Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 5/25/2018

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May 25, 2018 | 11 Sivan 5778

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Candlelighting 8:21 p.m. | Havdalah 9:28 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 21 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Summertime grilling and seasonal strategies

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Kosher burgers return to Murray Avenue

$1.50

Presbyterian seminary speaker spurs Federation to cut ties

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

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Cafe 18 forgoes dairy and reopens as a meat restaurant.

thing to do is “experiment,” explained the epicure, who four decades ago attended culinary school in Washington, D.C., before landing a job with the Marriott Corporation, then at a French restaurant in Virginia prior to pursuing “some catering.”

Food services delivered a tremendous amount of knowledge, he said, though none more pertinent than the realization that “the restaurant and hospitality industry is long hours and doesn’t pay a lot of money.”

fter decades of interfaith collaboration, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will cease “publicly partnering” with the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty, according to Josh Sayles, director of the Federation’s Community Relations Council.

The cessation of public partnering between the graduate seminary run by the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the umbrella Jewish community organization will be in place “for the foreseeable future,” Sayles said. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has long had a fractious relationship with the American Jewish community over some of its affiliated groups’ stances regarding the Palestinians and the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Locally, the friction between the Federation and the seminary stems from the latter’s decision to host a lecture by the Rev. Naim Ateek, founder of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem. The Federation had expressed concerns with the anti-Semitic rhetoric commonly used by Ateek and the one-sided, anti-Israel philosophy embedded within the theology he advocates.

Ateek’s lecture, held in the PTS auditorium on May 14, was sponsored by Friends of Sabeel North America (FOSNA), which appears on an Anti-Defamation League list of the top 10 anti-Israel groups in America.

“Sabeel hides behind a language of peace, but in reality, uses theologically loaded rhetoric that when examined more closely, rejects Israel as a Jewish state,” Sayles said in an email.

“The organization speaks of the formation of Israel as the ‘original sin,’ where Israel is cast as a colonizer that was only formed as a result of European intervention after the Holocaust.

There is virtually no mention of a continued

Please see Grilling, page 16

Please see Seminary, page 16

Page 2 LOCAL Shabbat, and all fixings, to go

Shabbox pop-up offers catered meals from storefront.

Page 3 LIFESTYLE Summer books Chronicle staff offers a glimpse at the titles that have them hooked.

Page 14

 Leon Edelsack is seen grilling for his son’s rehearsal dinner.

Photo courtesy of Leon Edelsack

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

S

ummer may be the undisputed season of grilling but there are plenty of opinions on how best to approach the task. All across the Steel City, former chefs, self-proclaimed grill masters and gastronomes shared some strategies, recipes and anecdotes for achieving the perfect warm weather feast.

The number one rule with grilling or cooking is that “trial and error is okay in any culinary endeavor,” said Leon Edelsack, 63.

When people start barbecuing the best

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle NATIONAL

Organizational spat goes public

WORLD

Israeli response draws critique

WORLD

Neighbors weigh U.S. Embassy

Headlines Revamped Cafe 18 now offers hamburgers, other meaty fare — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

M

ilk may do a body good but it has evaporated from Cafe 18. The kosher restaurant, owned and operated by Shlomo Perelman of Pinskers Judaica, was once a milchig eatery offering Alfredo-sauced pasta and feta topped salads.

The Murray Avenue haunt now boasts Hawaiian hamburgers and a Philly steak sandwich (minus the cheese).

“Some people miss the dairy, but all in all, it’s opened us up to a wider audience, a wider clientele,” said Perelman. “People appreciate what we did.”

Prior to Passover, Perelman pulled the plug on the dairy operation.

Just before the holiday began, “we got rid of every piece of dairy food and cleaned all the pots and pans and utensils,” he said. The only items remaining were those which Rabbi Yosef Itkin, kosher supervision administrator of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh “said we could convert from dairy to meat.”

The plates were unable to be kashered, so they were donated “around town.” The utensils, skillets, silverware and glasses all underwent the mandated process for switching over to fleishig use. The endeavor “took us three full days,” said Perelman.

Despite the shakeup, Cafe 18 appears quite similar to before, with the decor and menu largely the same.

“Our fish stayed the same; we still have Israeli salads,” said Perelman. “The really most significant thing that we added were the burgers.”

But by doing so, “I expanded the menu

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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Evan Indianer, Chairman Andrew Schaer, Vice Chairman Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary Jonathan Bernstein, Treasurer David Ainsman, Immediate Past Chairman Gail Childs, Elizabeth F. Collura, Milton Eisner, Malke Steinfeld Frank, Tracy Gross, Richard J. Kitay, Catia Kossovsky, Andi Perelman, David Rush, Charles Saul GENERAL COUNSEL Stuart R. Kaplan, Esq.

2 MAY 25, 2018

p Hamburgers and French fries highlight Cafe 18’s revamped menu.

greatly and the appeal to people. People like to go out and eat meat,” he explained.

“Burgers are hot all over town — burger chains, Burgatory — there are very popular franchises around town and the market is there. You just have to give them a good product.”

Perelman is confident that, along with sushi from Chef Jing that is “as good as it gets in this city,” he is delivering something unique. The fact that Cafe 18 adheres to specific Jewish laws does not mean that it’s a “kosher restaurant,” he said. Rather, “it’s a restaurant that happens to be kosher.”

“There has always been a diss on Pittsburgh and on the kosher scene,” he added.

Ever since we “lost our fleishig restaurant, [Grilliance], there are people who come

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p Now that Cafe 18 has gone fleishig, pareve desserts are all the rage.

Photos courtesy of Shlomo Perelman

are proud that we are such a meeting place for everybody.”

Cafe 18 is located at 2028 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill. Hours and information are available at cafeeighteen.com. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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into town and can’t believe we don’t have a fleishig restaurant. So for people who are coming in to town for business it’s a welcome change.”

But apart from visitors, Perelman sees his clientele as mostly “the Jewish community of Pittsburgh.”

“Our core clientele are those people who keep kosher but our desire is to offer this as just a great neighborhood meeting place,” he said.

By transitioning the restaurant “it’s sort of changed the entire community in a very significant way,” said the owner. “It’s a great opportunity for different parts of the community to get together in a great dining atmosphere, and that’s something that’s been lacking for very many years. We

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Headlines Shabbox a Shabbat solution for a busy breed — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

C

atering to new residents responding to a shortage of time is what drove local kosher food professionals to collaborate on a new culinary enterprise known as Shabbox.

Located at 2118 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill, the pop-up emporium is open Thursdays and Fridays for those seeking to “heat and eat” complete Shabbat meals, explained Moishe Siebzener.

“You can be in and out really quick,” echoed Siebzener’s son, Aaron.

For years, Siebzener and Deena Ross, both of Creative Kosher Catering, have provided customers with prearranged ordered food for Shabbat, the Jewish holidays or other occasions. But recently, more and more requests “for complete Shabbat meals” came in, he said. The reality is that “people are working more and are looking for ready to go meals.

We’re trying to fix that need.”

Ross, Siebzener’s wife, pointed out that the new Shabbox is similar to stores that are common in New York and other areas with large Jewish populations.

“We kept getting more demands as the community was getting bigger,” she added.

In response, Creative Kosher Catering

and Deena’s Dishes (its bakery label) partnered with son Aaron of Milky Way and Grilliance on a quick and clean venture.

The idea is that customers just “grab and go,” said Moishe Siebzener. “You don’t have to worry about waiting in line.”

Of added benefit are the aesthetics, added the younger Siebzener.

“The packaging is nice. The storefront is nicely done,” a product of Yoni Ross, he said. “He did the flooring, repainted and even built that bench.”

The neatly polished walnut seat, which rests near an assortment of enticing items, was made from reclaimed wood.

While familiar foods will be available each week, the owners promise not to get stale. Apart from curious eats such as General Tso fish and cauliflower kugel, a panoply of breads will also be on hand.

“Previous specialty challahs have included olive, spinach shallot, chocAaron Siebzener, left, Moishe Siebzener and Deena Ross collaborated on Shabbox, olate, cinnamon and caramelized p a new kosher venture.

Photo by Adam Reinherz onion,” said Ross.

As for the name Shabbox, it is a pun on Shabbat and “food out of the box,” said received “a lot of positive feedback” since its Shabbox is open Thursdays from 4 Aaron Siebzener. start, she added. to 8:30 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m.

“We wanted to give a feeling that it was The group is open to suggestions. to 2:30 p.m. PJC Shabbat, but also quick and right out of the “We’re getting a feel for our customers,” box,” echoed Ross. said Ross. “It’s still new and we’re Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ The outlet, which opened on April 12, has getting to know it.” pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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MAY 25, 2018 3

Headlines Jewish Federation about to close on 10-year lease — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

T

he Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh may have found its new home.

The organization is “in final negotiations” on a 10-year lease at 2000 Technology Drive, according to Adam Hertzman, Federation’s director of marketing.

“The board has approved the lease,” and although the document remains unsigned, everything should go through “once the final issues are worked out,” said Hertzman.

That process should be resolved “in the next few days.”

While the Federation’s current multiple-story home at 234 McKee Place in Oakland comprises roughly 13,000 square feet, the new site will boast a single level measuring 16,925 square feet.

The added area is of incredible benefit, said Hertzman.

“It will be great for the community because there are much better meeting spaces,” he explained. “Our volunteers will not need to be stuck in windowless meeting rooms.

There’s a lot more collaborative space and a much nicer welcome area where we can feature the way donor money is helping in the community.”

Jeffrey Finkelstein, president and CEO of the Jewish community umbrella organization, said the new location will enable the Federation to better serve its constituents.

“We are excited to move into this great

p View of the current building

Photo courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

space that will enable us to welcome the community better and will provide an excellent working environment for our dedicated staff,” he said.

The move has been in development for some time.

Although the Federation has been looking for a new building for at least the past six years, “we began the process in earnest about a year and a half ago when we were looking to sell the building,” said Hertzman. “When that became clear that it would be a reality, we started to look about a year ago” for a new location.

“We’re all looking forward to a more efficient and effective workplace so that our organization has the opportunity to better provide

for the needs of the Jewish community,” said David Sufrin, who led a volunteer committee dedicated to finding Federation’s new home.

While exploring commercial properties throughout the greater Pittsburgh area, Sufrin worked with real estate broker Jamie Pivarnick of CBRE and attorney Alan Gordon of McGuireWoods. Hertzman noted that “there are a large number of commercial real estate owners in Pittsburgh who are Jewish families, and many of them are generous donors to the Federation, so of course because of the conflict of interest they were not involved in the search process.”

Financial details of the deal were not released, but Hertzman said the move is “cost neutral.”

“We owned our current building [before it was sold to Walnut Capital] and we are [now] leasing the current space. There is cost savings in the fact that we don’t have to maintain the new building,” he said. “About the only thing we’ll miss about the old building is that it’s closer to restaurants.”

As for the new building, it’s more “disabled accessible,” said Hertzman.

Parking, in particular, will be closer to the building’s entrance.

Once the current tenants vacate the space owned by Silk & Stewart Development Group, which should occur in late 2018, the Federation will begin its “buildout,” said Hertzman. Organizational offices are expected to move during early 2019.

There is an option for the Federation to utilize additional space on the second floor of the building, as well as the ability to renew the lease with Silk & Stewart for two additional five-year terms.

“We’re excited to have the Jewish Federation join our other tenants at 2000 Technology Drive,” said Andrew Stewart, principal of Tech Drive Partners, LLC, the legal entity under which Silk & Stewart is renting the building.

One change attendant to the move is the inability for the Federation to erect a sukkah in the parking lot as they were able to do in their current home. No worry, said Hertzman. “Now we can put the sukkah up on the patio.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Jewish prisoners look to local rabbi as ‘next of kin’ — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

T

hey are not blood relatives, but Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel nonetheless is “next of kin” to many of his Jewish brothers and sisters who are concerned with what could happen to their remains if they die while incarcerated.

Vogel is executive director of the Aleph Institute’s North East Region, which provides support and advocacy for thousands of Jewish prisoners throughout 28 state prisons, 20 federal prisons and 60 county jails in Pennsylvania. It serves many additional facilities in Ohio and West Virginia.

For those inmates with no family relationships, passing away while in prison is “one of their biggest fears,” Vogel said.

One problem for Jewish prisoners is the probability of being cremated by the state, the cost of which is considerably less than burial.

Cremation is prohibited by Jewish law.

Since Vogel opened the Aleph Institute in Pittsburgh in 1991, “unfortunately, there have been quite a few” Jews who died in prison, he said. Some were serving life sentences, others were of an advanced age when incarcerated, and others were the victims of violence.

“There are many Jews serving life sentences,

4 MAY 25, 2018

“ It does ease their mind to know that if something, God forbid, happens to them, they will return to the Jewish

”

community.

— RABBI MOISHE MAYIR VOGEL and many older Jews,” Vogel explained. “So, many inmates have designated Aleph or myself as next of kin.”

That designation hands to Vogel the responsibility of ensuring these Jews have a proper burial according to Jewish law and ritual.

Several players in the Pittsburgh funeral community offer their services to these Jewish prisoners free of charge.

“Our policy is and has always been to help anyone who comes our way, regardless of their ability to pay for a funeral,” said Sharon Ryave Brody, owner and president of Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Schugar works in conjunction with the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of

Greater Pittsburgh, which provides a free grave to those prisoners who die indigent and without family. Other plots have been donated by former area residents who have moved to other locations and have changed their own burial plans.

