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April 27, 2018 | 12 Iyar 5778
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Candlelighting 7:54 p.m. | Havdalah 8:57 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 17 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
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NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Steel City’s Israeli ambassadors reminisce Jewish Agency shlichim form connections that endure well past their tenures. Page 3 LOCAL If he can do it …
Israel at 70 celebrated with Pittsburgh dance, study, games — and food heroes of the Haganah By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
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Famous refusenik offers uplifting message. Page 4 LOCAL A century of scoring strikes
Israel at 70 celebrants at the JCC in Squirrel Hill paint a joint mural that will be displayed at three local Jewish institutions when complete.
Photo by Toby Tabachnick
By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
Saul Kaufman, who just turned 100, is one colorful bowler. Page 5
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ricia Burkett was one of almost 200 revelers at the South Hills Jewish Community Center on April 16, celebrating the 70th anniversary of the independence of the State of Israel. But although she was enjoying the festivities, Burkett couldn’t help but think of where she would be just three days later: in Jerusalem, marking Yom Ha’atzmaut in the Jewish state. Burkett would be spending a few days in Jerusalem before heading to Karmiel/ Misgav along with other volunteers on a Partnership2Gether mission with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. “I’m leaving for Israel early tomorrow
morning,” said Burkett, the music of the South Hills Shalom Singers providing the perfect soundscape to the celebration. “I feel so honored to be going. I’m going to be packing soldiers’ backpacks, gardening and working in a special needs community. To me, that is the best vacation I could have.” Pittsburgh’s Scott Township is half a world away from Israel, but that didn’t stand in the way of the South Hills Jewish community celebrating Israel at 70 in a big way. The JCC was alive with Israeli-themed crafts, a Ga-ga tournament, face painting, a South Hills PJ Library Israel Walk, and performances by
rt Jaffe never thought of himself as a soldier, but as a patriot, recalled his son, Joel. Jaffe, who grew up in Butler, Pa., and moved to Pittsburgh in his later years, served as an intelligence officer in World War II, was on the shores on Normandy on D-Day, and was one of only a few soldiers to survive all six campaigns in France. But, in Jaffe’s own words — as captured in the 1998 documentary “Israel’s Forgotten Heroes” — the “one great thing [he] did was help found the State of Israel.” Jaffe, who passed away in 2015, was one of several Pittsburghers — and hundreds of American Jews — who heeded the call of David Ben-Gurion in the mid-1940s, urging experienced Jewish soldiers in the Diaspora to come to the Jewish homeland in anticipation of an invasion by Arab armies. Jaffe was studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem on the G.I. Bill following his service in the Second World War, when he was tapped to join the Haganah, Israel’s Jewish underground military organization. A scholar of classical languages, Jaffe found his niche in the Haganah as a translator of surreptitiously obtained Arab documents. He and his colleagues, said his son, would rummage through the trash at the Arab nations’ headquarters at night, where they would find crumpled up documents containing the questions and responses that the Arabs would be
Please see Israel, page 16
Please see Heroes, page 16
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LOCAL Merchants buy, sell Israeli goods
LOCAL Literary jewel speaks at shul
LOCAL Riverview Towers wins grant
Headlines Supporting Israel and supporting local may be synonymous “it’s kind of an added bonus.” Ultimately, where the items come from “is not really a focus of ours,” said Jake, an employee at the East Liberty Trader Joe’s. “We just carry products that people like.” And some of those happen to be Israel-sourced. In a 2017 post to its website, the Monrovia, Calif.-based grocer touted its offering of Bamba, the peanut-flavored nosh that serves as a practical staple within infant Israeli cuisine: “Not only is Bamba … tricky to find in general (most U.S. grocers don’t carry the stuff), it’s darn near impossible to find it at a price better than
— LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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ome people venture on missions or trips overseas. Others adopt online causes or act as advocates in alternative ways to support Israel. For several area merchants, one way to aid the Jewish state is providing customers the possibility of purchasing Israeli manufactured products. “I always have since I’ve been in business,” said Edna Galioto, owner of Capriccio, a women’s clothing store that originated in 2003. Currently available at the Squirrel Hill shop is a white jacket from Alembika, a Tel Aviv-based company that, according to its website, operates 13 “flagship” sites across the country and ships to “hundreds of exclusive boutiques around the globe.” In addition to carrying Alembika, Galioto routinely stocks Ronen Chen, another Israeli fashion brand. “People ask for it and it sells. It’s beautiful,” said Galioto. Providing purchasers with an attractive item that traces its roots to Israel is what drew Paul Kenney, owner of Kidz & Company, to No Biggie, an Israeli children’s brand founded by Yael Marcovitz, a Tel Avivbased designer. Kenney, whose boutique children’s clothing store is located on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill, discovered No Biggie at a trade show. “I thought they were cool,” he said, while holding up several stylish bodysuits. As for the company’s connection to Israel, “I like that, and it’s also a selling point in this neighborhood.”
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t Paul Kenney of Kidz & Company holds a No Biggie bodysuit
But while Kenney and Galioto actively seek out Israeli goods, other merchants are more interested in finding the best product, regardless of its roots. And they’re quick to point out that the concepts needn’t be mutually exclusive. Littles Shoes, a Squirrel Hill-based retailer, currently has two Israeli collections: Naot and Beautifeel. The comfort and manufacturing are what set these shoes apart from other items, explained Justin Sigal, Littles’ president. The fact that they are made in Israel,
u Justin Sigal of Littles Shoes stands in front of a display of Naot Shoes.
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Photos by Adam Reinherz
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ours — because we’re selling each 3.5-ounce bag of Trader Joe’s Bamba Peanut Snacks for just 99 cents. That’s practically peanuts!” Additionally noted is that the popped and crunchy bites are “made for us in Israel, where Bamba is far and away the best-selling snack in the country.” Though perhaps not as popular as a peanut treat, or as plentiful as some of the offerings available at Pinskers or Murray Avenue Kosher, also delightful are the exquisite adornments that stem from the Jewish state. Necklaces, bracelets and rings which hail from the Jewish homeland are regularly available at TJ Maxx in Fox Chapel, for instance. “We have about four to five vendors and they provide us with jewelry from Israel,” said Coral Fleischman, accessories coordinator at the store. While items from E&L and Paz Creations are both currently available at the Fox Chapel space, interested customers should also go online, she said. A quick search at tjmaxx.com reveals more than 250 products “made in Israel.” Although there is a certain enjoyment in knowing that something is manufactured in Israel, more exciting is actually seeing it made, explained Sigal, who visited Teva Naot’s factory during a visit overseas. “It’s on a kibbutz, you see the locals making them, it’s a neat thing,” said Sigal. Catching sight of a clog’s construction was “cool,” he said, but what really buckled the whole experience together was exiting the kibbutz Naot Mordechai plant. Added Sigal: “You’re in Israel and in a shoe factory, and you step outside of the factory and you have Israel all around you.” PJC
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Headlines Steel City shlichim recall past service with pride — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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sraelis who spent their days in the Steel City building bridges between Pittsburgh and the Jewish state have over the years been the faces of Israel for countless members of the community. In celebration of Israel’s 70th anniversary of its independence, some of them reflected on their experiences here.
“It was a special experience to come to a new place, meet new people and do a job in a new community. It was one of the best things,” said Maymon Peer, a resident of Kiryat Bialik, a suburb of Haifa. Between 2007 and 2009, Peer served as a shliach, an emissary, to the Pittsburgh Jewish community through a Jewish Agency for Israel project, which ended its Pittsburgh affiliation in 2012. Working closely with lay leaders on projects to synergize the Diaspora and Israeli
p Maymon Peer, a former shliach, who recalled the friendships he developed in Photo courtesy of Maymon Peer Pittsburgh.
p Leehee Kanne served two stints as a shlicha in Pittsburgh.
Photo courtesy of Leehee Kanne
communities, Leehee Kanne played a similar role to Peer between 2007 and 2009 and again from 2010 to 2012. “My very first interview, I was interviewed by seven people,” the Tel Aviv resident recalled of her first introduction to Pittsburgh. “At first I thought it was daunting but then I thought it was impressive.” The amount of interested participants demonstrated “how collaborative the Jewish community is.”
