Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 10/26/2018 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

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October 26, 2018 | 17 Cheshvan 5779

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL A fight for state House speaker’s seat A member of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is challenging Mike Turzai.

Candlelighting 6:06 p.m. | Havdalah 7:04 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 43 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Former Mossad agent speaks about spying and the silver screen

Lamb, Rothfus speak out on issues prior to Nov. 6 vote By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

Page 2 LOCAL Giving life to victim’s designs

 Avner Avraham, center, is joined by Troy Jacobson, Maddie Kyle, Tsipy Gur and Janelle Price following an address to nearly 200 Allderdice students.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Exhibit features fashion lost in Shoah. By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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LOCAL Interfaith dialogue rolls on New series of conversations announced in Monroeville. Page 5

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vner Avraham used to keep secrets, but now he tells stories. The former Mossad agent and current movie consultant visited Pittsburgh last week to highlight his work with “Operation Finale.” As he explained in a speaking tour that included student oriented programs at both Pittsburgh Allderdice High School and Winchester Thurston School, as well as a public lecture at Duquesne University’s Power Center, well before the 2018 film about the capture of Adolf Eichmann reached international audiences, he had created a private exhibit — also titled Operation Finale — specifically for those within the Mossad. The accumulation included photographs of former agents and artifacts from the famed exercise. The exhibition was visited seven years ago by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who requested the collection be moved to Jerusalem and made public. Interest in the materials grew, and in subsequent years, Avraham’s assemblage traveled to Tel Aviv, Miami and New York City. With

each stop, Avraham, who spent 28 years in the Mossad, attracted increasing interest. Here in Pittsburgh, Avraham, who retired from the agency four years ago, told the nearly 200 Allderdice students gathered last week that his work moving between identities was interesting. In the Mossad, he said, “you can’t be reached.” Avraham’s life changed when a simple Google search for “Operation Finale” turned up the film of the same name he gave his exhibit. “I emailed the producer and director, explained my relationship to the story and they brought me in as a consultant,” he recalled. Films vary in their commitment to historical truth and Avraham, a self-described “history buff,” wanted to ensure accuracy. So when he observed a scripted scene on-set in which 10 undercover Israeli agents all conveniently arrived on the same airlines to begin locating Eichmann, Avraham cried foul. “It was important to me that the real story be preserved, so I battled the director,” he said.

or both candidates vying to represent Pennsylvania’s redrawn 17th District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Keith Rothfus, the issue that may loom largest is the economy. But the views of the two incumbent congressmen — their existing districts were effectively combined in a court-ordered redistricting — about which economic policies work best are in sharp contrast. While Lamb contends that the Trump administration has not improved the economic situation for workers in Western Pennsylvania, Rothfus maintains that today’s economy is not only the strongest one America has experienced in 20 years, but that the economic policies implemented by the current Republican-led Congress are the best way to shore up prosperity and social service programs for everyone. This race is the only one in the country pitting two sitting federal legislators against each other: Rothfus, who is currently serving his third term representing Pennsylvania’s 12th District, and Lamb, who has represented the 18th District since scoring a victory over Rick Saccone last March and filling the seat of Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, who resigned. The new 17th District comprises Beaver County and part of suburban Allegheny County, including Mt. Lebanon, Fox Chapel and Sewickely. Lamb and Rothfus each sat down with the Chronicle to discuss key issues prior to the Nov. 6 midterm election.

It’s the economy

People are “struggling” in the current economy, Lamb said. “When I’m out there knocking on people’s doors, going to community meetings, what people care about is their paycheck, and their ability to pay for

Please see Mossad, page 16

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Headlines Emily Skopov and Mike Turzai share thoughts on state legislative race — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

n a now familiar narrative, a political neophyte is challenging an incumbent for a seat in office. Emily Skopov, the Democratic candidate, seeks to oust incumbent Mike Turzai, a Republican and current speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, on Election Day, Nov. 6. The contest’s winner will represent the 28th Legislative District, an Allegheny County area including Bradford Woods, Franklin Park, Marshall Township, McCandless Township and Pine Township. In separate conversations, Skopov and Turzai spoke by phone with the Chronicle. “People feel like the status quo is the status quo and it cannot be changed. I think we see that both statewide and nationally. People feel like they really cannot affect change,” said Skopov. As such, the Democrat is positioning herself as someone who will put the needs of her constituents first by “being accessible to the people.” Turzai, who has served in office since 2001, said voters will make decisions based on “the record of each individual state representative.” “The state representative race in the 28th District, as with all the races for the state House are based on policy,” he said. “People want to know that we are moving in a positive direction and we in Pennsylvania are.” Turzai cited increased employment, contributions to public education and privatization of the state’s liquor and wine sales regime as testaments to his time in office. “I think many people are going to vote on the basis of what have you done in moving Pennsylvania forward … and I have been a leader, a doer and a reformer and that’s what they’re going to vote on,” he said.

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p Emily Skopov

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Skopov said partisanship is on voters’ minds: It’s “a disservice to democracy. It’s not really allowing democracy to function, and any politician who is really so hardline partisan, they should … be looking at my poll numbers and asking themselves how much trouble they are in because people do not want that anymore. I believe the majority of people recognize that it is damaging, and they are going to lose. So simply by running this way and coming this far, I have already shown what I am willing to do, and I think if I were to win, that in and of itself will help the partisanship.” Turzai touted his work with the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition “over the years to pass important legislation, amongst them Act 70 of 2014 [which] offers free curriculum and training on Holocaust education for all schools in Pennsylvania, and as of 2017, I’m pleased to report that 96 percent of the [state’s] charter, public and technical schools are teaching about this genocide. … We can never forget those victims.” The other legislation regards funding of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC) and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program (OSTC), explained Turzai, who credited his leadership

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with an increase in program funding. “It has been at the forefront of our school choice initiative,” he said. “Keep in mind we’ve increased public education funding. We are at record levels of public education funding. … We’re almost at $13 billion. We have always felt that as we increased monies for public education, we have needed to keep abreast the monies for EITC and the OSTC program as well. “One size does not fit all, and we want every child in Pennsylvania to get the best education for her or him possible,” he continued, “and while public schools do an excellent job it’s not for everybody. EITC and OSTC allow students to go to schools like Hillel Academy when they might not otherwise.” Skopov said her nonprofit work and past involvements in movie productions are a testament to what she can accomplish in office. In 2011, Skopov created No Crayon Left Behind, an organization that works with restaurants and businesses to salvage crayons and prevent them from “ending up in landfills.” According to the organization, No Crayon Left Behind has given more than 1 million crayons to organizations in more than 20 countries. “People find nonprofit work compelling,

because you’re not just talking about actually helping people every day — it’s no benefit to yourself,” said Skopov. “That’s what you really want from a politician.” Skopov’s prior involvements also include her work as a producer and writer. She was a producer on “Novel Romance” (2006), “Pacific Blue” (1996) and “Andromeda” (2000), and a writer and supervising producer for “Xena: Warrior Princess” (2000-2001). “Having worked in that business, which is so collaborative and so many people and so many egos and so many personalities, there are a lot of similarities between doing that and working in government,” she said. “You have to get a whole bunch of different people with differing ideas to come together with their various visions and end up with a single cohesive vision for moving forward. “What is the story we want to tell? I think what we’re doing in Harrisburg is, what is the story that we are writing for how we want to live, and being able to do that with so many different backgrounds and personalities in the entertainment business is weirdly parallel to this, getting all of these different people to come to the table.” Both candidates shared experiences with the Jewish community. “I am proud of being Jewish,” said Skopov. “I was raised in a kosher home, my grandparents were very religious, my mother is now practically Orthodox, some of my cousins have gone on to be Orthodox and some of them have gone on to be agnostic. We really run the gamut.” “I’ve certainly worked with the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition for issues throughout the state and the region,” said Turzai, who also noted Temple Ohav Shalom as an organization he had visited. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines A tailor-made exhibit tells Holocaust story — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

long with the slaughter of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, the Nazis also destroyed an unfathomable trove of art, music, literature and scientific discoveries, extinguished before they ever had the chance of emerging from the souls within whom they were stowed. But once in a while, we get a chance to see what could have been. “Stitching History from the Holocaust,” an exhibit currently at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, provides an exquisite glimpse into the work of Hedy Strnad, a clothing designer from Prague. Based on her drawings, the exhibit includes eight dresses she did not live to create. On loan from the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, “Stitching History from the Holocaust” opened in Pittsburgh on Oct. 16 and will run through December. The dresses were created by the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, which — working with the Jewish Museum Milwaukee — conducted historical research to ensure that the dresses stayed true to design elements and fabrics employed during the 1930s, when Hedy, who had a small shop in Prague, was in the height of her career as a dress designer. The sharp attention to detail includes hand-painted zippers, as were common in the ’30s, according to Jackie Reese, the Holocaust Center’s marketing and education associate. A “Hedy Original” label has been sewn onto each dress. The genesis of the exhibit was the 1997 discovery by the Strnad family in Milwaukee of an envelope with a Nazi seal tucked away in the family’s basement. The envelope contained a letter written in 1939 by Hedy’s husband, Paul Strnad, asking his cousin Alvin for help in procuring an affidavit to escape Czechoslovakia, which was then occupied by the Nazis. In the letter, Paul wrote that his wife was a dressmaker, and he included eight of her drawings to prove that she was talented and would be able to find work in the United States. The Strnad family donated the letter to Milwaukee’s Jewish Historical Society, and in 2008, when the Jewish Museum Milwaukee opened, it became part of the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibit’s opening here drew about 75 visitors, who were presented with a talk by Helen Epstein, the author of the memoir “Where She Came From: A Daughter’s Search for her Mother’s History.” “There were thousands of pre-war Jewish dressmakers in Central Europe like Hedy and my grandmother Pepi, who were murdered during the Holocaust,” Epstein wrote in an email. “There were also dressmakers like my mother Franci who survived the war (some because they were able to use their sewing skills), and later supported their refugee families by making dresses in the U.S.

p An exhibit of dresses designed by Hedy Strnad is on display at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.