Gesher Hachaim Jewish Burial Society, under the direction of Rabbi Daniel Wasserman, also will provide funeral arrangements, free of charge, to indigent Jewish prisoners.

While most inmates do make it out of prison alive, even those who are young and healthy are at risk of dying while behind bars.

“There is so much violence in prison,” Vogel explained. “Just after I moved to Pittsburgh, unfortunately there was the death of a young man in prison, and I offi-

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

ciated at his funeral.

Prison is a violent place. I’ve seen horrible things happen.”

Whi le a “big percentage of families” make arrangements for their incarcerated relatives, Vogel is there Rabbi Moishe for those times when it Mayir Vogel is not possible.

File photo When those prisoners pass away, “the authorities call me, and we get there as soon as we can to get the remains,” he said. “If [the cause of death] was violent, the coroner is involved. If it’s old age, we just make arrangements to pick up the remains.”

Vogel presides over the burial. He tries to assemble a minyan, but depending on the town, sometimes he is the only person there.

Although most inmates are not serving life sentences, Vogel said it is comforting to them to have designated a Jewish next of kin in the event they do not survive their sentence.

“It does ease their mind to know that if something, God forbid, happens to them,” he said, “they will return to the Jewish community.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines South Hills residents explore history of Jerusalem after embassy move — LOCAL —

“ Of course I’d like an undivided Jerusalem

By Lauren Rosenblatt | Digital Content Manager

A

s the world reacted to the United States’ decision to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, residents of the South Hills gathered to discuss the history of the city and take a look at some of the factors that have led to so much unrest and conflict.

A day after the official embassy move and the protests at the Gaza border that led to dozens of Palestinian deaths — mostly Hamas operatives — about 35 people gathered at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library to hear from Pittsburgh resident and Israeli native Samuel Kayam. Kayam, who is an adjunct physics and math instructor at the Community College of Allegheny County, talked about the many different empires that have controlled Jerusalem, the religious significance of the city for Jews, Christians and Muslims, and past attempts to foster peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“I think everybody must understand the history of Jerusalem,” Kayam said. “When you watch television, they don’t talk too much about the history, they don’t talk about the holy places.”

Kayam did not originally intend for the discussion, which was organized by Beth El

to be part of Israel, but how can you make peace with Palestinians without giving them

”

[the Arab portion of] east Jerusalem?

— SAMUEL KAYAM Congregation and the library, to have any connection to the embassy move. But, for many members of the audience, the history of the city and the reaction to the move could not be separated.

Judy Sutton, a Presbyterian who attended the event, said there is not a “simple answer” to the conflict in the Middle East. While she believes Israelis have a right to be in Jerusalem, she also sympathizes with Palestinians who she says were told they needed to leave their land when Israel was established.

Based on the most recent protests, she said she “can’t see peace happening” with the current cast of Israeli and Palestinian

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leaders. “I think you need people with fresh ideas, and it’s hard to have fresh ideas because they’ve been building on hatred.”

Linda Scott, a member of Temple Emanuel who is also active with Chabad, is more optimistic.

“I think this is going to come to peace,” she said. “I think it had to come to a head, but it’s going to come to peace much quicker than before.”

According to Kayam, several countries had their embassies in Jerusalem in the past. That changed in 1980, when Israel enacted a law declaring the city, which had until 1967 been split between Israeli and Jordanian-controlled

sectors, an undivided part of the Jewish state.

The United Nations said the law was null and void, and countries began moving their embassies out of Jerusalem shortly after.

For Kayam, the subject of how to divide Jerusalem — the holiest city in Judaism and historic site of the two Temples, but revered by Muslims and Christians alike — is at the heart of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

While he supports the decision to move the U.S. Embassy, he doesn’t think Israel needs to have sole control of the entire city. (The Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as their future capital.)

“Of course I’d like an undivided Jerusalem to be part of Israel, but how can you make peace with Palestinians without giving them [the Arab portion of] east Jerusalem?” he said after his presentation. “Palestinians can have a state in my opinion.”

Despite recent events, Kayam said he sees “good signs” pointing to peace in the future and is able to address the history in an optimistic, sometimes lighthearted way.

Talking to the audience, he said, jokingly, “Jerusalem, pronounced yerushalayim, which means city of peace, actually is not really a city of peace.” PJC Lauren Rosenblatt can be reached at lrosenblatt@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Calendar q MONDAY, JUNE 11 Songs of the Inspired Soul, a multimedia concert in honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s 24th yahrzeit will be held at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Katz Theater.

A local string quartet will play six nigunim (melodies) that the Rebbe taught. Each Chabad center of Western Pennsylvania will be honoring a volunteer with the Lamplighters Award. There is no charge.

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. Contact Emily Richman at erichman@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5217 for more information or visit jfedpgh.org/celebration. q SUNDAY, JUNE 3 Temple Emanuel hosts a monthly bereavement group for previous and newly bereaved adults, led by licensed clinical social workers at 10 a.m. RSVP to leonsteineresa@ verizon.net if you plan to attend. Contact Temple Emanuel at 412-279-7600 with questions.

The Senior Social Group will meet from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, room 202. Join this group to socialize in a warm and friendly environment. Contact Debbie Marcus, program coordinator, AgeWell at the JCC, at 412-521-8010 or dmarcus@jccpgh.org for more information.

>> 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 TUESDAYS TO 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 SUNDAY, MAY 27 Goats Galore from noon to 2 p.m. at Threadbare Cider House, a grownup petting zoo at 1219 Spring Garden Ave. Come to drink cider, pet goats and eat local goat cheese. A portion of bottle sales will go toward Allegheny Goatscape to support the effort to mitigate invasive plants in an eco-friendly manner. The event is free, but register so Threadbare can plan for you at threadbarecider.com/event/goats-galore/.

Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for more information.

at SoundOfJewishMusic.com. Contact caltein@ chabadpgh.com for more information.

The Pittsburgh Jewish Community Study: Where Do We Go From Here? A South Hills Conversation will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the South Hills Jewish Community Center.

Rabbi Danny Schiff, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Foundation Scholar, will be joined by a panel of Jewish community leaders including Brian Schreiber, president/ CEO, JCC of Greater Pittsburgh; Raimy Rubin, Community Scorecard manager; Jonathan Fischer; Stacey Reibach; and David Weisberg.

The program is free and open to the community. Visit southhillsjewishpittsburgh. org/comstudy for more information. q THURSDAY, MAY 31 Take a trip to Phipps Conservatory: Garden of Sound and Motion from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Look and listen as interactive soundscapes, visual art and kinetic motion installations bring the summer show to life. The $25 prepaid ticket includes transportation leaving from and returning to the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill and a one-hour guided tour of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Contact Deborah Marcus at dmarcus@jccpgh.org for more information.

The Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association (JCBA) together with Ralph Schugar Chapel will hold a book burial of sacred texts at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 498 Oakwood St. in Shaler Township at 10:30 a.m. The community is invited to participate.

Prayer books such as siddurim, chumashim and High Holiday machzorim in which the Hebrew name of God has been printed and that have become frayed, worn out or are in disrepair will be buried in a special grave. Congregations and individuals can participate by collecting these items. Items can be dropped off at Ralph Schugar Chapel, 5509 Centre Ave. or be picked up. Contact Judy at 412-812-2892 for more information and to arrange a pickup. Visit jcbapgh.org for more information or contact jcbapgh@gmail. com or 412-553-6469.

Bet Tikvah will hold its 30th anniversary celebration of the founding of Bet Tikvah from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. The community is invited for wine and dessert. There is no charge. Visit bettikvah.org for more information.

Temple Emanuel will hold An Evening of Celebration Gala at 6 p.m. to honor Rabbi Mark Joel Mahler upon his retirement after 38 years of dedicated service to Temple

Emanuel and the community. The evening will include dinner and entertainment. Proceeds benefit the Rabbi Mark Mahler Rabbinic Chair Fund. Tickets are $100 per person. Visit templeemanuelpgh.org/event/gala for more information or call the office at 412-279-7600 for more information. q MONDAY, JUNE 4 Beth El Congregation hosts its monthly First Mondays program with Rabbi Alex Greenbaum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring author/teacher Charleton Young who will be discussing his book “Voices From the Attic: The Williamstown Boys in the Civil War.” There is a $6 charge. Visit bethelcong.org for more information and call 412-561-1168 to make a reservation. q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh will hold Generations Speaker Series with Lynne Ravas and Alison Brown Karabin from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at 826 Hazelwood Ave. Ravas will share one child’s experience in a Jewish orphanage in Germany during Kristallnacht. Karabin will tell the story of her grandmother’s survival in Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Volary death march. This event is free and open to the public, and will also be live streamed. Visit jfedpgh.org/generations-ravas-karabin for more information and to register. q WEDNESDAYS JUNE 6-AUGUST 1 Temple Sinai will offer a beginner’s Hebrew class to the community for nine sessions from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. This is also the Hebrew reading class for those interested in becoming an adult b’nai mitzvah.

Contact Debbie Haber at dhaber@ templesinaipgh.org or 412-421-9715, ext.

116 or visit templesinaipgh.org/beginnershebrew-class-0. q THURSDAY, JUNE 7 The National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section, along with the national organization, celebrate 125 years of service and advocacy in 2018. The evening will include a dinner and program spotlighting the people, projects and partners who have contributed to NCJW’s impact in the Pittsburgh community over the past 125 years. Past presidents will be honored and a new board president will be installed. The Hannah G. Solomon Award will be presented to Susan Foreman Jordan. The event will Please see Calendar, page 7

q TUESDAY, MAY 29 Yeshiva Schools, entering its 75th year, will hold its annual dinner at 6 p.m. at the Westin Convention Center. Honorees will be Ed Goldston, Friend for Life; and Rabbi Yossi and Mrs. Chanie Rosenblum, recipients of the Community Builders Award. RSVP to the Yeshiva office at 412-422-7300, ext. 1217 or info@yeshivaschools.com.

q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will hold a civil rights discussion on Hate Crime and Hate Speech from 7 until 8:30 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation with representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, State Police and the Pittsburgh Police to discuss crimes that occur here in Western Pennsylvania. The discussion will include laws that govern hate crimes and what to do when you encounter hate speech. Hate crime cases that have been prosecuted in Pittsburgh will be presented. This event is free and open to the community, including other faith-based groups and middle/high school-aged children. Contact Erin Wyland at ewyland@jfedpgh.org or call her at 412-992-5252 to RSVP.

q WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 Chabad of Squirrel Hill will present the seventh annual Sound of Jewish Music at Bellefield Hall, beginning with a dessert reception at 6:30 followed by a concert at 7:15 p.m. The event features the talents of over 50 women in the community. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door and can be purchased online

6 MAY 25, 2018

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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 6 be held at the University Club beginning at 6 p.m. There is a $50 charge. Visit event ncjwpgh.org/projects/125th-celebration for more information and to purchase tickets. q FRIDAY-SUNDAY, JUNE 8-10 Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha is celebrating the installation of Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. Highlights include Friday’s “Shabbat On The Rocks,� cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception at 6 p.m. followed by services at 6:45 p.m.

Saturday morning services at 9:30 a.m., followed by a Kiddush luncheon. Sunday is the installation ceremony at 2:45 p.m. followed by a concert by recording artists and cantors, Divas On The Bima at 4 p.m. Cost for the weekend is $25 per person or $100 per family. Contact the office at 412-521-6788 for more information. q SUNDAY, JUNE 10 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is supporting the LGBTQ+ community by marching together in the Pittsburgh Pride EQT Equality March. If you cannot join the march, stop by the Federation’s booth during the festivities. The first 50 people to register for the march will get a free “Love is Kosher�

T-shirt. Visit jfedpgh.org/pride for more information and to register.

New Light Men’s Club and Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church will have a bus

and walking tour of Pittsburgh’s Hill District with tour guides from the Hill House and the Heinz History Center. Highlights include Freedom Corner, The Lyceum, August Wilson’s Family House, The Crawford (Jazz) Grill, Kether Torah Congregation, Hebrew Institute, Logan Street, “Jew Town� and guest speakers. The tour will begin at 1:30 and end at 4 p.m. There is a $15 charge. Visit newlightcongregation.org/hill-walkingtour.html for more information and to purchase tickets. q MONDAY, JUNE 11 Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Ladies Who Lunch will hold a discussion on the opioid crisis in the Pittsburgh area from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai. Drinks and dessert will be provided; bring your own brown bag lunch. Featured speakers will be Rosa Davis, executive director, Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery (POWER); Karen Hacker, director, Allegheny County Health Department; and Ashley Potts, licensed social worker, Allegheny Health Network. Charlene Tissenbaum will be the moderator. There is no charge but attendees are asked to bring a staple item such as toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, lotion, notebook and journal for clients who arrive at POWER. RSVP by June 8. Visit jfedpgh.org/ ladies-who-lunch to register.

Women of Temple Sinai will hold its next cooking class with a surprise menu led by Executive Director Drew Barkley from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Anyone age 16 and older is welcome.

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There is a $10 charge per person. RSVP by Friday, June 8 to Carolyn Schwarz at 412-4211268 or 4carolynschwarz@gmail.com or visit templesinaipgh.org/wots-cooking-class-7.

at judy@templesinaipgh.org or 412-4219715, ext. 110 by June 6, or register online at templesinaipgh.org/temple-sinaiseniors-group-trip.

Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, senior educator at Hillel International, will hold a two-hour course from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. designed to help parents support their child in evaluating and responding to anti-Israel activity on campus.