“It’s an unbelievable Jewish community,” echoed Tzachi Levy, who held the position between 2004 and 2005. “The Pittsburgh Jewish community collaborates really well, no matter the affiliation. It doesn’t matter what synagogue you go to, people work extremely well together,” said Kanne. The fact that Pittsburghers can coalesce and Please see Shlichim, page 17
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Headlines Refusenik, jailed in attempted hijacking, offers inspiring message — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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ven rabbis have past lives. Such former exploits were cause for public discussion last weekend when Rabbi Josef Mendelevich, a Russian dissident who rose to fame for his involvement in the 1970 Dymshits-Kuznetsov aircraft hijacking affair, served as scholar-in-residence at Congregation Poale Zedeck in Squirrel Hill. The rationale for inviting Mendelevich was to spark Zionist fervor, explained Rabbi Daniel Yolkut, spiritual leader for the modern Orthodox synagogue. “I had heard from colleagues that it has been a really powerful experience for their communities to have Rabbi Mendelevich come,” said Yolkut. “Part of the theology that I try to transmit about Israel is a sense of wonder at the miraculous. The idea that after 2,000 years of exile, the idea that the most improbable ways that these ancient biblical prophecies are taking place — for me that is one of the core, kind of at the core of my Zionist identity.” Mendelevich’s Pittsburgh visit was just one of many times the septuagenarian has shared his story. Both his autobiography, “Unbroken Spirit: A Heroic Story of Faith, Courage and Survival” (Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem, 2012), and Laura Bialis’ 2007 documentary “Refusenik” narrate Mendelevich’s saga as well as the difficulties faced at large by Soviet Jews seeking emigration during the 1960s and ’70s. Mendelevich’s Pittsburgh stay afforded not only a chance to recount his past, but to speak of his current work as an instructor at Mechon Meir, a religious Zionist yeshiva located in Jerusalem. Regarding the former, the cultural milieu in 1970 was such that Soviet Jews were essentially forbidden from obtaining exit visas to Israel, explained Mendelevich. Given the reality that the former Soviet
Union posed no real possibility for legal escape, he and 15 other refuseniks crafted a plan. The group’s tactic was to purchase all of the seats on a 12-seater plane, remove the pilots prior to departure, fly the craft to Sweden and then ultimately head to Israel. On the morning of June 15, the group arrived at a tarmac near Leningrad, only to be met by members of the KGB who for months had known of the plot. The group was arrested and put on trial. Mark Dymshits and Eduard Kuznetsov, its leaders, were sentenced to death, while the others received lesser punishments. Mendelevich, then 23 years old, was sentenced to 15 years in the gulag. On appeal, and after inter- p Rabbi Josef Mendelevich national attention was brought to the ordeal, the sentences were reduced. arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, Dymshits and Kuznetsov were to serve the state presented little surprise, explained 15 years, while Mendelevich’s time was the Russian, English, Hebrew, Yiddish and lowered to 12 years. Latvian speaker. His treatment during those years in “More or less I was informed about the Siberia was “regular, nothing special,” he spiritual situation and the political situation deadpanned. “It was rather cold.” At points, in Israel,” he explained. “Most of the discovthe temperature would drop to 40 degrees eries were of myself.” below zero, Celsius. The guards provided Such realizations came by way of study. “some” blankets, coats and hats, but “not “The day after my release, I went to learn enough to get you warm.” in the yeshiva,” he said. Prior to prison, Mendelevich had studied After six months at Yeshivat Har Etzion, English at the university in Riga. Despite his Mendelevich left for Mercaz HaRav. Two incarceration, he practiced the language by years after studying at the Harry Fischel conversing with former Russian diplomats Institute for Talmudic Research he received who because of their political views found ordination and moved on to teach at Machon themselves in similar confines. Mendelevich’s Meir, a center for students lacking “formal prison stay also came alongside fellow Russian Jewish education,” where he remains today. dissident Anatoly Borisovich Shcharansky, Although this was his first visit to who upon his own release and immigration Pittsburgh, Mendelevich has been to to Israel renamed himself Natan Sharansky. Philadelphia, Cleveland and numerous In 1981, after his release, Mendelevich American cities. While many synagogues moved to Israel. and organizations have requested him, Although scores of journalists awaited his Mendelevich, 70, is quick to distinguish
Photo by Adam Reinherz
himself from other professional speakers. “Whatever I am telling people in my story is being given from the angle of my religious concepts,” he said. “I use my experience and my past to explain exactly what I told you now.” He sees himself as someone who not only survived a harrowing experience, but as a person whose mission is to convey a spiritual message. “I have an aim. I have an educational aim to bring people more emunah, more belief in themselves, that they are able and they have to do what I did,” he said. “Whatever the struggle is on the way, we are fighting for our nation.” Added the rabbi, “Every Jew can do enormous efforts for his nation and for his state. It’s in everybody’s potential, it depends on his understanding of who he is and what a treasure we got having the State of Israel.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Pittsburgh-Israeli collaboration receives grant to fund clinical trials — LOCAL —
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ittsburgh-based Noveome Biotherapeutics, Inc., has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to begin clinical trials on potential remedies for currently untreatable back of the eye conditions including glaucoma and optic neuritis, as well as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative disease usually caused by repeated head injuries. Noveome, which has developed a proprietary product, called ST266, for healing damaged or diseased tissue, will conduct the trials in collaboration with SipNose, Ltd. of Yokneam, Israel, a medical device company that has developed a tool that delivers ST266 non-invasively through the nose to protect
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nerves in the affected areas of the eye or brain. Last month, Noveome and SipNose entered into a formal collaboration agreement for using ST266 with the nasal device. While the partnering companies have already completed preclinical studies, a Phase 1 clinical safety trial is scheduled to begin in later 2018. From the 233 subjects treated with ST266 in eight clinical trials, it was found to be “well-tolerated and there were no drug-related adverse events reported, attesting to its strong safety profile,” according to a Noveome press release. “We are confident that we will be successful in delivering ST266 directly to the back of the eye and brain,” said William J. Golden, founder, chairman and CEO at Noveome. “Combining our product with SipNose’s innovative medical device
represents a revolutionary approach to non-invasively treat currently untreatable medical conditions.” The partnership between Noveome and the commonwealth follows the November 2017 signing of an Agreement on Cooperation in Research, Development and Technological Innovation by Israel and Pennsylvania. Marc Zucker, chairman of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition, noted, “The Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition worked tirelessly last year to consummate a memorandum of understanding between Israel and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This latest development demonstrates how businesses in Israel and Pennsylvania, when given the opportunity, can build bridges of understanding and mutual cooperation, for the
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benefit of all concerned.” “It is very timely and exciting to have an established Pittsburgh biotech company and an innovative Israeli company collaborating on this critical life sciences project,” said Dennis M. Davin, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Added Jeffrey Finkelstein, president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, “Pittsburgh and Israel have many connections through technology and medical companies that employ experts across countries. This development attests to the growth potential for partnerships between the thriving tech community in Pittsburgh and the ‘startup nation’ of Israel.” PJC — Adam Reinherz
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Headlines Pins and punchlines are no match for Saul Kaufman — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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aul Kaufman may be entering a late frame, but his game is going strong. The 100-year-old bowler, who two weeks ago racked up a turkey and a score of 162 in his Gateway Vets Bowling League, was celebrated by teammates and friends on reaching a numerical milestone notably below his average. The April 18 gala, which featured a cake, singing and selfies, was held at North Versailles Bowling Center, and although Kaufman didn’t play that night, he still managed to be in the groove. After entering the venue through a back door, the Oakland resident greeted guests with an announcement, “Look how I’m walking. I’m rehearsing for my old age.” The joke was a high hit for Kaufman, who followed it up with a sarcastic spare, “Do you know why my skin is so smooth? Because I use botox.” While the birthday boy lofted jests, more players arrived. “We all love Saul,” said Steve Weiss, of Squirrel Hill. “If someone could pick their grandfather, you’d pick a guy like Saul. He’s awesome,” said Leah Maretsky, of the East End. As players enjoyed the decorative pastry,
p Leah Maretsky (left) celebrates with Saul Kaufman
Kaufman, through quips and chronicles, recalled how he was born at “The German Hospital of Brooklyn” and that his family moved from New York City to Pittsburgh when he was 2 years old. “Do you know why my name is Saul?” he asked. “Because I was the last of five children. When I was born, my mother said, ‘That’s-all.’” Kaufman, like many Jews of his period, grew up in the Hill District. He was bar mitzvahed
Photo by Adam Reinherz
at Oher Chodesh (New Light Congregation) on Roberts Street and attended Schenley High School, where he and a local legend competitively swam. “Jack Morris was on our team,” recalled Kaufman, who was forced to leave school three credits short of graduating. “I had to go work in a grocery store.” After Star Markets, Kaufman entered the military and served “a lot of different details, mostly in the States.”
In 1944, as a mess sergeant at Fort Meade, Md., the Jewish enlistee was overseeing a group of German prisoners of war. “One of the guys said if he would have met me in Germany he would have killed me,” he revealed. “I grabbed a knife and almost killed him.” Years after the war, Kaufman met Miriam Snitzer Liebling. They married in 1960, but in 1965, she died of cancer. Several years later, Kaufman married Phyllis Soloman, who died in 2001 from scleroderma. Between both wives, Kaufman has three stepchildren, seven grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Prior to retiring, he operated a toy store, furniture store and mattress store, “all in Lawrenceville.” The latter endeavor led him to bowling, as he was forced to give up swimming “about 25 to 30 years ago.” “I hurt my shoulder lifting mattresses,” he said. “If you listen close it will crack.” Dan Blumenfeld, chairman of the bowling league, mused about Kaufman’s complaints. “The more he hurts, the better he bowls,” said the Squirrel Hill resident. Apart from the current cast on his hand and the crick in his shoulder, Kaufman has largely avoided medical concern. “I’m very serious about my body,” he explained. “If I don’t feel right I get it checked Please see Kaufman, page 17
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APRIL 27, 2018 5
Headlines Pittsburgh is powerful muse to local author Sharon Dilworth — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
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t’s not every day that a writer gets to celebrate the release of a new book, but Sharon Dilworth got a double dose of nachas in the span of just four weeks with the publication of her novel “My Riviera,” as well as a new book of short stories, “two sides, three rivers.” An audience of Temple Sinai book club members was rapt last week as Dilworth read two stories from “two sides, three rivers,” a collection inspired by Pittsburgh’s assorted and unique neighborhoods. Appropriately, Dilworth, a longtime member of Temple Sinai, began by reading a story set in Squirrel Hill, peppered with references to familiar landmarks, and drawing knowing chuckles from those listening. She often finds that the ideas for her work begin with a certain locale, and Pittsburgh, with its numerous, diverse communities has been a valued muse. In “two sides, three rivers” Dilworth holds a magnifying glass to characters with a particular Pittsburgh sensibility, looking deeply and often humorously at the ways the Steel City molds those who live here. She sets her stories in Lawrenceville, the North Side and the Strip.
p Sharon Dilworth
Photo provided
She is not sure why place inspires her, she said in an interview, “but I just know it does.” In an earlier book, “The Long White,” Dilworth invented characters living on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where the topography and the climate influence their thoughts and actions, the snowy landscape binding them and creating a sense of isolation as a result. Paradoxically, she wrote “The Long White” while on sabbatical in the South of France, and wrote “My Riviera” — a novel about a 15-year-old girl coming of age in her family’s long-neglected summer villa
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on the Riviera — while living in Pittsburgh. Although she always knew she wanted to be a writer, Dilworth did not get serious about honing her craft until she graduated from college and read a story by Donald Barthelme that inspired her to get started. She soon entered into an MFA program at the University of Michigan, where she studied with the acclaimed writer Charles Baxter. Dilworth followed the right path. She is now an award-winning writer and the director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Creative Writing Program. She is the author of three additional books of short stories and was the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a Pushcart Prize in fiction. She moved to Pittsburgh from Detroit 25 years ago to take a position at CMU. The Shadyside resident has high praise for her CMU students. “The students are so eclectic,” she said, noting that the strong emphasis on engineering on campus does not negate those students’ passion for the humanities. “They are really smart and really talented at a young age. They like literature. They read Faulkner.” She is also impressed by her colleagues, several of whom are published writers. “It’s a great atmosphere,” she said. As if writing novels and short stories and running the creative writing program at CMU were not enough, Dilworth is also a
is eulogized by Moshe Dayan. Rothberg becomes a symbol for the inability to achieve peace in Israel’s early years.