Photo by Toby Tabachnick

and elsewhere. Displaying their work and educating people about their lives preserves the lives and talents of gifted women rather than abstractions and suggests some of the scope of what was lost.” Prague was a fashion hub in the early 20th century, but following the war and the communist takeover in 1948 it did not reestablish itself. Shining a light on Hedy’s individual story helps make the Holocaust more “tangible” to those who are learning about that time in history, said Lauren Bairnsfather, director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Research shows that people “connect more with the story of one person than of more people, even three people.” The exhibit includes photos of Hedy and Paul, and a reproduction of the letter he wrote to his cousin Alvin requesting help to get out of Prague. The letter, said Bairnsfather, illustrates “how difficult it was for Jewish refugees trying to get out of Europe and come to the United States. It was late, and war was on the horizon. And we were isolationists in this country.” A glimpse of cosmopolitan Jewish life is also evident in the exhibit, Bairnsfather said, adding another dimension to the time period that students may not learn about during Holocaust units at school. “In schools, there is not much time to teach the Holocaust, and teachers sometimes can’t fit in what Jews were like in Europe,” she said. “The Strnads were successful people in Prague, so it’s not just about Jews in the shtetl.” Following the exhibit’s run in Pittsburgh, it will head to the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center and the Jewish Museum Maryland. “One theme that emerges so strongly from this exhibit is this incredible loss of talent,” Bairnsfather said. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Farcical and fantastic, ‘Heroineburgh’ finishes season one — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

f Manny Theiner’s career is a play, his third act is by far the most surreal. Theiner, a luminary in local music and a longtime Jewish educator, is the mastermind behind “Heroineburgh,” a 13-episode web series that follows a predominantly female cast of superheroes and villains as they embark on campy escapades throughout the Steel City. Exploring a hyperlocal life of good, evil and the sometimes murky places in between is a welcome space for Theiner, 48, a Lawrenceville resident who grew up in Squirrel Hill and attended neighborhood institutions such as Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, Taylor Allderdice High School and CAPA (the Creative and Performing Arts High School in Homewood) before graduating from Carnegie Mellon University. For decades, due to his freelance writings, on-air radio comments and promotional activities, Theiner has been regarded as a critical and sometimes controversial voice in local

music. With a return to fictionalized narratives he has, in a sense, exited from his former scene. “I couldn’t afford to do both comics and records,” Theiner said. Even so, in catapulting crafts, he’s remained true to a higher calling. For more than 30 years, Theiner has taught at Congregation Beth Shalom, a Conservative synagogue in Squirrel Hill, where between leading youth services on Saturday mornings and spending Sundays at J-JEP, he has educated approximately 1,000 local kindergarteners. Past students appear in “Heroineburgh,” as do countless tributes to Theiner’s Jewish interests — he was a member of the cantor’s choir at Beth Shalom for many years and played piano accompaniment to the sisterhood and youth choirs. Thiener’s music plays a role, too. Apart from multiple genres sampled in the series (such as indierock, punk, post-punk, heavy metal, jam band and electronic) that provide enjoyable listening independent of the entertaining on-screen actions, the show’s theme song, with its “ ’80s synthpop feel” is a catchy composition certain to captivate listeners’ ears. But in the show’s sometimes not-too-ko-

 TV reporter Rosa Perez (Christina Santavicca) tucks her son (Aaron Grant) Photo courtesy of Heroineburgh into bed in Episode 12.

sher collection of episodes (viewers should be warmed of harsh language and other age-appropriate issues) the many moments of on-screen hamming are where “Heroineburgh” delivers its best treats. The puns and Easter eggs are too many to list, but one example is the transformation of

a grant-rejected psychologist by the name of Harry Switzer whose exposure to dark energy after a visit to the JCC’s sauna renders him “Dr. Shvitz.” In another episode, the mutation of Please see Heroineburgh, page 17

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Headlines Monroeville celebrates diversity with interfaith panel — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

hen folks turn out to the Monroeville Public Library on the evening of Oct. 29 to hear an interfaith panel discuss environmental stewardship, they actually may leave with a whole lot more. That is the intention of the organizers of that program, the first in a four-part series featuring representatives of the eastern suburb’s Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian Universalist and Sikh communities. The series is presented by the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium (MIM), a partnership comprising the diverse faith communities that shape Monroeville. MIM aims to foster relationships and dialogue among Monroeville’s faith leaders, and the panel discussions are intended to include the wider public in its efforts of fellowship. Members of MIM meet monthly, rotating their meetings to various houses of worship, where they have lunch, talk about current issues of concern, and “get to know each other,” explained David Morse, president of MIM and a former pastor of Monroeville United Methodist. “My life has been enriched by the fellow-

p The Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium at a panel discussion last spring at the Monroeville Public Library. Photo courtesy of Monroeville Public Library.

ships I have with different faith leaders,” Morse said, adding that he believes those relationships can expand to enrich the community at large. MIM has hosted previous panel discussions at the library — although the topics differ from year to year — and typically draw a crowd of about 50 audience members, according to Rabbi Barbara Symons, spiritual leader of Temple David and the immediate past president of MIM. “What I think is important here is that

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internally we get so much out of being with one another, and now we are getting that out to the community in proactive ways, to get together and learn from one another,” she said. The panel discussions commence with each faith leader speaking on the designated topic for about five minutes, holding questions from the audience until everyone is done presenting, Symons said. “We all learn from one another and take pride from one another,” she noted. “You can

see the pride on the panelists’ faces. It’s lovely to participate in that way.” The topics chosen for the series are the result of MIM members’ “brainstorming,” Symons said. “We chose four that we thought would be of interest, ones that we all could relate to, that we all have positions on.” In addition to next week’s panel on environmental stewardship, the other topics for this season’s series are: The Place of Mindfulness within Our Faith Traditions (Dec. 5); Thou Shalt: Sources of Religious Authority (Feb. 13); and End of Life Decisions: Simultaneously Secular and Sacred (April 29). “All these things touch every one of us no matter who they are,” said Morse, who will be moderating the discussions. He hopes the discussions will help the diverse Monroeville community “sort their way through faithful issues.” The panel itself is a “celebration of diversity,” Symons said. “We don’t have to all be the same in our viewpoints, but we can share what we believe in a forum that is open to the public.” Other programs sponsored by MIM have included an annual interfaith Thanksgiving service, informational programs in schools and ecumenical Lenten and Good Friday services. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines New York sculptor visits Steel City to reveal meaning behind work — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

obi Kahn’s life is laborious. Yes, he is an artist whose work has been celebrated, commissioned and exhibited for decades, but what the New York-based sculptor, painter and faculty member at the

School of Visual Arts revealed to those gathered at the University of Pittsburgh’s Israel Heritage Room lecture last Sunday is that one of his greatest challenges is to “make the work look like I do nothing.” Securing sculptures with unseen steel rods, searching for shrubbery of a certain size so as not to disturb a viewer’s line of sight and applying countless layers of paint and glazing — these are all part of the process,

p RIFA, a Sky & Water installation

Courtesy of Tobi Kahn

Kahn’s choice to revisit works from the past 20 years from that perspective was “fabulous,” said, Irina Livezeanu, Pitt’s director of Jewish studies. “He’s a really interesting artist. He puts a lot of thought and feeling and his own personal experience — and memories of his uncle during the Holocaust — into his art.” As Kahn explained, p Tobi Kahn, center, is joined by Ben Schachter, left, Arthur Kahn, whom and Adam Shear following Kahn’s remarks at the the artist is named University of Pittsburgh. Photo by Adam Reinherz for, holds the unfortuhe explained in an hour long talk aided by nate distinction of being among the first imagery detailing the evolution of his works. victims of the Nazis. On Wednesday, April 12, 1933, Arthur Kahn’s talk, “Art as Prayer,” was conceived in tandem with Adam Shear, Pitt’s religious Kahn, Ernst Goldmann, Rudolf Benario and Erwin Kahn (all Jews) were executed “at a studies chair, roughly a year ago. “When Adam called me I thought this is Nazi camp in the obscure Bavarian hamlet intriguing — to understand my Jewishness of Prittlbach,” wrote Timothy W. Ryback, and how it makes me the artist I am rather author of “The Last Survivor: Legacies of than Jewish art,” said Kahn. As opposed to Dachau” and “Hitler’s Private Library: The discussing Jewish pieces, “I want the work to Books That Shaped His Life,” in a 2012 piece be what it is to look at things from a Jewish for The New York Times. “These four killings lens considering the Talmud: Could it be Please see Sculptor, page 17 this? Could it be that?”

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Headlines New book offers wisdom from a braided loaf — BOOK — By Hilary Daninhirsch | Special to the Chronicle

hat does baking challah have in common with life? How does it relate to medical wisdom? How can the process of baking challah be transformative? Dr. Beth Ricanati, a Los Angeles-based internist who specializes in women’s health and wellness, explores answers to those questions and more in her delightful food memoir, “Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs.” Over the years, Ricanati, a mother of three, has baked a homemade challah every Friday for her family. Sometimes she bakes alone; other times she bakes with a group of women. Ricanati takes the reader on a journey that is as much spiritual as it is practical. Interspersed within the details of how and why she makes challah are stories from her personal life and her medical practice that relate to the deeper lessons and meaning behind the ritual. She notes, for example, that some things are out of your control, like whether or not the yeast will in fact proof, despite your best intentions, which often mirrors life.

Ricanati is a self-proclaimed worrier and multitasker; however, baking challah each week taught her mindfulness — to be in the moment. This weekly ritual forced her to slow down, to tune everything else out, to concentrate on the kneading of the bread and the measuring of ingredients. Although the baking technique seems to be complex — the several steps include proofing and kneading the dough — when it’s actually broken down, a challah is the amalgamation of the most basic of ingredients: water, yeast, flour, sugar, eggs, salt and oil. But the simplicity of these items, along with the time that she sets aside each week, without fail, to make challah is her prescription for achieving balance in life — something that many of us are missing. As a doctor, she also talks about the health benefits of challah, despite the fact that it is made with certain ingredients that, eaten excessively, could be harmful to one’s health. But again this relates to her notion that balance is the key. Ricanati is Jewish, but few Jewish rituals were passed down to her. Her parents chose Christmas over Chanukah, and one set of Jewish grandparents ended up joining the Quaker church. But the challah baking process over the past decade pulled Ricanati closer to her Jewish roots; she

now engages in challah-related mitzvahs and recites blessings over the challah, often dedicated to someone in need. Though not a traditional recipe book, the author does provide helpful, practical hints about the process, such as the specific brand of flour that has served her well over the years, the fact that she highly recommends canola over any other oil, and what type of bowls and measuring cups to use. The stories she shares about making challah with friends, about her upbringing and about her experiences as a physician elevate the book from one that is simply about how to make challah to one that is introspective, engaging and inspiring. By the book’s end, the challah baking process will be demystified, and if you’ve always been too intimidated to try and bake one from scratch, this book might be just the magic ingredient that will encourage you to think outside the breadbox. PJC p “Braided: A Journey of a Thousand

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Calendar >> 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 SUNDAY, OCT. 28 The Women’s Health Expo 2018 will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the UPMC Herberman Conference Center, UPMC Shadyside, 5150 Centre Ave. There is a $36 charge that will include breakfast followed by a program about breast and ovarian cancer given by experts in the field. The program will consist of seminars about breast and ovarian health, cutting edge diagnostics and treatments, Jewish medical ethics in treatment and a survivor’s story. RSVP by Oct. 22 to Stacie Stufflebeam at 412-214-7973 or Stacie@Kollelpgh.org. The Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh presents “Top 10 Things I Learned About My Family From My Couch” with local genealogist and historian Tammy Hepps of HomesteadHebrews.com, at 10:30 a.m. at the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center. The presentation will begin with a brief introduction by a member of the JGS leadership team with time at the end for questions and JGS business. Refreshments will be served. Contact pghjgs@gmail.com for more information. Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement will co-sponsor “Tolerance is Not Enough: An Interfaith Response to Hatred and Racism” at 2 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church, 44 Highland Road, Bethel Park. Rabbi Abie Ingber, the executive director of the Center for Interfaith Community Engagement at Xavier University in Cincinnati will speak and facilitate a panel discussion with faith leaders. Camp Young Judaea Midwest and Pittsburgh Young Judaea will hold an open house from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Rosenbergs’ home with Robin Anderson, camp director. There is no charge to attend. Visit cyjmid.org for more information. Chabad of the South Hills will hold its fourth annual Jewish Comedy Night at 7 p.m. at the Music Hall at the Carnegie Free Library, 300 Beechwood Ave. in Carnegie, featuring Sarge, a singer, comedian and pianist. Enjoy wine, cocktails and hors d’oeuvre. Visit chabadsh. com or contact mussie@chabadsh.com or 412-344-2424 for more information and to register. The cost is $36. q MONDAY, OCT. 29 Students and teachers are invited to attend a free live stream featuring Holocaust survivor Magda Brown and a demonstration of Interactive Testimony AKA “The Hologram,” both visiting Pittsburgh from Illinois. The virtual seminar will feature Brown and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center Hologram. Brown will speak from 10 a.m. to noon; the hologram demonstration will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Classes and individuals will need to register to receive the link to the livestream. There is no charge. The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is organizing the program. Visit hcofpgh.org/virtualseminar-2018 for more information. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh 2019 Community Campaign Kickoff will