This course, at the Jewish Community Center Second Floor, Robinson Building, is designed specifically for parents of college students, concluding gap year parents and parents of rising high school seniors. Josh Sayles, director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, will participate in the discussion.

Contact Rabbi Amy Bardack, director of Jewish Life and Learning, at abardack@ jfedpgh.org or 412-697-6654. The program is in partnership with the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. RSVP at jfedpgh.org/israel-on-campus

Rabbi Barbara Symons of Temple David will lead two discussions of “The Gift of Asher Lev� by Chaim Potok in the Monroeville Public Library Gallery Space at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. The discussion is free and open to the public. Visit MonroevilleLibrary.org for more information.

A motor coach will leave the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill for a trip to Fallingwater at 10:30 a.m. and will return at approximately 3:30 p.m. Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, nestled within the lush, wooded Bear Run Nature Reserve. Tickets are $75 prepaid and include transportation and one-hour tour of Fallingwater. Contact Deborah Marcus at dmarcus@jccpgh.org for more information.

q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13

q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20

Temple Sinai is offering a trip to Johnstown from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. that will include a narrated riding tour of Johnstown’s historic downtown and viewing buildings that survived the 1889 Johnstown Flood, an orientation to the old Jewish neighborhood of Iron Street and Grandview Cemetery, a dairy lunch and tour of Congregation Beth Sholom that will include viewing the 125th Anniversary Exhibit of Jewish Johnstown, the Bloom Archives and the Jewish Museum and a ride on the Johnstown Incline.

The cost is $20. RSVP to Judy Rulin Mahan

The 27th annual NCSY Garden Sizzler, for adults only, will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Butler Gardens, 5710 Bartlett St. Reservations can be made at centraleast.ncsy.org.

q SUNDAY, JUNE 17

q THURSDAY, JUNE 21 Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh will have a Take Me Out to the Ball Game: A night with the Pirates at PNC Park event. The cost is $25 per ticket. Contact fsurloff@hadassah.org for more information. PJC

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MAY 25, 2018 7

Headlines Jewish groups are fighting — even physically, according to some — behind the scenes — NATIONAL —

By Ron Kampeas | JTA

L

ast year, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations updated its secret rules to ban “insults, ad hominem attacks, and namecalling” among member organizations and instituted a special committee to consider complaints in strictest confidence.

On May 2, the committee met, in strictest confidence, to hear three complaints. The session, all parties agree, soon devolved into insults, ad hominem attacks and namecalling — and without a decision or definitive plans for what happens next.

Three Jewish organizations — the National Council of Jewish Women, the Anti-Defamation League and HIAS — accused the Zionist Organization of America of inappropriately criticizing them; in turn, the ZOA filed complaints against member groups that have yet to be scheduled for hearings.

The complaints range from differences as picayune as who is responsible for anti-Zionist signs at a mass rally to intimations of corrupt intent to allegations of violence.

Jewish politics is often nasty, but rarely is the infighting this public. The charges and counter-charges also demonstrate the ways that ZOA president Morton Klein consistently gets under colleagues’ skin.

HIAS, NCJW and ADL declined to comment, citing confidentiality. However, JTA obtained ADL’s complaints and spoke to someone who was familiar with the proceedings and who was sympathetic with the three complainants.

ZOA’s director of special projects, Liz Berney, said the May 2 meeting, where ZOA was facing complainants, was marked by “emotional” responses by HIAS CEO Mark Hetfield and ADL’s general counsel, Steven Sheinberg, while her side was cool and armed with facts. She said she did most of the talking.

NCJW’s complaint cited a ZOA press release last November “condemning” it, HIAS and J Street among other groups for joining a letter in May defending Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour against “vicious public threats and intimidation.”

The ZOA’s letter referred to NCJW and HIAS as Jewish “extremists.” NCJW and ZOA also traded charges over the degree to which

p Jonathan Greenblatt, head of the Anti-Defamation League, speaks in New York City.

Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Concordia Summit

8 MAY 25, 2018

the women’s group helped keep anti-Zionist messages, including placards, out of the Women’s March.

HIAS complained about a ZOA letter to the Forward in January of 2017 charging that HIAS invoked “morality” in defending refugees because it receives “millions of dollars” of government grants to resettle refugees — essentially saying it defended refugees out of economic self-interest.

And ADL’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, submitted to the Presidents Conference a six-page letter and an Excel sheet with 36 complaints against ZOA dating back to 2007.

Many of the complaints focused on ZOA claims that the ADL was not fulfilling its mission in defending Jews and Israel. In one instance, which the ADL called “grotesque,” Klein complained to the Jerusalem Post in April 2016 about ADL’s criticism of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump’s attacks on refugees.

“The ADL should be fighting anti-Semites and Israel-haters, not helping to bring them to America to join the anti-Israel lobby,” Klein said. “Does the ADL enjoy seeing horrific Muslim activities in Europe against women and others?”

The source apprised of this month’s meeting was sympathetic to the views of the complainants and said that it was the ZOA side that was overwrought. The source said Klein repeatedly interrupted others, and was cautioned multiple times by Richard Stone, a past chairman of the Conference of Presidents, who chaired the meeting. The meeting ended without a conclusion; it’s not known yet whether the committee will reconvene or submit a report or ask for more details.

The Conference of Presidents, representing the leaders of more than 50 Jewish groups, would not comment for this story, saying its leaders were traveling and unavailable for comment.

The most serious complaint, however, came from the ZOA side, and has yet to be heard. Berney has accused Greenblatt of grabbing her after a May 31, 2016, panel discussion at the United Nations on the boycott Israel campaign. Greenblatt, she said, was incensed by ZOA’s claims that ADL is not representing Jewish interests.

“I’m standing with a group of people, four to five people, and suddenly Jonathan Greenblatt grabs me,” she said. “He came up to my right side, put his arm around my back, grabbed me with his left hand on my left shoulder. He starts pushing me with the force of his arm down the hall. I was trying to get away from him, and he was restraining me.”

Greenblatt, screaming, led her to the offices of the Iraqi and Syrian missions, Berney said. “‘This is the real enemy — let’s go by the offices of the real enemy,’” Berney quoted Greenblatt as saying. “All this time, he’s continuing to hold my shoulder really tight, not letting me out of his grip, and basically dragging me down the hall. I was so shaken up by it.”

JTA spoke to six people who said Berney described the event to them, on the day of the U.N. meeting or within two days of it.

None actually witnessed it. All but one recalled her describing Greenblatt gripping her while guiding her to the office; one recalled only that Berney described an altercation. Two of those interviewed, Klein and Susan B. Tuchman, are ZOA staffers. The others spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they feared reprisals within the Jewish organizational world. p Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization The ADL said it of America, at a Capitol Hill hearing on moving the looked into the claim and U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images found it baseless.

“ZOA has a long history of making outra- its members, and statements that are “false, geous claims against Jewish organizations inaccurate or unfairly exaggerated.” they disagree with, including for many “If the ‘Statement’ means anything at all,” years, the ADL,” an ADL spokesman said Greenblatt said in the letter, “if it is truly the in response. “That is why the Conference of difference between anything goes and even Presidents of Major American Jewish Orga- a minor level of decorousness, it must mean nizations is currently conducting a disci- that the ZOA cannot say that ADL helps plinary hearing about ZOA’s behavior. When anti-Semites join the anti-Israel lobby.”

ZOA leveled these charges privately to the Another ADL complaint is that ZOA often ADL two years ago, we — despite their prov- personalizes its attacks, for instance noting enance — took them seriously, looked into that Greenblatt for a period led partnerthe matter, and determined that no inap- ships between government and the highpropriate conduct took place. It is sad that tech sector for the Obama administration. a once venerable organization in the Jewish Klein reviles Obama. community would resort to this behavior.”

Berney said keeping another Jewish group Berney and Klein said they wrote ADL true to its mission was par for the course. directly asking for an apology, and Klein said “Every instance was fair and honest,” she that subsequently at a Conference of Presi- said of the ZOA’s comments on the ADL. dents meeting, Greenblatt threatened him “We praise ADL when ADL deserves it. Our physically. JTA could not find someone to purpose was to return ADL to its mission of corroborate Klein’s account of that encounter. saving the Jewish people.”

Berney, an attorney, said she decided not The other ZOA complaint pending before to report her U.N. encounter with Green- the Conference is against Ameinu, a leftblatt to police because of the ambiguous wing Zionist group. In a 2017 fundraising status of U.N. territory — it’s not clear, she email, Ameinu said that among its priorities said, whether New York law held there — was “Challenging the Zionist Organization and because she believed it was better to of America and other groups here at home discreetly seek a direct apology. Klein said when they discredit Zionism in the eyes of his subsequent confrontation with Greenblatt Americans, both Jewish and non-Jewish started when Klein demanded an apology, alike, as a violent, reactionary, anti-demoand Greenblatt’s response is what led the cratic movement.”

ZOA to refer the matter to the committee.

Berney was asked: Wasn’t Ameinu’s The ZOA, which stakes out positions on statement an instance of one Jewish orgaIsrael, refugees and Muslims usually well to nization challenging another to “return to the right of the three groups lined up against its mission”? How did Ameinu’s statement it, has a reputation for heated and sometimes differ from ZOA’s? derogatory rhetoric. Last week Klein accused “Show me where we said anything was former President Barack Obama of signing ‘violent and reactionary,’” she said. “This is the Iran nuclear deal in order “to strengthen character assassination.”

Iran’s ability to harm Israel.” Klein is a Ken Bob, Ameinu’s president, said he frequent contributor to the right-wing Breit- would prefer to keep the process confidenbart News, where he recently lambasted the tial, but said the email was not out of bounds, American Israel Public Affairs Committee especially considering ZOA’s repeated for its support of the two-state solution. Last attacks on others. month he apologized for sexist comments “The ZOA with their language their attacks about the actress Natalie Portman and a on us and other progressive Zionist organifemale ZOA executive. zations do a discredit to the broad nature of His critics in the Conference of Presidents the Jewish and Zionist world,” he said. “The say their complaints are not about politics, ZOA has run campaigns against individual but the tone and language in which ZOA people in organizations — we didn’t mention expresses them. The Conference’s “State- names or leaders. We think we stayed within ment on Public Discourse,” first written in the guidelines.” PJC 1995 and updated in 2017, bans “insults, ad Ben Sales contributed to this report. hominem attacks, and name calling” among

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Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

Israeli-run social media firm may have worked to help Trump get elected U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller has sent investigators to Israel to uncover the activities of an Israeli-run social media firm that may have led a social media manipulation effort to help Donald Trump get elected.

The co-founder of the firm, identified as Joel Zamel, who was born in Australia, met in New York three months before the 2016 election with Donald Trump Jr., as well as with Lebanese-American businessman George Nader representing the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who he said wanted to help get his father elected, The New York Times reported on May 19.

The Aug. 3, 2016, meeting was arranged by Erik Prince, the founder and former head of private military contractor Blackwater, who also attended the meeting.

It is illegal for foreign governments or individuals to be involved in American elections. The Israel Police and Zamel are cooperating with the investigation, according to the The Times.

After Trump was elected, Nader reportedly paid Zamel a large sum of money, reportedly up to $2 million, because among other reasons given, a company linked to Zamel provided Nader with an elaborate

presentation about the significance of social media campaigning to Trump’s victory.

Zamel told The Times that his client never carried out any campaign on Trump’s behalf. “Neither Joel Zamel, nor any of his related entities, had any involvement whatsoever in the U.S. election campaign,� the lawyer, Marc L. Mukasey, said. “There was a brief meeting, nothing concrete was offered or pitched to anyone and nothing came of it,� he also said.

A company connected to Zamel, Psy-Group, had been working on a proposal for a covert multimillion-dollar online manipulation campaign to help elect Trump, The Times reported, citing three people involved and a fourth briefed on the effort. The plan involved using thousands of fake social media accounts to promote Trump’s candidacy.

The company, whose motto is “shape reality,� consulted an American law firm, and was told that it would be illegal if any non-Americans were involved in the campaign, according to the report.

Companies connected to Zamel also have ties to Russia, according to The Times.

After Trump’s inauguration, Zamel and Nader visited the White House, where they met with White House advisor Jared Kushner and then-chief of staff Steve Bannon.

Gazan Palestinians enter Israel, set fire to IDF outpost A group of Gazan Palestinians cut through the border fence with Israel and set fire to an empty Israel Defense Forces outpost.

This week in Israeli history — WORLD — Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.

May 25, 2010 — Israeli Jazz Festival opens in New York

Acclaimed jazz artist John Zorn hosts the first annual Israeli Jazz Festival at “The Stone,� his New York City venue.

May 26, 1924 — Restrictive U.S. 1924 Immigration Act boosts Jewish immigration to Palestine

Unable to immigrate to the U.S., many European Jews immigrate to the land of Israel.

Between 1924 and 1929, the period known as the Fourth Aliyah, 82,000 Jews arrive in Palestine.

May 27, 1911 — Teddy Kollek Is born

Teddy Kollek, Zionist leader and longtime mayor of Jerusalem, is born in NagyvĂĄzsony, Hungary.

May 28, 1964 — PLO Is established

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is established during a Palestinian National Council meeting of nearly 400 delegates convened by King Hussein of Jordan.

The Palestinians, 10 in all, fled back through the fence into Gaza after the Tuesday morning attack on the outpost used by snipers during the March of Return border protests.

The IDF said that it had monitored the group since it began its approach to the fence.