— WORLD — Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
April 30, 2003 — Quartet issues roadmap for peace
April 27, 2009 — Abbas publicly refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state
April 28, 1982 — Yehuda Amichai is awarded the Israel Prize for poetry
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Conceived by U.S. President George W. Bush during the second intifada, the Roadmap serves as the centerpiece of failed peace negotiations at the beginning of 21st century.
May 1, 1987 — Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe’er Is Born
Shahar Pe’er, the highest ranked professional tennis player in Israel’s history, is born in Jerusalem.
May 2, 1921 — Writer Yosef Haim Brenner is murdered
Yosef Haim Brenner, a pioneer of modern Hebrew literature, is murdered by an Arab gang during the 1921 Jaffa Riots. Renowned Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai jointly wins the 1982 Israel Prize for poetry with Amir Gilboa.
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Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
This week in Israeli history
In a speech in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas dismisses a demand from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
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playwright. She meets once a week with a group of other playwrights and local actors, where “we get together and read each other’s work,” she said. The actors help bring the works-in-progress to life. She finds Pittsburgh to be a rich source of material, with quirky local stories providing fodder for creativity. She pointed, as an example, to the Shrine of the Blessed Virgin in lower Oakland, which features a statue of the Virgin Mary within a brick arch, tucked away near the edge of a cliff. The story behind the shrine, Dilworth explained, is that a woman had a dream one night about a man with no fingers. The next day, she met a man with no fingers, and told him that she dreamed about him. “So, they built a shrine to the Virgin Mother,” Dilworth said. “This is just so funny, and so different, and it gets me going.” Although she is not Jewish, she is a fixture in Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. She and her husband have been members of Temple Sinai for 25 years, and their children attended Community Day School. She volunteers regularly at the East End Cooperative Ministry with other members of Temple Sinai. “I love Temple Sinai,” she said. “It’s a great community.” PJC
April 29, 1956 — Ro’i Rothberg is killed near Nahal Oz
May 3, 1882 — May Laws are instituted in Russia
The May Laws, which restrict Jewish land-tenure and residency rights, are passed amidst widespread pogroms in Russia. PJC
Killed in an ambush along the Gaza border, Ro’i Rothberg
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Headlines With state backing, Riverview Towers expanding access — LOCAL — By Lauren Rosenblatt | Digital Content Manager
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iverview Towers, the Jewish community-backed apartment complex that offers affordable housing to adults over 62 years old, is taking steps to make the units more accessible and appealing to a larger group of low-income seniors. Riverview Towers Apartments Inc., which owns and operates two apartment buildings in Squirrel Hill, received $1.67 million in state tax credits last Friday to renovate several units from efficiencies to one and two bedroom apartments. It will also make a portion of the houses “unrestricted,� meaning they will be available to residents of any income. “It’s not about getting the money so much, but the ability to continue to provide the services,� said executive director Hanna Steiner. “Whether it’s a physical building or something else, there is a life cycle, and [Riverview Towers] is at the point where you need to make sure it serves the purpose for which it was built.� The nonprofit, a beneficiary of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, decided to apply for additional funding because of rising
p Riverview Towers, an affordable housing apartment complex in Squirrel Hill for older adults, plans to renovate several of their units from efficiencies to one and two bedroom apartments.
Photo by Lauren Rosenblatt
property values in Squirrel Hill, a need for large system updates and the “desire to make the property more leasable,� Steiner said. It plans to renovate 54 efficiencies and six one-bedroom apartments, turning them into 24 one-bedroom and six two-bedroom units. The renovations, which Steiner said will take about 12 months to get started and 18 months to complete, will reduce the number of total available units from 221 to 191. Of those 191 units, 40 will be unrestricted, or available to tenants of any income, Steiner said. The other units will be for residents that qualify for affordable housing, meaning they are at or below 60 percent of Area Median Income. In Allegheny County, the
median family income is $76,000 according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The hope is that this transition will make the housing available to more people who need it, said Adam Hertzman, director of marketing at the Federation. “The decision was made for Riverview Towers to apply for tax credits that would enable this transition, specifically to be able to renovate the apartments so they would be more attractive to individuals,� he said, adding that talks of these changes have been in the works for about four years. Riverview Towers received the tax credits through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, which offers tax credits to affordable housing programs throughout the state that demonstrate they have strong community support and the resources needed to complete their proposed projects. In Pennsylvania, 39 organizations received low-income housing tax credits for 2018, including three in Pittsburgh. According to state Sen. Jay Costa (D-District 43), who was involved in helping Riverview Towers receive the tax credits, close to 100 projects from the state apply for the program. “The Riverview Program has been around for a lot of years. It provides a great service and allows people to stay in the community. And
they should be in the community that has the appropriate facility,� Costa said. “Those are some of the things we’ve tried to do.� This is the second year Riverview Towers has applied for the PHFA program. Costa also helped Jewish Residential Services receive the same state tax credits to begin construction on Krause Commons, another affordable housing project in Squirrel Hill, in May 2017. State Rep. Dan Frankel (D-District 23) and Mayor Bill Peduto also helped Riverview Towers acquire the state tax credits this year. In 2018, Riverview Towers accounts for about 10 percent of the total affordable housing units that will be made possible through the PHFA Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The apartment complex includes two apartment buildings — the first was initially constructed in 1965 and the second in 1971. The additional funding from the tax credits, Steiner said, will make sure Riverview Towers can still offer residents “the full gamut of mind, body and soul,� referring to the additional “wraparound services� such as housekeeping, meals and a library. “It’s time to make sure that we are here to stay for the next 30 years,� she said.  PJC Lauren Rosenblatt can be reached at lrosenblatt@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Calendar q FRIDAY, MAY 4
992-5218 or visit jfedpgh.org/ men-conversations. 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 412-279-7600 for more information or to RSVP. q TUESDAYS, MAY 1- 29
q FRIDAY-SATURDAY, APRIL 27-28 Beth El Congregation will culminate its 100th anniversary festivities with a celebration weekend. On Friday, Beth El will honor teachers past and present at a special Teacher Appreciation Shabbat with dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. There is no charge. Saturday from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Beth El celebrates its past with recollections from its former rabbis, including insights from USCJ CEO Rabbi Steven C. Wernick. There will also be a dedication of the Centennial Garden and a luncheon. Beth El’s Party of the Century will be at 7 p.m., including cocktails, culinary delights and music from the In Transit Band. There is a charge. Visit bethelcong.org for more information or call 412-561-1168. >> 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 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 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 Stephanie.Wright@ Chatham.edu by Sunday, April 22 at noon to register. Visit templesinaipgh.org/ matzoh-ball-gumbo-young-adult-shabbatdinner 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.
8 APRIL 27, 2018
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. 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 The Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s Stacie Bonenberger and Anneliese Perry will discuss dementia-causing diseases, the brain and engaging those experiencing these changes from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Jewish Association on Aging, 200 JHF Drive, in the Community Room. The program is free and open to the community. RSVP to Amy Dukes 412-5218295 or adukes@jaapgh.org.
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. q THURSDAY, MAY 3
AND SUNDAY, MAY 6
Sara Stock Mayo and Elinor S. Nathanson, co-founders and producers of ShpielBurgh Productions, LLC, will premier “The Book of Ruth” Shavuot Shpiel, set to the music (but not the content) of “The Book of Mormon.” Tickets are on sale at RuthMusical.Eventbrite. com. All ticket sales will benefit JFCS Refugee & Immigrant Services and Jewish Community Center of Puerto Rico’s Hurricane María Relief Fund.
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-
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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. Visit templesinaipgh.org/calendar for more information. Congregation Emanu-El Israel, Greensburg and its Festival of the Jewish Arts will present its fourth annual Klezmer Concert with Cantor Henry Shapiro and the Steel City Klezmorim from 7 to 9 p.m. at 222 N. Main Street. This event is free and open to the community and is sponsored in part by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Call 724-834-0560 for more information.
Pittsburgh Jewish Day School Odyssey of the Mind Competition will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Community Day School, with participants in grades three to eight joining from Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh and Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. 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 THURSDAY, MAY 3
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 412992-5217, erichman@jfedpgh.org or visit shalompittsburgh.org/events/ momentum-open-house for more information or to register.
q SATURDAY, MAY 5
q SUNDAY, MAY 6
Jewish Family and Community Services Career Development Center and Refugee & Immigrant Services, in partnership with other local area organizations, will host the free Refugee and Immigrant Job Fair from 9 a.m. to noon in the Sternwheeler Room of the Omni William Penn Hotel. More than 20 employers from a variety of industries will be in attendance. Immigrant jobseekers will receive assistance from onsite staff to help understand how job fairs work in the U.S., as well as coaching on how to present themselves to prospective employers. Visit jfcspgh.org for more information.
Parkway Jewish Center will host a musical, Klezmer-style Kabbalat Shabbat service from 6 to 7 p.m. Cantor Henry Shapiro and his band Klezmerati, three musicians from Cleveland. Visit parkwayjewishcenter.org or facebook.com/parkwayjewishcenter for more information. A reception will follow the service. All are welcome.
The Kollel Legacy Circle event will be begin at 5 p.m. with a light dinner buffet followed by the program at 6 p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 535 Smithfield St. Moishe Bane, Orthodox Union president, will speak on “Three Existential Challenges to American Orthodoxy That Are Largely Ignored.” There is a charge. Contact Stacie@kollelpgh.org or visit kollelpgh.org for more information and to RSVP.
Please see Calendar, page 9 q SUNDAY, APRIL 29 The Holocaust Center and Community Day School will co-sponsor the annual Walk to Remember at 11:30 a.m., bringing together Holocaust survivors and their families, and honoring 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. 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.