8 OCTOBER 26, 2018

q SUNDAY,

NOV. 4

Women of Rodef Shalom, Sisterhood book and author series, will present a panel discussion at 7 p.m. on “My Own Words” by Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. The panel will be moderated by Lynn Cullen and will include Rabbi Sharyn Henry, Rabbi Danielle Leshaw and Rabbi Jessica Locketz. The discussion is free and open to the community. feature chef Kevin Sousa of Superior Motors and stories of Federation’s impact from your friends and neighbors from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at PPG Wintergarden. The cost is $54 for adults, $36 for young adults ages 2245, and includes open bar, strolling dinner and dessert; dietary laws observed. Valet parking provided; business casual attire. Contact Michelle Weisbord at 412-992-5253 or mweisbord@jfedpgh.org. Visit jewishpgh. org/event/this-is-us-community-campaignkickoff for more information. Members of the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium will discuss whether environmental stewardship is a religious duty within their respective faith traditions. Panelists will include representatives of the Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian Universalist and Sikh communities. The event is free and open to the public and will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Monroeville Public Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd. q MONDAYS, OCT. 29 TO NOV. 12 Becoming American: A Documentary Film and Discussion Series on Our Immigration Experience, a six-week program presented with Duquesne University and Jewish Family and Community Services, features documentary films designed to encourage an informed discussion of immigration issues. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh is one of 32 sites nationwide to host this series. Visit becoming-american. org for more information. On Oct. 8, 15 and 22 the program will be held at 6:30 p.m. at JCC Katz Performing Arts Center, Robinson Building, 5738 Darlington Road, Squirrel Hill. On Oct. 29, Nov. 5 and 12 the program will be held at Duquesne University College Hall at 6:30 p.m. The series is free and open to the community. No RSVP is required. Visit duq.edu/BecomingAmerican for directions and film details or Melissa Hiller at mhiller@ jccpgh.org or 412-697-3231 for film details. q MONDAYS OCT. 29 TO NOV. 18 Tiferet Creative Writing: Fiction Shorts With a Taste of the Poetic is a five-class series that will focus on developing skills toward writing short fiction stories, taught by instructor Dov Ber Naiditch. Before the first class, Rabbi Elchonon Friedman will give insights on Torah and Chassidut. The class will be held from 7:40 to 9:40 p.m. at Bnai Emunah Chabad on Murray Avenue. The class will welcome women of all stages and ages who are looking to learn, grow, bond and express themselves creatively in a warm, welcoming Jewish environment. There is a $70 charge. Visit tiferet-greenfield.wixsite.com/tiferet/ upcoming-sessions or contact Shaina. Rothman@gmail.com for more information.

q TUESDAY, OCT. 30 Be part of the leading edge of business leaders that is defining new standards for a safe and productive workplace free of partner violence at the Stand Up for STANDING FIRM luncheon to discuss Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh’s program Standing Firm and recognize and learn from the forwardthinking employer of the year, KOPPERS, and key-note speaker, Janine Latus. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Omni William Penn Hotel. Visit standingfirmswpa.org/about/annual-event for more information and ticket pricing. The 2018 ZOA: Pittsburgh Awards dinner will be held from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. ZOA will be presenting its Lifetime Achievement Award to Charles H. Saul, Esq., the Israel Service Award to Meyer “Skip” Grinberg and the Natalie and Ivan Novick Community Leadership Award to Katie Warren Whitlatch. Contact ZOA Executive Director Stuart Pavilack at 412-6654630 or at stuart.pavilack@zoa.org for more information and to make reservations. q THURSDAY, NOV. 1 The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition will honor the 2018 Squirrel Hill Treasures who have served the community for decades. SHUC started this tradition seven years ago. This year’s awardees are Natalie Kaplan, Pittsburgh Chinese School, National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh and Littles Shoes as the Place Treasure. The awards dinner will be held at the Pittsburgh Golf Club. Visit shuc.org/ treasures-reservation or call 412-422-7666 for more information and reservations. q SUNDAY, NOV. 4 Shalom Pittsburgh/Young Adult Division will hold a Family Meet-Up at Panera Bread in Shadyside, 5430 Centre Ave., from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Come spend your usual Sunday morning coffee and bagel run with other Jewish families in the community. Everyone is welcome whether you are new to Pittsburgh, new to parenthood or expecting in the near future. Meet other families and connect to the Jewish community. Kids are welcome and there will be an activity for the little ones. Feel free to come and go anytime. Contact Meryl Franzos at mfranzos@jfedpgh.org or 412992-5204 for more information.

Congregation with Rabbi Alex Greenbaum and guest Dan Kamin will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kamin will present “Comedy in Motion,” a program of movement, illusions, sleight-of-hand magic and comic sketches. There is a $6 charge. Visit bethelcong.org for more information and call 412-561-1168 to make a reservation. Russian and American journalist Masha Gessen is the winner of the National Book Award for “The Future is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia,” is a staff writer at the New Yorker and the author of several books, among them” The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin” and “Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot.” The recipient of numerous awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Carnegie Fellowship, Gessen teaches at Amherst College and lives in New York City. Gessen will speak at 7:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Music Hall. Visit pittsburghlectures.culturaldistrict.org for more information and to purchase tickets. q TUESDAY, NOV. 6 Saint Vincent College will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht with a lecture by Rabbi Ron Symons and the opening of the exhibition “Beloved: Children of the Holocaust” by Mary Burkett beginning at 5:30 p.m. There is no charge but reservations are required. Call 724-8052177 for reservations and visit stvincent.edu/ community-events for more information. q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 7 National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section will hold a Designer Days Patron Party “Couture Carnival” as the kick-off party to its annual fundraiser sale, Designer Days, which runs through Nov. 11. This year’s patron party is a celebration of NCJW, Pittsburgh Section’s 125th anniversary. Enjoy food, wine and music from 6 to 9 p.m. at Thriftique, 125 51st St. at this first chance to shop the gently worn, high end and designer clothing, shoes, and accessories for women and men before the public sale begins. Visit ncjwpgh.org/ncjw-designer-days for more information and to purchase patron tickets, which are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. There is no charge to shop from Nov. 8 to Nov. 11.

Rochelle Dunn, a social studies teacher at Plum High School, teaches an elective course on “History of The Holocaust.” She traveled to Poland as a participant in a Holocaust study seminar with Classroom Without Borders. The trip took participants from Warsaw to Krakow on a journey of Jewish history from pre-World War II to the Holocaust. She will share her trip experiences and photos from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Temple David. Bring a box of paper clips as “admission” for the paper clip project, which strives to represent the 6 million Jews lost during the Holocaust. Visit templedavid.org for more information.

q SATURDAY, NOV. 10

Nutritionist Leslie Bonci will share tips from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at a private home on food pairing, followed by small group competitions for the tastiest dish. Wine and appetizers will be served; there is a $10 cover charge. Open to Jewish singles ages 22-32. Contact 412-952-4702 or visit shalompittsburgh.org/ events/prepare-pair-share-jewish-singlesevent for more information and to RSVP.

Temple Emanuel will present a discussion from 10:30 a.m. to noon on The December Dilemma, Can Jews have Christmas Trees and still be Jewish? I’m Jewish – What should I do when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas? How do my non-Jewish partner and I decide which traditions to celebrate, and more. For more information and to RSVP, contact Rabbi Jessica Locketz at jlocketz@templemanuelpgh. org or visit templeemanuelpgh.org/event/ december-dilemma.

q MONDAY, NOV. 5 The First Mondays lunch program at Beth El

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Adat Shalom and Temple Ohav Shalom will present The Bible Players and their variety show for an evening of laughs, fun and community from 7 to 9 p.m. at Ohav Shalom in Allison Park. The evening will begin with Havdalah at 7 p.m., and will include drinks and desserts being served. There is an $18 charge per person. Contact Jackie Leicht at jleicht@templeohavshalom.org by Tuesday, Nov. 6 to RSVP. q SUNDAY, NOV. 11

Please see Calendar, page 9

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Calendar Continued from page 8

q MONDAY, NOV. 12 Grammy nominated American concert pianist, author, and radio host Mona Golabek will be at Pittsburgh’s Byham Theater from 7 to 9 p.m. to perform “The Children of Willesden Lane” in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht. This theatrical production, based on the best-selling book of the same name written by Golabek and Lee Cohen, will celebrate the triumph of the human spirit and the power of music to transcend the unimaginable. The event is presented by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh in partnership with Classrooms Without Borders. Visit hcofpgh.org/kristallnacht-2018 for more information and to register. q TUESDAY, NOV. 13 Chabad of the South Hills will hold a lunch for seniors at noon with a presentation by Julian Gray Elder Law on “The Top Five Planning Mistakes.” There is a $5 suggested donation. The building is wheelchair accessible. Call 412-278-2658 to preregister. Visit chabadsh.com for more information. The Ben Gurion Society will hold a dinner at a private home with guest speaker Sara Tmim at 6:30 p.m. Tmim will discuss how she made aliyah to Israel from France because of the anti-Semitism. For more information and to RSVP contact Sara Spanjer at sspanjer@

jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5237. BGS members and those interested in the Israel Next Mission are invited to attend. The Jewish Association on Aging will hold its annual meeting, Legacy, Love and Living Your Best Life Now, at 6:30 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Rabbi Daniel Cohen, author of “What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone?” will be the guest speaker. There is no charge to attend. Contact sburke@ jaapgh.org, 412-586-2690 or visit jaapgh.org/ meeting to RSVP. q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14 Chabad of Squirrel Hill will hold a Ladies Lunch and Learn program with presenter Leah Herman, who will offer Kabbalistic insights on time and what makes one moment different than another, from noon to 1:15 p.m. at 1700 Beechwood Blvd. There is an $18 charge. Visit chabadpgh.com/lunch for more information. Squirrel Hill AARP invites the community to a Medicare 2019 presentation and brief business meeting at 1 p.m. at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, 5898 Wilkins Ave. Christin Sadowsky Trembulak, founding partner of Senior Insurance Products and a 20 year insurance professional and Medicare specialist, will discuss the national and local advantage plans for 2019. Refreshments will be served following the meeting. Contact Marcia Kramer, president, at 412-731-3338 for more information.