In response, an IDF tank later on Tuesday morning targeted a Hamas observation post in the southern Gaza Strip. No injuries were reported, according to the IDF. In late March, three Palestinians who breached the border fence with Gaza were arrested near the Tzeelim army base in southern Israel, more than 12 miles from the border. They were carrying knives and grenades. Just days before that breach, four other Palestinians crossed from Gaza into Israel where they set fire to military equipment.

Also on Tuesday morning, Palestinians in the West Bank opened fire on cars with Israeli license plates, according to the IDF. No one was injured in the attack near Ramallah, but the tire of a car was blown out in the attack.

Pompeo lays out 12 requirements for signing new nuclear deal with Iran U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo laid out 12 requirements for signing a new nuclear deal with Iran.

Among the basic requirements Pompeo outlined on Monday morning during a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington is for Iran to withdraw all of its forces from Syria, end its support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, and

to stop threatening to destroy Israel.

President Donald Trump announced earlier this month that the United States would pull out of the Iran nuclear deal signed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers, including the United States. The deal, which Trump called the “worst deal ever,� trades sanctions relief for a rollback in Iran’s nuclear program.

Pompeo on Monday threatened the “strongest sanctions in history� if Iran does not meet the United States’ requirements. The sanctions would be so strong, he added, that Iran “will be battling to keep its economy alive.�

Under the requirements, “Iran has no possible path to a nuclear weapon, ever,� Pompeo said.

Some of the other requirements include to stop all uranium enrichment, which had been allowed within limits under the 2015 deal; and to allow nuclear inspectors “unqualified access� to nuclear sites throughout out the country. Iran must also release all U.S. citizens detained in the country. “Relief from sanctions will come only when we see tangible, demonstrated, and sustained shifts in Tehran’s policies,� Pompeo said.

The remaining parties to the nuclear deal have said they will continue to observe its provisions in partnership with Iran. But Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Sunday that European efforts to save the nuclear deal after the exit of the U.S. were not sufficient, citing the decisions by several European Union countries to stop doing business with Iran over fears of U.S. sanctions.  PJC

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May 29, 1979 — Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan reflects on diplomacy with Egypt

In a Knesset address, Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Dayan recounts the events that transpired between Israel, the U.S., and Egypt in the past two years, including the Camp David Accords.

May 30, 2009 — Ephraim Katzir passes away

Ephraim Katzir immigrated to Palestine with his family at the age of 9. He goes on to serve as chief scientist of the Israel Defense Forces and later as president of Israel.

May 31, 1665 — Shabbetai Zevi declares himself the messiah

Shabbetai Zevi was born on Aug. 1, 1626, in Smyrna (Izmir), Turkey. A gifted scholar, he showed signs of mental instability early in his life, causing unpredictable mood swings from extreme depression to euphoria.  PJC

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MAY 25, 2018 9

Headlines Do Israelis who supported their army in the 2014 Gaza conflict feel the same now? organization. That strengthens the view on the right in support of the army’s response, Hermann said.

By Josefin Dolsten | JTA Centrist Israelis might be more critical of the kind of force used by the army and ast week was a tough one for Israel in more supportive of improving the conditerms of public relations. tions in Gaza than those on the right, but Palestinians had been protesting both groups remain supportive of the army’s for weeks on the Gaza border, but the situactions, she said. ation heated up on May 14, Meanwhile many on the left, when the Israeli military shot which represents about 15 to 20 at protesters, killing at least 60 percent of Israeli Jews, are critical people and wounding 2,000. of the methods used by the army The actions drew wide critiand believe the protesters are cism from world leaders, human motivated by difficult living condirights organization and some tions rather than just wanting to within the American Jewish support Hamas, she said. community, though the United “On the left, people think even States and many American if Israel has the right to defend Jewish organizations blamed its border, and even if the strong the escalation and deaths on reaction by the military was in Hamas. Israel said it was acting a way justified, they shouldn’t in self-defense, and showed have used the kind of ammunievidence that many of those tion that they used against the killed were Hamas operatives. people,” she said.

But how does the Israeli Arab Israelis tend to side with public feel about the violence the Gazans, Hermann added. and their military’s response?

Indeed, the April poll found that Although there are no 90 percent of Israeli Arabs did not polls yet, experts predict that support the use of live fire against responses would be similar to the protesters. those of the 2014 Gaza War: Hermann predicted that if overwhelming support for the casualties in Gaza do not Israel’s actions. rise, Israelis will see Netanyahu’s Around 80 percent of Israelis actions overall this month as posisupported Israel’s actions in that tive, due to recent events such as Israeli security forces on patrol during demonstrations near the Hawara checkpoint, south of the war, said Dahlia Scheindlin, a p the successful Israeli strike on Photo by Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90 an Iranian military installation Tel Aviv-based public opinion West Bank city of Nablus. expert. Scheindlin is a policy in Syria, Trump’s decision to exit fellow at the progressive Mitvim the Iran nuclear deal and the — The Israeli Institute for U.S. Embassy move.

Regional Foreign Policies and a “Even on the left people founding writer of +972 magaare quite positive that he zine, a left-wing publication. managed to get these achieve“I think the large majority of ments,” Hermann said.

Israelis right now are probably Scheindlin noted that a 2017 poll looking at this the way they she designed for Gisha — Legal would look at a war, and the way Center for Freedom of Movement, that they look at a war is that an Israeli human rights organithey rally around Israeli policies zation, found that two-thirds of and the army,” Scheindlin said, Israelis believe the land, air and sea adding that Israelis were likely blockade of Gaza has undermined not “particularly moved by the security. Sixty-eight percent say deaths of dozens of Palestinians.” improving living conditions there A poll conducted last month is in Israel’s interest. However, by the Israel Democracy Instimany of these concerns go out tute showed high support for the window in times of conflict, the Israeli army’s use of live Scheindlin said, which might fire against protesters in Gaza, explain public support for aggreswith 83 percent of Jewish Israeli sive military action. respondents saying it was appro“When it comes to a situation priate. Only among supporters of military threats, nobody wants of the left-wing Meretz party did to break ranks,” she said, “and not less than half disagree with the because they would be embaruse of live fire, with 47 percent p rassed to, but that’s when people’s Palestinians protest at the border fence with Israel in Gaza City as mass demonstrations continue.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images patriotism goes up.” PJC saying it was appropriate.

— WORLD —

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Those supportive of the Israel Defense Forces’ handling of the protests include many on the right and center, who make up about 55 and 30 percent of Israeli Jews respectively, according to Tamar Hermann, the academic director of the Guttmann Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research at the Israel Democracy Institute.

Those on the right support Israel’s actions

because they see the protesters as a real security threat backed by Hamas, Hermann said.

“People on the right think that Israel has successfully defended its border against people who tried to cross the border and actually interfere with its sovereignty,” she said.

On May 16, a Hamas official said that 50 of those killed belonged to the terrorist

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 10 MAY 25, 2018

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Headlines Neighbors of the new US embassy in Jerusalem are worried — about traffic and rising rents — WORLD —

By Ben Sales | JTA

J

ERUSALEM — As he strolled on his leafy, narrow street overlooking what is now the United States Embassy in Israel, Ben Katz stepped back to dodge the sideview mirror of an oncoming truck, which had jutted onto the sidewalk.

A few hundred feet past Katz’s garden apartment, four security guards lounged under a tent. Below them, adjacent to a walking path leading to a small park, was the U.S. diplomatic compound that, on Monday, became the embassy.

“For practical purposes, it’s a question of just how the entire neighborhood is going to adjust to more people passing through and that much more going on,” said Katz, 29, an American immigrant who has lived in Jerusalem since 2012 and moved to the

unconcerned by the embassy’s historical significance, and unruffled about its potential to spark riots. Most of them supported the move, as do the majority of Israelis. But they talked more about how an influx of American diplomats and public figures would disturb their quiet surroundings — bringing more cars and higher rents — but also bring in more customers to shops and restaurants.

“It will affect the roads — that’s what we’re worried about, the residents,” said Yehezkel Balas, 67, a building contractor who lives in Arnona and whose son owns a bakery here. “There will be more traffic on the road.

And for business it will only do good. There will be more people, naturally, and more demand for apartments for rent. Big picture, it won’t do damage.”

Located in southern Jerusalem, on the seam line between the city’s Jewish and Arab western and eastern sides, Arnona is a residential area removed from the city center, accessible by only a couple of bus

p A newly hung sign points to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, which was inaugurated in May.

neighborhood last year. “It’s much less of an issue of politics or anything like that, and just an issue of congestion. The things we’re concerned about are more traffic and the rent going up.”

The embassy’s move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which took place May 14 in a ceremony with hundreds of U.S. and Israeli officials, has caused an international controversy. The United Nations General assembly voted 128 to nine, with 35 abstentions, to condemn President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

On Monday morning, dozens of Palestinians storming the Gaza border, partly in protest of the move, were killed by Israeli troops.

Israel and its supporters have celebrated the decision as a recognition of its capital and of Jewish history in the city, while Palestinian officials and their allies have decried it as violating their claims to Jerusalem.

But in Arnona, the neighborhood surrounding the embassy, residents sounded

lines. Founded about a century ago, it’s home to about 12,000 people, mostly families, kids and senior citizens, both religious and secular Jews. The embassy building opened here as a consulate in 2010, supplementing the older U.S. consulate in central Jerusalem.

On the hilltops next to Arnona, and farther from the embassy, are the Arab neighborhoods of Sur Baher and Jabel Mukaber. Residents say one-on-one relations between Arabs and Jews are good — and unlikely to be damaged by the embassy’s move.

Despite the headlines, they feel that Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem are interacting more and more.

“Eighty percent of my customers are Palestinians,” said Naomi Elook, 64, who owns a health clinic overlooking the embassy and who learned Arabic to communicate

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p The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem sits on a traffic circle recently named for President Donald Trump. The compound is in the middle of Arnona, a quiet residential neighborhood in the city’s south.

better with her clientele. “I get along with them great. They love coming here. My customers, everyone is in the university.

At my bank, half of the employees are from that sector.”

“I don’t believe there will be an attack,” she added. “There will be some noise in the beginning, but then it will be taken as a given.”

Residents say they moved to Arnona for the neighborhood’s tranquility and space — Katz’s apartment, for example, has a small front yard. Around the block is a strip mall with a bakery and a hair salon.

Getting to the embassy, which is at the top of a valley, means descending down a walking path and around a traffic circle now named for Trump. A few days before the embassy’s opening, streets were empty as workers hung Israeli flags from lampposts and cleared the sidewalks of dirt.

“The residents of Arnona didn’t bring

the embassy here, they didn’t ask for it, and the residents of Sur Baher understand that,” said Alon, 62, a journalist who has lived in the neighborhood for 26 years and declined to give his last name. “Life has more permanence than politics, so the politicians won’t succeed in disturbing us and messing up our lives.”

The move will concretely disturb the lives of at least some Arnona locals. Several hundred elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union live in public housing in the Diplomat Hotel, a property next to the embassy that the U.S. government purchased in 2014. As the embassy expands, the immigrants will have to move out. But even so, at least one of them sounded as nonchalant about the move as the rest of her neighbors.

“That everyone hates our state is a problem, but this is OK,” said Nadia Freidlin, 81, regarding the embassy. “I’m happy that it will be here.” PJC

p Yehezkel Balas, a building contractor and resident of Arnona, said the embassy will bring more traffic, higher rents and more business to the neighborhood.

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Photos by Ben Sales

MAY 25, 2018 11

Opinion Hamas’ cynical sacrifice of human life — EDITORIAL —

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amas, the Islamist terror organization that rules Gaza, proved its control over the 1.8 million Palestinians living there as Israel and the United States were celebrating the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Hamas, which is sworn to Israel’s destruction, exhorted thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to attempt to break through the border fence with Israel. The result of this attempt — accompanied by firebombs and flaming tires — was 62 Palestinian deaths, the bloodiest day in Gaza since the 2014 war.

Predictably, the world blamed Israel, accusing it of using “disproportionate” force in defending the country. Yet Hamas itself — which has spared no effort in building tunnels to attack Israel and has repeatedly fired rockets at the Jewish state — said that 50 of those killed were its members. Even so, the spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights chastised Israel, telling reporters, “The mere fact of approaching a fence is not a lethal, life-threatening act, so that does not warrant being shot.”

We beg to differ, especially since any other country would be expected to defend its

p A Palestinian protester burns tires during clashes with Israeli forces near the border of the southern Gaza Strip.

Photo by Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images

border with force against a potential infiltration of armed terrorists, even if those terrorists were cynically using unarmed civilians as cover, as Israel claims Hamas was doing.

In an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley gave her usual straight talk, rightly

putting the blame squarely on Hamas. Haley shredded the argument that the move of the U.S. Embassy was somehow to blame for the rioting at the Gaza border that day.

“The Hamas terrorist organization has been inciting violence for years, long before the United States decided to move our embassy,”

she pointed out. “Make no mistake, Hamas is pleased with the results.” And in a statement that finally closed 70 years of daylight between Israel and the United States, she declared unequivocally, “No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has.”

The United States then blocked the adoption of a Security Council statement calling on an independent probe into the deaths.

There is no doubt that the people of Gaza are living in deplorable conditions under the rule of Hamas, whose proclivity for warmongering as opposed to state building has repeatedly led Israel and Egypt to close the borders. The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which Hamas drove out of Gaza in a coup, has stopped paying Gaza salaries. To suggest that any of this is Israel’s fault is to dabble in fantasy.