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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 8 q MONDAY, MAY 7 Beth El Congregation hosts its monthly First Mondays program with Rabbi Alex Greenbaum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring journalist Charles Reichblum, nicknamed “Dr. Knowledge,” who has built one of the largest collections in the world of fascinating facts and stories that serve as a source for his “Knowledge in a Nutshell” book series. There is a $6 charge. Call 412-561-1168 to make a reservation. 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 Mark Staitman, rabbinic scholar. Contact Mia Alcorn at malcorm@jfedpgh.org or 412-9925222 for more information and to register. q WEDNESDAY, MAY 9 Classrooms Without Borders 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. J Street Pittsburgh and Temple Sinai Tikkun Olam Center will present actor and photographer Gili Getz at 7 p.m. in “The Forbidden Conversation,” a personal one-man performance that explores the challenges of having a conversation about Israel in the American Jewish community. A discussion with Getz and members of the audience will follow the performance at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Katz Theater. Contact Kenny Cohen at kenneth@jstreet.org or visit act. jstreet.org/signup/forbidden-conversationPITT for more information and to register. 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 Twenty-First Century: A Moral Vision, One Day at a Time.” The event is being held in honor of Rabbi Mark
Mahler’s upcoming retirement after 38 years of service to Temple Emanuel. There will be a Meet & Greet at 6:30 p.m., which includes reserved seating; 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 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 played 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 MONDAY-FRIDAY MAY 14-18 Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh will co-host a Grantsmanship Training Program. Participants will leave with useful, up-to-date, practical information for planning programs and writing grant proposals. The training will be held in the Jewish Life department at the JCC. Contact The Grantsmanship Center at 804-21-9512, registrar@tgci.com or visit tgci.com for more information and to register. 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.
opening production of William Finn’s semiautobiographical musical “A New Brain,” running at the New Hazlett Theater. Contact 888-718-4253 or visit frontporchpgh.org for more information and tickets.
The Mt. Lebanon Public Library will present “Why Declaring Jerusalem as Capital of Israel is Controversial” at 7 p.m. with Samuel Kayam, who will provide a historical review of the city and its importance to the three monotheistic religions. Kayam was born in Israel and raised in the northern city of Haifa.
q SATURDAY, MAY 19
q WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 AARP Squirrel Hill Chapter 3354 will hold its monthly meeting at 1 p.m. at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, at Shady and Wilkins avenues. A representative from Duquesne Light will be speaking about how to save energy. Nightlights and bulbs will be available for free to all who attend. Refreshments are served after the meeting. Contact Ilene Portnoy at 412-683-7985 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 L’Simcha at, 5898 Wilkins Ave. The cost is $15 per class. RSVP to naaamatpgh@gmail.com. Jewish Family and Community Services will hold its annual meeting, beginning with hors d’oeuvres and dessert reception at 6 p.m. followed by the meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh; dietary laws observed. Contact info@jfcspgh.org or visit jfcspgh.org for more information. 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. q FRIDAY-SUNDAY, MAY 18-27 Front Porch Theatricals, Pittsburgh’s boutique professional musical theater company, will present its season
Tikkun Leil Shavuot, presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, is the communitywide Jewish learning program 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. q TUESDAYS, MAY 22-JUNE 26 The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh is hosting the workshop Better Choices, Better Health six consecutive Tuesdays, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in room 202. The workshop is free. Participants will actively be a part of brainstorming on key topics. Contact Amy Gold at 412-697-3528 for more information and to register. q THURSDAY, MAY 24 Joshua L. Sindler, Z”L, Creative Classrooms musical performances by Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh students will be held at 7 p.m. followed by browsing in the student art gallery. The gallery will include art pieces from students in grades 1-12. Contact dshaw@ hillelpgh.org for more information. q THURSDAY, MAY 31 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will show its appreciation with a celebration from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Pittsburgh Opera, 2425 Liberty Ave. Entertainment will be provided by Kippalive, Israel’s a cappella group. The $18 per person includes strolling dinner and cocktails; dietary laws observed. The PNC Community Builders Award will be presented to the Halpern Family. RSVP by May 18. Contact Emily Richman at erichman@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5217 for more information or visit jfedpgh.org/ celebration. PJC
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MINI MACHANEH
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Mini Machaneh is for students entering pre-k through kindergarten. Mini Machaneh will be run by our current early childhood staff and will be under our DPW and NAEYC accreditation. Our campers will enjoy a summer of growth, exploration, excitement, friendships, learning, and lots and lots of fun! Activities will include outdoor sprinkler play, swimming, organized and improvised sports, music, arts and crafts, and weekly trips to places such as Simmons Farm, the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, The Good Ship Lollipop, and more! Breakfast and lunch will be served every day, free of charge.
WEEK: $175 FULL SUMMER (paid in advance): $950
10 APRIL 27, 2018
MACHANEH HILLEL (Going into 1st - 3rd)
HILLEL TORAH & TRAVEL CAMP (Going into 4th - 8th)
Machaneh Hillel promises to be a fun, dynamic and enriching summer camp experience for children entering 1st 3rd grades. Our campers will enjoy a summer of fun, excitement and growth in their Judaism. In addition to weekly trips, swimming four days a week, and daily learning, campers at Macheneh Hillel will be able to choose chugim such as robotics, drama, fine arts, basketball, soccer, wilderness, silly science, baking, and more. These chugim will rotate on a weekly basis and will be taught by our Hillel Academy faculty and other local professionals. Our trips will include Simmons Farm, the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, Bounce U, a Pirate’s game, and more. Machaneh Hillel will run concurrent boys and girls programs both based at our Hillel Academy Campus.
Hillel Torah and Travel Camp is for students entering 4th-8th grade. HTT promises to be a unique experience that is a hybrid between day camp and sleep-away camp. The mission of HTT is to inculcate leadership qualities in our campers. In order to foster this growth, HTT will include daily Shiurim, leadership training activities, sports, swimming, and trips that include camping, canoeing, ropes course, hiking, biking, and weekly chesed opportunities. Hillel Torah and Travel camp will have separate boys and girls programs.
Breakfast and lunch will be served every day, free of charge.
WEEK: $220 FULL SUMMER (paid in advance): $1225
WEEK: $175 FULL SUMMER (paid in advance): $950
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Breakfast and lunch will be served every day, free of charge.
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Updating Our Mission Statement Over the past year, our lay and professional leadership went through the thoughtful and intentional process of updating our Mission Statement. Our goal was simple – to help our members, guests, professional staff, donors, partners and other stakeholders know more than what we do, but WHY we exist and who we aspire to be. Mission statements are more than just assemblies of words. Each word has weight and intention. It is our “North Star” that guides us in our future efforts to meet the community wants and needs. They help focus our efforts on what matters and how we aim to bringer greater impact to our corner of the world. A close examination of mission has been part of our DNA for the 123 years we have served community. In 1939, the Irene Kaufmann Settlement (predecessor to the JCC) wrote a mission statement that included as its primary objective the advancement of “the civic, intellectual and social welfare of the surrounding community.” Twelve years ago, our board developed and adopted the following statement: “To advance our vision of an exemplary, thriving, engaged community rooted in Jewish values, the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh’s mission is to enrich our community by creating an environment that strengthens the physical, intellectual and spiritual well-being of individuals and families.” The process this year was much more inclusive. We involved more parties ----- staff, board members and individuals from the community. We held discussions and focused meetings to solicit ideas and input, filling up whiteboards with words and beliefs. And here, simple and direct is our new Mission Statement:
We thank you, every member of our community, for inspiring us to make every word matter.