Sam Rosenberg – founder

• Grew up in Squirrel Hill • US Marine • Bodyguard for PM Netanyahu and other Israeli dignitaries

q SATURDAY, NOV. 17 Pizmon – In Concert and Come Together – Beth Shalom’s annual fundraiser and silent auction from 6 to 11 p.m. This is a family-friendly event open to the entire community. Pizmon is a co-ed pluralistic Jewish a cappella group from New York City. This concert is a collaboration of Congregation Beth Shalom’s Derekh, Community Day School and J-JEP, made possible by a grant from the Department of Jewish Life and Learning of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The evening will feature a strolling dinner with libations and a signature drink. The Silent Auction will include sports memorabilia and tickets, art, casual jewelry, theater tickets and gift certificates from local restaurant establishments. For children old enough for independent play, pizza bagels, drinks and supervised fun in the fourth-floor gym will be available. Dress is smart casual. Catering is by Elegant Edge Catering Company under the supervision of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh. Visit bethshalompgh.org/ cometogether/event for more information, tickets and cost. q WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, NOV. 14-18 The second annual Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival presents the best contemporary short films from around the globe, with an emphasis on films that promote the intersections of art, tech, cultural tolerance and diversity. Visit filmpittsburgh.org/pages/ about-pittsburgh-shorts for more information. q THURSDAY, NOV. 15 Chabad of the South Hills presents an evening with Gil Hoffman, chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post. Hoffman will give an insider’s look at the quest for security, democracy and peace

in the Middle East at 7 p.m. at the Crown Plaza Pittsburgh South, 164 Couch Road. Cosponsored by South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh. Contact chabadsh.com or 412-344-2424 for more information and to register. q FRIDAY, NOV. 16 Chabad of Squirrel Hill invites the community to participate in Loaves of Love to bake two challahs, one to keep and one to give away, and learn how to make turkeyshaped loaves in honor of Thanksgiving. The event will be held at Chabad of Squirrel Hill, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. from 9 to 11 a.m. There is a $10 charge. Visit chabadpgh.com/lol for more information. PJC

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OCTOBER 26, 2018 9

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Calendar:

Headlines In Denmark, the world’s only happy Holocaust commemoration event — WORLD — By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA

OPENHAGEN, Denmark — All over the world, Holocaust commemoration events follow a certain protocol. Somber affairs where participants dress in dark colors and modestly, they usually feature a soulful rendition of the “El Malei Rachamim,” prayer, or Merciful God, sung by an anguished cantor who names Nazi death camps and the horrible ways Jews were murdered there. Less traditional ceremonies may include a low-key mourning song, often from Israel, and “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem. Not so in Denmark, the world’s only country where nearly all the members of the Jewish minority were rescued from the Holocaust by the local population in a grassroots operation that involved thousands of people. It culminated 75 years ago when 7,200 Jews from the Nazi-occupied Scandinavian land were ferried aboard small ships to neutral Sweden in a matter of just a few days. The annual commemoration here occurs on the anniversary of the rescue. There is

mourning for the 51 Jews from Denmark who died in the genocide. But it is mostly a cheerful event where one unique community unites to celebrate its rescue amid song, backslapping, expressions of gratitude and, sometimes, a festive communal dinner. This was certainly the case last week on the 75th anniversary of the rescue. On Oct. 11, hundreds filled the Great Synagogue of Copenhagen to capacity, greeting their Crown Prince Federik with a silent ovation and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin with a roaring one. Susanne Bier, an Oscar-winning Jewish director, wore a tight red dress reminiscent of gala wear. The ceremony ended with an upbeat performance by a girls choir from a Jewish school singing “Ya’ase Shalom” and a patriotic Danish song penned by national writer HansChristian Andersen. “This ceremony has some sadness for those who didn’t make it and for our brethren who perished,” said Helle Fromberg, a kindergarten teacher whose mother was rescued. “But inevitably it’s also a celebration of the rescue, without which most of the people here would not be alive today.” Fromberg and her husband, Norway-born Thomas Gorlen, celebrate how the Danish resistance movement made the country a

Join the Duquesne University community for an evening with author

Dr. Roger Frie

in remembrance of Kristallnacht MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12 • 4 P.M. Duquesne University Charles J. Dougherty Ballroom | 5th Floor, Power Center

more hospitable place for its Jews right up to the present. “There is this mentality here that it doesn’t matter so much who or what you are as long as you follow the rules and integrate,” he said. “And Danish Jews did, so they were never seen as the ‘other.’” The couple, who lived together in Norway, are “very happy we ended up settling in Denmark and raising our children here,” Fromberg said. Denmark’s history means that “the Jewish community is more self-assured and belonging” than in countries where Jews were killed by the Nazis, most often with significant collaboration by locals. “Throughout most of Europe, police helped the Nazis kill the Jews,” Fromberg said. “Here, police helped the Jews escape the Nazis. Of course this has a profound effect on how a Jew feels growing up in this society.” There are other ways in which what happened in Denmark contrasted with the rest of Nazi-controlled Europe. Annelise Tchernia, 79, recalls finding her family’s home “exactly as we left it” after she and her parents returned from Sweden. They had spent at least three years there following their escape, which was carried out with the help of their family doctor, the late resistance hero Borghild Andersson.

three weeks and go beyond such military matters as the exchange of POWs to address political issues.

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

Oct. 30, 1991 — Peace conference begins

Oct. 26, 1994 — Israel, Jordan sign treaty

With U.S. President Bill Clinton in attendance, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian King Hussein sign a peace treaty at the Wadi Araba Border Crossing between Eilat and Aqaba.

Forty-one days after signing the Camp David Accords, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat win the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize.

Oct. 28, 1910 — First kibbutz established

A group known as the Hadera Commune arrives at Umm Juni on the banks of the Sea of Galilee and forms the first kibbutz, Degania Alef, on land leased from the Jewish National Fund.

Sponsored by Duquesne University’s McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts and the Jewish Studies Forum, in partnership with the Nathan and Helen Goldrich Foundation

10 OCTOBER 26, 2018

Please see Denmark, page 11

This week in Israeli history

Oct. 27, 1978 — Begin, Sadat win Nobel Prize

This event will be followed by a reception in the Shepperson Suite. Register at myduquesne.duq.edu/notinmyfamily

Andersson also took care of Tchernia’s childhood home, letting those in need of housing stay there — but under the condition they leave as soon as the owners return. Whereas some Danish Jews did lose some property during their absence, its return in full to others is almost unheard of anywhere else in Europe, where countless survivors and asylum seekers who returned were turned away, some with deadly violence. In Denmark, concern for the Jews ran all the way to the top. King Christian X did not, contrary to popular myth, ride his horse through Copenhagen wearing the Star of David. But he did make it clear, as he wrote in his diary, that he considered “our own Jews to be Danish citizens, and the Germans could not touch them.” Danish Prime Minister Laros Lokke Rasmussen echoed those words during his Oct. 11 speech at the synagogue. “An attack on Danish Jews,” he said, “is an attack on Denmark.” Still, Danish Jewry’s rescue had less photogenic aspects. Many of the fishermen and sailors who transported the Jews to Sweden across to Oresund Straits demanded

Oct. 29, 1973 — IsraeliEgyptian military talks start

After the Yom Kippur War, despite several miscommunications, the first talks between Israeli and Egyptian generals take place at 1 a.m. in Israelicontrolled territory 101 kilometers (63 miles) east of Cairo. The talks last more than

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The Soviet Union and the United States convene a Middle East peace conference in Madrid that uses a two-track approach of bilateral and multilateral talks. The three-day conference includes all Arab states contiguous to Israel, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza. It is the first time that Israeli and PLO negotiators come together.

Oct. 31, 1917 — Beersheba captured

The Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade surprises the Turkish defenders and captures Beersheba in a single day, breaking the Ottoman defensive line near Gaza and providing the advancing troops under British Gen. Edmund Allenby with needed supplies and water from Beersheba’s wells.

Nov. 1, 1965 — 6th Knesset elected

In elections for the sixth Knesset, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol retains his office as the Alignment, a left-leaning merger of Eshkol’s Mapai and Ahdut Ha’Avoda, wins 45 of the 120 seats. Rafi, a Mapai breakaway founded by former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, gains 10 seats. PJC

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Headlines Denmark: Continued from page 10

payment, in some cases the equivalent of thousands of dollars. Tchernia remembers that on the eve of her family’s departure, her father called his bank manager after hours to receive enough cash to pay for the boat ride. But she is not bitter. “The fisherman who took us across was so scared that the Germans would come for him after they found out the Jews had gone that he stayed in Sweden,” she said. “He needed some money to get by, too.” Tchernia’s father had looked for a crossing point for days before he found the captain, she said. At one point her father arrived in Gilleleje, a fishing village 40 miles north of Copenhagen, where locals hid 86 Jews in an attic before the Nazis discovered them. A refugee from Russia who grew up hearing about pogroms, the father “took one look and said there were too many people in one small place,” and took his family elsewhere, Tchernia said. On Sept. 26, the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the crossing, she and dozens of other Danish Jews attended a re-enactment of the rescue organized by Rabbi Yitzi and Rochel Loewenthal, the emissaries of the Chabad movement in Denmark. The event featured a klezmer band and testimonies by survivors like Tchernia. Despite the gratitude she feels to the

p Bent Lewinsky waits to celebrate Danish Jewry’s 1943 rescue outside the Great Synagogue of Copenhagen.

Photo by Cnaan Liphshiz

Danes who saved her family, Tchernia and others living in Denmark today say the tolerance that inspired the operation has diminished following a backlash against Muslim immigrants. Over the past decade, Denmark has developed some of Europe’s strictest immigration policies, which The Washington Post last year called “a Muslim ban [that] was just called something else.” The country is now

preparing to vote on a parliamentary resolution whose premise is that nonmedical circumcision of boys is a form of child abuse. “It’s not safe to wear a kippah on the street,” Tchernia said, noting the 2015 murder of a Jewish guard, Dan Uzan, outside the synagogue by a jihadist. Anti-Semitic violence in Denmark mostly come from Muslims, “But it’s not only Muslims who are creating the problem. It’s changed the whole society.”

Rochel Lowenthal wonders if the Danish Holocuast story would have been different had the country’s Jews, like today’s Muslims, been more easily identifiable as outsiders. “Danish Jews were always very integrated,” said Lowenthal, who like her husband wears the distinctive modest garb of haredi Orthodox Jews. “And I can’t help but wonder if they would almost all have been rescued if they looked like me and my husband.” PJC

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Headlines Is Harvard, which once capped the number of Jews, doing the same to Asians? — NATIONAL — By Ben Sales | JTA

n 1922, Harvard University President Abbott Lawrence Lowell had a problem: His school had too many Jews. At least that’s what he thought. As the country’s Jewish population ballooned in the early 20th century, the Jewish proportion of Harvard students increased exponentially, too. In 1900, just 7 percent of the Ivy League school’s students were Jewish. By 1922, the figure was 21.5 percent. Lowell felt that some were of deficient character. And even if they weren’t, he feared they would drive away potential White Anglo-Saxon Protestant students who would go on to be America’s political and economic elite — as well as future donors to schools like Harvard. “The summer hotel that is ruined by admitting Jews meets its fate, not because the Jews it admits are of bad character, but because they drive away the Gentiles, and then after the Gentiles have left, they leave also,” he wrote in a letter to a philosophy professor, as quoted in the book “The Chosen: The Hidden History of Admission and Exclusion at Harvard, Yale and Princeton” by Jerome Karabel. In response to a letter from an alumnus bemoaning that Harvard was no longer a “white man’s” college, Lowell wrote that he “had foreseen the peril of having too large a number of an alien race, and had tried to prevent it.” Lowell eventually succeeded in changing the admissions standards at his Bostonarea university to limit the number of Jews. According to Karabel, instead of admitting students solely based on academic achievement, the school began judging their surnames and photographs to determine if they were Jewish. It began classifying students as “J1,” “J2” or “J3” — conclusively Jewish, probably Jewish or maybe Jewish, respectively. It evaluated their “character” as well — a new standard that allowed Harvard to cap the proportion of Jewish students at 15 percent. The quota lasted until the 1960s. Except that some people say it’s still happening — only this time the target is Asian Americans. That’s the contention of a lawsuit that began Monday at a federal court in Boston arguing that Harvard discriminates against Asian-American applicants. The lawsuit, brought by a group called Students for Fair Admissions, makes accusations that, if true, would recall Lowell’s prejudices of nearly a century ago: It says Harvard rejects Asian Americans because it sees them as academically gifted but unexceptional in character. “Harvard evaluators consistently rank Asian-American candidates below White candidates in ‘personal qualities,’” the lawsuit reads. “In comments written in applicants’ files, Harvard admissions staff repeatedly have described Asian Americans

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p A demonstrator participates in a rally in Boston’s Copley Square in support of a lawsuit against Harvard contending that the university discriminates against Asian Americans in admissions. Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

as “being quiet/shy, science/math oriented and hard workers.” And the lawsuit makes an explicit connection to Harvard’s history of discrimination against Jews. “Harvard is using racial classifications to engage in the same brand of invidious discrimination against Asian Americans that it formerly used to limit the number of Jewish students in its student body,” it says. “Statistical evidence reveals that Harvard uses ‘holistic’ admissions to disguise the fact that it holds Asian Americans to a far higher standard than other students and essentially forces them to compete against each other for admission.” In a 2012 article in the American Conservative, the magazine’s publisher, Ron Unz, cited National Center for Education Statistics data to charge that Harvard imposed a quota of 16.5 percent on AsianAmerican students starting in 1995 — following the example of the Jewish quota. “Even more surprising has been the sheer constancy of these percentages, with almost every year from 1995-2011 showing an Asian enrollment within a single point of the 16.5 percent average,” he wrote. “It is interesting to note that this exactly replicates the historical pattern observed by Karabel, in which Jewish enrollment rose very rapidly, leading to imposition of an informal quota system, after which the number of Jews fell substantially.” But some people — including, notably, Karabel himself — dispute that Asian

Americans face the same bigotry as Jews did in the 1920s. Karabel, a sociology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, sees the lawsuit as an attempt to outlaw affirmative action — a longstanding desire of American conservatives. Indeed, the lawsuit disparages Regents of Univ. of Cal. v. Bakke, a 1978 Supreme Court decision that serves as a basis for allowing race to serve as a factor in college admission policy. And Karabel says that unlike Jews, Asian Americans have seen their numbers at Harvard increase under a system that takes character into account — at least in recent years. Harvard’s incoming class of 2000 was 16.4 percent Asian. But the incoming class of 2022 is nearly 23 percent Asian. “The analogy between Jews and Asians that frames the current case against Harvard obscures more than it illuminates,” Karabel wrote in a column in the Huffington Post. “Unlike quotas, which substantially reduced Jewish enrollments, affirmative action has proved compatible with both an increase in Asian-American enrollments and expanded opportunities for AfricanAmericans and Latinos.” In other words, character was used as a means of depressing Jewish enrollment in the 1920s. But Karabel and others say that today, considering factors outside academic achievement — like extracurricular activities and life story — is meant to lead to a more diverse student body. “The ideas being explored today are not so different from the ideas being explored

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then,” said Jonathan Sarna, the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University. “Diversity and other elements come into play, and that’s an interesting argument. And one might argue that there should be different kinds of universities, some of which would make decisions based purely on the basis of merit.” The lawsuit has divided Asian Americans as well. “There should be more pushback against all this admissions rigging against Asians — especially among liberals, who tend to pride themselves on their championing of minorities and equal opportunity,” Michelle Gao, a Harvard sophomore, wrote in the Harvard Crimson, the student paper. But Robert Rhew, a Harvard alumnus, wrote in The New York Times: “Like many Asian-Americans and many Harvard graduates, I vigorously oppose the lawsuit. I reject the false equivalence of the argument that taking into consideration the race of applicants from underrepresented groups is the same as discriminating against everyone else.” The suit could reach the Supreme Court and has the potential to reshape the way universities are allowed to consider race in their admissions. But while quotas haven’t been a directly Jewish issue for half a century, Harvard College’s Jewish population has not recovered. According to Hillel International, it now stands at 11 percent — comfortably below Lowell’s quota. PJC

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Headlines â&#x20AC;&#x201D; WORLD â&#x20AC;&#x201D; From JTA reports

US student detained in airport can stay in Israel Lara Alqasem, the American student detained in Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s airport, will be allowed to stay and study in the country, Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supreme Court ruled. Alqasem, 22, had been detained at Ben-Gurion Airport since Oct. 2 on suspicion of supporting the boycott, divestments and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. She is enrolled as a student in a graduate program in human rights at Hebrew University. Israel sought to deport her under a 2017 law that allows the country to bar entry to BDS activists. Alqasem challenged the ban on her entry in Israeli court, and two courts had ruled against her before she appealed to Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supreme Court last week. The Supreme Court overturned the lower courtsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rulings on Oct. 18 because it found that in seeking to study at Hebrew University, Alqasem was pursuing an increased connection to Israel â&#x20AC;&#x201D; rather than a boycott of the country. â&#x20AC;&#x201A; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nothing leftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of single motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home struck by Gaza rocket A single mother whose Beersheba home was leveled by a rocket fired from Gaza said she and her three boys have nothing left.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have no house or memories left. The kids have nothing,â&#x20AC;? Miri Tamano told Haaretz. Tamano woke her children early the morning of Oct. 17 when Code Red sirens began sounding in Beersheba and other southern Israel communities. She reportedly had just closed the door to the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secure room when a long-range Grad missile packed with explosives crashed through the room where her sons had been sleeping. The house has been declared uninhabitable and almost nothing inside is salvageable. She told Israeli media that she and her children witnessed a â&#x20AC;&#x153;miracle.â&#x20AC;? The Tamano family already has received 4,000 shekels (or more than $1,000) from donations made from Jews in the Diaspora to the Jewish Agency. The money is meant to help them with immediate needs as they search for housing and clothes to wear. The Jewish Federation of Montreal also has come forward with a grant of nearly $7,000. Vera Tamano, Miriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister, told Israeli media: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nothing is left of the home but the safe room, which is what saved them. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a lioness. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special. The way she behaved was exemplary.â&#x20AC;? The Israel Tax Authority will provide the family with funds to stay in a hotel or other temporary housing until more permanent housing is found. A government terror victims fund will help with rebuilding the family home. Rockets were fired from Gaza on southern Israel beginning at about 3:30 that morning. One of the rockets landed directly

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on the Tamanoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house. Another landed just off the coast near Tel Aviv but did not cause any damage. The Iron Dome missile defense system did not activate during the rocket attacks. The military is investigating why it was not triggered. Israel retaliated by bombing at least 20 military targets in Gaza, including a cross-border tunnel, the second bombed in two weeks. Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman threatened to escalate actions against Hamas, the terrorist group that runs the Gaza Strip. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have exhausted all other options in Gaza. â&#x20AC;Ś We need to strike a serious blow at Hamas. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the only way to bring back quiet,â&#x20AC;? he said the day before the attack, during a visit to army headquarters near the Gaza border. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad condemned the rocket fire on Beersheba, saying it was an effort to derail Egyptian efforts to broker a long-term cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and other armed groups in Gaza. The Israel Defense Forces said it holds Hamas responsible for the rocket fire, no matter which group actually fired the rockets. Consulate serving Palestinians to become part of US Embassy The U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, which primarily serves Palestinian-Americans, will merge operations with the U.S. Embassy to Israel, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced.

The consulate on Agron Street in the center of western Jerusalem will merge operations with the new Israeli embassy in Arnona, on the eastern-western seam of the 1967 lines that divided the city, according to the announcement issued last week. Pompeo said that he asked U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman to â&#x20AC;&#x153;guide the merger.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will continue to conduct a full range of reporting, outreach, and programming through a new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside U.S. Embassy Jerusalem,â&#x20AC;? the statement said. The statement added that the merger â&#x20AC;&#x153;does not signal a change of U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip,â&#x20AC;? but rather is driven by â&#x20AC;&#x153;our global efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations.â&#x20AC;? Pompeo emphasized that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the United States continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders. The specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties.â&#x20AC;? Palestinian leaders are likely to decry the move, as it will have the effect of wrapping Palestinian affairs into the U.S.-Israel relationship, and will diminish the diplomatic status of the Palestinian Authority. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The administration is strongly committed to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace that offers a brighter future to Israel and the Palestinians,â&#x20AC;? Pompeo said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look forward to continued partnership and dialogue with the Palestinian people and, we hope in the future, with the Palestinian leadership.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is nothing as permanent as change.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A quote I learned from my late father.

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THE CONSENT DECREE. Shortly after many of my clients received their letter about this change, which will fully take place on July 1, 2019, I have been getting phone calls from them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What can we do? What are our options?â&#x20AC;?

Very shortly we will have the answers to these questions as well as options for you to choose from. I look forward to hearing from each of you and will do my best to find solutions to your Medicare questions or concerns.

Dan Askin 412-901-5433 â&#x20AC;˘ askinsure@msn.com OCTOBER 26, 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192;13

Opinion An erratic ally — EDITORIAL —

f reports are correct, journalist Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 to obtain a document he needed to marry his fiancée, a Turkish citizen. While there, he was attacked by as many as 15 Saudis, who cut off his finger and then killed him. Then, one of his murderers cut off his head. It is unlikely that we will learn how accurate those reports are, since it isn’t clear that there will be an impartial investigation into the murder of Khashoggi, a Saudi government insider turned critic and a U.S. resident. As of this writing, it appears that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are content to let the Saudis investigate the matter themselves. For decades, many in the United States have urged our government to speak out about Saudi human rights abuses. That hasn’t happened. And Pompeo’s amiable visit with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last week did not outwardly appear to focus on the seriousness of the alleged Saudi actions in connection with the murder. Instead, we got what appeared to be unclear messages from the administration — with the president first commenting that “Saudi Arabia is innocent until proven guilty,” and then threatening that Saudi Arabia could

p Jamal Khashoggi at a press conference in 2014.

Photo by Mohammed Al-Shaikh/AFP/Getty Images

meet a “very serious” U.S. response for what is alleged (and now partially admitted) to have been done. We have, however, heard near-universal and bipartisan outrage and concern from Congress. For example, according to Sen.

Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), if the administration does nothing, “Congress will. That I can tell you with 100 percent certainty. With almost full unanimity, across the board, Republicans and Democrats, there will be a very strong congressional response.” Sen. Mark Warner

(D-Va.) voiced agreement. Those promises are reassuring, but we have been disappointed by Capitol Hill before. Whether Khashoggi’s murder has any impact on U.S.-Saudi relations remains to be seen. The United States is, fortunately, no longer reliant on Saudi oil. Promises of large Saudi arms purchases have proved somewhat ephemeral. And the crown prince’s impetuous decisions — such as cutting off relations with Canada — raise questions about the kingdom’s role as a steady and reliable ally. Israel is among the neighboring countries that has greeted the Khashoggi crisis in silence. And that’s somewhat understandable. The Jewish state has been buoyed by its growing relations with Saudi Arabia, particularly against a hegemonic Iran, but has been fully aware of the underlying brutal nature of the kingdom’s regime. At this point, Israel has nothing to gain by criticizing the Saudis, and can leave that work to others in the Western world. But Israel and the United States may need to rethink how much they should rely on Saudi Arabia to help their national interests. Right now, the reliability and predictability of the Saudi government, and where its allegiances really lie, are open questions. The answers may hinge on whether the state comes clean in the Khashoggi murder. PJC

Protecting families, protecting jobs Guest Columnist Nancy Kaufman

ctober is National Work and Family Month. The best way to celebrate our nation’s commitment to both work and family is updating our nation’s archaic and ineffective paid leave laws. Twenty-five years ago this past February, American families finally gained the modest support for caregiving that the rest of the industrialized world long enjoyed when President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) into law. That measure gave eligible employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year to care for a newborn, a newly adopted child or a seriously ill family member, or to deal with a serious health condition of their own, including pregnancy. It also included special benefits for military families. No longer do covered workers have to risk their jobs and the health insurance that (for many) goes with employment to carry out family caregiving duties — risks that most often affect women, who are generally (though not always) the frontline caregivers in their families. The law has been used more than 200 million times to protect the jobs of those who needed time off for caregiving or for their own recovery. But it was only a first

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step. Millions of workers are not eligible to use this benefit because their employers are too small to be covered by the law or are otherwise exempt. Millions cannot use the law because it only provides access to unpaid leave, and they cannot go without a paycheck. Millions have needs that are not covered by the law, which is limited to caring only for a spouse, child or parent. These workers are disproportionately women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals and young people. What should we do to update the law now? We should expand the number of employees covered by the FMLA to include all who work for a paycheck. The current requirement that employees must be working a minimum number of hours and have been on the job for one year should be reduced or eliminated — particularly important at a time when more workers are employed in multiple part-time

positions, and newly-hired workers in a gig economy may not have been on the job for long. Further, the law should apply to all companies, not just those with 50 or more employees. We should expand the definition of family for the purposes of the law. Today more than one-quarter of family caregivers provide care for an adult family member who falls outside the FMLA’s definition, including parentsin-law, grandparents, aunts or uncles, siblings and other relatives. The law should be updated to include the broader range of caregiver relationships that are part of our lives now, so that workers can use leave to care for an adult child, domestic partner, grandparent, grandchild, parent-in-law or sibling. The law should also include a bereavement provision, allowing eligible workers to take time off to grieve the death of a child, parent or spouse.

Twenty-five years ago, American families finally gained the modest support for caregiving that the rest of the industrialized world long enjoyed.

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A comprehensive family leave policy should also include access to time off for the more than 12 million women and men who experience sexual violence, rape or stalking by an intimate partner every year. As we unmask the horror of sexual abuse in the #MeToo era, survivors need to be able to take time off to seek medical attention, obtain a restraining order or relocate to a safe place. Finally, eligible workers should be able to use a limited number of unpaid hours per year to attend a child’s school meetings or events, or for adult children to accompany a parent to medical appointments — often called “necessities leave.” In an era of stagnant wages, inequality and tax policies favoring the rich, it is all the more important that we as a nation prioritize humane, family-friendly policies that give a leg up to those most in need of assistance, help stabilize the work force and relieve the anxiety that comes from having to decide between a job and the needs of a sick loved one. The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act, introduced in Congress by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), is modeled on successful state programs and would create a comprehensive, national paid leave program. It’s time to modernize our paid leave laws, and passing the FAMILY Act is the best way to honor working families this month. PJC Nancy K. Kaufman is the chief executive officer of the National Council of Jewish Women.

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Opinion Chutzpah to accuse to Republicans of anti-Semitism Guest Columnists Norm Coleman Matthew Brooks

n a recent op-ed, two leaders of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, Ron Klein and Dan Berger, accused Republicans of failing to oppose neo-Nazis who have run for office this year under a stolen GOP banner. That is a lie. National and state Republican parties — and the Republican Jewish Coalition — have forcefully rejected and renounced such candidates. To offer just one example out of many, when avowed neo-Nazi Arthur Jones put his name on the ballot for Congress at the last minute in Illinois’ third district and became the Republican nominee by default, the Illinois GOP chairman said his party has “no place for Nazis like Arthur Jones.” Illinois’ Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, tweeted that voters should “vote for anybody but Arthur Jones.” And the Republican Jewish Coalition flatly rejected Jones, saying, “Jones does not represent Republican values. … There is no place for Nazis and white supremacists in the Republican Party.” That sounds pretty straightforward. Nazi ideology and its supporters, including

white supremacists, have no place in the Republican Party. But the real chutzpah in Klein and Berger’s op-ed is this passage: “At some point, we must all put country above party. We can argue about exactly where the line should be drawn, but is there any doubt that wherever the line is drawn, racists and anti-Semites are on the wrong side of that line?” We agree — racists and anti-Semites are on the wrong side of the line. And they include these key Democratic candidates in 2018, to name a few: • Democratic National Committee deputy chairman Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, who is now running for state attorney general, continues to lie about his association with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Ellison claims that after working for Farrakhan in the 1990s, he severed his ties with the anti-Semitic demagogue. But photos show him meeting with Farrakhan as recently as 2015. • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democrat running for Congress in New York’s 14th district, is a proud member of Democratic Socialists of America. She calls Israel the “occupier” of Palestine and tweeted that Israel’s self-defense against rioters at the Gaza border last May was “a massacre.” • Rashida Tlaib, the Democratic candidate in Michigan’s 13th district, said in an interview that she would “absolutely” slash military aid to Israel and “will be using my position in Congress so that no

country, not one, should be able to get aid from the U.S. when they still promote that kind of injustice.” • Ilhan Omar, the Democratic candidate in Minnesota’s fifth district (the seat being vacated by Keith Ellison), has called Israel an “apartheid regime” and tweeted, “Israel has hypnotized the world.” • Scott Wallace, the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania’s first district, led a family foundation that gave $300,000 to groups that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. • Leslie Cockburn, the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s fifth district, co-wrote a 1991 book about Israel that The New York Times panned as “largely dedicated to Israelbashing for its own sake.” Klein and Berger acknowledge that “both parties have members and candidates at the fringes who do not come close to representing the mainstream on certain issues.” But here’s the crux of the issue: On the GOP side, the fringe candidates are small-time nuisances, who either didn’t make it through the primary process or are in districts with such overwhelming Democratic majorities that no Republican could conceivably win the seat. On the Democratic side, the most anti-Israel, anti-Semitic and bigoted candidates sailed through the primary process to win their party’s nomination in races they are favored to win, in districts that

are overwhelmingly Democrat. They are fawned over and lauded as the “future of the Democratic Party,” as Ocasio-Cortez was referred to by Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez. These anti-Israel progressives are not considered “fringe” candidates among Democrats — they are the new mainstream of the party. What does that say about the Democratic Party in 2018? Elliott Abrams, a man who left the Democrats decades ago, recently said: “Fringe candidates deserve attention because their views help determine just what is acceptable and what is fringe. Their views should be denounced by party leaders lest they start becoming acceptable. … There is a real possibility that in 10 years the Democratic Party will no longer be a strongly pro-Israel party. Democratic Party leaders should be working hard right now on this problem.” Republicans have been clear and unequivocal in rejecting the fringe candidates who try to wave the GOP banner. Jewish Democrats should put country above party themselves and do something about the new “mainstream” in their party, the anti-Israel progressive left. PJC Norm Coleman is a former U.S. senator from Minnesota and is the national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition. Matthew Brooks is the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

‘Night of the Living Dead’ at 50 Guest Columnist Adam Lowenstein

s Pittsburgh celebrates the 50th anniversary of George A. Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead,” it’s important that we remember the history of the most famous and influential film our city has ever produced. Here’s how the key American film industry periodical Variety greeted Night upon its original release in 1968: “Until the Supreme Court establishes clear-cut guidelines for the pornography of violence, ‘Night of the Living Dead’ will serve nicely as an outer-limit definition by example. … [The film] casts serious aspersions on the integrity and social responsibility of its Pittsburgh-based makers, distributor Walter Reade, the film industry as a whole and exhibitors who book the pic, as well as raising doubts about … the moral health of filmgoers who cheerfully opt for this unrelieved orgy of sadism.” And yet by 1970, Romero was traveling from Pittsburgh to New York to host a screening of his film at one of America’s most prestigious temples of high culture, the Museum of Modern Art. This extraordinary transformation

from “orgy of sadism” to modern art only begins to hint at the power of “Night”: It is not just one of the most successful and influential horror films ever made, but one of the most significant independent American films of any kind. From today’s vantage point, it is easy to see the evidence of the movie’s success and influence. How many films, let alone films produced on a shoestring budget (reportedly $114,000) far from Hollywood without any recognizable names in its cast or crew, can claim the kind of legacy that belongs to “Night” in the international realm of popular culture? Thanks to “Night,” we live in the age of the omnipresent zombie. The matter of its status as a landmark in independent American cinema is a more complicated subject, but finally just as undeniable. Hollywood’s success has always been rooted in the skillful manipulation of familiar genres and stars to deliver what has been broadly construed as “entertainment” to as wide a public as possible. Films that depart from this mission of entertainment, opting instead for art or politics or education, have usually been relegated to the ranks of foreign, documentary, exploitation, avantgarde or independent cinema. What “Night” accomplished so successfully that it can be considered a precedent for many films that followed was its melding of a popular genre (a marker of entertainment) onto a set of

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independent, anti-establishment aesthetics and politics (a marker of art). A number of social, historical and industrial factors contributed to the film’s phenomenal success. Part of the aforementioned transformation in its reception as sadistic in 1968 and artistic in 1970 has to do with the fact that these years were some of the most turbulent in American history. The space between 1968 and 1970 exposed the American public to such traumatic events as the My Lai massacre in Vietnam, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and the killings of antiwar student demonstrators at Kent State University by the Ohio National Guard. Shattering events like these crystallized the national turmoil surrounding the Vietnam War and drove home a sense of America in deep crisis, perhaps even on the verge of self-destruction. In this chaotic social climate, what once looked like pornographic violence in “Night” now seemed closer to political commentary. If America was eating itself alive metaphorically during the Vietnam era, then “Night” made that metaphor literal. In one of the nation’s darkest moments, “Night” showed America to itself in ways few other films dared. Among the daring aspects of “Night” is its casting of Duane Jones, an AfricanAmerican actor, in the lead role of Ben. Ben is the film’s central protagonist, the leader

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inside a country farmhouse where a group of seven people struggle to survive an onslaught by “ghouls” that have risen from the dead to eat the living. The strength, courage, intelligence and resolve displayed by Ben is something rare to find in lead film roles for blacks even today, never mind in 1968. Indeed, the fact that its critical redemption followed the film’s pairing on a double-bill with a slavery drama (the 1969 film “Slaves,” directed by a Jewish target of the Hollywood blacklist, Herbert J. Biberman) suggests that the racial subtexts in “Night” were crucial for its reception as “art.” Romero completed the film prior to King’s assassination, but “Night” did not reach audiences until afterward. So Ben’s demise at the end of the film, when he is shot by a posse of white militiamen who “mistake” him for a zombie, inevitably evokes for viewers the often violent resistance faced by the civil rights movement, including lynchings and, of course, assassination. In this sense, “Night” is as much about today as yesterday. It is a powerful film that Pittsburgh can be proud of. PJC Adam Lowenstein is professor of English and film/media studies at the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a member of the steering committee for the ongoing citywide tribute Romero Lives: Pittsburgh Celebrates George A. Romero. OCTOBER 26, 2018 15

Headlines Congress: Continued from page 1

their kids’ education and their ability to save for their retirement. And a lot of people are struggling with that right now. People in the middle class — $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 a year — they really have not seen a significant pay raise, in some cases in decades. The president is talking about this booming economy, but we are not really seeing it affect people in the middle. So I think we have to talk about things like raising the minimum wage, getting it up to $15 over time.” Labor unions need to be protected, continued Lamb, and the United States needs a “true national infrastructure program which will create jobs for people in the middle class. You really want to talk about fairness to people who work for a living and social justice, which I know is an important part of the Jewish tradition.” Rothfus had a different view of the economy. “Wages are going up for the first time in years,” he said. “And because of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, one of the biggest surprises to me was companies who, on their own, are raising their own minimum wage. We saw that here in Western Pennsylvania. This is part of a bottom-up healthy economy.” The economic policies that Lamb advocates do not work, Rothfus said. “We tried my opponent’s model of more government and higher taxes under the prior administration. And we got lethargic economic growth that was worsening income disparity, not providing the opportunities that people want to have. So, rather than putting the brakes on this economy — we have a steam engine rolling right now — let’s not put the brakes on and go back to the more government and

p Keith Rothfus

Mossad: Continued from page 1

Ultimately, the director, Chris Weitz, relented, and agreed to depict the clandestine operatives arriving on different airlines. Much like in the Mossad, “it’s all about small details,” said the speaker. Bringing Avraham to Pittsburgh is “a wonderful way to teach a story about Eichmann, the Holocaust and Israel,” said Tsipy Gur, executive director and founder of 16 OCTOBER 26, 2018

higher taxes model. I have yet to hear one pro-growth policy from my opponent.”

Health insurance

Affordable health insurance continues to be a hot button issue for many residents of Western Pennsylvania, and Lamb’s campaign has been running 30-second television ads accusing “the government” of wanting to take away insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions. Rothfus was unequivocal in calling those accusations “just wrong.” “You can take a look at our legislation that we put forth that expressly protected individuals with preexisting conditions. Period, full stop,” Rothfus said. The Affordable Care Act did not deliver on what its supporters promised, Rothfus continued. “Everything they said would happen, didn’t happen or vice versa. They said that 20 million people would get insurance and only 9.5 million people did. They said it was going to lower premiums; it didn’t. They said you could keep your plan; you couldn’t. They said you could keep your doctor; you couldn’t. We came up with a plan that would actually have addressed a lot of the problems created by the ACA, giving states more flexibility if the state chooses, but at the same time, expressly providing that people with pre-existing conditions will be covered.” Lamb admitted that the ACA “wasn’t perfect,” but added that “the other side has no alternatives.” “They wanted to repeal that law, and they had nothing to replace it with,” Lamb said. “So, I think the challenge to us is to look at how the marketplaces were operating, and the biggest problem is that in large parts of the country, only one insurer was going into the marketplaces to offer a product, so they were not competitive.”

p Conor Lamb

Insurance prices kept increasing, he admitted. “Part of that is because we did a good thing. I mean for the first time in history, we told the insurance companies that they had to insure people with pre-existing conditions. But at the same time we knew they were the most expensive patients. If you are an insurance actuary, you’ve got a plan 10 years out, and now you’ve got all these people with cancer and really expensive conditions on your rolls. So they protected themselves; they raised the rates. I think the challenging thing for the next generation of reforms is, how do you stabilize the marketplace, so they don’t have to react so dramatically?”

Israel

Photo courtesy of Sam Miclot

Both candidates say they support Israel. But Lamb questioned the timing of Trump’s decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “In general I believe that the U.S. government should do what’s in its interest,” Lamb said. “So, we should put our embassy in a country in a place that serves our foreign policy goals in that country. Did I think that was the time for it? I didn’t understand why he did it at that particular time, but if people in the government feel we can get our work done the best there, then I’m fine with it, and I’m not going to criticize the president about it.” But the timing of the embassy move, Lamb said, “seemed like it definitely inflamed an already pretty dangerous and divisive situation.” In contrast, the embassy move had Rothfus’ wholehearted support. “Moving the embassy was America’s aliyah,” Rothfus said. “It was something that was long overdue, going up to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Presidents have talked

Classrooms Without Borders, which sponsored Avraham’s visit. “In 1961, as the Eichmann trial captivated millions across the globe, I was a young child in Israel,” Gur told the teenagers. “I remember people fainting from what appeared on television. The trial was so important because it gave survivors permission to tell the stories,” and for many listeners, it was their chance to hear the horrors of the Holocaust. Today, teaching younger generations about the Holocaust can be challenging, said Avraham. “With high school students you

have to find a way to connect with them.” Whether it is through recounting episodes as a spy, asking students about their own dreams and whether they would be willing to forgo happiness for civil service or even using humor to tell the story in a different way, there are ways to broach the subject, he said. “I just feel such a need that this education continue. … The history can’t get lost,” said Janelle Price, a social studies teacher at Allderdice who previously traveled to Poland on an educational mission with Classrooms Without Borders.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Photo courtesy of Coleman Lamb

about that since President Clinton at least, and President Trump did it.” A member of the Israel Victory Caucus, Rothfus believes that “having the Palestinians recognize Israel’s right to exist is the precursor to any permanent peace out there.” The candidates differ on how they view U.S. involvement in attempts to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. In Israel “and elsewhere” the role of the United States should be “to try to promote peace wherever it can,” said Lamb, who is supported by J Street PAC. “And my understanding is, the times in our history when we’ve done our best on this problem, it has been to encourage talks directly between the Israelis and the Palestinians, or to play a convening role, to be a spark plug for good things to happen between those two sides.” Rothfus, who has been to Israel twice, supported the Trump administration’s decision to cut all funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees, which, he said, “funnels money to Hamas who continues to agitate and create trouble in Gaza and puts [incendiary] balloons over the border to Sderot, so little kids can pick them up.” Lamb opposed the decision and was one of more than 70 House Democrats to sign a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton urging the administration to refrain from cutting that funding, which they said would exacerbate “the growing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza strip.” Rothfus said he is not opposed to humanitarian aid in Gaza, “as long as they stop the attacks on Israel. We are going to stand with Israel. I am not going to equivocate on that.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Hearing a narrative from someone so familiar with the mission was “really a privilege,” said Maddie Kyle, a 10th grader at Allderdice. “A lot of people are not exposed to this.” Fellow 10th grader Troy Jacobson agreeed. “This was a good opportunity to bring a lot of kids together to understand what’s happening,” said Jacobson. “It was really cool to get a spy’s perspective on this. I’m going to go see the movie now.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Heroineburgh: Continued from page 4

Deborah Dronestein says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do love to be in control,â&#x20AC;? only to re-emerge moments later in a black and yellow-striped costume complete with wings and announce, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not the only one who could use a Yiddish pun. I devour the minds of my prey. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Devorra the Queen Bee. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go pollinate the town.â&#x20AC;? (Devorah is Hebrew for â&#x20AC;&#x153;bee.â&#x20AC;?) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heroineburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;? Jewish elements, which range from wordplays to honoring â&#x20AC;&#x153;Agent Emesâ&#x20AC;? (the series of locally-made kids movies about a character who divides his days in a yeshiva and nights battling evil), are aplenty. The series, with its focus on â&#x20AC;&#x153;justice, empow-

Sculptor: Continued from page 6

framed the constituent parts of the genocidal process formalized at the Wannsee Conference: intentionality, chain-of-command, selection, execution. In the years to come, the process was refined, the numbers expanded monstrously, but the essential elements remained.â&#x20AC;? Sundayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talk afforded the artist ample opportunities to reference his uncle, whom he never met, among scores of other influencers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I mention all their names,â&#x20AC;? he said,

erment and Jewish feminism,â&#x20AC;? is in honor of Theinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, Bonnie Podolsky Theiner, a Jewish educator and writer who died in 2013. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was a really big Jewish feminist,â&#x20AC;? and whether it was about women rabbis or politics she â&#x20AC;&#x153;always talked to us about feminist Jewish women in history,â&#x20AC;? he said. Aided by an ethnically diverse cast representing various subcultures on screen, the teachers, mothers, scientists and professionals in the series â&#x20AC;&#x153;depict fantastically real superheroes,â&#x20AC;? said Theiner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heroineburghâ&#x20AC;? has more than 20 primary characters and a host of subplots, but a commonality is an eschewal of extremism and creating something â&#x20AC;&#x153;Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem would approve of.â&#x20AC;? Laura Gildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son, Aaron Grant, is an actor in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heroineburgh.â&#x20AC;? She praised Theiner for

creating a fun atmosphere and a chance to â&#x20AC;&#x153;showcase ourselves as being versatile and talented.â&#x20AC;? Grant, a 13-year-old student at Community Day School, had previously performed in school and JCC productions. He credited â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heroineburghâ&#x20AC;? with providing a rich learning experience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I play baseball, I run cross country, I go to Community Day School and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a proud Jew,â&#x20AC;? said Grant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done musicals and been on stage in front of people, but being in front of a camera, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot different. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good experience and it will help me in the future.â&#x20AC;? For Theiner, who as a young child purchased copies of such comics as X-Men, Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Dial H for Hero from the rotating racks in

Eddie Millstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Murray Avenue Newsstand, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heroineburghâ&#x20AC;? has had a personal benefit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gotten me thoroughly back into the comic book world,â&#x20AC;? said Theiner, who plans on expanding the series into a second season and bridging the two with a print-based narrative. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just so much fun to do. I have another important aspect to my life in addition to music and to teaching kids.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC Episodes 11-13 of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heroineburghâ&#x20AC;? will premiere on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Coffee Buddha, 964 Perry Highway in the North Hills and on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. at Hambones, 4207 Butler St. in Lawrenceville. Episodes are available at heroineburgh.com.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in dialogue.â&#x20AC;? It is a conversation fueled by learning, added Kahn, who attended New York Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch for elementary school, the Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy for high school and spent four subsequent years studying in Israel prior to receiving a B.A. from Hunter College and an M.F.A. from Pratt Institute. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I cannot separate my Jewish education from my artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education,â&#x20AC;? he said. Kahn showcases the way he â&#x20AC;&#x153;thinks about his work and who he is,â&#x20AC;? said Shear. Ben Schachter, an art professor at Saint Vincent College who attended Kahnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

remarks, said he learned much from the presentation and hoped Kahnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments the following day to students at the Latrobe campus would be equally illuminating. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope they get the spiritual and religious side of things,â&#x20AC;? said Schachter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just practice and getting pieces to look the way you want. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about getting the inspiration or the feeling.â&#x20AC;? Kahn agreed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The reason I lecture and travel, and why after lecturing at Pitt Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to Saint Vincent, is I believe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the job of an artist to help educate people how to see,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are people who love art and that

is their mode of communication. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I teach at an art university,â&#x20AC;? he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The reason I teach and lecture extensively at other institutions is that most people in the world donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think in those terms. The next time those people visit a museum and see something they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t relate to, I hope they stop and think, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What was the artist trying to say?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; They become more aware of how art can enhance their lives even if they do not see art as their main source of communication.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC

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

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Established urban Pittsburgh synagogue seeks hands-on, detail-oriented manager. Ideal candidate is experienced in office and facility administration and excels in communication and problem-solving.

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OCTOBER 26, 2018â&#x20AC;&#x192;17

Headlines

Torah

Conservative rabbis can now attend intermarriages

Finding balance in competing views

— RELIGION — By Ben Sales | JTA

he Conservative movement’s rabbinical association will allow its rabbis to attend intermarriages. The policy change, which reverses a ban of four decades, was made last week in a vote of the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, which determines the centrist movement’s Jewish legal rulings. While Conservative rabbis still may not officiate in any way at marriages between a Jew and a non-Jew, they can now attend those weddings without fear of punishment. The ban on attending an intermarriage, which was instituted in 1972, was not enforced, although many rabbis said they heeded it. “Clergy of the Conservative/Masorti movement may officiate at weddings only if both parties are Jewish,” the law committee’s ruling reads. “Officiation means signing documents or verbal participation of any kind. Attendance as a guest at a wedding where only one party is Jewish is not included in this Standard of Religious Practice.” The fact that attendance was “not included” in the standard means that it is not prohibited. The change signals a new step in the movement’s grappling with the question of intermarriage, which has divided its ranks of late. Rabbis have been expelled or chosen to leave the movement in order to conduct intermarriages, and others have complained of the emotional pain caused because they have been prohibited from attending the intermarriage of relatives. But the movement has also taken steps to welcome intermarried couples outside the framework of a marriage ceremony, celebrating newlyweds before or after the wedding. And last year, the movement’s synagogues voted to allow non-Jews as members. Also last year, the movement’s leading rabbis doubled down on the ban on officiating intermarriages in an open letter. The letter also called for embracing couples that already were intermarried.

The movement also convened a commission to study the intermarriage ban and the movement’s position that Judaism is determined by matrilineal descent, or through a Jewish mother. “We affirm the traditional practice of reserving rabbinic officiation to two Jews,” the 2017 letter reads, adding that the movement’s leaders “are equally adamant that our clergy and communities go out of their way to create multiple opportunities for deep and caring relationships between the couple and the rabbi, the couple and the community, all in the context of welcome and love that extends well before the moment of the wedding and well beyond it too.” That position has been both welcomed and disparaged: Supporters say it retains the movement’s welcoming stance within the framework of Jewish law and tradition, while critics say couples are unlikely to feel welcome if they have to go outside the movement to marry. In January, the Rabbinical Assembly’s Executive Committee released a statement reaffirming both the ban on officiating intermarriages and the policy of determining Judaism by matrilineal descent. But it referred the question of attending intermarriages to the law committee, which issued its ruling last week. The ruling also calls for reaching out to intermarried couples. “This standard continues to affirm our belief that the narratives, symbols and rituals of the Jewish wedding ceremony we represent are intended for Jewish couples who can authentically accept them as religiously meaningful,” last week’s ruling states. “This important standard, however, does not preclude our welcoming and reaching out to intermarried couples and families, as we believe it is also important to create positive rabbinic relationships with both the Jewish and non-Jewish member of such a couple.” Since 2000, more than 70 percent of non-Orthodox Jews have married non-Jewish partners, according to the Pew Research Center’s 2013 study of American Jewry. The Reform movement allows intermarriage and the Orthodox prohibit it. PJC

Rabbi Keren Gorban Parshat Vayera | Genesis 18:1-22:24

ast week I listened to an episode of “On Being with Krista Tippett” about having relationships with people with whom we profoundly disagree. In this episode, Tippett interviewed Erick Erickson, a conservative pundit, and Sally Kohn, a progressive political commentator. Neither of them agrees with the other on most political issues, but they both agreed with the following statement: “The left, by and large, is nicer to humanity in general but not people in specific, and conservatives are nicer to people in specific but not humanity in general.” This tension between serving the individual or the particular and serving the community or the universal is one that has existed for millennia. It’s even found in this week’s parshah, Vayera. Abraham seems to tend more toward the conservative end of the spectrum. He argues with God about the possible presence of righteous individuals in the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah, whom God would have destroyed along with the evildoers. Then he causes problems (including barrenness) for the entire community of Gerar because he’s worried that he’ll be killed if King Abimelech finds out that Sarah is his wife. He shows concern primarily for individuals rather than whole communities. God seems to be more liberal. God is willing to destroy two cities and everyone in them because most of the people are wicked. Then God asks Abraham to sacrifice the two people he loves most (Ishmael and Isaac) in order to set the stage for the development of

these two nations. God is more concerned about the larger community than the experience of specific individuals. While we might hope that God and Abraham come to recognize the value of both the community and the individual, they each serve to temper the extremism of the other. Abraham’s particularism challenges God’s universalism and God’s long- and wide-ranging vision challenges Abraham’s narrow focus. And our story would not be complete without both. We need both sides in order to be whole. But even more than having both perspectives present is the communication of and struggle to prioritize these values. When Abraham takes matters into his own hands in Gerar, things get bad enough that God has to come in and clean things up. On the other hand, when God takes control of matters, relationships are destroyed. The only one of these four stories that works out appropriately for all involved is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? Because there was time and space where the conflicting values of individual and community were shared and the two leaders worked together to ensure that priorities were in the right place. Likewise, our community and our country need leaders who represent different perspectives and will work with each other to find the right path for moving forward. We need opportunities and spaces where values and priorities can be discussed again and again. We need to be able to recognize that sometimes other people can see what we can’t. And frankly, we all need regular reminders to be nice to people in specific and to humanity in general so that we can truly be blessings. PJC Rabbi Keren Gorban is the associate rabbi at Temple Sinai. The column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.

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Obituaries COFFEY: Edward Coffey, age 91, of Morningside, on Tuesday, October 16, 2018. Beloved husband of the late Ruth Pudles Coffey; awesome dad of Dorene, Ravonne, Mace (Cheryl) and Brenna Agrast (Robert); grandpa and step-grandfather of Stephen, Rebecca Marcotte (Michael), Aaron Agrast, Chrystie Williams (Mark) and John Ammon Jr.; great-grandpa of Logan, Jacob and Olivia. Ed retired as a furniture salesman in the late 1980s then served as a passionate, proud volunteer at the Highland Drive Veterans Administration for 25 years. Ed’s family would like to thank the staff at Weinberg Village and Southwestern Veterans Center for their friendship, care and compassion. As per Ed’s wishes, services and interment were private. Contributions may be made to the Veterans Administration, 7180 Highland Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com GORDON: Lawrence B. Gordon, age 89, died peacefully on October 19, 2018, at his home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was born January 14, 1929, in Pittsburgh to Alfred and Bertha (Goldberg) Gordon. After graduating from Shady Side Academy, he attended Washington & Jefferson College. Larry was an investment adviser/stockbroker for the Pittsburgh firm of Parker/Hunter, where he made lifelong friendships with many of his clients. He was an early supporter and coach of youth hockey in the Pittsburgh area, and the longtime treasurer of the Pittsburgh

Amateur Hockey League (East) and the Churchill Area High School hockey team. Larry was an avid golfer and bridge player, and a dedicated student of both activities. He is survived by his beloved wife of 58 years, Sara, his sons Alan (Linda), and Michael (Darcy); and he was “Bop” to his grandchildren: Benjamin (Felicia) Gordon, Beth Gordon, David Gordon, Rebecca Gordon, and Dora Gordon. He is also survived by his sister Rita (Paul) Glosser, with whom he was especially close, and by numerous nieces and nephews. Funeral services were private. The Gordon family would like to extend their gratitude to his wonderful caregivers, and to the Trustbridge Hospice Foundation. Memorials may be made in Larry’s name to the Trustbridge Hospice Foundation, 5300 East Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33407. “Hey Bop, I’ll see ya.”

KRAMER: Aurelia Kramer, on Saturday, October 20, 2018. Beloved mother of Adriana (Josef) Zeevi and Yohanan (Nadia) Vaida; adored grandmother of Orit (Mike) ZeeviBell, Daniel Zeevi, Yael (Roee) Vaida and Tali (Tomer) Zussman; loved great-grandmother of Sofia, Dylan, Ori, Roni, Ariel and Daniella. Aurelia was a talented chef who truly brought passion to cooking. She enjoyed gardening and making everything around her beautiful. She joyfully entertained family and friends. She will be remembered as the most elegant woman. Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Homewood Cemetery. schugar.com MANDEL: Ethel Mandel, on Friday, October 19, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Martin Mandel. Beloved mother of Jeffrey Mandel of Arlington, Va. Sister of Faye Schneider of Pittsburgh and the late Milton Rubin, Rose Krasnopoler and Abe Rubin. Sister-in-law of Irving Krasnopoler, Ruth Ganz Fargotstein, Marion Wein and the late Alice Rubin, Robert Schneider and Janet Rubin. Also survived by nieces, nephews and friends. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment New Light Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Congregation New Light, 5898 Wilkins Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com STEIN: Abbe G Stein (née Kaufman) passed away on October 15, 2018, at the age of 62, having bravely battled pancreatic cancer

for almost two years. A resident of Akron, Ohio, for most of her life, she was born and raised in Pittsburgh, a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh. Abbe is survived by her loving husband, Cantor Stephen, to whom she was married for 41 years, children, Scott (Sarah) and Deana (Joseph), brother, Dr. Myron (Barbara) Kaufman, and two grandchildren, Shoshana Vivian and Elijah Zachary. Abbe held a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in secondary education. She taught math at the middle school, high school and collegiate levels, and sought to apply its principles to the various facets of daily life. Her professional career also included work in the bankruptcy and insurance sectors. She will be remembered for her strong intellect, impeccable character, and sharp wit, along with countless hours of volunteer work for Jewish organizations in the Akron community. Abbe was also an incredible cook and master baker. She departed this world far too soon and leaves a tremendous void in the lives of her loving family. Funeral services were held in Akron and interment, locally, took place at the Poale Zedeck Memorial Park Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Crossroads Hospice (Akron), Stewart’s Caring Place (Akron), or the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Center.

Please see Obituaries, page 20