As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said, Israel has a right to self-defense. The solution is to put responsibility where it belongs: squarely on the shoulders of Hamas. Hamas would do more for the Palestinians by working to better their quality of life, rather than directing its energies and cold-heartedly sacrificing lives in an effort to destroy the State of Israel. PJC

The hopeless conversation Guest Columnist Michael Vanyukov

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n May 9, I attended Gili Getz’s one-man show, “The Forbidden Conversation.” It had been announced by the Pittsburgh J Street chapter as a “personal journey into the past and future, exploring the difficult [sic] of talking openly about Israel.” Another J Street announcement of the event had described it as “a deeply personal one-man performance that explores the challenges of having a conversation about Israel in the American Jewish community.”

I am not a J Street member — quite the opposite. I view J Street as misguided and destructive, attempting to shape Israel in its own progressive image, rejecting Israel’s nationhood by trying to impose on the Jewish state a political will that contradicts the choice of the Israeli people. Nevertheless, when alerted to the play, I was interested: The current political polarization has regrettably affected the support of Israel that used to be bipartisan but now is increasingly abandoned by progressives and identified with conservatives.

Anything that can strengthen that vital support should be welcome. No doubt, a constructive conversation, difficult as it might be, is a necessary condition for that, and the ways to solve the difficulties must be sought.

If that was the play’s goal, it remained beyond the author’s reach. The 40-minute act was a jumbled combination of a political

12 MAY 25, 2018

talk and an account of exchanges between the author and his father on the situation between Israel and “Palestinians,” adorned with some dramatic elements like pauses and occasional emphatic phrase repetition. The artistic anemia of the show aside, the conversation of which the author speaks is much more problematic than is reflected in the title of the play. A forbidden (by whom?) conversation could be at some point permitted. The one that is discussed comes off as hopeless rather than forbidden; that is likely why his father no longer wants it.

A conversation is meaningful when both opponents’ points of view contain elements of truth and thus can reach a compromise, or when opponents agree on the position of one of them — hopefully, one that is right while the other is wrong. Too often it is forgotten that the latter situation is entirely possible, and a compromise not always is, particularly when irreconcilable principles are concerned. In that situation — as when a clear distinction between good and evil can be drawn — a compromise may be deadly.

Nonetheless, it is the compromise that the author seems to desire, while the situation in its origins, its history and its immutability of Arab war on Israel — misnamed the “Arab-Israeli conflict” — is of the category the prophet Isaiah warned about: “Woe to those who say of the evil that it is good and of the good that it is evil; who present darkness as light and light as darkness, who present bitter as sweet and sweet as bitter.”

I do not believe Gili Getz is knowingly on the side of evil. But when the choice is between Israel as the Jewish state and those who deny Israel and the Jews the right to exist, between good and evil, his is no good.

Perhaps Getz is unaware of this reality. But

then the main problem of Getz’s play — and this is why the conversation is hopeless — is that he not only lacks the wherewithal to make an informed judgment; he is also ideologically impervious to the necessary information, hidden from no one.

His intentions are perfectly good, just of the kind that pave the nasty road. It comes of the presentation that the author is a progressive Israeli for whom the aspirations and methods of Israel and “Palestinians” are entirely symmetric. In contrast, his father, who repatriated to Israel from Soviet Latvia after being a refusenik there, is ostensibly what the majority of former Soviet Jews are: Zionists with clear understandings of the distinctions between the two sides’ goals and actions.

In contrast to Gili and his J Street audience, with some of whom I talked in the discussion part of the event, his father’s views are apparently well-informed by his knowledge of Soviet propaganda. That propaganda created both the myth of “Palestinians,” and the progressive views concerning them, to be picked up by the gullible fellow-traveler masses in the West. To be sure, there were no “Palestinians” when the short-lived pro-Israel/anti-Arab position had been adopted

by Stalin. It had lasted only until he understood that his political preference for Israel to what he had considered retrograde Arabs was erroneous: Israel aligned not with the socialist camp as he hoped despite his vicious antisemitism, but with the “imperialists.”

The anti-Israel Soviet stance further developed to turn local Arabs into the “Palestinian nation”, Jews into the new Nazis, and Zionism into racism rather than a national self-determination movement.

The former Soviet stance remains the

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foundation of the progressive perspective on Israel as the outpost of capitalist aggression against Arabs, the oppressive regime illegally occupying lands stolen from the native “Palestinians” in addition to those that were given to the Jews by an over-generous world as compensation for the Holocaust. It is that Soviet position, ultimately an expression of the Soviet anti-Semitic communist ideology, that was used to transform Israel in the minds of almost invariably left-leaning Western intellectuals from a tiny democratic country fighting for its survival against its genocidal neighbors into a bloody monster.

It is this perspective, an ideology barring Getz’s and his J Street audience’s access to any information to the contrary, that creates in their minds symmetry between Israel and Jew-hating terror regimes. It bars access even to their own memory, which would tell them how Israel’s own ethnic self-cleansing of Gaza has resulted in thousands of Hamas rockets rather than peace. That was the result that had been predicted by everybody who could remember another attempt to make peace with a genocidal Jew-hating regime — in Munich, 80 years ago. It could also remind them of what that attempt eventually brought about.

But, as I found out to my regret, that memory had faded too: None of my J Street opponents remembered that the day we gathered for “The Forbidden Conversation” was the anniversary of the victory over the Nazis. It was only fitting: Santayana said well what happens to those who cannot remember the past. PJC Michael Vanyukov, Ph.D., is a professor of pharmaceutical sciences, psychiatry and human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh.

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Opinion Inclusion must also apply to those suffering mental illness Guest Columnists Edward Frimm Jennifer Gendel

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here is a synagogue we visit from time to time. Every time we have been there, a man sits alone in the front row. His dress is a bit shabbier than others, his social manner a bit awkward. He comes early, stays to have a little food at the Kiddush and then departs. And the entire time, almost no one speaks to him.

We learned that this gentleman suffers from chronic mental illness. He could benefit greatly from social interaction and the support of a synagogue community.

And this is a synagogue that prides itself on being welcoming and inclusive. But whether through fear, discomfort or ignorance of his circumstances, no one has offered.

People race to hold the door for someone in a wheelchair. Teachers praise the student who sits with the classmate with Down syndrome. We all rush to feed a family touched by cancer. Yet no one visits the psychiatric ward when a member is admitted. Congregants recoil from the man who shows up at services without having showered that week. And most avoid engaging with or including someone struggling with depression.

Despite the fact that one in four adults suffers from mental illness, including Jews, our synagogue communities have not been good at supporting or including those with mental illness.

Our rabbis have always had a complicated approach to mental illness. In the Talmud, mental illness or insanity is described as one who is driven to “act against his own will and the will of his Creator” (Eruvin 41b).

The cause is described as being driven by “an evil spirit.”

The rabbis did recognize the suffering and the need for compassion. The text concludes by asking, “What does this teach us?” And the answer is: “To request mercy for them.”

But only in modern times has the discussion moved from “mercy” to “inclusion.”

Ben Azzai taught in Ethics of the Fathers, “Treat no one lightly and think nothing is useless, for everyone has a moment and everything has a place.” We have a Jewish obligation to have mercy on those in need, but also an obligation to allow all to contribute to the community.

So why is it so difficult for our synagogue communities to act on this obligation?

Mental illness is a ubiquitous but often invisible disability. It is difficult to address because it is complex and highly personal.

People often fear the stigma that may result from telling others about their disability, which prevents them from seeking support.

As our USCJ colleague Rabbi Joshua Rabin once asked, what might it mean to treat every person as if he or she is “fighting a battle you know nothing about?”

To be inclusive when there is stigma,

shame and silence, our synagogues must first speak openly about the issues. Talking publicly about depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction and other struggles helps give people the emotional freedom to seek the help they need, and gives community members the comfort level to respond. As Rabbi David Schuck of Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle, N.Y., observed in his work as part of USCJ’s Ruderman Inclusion Action Community, “The more I talked about it (mental illness), the more individual people in the community felt like they could talk to me.”

Once people came forward, he was able to connect families dealing with similar issues, so they could help each other through support groups and individually.

And we need to speak openly about our own discomfort. Do we embrace a person as being created b’tzelem Elohim (in the Divine image) or do we fear them? Without meaning to, we often isolate and abandon those who may need us most. Speaking openly about mental illness is the best way to educate and create a level of comfort.

Here are just a few ways our synagogues can become more welcoming and supportive for those with mental illness: • Include people with mental illness, if they wish, in the list of those recited in the mi sheberach prayer, asking for the renewal of “body, spirit, and mind.”

• For those needing a quiet, comfortable space, provide a sensory calming room such as a library, classroom, or lounge.

Ushers and clergy should know when and how to direct people to the space, and the synagogue should feature signage and printed directions.

• Draw on outside resources. For example, Forest Hills Jewish Center works with an on-site social worker from New York’s Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services to support their efforts at including the mentally ill.

• Use existing committees to organize efforts to invite individuals with mental illness to attend events, visit in the hospital and at home, bring meals, care for children and offer transportation as you would to anyone with an illness.

• Make embracing those with mental illness a public conversation in your kehilla through sermons, lectures, and programs.

We have a Jewish obligation to care for others and to allow them to participate and contribute to the community. And it is our community that loses out when we do not do so. We must confront our prejudices and attitudes as well as adapt our programs and activities to reject silence and isolation and alleviate stigma through acceptance and support. That is the true definition of kehillah kedoshah, building a thriving, vibrant, compassionate, inclusive and holy community. PJC

Edward Frim, a Pittsburgh resident, is the director of learning enrichment at the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Jennifer Gendel is an inclusion specialist at the organization. A version of this article first appeared on uscj.org/blog.

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MAY 25, 2018 13

Life & Culture Summer reading at, and beyond, the Chronicle — BOOKS —

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eeks of rain and inconsistent temperatures has many eagerly awaiting summer’s arrival, but whether you are heading out from the Steel City or using the upcoming solstice for a staycation, the weather is always right for a good book. Here is a look at what several members of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle staff are reading.

Dinner at the Center of the Earth

By Nathan Englander (Knopf, 2017)

I have been a fan of Nathan Englander since his 1999 debut collection of short stories, “For the Relief of Unbearable Urges.”

So, when I saw that a review copy of his newest novel, “Dinner at the Center of the Earth,” had made its way to the Chronicle’s offices, I grabbed it.

Part spy thriller, part magical realism, part political fiction, the novel spans time and place, shifting rapidly from 2002 — during the midst of the second intifada — to the summer of the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, and moving from Paris to Berlin to a prison cell in the Negev to Ariel Sharon’s hospital bed, to even inside the mind of the comatose general himself. It took me a few chapters to appreciate the method to the author’s madness, but once I did, I couldn’t put the book down.

At the center of the book is Prisoner Z, an American Jew turned Mossad agent, who is being held for years in a remote desert outpost for treason with no hope of release.

We eventually learn how he got there, but not without first being asked by the author to examine principles of loyalty and to take a hard look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the continuous cycle of terror and retribution.

— Toby Tabachnick

Book of Job: A Commentary

By Solomon B. Freehof (Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1958) Schmoozing, sparring and sauntering in the sun are so many of summer’s staples.

Unsurprisingly, those exercises are as old as time itself. The classical tale of Job, a man who seemingly has much, loses much, is rewarded and endures an existential and theological search of biblical proportion, may not seem like typical poolside reading, but while scouring a local library I found this gem that illuminates any setting.

“Book of Job: A Commentary” is written

by Solomon B. Freehof, a historic Pittsburgh rabbi who predated the pulpit of Rabbi Walter Jacob at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Freehof influenced and charted the American Jewish experience by updating the “Union Prayer Book,” served as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the World Union for Progressive Judaism, and authored more than 700 responsa.

His take on Job is instructive, grappling with a text that inherently wrestles with itself. Between its characters’ ponderings, Job offers a look at seismic struggles. In his commentary, Freehof presents one particular thought that for me, generated substantial pause: “Every author is the child of his time. … There are certain phrases which are characteristic of a certain age; certain social conditions which reflect themselves in a man’s description of his ideas; certain range of ideas are the product of the development of knowledge in his day. No writer can escape his own era.”

For a rabbinic icon who sought space within the corpus of classical writings — or even a Jewish journalist — such words never rang so true.

— Adam Reinherz

Bachelor Girl

Treasures of The Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan

By Kim van Alkemade (Touchstone, 2018)

Set in 1920s New York, Kim van Alkemade’s “Bachelor Girl” weaves together the stories of three very distinct characters:

14 MAY 25, 2018

Helen Winthrope, an aspiring actress as she recovers from an illness that nearly crippled her career and left her family in debt; Albert Kramer, a gay man trying to simultaneously embrace and shun his identity as he works to become a businessman; and Colonel Jacob Ruppert, a millionaire who owns the New York Yankees.

All three have their fair share of secrets, which unfold slowly as the reader navigates through their world of business, sports and theater, all as their relationships to one another change.

The book is written in a meandering tone, putting the reader squarely in the shoes of the characters, drawing all the attention to whatever crisis is at hand, whether that is a lack of proper dress to wear to the dog show or a leaked secret to The New York Times about the new Yankee Stadium.

While Ruppert remains a relatively shadowy character throughout most of the book, Winthrope and Kramer immediately develop extreme personalities as headstrong, independent, determined and often misguided.

Kramer works desperately to hide his sexuality from his boss, but also seems to constantly strike up relationships with those connected to the business. Winthrope, though proud of her position as a “career girl,” is drawn to the role of a traditional mother but continuously takes steps to endanger that future.

As the characters work through tumultuous life events, van Alkemade writes with such elegance and poise that it is easy to feel disconnected from the chaos of their lives, making the book a relaxing read. Though set nearly a century ago, the main characters’ struggles with issues of identity, insecurity, love and family mirror the same issues many people face today, and the lessons they learn do not slip by the reader unnoticed.