Brian Schreiber, JCC President and CEO
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Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports
Jerry Silverman will step down from Jewish federations network Jerry Silverman will step down next year after 10 years as president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, the umbrella body of local community Jewish philanthropies. Silverman announced his decision in an email Monday to colleagues. He said that after consulting with his family, he decided not to seek renewal of his contract after it ends in September 2019. “I wholeheartedly plan to continue at my usual pace until September 2019. My decision is bittersweet,� he wrote. “However, as I have always stated, family comes first.� He is the father of five grown children. Silverman came to JFNA in 2009 after serving as CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Prior to that he was an executive for various consumer brands, including serving as president of the Keds Corp. JFNA serves as a coordinating body for 148 Jewish federations and 300 smaller “network� communities, claiming combined fundraising of more than $2 billion annually. The money is distributed to programs in Israel and Jewish social services and educational needs in North America and abroad. Silverman said a CEO search could take more than a year. Russia may supply advanced anti-missile systems to Syria Russia is considering supplying its advanced S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile systems to Syria in the wake of airstrikes on Syrian military targets. In a report citing unnamed Russian officials, the Kommersant newspaper reported Monday that Russia would supply the system at no cost as part of its military aid to Syria. The newspaper cited the officials as saying that if Israel tried to bomb the systems, as they are predicted to do, it would be “catastrophic for all sides.� Kommersant cited the airstrikes by the United States, the United Kingdom and France on April 13, however, and not the alleged Israeli attack on the T-4 air base, which is believed to be home to an advanced Iranian air-defense system, Following the Kommersant report, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the issue had not yet been decided. “What decisions will be taken by the leadership of Russia together with the representatives of Syria have yet to be determined; there is no secret here,� Lavrov said. Russia had agreed in 2010 to sell the S-300 system to Syria, but broke the agreement at Israel’s request. Israel in the past has threatened to strike the S-300 system batteries should they be set up in Syria. Israel suspends plans to deport African asylum seekers Israel has suspended a plan to deport tens of thousands of African migrants after failing to find a third country willing to accept them. On Tuesday, the government told the country’s Supreme Court that it will stop issuing expulsion orders to Eritrean and
Sudanese asylum seekers, and that all orders already served will be rescinded. “Forcibly deporting to a third country is not an option at this stage,� the state said in a filing with the court. “No more deportation decisions will be made at this time.� The asylum seekers will have to renew their visas every 60 days as they did before the deportation plan. The government’s statement filed with the court also said that “Israel will continue to act on the issue of the infiltrators including attempts to encourage them to leave on their own accord or relocating them involuntarily, in accordance with the law. Israel’s immigration officials will continue to refer infiltrators to the ‘voluntary departure’ office, allowing them to relocate to a third country, but without conditioning the renewal of their legal status of their willingness to leave to a third country.� Following the announcement in court, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that Israel will reopen detention centers for the migrants. Israel had been negotiating with Uganda to take the deportees. There are some 38,000 African asylum seekers in Israel that the government had planned to deport under a plan announced in January. Under the plan, migrants who had chosen to leave by March 31 would receive a payment of $3,500 as well as free airfare and other incentives. Last week, some 207 African migrants and asylum seekers were released over several hours from the Saharonim Prison in southern Israel, where they have been held after refusing to leave Israel voluntarily. The release was ordered by the court after the government failed to come up with a signed agreement with Uganda to take the deportees. Netanyahu on April 2 announced a plan with the United Nations to process half of the migrants through regularized refugee channels over five years, leaving the other half in Israel with undetermined status, and then reversed himself several hours later after criticism from the right wing in Israel, including in his own government. The plan to deport the migrants had prompted an outcry from migrant advocates in Israel and a broad swath of the U.S. Jewish organizational community. Ivanka and Jared part of US delegation for embassy opening Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump will be part of the delegation coming to Israel next month for the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, according to an Israeli news program. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who is Jewish, will lead the group of more than 250 U.S. delegates, including 40 members of the Senate and House of Representatives, Channel 10 news reported Sunday, citing unnamed Israeli officials. Among those mentioned in the report as planning to attend the May 14 dedication are Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Lindsay Graham, as well as special Middle East peace envoy Jason Greenblatt. The delegation also will include Jewish leaders and heads of pro-Israel Christian organizations. A White House spokeswoman said that “there are no announcements at this time.� The move is scheduled for the anniversary of the founding of the modern State of Israel according to the Gregorian calendar.  PJC
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APRIL 27, 2018 13
Opinion Natalie Portman’s snub — EDITORIAL —
L
ast week was supposed to be focused on the celebration of the State of Israel and the recognition that 70 years after David Ben-Gurion declared the country’s independence, the Jewish state is a strong and prosperous first-world nation in the heart of the Middle East. But along with the parades and the parties came the news that Natalie Portman, one of the most visible pro-Israel faces in Hollywood, was declining to participate in what was to be the June conferral on her of the annual Genesis Foundation Prize in Israel. At the time, by way of a statement attributed to Portman’s representative and released on Yom Ha’atzmaut itself, the explanation was offered that given “recent events in Israel [that] have been extremely distressing to her,” the Jerusalem-born Portman “does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel.” We assumed that by “recent events,” Portman meant the deaths of Palestinians at the Gaza border, shot by Israeli soldiers responding to violent Hamas terrorists among
Hollywood celebrity to fall into the clutches of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. She was, in the analysis of one Likud MK, nothing more than a traitor, and deserved to be stripped of her citizenship. Portman soon restated her reason for declining to go to Israel to receive the prize, characterizing her decision as not wanting to appear to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom she famously derided in 2015. She also clarified that she was not a supporter of p Natalie Portman Phillip Faraone/Getty Images BDS. Indeed, she went on for Environmental Media Association to say, “I treasure my Israeli friends and family, Israeli food, books, art, the crowds attempting to breach the border. Many on Israel’s right — joined by many cinema, and dance. But the mistreatment more on the right flank of the American of those suffering from today’s atrocities is pro-Israel community — reacted harshly, simply not in line with my Jewish values.” We applaud Portman for publicly stating assuming that Portman was just another
that she does not support BDS. But at the same time, we find her statement — at best — to be incredibly naïve, especially considering that those who do support the BDS movement are using her refusal to go to Israel as a validation of their cause. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel praised the actress, saying: “After decades of egregious human rights violations against Palestinians, Israel’s recent massacre of peaceful protesters in Gaza has made its brand so toxic that even well-known Israeli-American cultural figures, like Natalie Portman, now refuse to blatantly whitewash, or art-wash, Israeli crimes and apartheid policies.” The pro-BDS group Jewish Voice for Peace thanked Portman for her decision, along with this post on Twitter: “Change is a beautiful thing.” While we acknowledge Portman’s right to disagree vocally with Israel’s latest actions — even if we question her assessment — we simply cannot escape the fact that whatever her intentions, the effect of her announcement was to encourage and reinforce Israel’s vilifiers. PJC
As survivor population dwindles, we must ensure Holocaust education for all Guest Columnist Lauren Bairnsfather
E
ight states in the United States have mandated that Holocaust education be included in the curriculum in schools — California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. In 2014, Pennsylvania appeared to be on track to join this list. Upon its passage that year, Pennsylvania’s Act 70 strongly recommended the teaching of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights in grades 6 through 12. The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh was on the front lines of lobbying for this legislation and creating the curricula and resources that were promised in it. But most of all, we provided Act 70 certification to teachers across Western Pennsylvania to indicate that they were familiar with the legislation and its recommended practices. The implementation of Act 70 began in academic year 2015-16, coinciding with my arrival as director of the Holocaust Center. We held a summer institute for teachers in July 2015 and we rented the cafeteria at Community Day School to accommodate a large crowd. Our experience has been that teachers, new and seasoned alike, wanted to engage more deeply in the history and literature of the Holocaust. For that first year of Act 70’s implementation, our teacher training 14 APRIL 27, 2018
offerings were oversubscribed, with school administrators supporting teachers in furthering their knowledge about the Holocaust. This was true in 2015, 2016 and the first half of 2017.
and its findings were not released — if they were, they are not easily accessible — it was described in the conference call last November that the survey was conducted at the level of the school district or Interme-
“ Thou shall not be a victim; thou shall not be a perpetrator; and thou shall
”
never, but never, be a bystander.
— YEHUDA BAUER, HISTORIAN
As mandated in the legislation, the state conducted a survey of “schools” in the summer of 2017 to find out how many were complying with Act 70. The goal was to reach 90 percent compliance. If the results came in at under 90 percent, Act 70’s “strong recommendation” would become a mandate. On Nov. 9, 2017, the 79th anniversary of Kristallnacht, an announcement came from Harrisburg via conference call that 93 percent of schools were complying with Act 70. While it is true that the state made a valiant effort to train teachers in every county of the state, 93 percent seemed implausible and indeed improbable. Although the details of the state’s survey
diate Unit, which might include hundreds of schools. If one teacher among those schools said yes, they were regarded as having participated in Act 70 training. Did Act 70 work? Even though it fell short of being a mandate for Holocaust education, the act inspired school administrators and superintendents, school boards and classroom teachers to invest in studying the Holocaust in order to teach it well. While there was vigorous debate in Harrisburg about mandating Holocaust education, the message coming from the capital that Act 70 is a success suggests that students are indeed learning about the Holocaust, that teachers don’t require training and support, and that the work is completed.
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But this suggestion is false. At the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, we live with the fact that teaching about the Holocaust well requires ongoing effort and dedication from the entire secondary education system. The relevance of the Holocaust to genocide, human rights and to the events of today must be taught in schools to be understood. Ongoing education is the only response to the Claims Conference survey that so clearly indicates the dearth of knowledge about the Holocaust. Teachers still need the support of administrators and organizations like the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. While we are deeply rooted in the Jewish community, our audience extends well beyond to reach the thousands of people who do not have a personal connection to the Holocaust but who nevertheless must learn about the ongoing potential of man’s inhumanity toward man. As Father Patrick Desbois so powerfully stated: “Genocide is a human disease.” We must also understand personal responsibility. As historian Yehuda Bauer so strongly commanded: “Thou shall not be a victim; thou shall not be a perpetrator; and thou shall never, but never, be a bystander.” The educational mission of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh has never been more critical to the health of this community. During the Days of Remembrance — and every other day — we affirm that we will never forget! PJC Lauren Apter Bairnsfather is the director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.
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Opinion Why are we doing a shpiel for Shavuot? Guest Columnist Elinor S. Nathanson
I
have a confession to make. Up until last year, if someone asked, “Quick: What’s the holiday of Shavuot about?” I wouldn’t have been able to answer. As a child, I don’t remember celebrating Shavuot or even hearing much about it. Of course, it doesn’t help that so many Jewish holidays begin with a “Sh” or “S” sound: Shabbat, Simchat Torah, Shavuot, Sukkot, and the still-mysterious Shemini Atzeret. Among these, Simchat Torah, Shavuot and Shemini Atzeret have all gotten kind of jumbled in my
named Mahlon and Chilion. … They came to the country of Moab and remained there. “Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth, and they lived there about ten years. Then those two [sons] also died; so the woman was left without her two sons and without her husband.” The backstory our rabbis offer to this minimal text is fascinating. According to the Midrash, Elimelech wasn’t just some “man.” Instead, “Elimelech was one of the great leaders of his district and one of the financial supporters of his generation. But when the years of famine came, he said, ‘Now all Israel will come knocking at my door, each one with his basket.’ He got up and fled from them.” In other words, Elimelech had more than
On many levels, [Ruth’s] story teaches us the importance of following the Torah’s commandments — and it warns us of the peril that comes when we turn our backs on Torah’s teachings. head, and when someone brings one of them up, I always tend to have the same response: “Wait, which one is that again?” Well, it’s a good thing that Shavuot doesn’t commemorate anything important. Oh, wait: Shavuot celebrates the Jews receiving the Torah! Well, that’s kind of a big deal. And yet Shavuot is a holiday that has been overlooked not just by me, but by many American Jews. That’s why this year, spiritual leader Sara Stock Mayo and I want to put Shavuot — and the gift of the Torah — front and center for our whole community. Building on the success of “Hadassah — A Persian Musical,” our sold-out communitywide Purim Shpiel seen by more than 1,045 people last year, we will be premiering our region’s first communitywide Shavuot Shpiel on May 3. Set to the music — but not the content — of the hit show “The Book of Mormon,” our new production tells the story of a lesser-known megillah associated with Shavuot, “The Book of Ruth.” People often say that Ruth is read at Shavuot because her story takes place during the barley harvest. In learning more about it, however, I have come to believe that there is a much deeper reason that Ruth’s story is tied to Shavuot. On many levels, her story teaches us the importance of following the Torah’s commandments — and it warns us of the peril that comes when we turn our backs on Torah’s teachings. The opening lines of Ruth offer a barebones introduction to Ruth and Naomi’s story. “In the days when the chieftains ruled, there was a famine in the land; and a man of Bethlehem in Judah, with his wife and two sons, went to reside in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelech, his wife’s name was Naomi, and his two sons were
enough money and food to help his neighbors. If he had stayed in Judah, the Midrash tells us, he could have taken care of the whole country during the entire 10-year famine. Instead, Elimelech thought only of himself. He ran away from his Torah-mandated responsibilities and settled his family in Moab. In doing so, Elimelech picked a fitting location: Moab was considered the epitome of selfishness, because the Moabite men refused to share bread and water with the Israelites when they left Egypt. The people of Judah were not blameless in all of this either. The rabbis tell us that the reason a famine hit Judah in the first place was because Israel had become materialistic and morally corrupt. What follows in the Book of Ruth is truly a story for our present day. In the face of materialism and moral corruption both in Judah and Moab, two women — Naomi and Ruth — had a choice: They could immerse themselves in selfishness and lawlessness, or they could embrace the Torah’s ethical teachings. Fortunately, they chose the Torah. In doing so, they exemplified acts of lovingkindness — including loving one’s neighbor, welcoming the stranger and honoring one’s parents — that set Israel back on the path of righteousness. Sara and I hope you join us for “The Book of Ruth” Shavuot Shpiel — featuring adults, teens, children and clergy from throughout our Jewish community — as we all celebrate the gift of the Torah together. We have a lot to celebrate. PJC Elinor S. Nathanson is a creator of “The Book of Ruth,” which will be performed at the JCC Katz Theater on May 3 at 7 p.m. and May 6 at 3 p.m.
