in adulthood is arguably not registered in official Danish records as just as important as any finding about his Jewish, neither are other known prominent Jewish identity in childhood,” Porwancher Jews who were living on St. Croix at the time. said. “His story is a reminder that the fight Moreover, Levine was a merchant, which against anti-Semitism in America, which was a “typical profession for Jews.” continues in our own day, is not solely a Decades later, Hamilton’s own grandson Jewish responsibility but the obligation of described Levine as “a rich Danish Jew.” all Americans committed to the principle of Rachel and Levine had a child, who was religious liberty.” PJC not baptized as an infant. They had a trouToby Tabachnick can be reached at bled marriage, however, with Levine having Rachel imprisoned for “whoredom,” said ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

— LOCAL —

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APRIL 20, 2018 7

Calendar q

MONDAY, APRIL 30

Men’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will present Conversations that Count: Justice and Liberty, featuring Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff discussing how we balance law and order with civil liberties from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cohen & Grigsby, P.C., EQT Plaza, 625 Liberty Ave. There is a $10 charge. Contact Joel Schwarz at jschwarz@ jfedpgh.org, 412-992-5218 or visit jfedpgh.org/men-conversations.

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

Submissions will also be included in print.

Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q FRIDAY, APRIL 20 A Very Hungry Caterpillar Shabbat from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Moishe House. Dinner will follow Kabbalat Shabbat services in the living room. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for more information. q FRIDAY-MONDAY, APRIL 20-23 Temple David will hold an Art in Residence Weekend with “The Seventh Day: Revisiting Shabbat,” a fine arts exhibition that addresses the ever changing and life enhancing merit of the celebration of Shabbat. The exhibition explores, through a 21st-century perspective, the meaning of Shabbat. Temple David will host a wine and cheese reception from 7 to 10 p.m. on April 21 for this exhibit from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Museum, New York. Curator Laura Kruger will explain the exhibit. An open house will be held Sunday and Monday from 2 to 5 p.m.

Contact carolg@templedavid.org or visit templedavid.org for more information.

Donations will be accepted at the door. q SUNDAY, APRIL 22 Congregation Beth Shalom Sisterhood Torah Fund Brunch will be at 10:30 a.m.

This year’s honoree is Judy Adelson, the rebbitzin. Judy and Rabbi Seth Adelson came to Pittsburgh nearly three years ago. Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Judy has continued her career in the arts, is a parent volunteer at Community Day School where their two children attend, and is a volunteer at Beth Shalom.

Torah Fund raises money for the Conservative and Masorti Movement’s educational institutions, supporting the education of future rabbis, cantors, educators and scholars who serve as gifted leaders and innovators of the Conservative Movement.

There is a $20 charge. Visit bethshalompgh. org/events-upcoming for more information and to RSVP. Spouses, guests and the community are invited to attend.

(next to the baseball field), will include cleaning up the garden, mulching, weeding and planting. Shifts are 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. At noon there will be a free pizza lunch. The Howard Levin Clubhouse is part of Jewish Residential Services. RSVP at 412-422-1850 or JPawlowski@jrspgh.org.

Tim Crain of Seton Hill University will give a lecture from 2 to 4 p.m. on the current rise of anti-Semitism and racism as part of the Festival of the Jewish Arts.

The program, at Seton Hill University, is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and is free and open to the public. Contact 724-834-0560 or office@cei-greensburg.org for more information and to register.

The Jewish Sports Hall of Fame will hold its 2018 Induction Ceremony & Banquet honoring inductees Barry Berman, David Brinn, Jonathan Mayo and Beverly Mermelstein at 5 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation. David Dinkins will be the recipient of the Manny Gold Humanitarian Award and Sherree Hall will be the recipient of the Ziggy Kahn Memorial Award. Contact Alan Mallinger at 412-6973545 for tickets and more information. q THROUGH SUNDAY, APRIL 22 National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section will hold its Spring Thrift and Designer Sale at its store, Thriftique, 125 51st St. Proceeds benefit NCJW Pittsburgh projects that support women, children, and families, including the Back 2 School Store and Project Prom. There is no charge. Visit ncjwthriftique.com for hours and more information. q MONDAY, APRIL 23 Temple Emanuel will host a free Movies & Munchies at 1 p.m. The movie will be “The Yankles,” a 2009 film about a washed up ex-baseball player who helps an Orthodox Yeshiva baseball team.

Contact Paula Altschul at 412-279-7600 or library@templeemanuelpgh.org for more information or to RSVP or visit templeemanuelpgh.org/event/moviesand-munchies-4/.

Temple Emanuel invites the community to a free brunch from 10:30 a.m. to noon sponsored by the Larry Miller Caring Community with guest speaker Barney Horowitz, former head of the National Labor Relations Board’s Albany office, who will present “Bagel Bakers Union, Local 338: A Remembrance.”

RSVP at templeemanuel@ templeemanuelpgh.org or 412-279-7600.

Visit templeemanuelpgh.org/event/ 4-22brunch for more information.

Moishe House Town Hall from 7 to 9 p.m.

Do you have a brilliant idea for an event, a suggestion for how we could do things better, or feedback on something we did really well? Maybe you just like free dinner?

Join us for Moishe House’s first town hall.

Dinner and discussion guaranteed. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for more information.

Mitzvah Day at the Howard Levin Clubhouse Garden, located at Community Day School, 2742 Beechwood Blvd.

Chabad of the South Hills will hold its annual Women’s Event at 6 p.m. with guest speaker Lieutenant Commander Laurie Lans, U.S. Navy.

8 APRIL 20, 2018

q TUESDAY, APRIL 24

Lans has served tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf and throughout the world. Lans will talk about her time in war and the people she met along the way, all while keeping kosher and lighting Shabbat candles in remote parts of the world. She and her husband, Moshe, were deployed together. The evening will include salad and dessert bars, auction and raffle prizes and tips on neurobiology/ relaxation, aromatherapy and nutrition.

The cost is $18 for prepaid reservation by April 20, which includes three raffle entries, and $25 after April 20. Visit chabadsh.com or contact 412-512-2330 or batya@chabadsh. com to RSVP and for more information. q THURSDAY, APRIL 26-

SUNDAY, MAY 6

The 25th annual JFilm Festival, which presents international Jewish-themed films that deepen audiences’ understanding of Jewish culture, tolerance and our common humanity, will be held at SouthSide Works Cinema this year. The 11-day festival is complemented by a variety of supplemental programming, including visiting filmmakers, guest speakers and collaborative events with other local organizations.

Visit filmpittsburgh.org/festivals/jfilm-festival for more information and to purchase tickets. q THURSDAY, APRIL 26 The Howard Levin Clubhouse/Jewish Residential Services will hold a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for the Clubhouse from 5 to 8 p.m. at 2621 Murray Ave. Tickets are $10 per adult and $7 per child in advance or $12 at the door (limited availability). Take-out meals are available. The deadline to RSVP is April 20th. Contact Zara Sayles at the Howard Levin Clubhouse at zsayles@jrspgh.org or 412-4221850 for more information or to RSVP. The third annual Community Day School Art Show will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and guests will have the opportunity to experience original and inspired artwork from all CDS students. The CDS all-purpose room will be transformed into an art gallery where students will perform live instrumental music.

Refreshments will be served, and the event is open to the community.

The Alumni and Friends of Pittsburgh Allderdice High School’s annual Hall of Fame will be at 7 p.m. in the Allderdice auditorium. This year’s distinguished alumni being inducted are Devra Davis, founder and president of the Environmental Health Trust; Brenda Ekwurzel, director of climate science at the Union of Concerned Scientists; Michael Himelstein, composer, lyricist, and producer; Tereneh Mosley, fashion designer who specializes in collaborations with Maasai artisans from Kenya; and Jackson Wright, emeritus professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

The unveiling of permanent wall plaques representing each of the inductees and a reception will follow the induction ceremony.

The public is welcome to attend. Contact Jamy Rankin at jpcjamy@aol.com or 313-600-2822 for more information. q FRIDAY, APRIL 27 Temple Sinai will hold a Matzoh Ball Gumbo Young Adult Shabbat Dinner with chef Steffi and other young adults on a culinary tour of the historic Jewish south. This complimentary four-course dinner will be hosted at Temple Sinai. Services (optional) start at 7 p.m.; dinner begins at 8:15 p.m.

RSVP is required. Email Steffi Wright at

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Stephanie.Wright@Chatham.edu by Sunday, April 22 at noon to register.

Visit templesinaipgh.org/matzoh-ballgumbo-young-adult-shabbat-dinner for more information. q SATURDAY, APRIL 28 ​ Pittsburgh Allderdice will hold its annual Dragon Spirit Party, which is Allderdice’s largest fundraiser. The evening includes light fare and drinks, silent auction, raffle baskets and a live auction. Mingle with other Allderdice parents, teachers and administrators. The money raised at this event will go toward enriching the academic programs by providing essentials and extras to students. ​Visit tinyurl.com/ PittsburghAllderdice to purchase tickets. q SUNDAY, APRIL 29 New Light Congregation Men’s Club invites the community on a bus trip to the Flight 93 National Memorial leaving at 10 a.m. to approximately 3 p.m. See the Visitor’s Center Complex, Memorial Plaza and the Wall of Names. Pack your own lunch; bottled water will be provided. Contact Harold Caplan at 412-521-4332 to reserve your seat. Cost is $26 per person; mail your check to New Light Congregation, c/o Harold Caplan, 5841 Forward Avenue, #208, Pittsburgh, 15217.

The Holocaust Center and Community Day School will co-sponsor the annual Walk to Remember at 11:30 a.m. This event brings together Holocaust survivors and their families, honors the survivors and educates the public about the legacies of local survivors. Participants walk the perimeter around CDS six times to memorialize the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust. This is a family friendly event, and light refreshments will be served. The event is free for Holocaust survivors and college/university students (with valid student ID), $18 for individuals, $36 for a group of two to four, and $50 for a group of five or more.

A Wet Hot Moishe House Summer Camp from 1 to 4 p.m. Come on over for friendship bracelets, singing circles and screening of “A Wet Hot American Summer.” P.S.: there will be an ice cream bar. Contact moishehousepgh@ gmail.com for more information. q MONDAY, APRIL 30 Learn about the program and mission to Israel at the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project 2018 mission open house for mothers raising children 18 and younger from noon to 1:30 p.m. Contact Emily Richman at 412-992-5217, erichman@jfedpgh.org or visit shalompittsburgh.org/events/ momentum-open-house for more information or to register. q RSVPS NEEDED BY MAY 1 Temple Emanuel will hold an Evening of Celebration Gala on Sunday, June 3 to honor Rabbi Mark Joel Mahler upon his retirement after 38 years of dedicated service to Temple Emanuel and the community. This special evening will include dinner and entertainment.

Proceeds benefit the Rabbi Mark Mahler Rabbinic Chair Fund. Visit templeemanuelpgh. org/event/gala or call the office at 412-2797600 for more information or to RSVP.

Please see Calendar, page 9

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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 8

Mark Staitman, rabbinic scholar. Contact Mia Alcorn at malcorm@jfedpgh.org or 412-9925222 for more information and to register.

q TUESDAYS, MAY 1- 29

q WEDNESDAY, MAY 9

The Ten Commandments in the 21st century with 10 rabbis offering contemporary perspectives will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Levinson B. There will be two rabbis per night. Each rabbi will present separately, and then there will be interaction between the two rabbis, as well as with the audience.

Contact Jan Barkley at jbarkley@jfedpgh. org or 412-697-6656 for more information or visit jfedpgh.org/ten-commandments for the complete list, cost and registration

Classrooms Without Borders as will celebrate Israel and Art at Israel Night from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Children’s Museum.

The cost is $20 for preregistration and $25 at the door. The fee covers entry, food, drink and all activities. Visit classroomswithoutborders.org/events for more information and to register.

q SATURDAY, MAY 5 Temple Sinai will hold a Pride Seder at 6 to 9 p.m. presented by the Pride Tribe and Women of Temple Sinai. The Pride Seder will take a form reminiscent of the traditional Passover seder, but it will share stories and hardships of LGBTQ life, celebrate the freedoms that have been achieved, and explore freedoms not yet gained. Just as the Pride Seder will welcome LGBTQ individuals beyond the Jewish community, Visit templesinaipgh.org/calendar for more information. q SUNDAY, MAY 6 Area students will put their creative problemsolving skills to the test in the Pittsburgh Jewish Day School Odyssey of the Mind Competition from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The competition will be held at Community Day School at 6424 Forward Ave. with participants in grades three to eight joining from Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh and Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international creative problem-solving program that engages students in their learning by allowing their knowledge and ideas to come to life.

Judges from Odyssey of the Mind and the Pittsburgh Jewish community will evaluate teams from the day schools. The students will compete in solving spontaneous verbal and hands-on problems, as well as present the solutions to long-term problems they have been working on throughout the year. q MONDAY, MAY 7 A Lion of Judah lunch and learn will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. with a discussion on Back to the Future presented by Rabbi

q THURSDAY, MAY 10 Temple Emanuel and South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh will host Rabbi Joseph Telushkin at 7:30 p.m. at the Upper St. Clair High School Theater, 1825 McLaughlin Run Road. Telushkin will speak on “The TwentyFirst Century: A Moral Vision, One Day at a Time.� The event is being held in honor of Rabbi Mark Mahler’s upcoming

q MONDAY, MAY 14 The Women of Temple Sinai will hold a cooking class on chocolate babka with Randy Boswell at 6:30 p.m. Anyone age 16 and older is welcome; there is a $10 charge.

RSVP by Friday, May 11 at templesinaipgh. org/wots-cooking-class-1.

The Jewish Association on Aging will present The Art of Aging On Stage With Megan Hilty at the August Wilson Center. The reception begins at 6 p.m., and the performance begins at 8 p.m. Hilty is a Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama graduate who starred as Glinda in Broadway’s “Wicked,� was a Tony Award nominee in “Noises Off� and plays Ivy in NBC TV’s “Smash.�

Tickets are available at artofagingpgh.com.

Contact 412-420-4000, ext. 3264 or sburke@ jaapgh.org for more information. q TUESDAY, MAY 15 Rodef Shalom will host Peter Gethers: A Conversation With the Author at 7 p.m.

Gethers’ new book, “My Mother’s Kitchen,� is a memoir about a son’s discovery that his mother has a genius for understanding the intimate connections between cooking, people and love. Following Gethers’ presentation there will be a Q&A period and book signing.

Temple Sinai and co-sponsor Rodef Shalom Congregation will present a concert with Nava Tehila, the Jerusalem-based group of musicians and spiritual innovators, from 7 to 8 p.m. at Temple Sinai. The concert is free and open to the community. Visit templesinaipgh. org/NavaTehila for more information. q THURSDAY, MAY 17 Need to unwind? Do you knit or want to learn? We have you covered, from beginners on up. Be a part of the NA’AMAT Needle Nuts at 10:30 a.m. at Tree of Life*Or

retirement after 38 years of service to Temple Emanuel.

There will be a Meet & Greet at 6:30 p.m., which includes reserved seating;Â tickets are $36. General admission tickets are $5. Telushkin will also be signing books after the presentation.

Visit templeemanuelpgh.org/event/Telushkin for more information and to purchase tickets.

q SATURDAY, MAY 19

L’Simcha at, 5898 Wilkins Ave. The cost is $15 per class. RSVP to naaamatpgh@gmail.com.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot, presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, is the communitywide Jewish learning with local rabbis and thinkers from across the Jewish spectrum. This night of Jewish learning is free and open to the community from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

Teen Tikkun 5778, Late Night Conversations on Revelation will also be held. Visit jfedpgh.org/ Shavuot for more information and to register. PJC

NA’AMAT Pittsburgh Council will hold its third Thursday Martini and Mahj at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Come play, learn, teach, practice, laugh and hang while having fun. All skill levels and ages are welcome. Bring your mahj set if you have one and be sure to RSVP to naamatpgh@gmail.com.

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Headlines After its latest strike on Syria, Israel’s cozy relationship with Russia could be over — WORLD —

By Ben Sales | JTA

I

srael attacked Syria last week, just like it (reportedly) has countless times before.

The difference now is that Russia is angry about the strike — and showing it.

Russia has called out Israel publicly, condemned the attack and summoned the Israeli ambassador to “discuss developments.” The alleged strike, which the Israeli government has not acknowledged, came soon after a Syrian chemical weapons attack on civilians. But the two attacks might not be connected.

Here’s a quick rundown of why Israel is bombing Syria, why it officially pretends it isn’t, and why Russia is upset about it.

Israel has attacked Syrian targets many, many times.

Israel does not like Syria — and it hates Syria’s ally, Iran.

Israel and Syria are technically in a state of war, but have not engaged in sustained armed conflict since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Instead, the two sides have fought through Syrian-funded proxies like the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. When the

p Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet at a joint news conference in 2012.

Photo by Kobi Gideon / GPO via Getty Images

civil war in Syria began in 2011, Israel stayed neutral, providing some humanitarian aid to victims on the border but otherwise remaining out of the fray.

The exception has been Israeli strikes against Syrian weapons convoys en route to Hezbollah. When Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government was at risk of collapse in the past, Israel worried that it would send its most powerful ordnance to Hezbollah, which has a stated aim of destroying Israel.

Now, as Assad is nearing the defeat of the Syrian rebels, Israel is worried that Iran will set up permanent military bases in the country, at Israel’s doorstep. Iran’s leaders have pledged to wipe Israel off the map, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu incessantly accuses Iran of seeking to develop

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Russia is angry this time.

Ever since Russia increased its involvement in the civil war in 2015, sending soldiers and materiel to Syria, Israel has tried to stay on Russia’s good side.

That year, the two countries agreed to coordinate military plans over Syria so they would not accidentally attack each other.

And Netanyahu has tried to cozy up to President Vladimir Putin in various other ways — publicly thanking Russia for the Soviet Union’s role in defeating the Nazis, and staying silent on Russia’s seizure of Crimea and its invasion of Ukraine.

But Russia-Israel relations have always been fraught. The Soviet Union cut off ties with Israel after the latter’s victory in the

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1967 war, re-establishing them only as the Soviet government was collapsing. And today, the two nations find themselves on opposite sides of the international order.

Israel is allied with the United States, while Russia is still allied with Syria and Iran, two of Israel’s worst enemies.

The strike targeted a base where Russian personnel might have been present, and Russia is complaining that it was not told of the strike in advance. So this time it’s not letting Israel’s bombings go unmentioned.

Israel usually keeps quiet about the attacks.

How many times has Israel attacked Syria since 2012? Few people, if any, know the exact number, so reports have relied on estimates like dozens, scores, even hundreds.

Israel does not want to be seen as supporting one side of the complex conflict or becoming involved directly in the war. When Israeli officials do allude to the strikes, they focus on preventing threats to Israel, not bolstering Assad, the rebels, Islamists or anyone else.

Netanyahu acknowledged these strikes last year. And on Monday, following the strike, he did say “We have one clear and simple rule, and we seek to express it constantly: If someone tries to attack you, rise up and attack him.” PJC

This week in Israeli history April 23, 1963 — Yitzhak Ben-Zvi passes away

— WORLD —

Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, Israel’s second president and celebrated historian, passes away at the age of 78.

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

April 20, 1953 — First Israel prizes are awarded

The Israel Prize, an annual award presented in a variety of cultural and scientific categories and considered as the highest honor in the country, is awarded for the first time to nine individuals in seven fields.

April 21, 1984 — Artist Marcel Janco passes away

Romanian born artist Marcel Janco, one of the founders of the Dada art movement who made aliyah in 1941, passes away at the age of 89.

April 22, 2013 — Israel-Turkish reconciliation talks commence in Ankara, Turkey

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nuclear weapons that would existentially threaten Israel.

In February, Israel and Iran engaged in rare direct conflict over Syria: Iran launched an armed drone from a Syrian base into Israel, and Israel responded by bombing the base. Syria shot down an Israeli plane.

Israel’s strike April 12 targeted the same base as in February, killing 14 people. It came shortly after Assad reportedly murdered at least 40 of his own citizens with chemical weapons, but Israel’s attack does not appear to be in response.

A month after U.S. President Barack Obama brokers a reconciliation of Turkish-Israeli relations, a high level three-member Israeli delegation commences talks with Turkey in Ankara under the auspices of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

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April 24, 1950 — Jordan formally annexes the West Bank and East Jerusalem

Jordan formally annexes the West Bank and East Jerusalem, allowing the Palestinian inhabitants therein to obtain Jordanian citizenship.

April 25, 1982 — Sinai is returned to Egypt

As stipulated in the 1979 peace agreement between the two countries, Israel completes its evacuation of Sinai and returns the peninsula to Egypt.

April 26, 2008 — Yossi Harel passes away

Yossi Harel, commander of the Aliyah Bet ship Exodus, passes away at the age of 90. PJC

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Headlines J Street conference doses out criticism of Trump, Israeli gov’t — NATIONAL —

By Dan Schere, David Holzel and Toby Tabachnick

S

en. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) knew how to bring a crowd of 3,000 dovish proIsrael activists to their feet as he spoke Monday at J Street’s 10th annual policy conference. He went after the current administration.

“Despite what the Congress thinks and what the president thinks, the power is with the people,” he said as he took to the podium at J Street’s 10th anniversary conference inside the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington.

It was a reconciliation of sorts for Cardin — who in 2015 had opposed the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration and other world powers — and J Street, which had vigorously supported the deal.

J Street reportedly spent $245,000 in the Baltimore market where Cardin lives to run a pro-Iran deal television spot.

Despite his opposition to the deal, Cardin on Monday criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for his 2015 speech urging Congress to vote against it, saying it “created a partisan division in our own country.” He said he now believes that it would be a mistake for the United States to abandon the agreement.

The J Street conference styled its participants as the loyal opposition: opponents to Trump and Netanyahu, and carrying the standard of liberal democracy.

“All across the globe liberal democracy is in retreat,” Jeremy Ben Ami, J Street’s president, said Saturday as the conference opened. “J Street proudly opposes these trends, and we couldn’t be clearer in the threat President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu pose.”

“It’s great to see so many people supporting Israel, supporting peace, supporting a two-state solution, supporting democracy and supporting our liberal values,” former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni said Sunday.

Livni, a leader of the opposition Zionist Union, said those values include religious freedom and an end to the “monopoly of the ultra-Orthodox parties in Israel,” and equal rights for all Israelis. “This is the definition of a Jewish democratic state.”

Throughout the plenary sessions, the lines that seemed to get the most applause were those highly critical of Israel, especially regarding its conflict with the Palestinians.

Anecdotally, one of the biggest stars — who included Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) — was Husam Zomlot, the Palestine Liberation Organization envoy to Washington.

Zumlot claimed that of the three parties to efforts to renew Israeli-Palestinian talks, only the Palestinian negotiators still were committed to two states, while the Trump and Netanyahu governments had retreated from endorsing that outcome. He especially decried Trump for his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“Jerusalem is the key to peace,” Zomlot said. The recognition “did not do justice to the

history of Jerusalem.”

Addressing that history, Zomlot said that Christians, Jews and Muslims have lived in the city for “millennia” — unusual for Palestinian officials, who often refrain from noting Jewish connections to the city. A Palestinian capital in the city alongside a Jewish one, Zomlot said, “will not only recognize the Jewish connection to Jerusalem but will celebrate the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.”

Zomlot earned loud applause, which was noticed

by Merav Michaeli, p Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni described the liberal values that are under siege in Israel. the Zionist Union Photo courtesy of J Street Knesset member who spoke after him and Sen. Brian Schatz rights. Anyone who wants to criticize Israel administration, the mood of conference (D-Hawaii). She chided the audience or boycott Israel … I think you’re wrong. attendees was one of “optimism,” but that for being more enthusiastic in cheering But you have your constitutional right to do tide has shifted.

Palestinians than Israelis. that,” he said. “Let us work together to figure “People are angry,” Fichman said. “People “Frankly it hurt me when I did not hear out a way to protect the freedom of speech, are frustrated. People are really troubled you applauding the last speaker,” she said, but also protect American businesses from by the parallel between the Trump adminreferring to Schatz, “when he said he believes being bullied into boycotting Israel.” istration and where it’s going, and what we in the state of Israel and its right to exist.”

Retired Carnegie Mellon University professor see in Israel. So, there is a lot of discussion That earned her a round of applause.

Mark Fichman, one of 17 Pittsburghers even about what’s been going on in the last Later she tweeted, “@jstreetdotorg is SO to attend the conference, explained his few days ­— the Syria air strike, and what’s pro Israel that sometimes people take it opposition to the bill. going on in Gaza.” for granted, it was a pleasure hearing the “That bill is viewed by us as a way of saying Nancy Bernstein, co-chair of J Street wonderful audience in #JStreet10 applauding the settlements are part of Israel, which we Pittsburgh, and a presenting sponsor of Israel and peace for two states.” don’t think they are,” Fichman said in an the conference, noted that J Street, while For his part, Cardin seemed to fit in. He interview. “It’s a small move toward legit- continuing “to prioritize the promotion of reiterated his support for a two-state solution imizing the occupation of the West Bank. the two-state solution in Congress and in and criticized Trump’s executive actions And in some ways, this bill steps on people’s the American Jewish Community,” will also banning immigrants from Muslim-majority free speech rights.” be working on the ground in the United countries, as well as Netanyahu’s reversal of Cardin assured the J Street crowd that States “to promote diplomacy versus war in an agreement to accept some 16,000 African his bill would not change American foreign the Middle East, by fighting against efforts migrants into Israel. policy of opposing Israel’s settlements. to derail the Iran deal,” and by opposing the Cardin also expressed concern about the “I believe that we should not take sides appointment of John Bolton to the National global rise of anti-Semitism, placing much of against how settlements have been unhelpful Security Council and the confirmation of the blame on Trump issuing mixed messages for Israel’s long term-survival,” he said. “I Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State. after the deadly Unite the Right rally in want to make sure we don’t do anything Bernstein, who is also one of four people Charlottesville, Va., last August. in this bill that would compromise the leading J Street’s Women’s Leadership Forum He condemned the boycott, divestment traditional view of this country in regards to — which “raises awareness and advocates and sanctions (BDS) movement, an Israel’s settlements.” for the significant role that women and civil economic effort against Israel that J Street also Cardin came to the conference amid society can and do play in peace building opposes. (Some panelists at the conference challenges from his left flank. On Monday, and negotiations” — said via email that in nevertheless advocated for BDS.) He five activists from the anti-occupation addition to focusing on its founding mission reminded the audience that he co- group If Not Now were arrested for block- of advocating for the two-state solution, authored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act last ading his Senate office because he has and supporting “basic humanitarian aid year that would punish American compa- not commented on the recent deadly to Gaza,” J Street is now also taking up the nies that comply with international efforts protests in Gaza. cause of opposing “the current U.S. adminto boycott Israel.

And Jerome Segal, founder of the Jewish istration policies with regard to refugees “You may have heard about it, it’s had Peace Lobby, who is challenging Cardin in and immigrants.” some controversy,” Cardin said of his bill. the June Democratic primary, was handing “Other organizations take the lead on J Street opposes the legislation on the out leaflets asking if J Street had lost its way issues related to immigrant and refugees but grounds that it does not adequately distinguish by inviting Cardin, who he identified with as a Jewish organization,” she said, “we are between Israel and its settlements. The Amer- the more bipartisan AIPAC. He referred to compelled to weigh in with our opposition ican Civil Liberties Union also opposes the bill Cardin’s speech as the “kosherization” of to the dangerous rhetoric against and treaton the grounds that it violates free speech — an J Street, Al-Monitor reported. ment of refugees and immigrants by the argument that Cardin refuted Monday.

Fichman, who has attended two previous Trump administration.” PJC “I can tell you that I have spent my entire J Street conferences, said the tone this JTA contributed to this report. political career defending First Amendment year was different. During the Obama

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APRIL 20, 2018 11

Headlines In Hungary’s election, the far right scores even as an extremist party fizzles — WORLD —

By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA

T

he extremist Jobbik party may have come up short in last week’s election in Hungary, but that doesn’t mean the country’s far right isn’t celebrating.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz party won in a landslide, riding a wave of rhetoric and policies that have set Hungary apart from the rest of the European Union for its veneration of pro-Nazi collaborators, anti-Semitic politicians and propaganda campaigns that critics say amount to racist incitement against Jews and other minorities.

Orban has taken Fidesz out of centrist blocs and partnerships. In a campaign speech last month, Orban inveighed against an “enemy” that is “not straightforward but crafty; not honest but base; not national but international; does not believe in working but speculates with money; does not have its own homeland but feels it owns the whole world.”

Such words, once considered unthinkable for a European leader, were “laden with anti-Semitic imagery,” Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman wrote.

Orban last year led what many of his critics consider a campaign of incitement against George Soros, a Hungary-born American Holocaust survivor who funds many leftleaning groups and causes, including the facilitation of immigration from the Middle East to Europe. The campaign included billboards featuring a picture of a grinning Soros and the slogan “Don’t let him have the last laugh.”

In December, a lawmaker for Orban’s party, Janos Pocs, posted on Facebook a picture of a dead pig accompanied with a phrase that can be translated either as “This was Soros” or “It was his turn.” Pocs denied his post was a reference to Soros.

In parallel, Orban has said he seeks to make Hungary an “illiberal society,” referencing Turkey and Russia as his template for a future Hungary. He dismissed Jewish objections to state-funded imagery that critics said ignore the collaboration by Hungarians in the Holocaust.

Sandor Lezsak, the deputy speaker of the parliament and a Fidesz lawmaker, said in January that he would attend a commemoration service for the Nazi collaborator Miklos Horthy, though he canceled under pressure.

In July, Orban himself counted Horthy, whose government was complicit in the murder of hundreds of thousands of Jews, among the nation’s “exceptional statesmen.”

Orban claimed territory once more closely associated with Jobbik, a xenophobic movement that the World Jewish Congress has termed “an extremist party promoting hate.” But in the lead-up to the election, Gábor Vona, its leader, risked splitting the movement with his attempts to mainstream, deradicalize and distance the

12 APRIL 20, 2018

p Supporters of the Fidesz party at a campaign closing rally in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.

p Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban addresses supporters in Budapest after winning another term in a parliamentary election.

Photos by Laszlo Balogh/Getty Images

movement from anti-Semitism in a bid to take Jobbik from the opposition and into the government.

The kinder, gentler Jobbik emerged for the first time as Hungary’s second-largest party in Sunday’s election, but with only 26 out of 199 seats in parliament. With less than half the votes that Jobbik received in the 2010 election — its best showing — Jobbik trailed Fidesz by 113 seats, or 24 percentage points. This means Orban, now heading into his fourth term in office, can afford to keep Jobbik out of power for years to come.

“As Jobbik attempted to appeal to the center, Fidesz has successfully pandered to the ultranationalist fringes,” said Karl Pfeifer, a Viennese Jewish journalist who grew up in Hungary and is an expert on that country’s complicated politics and history.

“They’ve essentially switched places in one of the most spectacular maneuvers I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Both Orban and Jobbik are wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

Despite the presence of anti-Semites and hardcore nationalists in its ranks and among its founders, Fidesz was nonetheless a centerright party in the 1990s. Back then, it was even a part of a centrist European political bloc with member entities like the United Kingdom’s center-left Liberal Democrats and the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Under Orban, Central Europe’s largest Jewish community — Hungary has approximately 100,000 Jews — enjoys a safer environment than many other Jewish populations in Western Europe. Orban’s government officials like to cite this in defending their country’s refusal to let in immigrants from the Middle East.

The radicalization of Fidesz “is a sign of how mainstream these once-taboo views have again become in parts of the continent,” Francis Wittaker, digital editor for NBC News in London, wrote Sunday. “Such language is now commonplace” even for a leader whose

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country is a U.S. ally and a member of the European Union and NATO, Whittaker noted.

Leaders of far-right movements in Europe — part of a rising force that since last year alone have made unprecedented gains in elections in France, Austria, Holland and Italy — celebrated Orban’s clinching of more than 49 percent as a victory for their cause.

“Large and clear victory by Viktor Orban in Hungary: The inversion of values and mass immigration promoted by the European Union have once again been rejected,” Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s National Front, wrote on Twitter.

And Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-Islam Freedom Party, wrote: “Congratulations Viktor Orban with this excellent result. A well-deserved victory!”

Their enthusiasm for Orban’s politics is shared by far-right activists like Tatjana Festerling, a founder of the German Pegida anti-immigrant movement who was kicked out even from that hardcore organization for suggesting that asylum seekers should be shot if they attempt to cross the German border. In 2016, she said that Orban is the European politician she respects the most.

As Orban made inroads into the ultranationalist constituency, the radical Jobbik party attempted to move in the other direction and compete for mainstream voters.

These attempts included reaching out to Jewish communities, to whom Jobbik in 2016 sent Chanukah greetings for the first time. And Vona himself last year said the party now respects Israel’s right to exist.

Both gestures were major departures from the rhetoric of a party whose second in command, Marton Gyongyosi, called during a 2012 speech in parliament for compiling a list of Jews as threats to national security and whose website in 2016 called for fighting “Zionist Israel’s quest for world domination.”

Whereas all the leaders of Hungarian Jewry dismissed Jobbik’s overtures as lip service, they did generate serious tensions within Jobbik, where some resented Vona for his “betrayal,” according to Dániel Róna, a political science researcher from Hungary who has written extensively about Jobbik.

After the elections, “there will be a reckoning” inside Jobbik, Rona said at an event in Budapest in November titled “Are Europe’s Jews Safe?” that was organized by the Hungarian Jewry’s watchdog on anti-Semitism, the Action and Protection Foundation.

Jobbik’s troubles are of little comfort to sociologist Andras Kovacs, who has charted the development of Jewish life in Hungary for decades because “the radicalization of Fidesz is a very worrisome development,” he said.

Yet this reality does not prevent Kovacs and many other Hungarian Jews in Budapest from belonging to one of the world’s most vibrant communities, he said.

“In my personal life, I’m fairly insulated from this situation, which I see in polls and in reports,” he said. “I live in relative safety in Budapest, see friends, carry out my research.

You might call it a bubble.” PJC

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APRIL 20, 2018 13

Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

Hollywood executives offer support to Netflix after BDS movement asks it to scrap ‘Fauda’ More than 50 entertainment industry executives have signed a letter in support of Netflix, after the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel threatened a lawsuit over its distribution of the Israeli drama series “Fauda.”

The show focuses on a commando unit of the Israeli Defense Forces whose members embed themselves in the Palestinian community, gathering intelligence and preventing terror attacks. Fauda is an Arabic word meaning “chaos.” The show incorporates both Arabic and Hebrew dialogue. It airs on Netflix with English subtitles. Netflix is set to release the second season of the series next month.

The letter sent to Netflix’s Ted Sarandos, chief content creator, and Peter Friedlander, vice president of original series, praised “Fauda” for presenting a “nuanced portrayal of issues related to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict,” Variety reported. The letter also said that the show, “mirrors the power of the arts in general; they bring up difficult but important conversations, expanding our horizons and allowing us to experience different points of view.”

Among the executives signing the letter, according to Variety, were Rick Rosen, head of television at WME; Marty Adelstein, CEO of Tomorrow Studios; Gary Ginsberg, executive vice president of corporate marketing and communications of Time Warner Inc.; Jody Gerson, chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group; Neil Jacobson, president of Geffen Records; and Ben Silverman, chairman and co-CEO of Propagate Content.

The BDS movement posted a statement on its website last week from the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel.

It called on Israel to “nix” the series, calling it “an anti-Arab racist, Israeli propaganda tool that glorifies the Israeli military’s war crimes against the Palestinian people. Failing to do so will open Netflix to nonviolent grassroots pressure and possible legal accountability.”

Specifically, the statements demand that Netflix suspend production of season three of the series, refrain from releasing season two and remove season one from its streaming service.

The statement also said that the series “promotes and legitimizes violent acts committed against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory by Israeli army death squads — the so-called ‘Mistaravim.’ The show’s writers, who were members in these units, have based the series on the war crimes committed by these squads against Palestinians.”

The series was created by Avi Issacharoff, the Arab affairs reporter for the English-language Times of Israel news website, and actor Lior Raz, who stars in the show. Both men served in the IDF unit depicted in the series.

Birthright founder gives middle finger to protesters outside gala dinner Michael Steinhardt, the co-founder and major funder of Birthright Israel, flashed his middle finger at protesters outside a gala dinner in honor of the 18th anniversary of the free trip to Israel for young Jewish men and women.

More than 150 students from colleges in the New York and New England areas protested in front of the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York, where the annual gala was held on Sunday evening. The students represented groups including Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance and the Democratic Socialists of America, all of which support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.

The protest was led by Return the Birthright, a campaign supported by Jewish Voice for Peace and Independent Jewish Voices. It calls on young Jews to boycott Birthright and to support the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes in Israel. During the event, the anti-occupation group IfNotNow, which does not take a stance on the BDS movement, projected on the ballroom building an image with the words “Birthright Lied To Us,” and “Jewish Youth Demand the Truth.”

A quote attributed to the evening’s honoree, billionaire philanthropist Sheldon Adelson — “Israel Isn’t Going to Be a Democratic State – So What” — also was projected on the wall.

Adelson, a major Birthright funder, was presented with the “Guardian of the Jewish

Future” award at the event.

The student protesters wrapped themselves in personalized Jewish prayer shawls and demonstrated by returning symbolic Birthright plane tickets. They also read out the names of Palestinian villages destroyed 70 years ago, and the names of the 32 protesters in Gaza killed in the past three weeks during the Great Return March protests.

A photo of Steinhardt and protesters was posted on Instagram by a photographer for Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.

Kites carrying firebombs flown from Gaza set Israeli fields ablaze Palestinians in Gaza flew a kite over the border carrying a fire bomb, which started a fire where it touched down.

The Molotov cocktail-laden kite bearing the colors of the Palestinian flag that landed near a southern Israeli kibbutz on Sunday is not the first effort by Gazan Palestinians to start fires on agricultural land with the fire bombs, Haaretz reported. At least three actually have started fires; one reportedly fell in Gazan territory.

The Eshkol Regional Council on Sunday released a statement asking residents near the Gaza-border area to be vigilant. “In the last 24 hours, there have been several cases of kites flying with Molotov cocktails from the strip to our territory,” it read. “In all cases, the bottles fell close to the border and caused fires, without casualties. … The public is asked to be alert and to report on any unusual incident of fires in the area.” PJC

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I’M AN EXECUTOR. NOW WHAT? This is one in a series of articles about Elder Law by Michael H. Marks., Esq. Michael H. Marks is an elder law attorney practicing at Marks Elder Law with offices in Squirrel Hill and Monroeville.

Send questions to michael@marks-law.com or visit www.marks-law.com.

After someone has died, the EXECUTOR is the person (or persons) appointed by the State to be in charge of winding up that person’s affairs and administering the estate, for the ultimate benefit of the beneficiaries.

If you are or will become appointed as an executor (or Administrator), you are entering a realm of many rules and sometimes rigid bureaucratic procedures.

An executor’s job, as a practical matter, is to: • • • •

Gather the assets, and sometimes sell something that needs to be sold; Pay the bills, debts, taxes and expenses that need to be paid; Pass out what’s left over to those who are supposed to get it; and Comply with estate and tax laws and account for their actions.

An executor is officially in charge of the “probate assets” that form the “probate estate” – that is, assets that were owned and titled and registered in the name of the decedent only.

“Non-probate assets” are those left behind with a pay-on-death beneficiary named, or a joint depositor with right of survivorship or something similar, in connection with any one

14 APRIL 20, 2018

specific account, policy, IRA, etc. Those “nonprobate assets“ pass more or less directly to the named beneficiary or surviving joint owner, with less paperwork – and without the probate estate paperwork and probate court filings.

Filings in probate court are one part of an executor’s job. The underlying purpose of the probate court and its filing requirements is so that the authorities can (at least in theory) supervise what the executor is doing, to make sure that the bills and creditors get paid properly, and to make sure that the remaining estate is distributed to the right people in the right way.

If there’s ever an argument or disagreement, the probate judge can decide the dispute.

One way to avoid the burden of probate paperwork after you’re gone is by using a trust, such as a Revocable Lifetime Agreement of Trust, or so-called “Living Trust.”

An executor has a legal obligation and duty to act honestly and fairly, to preserve and maximize the value of the estate assets, to follow the requirements of the Will and other applicable law, to keep good records, to report and account to the authorities for their actions, and generally to do their job properly. The executor must also ultimately account to the beneficiaries, as well as to the authorities, on how they have performed their job, and account for all estate activity and the amount of the inheritance and distribution.

An executor is not allowed to take advantage of their position to benefit themselves improperly, but is entitled to be paid

compensation for services provided to the estate and the beneficiaries.

An executor’s job also includes taking care of Pennsylvania inheritance tax (and sometimes Federal Estate Tax), income tax issues, and undertaking the “nuts and bolts” of transactions such as selling assets, liquidating accounts, retitling or transferring ownership of property, and paying debts and expenses, etc.

When someone dies without leaving a Will to specify who will serve as Executor and how they want their affairs to be concluded, the person appointed to be in charge is called an Administrator instead of Executor, and those who inherit are called heirs instead of beneficiaries.

In your own estate planning, think carefully about who you will name as executor and backup or successor executor(s). Personally, I want someone with a good head and a good heart – a good head to deal with the money and business issues, and a good heart to deal with the people. You can also name more than one person as “Co-Executors” together.

At Marks Elder Law, every day we help people serving as executors, winding up the affairs of their loved ones and administering estates, with caring, trusting and professional skill and service. I invite your questions and feedback concerning this article or anything I can do to help you or your family.

MARKS ◆ ELDER LAW Michael H. Marks, Esq.

protecting you,

your family, and your assets Now and In the Future Estate Administraaon & Probate Elder Law • Estate Planning • Real Estate Nursing Home Asset Protecaon

TEL. 412-421-8944

Member, Nat’l Acad. of Elder Law AAorneys

michael@marks-law.com

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The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh presents

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2018 10 P.M. - 1 A.M. JCC Squirrel Hill Community-wide Jewish learning with well-known local rabbis and thinkers

A NIGHT OF JEWISH LEARNING FREE & OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY 10:00 10:50

11:00 11:50

12:00 12:50

Amy Bardack

Aaron Bisno

Keren Gorban

Lust for Meat: Food Cravings in the Torah and Rabbinic Literature

How We Pray When We Don’t Know How or We Don’t Believe

Sing a New Song to God: Create Your Own Psalm

Seth Adelson

Yisroel Altein

Why You Need Theology: A Tribute to My Teacher, Rabbi Neil Gillman

The Shavuot Showdown: Why 2,500 Years of “Calendar Conflict” is Settled in 2018

jfedpgh.org/Shavuot

Michal GraySchaffer

Jeremy Markiz & Jeremy Weisblatt

Seeing the Sounds of Sinai: Kabbalistic Teachings

Learning to Disagree Again

Keshira HaLev Fife

Jamie Gibson

Revelation and Offering: Getting to the Heart of Shavuot

Rebbe Nachman of Bratzlav: “The Story Of The Master Of Prayer”

Sara Stock Mayo & Elinor Nathanson Behind the Music: Songs& Insights from The Book of Ruth Shavuot Shpiel

Ron Symons

Daniel Wasserman

Sam Weinberg

Civil Discourse: The Intersection of Torah and Politics

Passages from the Tanach and Talmud That Everyone Must Know

Personal Autonomy in the Context of Tradition

Jeff Myers

Danny Schiff

Danny Shaw

Israel’s Declaration of Independence and its Messages to the World

The New Promise of Conquering Death: Jewish Reflections

Show Me the Way: Foundational Talmud Text Study

Andrew Hahn

Beth Kissileff

Danielle Kranjec

Levi Langer

Yaier Lehrer

Danielle Leshaw

Na’aseh Ve-Nishma: The Angels’ Secret Password for Personal Practice

The Bible’s Perfect Short Story: Ruth in a Literary Lens

Torah for Nurturing the Souls of Those Raising Young Children

Wartime Ethics: A Jewish Perspective

The Garden of Eden Revisited

Joshua 22: Altars, Sacrifices, and Witnessing

TEEN TIKKUN 5778 LATE NIGHT CONVERSATIONS ON REVELATION SHAVUOT: SATURDAY, MAY 19 9:45 PM – 12:45 AM JCC SECOND FLOOR 5738 DARLINGTON ROAD, SQUIRREL HILL

6TH-12H GRADERS : 9:45PM – MIDNIGHT ADDITIONAL SESSION FOR 9TH-12TH GRADERS ONLY: 12:00-12:45AM Refreshments available. Dietary laws observed.

Questions? Contact Rabbi Amy Bardack at abardack@jfedpgh.org

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APRIL 20, 2018 15

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The Federation Community Spotlight: Dodi Walker Gross

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh recently had a chat with Dodi Walker Gross to discuss the importance of collective giving. Currently, Dodi is the chair of the Cardozo Society, a giving society of attorneys and law professionals who donate at least $1,800 to the Jewish Federation’s Community Campaign each year.

Growing up in Western Pennsylvania, Dodi learned the importance of giving back to the Jewish community from a young age.

Her grandparents were strong supporters of Hadassah and Israel bonds, and her

mother was involved with ORT. These influences taught Gross that giving back meant giving not only money, but also time.

“I only wish that I could be Oprah,” Dodi mused half-jokingly, “and give away large amounts of money to many different worthy organizations, but until then, I will do what I can, relying on the Jewish Federation to help determine where monies are best allocated.”

Though Dodi had been giving to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh (previously UJF), it was not until the late 1980s and early 1990s that she gained a greater appreciation for its significant importance. While on two missions to Israel with her family, Dodi saw—and learned more about—the impact of collective giving. “There was something about being in Israel,” said Dodi, “that really helped me connect with the idea that the Jewish people need to support each other no matter where we live.”

Ever since then, she has felt that bringing people to Israel is a wonderful way to connect people—especially our children—to their Jewish heritage. As she explained, “It is the one place that we are not a minority and where we can learn more about and witness how Jews live together with all their

differences.” Seeing Jews help Jews in need inspired her to come back and step up her involvement.

Over her tenure of involvement with the Jewish Federation, Dodi Walker Gross made many positive changes. She was one of several founding trustees of the Jewish Women’s Foundation, which she still supports strongly today. Dodi also helped to revamp the healthcare program, which stretches across the local Jewish communal organizations, to help save overhead costs.

“When I was first asked to solicit attorneys,” she reminisced, “I was surprised… at how few gave and the low levels of contributions to the Jewish Federation.” Dodi has since helped to get other law professionals, like herself, involved in communal giving.

“People are busy,” she explained, “and need to understand why giving to organizations like the Federation is important.” With this in mind, she has emphasized—during her time as Cardozo Society Chair—opportunities to get attorneys in a room together to learn about the good that the Jewish Federation does by conducting “town hall meetings” at downtown law firms.

Always an active contributor to the United Way through her law firm, Dodi Walker Gross understands that sometimes larger organizations have a stronger sense of the community needs and can find the best way to fulfill those needs. In Dodi’s words, “The Jewish Federation is like the United Way

for the Jewish people, and sometimes the umbrella organizations just do it better.” The advantage of collective giving, she noted, is efficiency. While individuals have specific organizations that touch their lives, and to which they should give, the Jewish Federation n of Greater Pittsburgh has professionals whose job it is to find the hidden needs of the community. They find where money is needed and raise even more money through government and corporate giving opportunities that individuals would not be able to reach alone. Projects such as the Community Security Program, the Facilitiess Committee and the Jewish Community Study are only possible through collaboration n brought about by the Jewish Federation.

“If we want our institutions to exist in fifty or one hundred years,” Dodi warned, “then we need to support them financially as well as through our active participation.”

She emphasizes the importance of engaging creatively as our needs change. “We need to find a ways to instill the importance of Jewishness in the next generation.” Dodi Walker Gross supports the Jewish Federation n of Greater Pittsburgh because a key goal of the organization is to keep the Jewish community strong.

For more information on giving or to learn more about the Cardozo Society, contact Joe Enten at jenten@jfedpgh.org or call 412.992.5212.

Jewish Federation’s Impact: Recent Highlights 3,800+ Staff and members of Jewish organizations who got security training in 2017-2018

500+

7

Attendees in civic engagement programming

1,042

Partnership2Gether delegations going to Pittsburgh from Israel or to Israel from Pittsburgh

Teens engaged in Jewish experiences

$27,600 Urban Affairs grants to 12+ programs in diverse communities

1,350 Student participants from 13 Pittsburgh public high schools in #BeOurVotePgh

16 APRIL 20, 2018

600+ 628

Volunteers at Good Deeds Day

Young adults joining a Shabbat dinner through OneTable

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120 People who marched with the Jewish Community in the Pride Parade

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The Federation Visitors, Visitors and More Visitors From Israel Have you seen dozens of unfamiliar Israeli faces around Pittsburgh in the past month? If so, there’s a good chance that you saw travelers with one of the several delegations from Israel that the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh brought to our city.

The Jewish Federation’s Young Adult Division, Volunteer Center and Partnership2Gether collaborated to take a young adult leadership delegation to volunteer at many sites around Pittsburgh and to meet American Jews. The Jewish Federation’s Partnership2Gether and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh brought Israeli winners of the Waldman International Arts and Writing Competition to the awards ceremony last week. Coming up, dancers from Karmiel/ Misgav will join us to celebrate 70 years of Israel’s independence on Yom Ha’atzmaut.

You may also have seen Israeli teens, as Diller Teen Fellows from Israel arrived for the Jewish Community “Mifgash,” or encounter. Twenty Israeli Diller Teen Fellows from our Partnership2Gether sister cities of Karmiel and Misgav visited with their twenty Pittsburgh counterparts, along with their junior counselors and coordinators. The teens stayed with host families, spent Shabbat together, learned about Pittsburgh and American Jewish life and created bonds that will last a lifetime.

All of these amazing Israelis are making connections with the Jewish diaspora thanks to donor support for the Jewish Federation’s Community Campaign. The Campaign supports the Holocaust Center, the Jewish Federation Volunteer Center, Partnership2Gether, the Yom HaZikaron ceremony and Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration.

The Jewish Federation’s Campaign also supports the Diller Teens Fellows program with significant support from the Helen Diller Family Foundation and implementation by the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh teen division.

These programs are just a few of the Jewish Federation’s many Israel and overseas programs that connect Pittsburghers to Israel and Israelis to Pittsburgh. Check out the photos on this page for more, and go to jfedpgh.org/calendar to find ways you can be involved.

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

APRIL 20, 2018 17

SPONSORED CONTENT

The Federation 2018 Women’s Spring Event This year Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s 2018 Spring Event took place at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) and featured Elad Shippony and his highly-acclaimed show, The Wandering Israeli. The show brought to the stage an unforgettable Israeli adventure with a special mix of theater, storytelling, live music and a refreshing dose of humor.

In addition to the performance, the women enjoyed a reception of hors d’oeuvres, mingling and good company.

Elaine Krasik was awarded the 2018 Natalie Novick of Women’s Philanthropy Award for her hard work and dedication to the community and women’s philanthropy over the years. She was accompanied by her loving family, as well as several other past Natalie Novick Award winners.

This event was for women who give $180 or more to the Jewish Federation’s Community Campaign. The pre-reception was for women who are in the Pomegranate Society, Lions of Judah, Lion of Judah Endowment (LOJE) participants, or women whose household commitment to the Community Campaign is $10,000 or more, or by special invitation.

To find out more about Lion of Judah Society, LOJE, or Pomegranate Society, please contact Rachel Lipkin at rlipkin@jfedpgh.org or 412.992.5227.

From left to right: (Top Row) close up of Elad Shippony – Actor, Writer, Director of The Wandering Israeli; Past and present Natalie Novick Woman of Philanthropy Award winners; Elaine Krasik and family (Middle Row) Shira Burg, Jenna Levine, Dani Rovenger; Elaine Krasik at the podium; Robbin Steif, Marilyn Swedarsky and Linda Joshowitz (Bottom Row) Eran Edri (Percussionist of The Wandering Israeli), Event Chairs Karen Gal-Or and Estelle Comay, Elad Shippony, Event Chairs Amy Taxay and Charlene Tissenbaum, Sagi Eiland (Vocal, guitars, harmonica of The Wandering Israeli); Women’s Philanthropy Chair Sue Berman Kress, Elad Shippony, Elaine Krasik and Women’s Philanthropy Co-Chair Jane Rollman; Dodie Roskies and Carol Steinbach

18 APRIL 20, 2018

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Life & Culture Jewish sites, history focus of travel book by former Pittsburgher — TRAVEL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

A

sked if he remembers when he was first bitten by the travel bug, octogenarian author Ben Frank does not hesitate to respond.

He was a 14-year-old boy growing up in Pittsburgh and headed for the first time out of town: to a summer camp in Michigan, with a stop in Detroit, where he was given a tour of the city by his cousins.

“That was a lot of fun — and I’ve been traveling ever since,” said Frank, who recently published the fourth edition of his 600-page book, “A Travel Guide to Jewish Europe” (Pelican).

Frank, who has explored 90 countries in his lifetime, makes it a point to “seek out the Jewish aspects” wherever he goes, including cultural attractions, synagogues and kosher restaurants.

He shares his discoveries of what’s going on Jewishly in a variety of countries in “Jewish Europe,” while also delving into the Jewish history of each locale.

Frank is a former newspaper reporter and lecturer, having earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and his master’s at the Center of Israel and Jewish Studies at Columbia University. After

graduating from Pitt, Frank headed to New York City, where he spent most of his life — when not traveling. He currently resides in Boynton Beach, Fla. “Jewish Europe” was published first in 1992, with subsequent iterations coming out in 1996 and 2001.

The 2018 edition covers 20 countries, including France, Ireland, Greece and Bulgaria. It’s a handy reference for Jewish travelers looking for kosher lodging options, memorial sites, museums and even Jewish cemeteries.

Some of Frank’s favorite travel destinations in terms of Jewish interest, he said, are Paris, which boasts the largest Jewish community in Europe, and Russia and Ukraine, “which have interesting Jewish communities still. The whole American Jewish heritage stems from Eastern Europe. There are fantastic Jewish communities there with interesting history.”

Frank has traveled and sought out Jewish life beyond Europe, as well. Some of the more exotic Jewish communities he recommends include Tahiti, India and Morocco.

“But I never tell people where to go or where not to go, because it’s a personal decision,” he said.

Despite increasing worldwide antiSemitism, Frank nonetheless encourages Jews to travel.

“I think American Jews should visit Jewish communities around the world, especially

p Cover of Ben Frank’s new book

Photo provided

in Europe,” he said. “If we don’t go, then the terrorists win. We need to bond with our Jewish brothers and sisters there.”

Travel, Frank said, “is one of the greatest things a person can do because it makes you richer and shows how much you don’t know.

And it’s important to meet Jews all over the world — we’re all one people.”

The fourth edition of “Jewish Europe,” which comes 17 years after its last version, is “up to date,” Frank said. Not only are there “exact addresses of kosher restaurants,” in the guidebook, but also included is “the political and social history and what’s going on now.”

Some Jewish communities that are “hidden gems,” according to Frank, are Stockholm, with its “fascinating Conservative synagogue” and its “welcoming community,” and Berlin, where “there are lots of Israelis.”

Because of security procedures, Frank recommends contacting European synagogues at least a month in advance if one wants to attend services.

“It shouldn’t stop you from going there, but the days when you can just walk into a synagogue in Europe are over,” he said.

As a lifelong travel enthusiast, and one who has sampled food at restaurants all over the world, Frank confirms what might be obvious to some: the best kosher restaurants in the world are in France.

“France has more kosher restaurants than New York and Los Angeles combined, and you don’t get a bad meal in France,” he said. “But there are also good kosher restaurants in Antwerp, Belgium, Rome, and Budapest.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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APRIL 20, 2018 19

Life & Culture Frenzied fans swamp local ‘candy man’ with Necco orders — FOOD —

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

J

on Prince describes Necco Wafers as “a polarizing candy.”

“I haven’t heard one person say, ‘I kind of like Necco Wafers,’” noted Prince, the president of wholesaler CandyFavorites.com in McKeesport. “A

person either loves them or hates them.”

Apparently, there are lots of people who love them.

A buying frenzy for the iconic chalky flavored disks launched last week after the The New England Confectionery Company Factory, which has been around since 1847, announced it would close down shop in May if it could not find a buyer.

Since then, Prince, whose family has been in the candy business for more than 90 years,

p John Prince says people are begging for Neccos.

Photo courtesy of Jon Prince

has been getting so many calls and orders for Necco Wafers that he has had to put a limit on the quantity of a single transaction; as of press time, no one is permitted to purchase more than 48 rolls of the candy at a time.

But that doesn’t mean that the candylovers are not trying to find creative ways around the rules.

“People are begging,” Prince said. “They are offering to pay extra, or to barter. One lady told me she’d send me homemade chocolate chip cookies for a year.”

Another customer offered to trade his Omega luxury watch for extra Neccos, although Prince thinks that gentleman may have been joking.

Either way, “people are pretty desperate,” said Prince, a Squirrel Hill resident and member of Temple Sinai. “I had one person from Florida who wanted to buy my entire inventory of Necco Wafers.”

In addition to Necco Wafers, the candy company also produces several other varieties of confections, including Mary Janes, Sky Bars and Clark Bars. The Clark Bar, which boasts a crispy peanut butter center surrounded by milk chocolate, had its origins in Pittsburgh in 1917. The company was purchased by Necco in 1999.

Prince is seeing a rush on Clark Bars as well as the Necco Wafers, he said, noting that he “has sold more Clark Bars in the last two

days than I did in the last six months.”

It’s the psychology behind the prospect of losing access to the candy rather than the candy itself that is driving the buying frenzy, according to Prince, who believes his company was one of the first wholesalers in the nation to offer Neccos.

“There’s a Jewish analogy,” he said, explaining that just as “people will buy those retro JNF pushke boxes on eBay for lots of money — while almost any vehicle can be used as a tzedakah box — the product represents something more than what it is.”

For Necco buyers, that “something” could be a piece of nostalgia.

“The candy has been around since 1847,” explained Prince, who puts himself in the category of someone who loves Necco Wafers. “My father enjoyed them. My grandfather probably enjoyed them. We’re living in a time where change is happening more rapidly than ever, and when you take something that’s part of the American candy landscape away with a snap of a finger, you wonder what else can disappear.”

The fate of the Necco continues to be unknown, at least for now. However, former Necco CEO Al Gulachenski is considering making a bid to buy the company. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Eric Gold, Hollywood producer, honors mother at Pittsburgh program — FILM —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

D

ecades before Eric Gold was a Hollywood producer, with credits including “Scary Movie,” “Major Payne” and “Blankman,” he was a kid growing up in a Churchill-area home where the Jewish Chronicle arrived weekly.

“We read it religiously, mainly to see who died. It was a connective tissue for the Jewish community in Pittsburgh,” Gold said during a recent visit to the Steel City.

In town to honor his mom, Thelma Gold Landay, as part of a Steeltown Entertainment Project celebration of multiple mothers who essentially birthed the local nonprofit that endeavors to build a “vibrant and sustainable entertainment industry in Pittsburgh,” Gold sat down to reminisce and report on a life he only imagined as a kid whose residence was “not too far from Monroeville Mall.”

It was actually there, at the indoor suburban shopping center, as George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” was being made, that the move mogul’s future was foreseen: “It was first the exposure I ever had to a film set. … It felt like camp without the sleepover.”

Between riding in a golf cart, observing operations and admiring “the team approach,” there was an instant draw, he said.

“For me, it was like I got to do this.”

So at 22, after a brief stint at West Virginia University and a longer stay at Allegheny County College Boyce Campus, Gold went west.

He took a shot at stand-up only to discover 20 APRIL 20, 2018

that he lacked the “depth of talent” or “nuclear fusion” to be great. Aiding such realization was a particularly stinky show at “The Deli Smoker,” a now-closed New York-style delicatessen where emerging comics were offered an open mic.

“The stage was four-by-four and two feet off the ground,” recalled Marty Schiff, a fellow Pittsburgh native and longtime friend of Gold’s who similarly worked in Hollywood.

“All of the tables for the eating were right below it, and I’m so scared that I am literally throwing up before,” said Gold. “Now I go up and I’m doing stand-up, and all the people in the front row do this to me, they make a weird face like, ‘Eew, what the hell.’ I find out later that when I had thrown up, I had thrown up on my shoes.”

It was then that he decided to become an agent. The move reaped great reward, with Gold representing a then-unknown Jim Carrey, serving as production manager of “In Living Color,” and aiding some of the best known comedies from the 1990s.

The Los Angeles lodger’s professional successes, including managing Ellen Degeneres, are well documented. Less known, however, are his humble beginnings.

“I worked at and grew up at the Holiday House; everything in my career really goes back to the Holiday House,” he said.

The now demolished Monroeville motel and 900-seat space was “the biggest nightclub in the country next to the Copacabana in New York City,” comedian Marty Allen told

 Thelma Gold Landay cheerily bites down on a rose that was given to her during the Steeltown Entertainment Project’s celebration of mothers.  Eric Gold, Hollywood producer, returned to Pittsburgh to honor his mother at the event.

Photos by Adam Reinherz.

the Tribune-Review last year.

“My mother worked there. I got to meet all of the comedians. I got to talk to them,” said Gold. “My father had died, and my mother was working there, so I had an account. I would go there for meals and stuff, and I would take girls to the showroom. … I’m watching David Brenner, I’ve got the date — but really, that was showbiz, and I was so into it.”

A wrinkle on the tale was revealed by Gold’s mother, who spent 17 years planning events for the Holiday House. Eric and his brother Clifford would “come to visit me and

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

think the food was free,” said the 89-year-old.

“The food wasn’t free. They used to bill me.”

Apart from serving as a venue where all the top acts performed, it was also the site of a family simcha, added the Wilkins Township resident.

After Gold’s bar mitzvah at the Parkway Jewish Center, the reception was at the Holiday House.

“We had one room for adults, and had 50 or 60 kids in another room,” noted the mother. “I hired Clifford to be the band.”

The octogenarian shared an additional memory from the bygone bash, but this one with a particular smile across her face.

“All the kids tried to get liquor out of the girls,” she said, “but they knew better.” “ Thelma was involved in every detail at the Holiday House,” said Carl Kurlander, president and CEO of Steeltown. “Tonight is really about these pioneering mothers. She and the other honorees are a group that nurtured their children in a way that led them to success in the entertainment industry.”

Gold returned the praise: “I just think that Carl and everybody has done a great job at Steeltown; they’ve really contributed to the community. This group has really taken it beyond what our original hopes were, and I’m proud of it.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines JFilm: Continued from page 1

lampooned the group’s chances and wrote, “If you aren’t familiar with Team Israel, it’s essentially the Mighty Ducks, Hickory High and the Jamaican bobsled team all rolled into one. … Of the 16 nations represented in this year’s WBC, Israel was the very last one in and is the only participant not currently among the top 20 in the world rankings. (It’s No. 41, just behind baseball powerhouses such as Poland and the Ukraine.)”

Yet, as the documentary delightfully shares, Team Israel knocked off South Korea (ranked No. 3), Chinese Taipei (ranked No. 4), the Netherlands (ranked No. 9) and Cuba (ranked No. 5) before striking out against the Netherlands (in a subsequent matchup) and Japan (ranked No. 1).

That Team Israel mowed down more favored opponents and finished sixth overall should be celebrated, and this film does a wonderful job recording those statistics.

Where the documentary misses is in delivering a message as pioneering as the players’ accomplishments.

The movie’s concluding moments field a voiceover from Ryan Lavarnway, a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, alongside a montage of highlights and “Hatikvah”: “Not everybody on this team believes in Judaism. Not everyone on this team was raised Jewish. There’s a couple of players that are married to Jewish women or had a Jewish grandparent but that didn’t matter two generations ago when the Nazis were grabbing you up based on the way you were born or based on your affiliation,” said the catcher. “We have the right to exist and you can’t deny the Jewish people the way that people in the course of history have tried to.”

The stirring teamwork of voice, sight and sound makes for a save (perhaps with the panache of Dennis Eckersley), but the film’s most honest moments arrive earlier as the team, which The New York Times considered “filled with minor leaguers, former major leaguers and baseball misfires, all of them Americans with enough Jewish heritage to play for Team Israel,” reacted to a Jerusalem-based terrorist attack in which four people were killed.

The documentarians capture the scene as players sit on a bus, gathered around a cell phone, watching footage of a driver barrel into unsuspecting pedestrians. The players are silent, except for the utterances: “Oh. God. That’s a big truck.”

For viewers, the seemingly wordless reaction

to captured violence brings the players home.

Unlike MLB reporter, Steel City native and film producer Jonathan Mayo, who steals each of his scenes (sometimes in silence) with a palpable appreciation and excitement for the project’s prospects, Team Israel’s showcased talking heads are more muted throughout the documentary.

Ultimately, “Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel” is a victory. Those seeking an enjoyable retelling of several global days at the park will revel as if peanuts and Cracker Jack were free. For others desiring a deeper cut into the story of American players representing Israel and the implications of that symbolic stance, the cinematographers never go past the warning track and instead collect some singles and doubles. But, as the movie alludes, small ball wins a lot of games.

— Adam Reinherz

heart, the dad’s residence is located in a New Jersey retirement community.

Given the motorized carts, lunchtime gatherings and late night romances, the transpiring episodes are perfectly describable as “humorous.”

Although the heartwarming comedy follows a conventional path where punchlines and plot devices are largely predictable, the material never goes grey. If anything, at its conclusion, “Humor Me” with all its alte kacker anecdotes ends up possessing a nice silvery mane.

— Adam Reinherz

In a Dark Wood

Viewers, even apart from musicians and the cultural cognoscenti, will enjoy the accessibility afforded by “In a Dark Wood,” as it masterfully captures a story and a sound whose sublimity stirred the spirit. But experiencing art is predicated on experience, or more simply, even the most beautiful reproduction is subject to the wisdom of Coca Cola: “Can’t beat the real thing.”

— Adam Reinherz

‘Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me’

(100 minutes) April 29, 7:00 p.m., SouthSide Works Cinema Following this screening, director Sam Pollard will join the audience for a Q&A. May 3, 7:00 p.m., AMC Mt. Lebanon 6 This screening is sponsored by South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH PREMIERE.

Humor Me

Photos Provided

‘Humor Me’

(93 minutes) April 28, 5:30 p.m. at SouthSide Works Cinema April 29, 11:00 a.m. at SouthSide Works Cinema Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with Erich Bergen (Jersey Boys, Madam Secretary, Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives and Person Of Interest) who stars in “Humor Me.” PITTSBURGH PREMIERE. Sam Hoffman’s directorial debut resembles the aging process: The ending is basically known but the trek still offers some surprise.

“Humor Me” begins at a New York playwright’s nadir: His wife ran off with a French billionaire, she took the kid, and the protagonist has basically no money and nowhere to live. Reluctantly, the lead retreats to a pull-out couch in the guest room of his father’s home. Adding insult to injury, or achy bones to a broken Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel

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‘In a Dark Wood’

(82 minutes) April 30, 7:30 p.m. at SouthSide Works Cinema April 29, 11:00 a.m. at SouthSide Works Cinema Followed by a Q&A with director David Bernabo and composer Mathew Rosenblum.

WORLD PREMIERE. Those lucky enough to have heard Matthew Rosenblum’s “Lament/Witches Sabbath” when it was performed live last January at the University of Pittsburgh likely remember a room whose stunned attendees rose, shook, sobbed and rejoiced at the sheer force of the composer’s work.

With its coalescence of a narrated family history flooded with Holocaust hauntings alongside the wailings of antiquated Ukrainian laments all evenly layered by the brilliant blasts from Grammy-nominated David Krakauer’s clarinet, Rosenblum’s piece pried open the soul as much as any great art is able.

“In a Dark Wood” chronicles the genesis of concept to construct while treating viewers to performance viewings and explanations from those principally involved in the composing, playing and recording of Rosenblum’s work. Although the explanatory cutaways afford technical insight into a laboriously formed whole, one is subtly reminded of “The Salon of 1859” and 19th-century French poet Charles Baudelaire’s diatribe on photography: “If it is permissible to encroach on the domain of the impalpable and the imaginary, on all that is only worth because man adds to it his soul, then woe to us!”

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

When Dodger pitcher Sandy Koufax declined to start the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur, he became a source of pride among Jews around the world.

But just a few years earlier, another famous Jew, Sammy Davis, Jr., also refused to work on Yom Kippur — while he was under contract with Samuel Goldwyn to star in the movie “Porgy and Bess.”

The film was already exceeding production costs, so Goldwyn was pretty unhappy that, in Davis’ own words, “this little shvartze” was making him lose even more money. Davis, however, held his ground, reminding Goldwyn that it had been negotiated into his contract that he would not work on the High Holidays.

Davis is widely remembered as one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century, an embodiment of 1960s’ cool along with fellow Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. But in this first major documentary exploring the life of the one-eyed Jewish African-American icon, “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” audiences are introduced to Davis the rebel, the activist and the survivor — a true original who lived life according to his own rules.

We see clips of Davis as an already captivating performer at the age of 3, and follow his rise to stardom despite segregation and endemic prejudice. But while he was often viewed as a trailblazer, blurring boundaries between race, many saw him as a sell-out — as one of the film’s commenters describes: “a black person seeking white approval.”

Through interviews with historians, writers and celebrities who knew Davis — including Please see JFilm, page 24

APRIL 20, 2018 21

Opinion Defining Auschwitz shouldn’t be difficult — EDITORIAL —

T

here were more than 40,000 ghettos and concentration camps erected by Nazis across Europe during World War II. But a new survey released last week shows that almost half of Americans (45 percent) cannot name a single one. That number is even higher among millennials (49 percent).

Auschwitz is a word that for our community needs no explanation. But, apparently, that’s not the case for everybody else. The study, conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany and released on Yom Hashoah, found that an eye-popping 41 percent of Americans surveyed couldn’t identify Auschwitz as a concentration or extermination camp.

Among millennials, it was even worse: 66 percent could not identify Auschwitz.

The survey makes for incredulous reading: 11 percent of all U.S. adults and 22 percent of millennials had not heard of the Holocaust or weren’t sure if they did. And a sizeable minority severely underestimated the scope of the genocide: 31 percent of all Americans and 41 percent of millennials believe that 2 million or fewer Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

The findings suggest that the Jewish

community lives in a Holocaust bubble.

We’ve built Holocaust museums, we regularly hold Yom Hashoah memorials, and we keep reminding ourselves that the survivors are dwindling. The Pew Research Center even found that remembering the Holocaust is the top way American Jews identify

the murder last month in France of an 85-year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor, who was targeted for robbery, stabbed to death, and her body set on fire.

“The most disturbing finding, as in 2016,” the Kantor Center report reads, “is the prevalent ominous feeling of insecurity

The findings suggest that the Jewish community lives in a Holocaust bubble. Have we been preaching “Never again” to the choir?

as Jews. Have we been preaching “Never again” to the choir?

The same day as the Claims Conference survey results were announced, the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University released “Antisemitism Worldwide.” The report found that while violent anti-Semitic attacks have dropped steadily since 2006, attacks on the whole have become more violent. Witness

among Jews in Europe.” Not for the first time, the extreme right, the anti-Zionist left and anti-Semitic radical Islamists were blamed for the growing insecurity. “Europe’s largest Jewish communities are experiencing a … mainstreaming of anti-Semitism not seen since the Second World War,” according to the report.

Holocaust ignorance cannot and should not be equated with anti-Semitism. But

ignorance can, and should, be treated with education. One heartening piece of the Conference of Jewish Material Claims study was that more than nine out of 10 respondents believe that all schools should teach the Holocaust, and that 80 percent of respondents said that it is important to teach the Holocaust so that it does not happen again.

Thanks in large part to the work of statewide Jewish Federations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has greatly improved and expanded Holocaust education in its schools with the passage of Act 80, signed into law in 2014 by Gov. Tom Wolf. Although pursuant to that law Holocaust education is not mandatory, schools are now encouraged by the commonwealth to teach the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations.

We must continue to promote Holocaust remembrance — not just in our communal bubble or among politicians courting Jewish support — but also more broadly. And, instead of relying on millennials to educate themselves about the Holocaust, let’s focus our efforts to ensure that school curricula everywhere devote proper attention and focus to addressing one of the most horrific periods in world history. We owe at least that much to the 6 million who perished, and to our Jewish future. PJC

You can help in the search for Parkinson’s cure Guest Columnist Dr. Barbara Robinson

A

pril is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and — in honor of the 1 million people living with Parkinson’s in the United States — I have some knowledge to share and an ask to make of you.

You may know that Ashkenazi Jews can trace their ancestry to just 350 individuals.

This heritage has created genetic similarities so acute that, according to scientists, “everyone is a 30th cousin.”

With gene mutations passed from generation to generation, Ashkenazi Jews are more likely to carry genetic variants that increase risk of certain conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. This unique ancestry presents a treasure trove of data for genetic researchers and a powerful opportunity to improve the kind of disease mapping that can speed cures.

I don’t have Parkinson’s myself, but am

a daughter, daughter-in-law and sister to individuals diagnosed with the disease — and I know too well the difficulty and frustration that Parkinson’s causes millions of people and their loved ones, especially since the disease has no cure.

My husband Jay also carries a mutation in the GBA1 gene.

So, we set out to do everything in our power to learn more about Parkinson’s and test therapies to stop its progression.

Together, we enrolled in the Parkinson’s

PMMI is looking for people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent who themselves have either Parkinson’s or Gaucher’s disease or have a first-degree relative who does.

Given my family history and Ashkenazi Jewish descent, I wanted to know my genetic status. I learned that I carry mutations in both my LRRK2 and GBA1 genes, which are each associated with increased risk for Parkinson’s.

Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a study sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation, to share our data and bio samples to help scientists learn more about this disease and, most importantly, speed research that may lead to cures.

PPMI is looking for people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent who themselves have either Parkinson’s or Gaucher’s disease (given a GBA1 connection) or have a firstdegree relative who does. PPMI is enrolling people with a mutation in the LRRK2 or GBA1 gene and provides free genetic testing and counseling.

Jay and I support the study by participating in imaging tests and clinical exams. We each contribute bio samples of blood and spinal fluid on an annual basis. We’ve made this commitment because we know the only way we’re going to fight this disease is with knowledge, and this kind of data is our best hope for unlocking the key to new therapies.

If we’re not willing to volunteer that data, then nothing is ever going to change. I hope you’ll join us.

To mark Parkinson’s Awareness Month, I invite you to take a short quiz at www.michaeljfox.org/genetics or call 888-830-6299 to learn more about the PPMI study. PJC Dr. Barbara Robinson is an obstetriciangynecologist who lives outside Chicago.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 22 APRIL 20, 2018

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Opinion Natan Sharansky’s strong will pushes me forward Guest Columnist Elina Lipov

“T

he mission of the shaliach never ends. Even when you retire, it’s always there, part of who you are.” Those were Natan Sharansky’s words at one of the conferences that the Jewish Agency for Israel organized for its shlichim, its Israeli emissaries, to celebrate with him for the upcoming completion of his time as the organization’s chairman.

Now, Sharansky’s selection for the Israel Prize (the state’s highest cultural honor), which he was scheduled to receive on April 19 for Israel’s 70th Independence Day, is an acknowledgment of the indispensable work he and the Jewish Agency are doing in keeping Diaspora Jews connected to the land of Israel — a piece of their history.

Before becoming the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at the Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh, I never got to delve into my own aliyah story. My whole life, since I was 2, I grew up in Israel and was raised among Israelis. Even though I used my mother tongue of Russian at home and mostly interacted with a culture, circle of friends and community that were all Russian, I never even once got to stop and actually understand what it all means to me.

For me, being a Russian-born Israeli Jew was natural and even obvious. Meeting Sharansky for the first time was akin to meeting the men who fought and sacrificed so much to allow me to feel that way.

Sharansky was a well-known name around my house, so when I actually got to meet him, I felt proud — proud to take part in his dream and vision during my shlichut, or “emissary work.” I am one of 77 Israel fellows serving 150 campuses around the world. In 2016-17 alone, the fellows had one-on-one interactions with 17,000 Jewish students and attracted more than 37,000 students to Israeleducation events. The Israel fellows are the face of shlichut on campus, as part of the Jewish Agency’s network of more than 2,000 emissaries worldwide. Sharansky’s vision has come to life.

Every day, I am driven to find a way to connect students to the land of Israel and to their identity even when there are struggles and challenges. I have learned that the biggest challenge among young Jews on campus is apathy. They don’t know who they are, so they don’t feel a sense of belonging and don’t see any reason to support or even connect themselves to a distant land that only causes them trouble.

With Sharansky’s reminder to never give up, because if there’s a will, there’s a way, I kept reaching out to these students

and made them face their fears. Together, step by step, we have dealt with the difficult questions about who we are and how we are connected to our ancestors and the land of Israel. After much uncertainty, those students became leaders who were able to share their stories with others, and together we kept bringing Israel to different parts of campus.

I’ve learned from Sharansky to be patient — especially with people, to guide each person and help him arrive at his own answers by asking the right questions.

Theodor Herzl said at the First Zionist Congress that “Zionism is returning to Judaism before returning to the land of Israel.” As a shlicha, I meet with many Jewish students who struggle with their Jewish identity, something I relate to. By asking them the right questions, I help both the students and myself attain some of the answers we are looking for. In my job, Israel plays an important role in shaping Jewish identity,

— LETTERS — Ecumenical gesture shows love trumps hate The anti-Semitic incident between a now former member of the Gateway School District board and Rabbi Barbara Symons from Monroeville is bad enough (“Gateway school board member accused of anti-Semitic comments resigns, apologizes,” April 6). But the email that Rabbi Symons received from a cowardly bully who doesn’t even have the courage to sign his name is beyond disgusting.

Fortunately I saw a gesture this weekend from a Catholic priest that restored my faith in humanity. I was attending the bar mitzvah of the older son of the rabbi of my congregation.

Two rows in front of me was Bishop David Zubik of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese and his delegation of priests.

As the bar mitzvah boy and his family paraded through the congregation carrying the Torah scrolls, I watched a priest reach over to touch the Torah with his prayer book and then kiss the prayer book. What a delightful ecumenical gesture it was to witness this from a man who not only isn’t Jewish, but who is part of a totally different faith tradition.

I spoke with this priest and I told him how touched I was to witness this.

Love really does trump hate.

Ruth C. Yahr Greenfield

Students come to Israel asking who they are, but they leave asking what connection they want with this part of who they are. because it gives students something tangible to lean on, explore and connect to their past.

Students come to Israel asking who they are, but they leave asking what connection they want with this part of who they are. In order to start talking to students about Israel, they need to have their own experience first.

Only after stepping outside of my own comfort zone was I able to clearly see the importance of the work of the shlichim and the Jewish Agency. If we stop teaching the young Jewish population in the Diaspora to ask difficult questions about their identity and their connection to the land of Israel, in 70 years from now Israel will be isolated or, even worse, young Diaspora Jews will be isolated.

The mission of shlichut lasts for life.

When my time in Pittsburgh is complete, I plan to bring back to Israel all that I have learned and find a way to keep the education going, but among my people and in my land.

For me, Sharansky symbolizes the continuity of Herzl’s way. He made his dream come true thanks to a strong will, and that’s exactly what pushes me forward — a strong will. PJC Elina Lipov is the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at the Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh.

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APRIL 20, 2018 23

Headlines Newsstand: Continued from page 1

recollections could continue, a potential purchaser inquired if any toothbrushes were available (there weren’t) and another regular asked Haber about the Penguins’ prospects for playoff success.

Even a short visit to the newsstand revealed that there is about as much nostalgia as merchandise in the “Upper Murray” spot.

While standing just feet from a slew of Starting Lineup figurines, Haber said, “I’ll miss the place.”

stand, along with an array of other objects including Rummikub sets, adjustable roller skates and a reindeer necktie.

“There’s a customer for everything,” explained the retailer, who recently returned newer magazines to their publishers. (No worries, a June 1952 copy of Popular Mechanics was still on the shelf as of last week.)

Over the decades, Haber repositioned himself and his store as commerce dictated.

When Sunday newspaper sales shifted from 1,000 a day to between 30 and 40, he found other materials to peddle. Whether they were slap bracelets, baseball cards or Trans-

“ This is a great loss for the community.

I have been coming here for 40 years,

”

even before Mark was here.

— JEFFREY KRASNOW And like lengthy aisles, the memories stretch back.

“I grew up near Minedeo. I went to Allderdice. I even came in here as a kid,” said the soon-to-be retiree.

On walks up “the Avenue,” he would purchase a piece of pizza at Mineo’s for 15 cents, then stop in Eddie’s for a candy bar.

Sugary sweets are still sold at the news-

formers, Haber followed the trends and provided buyers with what was desired.

None of the wares were particularly “unusual,” they were just what people wanted, he explained.

Flickers of those fads still abounded, as a wrapped set of Super Bowl XXV limited edition cards rested adjacent to vuvuzelas.

Within earshot of Haber, who had

JFilm:

‘Act of Defiance’ Continued from page 21

Kim Novak, with whom he had a romantic relationship that the studios forced them to end — the entertainer is revealed to be as controversial as he was charismatic. To the dismay of his liberal friends and fans, he was famously photographed embracing President Richard Nixon at a rally in 1972, with one critic noting, “There are moments he behaved as the house Negro.” And yet he broke barriers, such as being the first African American to sleep in the Lincoln Bedroom at the White House.

As cinematic arts scholar Todd Boyd says in the film: “There were things about him that would infuriate you, and things that would make you stand up and applaud him.”

— Toby Tabachnick

retreated to the back of the cavernous repository, were the smatterings of those who in wishing the whitehaired salesmen well decried the procuring patterns of “millennials” and other online shoppers.

“If they would have patronized him more maybe he wouldn’t be closing,” suggested a visitor who wished to remain nameless.

“Business isn’t what it used to be,” acknowledged Haber, who attributed declining sales, incremental rent raisings and the fact that he “will be 63 in November,” as reasons for cessation.

But there was no ill-will exhibited by the dealer, even against someone who asked whether prices will drop as the end of the  Marc Haber is ready to close up shop.

Photo by Adam Reinherz month approaches.

“What I’ll miss most are the people,” the thank everybody for keeping it going.” PJC merchant said. “I made a lot of friends here.

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz “You don’t do something for 37 years and not like it. … I enjoyed it and I just want to @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

(123 minutes) May 6, 7:00 p.m. Southside Works Cinema PITTSBURGH PREMIERE In “An Act of Defiance,” director Jean van de Velde draws attention to some of the lesser-known heroes in the well-known story of the movement that ended apartheid in South Africa.

Set in 1963, the film focuses on the early years of the African National Congress, the party that eventually came to power in 1994 when Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected president in South Africa. At the time, the South African regime was continuing to enforce discrimination and racism, the ANC was banned and the underground movement was beginning to gain momentum.

Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me

 An Act of Defiance

The film begins when several leaders of the ANC are arrested after the police raid their headquarters and accuse them of attempting to overthrow the government. It tells the story of the Rivonia Trial, in which Mandela was famously quoted saying he is “prepared to die” for the “ideal of a democratic and free society.”

Bram Fischer, the lawyer who takes on the case of the ANC organizers — including five white, Jewish men — becomes the focal point of the movie. The viewer watches as Fischer continuously endangers himself, his career and his friends and family to work alongside the underground movement.

Though you know that Fischer is able to protect the defendants from the death 24 APRIL 20, 2018

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

penalty from the very beginning, the film is in no way an uplifting story of success and at times can be difficult to stomach.

An unexpected plot twist at the end of the movie shows even further how much Fischer and other activists risked to be a part of the anti-apartheid movement.

Plan to read up on the history of apartheid, Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress before the screening so that you can keep up with the historical references.

And be prepared to discuss racism, activism and government control afterward, as the movie certainly gives you a lot to think about. PJC — Lauren Rosenblatt

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APRIL 20, 2018 25

Headlines Kreimer: Continued from page 3

for a conference and a fashion show.

The experience, Kreimer said, made her realize just how close citizens from both countries lived.

“It would be as if there was a neighboring country on the other side of the Monongahela,” she explained. “You look at them your whole life and you’ve never been able to go there.”

The Center continued to build economic partnerships, hosting similar festivals for the technology, plastics and food industries.

Through working with so many people from the business world, who did not have a political agenda and were not appealing to the crowd, Kreimer began to develop the idea that Israeli and Arab citizens should think about the land they share as a “joint venture.”

The idea, she said, is that each citizen is a shareholder in the country and although there are majority and minority shareholders, the focus would be on opportunity,

Real Estate

cooperation and the economy, rather than religion and democracy.

“It’s not, ‘Well, this one’s right and this one’s wrong and who’s going to win,’” Kreimer explained. “The win is creating an entire society that works well and serves the various needs of the shareholders. … Ultimately — if there is an ultimate — resolving the Palestinian conflict is part of having full partnership within Israel.”

Although Kreimer said her book has been well received since it was published last year, she acknowledges that many people don’t agree with her ideas.

“I’m really trying to get the people who don’t agree with me and who are willing to say, ‘Let me look at a different perspective,’” she said. “There are many, many initiatives that are going on, and investing in positive facts on the ground is a very important thing for American Jews to do — educating yourself, reading widely and looking at different aspects and different possibilities.”

And, she added, “coming to Israel to see.” PJC Lauren Rosenblatt can be reached at lrosenblatt @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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HELP WANTED

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The Senior Campaign Executive is accountable for producing significant annual increases in the number of donors to JNF’s National Campaign at all gift levels.

Duties will include: • Face-to-face meetings for solicitation, cultivation and recognition of donors, both new and prospective including major gift prospects • Board and Leadership development, cultivation, and membership • Grow and recruit for Affinity Groups including Women for Israel (WFI), Lawyers for Israel (LFI) and Doctors for Israel (DFI) • Mission recruitment • Event Planning • Supervision

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• Possible travel to other Regions and Israel

If you are interested in this position please send your resume to humanresources@jnf.org.

HELP WANTED HILLEL JEWISH UNIVERSITY CENTER IN OAKLAND is seeking a Director of Development.

Please see the full posting and apply at www.hilleljobs.com with resume and cover letter.

26 APRIL 20, 2018

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Celebrations

Torah

Birth

Watch what you say … and how you say it

Kilmer: Michael and Katie Kilmer of Erie, formerly of Pittsburgh, are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Mina Marie Kilmer, on Feb. 12. She is the granddaughter of Marsha and Randy Boswell of Churchill. Her paternal great-grandparents were Daniel and Gloria Miner, formerly of Squirrel Hill.

B’nai Mitzvah

Ben Dorish, son of Mindy and Darryl Dorish of Mt. Lebanon, will become a bar mitzvah at Temple Emanuel of South Hills on Saturday, April 21. Ben is the grandson of David and Penny Abrams of Mt. Lebanon and Kenneth and Melva Dorish of South Park.

Daniel Isaac Uhl, son of Iris and Robert Uhl, will become a bar mitzvah at Adat Shalom during the Shabbat morning service on Saturday, April 21. Grandparents are Harriet and Ronald Fibus and Nancy and Eugene Uhl.

Maya Perilman, daughter of Carina and Mark Perilman, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, April 21 at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills. Grandparents are Alicia and Richard Meyers of Caracas, Venezuela, and Wendy and Stu Perilman of Pittsburgh.

Rabbi Jessica Locketz Parshat Tazria-Metzora Leviticus 12:1-15:33

A

new rabbi comes to a well-established congregation. Every week on Shabbat, a fight erupts during the service. When it comes time to recite the Shema — “Hear O Israel, the Eternal is our God, the Eternal is One” — half the congregation stands and the other half sits.

The people who are standing yell at the people who are sitting: “Stand up!” The people who are sitting yell at the people who are standing: “Sit down!” Back and forth — “Stand up!” “Sit down!” — until it destroys the decorum of the service and drives the rabbi crazy. Each and every week this happens until it is brought to the rabbi’s attention that a founding member of the congregation, a 98-year-old man, still lives near the temple.

So the rabbi brings two other members from the congregation — one who represents those who sit and one who represents those who stand — to visit the old man and find out which tradition is the correct one. “Wasn’t it the tradition in our synagogue to stand for the Shema?” “No,” the old man answers in a weak voice. “That wasn’t the tradition.”

“Wasn’t it the tradition in our synagogue to sit for the Shema?” “No,” the old man says.

“That wasn’t the tradition.”

At this point, the rabbi cannot control himself. He cuts in angrily. “I don’t care what the tradition was! Just tell them one or the other. Do you know what goes on in services every week? The people who are standing yell at the people who are sitting, the people who are sitting yell at the people who are standing.”

“That,” the old man said, “that was the tradition.”

Jewish tradition encourages questioning and even the occasional argument; nothing is taken for granted. And disagreement abounds.

There may be some truth to that old saying — “two Jews, three opinions” — after all. But even as we chuckle at the story, it makes an important point. We don’t have to agree, but what we often fail to remember is that how we choose to disagree is what matters.

Disagreeing in a kind and respectful way has no penalty. But disagreeing in

David Weisfield, son of Jodi and Andrew Weisfield, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, April 21 at 10:30 a.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation. David is a seventhgrader at the Environmental Charter School.

His favorite activity is playing drums and he is a drummer in a rock band. David is also very passionate about rescuing dogs, and his bar mitzvah project is to raise money for Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team.

When David grows up, he aspires to either be a professional musician or attend MIT and do something related to math and science.

David lives in Squirrel Hill with his parents and his sisters Amaya, 10, and Elana, 7. PJC

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

a demeaning and slanderous way does.

And what is the price for this behavior? In this week’s double Torah portion, TazriaMetzora, we find a rabbinic answer. The subject of both portions is leprosy, tzara’at.

God tells Moses and Aaron how to identify and respond to those infected with the skin disease, as well as the particulars of the purification ritual.

How does a portion about leprosy become a lesson about disagreeing with civility? The word metzora is the key. It can be understood in two ways, both as the person afflicted with tzara’at and as an acronym for motzi shem ra, literally translated as “the one who brings forth a bad name,” but often interpreted as “one who gossips or uses evil language.”

Tzara’at, then, is the biblical punishment for language that is unkind — for slanderous or demeaning speech: for incivility.

For the commentators it was easy to make the connection between physical affliction and problematic behavior. The Bible itself provided Miriam and Moses as examples of how our choice of words can cause physical ailments.

So we can see why the commentators viewed leprosy as the direct result of unkind and malicious speech. But they took the cause-andeffect relationship even further by theorizing that since behavior caused physical sickness, it could also take it away. For them, leprosy could ultimately be cured by changing one’s behavior, especially by altering the behaviors that brought on the leprosy in the first place.

While we don’t necessarily believe that our words and behavior will cause us to break out in painful boils and lesions, we can nonetheless understand that unkind speech can indeed cause others pain, albeit of an emotional nature.

We know that by changing our behavior, by watching what words we use and don’t use, as well as paying attention to how we say them, we can often take that pain away.

In our liturgy, during the silent prayer, we encounter the prayer Elohai Nitzor, which states: “O God, guard my speech from evil and my lips from deception.” May it be a reminder to use our words carefully, in a way that is respectful, kind and considerate of others. PJC Rabbi Jessica Locketz is a rabbi and director of education of Temple Emanuel of South Hills. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.

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APRIL 20, 2018 27

Obituaries AMSHEL: Ellen Bachman Amshel of Pittsburgh, age 89, on April 10, 2018.

Daughter of Sidney A. and Jeanette B. Bachman. Beloved wife of the late Albert L. Amshel; loving mother of Bruce B. Amshel and Gail B. Amshel. “Babe” grandmother of Caitlyn and Eli Amshel. Many thanks to her caretaker, Valerie Ondrusek. Ellen was

a graduate of Winchester Thurston School and Syracuse University. She considered herself a professional volunteer delivering Meals on Wheels, working the in-patient unit of Forbes Hospice and reading to blind students and administrators. The list goes on and on. She went back to school at the University of Pittsburgh for her master’s

degree in social work and practiced psychotherapy at an outpatient mental health clinic. She was and avid gardener, Ellen was proud of her dirty fingernails and her pet dogs and cats. Contributions may be sent to: Operation Safety Net, 101 Bradford Road, Suite # 320, Wexford, PA 15090.

Service held privately. Visitation will be

held from 12-3 PM and 6-9 PM at the family residence in Point Breeze on Friday April 13th. Arrangements made by the D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd., Lawrenceville.

Please see Obituaries, page 29

Headlines Libenson: Continued from page 4

Judaism. The goal is to preserve or even build a Judaism that helps people do what people need to do, and no matter what, we’re on that mission. And if it means this place is going to look profoundly different in 20 years than anything our grandparents could have imagined, then that’s good, because that means it’s working.”

Libenson theorizes that because Jews have already satisfied the bottom rungs of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid — physiological, safety, and a sense of belonging — Judaism must now try to address the need on the top of the hierarchy: self-actualization. And in order to provide the means to self-actualization, Judaism will have to “become a hybrid of Judaism and

other stuff,” because Judaism itself was not designed to lead to “human flourishing.”

“That doesn’t mean that there’s nothing in Judaism that leads to human flourishing, but that’s not its main job,” Libenson continued. “So, we are going to have to hybridize it with other material, and we’re going to have to invent new stuff. And that’s exactly what we did before.”

He pointed, as an example, to rabbinic Judaism having developed from a “fusion of pre-rabbinic Judaism and stoicism, Hellenism.”

Libenson takes a broad view of what can be considered “Jewish” in any given model.

“The answer to what makes it Jewish is, it’s playing with Jewish material,” he said. “There has to be Jewish stuff that carries through. I just can’t tell you that it is specific Jewish stuff. And I think it has to be the product of the good faith engagement of those who care about Judaism, saying, ‘We want this to be Judaism.’

marketplace for craft-based artists and designers. Other KerfCase constructs are Continued from page 6 available upon request.

New ideas are always budding, as of the not-quite stumps trace their roots to evidenced by the wall of post-it notes, said nearby hills; others, like the figured walnut, Saks, who made a brief detour to Los Angeles arrived from northern California. after graduation before venturing back.

If you look at that piece, “you get a cool The job out west was “right before the 3-D illusion,” said Giammattei.

2008 crash,” he said. “Every week they were “The curly maple really displays the letting people go. I eventually came back to chatoyancy factor,” agreed Saks, showing off Cleveland and helped my dad with his busisome of the company’s other creations. ness, greenpaperproducts.com. His business Because of KerfCase’s commitment to was growing, and in 2009, some friends were sustainability, “we save all the scrap and here. I came to visit and never left. I realized make stuff,” he added. how much I love Pittsburgh.”

Other creations include geometric lampBecause of the neighborhoods, their resishades, wallets and expandable studio dents and the landscape, Saks decided to cases (all of which come from wood). re-establish residence in his college town.

Some of the makings were sold at HandThe fact that he spent his adolescence in made Arcade, an annual Pittsburgh pop-up Cleveland and adult life in Pittsburgh makes him “love” both cities, regardless of any supposed rivalry between the two.

“Pittsburgh doesn’t have a basketball team and Cleveland doesn’t have a football team,” joked the Jewish entrepreneur.

Before exiting the sawdust scented space, Saks pointed to a past holiday promotion. It was a Roberto Clemente Bridge kit.

“My goal is to make products that I’m excited by and create a business that supports  KerfCase’s machinery is state of the art.

Photos courtesy of KerfCase. me and other local

 The panel at Rodef Shalom addresses Judaism’s future.

“So, if something was invented by non-Jews and had no Jewish material in it, I would say it’s not [Jewish], because it has no Jewish material, nor was it produced by this community that said, ‘We’re in this chain.’

“That’s not to say that non-Jews can’t play a role,” he quickly added. “I think they can

Photo by Jim Busis

play a huge role. But somehow, it has to see itself as part of the chain.” PJC To download the podcast, go to judaismunbound.com.

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

Phone:

28 APRIL 20, 2018

 KerfCase has a basic kit in cherry.

families,” he said. “That’s the measure of success that I’m looking for.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

“ This is a fun place to work. Every day we’re doing 20

”

different things.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

— PHIL GIAMMATTEI PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 28

CHETLIN: Ronald A. Chetlin, 75, passed away April 12, 2018, at his home in Greenville, Texas. Born January 20, 1943, in Baltimore, Md., Ron was the son of the late Israel Chetlin and Sylvia Gershon Chetlin. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Susan Rothman Chetlin; daughter Ami and her husband Rocky of Sugarland, Texas, son David and his wife Cecily of Frisco, Texas; six grandchildren: Michael, Matthew, Andrew, Jace, Ryan and Jack; his sister Michele Chetlin Beaven of The Villages, Fla.; caregiver Cara Bull of Wolfe City, Texas; and his beloved dog Ginger. Ron grew up in Pittsburgh, graduating from Taylor Allderdice High School before attending Case Western Reserve University. While working for Westinghouse, he married Sue in 1968.

Ten years later they moved their family to Greenville, Texas, where Ron worked for E-Systems (now L-3) and Sue taught elementary school. Ron received a degree in mathematics from Texas A&M Commerce, and later taught high school in Commerce and Quinlin, Texas. Ron was adventurous and loved sharing new experiences with his family and friends. An amazing chef, he was always trying out new kitchen appliances and unusual cooking techniques. He never gave up hope that his daughter-in-law would someday want to learn to cook. He was an accomplished wood worker and craftsman. He made his own rods, and spent many happy hours fly fishing. He took up snow skiing later in life. Ron and Sue loved to travel in their RV, accompanied by their faithful border collies. They visited 49 states and all but one province in Canada – sometimes going where there were no roads.

He shared his love with many pets: birds, fish (including piranhas, a lionfish and an octopus), hermit crabs, a skunk (who finally had to move to the Pittsburgh Zoo) and best friends, his dogs. Ron loved deeply, even though it was basically impossible for him to say it. His blunt advice may have led to some uncomfortable conversations, but was always rooted in his deep concern. He was a mainstay at the City Council meetings as he was always challenging injustices and standing up for what matters in life.

Donations may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association or the American Cancer Society.

KAMIN: Hannah Kamin, on Saturday April 7, 2018, dearly beloved and devoted wife of 59 years of Marvin Kamin of Pittsburgh and Palm Beach after a long condition of frontal temporal lobe dementia. Her cherished husband Marvin predeceased her by 18 days and they are now together in eternal peace. Beloved mother of Amy Kamin of New York City, Margie Feitler (Richard) of Chicago. Beloved grandmother of Sydney Kamin Sadick, Mitchell Kamin Sozio, Abigail, Nicole, Alexander, and Kyle Feitler. Predeceased by her parents Helen Weiss Honig and Alex Honig. Hannah was a proud graduate of Chatham University.

She was well known in the Pittsburgh and Palm Beach communities, and nationally as a leader, fundraiser and philanthropist. She was high energy, bright and articulate, and always sought after because of her ability to get results. This was guaranteed if Hannah was involved. In Pittsburgh the boards, leadership positions, and chair of committees were vast. It included the American Jewish Committee, Chatham University where she led very successful capital campaigns, Pittsburgh Family House where she was the co-chair of the policy and development committees, the executive committee of the Jewish Association on Aging, and the executive and grant assessment committee for the Jewish Health Care Foundation. The Ladies Hospital Aid Society of Western Pennsylvania was very dear to her and she served in every capacity including president. She was also on the development, finance, audit and strategic planning committee for the Presbyterian University Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh. At Rodef Shalom Congregation she was an officer, served as a trustee, served on the investment committee and chaired the congregation’s Philanthropic Fund. With UJA’s Women’s Division Hannah held every position and ultimately president as well as starting the Lion of Judah in Pittsburgh where there is an annual luncheon endowed by her family in her honor. She was very active at the Winchester Thurston School as president of the Parents Association and was a member of the executive committee of the board and co-chaired the capital campaign. She was also active with the National Council of Jewish Women and NA’AMAT USA Pittsburgh Council.

In Palm Beach she was a leader and well known in society circles for chairing events and hosting her own exquisite parties. Her board and leadership positions included the American Lung Association, Ballet Florida, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jewish National Fund, Jewish Guild for the Blind, and UJA Women’s executive committee.

Nationally Hannah was a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Millennium Committee to Save American’s Treasures under Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Women’s Leadership Forum of the Democratic National Committee, and co-chair of the Women’s Leadership Forum with Tipper Gore. Hannah was the proud recipient of many awards including Zionist Organization of America Community Leadership Award, American Jewish Committee Humanitarian Award, Chatham College Trustee Award for distinguished service, Jewish National Fund annual dinner honorees, which established the Hannah and Marvin Kamin water restoration project at Kibbutz Neve Ur, Israel, honoree for the Jewish Guild for the Blind, the United Jewish Federations Community Volunteer, Ladies Hospital Aid Society, NA’AMAT USA Pittsburgh Council honoree and State of Israel Bonds Spirit of Jerusalem Medallion Award. Private services were held at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Interment private at West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom Congregation. Contributions may be made to the Hannah Kamin Lion of Judah Fund of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com PJC

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

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Beverly D. Gerber-Kalson ................................... Mollie Dugan Michael Levin ...........................................Morris Shakespeare Marsha Lieb ................................................... Elaine Lefkowitz Nellie Mae Litowich .............................. Morton (Bud) Litowich Nellie Mae Litowich .....................................Allan Jay Mellman Helene, Allan & Michael Manela .................Donald Lester Lee Craig Match............................................................Sam Match Craig Match.................................................... Rebecca Zwibel Bernice Printz ...........................................Albert A. Rosenberg Suzanne Serbin ....................................... Edward A. Lenchner Pat Spokane................................................Samuel Schneirov Paul & Pauline Staman ......................................Lillian Staman Myrna Tureff ............................................... Rebecca Kaufman Alan Wallie ................................................ Esther Martin Wallie Claire & Morris Weinbaum ...............................Grace Lebovitz Bruce Weiner............................................... Dr. Joseph Simon Goldie Weiss .............................................Benjamin Weinberg Stephanie & Nicole Zinman ....................... Elva Hendel Perrin

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday April 22: Pauline Schlesinger Americus, Louis Berlow, Ida Rose Diamond, Julius Goldberg, Dr. Joseph Irwin Greenberger, Samuel Judd, Rose Markowitz Klein, Jerome J. Levenson, Rose Marks, Melvin Murman, John Rothman, Freda B. Saltsburg, Sol Sieff, Yetta Weinberger, Minnie Gertrude Wolf, Harry Yecies Monday April 23: Harry Auerbach, Joseph Braun, James A. Eckstein, Lena Fish Freedman, Sidney Friedman, Samuel Laskowitz, Louis P. Rosenberg, Vivian Baltin Rosenthal, Ruth E. Sherman, Morris Zeff Tuesday April 24: Stanley Friedlander, Ida Ginsburg, Penina Reva Goldberg, John J. Klein, Sam Klein, Samuel Mermelstein, Hymen Oawster, Marcus P. Rose, Marcus Schwartz, Fay L. Sidler, Rita W. Silverman, Milton Snyder, Esther Supowitz Wednesday April 25: Isaac Adler, Paul Beerman, Fred Gluck, Albert Lawrence Jacobs, Michael N. Lutsky, Rose Mannison, Max Neustein, Fannie Rapoport, Morris Rosenberg, Dr. Herman A. Saron, Albert Schwartz, Florence Simon, George Simon, Philip Sugerman, Jay Weinthal, Norman Leonard Weissman Thursday April 26: Hilda Parker Cohen, William Feivelson, Max Geltner, Lena Gescheidt, Samuel Goldblum, M.D., Grace Lebovitz, Samuel H. Miller, Elva Hendel Perrin, Mary Evelovitz Rom, Andrea Sue Ruben Serber, Florence Specter, Morris Stern, Cecelia Tepper, Louis E. Walk, Maurice Wilner Friday April 27: Jeanne Gettleman Cooper, Isadore Cousin, Louis Diamond, Regina Friedman, Bennie M. Granowitz, Isadore Gutkind, Solis Horwitz, Hyman Kramer, Anna Finestone Levit, Louise Plotkin, Leonard J. Singer Saturday April 28: Larry Abelson, Rosella Lillian Barovsky, Rita Marcus Faberman, Paul M. Fierst, Fannie Glick, Sarah Viola Heller, Saul I. Heller, Anne Marks, Samuel Mendlow, Harry Sandson, Dr. Joseph R. Simon, Benjamin Weinberg

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APRIL 20, 2018 29

Community Machers & Shakers

p Moshe Wasserman, son of Rabbi Daniel and Judi Wasserman and a graduate of Hillel

p Congratulations to Michelle Bisno, founder and owner of Modstone, for being

recognized by Andy Armheim of KDKA as having the single most innovative product among more than 1,800 booths showcased at the 2018 Pittsburgh Home and Garden show. Modstone is a flexible stone with endless applications for both interior and exterior surfaces.

Photo courtesy of Michelle Bisno

Academy of Pittsburgh, was at the White House on March 27 during a visit by a group of rabbinical students from Yeshivat HaKotel in Jerusalem just days before the start of the Passover holiday. President Donald Trump’s special Representative to International Negotiations, Jason D. Greenblatt, also has a son who is a student at Yeshivat Hakotel.

Greenblatt arranged a tour of the White House for some of the boys and requested a short shiur (Torah class), and Moshe was asked to give a brief drosh (discussion). Following Greenblatt’s Tweet, the discussion was picked up by Israel National News, The Jewish Press and theyeshivaworld.com.

Jason D. Greenblatt photo

 Dr. Matthew A. Keller will receive the 2018 Shore-Whitehill Award at the Jewish Family and Community Services annual meeting on May 17. 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.

Jewish Family and Community Services nominated Keller for his volunteerism and leadership with JFCS, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). Keller is currently in his third year as co-chair of the JFNA Disability Committee and was actively involved with the development and presentation of a roundtable forum on disability inclusion at JFNA’s General Assembly. He was a key force behind the Federation’s decision to bring the Rosh Pina disability inclusion project to Pittsburgh, and he has been an active proponent of this initiative for JFCS. Awardees receive an original sculpture by the late Sylvia Plutchok, a Pittsburgh-based artist, and recognition at an event planned by the nominating agency.

Photo courtesy of Jewish Residential Services

Flourishing following

p A panel held during The Weeks of Jewish Flourishing at Rodef Shalom joined

p Rodef Shalom Congregation and Chavurat Shirah held a collaborative Shabbat with special guest Dan Nichols during The Weeks of Jewish Flourishing.

30 APRIL 20, 2018

national and local thought leaders to discuss “How Can Jewish Wisdom & Practice Deepen Human Flourishing?” From left: Rabbi Irwin Kula, Jewish Center for Leadership and Learning (CLAL); Rabbi Amy Bardack, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh; Rabbi Aaron Bisno, Rodef Shalom; Danielle Kranjec, Hillel Jewish University Center; and Dan Libenson, “Judaism Unbound” podcast. Rabbi Andrew Hahn moderated.

Photos courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation

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Community Springtime for women

Holocaust remembrance Every year Carnegie Mellon University hosts an event where the names of children murdered in the Holocaust are read by faculty, staff and students.

This year, for the first time, Hillel students painted the names of the concentration camps against a black background painted on a fence.

The annual CMU Holocaust Remembrance Names Reading was held on April 12 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Each 10-minute time slot allowed for two volunteers, enabling more CMU community members to participate, and allowed for each volunteer to listen to names, as well as read them, and also provided volunteers with the ability to coordinate with a friend for emotional support. The two volunteers were able to switch after reading a complete page of names, trading off for the 10-minute slot.

In addition to the first and last names of the Holocaust victims, locations and dates of both birth and death were also included on the pages. Readers were encouraged to choose how they wished to read each page.

English and Hebrew readings, including poems, prayers and stories were provided for volunteers. p Charlene Tissenbaum, event chair of the

Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Women’s Spring Event on April 10, introduced “The Wandering Israeli,” the musical story of an Israeli adventure. The event, presented by the Women’s Philanthropy Division, took place in the Katz Theater of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill.

 After the performance of “The Wandering

Israeli,” actor-writer-director Elad Shippony poses onstage with Natalie Novick Woman of Philanthropy Award recipient Elaine Krasik.

Photos by David Bachman

p At the Jewish Federation’s Women’s Spring Event, Mary Novick, left, representing

the Novick family, presented Elaine Krasik with the Natalie Novick Woman of Philanthropy Award. The award is presented annually to a woman who demonstrates a commitment to the Jewish community through philanthropy, volunteerism and support of Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

p From left: Carolyn Hess Abraham, Lori Guttman and Carol Steinbach were attendees at the Women’s Philanthropy Spring Event. Since 1912, the Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has empowered women to become invaluable, influential contributors to the Jewish community of Pittsburgh.

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Photos courtesy of Marlene Behrmann

APRIL 20, 2018 31

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