— Lauren Rosenblatt

By Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck (Penguin Books, 2006) When one spends a good part of one’s day every day immersed in the Jewish world, it’s refreshing once in a while to take a vacation via a good book. There are few parts of the world as remote from the Jewish world — and remote from the rest of the world — as the Kingdom of Bhutan.

In a recent article in Condé Nast Traveler, the writer asked an eclectic set of ambassadors to the United States to discuss one book that they would recommend that someone traveling to their country read ahead of time to better understand their country.

The ambassador of Bhutan recommended this book, a personal memoir written by the country’s queen mother.

Long isolated from most of the world, this landlocked Himalayan land was essentially a medieval Buddhist kingdom until the 1960s. The author, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, remembers a happy childhood growing up in a mountain village with lots of family and festivals but no electricity, plumbing or paved roads. She takes the reader on the amazing journey of Bhutan becoming more developed and somewhat

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more open, all just in the span of her own life. Despite these profound changes in society, the author says that the Bhutanese still retain their deep ties to their land and their culture, which is deeply integrated with their religion, a form of Buddhism closely related to Tibetan Buddhism.

Despite the profound differences between us, it seemed reminiscent to me of the enduring attachment that many Jews hold to the land of Israel and Judaism.

Bhutan contains a wide variety of geography populated by a multitude of ethnic groups, and a long history of mythological as well as historical events. For much of the book the author describes her travels throughout the country, seeing historical and religious sites as well as visiting many of the distinct ethnic groups that populate the isolated mountain valleys of the highlands.

Throughout it all she shows a cheerful and loving attitude towards her homeland, with lots of details that make the country and its peoples come alive for the Western reader.

The King of Bhutan’s overall policy of national development emphasizes happiness and preservation of the quality of life, including protecting the environment, over pure economic development. Not surprisingly, the queen mother supports this policy unreservedly and speaks glowingly about how wonderfully it is working.

If this all sounds too good to be true, it is. Readers of the Chronicle may recall that Jewish Family and Community Services has helped Pittsburgh’s community of Bhutanese refugees. These refugees are not the majority ethnic Bhutanese or Buddhists; rather, they are the minority ethnic Nepalis and Hindus who had migrated into the lowlands in recent history. The ethnic Bhutanese majority didn’t want to see Bhutan’s identity become diluted and so pressured many of these ethnic Nepalis into fleeing the country.

Clearly this volume is not a clear-eyed analysis of modern Bhutan. What it is, however, is an informative and entertaining look at modern Bhutan from the perspective of its majority population, and for that it is worthwhile. PJC — Jim Busis

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Life & Culture Adat Shalom Confirmands Jacob Correnti Noah Hertzman Ben Schwartz

Graduates Zachary Friedberg Alex Kronman Alexandra Solomon Daniel Uhl

Beth El Congregation of the South Hills Confirmands Rose Genstein Joseph Wolfson

Graduates Eliana Bennett Ella Elkoni Sara Frew Jenna Lazar Maya Perilman Ava Pries Avi Remes Joshua Sakolsky Yishai Selig Zack Spatz

Congregation B’nai Abraham Confirmands Zachary Max Doerr Bella Xiaolu Hood Terman

Community Day School 8th-Grade Graduates Liam Beresteanu Carly Caplan Dori Catz Ori Cohen Jacqueline DeWitt Shulamit Dernis Nadav Gilboa Mayan Harris-Gershon Erin Klein Seth Kunzman Orelle Magnani Ada Perlman Noa Pinkston Avi Rosen Talia Rosen Jacob Schneiderman Arielle Sonnenberg Benjamin Tarr Madison Zunder

Friendship Circle Graduates Jacob Adelsheimer Kaylee Andrusier Jacob Beiriger Teddy Caplan Alex Cohen Carson Cohen Jarrod Edson Alex Farber Joesph Finkelstein Leah Fireman

Joint Jewish Education Program (J-JEP)

Emily Ford Marcella Gerszten Rivkah Gniwisch Sydney Goldberg Carla Goldsmith Sara Goldstein Rachel Goodwin Morgann Green Sammy Himmel Olivia Hirshman Rachel Holzer Joey Horvitz Dini Hyman Jennifer Jaffe Grace Katz Alexandra Khani Irina Kramkova Carly Krasik Lauren Levy Elly Lindner Melanie Mantel Sophie Moritz Yael Perlman Daniel Plaut Rayna Recht Gabriel Roberts-Peres Rachel Rollman Jolie Rosenberg Meredith Roteman Zach Rudoy Scott Strassburger Jordan Taxay Colton Vasquez Sarah Wecht Jacob Wecht Jesse Weisbord Hannah Wolper Oliver Zunder

Graduates Adam Bisno Abby Blank Ellie Brandeis Ezra Dubowitz Abigail Feinstein Julian Gass Ethan Goetz Remmie Greenwald Patrick Hilton Olivia Kaufman Thomson King Lilly Robinson Theo Rothstein Nathan Rybski Hannah Schwartz Aidan Sherman David Weisfield

Madrichim Graduates Asher Grinberg Rachel Holzer Carly Krasik

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Graduates Joseph Finkelstein Maddie Herrup Sammy Himmel Alana Yoffee

Temple Emanuel of South Hills

Hillel Academy

8th-Grade Girls Graduates Alexa Barr Shoshana Kisilinsky Dalya Kraut Nechama Chaya Langer Golda Rothman Chava Rivka Russell 8th-Grade Boys Graduates Avraham Admon Yitzchok Berelowitz Asaf Felder Eliezer Jacobs Yosef Kaminsky Yaakov Moshe Katz Natan Marcus Gabriel Small 12th-Grade Girls Graduates Rachel Cohen Naomi Edelman Sara Goodman Rivka Saxon Rivka Sutofsky 12th-Grade Boys Graduates Yosef Cohen-Melamed Moshe Dovid Luzer Nathaniel VanSickle

Confirmands Madeline Elizabeth Dorish Samuel Joseph Dvorin Audra Sarah Foremsky Rose Joline Genstein Camille Dreyfuss Herman Shoshanah Jacqueline Karow Harrison James Lilley Emily Michele Linder Justin David Maglin Jill Elizabeth Pollon Samara Rose Steinfeld Joseph Charles Abraham Wolfson

Temple Ohav Shalom Confirmands Josh Begler Eliza Greenberg Alex Negrini Erica Negrini Ben Solomon

Graduates Max Ginsburg Sydney Goldberg Aaron Greenberg Jason Hertzberg Jason Piechowicz Jared Roskin Jillian Siegal Marshall Weinberg

Temple Sinai

Confirmands Mara Elizabeth Bett

Ariel G. Chamis Benjamin M. Chamis Jacob Robert Epstein William Ganger Shayna Nicole Josowitz Abe Kaplan Olivia Knauer Sophie Ruth Seiden Levitt Eli Michael Snyder Logan Jacob Wissinger

Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation Graduates Liam Friedlander John McGlothlin Eliana Mor Adi Schreiber

Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh 11th-Grade Boys Graduates Mendeli Allouche Shmuel Barrocas Gavriel Eleff Betzalel Evenchik Ari Franklin Ari Jacobs Dovid Lester Mordechai Pelled Moshe Raichik Mendy Schusterman Aharon Shollar Manny Shollar Shmuel Wolosow 8th-Grade Boys Graduates Yaakov Moshe Friedman Yanke’le Friedman Mendel Hashimi Refael Markel Nochum Rosenblum Tzvi Shusterman Menachem Thaler Yossi Tombosky Yaakov Vogel Sage Yanoff 12th-Grade Girls Graduates Kaylee Andruiser Devora Cohn Laya Fishman Rivkah Gniwisch Leah Hashimi Dini Hyman Tanya Markel Mushka Rothman 8th-Grade Girls Graduates Sheina Ehven Esther Engle Menucha Ertel Chana Leah Meretsky Chana Naiditch Musya Presman Chaya Rosenfeld Talia Rosenthal Adina Shkedi Esther Rivka Shke

Congratulations Graduates PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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MAY 25, 2018 15

Headlines Grilling: Continued from page 1

Although Edelsack has since shifted careers — he advises corporations today — he still shares insights through cooking classes at Temple Sinai.

Over the past four years various teachers like Edelsack have shared their knowledge at Temple Sinai, though none has yet focused on grilling due to practical limitations, explained Carolyn Schwarz.

“We’ve done everything inside, in the Temple Sinai kitchen,” she explained.

It is precisely that ability to cook outdoors that is most enchanting to many denizens of the city.

“I grill all the time, even when it’s cold outside,” said Edelsack.

David Chudnow, a foodie and hot dog connoisseur, similarly appreciates the art of all-season grilling.

“In college, at University of Michigan, the Hillel owned a hot dog cart, and for a year and a half I ran that hot dog cart,” said Chudnow. “For nine months at a time I was a professional hot dog griller and seller.”

The experience taught him much about meat.

“We did a lot of testing with the kosher

Seminary: Continued from page 1

Jewish presence in the land for 2,000 years, and the Palestinian refugee issue is described as ‘ethnic cleansing.’”

While Sabeel condemns terrorism, it nonetheless “goes through great lengths to rationalize why Israeli actions may justify terrorism,” Sayles added. “It condemns all Israeli security measures and denigrates Israeli efforts at peacemaking, including Camp David. Analogies such as ‘Israel is crucifying the Palestinians,’ which invoke age-old canards of blood libel, are regularly referenced.”

Ateek, Sayles noted, has played “a critical role in establishing and spreading these anti-Semitic narratives among the international Christian community for decades.”

When Sayles met with leadership at the seminary to share the Jewish community’s concerns about giving the founder of Sabeel a platform in Pittsburgh, he was dismayed to be told, “‘We don’t see it the same way,’” he recounted.

“When I meet with Muslim community leaders and they share stories of Islamophobia, I offer the Federation’s support,” Sayles said. “When I sit with Hispanic leaders and learn about their community’s difficulties with immigration status, we work on ways to improve the situation. When I gather with black leaders and they tell me about the racism they experience on a daily basis, I’ve never once questioned where they’re coming from.

“So, I find it troubling when I reach out to PTS with concerns about anti-Semitism and am told, ‘We don’t see it the same way.’”

PTS President David Esterline was not part of that meeting, but Sayles, along with Rabbi Jamie Gibson of Temple Sinai — who has been involved in interfaith dialogue with the Presbyterian community for decades — 16 MAY 25, 2018

dogs and what brand to use,” he said. Ultimately, Chudnow and three other students selected Abeles & Heymann.

“They are a superior dog to the other brands available in that price,” he maintained.

“For a nonspecialty hot dog, they are the best.”

Chudnow revealed some secrets of the trade.

“If you cut three or four slices into the hot dog, it grows a little more, it crisps up a little more and makes it more attractive,” he said.

Also, hot dogs should “always be grilled, never boiled. I think that’s a terrible thing to do.”

For Ilya Belopolosky, the secret of the char lies in using a cast iron grate. Not only do you “get the heat off ” of it, the grate gives “great linings on the steak,” he said.

The former New Englander also recommends investing in a rotisserie attachment.

The model Belopolsky boasts fits nicely on his classic round Weber grill.

“I grew up using propane but as an adult I’ve gotten more refined in taste, and I’m now purely into charcoal,” he explained. “There’s definitely a flavor you get off the grill; you get that flavor and that’s what you’re missing with the propane.”

What about the environment?

“Because of both air pollution emissions and health considerations, gas grills tend to be a little bit better,” admitted Jeffrey Cohan,

executive director of Jewish Veg, a national nonprofit. Although, “charcoal will give you a little bit of a better flavor. That’s the trade off.”

Joining the propane vs. charcoal conversation was Dan Butler, who each summer hosts an evening cookout where several hundred pounds of meat get flame kissed prior to being devoured.

“As an Orthodox person, my tendency is to be more traditional,” he deadpanned.

That’s why the longtime Squirrel Hill resident and his wife employ a six-foot charcoal grill during their annual NCSY fundraiser.

The behemoth of a barbecue is one of six total grills employed at the gala, and while the five others rely on propane, each of the volunteer operators behind the flames are equally referred to as “grill geeks.”

There is a certain camaraderie that comes from grilling, noted Chudnow, who recalled strategizing with his fellow students on a host of related issues, including the logistics of transporting a hot dog cart across campus, optimizing economics and what condiments to offer.

But while the act of grilling can bring some together like cabbage and salad, it can sour others.

Given the proximity of the cart to one of Chudnow’s classes, he would “always take a

shift before class,” he explained. “I would grill a hot dog and walk the block to class, and my friend would hate me because I smelled like hot dogs.”

But not all grilled foods need to be of the fleishig variety.

“You can definitely have a great barbecue without using meat,” said Cohan, who uses a skillet when smoking his dishes. “Marinating vegetables and cooking them on the grill is really delicious, and there’s lots of alternatives to the traditional hamburger and hot dogs. For instance, portabella mushrooms are really great on the grill.

“We just encourage people to try a meatless barbecue, because if they do I think they’ll be surprised how great it could be,” he added. “Now, between vegetables that come out of the ground and all of the plantbased alternatives you can get at the store, you literally don’t have to miss anything.”

Whatever you end up cooking this summer, always remember one thing, offered Butler: “The first commandment of grilling is never walk away. Things will be charred; somebody has to always stay with the grill. It’s like a small child.” PJC

reached out to Esterline directly weeks prior to the event, according to Sayles.