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APRIL 27, 2018 15
Headlines Israel: Continued from page 1
Israeli dancers from the Karmiel/Misgav partner region. Of course, there was also plenty of complimentary Israeli food and an Israeli wine tasting, courtesy of Pinskers Books and Judaica. “All age groups are here,” noted Rob Goodman, director of South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh, one of the sponsors of the event. “There are families, empty-nesters. Food always helps.” The South Hills celebration was just one of many ways that Pittsburgh celebrated Israel’s independence. Day schools had special activities, including a full-school Yom Ha’atzmaut flagpole ceremony at Community Day School, followed by a performance by the Karmiel dancers. At Hillel Academy, children competed in a “Mini Israel” contest, creating models of historic Israeli structures and landscapes, including a Lego Western Wall, a model Beit Hamikdash, and a pretty inviting Dead Sea in a shoe box. The Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh had a whole week of “Israel at 70” activities for its students, organized by its Jewish Agency shlicha, Elina Lipov, and the student leaders of Panthers for Israel, according to Danielle Kranjec, senior Jewish educator at Hillel JUC. Those activities included a free “Taste of Israel” at the
p An Israeli wine-tasting was one of the featured events at the South Hills JCC celebration. Photo by Toby Tabachnick
beginning of the school week, offering foods “representing the many cultures of Israel,” Kranjec said. On the following Tuesday, Hillel JUC “handed out stress relief kits featuring Israeli products, including a face mask, at Pitt as it is the last week of classes,” Kranjec added. Wednesday saw Pitt students posting recorded memorials on Facebook in honor of Yom HaZikaron, and on Thursday, Hillel JUC handed out blue and white cupcakes at CMU. Thursday evening students attended a “Layla Lavan” party at Peter’s Pub in
Oakland, “in the spirit of the Tel Aviv party of the same name,” according to Kranjec. The festivities continued on Shabbat, with services, discussions, and a schwarma and falafel bar. A few area congregations had their own ways to commemorate Israel at 70. Congregation Beth Shalom offered an evening of Israeli dance and food on April 15, including a performance by the Karmiel dancers, followed by community Israel dancing, with instruction by the Karmiel dancers as well as Judy Adelson and Cherie Maharam.
Heroes: Continued from page 1
presenting at the United Nations in their arguments against Jewish statehood. “Dad and his cohorts would un-crumple the notes and interpret them, and then they could be prepared as to what their questions and answers would be,” Joel Jaffe said. But Jaffe’s unit also realized “that if they were going through the Arabs’ trash, the Arabs were probably going through their trash as well, so they crumpled up false questions and answers for the Arabs to find; they gave them misinformation.” Following his return from Israel, Jaffe went back to Butler, where he was a partner in his family’s clothing business, I.M. Jaffe & Sons. He eventually left that business and moved to Pittsburgh, where he became the director of endowments for the Carnegie Museum of Art. Jaffe remained active in the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, now the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. When he later moved to Boca Raton, Fla., he helped raise millions of dollars for the building of a large campus housing a variety of Jewish institutions. “My father had many careers and many interests,” Joel Jaffe said. “But they were always founded in Judaism, and he was proud of his involvement with Israel.” Jaffe was one of about 5,000 volunteers who came from more than 40 countries to fight for the fledgling Jewish state. Pittsburgher Al Twersky, another veteran of World War II, was eager to join the fight for Israel, having been raised to be an “avid Zionist,” according to family members. Twersky, who passed away in 2014, had served with the U.S. Merchant Marine Naval 16 APRIL 27, 2018
p Art Jaffe
Photo courtesy of Joel Jaffe
Reserve in the Pacific during the world war. “My husband went to Israel in 1948 and joined the Haganah,” recalled his wife of 62 years, Edith Twersky. “He went to Israel because he was very devoted to Israel. He was brought up that way.” Edith Twersky remembered that her husband “had a lot of trouble getting to Israel, but he did get there.” Getting to Israel was a problem for many of the volunteers. Most had to travel secretly to France or Italy because military volunteers could be cited by the State Department for being in violation of passport regulations, or even lose their citizenship, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, a project of the AmericanIsraeli Cooperative Enterprise. After reaching Europe, the volunteers typically would have to exchange their passports for displaced person’s papers, blending with Holocaust survivors until they could be transported to Israel. Once Twersky arrived in Israel, he served in the Armored Car and Jeep Company,
p Al and Edie Twersky
Photo courtesy of Jack Twersky
9th Battalion, Palmach, the elite unit of the Haganah. While driving a jeep in the Negev Desert to protect isolated kibbutzim, a mine blew up beneath him. He lost his leg and was hospitalized for a year. “His parents wanted to come to Israel to see him, but they didn’t know he lost his leg, so he didn’t want them to come over and find him like that,” Edith Twersky said. They didn’t know he had been injured until he came home to Pittsburgh. After returning home, Twersky worked at his mother’s family’s business, Benkovitz Seafoods, and nurtured an interest in art, spending much of his free time painting. “He was raised a Zionist,” said his son, Jack Twersky. “His dad raised him to fight for Israel. He was proud of his service. He thought that was the most important thing he ever did.” Pittsburgh was “one of the earliest and most enthusiastic bastions of Zionist support in America,” wrote historian Barbara Burstin
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Poale Zedeck Congregation hosted former refusenik Rabbi Josef Mendelevich as its scholar-in-residence on the Shabbat prior to Yom Ha’atzmaut. (See story on p. 4.) On April 18, Anna and Rabbi Daniel Yolkut invited the congregation to their home for a Yom Ha’atzmaut open house and kumsitz. The wider community’s celebration was held on April 19 at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, where hundreds from throughout greater Pittsburgh joined to celebrate the independence of the Jewish state, sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Activities included children’s games, a performance by the Karmiel dancers, cookie decorating and the “Humans of Tel Aviv” photography exhibit. Several kosher vendors provided an array of Israeli — and American — food. The Federation’s Community Relations Council provided an opportunity for celebrants to write letters of gratitude and encouragement to Israeli soldiers. Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers, spiritual leader of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, was pleased to see Jews of different ages, and from various denominations and locations come together to celebrate Israel. “I think there are occasions like this when you should be part of the community,” he said. “I think this is wonderful.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. in her book “Jewish Pittsburgh” (Arcadia Publishing, 2015). “It was a cause embraced by many Eastern European Jews, young and old, who had experienced the ravages of anti-Semitism in Europe and who were imbued with a Jewish nationalist spirit.” Such was the case for David Lowenthal, who emigrated to the United States from a town on the border of Poland and Ukraine, according to his son, Mark Lowenthal. “He tried to enlist in the U.S. Army [during World War II],” Mark Lowenthal recalled. “But he had arrived in the U.S. with tuberculosis. He tried to enlist in the army with tuberculosis and was denied.” A strong Zionist, Lowenthal had been discussing the plight of the refugees in Europe post-Holocaust with some colleagues at a meeting, “and suggested, ‘Why don’t we get some ships and take them out of Europe?’” Lowenthal joined the Haganah, and in 1947 was on the ship the Exodus, which was transporting 4,000 Holocaust survivors to pre-state Israel, but was turned back to Europe by the British after a battle on the ship. After the Exodus was turned back, Lowenthal was taken prisoner by the British, but “he arranged to escape and got back to Israel,” his son said. Later, Lowenthal was on the Pan York, one of the two largest ships transporting refugees to the newly formed State of Israel. Once back in Pittsburgh, Lowenthal led the Zionist movement here for many years, continuing to maintain relationships with many Israeli leaders, said Mark Lowenthal, and continuing throughout his life to support the Jewish state. He died in 2006. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Kaufman: Continued from page 5
out right away, which is not always good for my doctor. “Boiled, broiled and baked, no fried foods and no salt,” he added. “I talked about salt years ago.” Looking down at the black cast coming out from his left sleeve, Kaufman said that it not only prevented him from bowling but reminded him of an old ailment. “When I was 13 years old I broke my wrist,” he said. “Ossie Bulldog Harris was picking on my friend.” To defend his pal, Kaufman punched the bully. Before continuing with the story, the centenarian added some historical context: “He became a professional boxer.” Note to readers, Harris was more than a mere fighter; he twice took Sugar Ray Robinson, arguably the greatest boxer of all time, to the scorecards. So what happened after Kaufman punched the later pugilist? “Nothing. He was surprised someone stood up to him.”
It’s Kaufman’s “jovial spirit” that makes him most endearing, explained Maretsky. “He’s just the greatest guy. We should all be so blessed.” As players finished up their cake and took to the lanes, Kaufman, though restricted from recording a “five-bagger” or a “Dutch 200,” still showed his athletic prowess. After posing for photographs, he perched short of the approach before busting out a shuffle reserved for each time he gets a strike. “He has some good moves,” said Martin Huttner, of Squirrel Hill. “We love watching him bowl,” added Weiss. “It’s a big thing to be able to bowl at 100 and at his level,” said Eddie Stein, of Squirrel Hill. For the rest of the night the praises kept coming, but Kaufman eventually closed out the party’s fill frame with a final crack: “I hate to bowl with these young guys. I’m so much better than them. When I beat them I have to go over and apologize, it’s embarrassing.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Shlichim: Continued from page 3
effectuate collective endeavors is a rarity that residents should be prideful of, she said. “In other communities there are three different Israel Independence Day celebrations.” Pittsburgh’s unanimity is “a great example of how a Jewish community should function,” added Levy, who is currently acting as an emissary in Washington, D.C., through 2020. Noteworthy to past shlichim is the area’s geographic and demographic makeup. “I love the fact that a lot of it is based in one neighborhood. It’s really special,” said Kanne. “Sometimes you can look at a community and they stay in one place and they don’t let outsiders in, but it’s not like that in Pittsburgh. There’s a very special character. It feels like a kibbutz. “You walk down the street and you know people,” Kanne added, “and I think that the Jewish community has been a big part in making that happen.” Where Pittsburgh truly excels is at “greeting new people and making them feel at home,” agreed Leah Garber, a shlicha between 2004 and 2007. The Modi’in resident, who credited her experiences here with enabling her to be a vice president and Israel office director of the JCC Association, arrived in Pittsburgh more than a decade ago with her husband and their five daughters. “My daughters went to Hillel Academy and had many friends,” said Garber. “It was an extremely welcoming warm Jewish community.” Kanne shared similar sentiments and said that Sue Linzer, former senior manager of Overseas Operations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, looked after her with parental affection. “I call her my American mom,” said Kanne. “When she’s in Israel she just stays with me or my parents.” Whether via visits abroad or on social media, the shlichim remain connected to
p Tzachi Levy, who credited his time in Pittsburgh as being a cornerstone in his professional career.
Photo courtesy of Tzachi Levy
their Pittsburgh neighbors and friends. For Peer, professional sports serve as a link to his former home. “We are fans of the Pirates. My son follows all of the games. We hope the next time the Steelers will be in the Super Bowl we will be in Pittsburgh,” said the lawyer, who specializes in municipalities, labor and human rights. But more than maintaining an affinity for the black and gold, it is the personal connections that most resonate. “Just yesterday I was in a funeral of a friend of mine from Pittsburgh,” added Peer. Zvi Shuldiner, an Israeli expat, “lived in Pittsburgh since the ’70s and he was the first person who knocked on my door on my first day in Pittsburgh.” There was this sense that upon arrival, shlichim were not only received but valued for their ideas and contributions, noted Garber. “The community was very welcoming to me and I consider Pittsburgh my home,” said Kanne. Added Peer, “Pittsburgh will always have a special place in my heart.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
APRIL 27, 2018 17
Celebrations
Torah
Births
A message of spiritual consolation
Alan and Fern Steckel announce the birth of their granddaughter, Jamie Miriam, on March 30 to Scott and Maya Steckel of Pittsburgh. Jamie is also the granddaughter of Zack and Lily Poplavski of Jacksonville, Fla., and the great-granddaughter of Marlene Josowitz. Jamie is named in memory of her great-grandfather, Jack Josowitz and her great-grandmothers, Miriam Steckel and Miriam Ophir.
Steckel: Alan and Fern Steckel announce the birth of their grandson, Reid Jackson, on Jan. 11 to Michael and Cari Steckel of Atlanta. Reid is also the grandson of Morrie and Leon Shelkoff of Atlanta and the great-grandson of Marlene Josowitz. Reid is named in memory of his great-grandfathers, Rufus Shelkoff and Jack Josowitz.
Rabbi Daniel Yolkut Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1-20:27
A
charei Mot opens with a description of the dramatic and mysterious avodat yom hakippurim, the intricate ritual performed by the High Priest on Yom Kippur that the Torah affirms will annually bring forgiveness to the Jewish people. Somewhat unusually though, the Torah provides us with a historical context of when exactly this mitzvah was transmitted through Moshe to Aaron — “after the death of Aaron’s two sons,� Nadav and Avihu. The Ramban assumes that this is a literal description, and that this mitzvah was communicated the day after their passing. The Chizkuni asserts that it took place on the day of their death itself. This only strengthens our need to understand the thematic connection between the death of Aaron’s sons and the Yom Kippur ritual. Rashi suggests that the death of Aaron’s sons, who met their demise in the course of offering what the Torah enigmatically refers to as “foreign fire� in the sanctuary, is invoked by way of impressing on Aaron the necessity of adhering precisely to the prescribed ritual when entering the Holy of Holies on
B’nai Mitzvah
Yom Kippur. According to this reading, the tragic incident of the death of his children demonstrates the highly charged nature of the encounter with God in the Temple. Alternatively, one could see this halacha as a message to Aaron. The death of his sons must have been a crushing blow to Aaron, and the implied message of God’s unswerving punishment of sin in immediately striking them down must have been spiritually paralyzing. Given the inability of any human to live to a standard of our perfection, Nadav and Avihu are a gloomy prediction of the inevitability of failure in our relationship with God. It is against that backdrop that Yom Kippur comes into existence. Yom Kippur teaches the opposite: Our past does not condemn us, but instead the power of repentance is such to be able to undo the mistakes of our past; God gives us the tools for atonement and rebuilding our relationships with him. In the immediate aftermath of the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, the teaching of Yom Kippur served as a message of consolation to Aaron about the power of repentance in our religious life.  PJC
Rabbi Daniel Yolkut is the spiritual leader of Congregation Poale Zedeck. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.
I n - Ho m e Care S e r v i ce s Zachary Samuel Gordon, son of Jeff and Raimee Gordon, will become a bar mitzvah on April 28 at Temple Sinai. Zach is a seventh-grader at Dorseyville Middle School. He enjoys tennis, fishing, travel and hanging out with his friends. His grandparents are Charlotte Reiter and the late Jack Levin, Harvey Reiter, Bob Gordon and the late Katharine Gordon. Zach has an older sister, Hannah, and a dog, Hendrix.
Davis S. Morgenstern will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, April 28 at Congregation Beth Shalom. He is the son of Donielle and Aaron Morgenstern, the brother of Josephine and Raleigh. Grandparents are Devra Davis and Richard Morgenstern. Davis is a student at Community Day School and his academic passions are mathematics, science, writing and debating. He is a Steinway Young Artist, and studies piano with Yeeha Chiu, a Steinway master pianist. This summer he will attend his sixth consecutive summer in the Advanced Piano Program at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. When he is not playing the piano, Davis can be found volunteering at the Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh, thinking up challenging science experiments, solving logic puzzles or playing catch or basketball with his father, mother and two sisters in their backyard in Squirrel Hill.  PJC
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Obituaries Prominent philanthropist Hannah Kamin remembered for getting the job done Kamin was also active at the Winchester Thurston School, the National Council of Jewish Women and NA’AMAT USA By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer Pittsburgh Council. “She was motivated,” said her daughter. annah Kamin, a woman well “There was not a lazy bone in her body. She known throughout Pittsburgh and was sweet, bubbly and social, but very smart. Palm Beach, Fla., for her philan- She had insight into people.” thropy, as well as her talent for getting Those qualities propelled her as a others to give, passed away on April 7 after fundraiser. a long condition of frontal temporal lobe “Not only would she call, but she would dementia. She was 82. explain why you should give so that you Her husband of 59 years, Marvin Kamin, could never say ‘no’ to her,” Kamin said, a real estate developer, predeceased adding that the amount of money her her by 18 days. mother raised for any campaign consistently Kamin, the daughter of Helen Weiss Honig exceeded the goal. and Alex Honig, was a graduate of Chatham She was known as a first-class entertainer, University. She was energetic, and never failed to go the extra intelligent and charismatic, and mile to make sure her parties and used those talents to help shape other events were accomplished in her communities, according to her “perfect style,” said her daughter. daughter, Amy Kamin. “When she was hosting a UJF “She was ahead of her time,” [Federation] event, she would said Kamin. “If times had have Zabar’s in New York overbeen different, she would’ve night fresh croissants at her own had a real career. She probably expense, because you couldn’t get would have been the head of those in Pittsburgh.” p Hannah some corporation.” The Palm Beach community Kamin File photo Instead, Kamin’s mother fell also benefited from Kamin’s naturally into a lifestyle devoted to her knack for fundraising, and she held leaderfamily and the causes important to her. ship positions there in several organizations, The list of her philanthropic efforts is including the American Lung Association, exhaustive and includes Chatham Univer- Ballet Florida, the Jewish National Fund and sity, where she led very successful capital the Jewish Guild for the Blind. campaigns, the American Jewish Committee She also held many leadership positions and the executive committee of the Jewish on a national level, including as a member Association on Aging. She served on the of the National Trust for Historic Presexecutive and grant assessment committee ervation, The Millennium Committee to of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and as Save American Treasures, and the Women’s president of the Ladies Hospital Aid Society Leadership Forum of the Democratic of Western Pennsylvania. National Committee. She was devoted to her Pittsburgh congreAbove all, she was a dedicated mother and gation, Rodef Shalom, where she was an wife, said Amy Kamin. officer and a trustee, and chaired the congre“My sister and I had a great relationship gation’s philanthropic fund. She left a lasting with our parents,” she said. “We never had mark on the Jewish Federation of Greater a day of problems with them. And they led Pittsburgh, having served as its women’s divi- by example. They supported everything sion president and establishing the Lion of we did, letting us take the lead and make Judah in Pittsburgh, whose annual luncheon our own choices.” is endowed by her family in her honor. Marvin and Hannah Kamin were also “Hannah Kamin was a leader of our “devoted to each other,” their daughter said. Federation in the true sense of the word,” “They had a great life together. They traveled, said Jeff Finkelstein, the Federation’s presi- and they had great friends.” dent and CEO. “It was her will and passion In addition to her daughter Amy, Kamin is that helped bring the Lion of Judah program, survived by daughter Margie Feitler (Richard) one of the most successful fundraising initia- of Chicago; and grandchildren Sydney Kamin tives in modern philanthropic history, to Sadick, Mitchell Kamin Sozio, and Abigail, our Federation.” Nicole, Alexander and Kyle Feitler. As the Federation’s campaign chair, he Interment was at West View Cemetery of added, Kamin raised “a record amount of Rodef Shalom Congregation. Contributions money and did so by speaking publicly may be made to the Hannah Kamin Lion and individually with donors and not yet of Judah Fund of the Jewish Federation of donors about her love of our community Greater Pittsburgh. PJC and the role Federation plays in sustaining Toby Tabachnick can be reached at it. She was, above all, a good friend and I will ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. miss her terribly.”