“He declined to meet with us until the very end of May,” two weeks after the date the event was scheduled to occur, Sayles said. “It’s clear that the well-being of the Jewish community is not a prominent issue at the seminary and that the problem starts at the top.”

Esterline, who has been at the helm of the seminary since 2015, is himself a proponent of the BDS movement, he told the Chronicle in an interview in 2015.

“We at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary hold a deep commitment to being a place where constructive dialogue is invited,” Esterline said last week by email. “When we received the request from Friends of Sabeel, North America (FOSNA) to hold their meeting on our campus, we agreed because of this conviction.”

About 120 people turned out to hear Ateek at the PTS, filling the auditorium and giving him a standing ovation at the conclusion of his 45-minute talk.

Ateek spoke primarily about Jerusalem and the imperative for the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Islam and Christianity to share the city.

His narrative, however, was riddled with inaccuracies and factual omissions, painting Jews as land-grabbers, with no mention of Arab states’ rejection of the U.N. partition plan and their launch of a war against the fledgling Jewish state in 1948. He condemned Israel’s 1967 reunification of Jerusalem, but failed to mention the Arab aggression that led to the Six-Day War. “Israel started Judaizing the Old City and east Jerusalem by driving the Palestinians out,” said Ateek, who repeated the term “Judaizing” many times throughout his talk and accused Jews of trying to take over the Temple Mount.

“It’s unbelievable when you see how Israel is trying to encroach,” he said. “In the mind

of the Jewish religious fanatics, they want to take it over. And not all archaeologists are even certain the Jewish Temple is there.”

He questioned President Donald Trump’s motivation in moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, asking, “Did he do it because his daughter married a Jewish person?”

In response to a question about the situation in Gaza, he told the crowd, “When you hear that Hamas sends a rocket here and there, most of the time it is a reaction to what Israel has done.”

He also described the recent protests along the Gaza border as “nonviolent,” with no mention of the reported gunfire against Israeli soldiers, nor the Molotov cocktails, the burning tires or the rocks flung by slingshots into Israeli territory. “[The protestors] are just going there to say, ‘We have the right to go back to our villages and our towns,’” Ateek told his audience.

The lecture had been preceded by a private dinner with Ateek, attended by about 80 area clergy and lay leaders from various denominations, including Methodist and Episcopalian, as well as the Rev. Liddy Barlow, executive minister of the umbrella group Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania.

Esterline characterized Ateek’s presentation as “a message encouraging non-violence, even in the midst of this difficult season for Christians across the Middle East,” and said that “we welcome the Jewish community’s presence and perspective.”

“Our faith propels us to believe that nonviolent solutions can still be found in all human conflict, and that we are called to work tirelessly together toward a just peace,” added Esterline. “Above all, we remain committed to Jesus’s teaching to welcome the stranger, love the enemy and exhibit the justice of God.” While Barlow said she was not available for an interview with the Chronicle, she emailed a general statement in response to an inquiry

about Ateek’s appearance at the seminary.

“The Christian community in Southwest Pennsylvania is diverse in every way, including in its perspectives on the conflict in Israel and Palestine,” wrote Barlow. “It is my hope that Jews and Christians can continue to work side by side to address the challenges faced by our local community. I also hope that we can be in dialogue together across our different deeply-held perspectives, so that we can better understand one another and work together for a just peace in the Holy Land.”

On May 15, the PTS hosted Ateek again for a “Nakba Commemoration Sermon.”

In Arabic, nakba means “catastrophe” and refers to the formation of the State of Israel. “[People should be aware that] Sabeel views the complicated Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a distorted prism that paints Israeli actions as evil, never considering the difficult choices Israelis are forced to make to defend themselves,” said Ethan Felson, executive director of the Israel Action Network, a program of Jewish Federations of North America. “They have long trafficked in anti-Jewish motifs, and Friends of Sabeel has even called for certain boycotts of several Jewish-owned businesses.”

While the Federation has ceased collaboration with the PTS, it is still in dialogue with other Presbyterian communities in the area.

“It’s important to note that neither Sabeel nor the seminary represent the views of the majority of the Presbyterian or progressive Christian communities,” Sayles stressed.

“There are plenty of ways to support the Palestinian people without denying the Jewish narrative, and vice versa.

“We look forward to continuing to work with those who recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, and by extension are inclusive of the Jewish people as they fight for justice for all.” PJC

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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

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MAY 25, 2018 17

Celebrations

Torah

Weddings

The first Shabbat to penetrate our being Rabbi Elchonon Friedman Parshat Nasso | Numbers 4:21-7:89

Eisenberg/Mayers: Rebecca Eisenberg and Jimmy Mayers were married on March 24 in Baltimore. Rebecca is the daughter of Laurie and Michael Eisenberg of Squirrel Hill and the granddaughter of Ruth and the late Lester Zittrain, formerly of Churchill.

Jimmy’s parents are Margie and Doug Mayers of Malden, Mass.; his grandparents are Pat and Stan Mayers of State College, Pa., and Evangeline and Robert Maher of Palmyra, N.J. Rebecca and Jimmy met at Penn State, where they both completed undergraduate degrees. Jimmy holds a master’s degree in special education from Johns Hopkins University. The couple is moving to Los Angeles, where Rebecca will be the director of content and copy for Headspace (a meditation app) and Jimmy is a special education teacher.

Mars/Monahan: Wendy and Peter Mars of Pittsburgh, along with Jan and Tom Monahan of Longwood, Fla., are thrilled to announce the marriage of their children Bryn Daniella and Michael Andrew. The two surprised guests and married April 21 at their engagement party in Clearwater Beach, Fla. Bryn is a graduate of Skidmore College. She is a family enterprise consultant and founder of Bryn Mars Consulting. Michael is the president of Chicago digital public relations firm Tech Image. He holds an MBA from Florida Southern College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida. Bryn and Michael met and reside in Chicago, with their French bulldog, Yoda. Whether present in person or in spirit, Bryn and Michael would like to thank those in their lives who have shown them continued love and support.

B’nai Mitzvah Henry Barnes, son of Marci and Frank Barnes of Bridgeville, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, May 26 at Temple Emanuel of South Hills. Henry is the grandson of Susan and Kenneth Kantrowitz of Carnegie and the late Eunice and Willie Barnes of Perry, Ga.

T

his week’s Shabbat is the first Shabbat after the holiday of Shavuot. This is historically unique, for this is the first Shabbat that the Jewish people celebrated fully after receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. This is because the original Shavuot — when we were given the Torah and heard the Ten Commandments — was on a Shabbat.

The actual event took place at the first moments of morning, making the Shabbat of Shavuot an incomplete day of rest. Only the following week did a complete Torah-mandated Shabbat take place.

The Jewish people were actually commanded about Shabbat by Moses a few weeks earlier, in Marrah, to keep and safeguard the seventh day of the week, which they did. And yet, there is something special and unique about the Shabbat after Shavuot, and the lesson we can learn from it even today.

The Midrash compares the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai to the abolishment of a decree between Rome and Syria. The edict was that the countrymen of Syria were not allowed in Rome and that the men of Rome were not allowed in Syria.

So too, the Midrash says, there was a decree that the “heavens are for G-d and the earth for mankind.” G-dliness may not come down to earth and the creations of earth may not ascend on high. At Mount Sinai G-d abolished this division and came down to earth whilst commanding Moses to ascend on high.

The practical implication of this new order is that G-dliness can permeate the mundane and that the mundane can become holy.

The Shabbat as it was before the giving of the Torah was a bliss and peace brought about by external factors. We enjoyed the peace, but were not essentially peaceful; we rested from work but we weren’t free men.

It was only this first Shabbat — the one after the giving of the Torah — when Shabbat became our very being. Shabbat is not the freedom from our week of work; rather, Shabbat is our very identity that brings purpose and G-dliness into our mundane work and days. For we become Shabbat and Shabbat becomes us.

The first three days of the week we bask in the spirituality of the previous Shabbat and the last three days of the week we prepare for the upcoming Shabbat. We become purposeful individuals and peaceful role models. Shabbat represents G-d’s purpose on earth, and the G-dly purpose is not just a day, but a lifestyle.

Shabbat is not only about having a meal and turning off our phones. Shabbat is about lighting a candle, making Kiddush, praying and learning. Shabbat is the day we bring light, blessings, spiritual direction and G-dliness into our life. The experience can and should change us and our families for the better, making every mundane aspect of our life truly “Shabbosdik” — inspired and full.

Have a good Shabbat. PJC Rabbi Elchonon Friedman is the rabbi at Bnei Emunoh Chabad-Greenfield. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.

Name: Kenny Ross Automotive Group Width: 5.0415 in Depth: 3.25 in Color: Black Ad Number: 10043257 Abby Reese Blank, daughter of Craig and Lydia, and big sister to Landon and Nina, will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on Monday, May 28. A seventh-grader at the Environmental Charter School and active member at Rodef Shalom Congregation, Abby loves to sing, read and run with her Girls On The Run/Heart and Sole team.

She is an active volunteer with The Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh and plays softball and basketball. Abby is the granddaughter of Myrna and (the late) Milton Blank, Paul and Naomi Herman and Ben and Jan Caplan.

Levi Schwimer, son of Kelly and Charles Schwimer, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, May 26 at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills. Grandparents are Dr. Sidney and the late Charlotte Schwimer of Whitehall, the late Leonard Sheffler of Pittsburgh and the late Jane Sheffler of Miami. PJC

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Obituaries COHEN: Alex Cohen, age 87, married to the love of his life, Sheila, for over 58 years; loving father of Stephen Cohen and Julia (Shane Kelley) Cohen, all of Pittsburgh; son of the late Ida and Samuel Cohen. Brother of Shirley (Donald) Farkas, Thelma (late Eric) Cantor, and Ronald (Debbie) Cohen. Devoted grandfather of Ezra and Nina Kelley. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. Alex was a devoted family man known for his generosity to numerous Jewish organizations, his keen sense of humor, and his work ethic, which he instilled in his children, working six and sometimes seven days a week. Alex was also known for being well-informed, consuming newspapers while watching the news on TV and listening to talk radio. Services were held t Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Ida and Samuel Cohen Endowment Fund at Beth Shalom Congregation, 5915 Beacon Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com EISNER: Rut hie Green Weinstein Eisner, a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, died on Friday, May 18, 2018, surrounded by her loving family.

Born in 1937 in Pittsburgh, Ruthie received a Bachelor of Arts degree in teaching from Ohio State University. She continued her education at the University of Pittsburgh toward her master’s degree. After her career in teaching, Ruthie had a vibrant, successful career in retail, where she was relied on for her wonderful taste and style. Ruthie loved her family, and was an exceptional attentive daughter, mother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, friend and grandparent. Ruthie was an avid reader and a lover of animals. She enjoyed good food, theater and socializing. She had a special smile and attitude that would light up a room. She is survived by her daughter Kimi, her grandson Max, her brother and sisterin-law Arnie and Kathie, her niece Brittany, and many lifelong friends and admirers.

Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment private. Contributions in Ruthie’s memory to the charity of donor’s choice. schugar.com GOLDBERG: Mildred Goldberg age 91, of Pittsburgh, on May 11, 2018, has comfortably left this earth while her daughter, Marcy Goldberg, was there holding her. She has joined her late father, Milton and her son, Paul in heaven. She also leaves behind her granddaughter, Rachael. Funeral private.

Professional services trusted to D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd., Lawrenceville. Memorial contributions can be made to a charity of one’s choice. dalessandroltd.com

LANDIS: Hilda (Braslawsce) Landis, on Sunday, May 13, 2018, Mother’s Day, at the age of 90. She is loved and missed by many, and survived by her children Richard M. Landis (Linda Joseph), Sally Gawler (Jay Gawler), John R. Landis (Kendra Coyle), Kimberly J. Landis (Torino Von Jones); her sisters Betty Barlow (Alan Balsam) and Zelda Braslawsce. She is also survived by her eight grandchildren, Alexandra and Andrew Gawler, Aaron Landis, Golden and Sage Landis-Von Jones and Louise, Amelia, and Charlotte Landis. She was the favorite aunt of many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her son, Daniel J. Landis (surviving spouse Anne Landis), brothers Harry Barlow, Paul Braslawsce, and Joe Braslawsce; her former spouse, Myron S. Landis. Hilda was sometimes bohemian and always witty. For decades, “…Fat and sassy…” was her catchphrase response to “How are you?” She was proud of her cooking, gardening, and pretty-punch needling; loved to play games especially Mahjong, and was always eager to teach and learn new things. Those who know her well can appreciate Hilda’s final request that her body be donated to science.

And how she would laugh at the humorous irony of her passing on the holiday devoted to celebrating Mothers! Service to celebrate her life to be held Wednesday, May 23, 10:30am, at Jewish Association on Aging (JAA) Community Room, 200 JHF Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15217. Contributions may be made to Sivitz Hospice, 200 JHF Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15217.

NELKIN: Irene K. Nelkin on Tuesday, May 15, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Arthur Nelkin; Beloved mother of Carol Nelkin, Robert (Ann Truxell) Nelkin and Nancy Nelkin; loving daughter of the late Sara Rogal; sister of the late Phyllis Kart; Grandma of Gregory (Tracy) Kalik, Julie Nelkin (fiance Alex Convissar) and Zachary Nelkin; great-grandmother of Alexandra Kalik. Aunt of Allan Kart, Harvey Kart, Susan Rosenthal, Jan Mix, Meryl Miller, Barbara Paulcheck and the late Bill Edelstein. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom Congregation. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be may to Arthur and Irene Nelkin Fund c/o the Jewish Family and Community Services, 5743 Bartlett Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com NEWELL: Anita Newell on Wednesday, May 16, 2018; Predeceased by her younger brother, Alex Newell; Survived by nephew, Sam Elsamman and niece, Sima Newell.

Anita graduated from Columbia University with a degree in library science and went to work for Westinghouse Research where she worked for 32 years as head of their Technical Library. Anita was vice president of the Biblical Archaeological Society of Pittsburgh, which she enjoyed very much. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Abraham Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Attn: Office of External and Government Relations, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. schugar.com Please see Obituaries, page 20

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Stanford J. Levin ................................................... Helen Levin Harriette Libenson........................................Erwin Rubenstein Irma E. Morris ................................................ Mary Segal Eger David & Lynetta Neft ................................................. Saul Neft Shirley E. Preny ............................................. Sophia Mallinger Shirley E. Preny .................................................... Anna Krantz Shirley E. Preny ...............................................Aaron Mallinger Marion & Morris Riemer .............. Ralph Covel & Esther Covel Mindy Rosen-Stadler ................................ Fannie S. Lattanzio Rosalyn Shapiro .................................................Irving Shapiro Marcia Sigler ....................................................... Bessie Sigler Nancy Smith...............................................Esther K. Steingart Robin Snyder ................................................... Barney Snyder Ruth Tanur ........................................................... Sarah Ronay Mrs. Iris Walker ................................................... Lillian Amper Martin Winkler ................................................ Benjamin Horne Susan Wolf ...............................................Claire B. Lichtenstul Sheldon B. Wolk...................................... Myrna & Henry Wolk

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday May 27: Rebecca Adler, Nellie Bricker, Anne Stein Fisher, Samuel Hankin, Albert Jacobson, William Moldovan, Rose Rattner, Norma Rosenstein, Samuel Rotter, Martin Rubin, Blanche Sigel, Seward Wilson Monday May 28: Sarah Lee Backal, Samuel Bernstein, Irving H. Cohen, David Friedman, Tillie Gordon, Joseph I. Katz, Samuel M. Langer, Marjorie Leff, Morris Hyman Leff, Fannye B. Mermelstein, Freda Oawster, Phillip Pattak, Samuel Schneirov, Florence Sherwin, Morris Thomashefsky Tuesday May 29: Lillian Amper, Beatrice K. Barnett, Gustave J. Bloch, Meyer M. Braun, Belle Farber, Ida A. Friedman, Leonard Hyman Gettleman, I. Max Greenfield, Charles L. Jacobs, Stella Brown Lipschz Leedy, Carl Lipson, Ralph Leon Markowitz, Cele Monheim, Alta M. Orringer, Morris Shakespeare, Sarah Teplitz, Sara Weinberg Wednesday May 30: Sybil B. Berkman, Florence Boodman, Herman Braunstein, Sherman B. Golomb, Hilda Z. Silverman, Gertrude Simon, Irving Spolan, Sara Titlebaum, Abraham Weiner Thursday May 31: Jennie Bleier, Jacob Garber, Mayme Gerson, Morris B. Green, Lillian Handmacher, Leah Kramer, Helen Langer, Robert Langer, Samuel A. Lichter, Abe Mazer, Abraham Rothenstein, Morris A. Schwartz, Betty Silberblatt Friday June 1: Israel A. Brahm, Howard Finkel, Tillie L. Gallagher, Dr. Harold Saul Kaiser, Leroy A. Klater, Jack Masloff, David Reubin, Anshel Rosen, Sylvia Rosenblum, Ernestine L. Rosenfield, Minnie Schilit, Benjamin B. Sklar, Sidney Whitman Saturday June 2: Sylvia Barmen, Stanley Flansbaum, Belle Goldman, Saul Goldstein, Fanny Kurfeerst, Jacob Landay, Max H. Leib, Esther Littman, Joseph Morantz, Max R. Morgan, Geraldine Sadowsky, Jennie Santman, Margery L. Selkovits, Helen P. Suttin, Bertha Weisberger

Treating you like the first family we’ve ever served is what makes our service second to none.

It never escapes us that each family is unique. at’s why we care for each family as if it were our first—first to experience our understanding, our caring and most of all our personalized service.

It’s the least we can do to show you that in our eyes your family’s care is second to none.

D’Alessandro

Funeral Home and Crematory Ltd. “Always a Higher Standard” Daniel T. D’Alessandro, Spvr.

4522 Butler St. • Pittsburgh, PA 15201

(412) 682-6500

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Please consider the Jewish Burial Grove at Penn Forest Natural Burial Park.

Name: PENN FOREST NATURAL BURIAL Width: 5.0415 in Depth: 3.25 in Color: Black  Time payment plans available.  for -Jewish Burial by AdSanctified Number: Rabbi Stephen E. Steindel.

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Call 412-265-4606 for tour appointments or other information or email Laura@PennForestCemetery.com.

All prices on our website: www.PennForestCemetery.com/pricing.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

MAY 25, 2018 19

Obituaries Shoshana Cardin, Jewish leader who broke multiple glass ceilings, is dead at 91 — NATIONAL —

S

hoshana Cardin, a Baltimore philanthropist who was the first woman to chair her city’s Jewish federation, the national umbrella body of the Jewish federation movement and the powerful Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has died.

Cardin, who was in failing health in recent years, was 91, according to JmoreLiving.com.

Known for her intellect and leadership capabilities, she was from 1988 to 1992 chairwoman of the National Conference of Soviet Jewry, during a time when the priorities of the Soviet Jewry movement shifted from campaigns to free Soviet Jews to efforts to help resettle them in Israel.

Prior to that she was president of the Council of Jewish Federations, the representative body of 200 community federations in the United States and Canada.

Cardin also gained prominence in the autumn of 1988 for spearheading opposition to efforts in the Israeli Knesset to amend the Law of Return.

The so-called “Who Is a Jew” amendment, which would have denied Israeli citizenship to immigrants whose conversion to Judaism did not meet Orthodox standards, was ultimately withdrawn in the face of overwhelming pressure from American Jews.

Born Shoshana Shoubin to Latvian parents in what was then British-controlled Palestine, Cardin arrived at age 2 in Baltimore, where she later became active in local Jewish affairs.

One of her first major leadership roles in the Jewish community was as president of the Federation of Jewish Women’s Organizations of Maryland from 1965 to 1967.

She was the first woman to chair the Associated Jewish Charities and Welfare Fund of Baltimore, and she served on the boards of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, United Israel Appeal and United Jewish Appeal, She was also president of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency from 1999 until 2001.

According to the Jewish Women’s Archive, she earned a B.A. in English at the University of California, Los Angeles, after three years at Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins. She married Jerome Cardin, an attorney, real estate developer and first cousin to the current Democratic U.S. senator from Maryland, Benjamin Cardin. She taught school in the Baltimore public school system.

“Pregnant women were not allowed to teach, so Cardin quit when she was expecting the first of her four children: Steven, Ilene, Nina, and Sanford,” according to the JWA. Jerome Cardin died in 1993 at age 69.

In addition to her involvement in Jewish affairs, she was heavily involved in state civic politics, serving in 1967 as a delegate to Maryland’s Constitutional Convention, and from 1974 to 1979 as chair of Maryland’s Commission for Women.

In 1984 she became the first woman elected president of the Council of Jewish Federations, a precursor to what is now the Jewish Federations of North America.

In December 1990, she was elected to

head the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, at a time when the umbrella body was working to secure Israel’s position with the U.S. administration, a task complicated by President George H.W. Bush’s struggle to maintain good relations with the Arab partners in his international campaign to oust Iraqi troops from Kuwait.

She was conference chair when, in November 1991, Bush offered what she described as a heartfelt apology for making statements that September that were perceived by the Jewish community to be a direct attack on the pro-Israel lobby.

Earlier that year, Jewish groups had been upset over his tough stand on an Israeli request for U.S. guarantees covering $10 billion in loans needed for immigrant resettlement. Referring to some 1,000 pro-Israel activists who had arrived in Washington to lobby on behalf of the loan guarantees, Bush angered critics by saying in September that he was one “lonely” guy “up against some powerful political forces.”

Cardin, who met privately with Bush prior to the larger meeting two months later, said she and the other Jewish leaders felt encouraged by the president’s sincerity and good will. PJC — JTA

Obituaries:

cook, loved to read and enjoyed listening to operettas. She is survived by two daughters, Dorit Stein and Chana Zmora, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Ilse never had a bad word to say about anyone and always helped others. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Humane Animal Rescue or the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. schugar.com

Continued from page 19

STEIN: Ilse Katzman Stein passed away peacefully on Mother’s Day 2018. Born in Geroda, Germany, Ilse lived during her almost 104 years of life through two world wars and the Israel War of Independence. She and her husband Esra, who predeceased her, fled Nazi Germany to become pioneers in Israel, eventually moving to Pittsburgh to be near family. In Israel, Ilse worked at Shaare Tzedek Hospital caring for typhus patients. In Pittsburgh, she worked at Hillel Academy, and as a preschool educator at Beth Shalom and Hebrew Institute. She twice successfully met the challenge of relocating to a new country.

Ilse loved people and animals. She was a great

Unveiling HARRIS: A monument in loving memory of Martin Harris will be unveiled Sunday, May 27, 2018, at 10 a.m. at New Light Cemetery, 750 Soose Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15209. Family and friends are invited. PJC

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20 MAY 25, 2018

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MAY 25, 2018 21

Community Kollel Jewish Learning Center’s Legacy Circle Event The fourth annual Kollel Jewish Learning Center’s Legacy Circle Event was held on May 6 at the Embassy Suites Hotel, hosted by Chuck and Judy Perlow and Zev and Lieba

Rudolph.. The diverse audience had the opportunity to hear Moishe Bane, president of the Orthodox Union, speak about “Three Existential Challenges to American Orthodoxy that are Largely Ignored.”

p From left: Lee Weinberg, Kollel Board President Philip Milch, President of the Orthodox Union Moishe Bane

p Judi Kanal (left) and Sharon Perelman

p From left: Philip Milch, Rosh Kollel Rabbi Levi Langer, Rabbi Danny Schiff

p Chuck Perlow, Legacy Circle Event co-host

Photos courtesy of Kollel Jewish Learning Center

Machers & Shakers David F. Eisner was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Eisner is a private investor and the executive chairman of Compliance Science, Inc., a financial industry regulation technology company. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of TheMarkets.com LLC, which was sold to The McGraw-Hill Companies in 2010. He spent 12 years at the investment bank Jefferies & Company, including six years as executive vice president in the office of the chairman. Eisner earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting and government at American University, where he later served on the board of trustees, and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, where he was an editor of the “American Journal of Law and Medicine.” He is president of Ohr Torah Institutions of Israel and past president of The Jewish Education Project. Eisner is immediate past president of JTA and its parent organization, 70 Faces Media. Eisner is the son of Sarita and Milt Eisner of Pittsburgh.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of the Treasury

22 MAY 25, 2018

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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Community Keystone Mountain Region BBYO announces the 30th regional board The Keystone Mountain Region of BBYO covers all of Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. BBYO has existed in the Pittsburgh area since the early 1940s but was reorganized into its current form nearly 30 years ago. KMR BBYO brings teen-led Jewish experiences to the Jewish teenagers of greater Pittsburgh and surrounding areas and West Virginia.

t From left: Presidents Evan DeWitt and Maya Klapper; vice presidents of programming Alex Pizov and Tess Roth; vice presidents of recruitment Ian Caplan and Brooke Singer; vice president of Judaism, community service and social action Natalie Daninhirsch; and vice presidents of communication and treasury Justin Tannenbaum and Dina Leyzarovich

Photo courtesy of Keystone Mountain Region of BBYO

Grandparents and Special Friends Day t The Early Learning Center at Beth Shalom Congregation held Grandparents and Special Friends Day. Rabbi Seth Adelson led the grandparents and children in a wonderful Kabbalat Shabbat service. The children then went to their classrooms to hear a Shabbat story and to welcome in Shabbat with their special guests.

Photos courtesy of Early Learning Center at Beth Shalom

A Night to Honor Israel A Night to Honor Israel was held at Grace Baptist Church in Monroeville on Sunday, May 6.

It was the seventh biannual event the church has hosted to pay tribute to the State of Israel.

Organized by church members Rev. Jeff and Arlene Berg, and under the guidance of Senior Pastor Grant Abe, more than 200 people attended the program.

Keynote speakers were Stuart V. Pavilack, executive director of the Pittsburgh office of the Zionist Organization of America, and Rev. Patrick Neff, national church and field ministries director for the Friends of Israel. Rabbi Eli Seidman, director of pastoral care at the Jewish Association of Aging, gave prayers for the welfare of the State of Israel, for Israel Defense Forces soldiers and for captive soldiers. Friends of Israel Worship [musical] Team provided Jewish music and songs.

Rev. Jeff Berg described ZOA’s Tolerance Education Program, which takes more than 500 Pittsburgh Public School 10th-graders to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., each year. On behalf of the Church, he asked for an offering to support ZOA’s Tolerance Education Program.

p From left: Rev. Jeff Berg; Arlene Berg; Friends of Israel Team member; Rabbi Eli Seidman; Stuart Pavilack; Friends of Israel Team member; Rev. Patrick Neff; and Friends of Israel Team member.

Photo courtesy of Zionist Organization of America: Pittsburgh

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

MAY 25, 2018 23

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and PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

5/16/18 11:16 AM

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