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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday April 29: Joseph Harry Berger, Jacob Brody, Greta Glasser, Lewis E. Hainick, Frances Shiner Miller, Nathan Neiman, Abraham Pincus, James Henry Podolny, Bella Ratowsky, Philip Rogers, Manuel Wilner Monday April 30: Anna Blitz, Ruth Pearlman Browarsky, Ruth Coltin, Jacob Gould, Martha Stern Green, Samuel C. Levy, Jack Ryave, Isadore Irwin Schaffer, Ruth Solomon, Shirley Solomon, Louis Wilder Tuesday May 1: Bernhardt Blumenfeld, Edward Harry Frankel, George Jaskol, Henry Kamin, Ida Lazier, Sophia Mallinger, Minnie Margolis, Samuel Novak, Israel Rosenberg, Max Snider, Charles Ben Stewart, Max Unikel Wednesday May 2: Sonia Cohen, Abe Finegold, Dr. Charles M. Friedland, Sara Fay Sachs Goodman, Pearl Greenberg, Gusta Dickler Linett, Goldie Love, Abe Picovsky, Sam Portnoy, Goldie Prashker, William B. Roth, Gertrude Routman, Phillip Ruben, Rose M. Rudov, Fannie Ann Samuels, Sherman Howard Schenk, Julius Stahl, Samuel E. Swartz Thursday May 3: Cora G. Barnett, Benjamin B. Chotiner, Lois Ruth Cohen, Leonard Frank, Shane Rose Gelman, Herman Greenstein, Paul E. Gusky, Allan L. Janowitz, P. Fred Kamens, Ruth Klein, Morris Krasik, Sol S. Kurtz, Minnie Latterman, Abe Leventon, Paul Mainzer, Evelyn Meyer, Max Rice, Rebecca Wesoky Robins, Dorothy Rosenthal, Isadore Sheffler, Sophia Silverman, Rubin Solomon, Max Weiss, Frieda W. Wolff Friday May 4: Hyman Louis Abrams, Rose Seiger Allen, David Busis, Harry Faberman, Anna K. Farbstein, Anna Feivelson, Philip Grossman, Sanford C. Kramer, William Samuel Landau, Mayme Skirboll, Charles Teper, Yetta H. Wheeler Saturday May 5: Alexander Bardin, Anna Bourd, Abraham Mitchell Caplan, Bernard Carlton, Pearle G. Conn, Jerome Gelman, Leah M. Greenberg, Bessie N. Harris, Betty York Joseph, Benjamin Kellman, Rose Levin, Marian Liff, Joseph J. Martin, Samuel Saul Morris, Sylvia Rosenberg, Abraham Saville, Amelia K. Silver
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Obituaries CALIG: Joseph Calig passed away surrounded by his loving family on April 15, 2018. He was the son of the late Ralph and Annette Calig. He is survived by his adored wife of 50 years, Claire Kamin Calig, his sons Gregory Michael Calig (Pam) and Daniel Mark Calig (Erin), his brother-in-law and sister-in-law Samuel and Joanie Kamin and his grandchildren, Harrison, Ross, Dylan and Alana Calig. He cherished spending time with his family and was an avid sports fan. His favorite pastimes were golfing and watching Penn State and Steelers football. Joe began his career at Allegheny General Hospital in 1970. He moved to Allegheny Valley Hospital as chief financial officer in 1978. He was appointed chief operating officer in
1988 and became president & CEO in 1998. During his tenure, he oversaw the creation of the Alle-Kiski Medical Center. After retiring from there in 2002, Joe served as senior vice president and CFO of Community College of Allegheny County from 2005 through 2008. He served as adjunct faculty at Penn State McKeesport and Slippery Rock University and was a guest lecturer at Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University and the University of Pittsburgh. Throughout his long career in healthcare, Joe was actively involved with regional and national organizations including the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Healthcare Financial Management Association of which he was president, the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania, the Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania, Voluntary Hospitals of America and the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative. He was a Trustee with Hebrew Free Loan. Services were held at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation. Inter-
butions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. schugar.com
ment Tree of Life Cemetery, Sharpsburg. Contributions may be made to Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, 575 Lincoln Ave, Bellevue, PA 15202 or Rock Steady Boxing c/o Fit 4 Boxing Club 4706 Route 8, William Flynn Highway, Allison Park, PA 15101. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com
WILLIAMS M.D.: Norman Samuel Williams, on Tuesday April 17, 2018. Beloved husband of Alice Williams. Former husband to Elizabeth June Williams. Loving father of Karen Williams Kammer (Ronald) and Craig Williams (Teresa). Son of the late Sarah Finkel Moses and Jacob Moses. Nephew of the late Ida Finkel Williams. Grandfather of Josh Kammer, Jessica Williams, Meghan Williams and Lorin Ballog. Also remembered by Lori Ballog and Vickie Williams. Services were held at Temple David in Monroeville. Interment West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom Congregation. Contributions may be made to Temple David 4415 Northern Pike, Monroeville, PA 15146 or to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com PJC
SHIREY: Maxine Goldstein Shirey, on Monday, April 23, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Fred E. Shirey. Beloved mother of Randi Silverman-Kocian (Randal) of Johnstown, Marla (David) Forman of Pittsburgh, Howard Shirey of Overland Park, Kan., and David (Lisa) Shirey of Pittsburgh. Sister of Bonnie (Jerry) Stalinsky, Gerry (Joe) Buncher and Francie (Richard) Serbin. Grandma of Garrett Kocian, Danny Shirey, Alex Shirey and Austin Forman. Also survived by nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment New Light Cemetery Contri-
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Community Good Deeds Day
p Good Deeds Day, an international celebration of doing good, was held Sunday, April 15 in Pittsburgh by the Jewish Federation Volunteer Center. From left: James and Leah Maretsky, Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt and Adam Wachowicz posed with golf balls they found while working as volunteers to ready the Bob O’Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park. At the golf course, one of 53 Good Deeds Day sites this year, the Volunteer Center collaborated with The First Tee, a youth development organization that introduces young people to golf.
p Cobi Davidson, left, and Aviv Davidson spent their day preparing lasagna at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill. Highmark and Allegheny Health Network sponsored the Federation’s Good Deeds Day.
p Volunteers Nino Dorsett, left, and Tamar Reed, from The Neighborhood Academy, cleared debris from a home in the Friendship neighborhood. The two volunteers were among more than 3.5 million people in 100 countries who participated in Good Deeds Day this year. p Volunteer Ryan Guttman made PB&J sandwiches at the Jewish Community Center, Squirrel Hill. The sandwiches were donated to Light of Life Rescue Mission.
p Mira Hill and her mother, Jessica Hill, spent their day at United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, making literacy kits for children. By collaborating with the Federation’s Community Relations Council, the Volunteer Center expanded the geographic and demographic impact of the Good Deeds Day event. Photos by Josh Franzos
22 APRIL 27, 2018
Happy 70th Anniversary to all
p Marian Wile and Anna Wilkinson (with a robo-therapy-cat looking on) enjoy the Jewish Association on Aging’s celebration of Israel Independence Day. Photo courtesy of Jewish Association on Aging
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Community Jewish Federation Celebrations On Thursday, April 19 the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh held a celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill. The celebration included activities for all ages and highlighted Israel’s 70th anniversary.
p Israeli flags were in evidence throughout the Yom Ha’atzmaut venue, as community members — such as this father and son — participated in the 70th anniversary of Israel’s founding.
p Make a picture, take a picture. Attendees of all ages had the opportunity to help complete a community mural created by artist Daniel Cascardo. The mural will be displayed in the community after completion.
u Lead singers of ISRABAND, an Israeli cover band, siblings Omri and Sheli Glickman, provided a high-energy set of authentic Israeli hits at the community celebration.
Photos by Josh Franzos
All Around Friendship Circle The Friendship Circle’s Friends All Around 2018 event, themed “Looking Forward,” took place on Sunday, April 15 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Friendship Circle families, supporters and community members celebrated senior graduates and 12 years of friendship, while raising a record amount to support Friendship Circle. The organization’s almost 200 annual programs are offered at no cost to participants largely thanks to the success of this annual event.
p From left: Event chairs Rita Rabin, Friendship Circle director Rivkee Rudolph, Rhonda Horvitz and Linda Safyan Holber.
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p From left: Lee Kimball and Lauren Kimball, Jonathan Diven, David and Lauren Goldberg and Maria Diven Photos courtesy of Friendship Circle
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
APRIL 27, 2018 23
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• All-natural, corn-fed beef — steaks, roasts, ground beef and more • Variety of deli meats and franks Available at select Giant Eagle stores. Visit GiantEagle.com for location information.
4
99 ea.
Save with your
Price effective Thursday, April 26 through Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Available at 17AD32056_PJC_0426.indd 1
24 APRIL 27, 2018
and PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
4/19/18 7:14 PM
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG