Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 11/9/2018 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

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November 9, 2018 | 1 Kislev 5779

Candlelighting 4:50 p.m. | Havdalah 5:50 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 45 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

SPECIAL COVERAGE LOCAL Thousands ‘greet’ president during Squirrel Hill visit Organized by Bend the Arc and IfNotNow, protests demand an end to hateful rhetoric.

Congregations devasted by massacre move forward

Lives of Tree of Life victims celebrated during week of funerals

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

two attributes: They were dedicated to their faith and devoted to doing good deeds. These were the congregants who came early to shul, to get things set up and to ensure there was a minyan, who embraced opportunities to help others. The pews and aisles of Rodef Shalom Congregation’s 1,200-seat sanctuary were overflowing at the funeral of Cecil Rosenthal, 59, and David Rosenthal, 54. The brothers, both of whom had developmental disabilities, “were extraordinary people,” said Rabbi Alvin Berkun, rabbi emeritus at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha. “They found a home with us, and we found a home with them.” “They were two of the sweetest human beings you could ever meet,” said Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, spiritual leader of TOL*OLS. “God broke the mold after Cecil and David.” Each brother was described as being a fixture at the congregation, always eager to lend a helping hand and arriving for services even before the rabbi to make sure all was in order. “They were kind, thoughtful and innocent,” said their brother-in-law, Michael Hirt. “They were pure souls that carried no

s Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, New Light Congregation and Congregation Dor Hadash begin the long process of healing after the anti-Semitic massacre of Oct. 27 that took 11 lives, other area congregations are providing them space and support for the immediate future. “We are going to be in Rodef Shalom [Congregation] for quite a long time,” said Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers, spiritual leader of TOL*OLS. Rodef Shalom’s Levy Hall will be the location for Friday night and Saturday morning services for TOL*OLS congregants. Office space will be provided there as well. “All our area synagogues have reached out,” noted Myers. “The area churches also have reached out to offer us space.” TOL*OLS chose to relocate for the time being to Rodef Shalom, Myers explained, because New Light and Dor Hadash had opted to use space offered to them at Congregation Beth Shalom. “Beth Shalom has generously offered whatever space we need, but I felt it would be a burden upon one synagogue — and our leadership felt the same way — to take on the onus of the needs of more than one synagogue,” Myers said. New Light will be holding services in Beth Shalom’s Helfant Chapel for the “foreseeable future,” according to New Light co-president Stephen Cohen. “Beth Shalom is incredibly accommodating.” Dor Hadash held services in Beth Shalom’s Homestead Hebrew Chapel last weekend and will do so again this coming Shabbat. The congregation is currently “considering several options to meet the myriad needs of our congregation,” said Beth Silver, secretary of Dor Hadash. Na’amat USA Pittsburgh Council, which also had been housed in the Tree of Life building, will be using office space at Rodef

Please see Funerals, page 27

Please see Rabbis, page 27

Page 2 LOCAL Penguins express solidarity

 The Ralph Schugar Chapel was the site for several of the funerals.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Hockey team raises money, visibility for Jewish community. Page 5 WORLD Israeli communities mourn

Karmiel/Misgav region hosts memorial service. Page 10

$1.50

By Toby Tabachnick and Adam Reinherz

he 11 people murdered at the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27 all were laid to rest last week, and Jewish Pittsburgh mourned as a community — attending funerals, making shiva calls and remembering those whose lives were extinguished by a suspected anti-Semite wielding an assault rifle and three handguns while congregants were in the midst of Shabbat prayers. The first funerals were held on Tuesday, Oct. 30 — for Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz and brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal — and the final service took place on Friday, Nov. 2, for the massacre’s oldest victim, Rose Mallinger, 97. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Rodef Shalom Congregation, the Ralph Schugar Chapel and Congregation Beth Shalom housed standing room only crowds at the funerals, which drew local, national and international dignitaries. The buildings were all under heavy police protection while the funerals were being conducted. As friends, family members and rabbis eulogized the 11 who were killed, it became apparent that all the victims shared at least

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL

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Headlines Heavy on Jewish ritual, Pittsburgh protests stress wider context for attack — LOCAL — By Shira Hanau | New York Jewish Week

ith swatches of black ribbon in their hands, the protesters raised their arms to the sky and recited a blessing: Blessed is the Lord, Master of the universe, the true Judge. Then they tore their ribbons in half, a ritual of mourning for the 11 Jewish lives lost at the Tree of Life building just a block away and a symbol of Pittsburgh’s many broken hearts. As much of the local Jewish community continued to be absorbed in the logistics of grieving — deciding which funerals to attend, planning shiva visits, attending vigils and prayer services — the Oct. 30 protest of President Trump’s visit here laid bare a division in the Jewish community between those who wish to focus on the particularly anti-Semitic nature of the shooting and those who connect the hatred directed at Jews with that of other minority groups who have been targeted during the Trump administration. The distinction appears to be a generational one — older Pittsburgh Jews focusing on anti-Semitism and millennials looking through a more intersection lens. And it can be heard in the language used in talking about the shooting — was the shooter an anti-Semite or a white nationalist? Is this event just the latest chapter in the long history of deadly anti-Semitism or part of a trend of racially motivated shootings incited by political flame fanning? Who gets to speak for the Jewish community as it mourns, and who gets to tell its story? “I think the focus on talking about the problem as being white supremacy is really important,” said Robert Zacharias, 33, a teacher at Carnegie Mellon University here

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p An estimated 4,000 people gathered to march for solidarity in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood while President Donald Trump was visiting last week. The march was in support of the victims of the Tree of Life mass shooting. Photo by Getty Images

who attended Tuesday’s protests. “If you’re talking only about anti-Semitism, you’re missing the bigger problem.” Zacharias is a member of IfNotNow, a grassroots Jewish organization founded in 2014 to oppose American support for Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. The group’s Pittsburgh chapter spearheaded a vigil Tuesday afternoon inspired by the mourning practice of shiva; it was followed by a massive protest organized by the local branch of Bend The Arc, a left-wing Jewish social justice organization, to oppose the president’s visit here. Jewish symbolism was present throughout the protest, which was peaceful and solemn. The marchers sang Jewish songs from Hebrew liturgy “Ozi v’zimrat yah” to “Oseh shalom” to “Olam chesed yibaneh/We will build this world with love,” at times giving

the protest the feeling of a summer camp sing-along. At the earlier gathering spearheaded by IfNotNow, organizers encouraged the crowd of over 200 to eat something from the table full of donated food from Costco, a tribute to the tradition in which the community provides meals for those sitting shiva. “I invite you to come into Jewish ritual with me,” an organizer announced to the assembled crowd before a song and public recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish. The gathering was more overtly politicized than many of the other gatherings held earlier in the week. “We are here to mourn the 11 Jewish people that were killed on Saturday; we are here to mourn the two black people who were shot by a white nationalist in Louisville, Kentucky last Wednesday,” said one organizer, connecting

the Pittsburgh shooting with the murder of two African Americans gunned down last week at a Kroger supermarket in Louisville. The IfNotNow event ended with the blowing of the shofar. “It can mean a lot of different things — it can be a sound of mourning, it can be a call to action, it can be a call of victory,” one of the organizers announced before blowing the shofar three times. “We’re going to use it for all three things today.” The crowd eventually joined the Bend The Arc gathering, the first protest in the city since the shooting and one which drew thousands of people. “While we cannot speak for all Pittsburghers or even all Jewish Pittsburghers, we know we speak for a diverse and unified group when we say, President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you commit yourself to compassionate, democratic policies that recognize the dignity in all of us,” said Bend The Arc organizers at the start of the march. President Trump was welcomed Tuesday by some in the Jewish community here. The president, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his daughter Ivanka Trump were met at Tree of Life by Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, and the President Trump met privately with the widow of one of the victims of what is being described as the worst attack on Jews in U.S. history. Isaac Weissman-Markovitz, 13, hurried home from school so he could participate in the protest. He carried a sign that he printed at home and taped to a pink plastic ruler. “Even though young people can’t vote, you still need to get your voice heard and out there,” said the Squirrel Hill native. His school held a vigil today where he urged his fellow students to become politically active. “We can get people Please see Protests, page 28

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Headlines Federation’s security director advises emergency training, continued vigilance — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

ntil last summer, it was not Rabbi Jeffrey Myers’ practice to carry a cellphone on Shabbat. He began doing so only after being urged by Brad Orsini, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s director of Jewish community security, at an active shooter training at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha prior to the High Holidays. “We did training for Rabbi Myers and his executive committee, and we actually did the training for the religious school teachers months before,” Orsini said. “We discussed things like having a mechanism to contact police if something bad happens, even on Shabbat. And Rabbi Myers never carried his phone before the training, and he did [the day of the attack at Tree of Life]. And he was [among those who] called 911.” Shabbat services for Myers’ congregation began at 9:45 that morning in the chapel. At 9:54, after hearing a series of gunshots and seeing members of Dor Hadash — which shares the building with TOL*OLS — running for their lives, Myers called 911 as he quickly began ushering congregants

been seated near the front of the sanctuary were saved because of Myers’ preparedness, said Orsini. He advised everyone in the Jewish community who has not yet gone through active shooter training to do so. “They need to know what to do, whether it’s running, whether it’s barricading, whatever they can do to keep themselves alive,” Orsini said. In the coming days, all events in the Jewish community will be provided police protection, Orsini, a former FBI agent, said. “We are doing everything we can with the community. We are asking the community to let us know every event, every service, Friday night, Saturday, if they are p Brad Orsini Photo courtesy of Brad Orsini holding religious school. “We are going to provide an entire to safety. Officers were dispatched to the list of events and services to law enforcement. We are going to cover as much as we can.” scene at 9:55 a.m. Jewish events in Pittsburgh’s outlying “Rabbi Myers knew to get people into a closed room,” Orsini said. “He did a really suburbs will also have police protection, good job. He did everything he could to save according to Orsini, including Monroeville, South Hills and North Hills. as many people as he could.” “We’ve got them all covered, and we’ll The lives of four congregants who had

hire people for the inside,” he said. “The shiva house in Mt. Lebanon was covered. Mt. Lebanon police have been great. Everybody’s been great.” The possibility of copycat incidents is “on my mind, absolutely,” Orsini said. “We need the community to be ever so vigilant now and to report everything to law enforcement. Everything they have. Is [a copycat incident] a possibility? It’s what we worry about, and it Please see Security, page 28

Correction The woman in the photo identified as Rose Ma l linger in a story about the Tree of Life victims t h at appeared in our Nov. 2 issue is not Rose Mallinger. The correct photo can be found in the digital version of the article. The Chronicle apologizes to the family and to the community for this mistake. PJC

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Headlines Penguins demonstrate kindness in days following attack — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

hough they play on ice, the Pittsburgh Penguins warmed hearts on Tuesday, Oct. 30, demonstrating solidarity with the Jewish community by hosting a blood drive prior to facing the New York Islanders. The local hockey team also collected donations to support families and victims of the Oct. 27 slaughter of 11 congregants inside the Tree of Life building and delivering a resounding pre-game message of unity through a video and puck-drop presentation. The day before the game, the Penguins “reached out and said, ‘We’d love to do something’ to aid the community,” said Adam Hertzman, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s director of marketing. The Federation quickly accepted. “We appreciate all the help we can get,” said Hertzman. So after hosting the blood drive at PPG Paints Arena on Monday morning — 254 donated, according to the team — on Tuesday, Penguins players wore “Stronger than Hate” patches on their jerseys during the game, signed the jerseys and offered them to the Pens Foundation to auction off. Proceeds from the jersey auction and the Penguins’ other fundraising efforts will benefit

p The Penguins wore “Stronger than Hate” patches on their uniforms.

Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins

“the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and a fund established by the City of Pittsburgh Department of Safety to benefit police officers wounded during the attack,” the team, which included separate $50,000 gifts to both the Federation and the officers’ fund, announced. In a tweet, the Penguins declared, “Hatred and discrimination have no place in Pittsburgh or anywhere else.” Approximately two hours before Tuesday’s game, following an invitation from the team, approximately 30 Jewish Federation volunteers and staff stood outside of PPG collecting cash, check and credit card donations.

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“Funds collected for Our Victims of Terror are earmarked for the psychological services, support for families, general services, reconstruction, additional security throughout the community, medical bills, as well as counseling and other services that may prove necessary for victims and first responders during their recovery,” the Federation announced. “Our religious and day schools will also most likely require additional resources to help our youth process this tragic episode. This fund will help both the Jewish community members and the first responders affected.”

Laura Cherner was among those collecting donations before the game. “It was incredible, so many people came just to give money,” said the assistant director of the Federation’s Community Relations Council. At one point, someone approached Cherner and said, “I was looking for you guys. I want to let you know that we love you, we are all with you and we stand with you.” “I started crying like I have been since Saturday,” said Cherner. To see so many “make those person to person connections — it felt unbelievably supportive.” Inside the stadium, the Penguins showcased a video interspersed with footage from the previous Sunday’s vigil and service at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall. The montage closed with a voiceover announcing, “We are Pittsburgh. We are proud and we stand together.” An 11-second moment of silence followed as the names of the victims — Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger — flashed on screen. Federation representatives Sue Berman Kress, Bob Silverman and Josh Sayles then stood with Jeff Jimerson for the national anthem before Pittsburgh Police Please see Penguins, page 6

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Headlines Anti-Semitic shooter cared for by Jews at Allegheny General — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

he fact that Jewish medical professionals often find themselves providing care to anti-Semitic terrorists is nothing new. Israeli physicians do this all the time, sometimes even treating an injured terrorist prior to providing care for his victim, if the terrorist’s injuries are more severe. But that doesn’t mean those doctors and nurses aren’t feeling “conflicted,” said Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, president of Allegheny General Hospital, where Robert Bowers, the suspected murderer of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life building, was being treated for wounds he incurred in a shootout with police. At least one doctor and one nurse who provided care to Bowers at AGH immediately following the attack on Oct. 27 were Jews. The nurse, who happens to be the son of a rabbi, is also a member of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, one of the three congregations targeted in the attack. Despite knowing that the man he was treating was arrested for the murder of his fellow congregants, that nurse “did his job,” said Cohen. “He honored his profession and

Penguins: Continued from page 5

Chief Scott Schubert, public safety director Wendell Hissrich and officers Anthony Burke and Mike Smidga, two of the first responders injured in the Tree of Life attack, participated in the puck drop. “If you think about acts of anti-Semitism in history and how the community has reacted, we should think about how amazing our city has been,” Hertzman said afterwards. “The

his ethics. We don’t ask a patient who they professionals, Cohen stressed. All of the doctors and nurses who treated Bowers from the time are or where they came from.” But the nurse did become emotional after he he entered AGH on Saturday, until his release finished treating Bowers, according to Cohen. on Monday, “are not going to stoop to the level “I thanked him for his work and his help, of doing anything other than they are expected to do. They took care of him.” and I told him he was a Cohen, who is also a mensch. He went home that member of TOL*OLS and night and hugged both his lives in close proximity to parents,” Cohen said. the synagogue, went to visit On Nov. 3, that nurse, Ari Bowers over the weekend. Mahler, identified himself “I wanted to make sure in a Facebook post, writing he was being taken care of, about the anti-Semitism he and that he was comfortfaced as a child and that he able,” Cohen said. didn’t identify himself as The doctor secured Jewish to Bowers. permission from the FBI “I felt the best way to before he entered Bowers’ honor his victims was p Dr. Jeffrey Cohen Courtesy photo hospital room. for a Jew to prove him “I asked him if he was in any pain, and he wrong,” Mahler wrote. The Jewish emergency room physician who said, ‘No, I’m comfortable and not in any pain,’” treated Bowers told Cohen “how conflicted he Cohen recalled. “He asked who I was, and I was and how hard it was, but at the end of the said, ‘I’m Dr. Cohen, president of the hospital.’” day, [Bowers] was just a patient.” Bowers did not react to hearing the name Bowers allegedly had made violent anti-Se- “Cohen,” or indicate whether he realized the mitic comments online, prior to the shooting, doctor was Jewish. and to a SWAT officer. He did not know that “He was just a guy,” Cohen said. “He wasn’t his clinicians were Jews, Cohen said. yelling at people; he wasn’t screaming. But Personal identity is not a factor for medical my curiosity was, how did he get there? Here

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

Pittsburgh community has been so supportive.” Those wishing to contribute a monetary donation or bid on a jersey please can do so at treeoflife.givesmart.com. The auction will continue until noon on Nov. 13. Additionally, those wishing to purchase a “Stronger than Hate” patch, identical to what the players wore, can do so at pittsburgh penguinsfoundation.org/product/strongerthan-hate-patch/. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reaced at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

p Fans show their support in solidarity with the Jewish community following the anti-Semitic attack on Tree of Life Congregation.

6 NOVEMBER 9, 2018

was some mother’s son, who had all the hope in the world for him, and he slaughtered 11 people just because they were Jews.” Cohen’s mother-in-law is a regular attendee at TOL*OLS, and she typically is there to worship on Saturday mornings. The day of the massacre, she had decided to sleep in and was at home, he said. “But nine of the people who were killed were her friends,” said Cohen. “She is going to nine funerals.” Cohen had been working in his study Saturday morning in his home, catty corner from the Tree of Life building, when he heard a “series of noises.” At first, he thought that something was falling off a wall downstairs, but a few minutes later, his daughter saw that there were several police cars in front of their house. Soon after that, she called him downstairs and said there might have been a shooting at the synagogue. Cohen went outside to see if he could help, and texted colleagues at his and other hospitals to let them know that wounded people would be arriving soon. “If it can happen from my door, it can happen anywhere,” he said. PJC

p Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh representatives Sue Berman Kress, Bob Silverman and Josh Sayles participated in a pregame ceremony. Photos courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins

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Headlines South Carolina pastor comforts rabbi and community — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

tanding before the 1,000 attendees of the last of the 11 Tree of Life victims’ funerals, Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers referred to Rev. Eric S.C. Manning as “an angel.” “I don’t know how many of you believe in angels,” Myers, rabbi of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, said at the Nov. 2 funeral of Rose Mallinger. “But an angel visited me this morning. My tank, I don’t think it’s even running on fumes — the fumes have already dissipated — [and] an angel came to me this morning to give me courage and strength.” Manning is the pastor of Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., where nine people were brutally murdered by a white supremacist gunman in 2015. After an interfaith vigil Oct. 28 at the Charleston Holocaust Memorial, Manning decided to reach out to his counterpart at Tree of Life, leading to the Friday visit with his wife. The pastor, he explained in an interview following the Mallinger funeral, felt as though Myers needed support. “I did not want Rabbi Myers to feel as if he was alone,” said Manning. Additionally, “when you reflect upon the amount of outpouring that the communicating world showed

p Rev. Eric S.C. Manning of Mother Emanuel in Charleston, South Carolina (left) and Andretta M. Manning flew to Pittsburgh to comfort Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers and the Tree of Life community. Photo by Adam Reinherz

Mother Emanuel, we must also then provide that same level of outpouring to others who are in their time of need, in their time of grief.” Myers’ story is well known to those following the Tree of Life tragedy. A survivor and witness to the attack, he has been responsible for presiding over seven funerals in four days, and has also been on hand to officiate at shiva services and comfort the grieving, all betwixt welcoming the president of the United States and operating under the incessant attention of national media. Manning said he understood Myers’ many

dilemmas, particularly how best to balance a congregation’s healing with one’s own. Achieving equilibrium is “easier said than done, which is why I wanted to be here for Rabbi Myers,” said Manning. “It’s hard to take care of yourself. Sometimes your own personal needs get a backseat and you have to find the proper balance. … God has a way of raising up his servant leaders for such a time as this.” For Manning, family provided strength and stability in dark days. “I am thankful I have my wife with me and our children,” he said. “They serve as that reen-

ergizing base that I need from time to time.” A day after the Tree of Life attack, Myers reflected on how he was dealing with his own emotions. “Lots of people have been asking me that,” he said in an interview. “I’ve got a wonderful family and a wonderful congregation who keep asking me that. I’ve probably compartmentalized it to the extent that I will take care of myself as needed, but there are bigger needs right now than the needs of one.” Manning said healing can take time. “This is still your time for grief. This is still your time for mourning,” he said. “When you deal with trauma such as this there is no timetable. It sometimes won’t happen within a week, and sometimes won’t happen within a month, and sometimes it won’t happen within a year, but as a community you have the permission to grieve for as long as you need, and in your grieving period your healing begins.” Manning had a message for the entire Jewish community in Pittsburgh. “Just know that we are here for you,” he said of his congregation, although he could have also been speaking for people throughout the world. “And if we cannot be here physically, we will always be here spiritually — but we will do our best to be here physically as much as we possibly can.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

he community of Squirrel Hill holds a very

special place in our hearts here at A&L Motors.

It is the community that several of us were raised in;

our families and our friends and fond memories are there. It is a community of diversity, of peace and of love.

ORT, its officers and staff, in the US and throughout the world, stand in solidarity

This peace has been shattered by the very hate that has been

and sorrow with the Pittsburgh Jewish community

so apparent in every prejudicial act that has wrecked

and its friends in the Greater Pittsburgh area

our nation. Know that you are in our hearts during

in the aftermath of the horrific attack

this difficult time. Please accept our condolences

on the Tree of Life Synagogue.

and continued support for our family at Tree of Life

May the memories of all the victims be blessed.

and of all Squirrel Hill. If we can assist in any way

Our thoughts and prayers are with their families,

please let us know.

the wounded, the heroic first responders and all of you.

Conrad Giles President

Dario Werthein

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Avi Ganon

Director General and CEO

If we can assist in any way please call (412) 373-6071. 3780 William Penn Hwy. | Monroeville Pa, 15146 8 NOVEMBER 9, 2018

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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Headlines Jewish Agency chairman offers prescription for Pittsburgh: Stay strong and together — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

saac “Bougie” Herzog, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, arrived in Pittsburgh last week to demonstrate solidarity with a community grieving the loss of 11 members murdered in the Oct. 27 attack at the Tree of Life building in Squirrel Hill. Although Herzog, whose family is steeped in the annals of Israeli history — between 1983 and 1993, Herzog’s father, Chaim Herzog, served as Israel’s president, and between 1936 and 1959, Herzog’s paternal grandfather was Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi — came representing the world’s largest Jewish nonprofit, he described his visit in intimate terms. “I came here first and foremost as a friend,” said Herzog, who prior to his appointment at the Jewish Agency was the leader of the opposition in the Knesset, “a friend of the Jewish community of Pittsburgh.” The week before the attack, Herzog noted, he and representatives of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh were in Israel for the Jewish Federations of North America’s annual General Assembly.

“Little did we envision or tifully and told the story imagine that in a few days’ of [the] community in the time would there be such a most impressive way.” horrific or heinous attack Prior to Shabbat, Herzog on Jews in Pittsburgh,” he came to Squirrel Hill to said. When news of the pay his personal respects, horror reached the Jewish participating in a candle state, Herzog took to the lighting ceremony alongairwaves to articulate side Gov. Tom Wolf, Cindy “what the Pittsburgh Jewish Shapira and David Shapira community is all about. at the makeshift memorial outside Tree of Life. He also “I described the commu- p Jewish Agency nity, which is a very strong chairman Isaac Herzog visited family members Photo courtesy of JAFI of the deceased. community and a very historic community, and a “I’ve grown even more very Zionistic community and a community impressed,” he said of witnessing the that’s heavily involved in the general life of community pulling together in the wake of the tragedy. “You have forces that are strong, the greater Pittsburgh area,” he continued. In addition to Herzog, Pittsburgh’s two that are impressive — and you should know shinshinim — Israeli 18-year-olds Raz that your brothers and sisters in the world Levin and Hadar Maravent, who serve as feel the same.” Herzog drew on his perspective from sitting volunteer emissaries to the city’s Jewish community as part of a Jewish Agency atop international Jewish communal life. “We as leaders see a lot of difficult events,” program — also represented the Steel City he said. “I have seen many terror attacks in to Israeli audiences. “They spoke about the community every Israel. I have visited many bereaved homes day in the Israeli media,” said Herzog. “You in Israel. I know what it is. I know how a are talking about 18-year-olds who are in community reacts. The community is still in the community, who are doing great work the process of mourning. It will take time to — also on campus — and they spoke beau- get out of it and understand the repercussions.

“We live in an era where evil tries in many ways to supersede the good,” he added. “We live in an era where we saw 9/11; we know there are evil human beings. … [But history] will judge [the good people who stood up] in a very favorable way, that they were there, they took leadership and they dealt with it in a very bold way.” Turning to the future, Herzog acknowledged that Pittsburgh, like other communities, will probably address the issue of security. “That’s the natural thing to do,” he said. “But thereafter, how to deal with the issue of Jewish hate, of white supremacists, of people who have quick accessibility to weapons … these are strategic issues I think the umbrella organizations … will have to deal with.” Ultimately, he said, “the most important thing is there is no golden formula. The real formula is to stay together, to remember the collective. The strength of the Jewish people has been through community, not through individuals or individualism. … The Jewish heart pulses everywhere around the world in the same manner, that’s what one needs to know here in Pittsburgh.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

UR SQUIRREL HILL COMMUNITY experienced the most horrific tragedy that can be perpetrated on innocent people doing what they do every Saturday as part of their heritage. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those touched by this senseless act of violence. We mourn the loss of: Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil & David Rosenthal, Bernice & Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Irving Younger and Melvin Wax. We are a strong community living in the same place with the same human beliefs of love and kindness. When one life is taken all our lives are forever changed.

HADASSAH HAD HADASSA H

May we all go from strength to strength.

Rochelle Parker Nancy Shuman Frieda Spiegel Presidium PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

TM UNITE AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

HADASSAH

NOVEMBER 9, 2018 9

Headlines Israelis mourn with Pittsburgh — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

here may be an ocean separating Jewish Pittsburgh and its friends in Israeli sister region Karmiel/Misgav, but the distance between the two communities is minute. When news hit Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether region that Jews in its beloved sister city had been attacked and murdered by an anti-Semite on Oct. 27 at the Tree of Life building, the “shock was just as raw and hard for them to deal with — they were mourning the same way Pittsburghers were,” said Kimberly Salzman, director of Israel and Overseas Operations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, who was in Israel when the massacre in the Steel City occurred. When Marcie Lang, the Pittsburgh Federation’s representative in Israel — who has lived in Karmiel for 30 years — first heard of the attack, her reaction and the reaction of her neighbors, was one of disbelief. As the reality began to sink in, she said, “it was a bit of frantic time, until we knew what happened.” On Oct. 30, just three days after the attack in which 11 congregants at the Tree of Life building were murdered, the Jews of Karmiel/Misgav arranged a memorial service to mourn with and support Pittsburgh.

Two groups of Pittsburghers were in Israel at the time — one from Congregation Beth Shalom and one traveling with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. Because both groups happened to be on their way to visit

P2G steering committee members, participants of an array of current and past P2G programs and families who have hosted visiting Pittsburghers attended to pay their respects.

“ The outpouring of love and support — fury and sadness has been overwhelming. Taken for granted among family. And yet never

”

taken for granted.

— MEMBERS OF THE PARTNERSHIP2GETHER UNIT IN ISRAEL the Partnership2Gether region, planning a memorial service “felt like the right thing to do,” Lang said. “It felt right to have a place to be together and think of those who were [at the Tree of Life building], those who died and those who were hurt,” Lang said. “We wanted to show our solidarity with Pittsburgh.” More than 300 local Israelis, as well as the two delegations from Pittsburgh, came together at the Karmiel Cultural Hall to share words of comfort. Current and past

UNDERSTANDING STRESS AND LEARNING ABOUT EASY WAYS TO MANAGE IT

“It was incredible that they put together such a powerful vigil so quickly,” said Salzman, who was in Israel on a Jewish Agency mission along with Federation professionals from around North America. The assembly proved “we are one people, even though there is an ocean separating us.” At the vigil, the mayors of both Karmiel and Misgav spoke, and leaders of the community lit candles in memory of the 11 victims. Organizers shared a video

— WORLD —

sination of her husband, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, five years earlier, dies at age 72 a few days after a mild heart attack.

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

Nov. 9, 1952 — Chaim Weizmann dies

The first president of Israel dies at his Rehovot home after a yearlong illness. Born in the Polish shtetl of Motol in 1872, the biochemist moved to England in 1904, developing friendships with political leaders that contributed to the Balfour Declaration in 1917.

The U.N. General Assembly passes Resolution 3379, defining Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination. The resolution is revoked in December 1991 as part of an agreement to launch the Madrid peace conference.

Nov. 11, 1973 — Kilometer 101 deal signed

This program is being provided to the community by The Aleph Institute and Congregation Beth Shalom.

10 NOVEMBER 9, 2018

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

This week in Israeli history

Nov. 10, 1975 — Zionism defined as racism

Open to the public. Everyone is welcomed. There is no charge and there is no preregistration. Childcare will be provided.

showing Israeli children holding signs of support for Pittsburgh. Other young people from Karmiel/Misgav performed songs in tribute to the victims. There was also a short message from Isaac Herzog, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. “For more than 20 years, the Jewish community of Pittsburgh has created friendships and bonds with its P2G community in Karmiel and Misgav,” wrote members of the Partnership2Gether unit in Israel to its constituents following the attack. “The outpouring of love and support — fury and sadness has been overwhelming. Taken for granted among family. And yet never taken for granted.” Other partnership regions throughout Israel also held memorial services, sent videos, photos and messages, and posted words of comfort on social media. Children in Israeli schools discussed the attack, and also created memorial spaces and lit candles in memory of those who were killed. “The outpouring of love was incredible,” Salzman said. “For the [residents of Karmiel/ Misgav], the attack felt like it took place in their backyard. It hit them personally, and close to home.” “This felt like it had happened to family,” said Lang. “We were just as hurt.” PJC

Gens. Mohamed el-Gamasy of Egypt and Aharon Yariv of Israel complete 12 days of talks after the Yom Kippur War — the first direct negotiations between their nations — and sign the Kilometer 101 Six-Point Agreement, addressing a continuing military cease-fire, the movement of nonmilitary supplies, U.N. supervision and POW exchanges.

Nov. 12, 2000 — Leah Rabin dies

Leah Rabin, a prominent peace activist since the assasPITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Nov. 13, 1893 — Artist Rubin born

Acclaimed Israeli painter Reuven Rubin is born Rubin Zelicovici into a poor, religious family in Galatz, Romania. He gains attention with his drawings in his teenage years, then sells his bicycle in 1912 to afford to travel to Jerusalem and enroll in the Bezalel School of Art. He settles in Tel Aviv in 1922.

Nov. 14, 1956 — Knesset debates Sinai pullout

Six days after Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion announces that Israeli troops will withdraw from the Sinai as part of a cease-fire with Egypt, the Knesset debates the plans without reaching a conclusion. The soldiers remain in the Sinai until March 1957.

Nov. 15, 1948 — El Al founded

El Al, whose name comes from a Book of Hosea phrase meaning “to the skies,” is formally established as Israel’s national airline. A military plane had first flown under the El Al name at the end of September to bring Chaim Weizmann home from Switzerland. The first regular commercial service begins in July 1949 with weekly flights between Lod and Paris. PJC

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Pitt vigil draws thousands in demonstration against hate — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

massing on the Cathedral of Learning lawn on Monday, nearly 3,000 students, faculty and staff of the University of Pittsburgh gathered to acknowledge the Oct. 27 anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life building and demand that such evil be eradicated. Days before the Nov. 5 vigil, in which t-shirts and signage topped the “i” of “Pitt” with a yellow Star of David above the words “Stronger than Hate,” Brian Burke, president of Pitt Hillel Jewish Student Union, was invited to meet with representatives from the University of Pittsburgh’s administration. Burke attended two planning meetings and, though “honored” to participate in the process, told organizers it was important to “have students speak and emphasize the anti-Semitic nature” of the attack. There was a “lack of the university coming to terms” with the nature of this atrocity,” he said. “This was not just a Pittsburgh tragedy but a specifically Jewish tragedy.” The ultimate result, however, was momentous. “Some people have been wanting to highlight the gun violence nature of this, and that’s very important, but this was not a

p Students unite at the University of Pittsburgh one week after the Tree of Life attack. Photo courtesy of University of Pittsburgh

random mass shooting,” said Burke. “It was a designated attack based on who they are and where they worship. I know that some students were overlooking that.” Monday’s nearly hour-long event featured remarks from Burke, as well as Zahava Rubin, president of Chabad at Pitt, and Kathryn Fleisher, a student activist and

Elsie Honors Scholar who served as president of NFTY prior to enrolling at Pitt. Other speakers included Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, Mayor Bill Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Islamic Center Executive Director Wasi Mohamed and others. Following the event, Rabbi Danny Schiff,

the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Foundation Scholar, who was among those to address attendees, described the experience. “To see over 3,000 Pitt students, faculty and staff assemble in support of the Jewish community in whose midst they live was profoundly moving and deeply supportive,” he said. “In the context of Jewish history, Jews have often felt alone, so to see a large community come together to express solidarity with Jewish pain and suffering, it’s a remarkable expression of how leaders in this community think about Jews in their midst.” Dan Marcus, executive director of Hillel JUC, agreed. He described the event as “deeply powerful and moving.” In an email to the Chronicle, Gallagher stressed that the Pitt community would remain united in the face of hate. “The Pitt community stood together in strength to honor those taken from us, to comfort those left behind and to support those who were injured — whether in body or soul — while they heal,” he said. “There is an undeniable power in togetherness. And we as a community must commit to offer a helping hand and practice compassion and love. Together, we can make that commitment last.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Help us Document the Events of the Past Week The attack at the Tree of Life synagogue building promises to be one of the most consequential moments in the history of Pittsburgh. With the support of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives is actively collecting original documentation of the event and its aftermath. The public is encouraged to submit digital materials — everything from photographs of vigils, to voice messages and texts on the day of the attack, to posts on Facebook and other social media, and to stories from the past week — through a special web portal https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/collections/rauh-jewish-historyprogram-and-archives/responding-to-the-tree-of-life-tragedy To donate physical materials, please contact Eric Lidji at eslidji@heinzhistorycenter.org or 412-454-6406.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 9, 2018 11

Headlines French rabbi visits Pittsburgh in transatlantic show of support — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

abbi Moshe Sebbag, spiritual guide of the Great Synagogue of Paris, visited Pittsburgh last week to mourn the passing of Joyce Fienberg and the 10 other martyrs murdered during Shabbat services in the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27. Sebbag, whose congregation regularly welcomes global dignitaries and meets in an 1,800-seat 19th-century architectural marvel financed by the Rothschild family and designed by Alfred-Philibert Aldrophe — the French architect who worked on the Exposition Universelle of 1855 and the Exposition Universelle of 1867 — brought the sympathies and consolation of 600,000 French Jews, noted Rabbi Alvin Berkun during Fienberg’s funeral, held at Congregation Beth Shalom on Oct. 31. In an interview afterwards, Sebbag said that while there is a tremendous bond between Jews around the world, for him, the connection to Pittsburgh is more personal. Fienberg’s son, Anthony, lives in Paris with his family. “I have a friend in the shul, who prays with us every Shabbat, and he made a bat mitzvah there and is involved in all aspects of synagogue life,” said Sebbag. “His mother came to

p Rabbi Moshe Sebbag, rabbi of the Great Synagogue of Paris, la Victoire, outside of the Tree of Life building. Photo courtesy of Rabbi Moshe Sebbag

my shul and I felt as though I needed to be here for him.” Sebbag, no stranger to anti-Semitism, noted that typically, it’s American Jews expressing solidarity with their French cousins. “When attacks happened in France,” he said, “many Americans came to express solidarity.” The rabbi said that Jews in his community were beside themselves at the horror of what happened here. “What else could they say other than this is terrifyingly awful? These are Jewish martyrs” who were struck down in a synagogue, he said. S ebb ag’s cong regation hosted a memorial service in memory of the 11 martyrs. Among those attending was Christophe Castaner, France’s minister of the interior. The two-day visit was Sebbag’s first to the United States. Apart from attending the funeral, sitting with the family during shiva and

traveling to the makeshift memorials outside of Tree of Life, Sebbag observed life in the Steel City. He spoke with residents and came to appreciate the similarities and subtle differences between members of the Jewish community in France and America. “French Jews see their lives as being in France, and in America, the Jews here are the same,” he pointed out. But those who live in the States genuinely believe they “are safer,” that “we can’t feel the danger. It’s very rare,” said the rabbi. In France, however, “there is a certain stress.” Having had the opportunity to see people outside of Tree of Life standing together as one, “paying honor to the dead,” he said it was similar to when Mireille Knoll, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor was stabbed to death in Paris in March in an act officially described by French authorities as a hate crime. After Knoll was killed, “all people came to demonstrate French solidarity,” said Sebbag. Shortly before leaving Pittsburgh, Sebbag tried to process what he had experienced. “The community here is very special, the people are very special,” he said. “People here feel what happened. They’re profoundly upset by it, but they understand the irregularity of this.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Israeli medical clown comes bearing laughs in wake of tragedy — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

ive days after 11 Jews were horrifically killed in an attack at the Tree of Life building in Squirrel Hill, there was laughter. Children giggled and clapped hands as a red-nosed clown named Nimi pranced around, blowing bubbles and making bizarre noises. As strange as the scenario may seem, such was the objective of welcoming a medical clown from Israel, explained representatives of Jewish Family and Community Services. When Nimi entered a room at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh on Nov. 1, he stood before a seated circle of students. Dressed in a red nose, a tiny purple hat, oversized olive colored pants, suspenders and bright shoes, the clown tossed colorful kerchiefs before feigning fright when a teacher humorously attempted to inject him with a large plastic sound-generating syringe. As Nimi’s shtick ensued, he tripped over his possessions, gesticulated greatly and demonstrated that silliness is more than satisfactory from an emotional standpoint. Less a show than a mechanism for

p Nimi the clown came to Pittsburgh from Israel in order to spread some laughs.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

undergo painful procedures are more susceptible than others to experiencing iatrogenic effects, such as anxiety, pain and severe stress. Clowns in clinical setting have been found to be effective in reducing children’s experiences of these effects during hospitalization and before procedures.” Clowning has benefits because children are adept at responding to the nonverbal, added Small.

“Whether it’s play therapy or physical activity, they don’t always have the words to describe and explain how they’re feeling, and so a clown has this ability to bring it out of them and help them cope in ways that therapists can’t even do,” said Small. Researchers “have discovered the benefit of not just laughter but joy, and we need joy in the midst of the trauma. We need joy in the midst of the sadness and he has that ability to bring it.” It has been a trying period and even if a medical clown is not your thing, other services are available, such as the Israel trauma coalition, United Hatzalah or counseling at the JCC, said Small. “We’re trying to hit all of the different needs of all the different parts of the community,” she said. “If people feel there are things they need, if there are services that they need and we’re not providing it for them, please contact us and let us know.” As for Nimi, Levy was more than pleased with what the clown contributed. The students and staff “seemed to have a good time,” but at points it was tough to tell, admitted the administrator. “I was too busy laughing.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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exploring feelings, Nimi was “very beneficial for students,” said Rabbi Oren Levy, the school’s assistant principal for grades K-4. “He gave them an opportunity to relax, sit back and let out some emotion,” said Levy. “He didn’t go into any of the details or say why he’s here.” Instead, he explained “what he does as a clown,” and subtly told students “how things that we take that are stressful, or make us angry or upset, how we can turn them into a joke and make ourselves feel better as a group.” The benefit of medical clowning is it teaches kids “sometimes you can just look at something and not have to think,” Nimi (whose real name is Nimrod Eisenberg) said. As part of Dream Doctors, an Israel-based organization working to “promote medical clowning as an officially recognized paraprofessional medical profession,” Nimi and others work with parents and children to address illness and aid the coping process, explained the organization. “There is a lot of research on medical clowns dealing with trauma, and most of the time with children,” said Stefanie Small, director of clinical services at JFCS. An August 2017 article in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics reported, “Hospitalized children who

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NOVEMBER 9, 2018 13

Headlines Fighting hate with prayer, Pittsburgh’s Jews send defiant message of resilience — LOCAL — By Amanda Borschel-Dan | Times of Israel

week after an anti-Semitic shooter massacred 11 worshipers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life building, the community embraced each other in prayer on Saturday. Coming in from a gray chilly drizzle in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Jews this Sabbath arrived at Congregation Beth Shalom as a statement of the community’s determined continuation of Jewish life. In a Jewish community known for its good interdenominational relations, the three congregations unhoused by the shooting were absorbed into a sister Conservative community, one of some dozen synagogues in Squirrel Hill’s “urban shtetl” near the heart of Pittsburgh’s college district. “It was at 9:52 a.m. last Shabbat that Rabbi Jeffrey Myers placed the 911 call,” Rabbi Danny Schiff announced, asking all to rise. He asked the community to move forward and join each other physically as well as spiritually. Dozens answered, forming a visible unified block in the huge sanctuary. But the emotional pinnacle of the service came at the sermon: Wearing a rainbow-striped prayer shawl, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers took the podium and talked about the weekly Torah portion. He said loudly, “For those who rejected that President Trump came, I will not let anyone tell me how to welcome a guest in my house.” He was referring to the immense blowback from the liberal-leaning American Jewish community at his decision to welcome Trump this week. “As a Jew and as a religious leader you show respect and welcome, that is why I welcomed President Trump,” he said. He said he took Trump and his wife Melania to the Tree of Life building, which is still a crime scene and will be for a long time. “You don’t want to go in there. The image is permanently seared in my brain,” he said to the congregation on Saturday. Myers said that during Tuesday’s visit, the US president placed his hand on the rabbi’s shoulder and asked him how he is doing. “I am one of the few people alive who witnessed compassion and love from the president of the United States. And here’s the problem with that: I received hate mail for that,” he said on Saturday, adding that he forwarded the hate letters to Brad Orsini, security chief at the Pittsburgh Federation. “You can’t fight any hate with more hate,” said Myers. “Mathematically that doesn’t work. There’s only one ZIP code that doesn’t know it and that’s in Washington, D.C.” “I told the president, ‘Hate speech begets more hate speech.’ I do not voice blame on the president or any one person. The message was, ‘Stop the hate speech,’” said Myers, whose speech was received with a standing ovation and applause. Head of the Jewish Agency Isaac Herzog and Dani Dayan, consul-general of Israel in New York, attended services.

p At Congregation Beth Shalom, a stained glass window states, “Thou shalt not kill.” The congregation hosted a joint communal Shabbat prayer service for the 11 Jewish community members killed on Oct. 27.

“What we’ve seen from Pittsburgh is an incredible Jewish community… When I saw all of us sing together ‘Shema Yisrael,’ this is the most impressive answer for that evil man who walked into the sanctuary and said, ‘Death to the Jews,’” said Herzog. Herzog commended the community for its resilience and deep expression of peace. “May we all be together here and in Jerusalem,” said Herzog.

When every word has added resonance

During the three-and-a-half hour service, women and men wearing yarmulkes and prayer shawls sat together, singing the Shabbat morning service in one voice: “Arise Lord, May your enemies be scattered, May your foes be put to flight.” As the Torah scrolls were paraded through the sanctuary, the congregation sang “Etz Hayim” (Tree of Life) and other songs proclaiming the people of Israel’s eternal nature. The scroll reached the bimah as the congregation full-throatedly sang one of the psalms that had been sung for hours at a solidarity march on Tuesday. A tearful congregant, Beth Kissileff, wife of Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, a survivor of the attack, took to the podium and in the midst of her words, shouted out, “Of course people are still going to come to shul [synagogue].” “We have to remember their lives, and the

lives the people lived. These are the people who came to shul first!” Kissileff said, “and their devotion needs to be remembered.” “Our theology is that God gives people free will and human beings decide to do evil. But our job is that human beings who choose to do evil do not have access to assault rifles,” said Kissileff to huge applause. “The way we know the world is not coming to an end is the righteous gentiles. I am so grateful for all the righteous gentiles

here today,” Kissileff said. All of the survivors of last week’s carnage were called to the podium before the first portion of the Torah reading. Some dozen men and women blessed the Torah before a young woman read the first section. Together, they recited the Prayer Birkat Hagomel, for those who have survived dangerous incidents. For the following blessings, the leadership of Dor Hadash, the Reconstructionist congregation that shared space at the Tree of Life building, and New Light, a Conservative congregation in the building, were called up to the podium for the Torah readings, which were chanted by two women and a man. A prayer for healing of the ill and injured was sung together by the congregation in Hebrew and English. Seated, the congregations recited the traditional Diaspora “Prayer for Our Country.” Then, standing, they prayed in Hebrew for the State of Israel. At the end of the service, Israel’s national anthem “Hatikva” was also sung. Following the blessing of the new month of Kislev, the cantor sang a portion of a Hanukkah song which speaks to driving out darkness with light. The Torah was returned to the ark to the incongruously slow strains of “Am Yisrael Chai,” (The People of Israel Live), a folk tune usually sung quickly. And again, with special emphasis, they recited, “The Tree of Life,” the passage from which the attacked synagogue takes its name. “It is a Tree of Life for those who grasp it, and those who uphold it are blessed… renew our lives as in days of old.” Before the Mourner’s Kaddish, each of the names of the victims from the three bereft congregations was read out, as well as the names of beloved dead who died this day in previous years. While it is customary for only those whose relatives have died to stand, the entire community rose to its feet. Urging the hall to stand, Tree of Life Rabbi Myers said, “We’re a community of mourners.” PJC

p On November 3, a joint communal Shabbat prayer service at Congregation Beth Shalom following the massacre a week prior which saw 11 Jewish community members killed.

Photos by Amanda Borschel-Dan/Times of Israel

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Headlines On first Shabbat after massacre, Pittsburgh’s Jews break challah together — LOCAL — By Amanda Borschel-Dan | Times of Israel

n Friday night, over 300 Pittsburgh residents sat down together under a wide tent for a first Shabbat dinner following the mass synagogue shooting in which 11 of its community were murdered for being Jews. As a way of moving forward together following the October 27 anti-Semitic hate crime, a diverse crowd of Jews and non-Jews participated in the “Stronger Together Shabbat.” In attendance were people of a mix of ages, political convictions and occupations, ranging from millennial Jewish college students to local politicians, including Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Mayor of Pittsburgh Bill Peduto. In town since Friday to grieve with the Pittsburgh community were head of the Jewish Agency for Israel Isaac Herzog, who pressed hands and hugged his way through the crowd, and Israeli consul to New York, the former settler leader Dani Dayan, who came with his daughter Ofir.

The communal meal took place in a massive tent erected in a municipal parking lot in the heart of the “urban shtetl” of Squirrel Hill. It was co-sponsored by a diverse Jewish communal coalition, including the ADL and OneTable, along with iVolunteer Shabbat, Friendship Circle, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Shalom Pittsburgh, Repair the World, and Moishe House. Other similar initiatives were held in Jewish communities and at private homes throughout the country, said Michaele Freed, the AntiDefamation League’s associate director of national youth leadership. In Pittsburgh, however, where the pain was even more personal, some of those seated in the tent had buried friends, and even relatives that week. This meal served as a much-needed island in time — away from the tragedy. As people sat and supped, the atmosphere was light, and hopeful. For some seated around the tables, it was their first time celebrating the Jewish Sabbath. For many of the Jews, it was a novel chance to see how other Jewish denominations have reinvented its traditions. Chabad Rabbi Mordy Rudolph sang the Shabbat song “Shalom Aleichem” and invoked the

p Sara Fatell, associate director of expansion at OneTable, and Michele Freed, the associate director of national young leadership for the ADL, at the Stronger Together Shabbat.

p Repair the World’s Sam Sittenfield and Danielle Gach at the Stronger Together Shabbat. Photos by Amanda Borschel-Dan/Times of Israel

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kiddush, the blessing over the wine, while secular Jewish organization OneTable’s Sara Fatell spoke about the significance of Shabbat candles. Herzog, the grandson of Israel’s first chief rabbis, was drafted at the meal’s conclusion to preside over the final blessing. After the tragic desecration of last week’s Shabbat prayers, “the goal was to provide space for folks to come together to reclaim the holiday,” said Fatell. “We tried to make sure the meal was representative of all ways of practicing, with the different, diverse folks from the different organizations,” she said. The idea, organizers said, was to give a safe space for solidarity and healing. Freed said the ADL “wanted to make sure to provide space for people to gather and process in the face of hate and tragedy.” The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Volunteer Center manager David Chudnow shared how originally, when he had reserved the date for a youth volunteer Shabbat dinner, he had hoped of maybe reaching 30, tops 50, participants. His program, I-Volunteer, is a collaboration with the Chabad-accented Friendship Circle, a center which builds inclusive communities

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for Jewish teens and special needs children. After the shooting, however, his pre-scheduled Shabbat dinner at the Friendship Circle building quickly became a chance for communal growth as the Anti-Defamation League decided it too wanted to initiate a collaborative dinner. The ADL enlisted OneTable, an organization which promotes the idea of a Shabbat dinner as a space for more secular Jewish engagement. Chudnow’s event proved to be the perfect anchor as the loose coalition expanded to include LGBTQ group Keshet, racial inclusiveness activist group Be’Chol Lashon, Shalom Pittsburgh, Moishe House and Repair the World. Danielle Gach, the development manager from Repair the World, said her organization strives to make communal service “a defining element of Jewish life.” The group aims to be “hyper-local” and develop deep relationships within the community. For Gach, the meal did just that. On Friday night under the tent, initially there was a lot of conversation between people who may be neighbors, but were strangers. Now, having broken challah together, they are potentially even friends. PJC

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Calendar q THURSDAY-SUNDAY NOV. 8-11 National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Designer Days. Visit ncjwpgh.org/ncjw-designer-days for more information. q FRIDAY, NOV. 9 A Rally for Peace will be held from noon to 1 p.m. at Point Park State Park. The Israeli community in Pittsburgh, in partnership with the Israeli American Council and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, invites all members of the Jewish community to a solidarity Shabbat dinner at 6 p.m., at Community Day School. The event is free, but you must register at Eventbrite.com/e/Israeli-style-shabbatdinner—tickets-52221173937. The event will include Kabbalat Shabbat, a delicious Shabbat dinner, activities for children, and a sing-along. q SATURDAY, NOV. 10 Sheol & Shedayim: Demonology, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Moishe House. As part of of the Moishe House series, “Even More Things You Missed in Hebrew School,” a Moishe House community member will hold a discussion on the spookier side of Jewish lore and tradition. Bring questions, amulets and incantation bowls to investigate what our faith has to say about the supernatural. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for location information. 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. q SUNDAY, NOV. 11 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. 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 bestselling 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.

World Kindness Day: Look For Helpers, from noon to 2 p.m. at the steps of the City County Building on Grant Street, downtown, sponsored by the Pittsburgh Kindness Initiative and the Caileigh Lynn McDowell Foundation. After brief remarks, cards will be distributed downtown with simple suggestions for how to show kindness. Nov. 13 is World Kindness Day, and by proclamation of Mayor Bill Peduto, Pittsburgh Kindness Day. And, for the first time, it is also, by proclamation of Gov. Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania Day of Civility. 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. Squirrel Hill Historical Society will hold its free program on Nine Mile Run with speaker Wayne Bossinger, member of the Squirrel Hill Historical Society board and historical researcher from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Ave. Visit squirrelhillhistory.org for more information. Artist reception for American Patriot: Photographs by Charlee Brodsky, Poetry by Jim Daniels, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Robinson Building. Free and open to all. Exhibit open through Dec. 30. Visit jccpgh. org for more information.

The Power of the Jewish Woman featuring Rebbetzin Slovie Jungreis Wolff at 7:30 p.m. at Shaare Torah. There is a charge. For more information contact nina@aishel.com or call 412-225-5121.

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

NOV. 10-11

“Rock Stars: Leonard Bernstein,” Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 4 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Katz Performing Arts Center. This program is presented in collaboration with Bach Choir of Pittsburgh. An artist, activist and humanitarian, Bernstein declared shortly after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination: “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” Honoring Bernstein’s centennial celebration, the concert repertoire includes selections from “Mass,” “West Side Story,” “Missa Brevis,” “Candide” and others. Visit bachchoirpittsburgh.org for more information and to buy tickets.

q TUESDAY, NOV. 13

Stronger Together: A Day of Community Healing dedicated to the families of Pittsburgh. A free food festival and unity concert from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Congregation Beth Shalom Ballroom, 5915 Beacon St. This festival is in lieu of the food festival Bnai Emunoh had scheduled for that day.

16 NOVEMBER 9, 2018

q SATURDAY AND SUNDAY,

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 Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon St. 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. Friendsgiving Potluck from 7 to 9 p.m. at Moishe House. Come with your favorite (vegetarian) Thanksgiving dish for a potluck filled with delicious food and gratitude. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for location information. Heal Grow and Live with Hope, NarAnon meeting from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Beth El Congregation, 1900 Cochran Road; use office entrance. Newcomers are welcome. Call and leave a message for Karen at 412-563-3395. q WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY, NOV. 14-18

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. q SATURDAY, NOV. 17

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 Fort Couch Road. Co-sponsored by South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh. Contact chabadsh.com or 412-344-2424 for more information and to register.

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“The Children of Willesden Lane” will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Carnegie Mellon University, Kresge Theatre. In 1938, 14-year-old Lisa Jura was a musical prodigy in Vienna who hoped to become a concert pianist. Her dreams were interrupted when Hitler’s armies advanced. Her parents were forced to make the difficult decision to secure safe passage to London aboard the Kindertransport for only one of their three daughters. They chose to send Lisa, believing her talent would give her strength and could help reunite them one day. There in England, in a hostel on Willesden Lane, Lisa’s music became a beacon of hope for her, as well as other displaced children who would cheer her on as she fought to realize her musical dreams. Grammy-nominated American concert pianist Mona Golabek — Lisa Jura’s daughter — will perform. There is no charge.

PIZMON — In Concert, a family friendly program open to the community. PIZMON is the nation’s first collegiate 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, and was made possible by a grant from the Department of Jewish Life and Learning of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The concert will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. Tickets are $15 per adult, $10 per child ages 5-13. Children ages 4 and under are free. Tickets sold at the door will be $20. Visit bethshalompgh.org/ cometogether for more information and to purchase tickets. Gary and Diane Schwager will present over 50 letters and photos exchanged between Please see Calendar, page 17

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commons.wikimedia.org

>> 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.

Calendar Continued from page 16 their family members desperately trying to leave Germany and their final destinations at Temple David in Monroeville from 7 to 9 p.m. The evening includes Havdalah service and light refreshments. There is no charge. Come Together — Beth Shalom’s annual fundraiser party and silent auction will be held from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Strolling dinner, desserts, libations and child care will be available. Visit bethshalompgh. org/cometogether for more information and pricing.

Music at Rodef Shalom will present mezzosoprano Kara Cornell at 8 p.m. in Levy Hall for its opening free concert of the season. Abigail Eagleson will be the collaborative pianist. Pittsburgh singer Cornell will present folk songs of the celebrated American composer Jake Heggie, and a group of songs by Clara Schumann, one of the most important women musicians in history, who was the wife of composer Robert Schumann. The program also features favorite opera

arias from “Carmen” and the “Barber of Seville” as well as songs and arias by Leonard Bernstein celebrating the centennial year of his birth. The concert is free and open to the community. There will be a reception to meet the artists after the concert.

physical books? Are you short on space and cash? Come to a book swap with a twist. Bring a book (or two, or as many as you want). All leftovers at the end of the event will be donated. Contact moishehousepgh@ gmail.com for location information. PJC

q TUESDAY, NOV. 27 Blind Date with a Book, from 7 to 9 p.m., Moishe House. Do you love to read actual, q MONDAY, NOV. 19 Competitive Crafting, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Moishe House. What can you create with a bag of miscellaneous objects, craft supplies and a hot glue stick given 30 minutes? 10 minutes? 5? Show off your creativity and skill at MoHo’s first ever competitive crafting event. Yes, there will be a prize. Contact moishehousepgh@ gmail.com for location information.

Whiskey Distillery Tour, time TBD, at Boyd & Blair Distillery, 1101 William Flynn Highway, Glenshaw. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail. com for more information. q MONDAY, NOV. 19 Congregation Beth Shalom will host “Understanding Stress and its Management” from 2 to 4 p.m. that will offer education to help you understand the mental and physical effects of stress and provide skills that will minimize the effect of stress on your health. The program will be facilitated by Bruce S. Rabin, MD, Ph.D., and emeritus professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Aleph Institute and Congregation Beth Shalom are the organizers. Visit bethshalompgh.org/eventsupcoming for more information. There is no charge.

Our thoughts and condolences are with the Tree of Life victims and their families. We stand with you in community, and we honor you with service.

From our family to yours! @LittlesShoes

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A faith in the future. A belief in action.

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Calendar:

Headlines HIAS, immigrant aid group vilified by Pittsburgh gunman, vows not to back down

Annual Meeting

p Activist Michele Freed, center, and other young professionals protest with HIAS in front of the White House in 2017. Photo by Katie Jett Walls

Life, Legacy, Love

Tuesday, November 13, 6:30 PM, Rodef Shalom 4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 We are all too aware that life is uncertain and that legacy is what we build as a cornerstone for the future. We design and grow that legacy with love every day.

Nationally acclaimed author Rabbi Daniel Cohen asks timely and relevant questions about life, legacy, and love, including, “Are you living your most meaningful life right now?” and, like his book’s title, “What Will They Say About You When You Are Gone?” “A touchstone for the timeless values of living a purposeful life.” –Senator Joe Lieberman

JOIN US

Hear Rabbi Cohen’s message of inspiration and hope. Learn about JAA’s plans to further strengthen our community. Honor Volunteer of the Year, The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh.

RSVP FOR THIS FREE EVENT

Email sburke@jaapgh.org | Call 412-586-2690 or Register online jaapgh.org/meeting Sponsored by Sharon Ryave Brody and Ralph Schugar Chapel in memory of Gail Ryave

jaapgh.org | 412-420-4000 | 200 JHF Drive | Pittsburgh, PA 15217

18 NOVEMBER 9, 2018

— NATIONAL — By Ben Sales | JTA

efore he shot dead 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue, Robert Bowers blamed one Jewish organization: HIAS, an immigrant aid group that has been helping refugees since the 1880s. “HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people,” he wrote on his website. “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” In vilifying HIAS, Bowers targeted an organization that helped get the American Jewish community on its feet as it burgeoned more than a century ago. Its mission has shifted as the number of Jewish migrants has fallen to a trickle, from helping its own to advocating for others. It’s also an organization that even amid opposition to refugee admissions from the White House has maintained broad support from a Jewish community that is otherwise increasingly fragmented. “It’s not going to affect our mission one iota,” HIAS President and CEO Mark Hetfield said in the immediate aftermath of the Pittsburgh attack. “If anything, it’s reinforced the need for the Jewish community to be a welcoming community.” HIAS’ goal once was to welcome Jews to the United States. Founded in 1881 as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, the agency provided resources and education to the Jewish immigrants. It later took an active role in the movement to free Soviet Jewry. As Jewish immigration evaporated in the 1990s, HIAS shifted to becoming a refugee resettlement agency for non-Jews. It is now one of nine agencies tasked with resettling refugees in the United States. Until 2015, the agency stayed mostly apolitical and focused on navigating the bureaucracy involved in bringing refugees

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to the country and finding them homes. But that year, the refugee crisis rose to the top of global consciousness, and Donald Trump launched a presidential campaign centered on reducing the flow of undocumented — and even legal — immigrants to the United States. Soon after his inauguration, Trump signed the first in a series of executive orders barring refugees from the United States, as well as the residents of a number of Muslimmajority countries. Thus HIAS, which was accustomed to working with the government, found itself on the front lines of opposition to the Trump administration. It has since advocated for the admittance of refugees, mobilized Jewish communities and synagogues to its cause, and fought Trump’s travel bans in court. “That’s the most troubling thing — refugees were really a bipartisan issue,” Hetfield said in 2017. “Some people say HIAS is a liberal agency or progressive Jewish agency. We’re really not. Our whole focus has been refugees, and refugees are not a partisan issue. It really became politicized over the past couple of years.” HIAS may not have the backing of the White House, but its issue remains popular across the Jewish community. All four major movements opposed Trump’s travel ban last year. More than 400 congregations are part of its “Welcome Campaign.” Two weeks ago, HIAS organized a “refugee Shabbat” across synagogues focused on talking about helping refugees. Hetfield says the group has faced opposition in the past. But he said he never expected anything as bad as the tragedy in Pittsburgh. “We’ve been aware that there are people out there that despise HIAS and our mission of welcoming refugees to this country, as hard as it is to understand,” he said. “It’s going to make us more aggressive and focused in speaking out against hate — hate directed at refugees, hate directed against Jews.” PJC

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Headlines — WORLD —

p Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld of Pittsburgh leads a group study of Mishnah.

Photo by Itzik Roytman/Chabad.org

From JTA reports

4,700 Chabad emissaries from around the world gather in NY for conference Some 4,700 Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis who work in communities around the world gathered in New York for the annual international conference of shluchim, or outreach emissaries. The conference, which ended Sunday with a gala banquet attended by 5,600, is the movement’s 35th and was held just days after the shooting attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 worshippers dead. The conference also marked the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India, which killed emissaries Rabbi Gavriel and Rivky Holtzberg and four others at the Chabad center in Mumbai. During the conference, Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, executive director of Chabad of Greater Pittsburgh, led a study of Mishnah in memory of those murdered in Pittsburgh. The highlight of the dinner is the roll call of all the places emissaries are located, including more than 100 countries. Some emissaries joined the proceedings via a live webcast. During the week, the emissaries made a group pilgrimage to the grave of the last Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem M. Schneerson, where they waited in line for hours to pray and leave notes asking for blessings. As the number of emissaries and supporters has grown, the movement has struggled to find sufficient space for its annual conference. This year’s venue was a massive repurposed gym at Rockland Community College in Suffern, N.Y. A staff of 484 spent 10,670 hours setting up the hall and serving people at its 528 tables, according to Chabad.org. British Labour Party branch votes down motion condemning Pittsburgh synagogue attack A draft motion condemning the murder of 11 Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue was voted down in a branch of Britain’s Labour Party in a small constituency in the country’s north.

Steve Cooke, secretary of the Norton West branch in the Stockton North constituency of about 67,000 people near Scotland, submitted the motion for a vote following the Oct. 27 shooting attack. When put to a vote, only two members backed the motion and it was voted down last week, The Independent reported Nov. 3. Cooke wrote on Facebook that he was “aghast” that the motion was voted down and that members claimed there was too much focus on “anti-Semitism this, anti-Semitism that.” His draft motion said that the murders “demonstrate the dangers posed by the growth in anti-Semitic sentiments and hate speech internationally.” It spoke of a need to “stand in solidarity with the Jewish community around the world and send our condolences to all those affected by the tragic events in Pittsburgh.” Critics of the text at the Labour branch had said the text should have condemned all racism instead of calling out anti-Semitism specifically, Cooke said. Labour is facing a criminal investigation initiated last week by police in the London area over alleged anti-Semitic hate speech by members online. The Board of Deputies of British Jews has long maintained that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn, who has called Hamas and Hezbollah his friends and who has said that Zionists who were born in Britain have trouble understanding British irony, has an anti-Semitism problem that the party is not doing enough to address. Corbyn has vowed to punish anyone from Labour caught making anti-Semitic statements and has called anti-Semitism unacceptable. Man suspected of writing ‘Kill all Jews’ on Brooklyn synagogue arrested A man suspected of writing “Kill All Jews” on a historic Brooklyn synagogue and setting fires in front of several yeshivas and synagogues in the Chasidic Williamsburg neighborhood was arrested by police. James Polite, 26, was arrested on Friday evening, Nov. 2, and later charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime and making graffiti, the Associated Press reported. He reportedly was admitted to a hospital psychiatric ward for observation, according to the AP. The fires were set early Friday morning at seven locations in South Williamsburg, all of them in front of Chasidic synagogues or yeshivas. Because of the “Kill All Jews” graffiti discovered the previous day at Union Temple in Brooklyn Heights, a political event scheduled for that night to be hosted by “Broad City” star Ilana Glazer was cancelled. Other hateful graffiti were discovered throughout the synagogue. Polite spent most of his childhood in foster care but a chance meeting with former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in 2008 presented him with the opportunity for an internship at City Hall. According to a 2017 New York Times profile, Polite interned for Quinn for several years “working on initiatives to combat hate crime, sexual assault and domestic violence.” PJC

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Headlines What is Gab and where else are anti-Semites gathering on the internet? — NATIONAL — By Josefin Dolsten | JTA

“ It was common for Gab posters to

he man held in the shooting deaths of 11 people at the Tree of Life building belonged to an online community where he frequently railed against Jews and immigrants. That social media site, Gab, came under closer scrutiny this week. Created two years ago as a haven for far-rightists who felt they were being targeted on mainstream platforms, Gab quickly rose in popularity. But the site wasn’t just home to ideological discussions. Critics say threats of violence and virulent hatred are a common theme of those posting to it. Two experts on extremism offered their thoughts about Gab and other sites like it. Michael Edison Hayden is an open source intelligence analyst at Storyful, a company that analyzes conversations on social media. Oren Segal is the director of the AntiDefamation League’s Center on Extremism.

What is Gab?

Gab was founded by Andrew Torba in August 2016 as a response against what he saw as censorship of right-wing users by some social media platforms. Often these users were kicked off platforms for using racist or anti-Semitic language or for harassing individuals. Among those who found a home on Gab was Milo Yiannopoulos, the former Breitbart News provocateur who was booted from Twitter

”

treat Jews as if they were inhuman.

— MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN, STORYFUL

As a social media site, Gab is considered an appealing alternative to other sites frequented by white nationalists, including Stormfront, 4chan and 8chan, that are forums but do not as easily facilitate connections among users. Hayden said that “in the way that you can organize a party on Facebook or discuss the news with your friends in a group DM on Twitter, a racist could organize harassment campaigns and other unpleasant things at Gab very easily.”

How did the shooter use the site? after urging his followers to harass the African-American comedian Leslie Jones, and Andrew Anglin, the founder of the neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer. “What makes the entirely left-leaning Big Social monopoly qualified to tell us what is ‘news’ and what is ‘trending’ and to define what ‘harassment’ means?” Torba told Buzzfeed in 2016. “It didn’t feel right to me, and I wanted to change it, and give people something that would be fair and just.” Straight away, Hayden said, Gab became a popular platform for white nationalists as “a place where they felt they could give voice to their anti-Semitic, racist, bigoted, misogynistic views out in the open.” He has spent over a year studying the site. Segal called the site “the primary destination for a lot of white supremacists and anti-Semites.” Apple and Google have refused to offer

Gab in their app stores due to concerns about hate speech. Gab has claimed to have some 800,000 users, but Hayden estimates the actual count is far less. “The number of active users seems like it is more likely to be in the tens of thousands of users than in the hundreds of thousands of users,” he said.

What is unique about Gab?

Gab merges features of different sites, offering the chronological timeline of posts from Twitter but the ability for users to “upvote” or “downvote” posts they like or dislike a la Reddit. Though threats of terrorism and violence are supposed to be banned, the policy is not always enforced. “On numerous occasions, posts that threatened violence to specific people were ignored, even after being reported,” Hayden sa

p A Jewish emergency crew and police officers at the site of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue.

Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

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The vast majority of messages posted by the Tree of Life murderer were anti-Semitic in nature, according to the Anti-Defamation League. Among other things, he wrote that “Jews are the children of satan,” and referred to “kike infestation” and “filthy EVIL jews.” His photo shows the number 1488, a neo-Nazi hate symbol that references a white supremacist slogan called “14 words” and 88, which is code for “Heil Hitler.” Those type of messages are not unusual on Gab, according to Hayden. “It was common for Gab posters to treat Jews as if they were inhuman and blame them for all kinds of problems,” he said.

How is Gab responding?

On Oct. 29, Gab said on Twitter that the site was taken down but was looking to return with a new host. Visitors to the site see a message from Torba in which he says that he has been providing information to the Justice Department and FBI about “an alleged terrorist.” “In the midst of this Gab has been no-platformed by essential internet infrastructure providers at every level,” the message reads. “We are the most censored, smeared, and no-platformed startup in history, which means we are a threat to the media and to the Silicon Valley Oligarchy.” What are other similar sites? Segal said that he had seen discussions of other possible venues for users on Gab before it was taken down. Those cited include the emerging social media platforms Wrongthink, Minds and Mewe. Wrongthink, whose site yielded an error message as of Thursday afternoon, is “already somewhat popular with right-wing posters because it promotes itself as an alternative network by people who ‘actually respect your freedom of speech,’” Segal said. The other sites don’t necessarily have an extremist or right-wing bent. Voat, a news aggregator and social networking site, and the forums 4chan and 8chan are also popular among those on the far-right, Hayden said. And while Twitter and Facebook continue to crack down on hateful accounts, users there continue to target others with anti-Semitic, racist and homophobic messages daily. “The number of forums or platforms are really endless,” Segal said, “and none of them are completely absent of extremism and hateful speech.” PJC NOVEMBER 9, 2018 21

Headlines

p The Great Synagogue of Copenhagen was the site of a deadly attack in 2015. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

p French soldiers patrol in front of a synagogue outside Paris as part of France’s national security alert system in 2015.

Photo by Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images

In Europe, synagogues are protected like fortresses — it took decades to get there — WORLD — By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA

RUSSELS — Will security at American Jewish institutions now mirror that of Europe, with its police protection, armed guards, panic rooms and sterile zones at synagogues? It’s a possibility that is being debated more seriously than ever before following the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh in which a gunman killed 11 people. Rabbi Jack Moline, president of the Interfaith Alliance, told The Washington Post that posting armed guards outside synagogues in some places would be “prohibitive” to Jewish communal life itself. But Gary Sikorski, director of security for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, told the Detroit Jewish News that the idea, suggested by President Donald Trump after the attack, is “not a bad one.” European security professionals say that even if Sikorski’s approach prevails, it will take at least a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars before U.S. Jewry’s security infrastructure matches the European counterpart. “The security doctrine you see in Europe is the result of decades of evolution,” said Ophir Revach, director of the European Jewish Congress’ Security and Crisis Center. “It was built on lessons from terrorist attacks in the 1960s and adjusted constantly. It’s pretty comprehensive.” Even if a critical mass of U.S. Jewish communities decide tomorrow that they want to replicate the European model, Revach said, “Optimistically speaking, it will take at least a decade to achieve.” When it comes to security, he said, “American Jewry is at the beginning of a long journey.” 22 NOVEMBER 9, 2018

In several European countries, synagogues are under constant protection of police or army troops. Most of them have volunteer guards, including armed ones. Many also have a security command room, where trained professionals or volunteers use elaborate video surveillance systems to monitor their premises, often while exchanging information with other Jewish institutions in real time. These arrangements regularly prevent violence against congregants. In 2015, a volunteer guard outside Copenhagen’s main synagogue was shot dead after engaging an armed Islamist who had intended to carry out a shooting attack inside the building, where dozens of people were celebrating a bat mitzvah. Dan Uzan’s intervention allowed police to shoot the assailant, who never made it inside the shul. A year earlier, a dozen or so volunteer guards staved off dozens of rioters who had intended to storm the Synagogue de la Roquette in Paris as payback for Israel’s actions in Gaza. As 200 worshippers waited inside, the defenders held their ground for 20 minutes amid a vicious street brawl with the attackers until police finally arrived at the scene. “Dan Uzan’s death was tragic, but from a security point of view it was a system that did what it needed to do,” Revach said. Had the Tree of Life synagogue been guarded, “this attack may have been prevented,” he said. “Even armed perpetrators are deterred in a major way by guards.” Some American synagogues, like Har Shalom, the largest Conservative synagogue in Potomac, Md., have an armed police presence during services and other events, The Washington Post reported. Community Security Service, a nonprofit, has trained volunteers at dozens of synagogues, mostly in the New York area. In Teaneck, N.J., a

suburb with dozens of synagogues, many have a police presence out front and CSS-trained congregants on patrol. Others have a closed-doors policy in which visitors must request entry through an intercom system. In recent years, more and more Jewish federations, the communitywide fundraising groups, have hired full-time security directors for their facilities and to advise their donor agencies. The Secure Community Network, the security arm of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, was formed in 2004. Since then, the number of federations with full-time security directors grew from two to 30, according to the Post. Federal money is available for beefing up security at Jewish institutions. In fiscal year 2018, Congress appropriated $50 million for nonprofit security through something called the Urban Area Security Initiative; much of the money goes to Jewish institutions. But many American synagogues, including Tree of Life, had been leaving their doors open on Shabbat — a scenario that became unthinkable years ago in Western Europe, where jihadists have carried out several deadly attacks in recent years on Jewish targets. Joel Rubinfeld, the president of the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism, remembered feeling “simultaneously envious and worried” when he was greeted recently to a major New York synagogue by a concierge in his 70s — and no one else. Before 2015, even at-risk synagogues like the Grand Synagogue of Marseille, France, had lax security and at times open doors. But the attacks in Paris that year prompted all but the most distant synagogues of Western Europe to abandon the open-door policy they used to have.

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European synagogues by and large now employ a multilayered defensive doctrine of several threat circles in cooperation with law enforcement. “It accounts for all kinds of scenarios, not just a shooting but also a car bomb, firebombs and snipers,” Revach said. Each scenario requires building adjustments, sometimes just adding a security barrier and at other times replacing windows with bulletproof glass. Then there’s the need to set up international, national and regional situation rooms to help communities coordinate their activities. “Just setting up the physical elements … takes years,” Revach said. If American Jewry quickly ups the security arrangements around its institutions, “there’s still the issue of awareness,” said Sammy Ghozlan, a retired police commissioner and the president of the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism in France. “It’s not enough to build security,” he said. “You need a community that’s drilled at maintaining it even when nothing happens year after year, so that when the threat does appear, it is met. It needs to be hardwired into you.” American Jewry is facing a “monumental challenge” if it seeks to adopt the European security model, Ghozlan said. “It will take them at least 15 years,” he said, noting that American Jewry is “far larger and more far-flung” than its European counterpart, making the task more complicated than in France. Ghozlan nonetheless believes that American Jews will rise to the challenge. “We are witnessing a Europeanization of the situation in the United States for Jews,” he said. “It takes time for a worldview to change, but I believe American Jews have the resources and resourcefulness to fix the security problems exposed in Pittsburgh.” PJC

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Headlines How the Pittsburgh massacre is driving American Jews apart — NATIONAL — By Ron Kampeas | JTA

n the wake of the worst mass killing of Jews in American history, there are Jews who want to grieve and Jews who want to grieve and assign blame. It is that difference that has laid bare a festering difference among American Jews: How to treat President Donald Trump, who many blame for the fraught atmosphere preceding the violence, and especially how to treat Jewish Trump supporters, who believe this president is showing more support for Israel than perhaps any of his predecessors. In Pittsburgh, the rift already was apparent hours after a gunman pledging to kill all Jews rampaged through the Tree of Life synagogue complex, leaving 11 worshipers dead. An impromptu vigil organized by high school students at the intersection of Murray and Forbes avenues, the heart of the Squirrel Hill neighborhood where many of Pittsburgh’s 50,000 Jews live, ended with calls to “Vote! Vote! Vote!” Twenty-four hours later, at the commemoration event at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum on Sunday evening, Oct. 28, thousands of Pittsburgh’s Jews reflexively applauded when Democrats were introduced, including Mayor Bill Peduto and Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey. Few applauded when Jewish officials of the Trump administration were introduced, including Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s top Middle East negotiator, and Avi Berkowitz, an adviser to the president. Jeff Finkelstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and emcee of the event, apparently sensed the anger and asked the audience to withhold all applause. They did, for a moment, but soon were applauding Democrats again. The divisions sharpened the next day, when Trump announced that he would visit Pittsburgh the next day, when the first funerals took place. Some Jewish groups were planning protests. The Pittsburgh branch of Bend the Arc, a liberal Jewish social action group, launched a petition calling on Trump to denounce white supremacists. “President Trump, your words, your policies, and your party have emboldened a growing white nationalist movement,” the petition says. “The violence against Jews in Pittsburgh is the direct culmination of your influence.” Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life, who saved the lives of four congregants during the attacks, said that Trump was welcome to visit. “I turn to all of our elected leaders because hate doesn’t know a political party,” he told CNN. “Hate is not blue. Hate is not red. Hate is not purple. Hate is in all.” He added: “I turn to them to say, ‘Tone down the hate. Speak words of love. Speak words of decency and of respect. When that message comes loud and clear, Americans will hear that and we can begin to change the tenor of our country.” Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said criticism of Trump was appropriate even in the midst of grief.

p The Knoll family pauses in front of a memorial for victims of the shooting attack that killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life building in Pittsburgh. Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

“Mourning and placing blame do not have to be mutually exclusive,” she said in an interview. “It’s almost irrelevant whether [Trump] is an anti-Semite; anti-Semites see him as their champion and ally. He has emboldened those movements.” Hours after the massacre Franklin Foer, a writer for The Atlantic who comes from a prominent Washington, D.C., Jewish family, posted a call for the effective excommunication of Jews who back Trump. He said the president’s broadsides against immigrants were echoed in the social media posts of the gunman, who believed Jews were behind the entry of undocumented immigrants. “Any strategy for enhancing the security of American Jewry should involve shunning Trump’s Jewish enablers,” Foer wrote. “Their money should be refused, their presence in synagogues not welcome. They have placed their community in danger.” He named, among others, Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate, philanthropist and major donor to Republicans, including Trump, who has praised the president for moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and pulling the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal. Julia Ioffe, Foer’s colleague who has written extensively about anti-Semitism in the United States and her native Russia, asked on Twitter whether Jewish Trump backers thought the embassy move “was worth” the massacre in Pittsburgh. That infuriated Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, who admires both writers but penned an essay in the

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online magazine Tablet against such calls for excommunication. Wolpe estimated that half his congregants backed Trump. “My congregants are not the ones who are dangerous, and manipulating responsibility to turn Jews into perpetrators is ethically appalling — and communally toxic,” he wrote. Wolpe, who has sharply criticized Trump, said in an interview that Trump’s incendiary rhetoric might certainly be counted as a causative factor. But so would the gunman’s possible psychosis, the political polarization that preceded Trump’s arrival on the political scene, the proliferation of guns and the persistence of bigotry. “I fear it will be localized at one address, and there are a lot of different addresses here, and certainly one is the president, but it’s not the only one,” Wolpe said. Matt Brooks, the CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, lashed out at liberal groups for, he said, using the killings to galvanize their troops a week ahead of critical midterm elections. “Organizations and individuals are trying to score partisan political points and it is disgusting,” he said. Brooks noted that the killer reviled Trump for being too close to Jews. Trump also decried the anti-Semitism that fueled the killings, and in a letter, Brooks’ group praised him for it. (Trump also pressed ahead with campaign events, drawing criticism for insensitivity.) J Street’s Jessica Rosenblum, a senior vice president for the liberal Middle East policy

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group, said the attack was inherently political and deserved a political response. The bigotries embraced by the killer “were countenanced at the top echelons of government.” “Now is the time to make a solid plan within our movement and with our friends and allies to make a concerted effort to push back against this with all our might,” she said. Stosh Cotler, Bend the Arc’s CEO, agreed. “There’s no getting around the reality that this horrific situation is a product of our very toxic political environment,” she said. Wolpe said that Trump’s critics were perhaps attaching too much meaning to the act of a deranged man. “Unless you define politics as everything is a political act, I’m not sure the gunning down by a lone and obviously deranged political man is in itself a political act,” the rabbi said. Ioffe, writing in The Washington Post, said that placing the blame on the killer alone was a dodge. “Trump certainly never told him, ‘Go kill some Jews on a rainy Shabbat morning,’” she wrote. “But this definition of culpability is too narrow, too legalistic — and ultimately too dishonest.” (On Oct. 29, Ioffe apologized for saying on television that Trump has radicalized more followers than ISIS.) Ioffe acknowledged that the Pittsburgh gunman, like the Florida man who allegedly sent pipe bombs to liberals and CNN, and the driver who killed a counterprotester at a neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Va., last year, “were not looking for Trump’s explicit blessing.” “His role is just to set the tone,” she wrote. “Their role is to do the rest.” PJC NOVEMBER 9, 2018 23

Opinion Solidarity and comfort — EDITORIAL —

t was Solidarity Shabbat and the pews were full. So upsetting was the murder of 11 Jewish worshipers in Squirrel Hill on Oct. 27, so saturated was the media coverage of the victims and survivors, so pained were the commentaries, and so overwhelming was the compassionate and supportive response to the tragedy that even if last Saturday hadn’t been given a special name, synagogues here and across the country would have been the place to turn to for comfort and community. And so they came. Jews who don’t normally attend Shabbat or even any services — joined by pained and supportive neighbors of all faiths and creeds who were shaken by the hate and death brought upon innocent people at the three congregations in the Tree of Life building. They came to show solidarity and support. Fervently. Publicly. With love. And we welcomed the comfort of the warm communal embrace. Because of this support, as shocked, shaken and traumatized as we are by the horrors meted out on our community members, we recognize that as we approach the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht on Nov. 9 and 10, this is not 1938.

Before the murders at Tree of Life, the Simon Wiesenthal Center released a poll finding that more than 70 percent of Jewish respondents believe anti-Semitism is on the rise, while only 30 percent of the entire polling group agreed with that assessment. Perhaps the Tree of Life massacre might have changed the result. But that is beside the point. Jews are Jews and non-Jews are not. Perceptions and experiences differ. And just like whites can’t know what it’s like to “drive while black,” it is difficult for anyone not a member of the Jewish community to appreciate the very real threat of anti-Semitism. And still they came. And they grieved and tried to heal with us. So where do we go from here? Can we galvanize the concern and compassion of our neighbors to increased levels of tolerance, support and understanding? Or will the empathy fade as we go through the next news cycle or get distracted by the next catastrophe? Here in the Jewish community, will we still be able to fill the pews or count on increased commitments of time, money and energy to our organizations and institutions? Sure, this is not 1938. But we need to set the tone and provide the example. We need people like Imam Hamza Perez of Light of the Age Mosque, who told the Pittsburgh

p Rabbi Jonathan Perlman speaks to thousands at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh during a service to honor and mourn the victims of the mass shooting at the Tree Of Life synagogue building.

Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Post-Gazette after Rodef Shalom’s Solidarity Shabbat service: “We’re not going to allow the Jewish community to respond alone. We’re going to respond as one people. And that’s the beauty of it, that the city can set an example nationwide how we can come together.”

We’re also going to need each other, Jewish brothers and sisters, recommitting ourselves to our Jewish community. That is what ultimately will keep us vibrant from one Shabbat to the next. May it be so. PJC

A survivor’s plea — spread light and reach outward Guest Columnist Audrey Glickman

hank you to all those who are asking how we are doing after our praying spaces were attacked with us in them. We cannot fully describe how we are doing, but we are surrounded with love and support, and we live in a city filled with sweet and wonderful people, in a country that is still free, in a world that is rather incredibly good at expressing care. Our wide circle of friends is expanding, holding us up. And some of us have been given a gift of continued life. So to tend the flames of those we lost, we are collecting ourselves to try to go on. Still, every time we pull up one strand of the fabric of our lives, another hits the ground; we are not yet solid, and repair will be slow. We lost so many wonderful persons all at once. And so senselessly. Had it been a bus accident or a plane crash that took them all at once, it would have been just as sorrowful. But this loss is dirtied by hate and fear and horror and anger. This loss was not an accident. Our friends were killed because they were actively being Jews. Anyone who hates so broadly has to have been taught to hate. We are not born hating, we learn it, along with selfishness, prejudice, fear of the unknown and violence. And then, it seems, we teach it to others. There is no one group to blame for the ills of society — not the Jews, not the immi24 NOVEMBER 9, 2018

grants, not the Muslims, not any race, nor any religion, not the feminists, nor any gender, not the liberals, not the extremists, nor even any political party or ideology. We are collectively responsible for what is wrong and what is right. Yet, once any of us expresses an irrational hatred of a subgroup of “we,” and teaches the hatred to our children and others around us, that seed takes root for further generations of blame. And it grows into a poisonous weed that spurs people to violence against innocent people. It creates bullies who believe they must demonstrate that they are the strongest, that they have a mandate to beat up everyone else so they can prove their superiority. We all recognize bullying speech and actions, the “I hate you so you must die” mentality. Everyone, just stop teaching hate. Stop laying blame at someone else’s feet. Stop saying stupid jokes about races and ethnicities. Stop making hurtful stereotypes. Stop using veiled references in advertisements.

Stop generalizing about groups of individuals. Stop using the bully pulpit to bully. Stop all the rhetoric and action that incites bullying. Just stop. And let’s stop arming maniacs with military weapons. We just cannot watch more innocent people die. I can’t watch one more innocent person die. It is not a matter of being prepared to defend. We do not coddle bullies by slugging back. We should not have to arm the innocent to do harm in the name of safety. The victim is not to blame for not having military defenses ready in the course of everyday life. We cannot place armed guards 24/7 at the doors of our praying spaces (nor our schools). We can’t afford that expense: Most religious institutions have trouble managing just to keep the roof from leaking and the heat turned on. And then what? The next step would be building walls around our movie theaters and supermarkets and coffee shops. And our homes.

Stop generalizing about groups of individuals. Stop using the bully pulpit to bully. Stop all the rhetoric and action that incites bullying. Just stop. PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

In fact, building walls anywhere for “protection” does not keep us safe, it keeps us isolated. It fosters the belief that freedom and liberty is somehow only for the privileged class and not for all who want it. This is not about “defense.” We are a world filled with prejudiced individuals. Some of them are the self-important bullies who look at life as a playground in which only the strong can win. Some of them are dangerous, filled with hate and misinformation. Peaceful coexistence and exercise of freedom and liberty is not achieved by strong-arming. It is achieved by welcoming everyone and working together to understand the space needed to let life and liberty flourish through inter-dependency. There is room for everyone. Bullies always lose in a good society. We have to push that to begin to happen now. America has yet to be “great” in that regard. Yes, anyone who hates so broadly has been taught. For thousands of years this hate has been directed at the Jews, and we teach our children to expect it, and to watch for hate when it threatens others as well and to act against it. We also teach children that we have been given the gift of knowledge and enlightenment and the ability to work to understand, and we must nurture the light and spread it toward the good of the world. And against the bullies. PJC Audrey Glickman, a member of Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha and a resident of Squirrel Hill, was leading prayer services when the Oct. 27 attack began.

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Opinion — LETTERS — Pittsburgh is an inflection point for American Jewish Global reactions pour in identity after massacre Guest Columnist Joel Rubin

year ago, an anti-Semite spread hatefilled fliers throughout my neighborhood, the Town of Chevy Chase, where I serve as a council member. Just over a weekend ago, an anti-Semite enraged by his hatred of immigrants and empowered by his access to an assault rifle murdered 11 of my parents’ neighbors in cold blood at the Tree of Life synagogue in my hometown of Pittsburgh. As the father of three young, biracial daughters and as a fourth-generation Pittsburgher, raised in Squirrel Hill, I believe that it’s clear that American Jews are living in the midst of an inflection point in our American experience. I have always felt American — after all, my grandparents were born here and I’ve served my country in government — so for me that is not in question. But what is in question is deeper, and speaks to what will or will not ground our community going forward, post-Pittsburgh. Growing up in Squirrel Hill provided an almost idyllic portrait of Jewish life in America. Ours was a typical Jewish community grounded in the twin pillars of postWorld War II Jewish identity: support for Israel and commemoration of the Holocaust. When we spoke of being Jewish, we spoke of both Israel and Auschwitz. But today, that’s clearly not enough. The trauma that happened to my neighborhood has demolished the idea that being Jewish in America is solely expressed through identification with Israel. After all, whether or not the Trump administration moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem had absolutely nothing to do with his initial lament, just after the killings, that the synagogue didn’t have armed guards to protect it. In addition, an American embassy’s location overseas or our policy on Iran also won’t physically protect Jews in America. To put it another way: American Jews may have Israel in our hearts, but how the United States treats her won’t provide physical safety for us in America. Regarding the Holocaust, there are many lessons that we have learned, particularly about the importance of never cowering in the face of anti-Semitism. But perhaps there are other lessons from that period that we’ve brushed past because they’re too raw, such as the mindset of Jews in Germany in the 1920s and ’30s. After all, many of these Germans — because that’s what they were — could have written the line above that I just wrote about being an American. Many German Jews couldn’t have imagined that their country would turn against them, just as we here can’t imagine it will either. So now, we face a challenge. Are we

going to act as if the Pittsburgh attack was an isolated event, one that hasn’t happened before and that was the work of a deranged loner? Or, are we going to act as if the killings were something unpreventable, the work of age-old anti-Semitism that will never go away? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. But the reality is that we American Jews have no more time to waste in answering such core questions. The time is now for grappling directly, openly and honestly with what it means to be both an American and a Jew. We can no longer look to either Israel or the Holocaust to define us. We must define us for ourselves. Now. This inflection point in American Jewish life has been a long time coming. My generation — old enough to have children, young enough to still have parents and grandparents — has benefitted from the heroic work of previous generations. My grandmother, who’s now 95, built my Jewish experience through her and her cohorts’ labor, establishing Jewish institutions, supporting Israel and honoring the Holocaust.

The time is now for grappling directly, openly and honestly with what it means to be both an American and a Jew. Now it’s our turn to step up. American Jews have a lot to think about right here at home. It’s not as if we haven’t been leaders in social action, advocating for causes for decades, from the environment to health care to housing. We have actively worked for tolerance, civil rights and social cohesion. Yet, external political activism isn’t enough when it comes to building a communal identity. Internal questions about faith, family, and our relationship to G-d must also be part of the conversation. Our spiritual connection to our religion can’t be fully realized solely through activism and connection to a foreign country. We also have to look inside ourselves and strengthen our connection to who we are as a people. So perhaps that is the next great task for American Jews: how to truly carve out an open, integrated, yet definitively Jewish experience, right here in America. We must get out of our comfort zones and redefine ourselves for the challenges that lay ahead, recognizing the threats and accepting that the answers aren’t what they were not so long ago. The status quo for being an American Jew is over. It’s time for a new approach. PJC Joel Rubin is a town councilman in the Town of Chevy Chase and a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state.

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Editor’s note: The following letters represent a sample of what the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle received in the days after the Tree of Life shooting. As an Israeli immigrant and a Jewish person, I was very upset to hear of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, the loss of the victims and the pain of their families. What a truly upsetting day for Pittsburgh and all Jewish people around the world, as well as all Pennsylvanians. And all because people just were exercising their right of “freedom of religion” and practicing it in peace. Why can’t people stop killing one another because they are of a different religion? Michael Rosman Edmonton, Alberta In 1981, seven American Jews from Pittsburgh, including several members of Congregation Tree of Life in Squirrel Hill, clandestinely visited me, then a Jewish refusenik, in Moscow. It was followed by many more visits like that, including a group that included the future mayor of Pittsburgh, Sophie Masloff. For the next six years, the Pittsburgh Seven, as they were nicknamed — who managed to meet with 41 refuseniks in Moscow and Leningrad, bringing back stories of hope and despair — tirelessly advocated on my behalf as well as on behalf of thousands of others like myself, until I was finally allowed to leave my anti-Semitic motherland behind. In May 1987, I was invited to the bimah of the Tree of Life synagogue to speak to the congregation about the plight of many other refuseniks still behind the Iron Curtain, to thank the Jewish community of Pittsburgh for their support and to accept a resolution of the Pittsburgh City Council naming May 31, 1987, as a day in my honor in the City of Pittsburgh Today, 31 years later, I attended Sabbath services at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco to join in reading the Mourner’s Kaddish for the 11 Jews killed by an anti-Semite — in the very synagogue that welcomed me. What a terrible irony. Dear Pittsburghers, once you had wished me strength. It is my turn to wish you strength and healing. Sonia Melnikova-Raich San Francisco I want to deeply thank Rabbi Danny Schiff, Hazzan Rob Menes and Sheldon Caplan for the wonderful and even-handed effort that made this past Shabbat include all three of the affected and displaced congregations. The Shabbat service was so meaningful for us and the greater Jewish community. Paul Needle Vice president for administration, Dor Hadash Like everyone in Squirrel Hill and in the Jewish community, I am still coming to terms with the tremendous tragedy and brutal killing that occurred in our backyard. I am writing about my personal reasons for marching in the Bend the Arc rally to protest President Donald Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh last week. In a time of great difficulty, this was a way to show love and support for my community and to stand up against hate. I thought for a long time about the message I wanted to send to the world through my participation in the rally. I was angry at Trump for his inability to distance himself from white nationalists and to condemn hate, and for the lack of empathy and the demonization of those fleeing persecution and violence. For my poster, I decided that the two most important ideas to convey were, first, the importance of our civic duty to vote, and secondly, our obligation to love and to teach our children to love all people. My poster read “Vote for Love.” At the march, I saw people from all faiths and different ethnicities. I saw children and parents. I saw students and the elderly. I saw love and support in a time of despair and loss. It was the first time since the attack that I felt comforted. I realized that this tragedy was not just a tragedy for the Jewish people, but a tragedy for all of us. At the beginning of the march, the Bend the Arc organizers spoke about their reasons for organizing it and taught us songs. As I sang along, I became overwhelmed by the beautiful peaceful melody sung by thousands. It was a communal grieving and protest, it was a way to create something meaningful in response to something so ugly and vile. This is a time for community, faith, reflection, and an opportunity to give thanks for what we have and to reach out to those less fortunate. Kara Bernstein Squirrel Hill

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Opinion A massacre in the heart of Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood Guest Columnist Bari Weiss

n a Saturday morning in March of 1997 I became a bat mitzvah at Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill. I wasn’t supposed to be there. The previous October a fire had blazed through my family’s regular synagogue, Beth Shalom, less than a mile away. Anyone who is from Squirrel Hill, or has ever spent time in the place where I was lucky to be raised, will not be surprised to know how the community responded to this disaster. Jews and gentiles alike ran toward the fire. As Beth Shalom’s executive director told a reporter at the time: “I didn’t have to look — everyone came to me.” The line put me in mind of my favorite of Fred Rogers’ sayings. “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” Squirrel Hill, Mr. Rogers’ real-world neighborhood, is full of such people. His home was three blocks from Tree of Life. He isn’t the only one. Mike Tomlin, the coach of the Steelers, lives nine doors away. Rich Fitzgerald, the county executive, a few doors farther. The mayor lives five blocks away. I grew up down the street from the synagogue. While my family worshiped at Tree of Life for many years, none were in the sanctuary on Saturday morning when Robert Bowers, a 46-year-old man apparently motivated by his

hatred of my people, is said to have begun gunning people down while shouting “All Jews must die.” But 11 of our neighbors were killed. We are waiting to hear their names. My family will certainly know most if not all of them. My parents, my sisters and my aunts and uncles will attend many funerals this week. That’s because Squirrel Hill functions like an urban shtetl. In most American cities, Jews tend to live in the suburbs. Not so in Pittsburgh, where more than half of the Jewish community still lives in the city, mainly in Squirrel Hill. And unlike in other urban centers, like Los Angeles or New York, Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is small enough that we don’t stay in our religious and political lanes. When I spoke last weekend at my grandparents’ Reform synagogue in my hometown, there were liberal and conservative, Reform and Orthodox, American and Israeli-born Jews who waited to hug me — and argue with me — after. That’s Pittsburgh. There is a phrase in the Talmud that has always felt especially relevant to our community: kol yisrael areivim zeh bazeh. All of Israel is responsible for one another. For us that is not a lovely theory but a lived reality. As with many synagogues in America, the doors to Tree of Life and Pittsburgh’s other shuls on Saturday mornings did not have any security and were open to all comers. We live according to our values — the ones that the accused appears to despise. One of the alleged shooter’s obsessions on social media was HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, a Jewish organization originally founded in the late 1800s to resettle Jews fleeing pogroms in Eastern

Europe. Today it rescues Jews and non-Jews facing persecution all over the world. A few weeks ago, Bowers shared a link to an event called Refugee Shabbat, a national initiative organized by HIAS, of which Tree of Life was a participating synagogue. “Why hello there HIAS! You like to bring in hostile invaders to dwell among us?” he wrote on a social networking site often used by alt-right activists and white nationalists. Just this morning, he posted: “HIAS likes to bring in invaders that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.” The heartbreaking coincidence is that the Jewish emphasis on the open door, on welcoming the stranger, is exactly what the Jews of Tree of Life and the Jews of every synagogue big and small in every far-flung corner of the globe were reading about this Shabbat morning. They were reading from the chapters of Genesis we refer to as Vayera. The Torah portion opens on Judaism’s founding father and mother: Abraham and Sarah. Three men show up to their tent — strangers — and the couple welcomes them: feeding them, giving them shade and washing their feet. These strangers come with a shocking message: Sarah, then the ripe age of 90, will bear a child. Sarah laughs, incredulous. But she soon gives birth to Isaac. And the strangers, tradition teaches us, are not strangers at all, but angels in disguise. We are living in an age when anti-Semitism is on the rise here at home. You need only think of last year’s chants of “Jews will not replace us” in Charlottesville, or the president’s constant attacks on “globalists,” “inter-

national bankers” and “the corrupt media,” all of which are commonly associated with Jews in the minds of anti-Semites. It isn’t at all surprising that these rhetorical tropes have translated into acts of violence — according to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents rose by 57 percent in 2017 — even if Mr. Bowers also reviled the president as insufficiently nationalist. “There is no #MAGA as long as there is a kike infestation,” he wrote. Every Jewish community in America will now have to make sensible decisions about how to ensure that they are not the next victims of such a crime. But those hard choices should not make us forget the core values that make communities like Squirrel Hill what they are: welcoming, big-hearted and profoundly decent. One of the gifts of the Jewish experience in America is that because we have been so welcomed and so safe here, these values have been able to flourish. Just as every Jewish couple gets married under a canopy open on all four sides — a replica of the tent modeled for us by Abraham and Sarah — so must Jewish communities keep our tents open. This is the true source of our longevity and resilience. Now the Jews of Pittsburgh join the growing list of communities around the world that have been terrorized by anti-Semitic fanatics, from Kansas City to Brussels to Mumbai to Jerusalem. The heartbreak is indescribable. But Squirrel Hill, I am certain, will continue to live by the values that the Jews have sustained for more than 2,000 years. They can never be gunned down. PJC Bari Weiss is a writer and editor for The New York Times’ Opinion section, where this article first appeared.

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Headlines Funerals: Continued from page 1

ill-will toward anyone.” In attendance at the service were Mayor Bill Peduto, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Coach Mike Tomlin. The Rosenthals’ sister, Michele Rosenthal, formerly worked for the Steelers as its community relations manager. Many other Steelers players were also in attendance, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Dani Dayan, consul general of Israel in New York, paid tribute at the Thursday funeral for Bernice and Sylvan Simon, 84 and 86, respectively, as well as Friday’s service for Rose Mallinger. “I think we are entitled this week to be silent, to bow our heads … and yes, to shed tears,” Dayan said at the Simons’ service. He also implored the room to “speak up against the atrocity of anti-Semitism and its ugly head that’s been raised.” Marc Simon, the oldest son of the Simons, who were members of TOL*OLS, noted that his parents were “longtime and deeply rooted Pittsburgh residents,” and were married 62 years ago in the same chapel where they were killed. “What my mother and father witnessed and endured is utterly unspeakable,” Marc Simon said. “There are no words in the English language or any other that could adequately describe my feelings since the horrific events. … Everyone here today, and the families of the other nine victims, share in my indescribable shock, grief and pain of this great tragedy.” The Simons “were regulars at morning minyan services several days a week, as well as never missing a Saturday Shabbat service,” their son said. Sylvan was described by various family members as having a great sense of humor, and despite his “tough guy” demeaner, was a

Rabbis: Continued from page 1

Shalom, according to Jackie Braslawsce, that organization’s executive director. The first order of business for TOL*OLS staff prior to moving into office space at Rodef Shalom will be to “get into the [shul] to identify what are we taking with us as we move over,” Myers said. Last week, Myers removed one Torah from TOL*OLS, and it is being stored for the time being at his home; it soon will be transported to Rodef Shalom for his congregation’s use. “People will have some comfort to say it’s our Torah,” Myers said. “Obviously, any Torah is our Torah, because it is the Torah of all our people. But to know it’s a Torah that is the property of Tree of Life, they can say, ‘Our Torah survived also.’” Myers, at the request of the FBI, also removed two other Torahs that were in an ark that had been damaged by gunfire; they are currently being kept in an ark in the main sanctuary of the Tree of Life building outside of the crime scene. “The FBI has been so respectful and compassionate,” Myers recounted. “They didn’t want to touch the ark out of respect, which was really beautiful. So, I was there with them, and I moved the Torah scrolls

“big Teddy bear.” Bernice was praised for her cooking and baking, her patience and her focus on family. “With time comes healing,” Simon said. “We as a caring community will only become closer, grow stronger and hopefully discover and implement protocols that will forever eliminate the possibility of a repetition of this senseless tragedy so that others do not have to suffer.” Mallinger was remembered at her Nov. 2 service as a woman of kindness, commitment and spirit. Nearly 1,000 people attended her funeral at Rodef Shalom Congregation. “I read every single word that was written about her in the last days and I feel like I know her so well,” said Dayan. “She is a perfect reflection of this whole community, the Jewish community of Pittsburgh and maybe the entire Pittsburgh community: old but young, [perseverant and filled with] a joy of life.” Berkun knew Mallinger for 35 years. He recalled her dedication to the congregation, saying, “How poignant that she has to die in a place that she loved so thoroughly and was so much a part of her being.” “Rose had spunk,” said Myers. “She insisted on being on time, so she was ready early. There was no such thing as Jewish standard time.” Prior to concluding the service, Myers remarked that Mallinger possessed a “singular responsibility on Shabbat morning.” At a designated time each week, she led the congregation in the prayer for peace. “We just cannot understand how a 97-yearold woman who led the prayer for peace can meet such a violent death,” said Myers. Dr. Richard Gottfried, 65, head gabbai and past president of New Light Congregation, was praised at his Nov. 1 service for sharing a 38-year marriage defined by tolerance, love, admiration and respect with a woman who did not share his faith. “Family and faith were the foundation of

his life,” said Gottfried’s sister, Debi Salvin. “For 38 years, he was completely dedicated to his wife, [Margaret ‘Peg’ Durachko]. They were true partners in everything they did. … The importance of their faiths and respect for each other was evident.” The Rev. Christopher Mannerino read a letter sent from Bishop David Zubik that struck a similar chord. “Richard was a man for you Peg,” the letter said. “He respected the beauty in each and every person. … Thank you for the powerful example of your and Richard’s marriage. May your marriage be a consolation to you in the days, the weeks and the months ahead as it is an inspiration to us all today. Grateful for our belief that nothing is impossible with God. I am your brother in faith.” Family and friends of Joyce Fienberg, 75, eulogized the TOL*OLS member as a woman endearingly characterized by her preparedness and consideration. Speaking at her Oct. 31 funeral service at Congregation Beth Shalom, they painted the picture of someone who brightened the world around her. “I knew Joyce and Stephen for 30 years,” said Berkun, referring to Fienberg’s late husband. Although Stephen Fienberg, a professor emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University, was an internationally celebrated statistician, his wife was truly his “helpmate.” Similarly, “she brought a joy to those she met.” Fienberg’s manner was unobtrusive and unmistakable, explained her brother, Robert Lipman, of Toronto. “She was not the person who would be the life of the party, but the type of person who would give life to the party.” Whether volunteering at the synagogue or working with families in need, Fienberg invested herself in honorable pursuits. “Tradition teaches when a tzaddik dies we should examine our own lives, because maybe we can do better,” Lipman said. “We need to measure up. … Joyce is still my

role model and always will be, she is a role model to us all.” Another role model, Melvin Wax, was remembered at a service on Oct. 31. Mourners were told that every Friday night, Wax would show up for services at the New Light Congregation in a jacket and tie. And early the next morning he would be back to pray again. “Mel would pray from the heart,” Rabbi Harvey Brotsky, Wax’s cousin and a former rabbi at New Light, said in a passionate eulogy. “He wouldn’t just be going through the motions. And he prayed every single Shabbat that I was at New Light Congregation, unless he was ill, and he came early on Saturday. It cost him his life.” On the morning of the attack, Wax, 88, was leading services at New Light. He and several other New Light congregants were hiding in a storage closet when Wax opened the door and was shot. At a funeral that drew some 200 mourners, Wax was remembered as a hardworking, kind man who was devoted to his family and community. “If you look in the dictionary under the word unselfish, you’ll see the name Melvin Wax because he was one of the most unselfish people I’ve known in my entire life,” Brotsky said. “If anyone on this earth walked humbly with their God, it was Mel Wax. He did not have a conceited bone in his body.” Wax also never stopped helping people. A month ago he learned how to register people to vote, and set up a registration booth in his apartment building’s lobby. PJC For more detailed stories about the funerals, go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

one at a time. Somehow — through what, I don’t know — not one scroll was pierced by a bullet. That’s just amazing. Amazing, because the doors [of the ark] were open [during the attack]. The curtain was closed, but the doors were open.” Neither the Dor Hadash nor New Light arks suffered any damage, according to Myers. The TOL*OLS weekday morning minyan, for now, is joining with that of Beth Shalom. “Amongst the deceased were people who were our morning minyanaires,” Myers noted. “Right now we are at Beth Shalom, and there is no immediate plan for the future of the minyan. The minyan will continue, but it will be something to talk about particularly with the morning minyanaires.” After the FBI completes its investigation, the Chevra Kadisha and ZAKA (the Jerusalem-based international rescue unit) “will move in to begin the difficult work of cleaning up,” Myers explained. While all “human remains” were buried last week along with the victims, Myers said, there is blood that remains at the crime scene, and that blood will also be buried. His congregation plans to move back into the TOL*OLS building once it is repaired, Myers said. “Hate will not chase me out of my building, because then hate wins.” While repairing the building is relatively “easy,” noted the rabbi, the more

difficult question is, “How do you rebuild your congregation?” “Just like you rebuild a damaged building one brick at a time, you rebuild one person at a time,” he explained. “I anticipate there will be people who will not be able to step foot in that building again, which shows that this assailant — and I will not use his name — he took away more than 11 lives. “This is not really about murder and a capital crime. It’s also robbery. He took that which he did not have the right to take: people’s faith, people’s comfort in a house of worship, people’s freedom to worship, which is guaranteed in the Constitution.” Myers intends to attend to his flock “one person at a time, which is my real responsibility,” he said. “How do you rebuild a congregation that is right now so terribly wounded? Platitudes aren’t enough. The well-worn trite phrases sometimes can ring hollow. So, sometimes it’s just a matter of giving someone a hug, reassurance. It’s speech without words.” Rabbi Jonathan Perlman, spiritual leader of New Light, knows that he will be having some difficult conversations with his congregation in the days and weeks to come as well. “Our hope is to move back into Tree of Life, but I don’t know when that is going to happen,” Perlman said. “Our space, [the New Light Chapel in the basement of the Tree of Life building], was intact, but that doesn’t

include feelings that people have.” Details will need to be “sorted out by the board and the congregation,” Perlman said. “I know I would like to be back in our space, but some people have qualms about going back there. Three of us survived. I don’t know how the other two feel, or the [victims’] family members, their spouses, their children, their siblings. They may have trouble going back to that space. I haven’t asked them, and I don’t know what the future holds. I do know we want to stay together.” The massacre at Tree of Life “will forever identify us,” said Myers. “We have the choice to use that identification as a burden or we can use it as a privilege. I choose to use it as a privilege, to carry on the legacy those 11 martyrs would want us to carry on. I don’t believe for a moment that any of them would ever want us to close our doors and give in to hate. In their memory, we will persevere. We will reopen. They deserve no less.” For the time being, Perlman is focusing on just being there for his congregation. “I’m trying to answer every email and call I get and to reach out to people, to reach out to the survivors, and having times of remembrance,” he said. “Time will heal, and we will get through this.” PJC

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Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. JTA contributed to this report.

Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. NOVEMBER 9, 2018 27

Headlines Protests: Continued from page 2

out to vote with call banks and by participating in these marches,” said WeissmanMarkovitz. “Even though I can’t vote, I can still do a lot to help out the situation.” Not all the protesters were Jewish or lived in Squirrel Hill. “I feel like [the attack at Tree of Life] hit really personally and really close to home because I attend Hillel on Fridays here,” said Meredith Levene, a freshman at Carnegie Mellon who attended the march. “And it could have been Hillel, it could have been

Security: Continued from page 3

is our biggest fear right now.” When asked if he had received any credible threats, Orsini replied: “We’ve received numerous emails and Facebook posts that were very negative in nature.” He has shared all threats with the FBI, he said. Some threats have been political in nature, and have come from both the left and the right. Myers received threats in response to his saying he would “welcome President Trump

my synagogue at home.” “I started looking for a protest as soon as I heard Trump was coming,” said Barry Adams, a Pittsburgh resident of over 40 years who arrived at the protest on his bike. The march started at Beechwood Boulevard and Forbes Avenue, just a few blocks from Tree of Life Congregation. It wound its way through Squirrel Hill as neighbors came out to watch the procession. As the president’s motorcade passed the crowd, the crowd booed and turned its back to snub the president. Passing the police station, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers for the police force that has been a constant presence in the neighborhood since Saturday’s attack. The protest made plain the close connec-

tions the city’s IfNotNow and Bend The Arc chapters have with local social justice organizations who joined in protest and in numbers. Though not sponsored by the Jewish community, the protest clearly made an impact as neighbors stood in their front yards watching the protests and taking videos on their phones. One woman took a break from setting up Halloween decorations on her roof to take a video on her phone. A number of speakers addressed the crowd at the end of the march at the intersection of Murray and Forbes avenues, encouraging attendees to vote and volunteer for call banking and canvassing. Juniors in high school Simone and Anya, leaders of the local Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom group, addressed

the crowd together. “I never thought I would have to watch my 8-year-old sister crying in our synagogue because she didn’t understand why all the adults around her were breaking down in tears,” said Simone. “Yesterday, my sister told me and my mom that she never wants to return to our synagogue.” “The Jewish community has been a steadfast supporter and ally of the Muslim community,” said Anya. “The Muslim community and I stand with you against hate and terror.” “Election Day is one week away, the period of mourning is called shiva, which means seven, and that period of mourning will come to an end on Election Day,” said Jamie Forrest, a Bend The Arc activist. “Reflection will give way to action.” PJC

to his place of prayer,” according to FOX news. Additionally, ACHIEVA — the organization that provided services to murdered brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal — received several phone calls “from an unidentified man who was swearing and angry at them. While ACHIEVA would not elaborate on what exactly the caller said, they did tell reporters it was ‘anti-Jewish’ and ‘pro-Trump,’” FOX reported. “We need to stay the course,” Orsini cautioned. “Every congregation needs to continue to look at their security protocols, continue to conduct training, continue to message out to their congregants on what they should be doing in case of an incident like this.”

Congregations were ramping up their security protocols in anticipation of Shabbat services, and advising their membership of new procedures. “This week we met with security consultants to determine how we can improve the security of our building,” stated a Nov. 1 letter to congregants from Dr. Louis Felder, the president of Poale Zedeck, an Orthodox congregation. While the congregation will be putting “a comprehensive plan of action in place” over the next few months, it announced several security protocols that would be implemented immediately, including: “There will be designated members in the main shul, balcony and youth building who will carry phones to be used in case of emergency.”

While Orthodox Jews generally consider it a violation of Shabbat to use or even carry a cellphone in ordinary circumstances, “to save a life, you are allowed to do anything,” according to Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, dean of Yeshiva Schools and the Lubavitch Center of Pittsburgh. While Rosenfeld does not carry a phone on Shabbat, he does carry a mobile “panic button, which goes straight to the police” in his tallis bag. “I have the panic button within two inches of my hand at all times,” he said. “I believe everyone [leading a congregation] should. It’s the best option.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle extends its thanks and gratitude to all of the staff, board members and volunteers of our amazing communal organizations who have tirelessly done such incredible work to get all of us through this first terrible week and to begin to prepare for a brighter, safe and better future. May we all go from strength to strength.

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Celebrations

Torah

B’nai Mitzvah

Adopting the hands of Esau Julia Brooke and Jenna Rose Ledo celebrated their b’not mitzvah on Oct. 6. They are the daughters of Jacqueline (Marks) and George Ledo of Aventura, Fla., and big sisters to Justin Ledo. Grandparents are Ron and Annette Marks formerly of Pittsburgh and the late Joseph Ledo and the late Nancissa Ledo. For Julia’s and Jenna’s b’not mitzvah project called Bracelets for Change, they designed bracelets that said Parkland MSD Strong on one side and #neveragain on the other side. As of today, they have raised over $1,250 for the victims and families of the shootings in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14. They also attended the March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C. on March 24. Alexander Gideon Levine, son of Debby Gross and David Levine of Mt. Lebanon, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills. Alex is the grandson of Merle and Mitzi Levine, and Les and Melitta Chodock, and the late Mark Gross.

Elana Sobol will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 10 at Congregation Beth Shalom. Elana is the daughter of Cheryl Bernstein and Aaron Sobol, sister of Scott, and granddaughter of Evelyn and Bernard Sobol, and Carolyn Bernstein and the late Bernard Bernstein. Elana is in the seventh grade at Shady Side Academy, plays tennis and enjoys sports and academics. She spends her summers at Emma Kaufmann Camp and competes in USTA tennis tournaments throughout the year. Her mitzvah project involves cleaning the city’s parks. PJC

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Parshat Toldot Genesis 25:19-28:9

ne of the many glories of the Bible is that it recognizes the complex personality of great individuals and the fact that strength and weakness, virtue and vice, can sometimes all reside in the very same soul. Even more significantly, that which may superficially appear to be dishonest — an act of deception — may very well provide the necessary ingredient which ultimately creates grandeur. The most obvious question which strikes us is, why did Rebecca have to deceive her husband by dressing her younger son Jacob in the garb and in the skins of her older son Esau? Why could she not merely have explained to her husband that Esau, although he was the elder brother, was simply not worthy of the birthright? From a textual perspective, this doesn’t seem to have been a difficult task at all. Right before Isaac summons Esau requesting venison, the Bible specifically records that Esau had committed the one great sin of the patriarchal period: He married two Hittite women, which was “a bitterness of spirit to Isaac and to Rebecca” (Gen. 26:35). Moreover, Rebecca could certainly have argued that the son who had been willing to sell his birthright to Jacob for a mere bowl of lentil soup

could not possibly be worthy of the mantle of Abrahamic leadership. Malbim suggests that indeed such a conversation between husband and wife did take place. And after Rebecca marshaled her arguments, Isaac then explained that he was aware of Esau’s shortcomings. In fact, he understood that the spiritual blessing of family leadership, the blessing of Abraham which we know as the birthright, must certainly go to Jacob. But, argued Isaac, he had to make a split between the birthright of spiritual leadership which rightfully belonged to Jacob and the physical blessing of material prosperity and political domination which he had decided to give to Esau. According to Isaac, the bookish, naive and spiritual Jacob would not begin to know how to maneuver in an economically driven, militaristic society. Rebecca strongly disagreed. She understood that the world at large and the human nature of individuals dare not be so simplistically divided between the spiritual and the material, God and Caesar. If religious leadership is to emerge supreme, it requires the infrastructure of economic stability; in an imperfect world of aggression and duplicity, even leading spiritual personalities must sometimes reluctantly wage war against evil in order for the good to triumph. PJC Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is the chief rabbi of Efrat.

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Obituaries C I O P PA : Louis Cioppa of Level Green, age 74, on Saturday, November 3, 2018. Beloved husband of Judy. Loving father of Maria (Cioppa) Dubyak (Brian). Cherished Pap Pap of Briana. Brother of Joseph (Michelle) Cioppa, Ross (Maureen) Cioppa and Victor Cioppa. Preceded in death by his brother Anthony Cioppa. Brother-in-law of James (Charlene) DeNillo, Anita Cioppa and Faith DeNillo. He was a well-known hairdresser in the Pittsburgh area for over 50 years, owning and operating the Louis Cioppa’s Salon and Kuts for Kids in Squirrel Hill. Louis “The Gent” Cioppa was also a member and one of the lead singers of the WeeJams doo-wop group. He was best known for singing “Shama Lama,” “Abigail’ and “Under The Boardwalk.” He served in the U.S. Army and was a graduate of the Maison Felix Beauty Academy and the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London. Friends are welcome Wednesday, Nov. 7 from 2-8 PM in the Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home and Crematory, Turtle Creek/ Monroeville Chapel, 1111 Monroeville Ave. at James St., Turtle. EISEN: Barry “Al” Eisen, on Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Life partner of Roberta Calgaro; son of Joan and the late Dr. Howard B. Eisen; brother of Michael (Kelly Orourke) Eisen and the late Edward Bruce Eisen and Marc Harold Eisen; uncle of Spencer Edward and his twin sisters Sabrina and Sydney Eisen of Columbus, Ohio; grandson of the late Irwin and Thelma Eisen of Uniontown, Pa., and the late Edith and Hyman Speer of Pittsburgh. Al was an avid animal lover and was survived by his feline child Irwin and preceded in death by the late Onyx and Amanda. He served honorably in the U.S. Navy and was admired and adored by his students at Allderdice High School where he was a physics teacher. Graveside service and interment were held at B’nai Israel Cemetery, Penn Hills. Contributions may be made to the Humane Society. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com FARKAS: Shirley M. Farkas passed on Monday, October 29, 2018. Beloved wife of Donald L. Farkas; loving mother of Gail (Jamie) Bayer, Sharon Green and the late Gary Farkas; grandmother of Jared, Alexis,

Brooke and Blake; sister of Thelma (the late Eric) Cantor, Ronald (Debbie) Cohen and the late Alex (Shiela) Cohen. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Shirley liked to play golf, tennis and cards. She enjoyed spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren, family and her many friends. Shirley was the past president of B’nai B’rith and a life member of Hadassah. Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Beth Shalom Samuel and Ida Cohen Endowment fund. schugar.com FAX: Eleanor Lobe Fax, 98, of Canton, Mass., formerly of Pittsburgh and Baltimore, passed away on Thursday, November 1, 2018. She was the wife of the late David H. Fax, daughter of the late Oscar and Lillie Lobe of Baltimore and the sister of the late Bernard Lobe of Annapolis. She graduated from Western High School in Baltimore in 1937 and the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1941, where she won the Henry Walters Fine Arts Award. An artist all her life, she produced works in almost all the graphic media, exhibiting frequently in Baltimore, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and the Boston area. Her best-known work is her design for the stained-glass windows of Shaare Torah Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. She was active in many Jewish organizations including Technion, Hadassah and the Young People’s Synagogue of Pittsburgh. A devoted wife and mother, she is survived by her two sons, Gene and his wife Ruth of Newton, Mass., and Chuck and his wife Michele of Bethesda, Md., grandchildren Alex, Sara, Danny, Joanna, Benjamin, eight great-grandchildren in Los Angeles and Israel and Dione Perkins, dear friend and aide. Contributions may be made to the American Technion Society (ats.org) or the Jewish National Fund (jnf.org). Funeral services were held on Sunday, November 4, at Stanetsky Memorial Chapel in Brookline, Mass., with interment on Monday, November 5, at the Shomrei Mishmeres Shares Haplata Cemetery in Rosedale, Md. Funeral services in Massachusetts under the direction of Stanetsky Memorial Chapel, stanetskybrookline.com. Graveside services in Maryland under the direction of Sol Levinson & Bros, sollevinson.com.

GROBSTEIN: Saundra Lois Grobstein of Squirrel Hill died Tuesday, October 30, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Charles Grobstein. Mother of Debbie (Marc) Haber, Robert (Janet) Grobstein, Ellen (Thomas) Clancy. Grandmother (Da Sandy) of Jeffrey, Eric and (Erin) Haber, David (Lindsay) Grobstein, Ryan Clancy, Jason Grobstein and Brendan Clancy. Great-grandmother (Gigi) of Lilliana Haber. Sister of the late Irv Gruber. Sister of Stanley Gruber, Adeline Tabor and nieces and nephew. Graveside service and interment were held at West View Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Contributions can be made to Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh. schugar.com KANTROWITZ: Rosalind “Roz” Goldblatt Kantrowitz of Pittsburgh, on Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Beloved wife for almost 47 years of Richard B. Kantrowitz; cherished daughter of the late Samuel and Anna Goldblatt; loving mother of Samuel (Kimberly) and Howard (Dana) Kantrowitz; adored grandmother of Beckett, Hudson, Chase and Charleigh Kantrowitz; cherished niece of Miriam Dickman and Shirley Light; sister-in-law of Kenneth and Susan Kantrowitz; greatly admired by many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Roz was a graduate of Stowe High School and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her master’s degree in education from Duquesne University. She taught first grade for 14 years at Washington Elementary School in Penn Hills. She was a life member of Hadassah and attended adult education classes at Osher for many years. Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel Inc. Interment Homewood Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of choice in her memory. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com MALLINGER: Rose Goldberg Mallinger passed away October 27, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Morris Mallinger, loving mother to Stanley Mallinger, Alan (Lauren) Mallinger and Andrea (Ron) Wedner. Survived by brother, Ben (Marlene) Goldberg and sister-in-law Florence Mallinger. Adored “Bubbie” of Steven (Lindsey) Wedner, Hilary Wedner (Jorge Soriano), Andrew, Amy and Eric Mallinger. Great-”Bubbie” to Lillian Wedner. Also survived by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews,

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cousins and friends. Predeceased by Francis Lurie, Celia Goldberg, Paul Goldberg and Sylvia Moidel. Services were held at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Interment in Tree of Life Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Rose Mallinger Memorial Fund, c/o Tree of Life Synagogue, 5898 Wilkins Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. 15217 or through the official Gofundme page at https:/gofundme. com/rose-mallinger-memorial-fund. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel. schugar.com MARETSKY: Ida Ruth Maretsky, born November 14, 1921, and passed away on Saturday, November 3, 2018. She was the beloved wife of Joseph Maretsky. Beloved mother of David (Carole) Maretsky, Judi (Fred) Young and Lynda (Steven) Coopersmith; Survived by brother Harry (Irene) Exler, sister the late Lillian (Ira) Schoenfeld, and devoted cousin Lakey Leiner. She cherished her grandchildren James (Leah) Maretsky, Marci (Eric) Caplan, Johnathan (Lisa) Young, Richard (Michele) Young, Aimee (Eric) Blum, Evan (Rebecca) Coopersmith and her great-grandchildren Ian, Carly, Zeva, Janna, Avi, Max, Noa, William, Micah, as well as her many loving nieces and nephews. The family also wishes a special thank you to Cyndee Williams and her loving team of caregivers. Ida’s priority was always “family first”. She has been described as “a matriarch of a wonderful family”. Her greatest pleasure was to be surrounded by her family. After the death of her husband, she worked for the Hebrew Institute of Pittsburgh and retired from the Allegheny County Controller’s Office. After retirement, she took pleasure in working at her son’s business, Jamar Park. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Adath Jeshurun Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Jewish Assistance Fund, P.O.Box 8197, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or a charity of the donor’s choice. schugar.com

Please see Obituaries, page 32

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Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 31

OTTENHEIMER: Goldie B. Ottenheimer, on Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Fritz Ottenheimer; loving mother of Marcie Miller and her husband, Jim Miller of Virginia, and Dan Ottenheimer and his wife, Sara Weber of Massachusetts. Loving sister of the late Joseph Beruh and the late Edgar Beruh. Loving grandmother of Sarah Gebauer and her husband, Zack Mills, Claire Gebauer, Elise Gebauer and David Ottenheimer. And loving aunt to many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and other extended family members. Born in Pittsburgh, Goldie was a dedicated social studies and home economics teacher at the Steel Valley School District for many years. Graveside services and interment at Temple Sinai Memorial Park. Donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association, where Goldie volunteered for many years following retirement. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugars.com ROGAL: Barbara F. Rogal on Friday, November 2, 2018. Beloved wife of S. Jay Rogal; mother of Deborah L. Rogal of Silver Spring, Md., and Jeanne E. Rogal of Harrisburg; grandmother of Robert A. Rogal. Barbara taught for many years in the Rodef Shalom Religious School, volunteered in the gift shop, and was a member of Rodef Shalom Congregation throughout her life. She also taught elementary school in the Churchill area for many years. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom Congregation. Contributions may be made to the Barbara and Jay Rogal Jewish Genetic Disease Fund, c/o Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, the National Gaucher Foundation, 5410 Edson Lane, #220, Rockville, MD 20852 or the Jewish Association on Aging, 200 JHF Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com SIMON: Bernice Ruth (Rothenberg) Simon. Tragically on Saturday, October 27, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Sylvan Simon. Beloved mother of Michelle Simon Weis, Marc A. (Machi) Simon, Michael (Robin) Simon and the late Martin E. Simon. Sister of Betty Nathan Shulman, the late Meyer Rothenberg, Sarah Klein, Abe Rothenberg. “Bobie” to Joshua, Lauren, Marissa, Tyler, Malone and McKenzie. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. schugar.com

SIMON: Sylvan Simon, tragically on Saturday, October 27, 2018. Beloved husband of the late Bernice Ruth (Rothenberg) Simon. Beloved father of Michelle Simon Weis, Marc A. (Machi) Simon, Michael (Robin) Simon and the late Martin E. Simon. “Zadie” to Joshua, Lauren, Marissa, Tyler, Malone and McKenzie. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment and military honors at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. schugar.com WAX: Melvin Wax, tragically on Saturday, October 27, 2018. Beloved husband of the late Sandra Wax. Loving father of Jodi (Todd) Kart. Brother of Edward (Bonnie) Wax. Treasured grandfather of Matthew Ryan Kart. Also survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins. Melvin was a devoted and active member of New Light Congregation, where he was a past president. An accountant, Melvin worked for Calig Steel Drum for over 20 years. His greatest passions were his grandson, his Judaism and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment New Light Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to New Light Congregation, 5898 Wilkins Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com

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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday November 11: Miriam Abramovitz, Martin Bass, Bernard Israel Bernstein, Samson Finn, Hermina Gropper, Lillian Karp Grossman, Goldie Handelsman, Celia Harris, Anna Miller, Harriet M. Nicholson, Harry Seiavitch, Sarah Silberblatt, Goldie Stein, Irving Troffkin, Sylvia S. Vinocur, Molly Weiss Monday November 12: Abraham J. Caplan, Sam A. Caplan, Dr. Samuel Cirota, Louis Daniels, Olga Engel, Harry Gomberg, Bernard J. Grinberg, Isadore Kurfeerst, Esther Cohen Lubovsky, Dorothy Miller, Leah Rosen, Rae F. Schwartz, Sara Schwartz, George Stern, Frances Turk Tuesday November 13: Hyman Balis, Bessie Glantz Bauman, Martin A. Berezin, Norman Black, Charles G. Brown, Dr. Frederick Carlton, Joseph Chernovitz, Abe M. Cohen, Esther Eisman, Carle Joseph Enelow, Yetta Gerson, Rebecca Greengard, Selma Jeremias Kostova, Abe Kotovsky, David Isadore Mandelblatt, Seymour H. Miller, Irving Nixon, Anna E. Reubin, Sidney Rosenfeld, Fannie Katzman Rubenstein, Walter Sigel, William Weinberg, Florence Bella Wolf Wednesday November 14: Hannah R. Adler, Minnie Berkovitz, Wilfred Irwin Berman, Harriet Friedlander, David Glick, Mildred Levinson, Sadie Levy, Celia Maglin Lupovitz, Samuel Margolis, William Rosenbloom, Charles Saltsburg, Thelma Sapir, Freda Schwartz, Samuel F. Shaeffer, Michael Supowitz, Elizabeth Kramer Swartz, Solomon Weinstein, Robert H. Wolf Thursday November 15: Max Cohen, Helen Pearl Cushner, Max Engelberg, Arthur Firestone, Annie Friedman, Gertrude Glasser, Samuel Morris Goodman, Evelyn B. Letwin, Norman H. Marcus, Rosa Rokhkind, Jeannette Samuels, Mildred Schoenberger, Samuel Silverman, Jean Walters, Max Walters Friday November 16: Joseph Bardin, Ida G. Barniker, Emma Eligator, Saul Glass, Nathan Granoff, Abe Herman, David Kaufman, David Klein, Rachel Levy, Rose Rosenberg, Lucy Sachnoff, Jennie Wolfson Saturday November 17: Benjamin Aberman, Jetti Birnbaum, Cecelia Edith Greenberger, Milton E. Helfer, Sarah Herring, Bertha Brown Horovitz, Samuel Kaufman, Adolph Lefkowitz, Bessie Jenoff Lincoff, Dorothy Margolis, Lester Marshall, Harry Meyers, William Rakusin, Charles Ruttenberg, Israel J. Saul, Yale Schwartz, Louis David Simon, Samuel Westerman

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ZELEKOVITZ: Sylvia (Zell) Zelekovitz, of Florida on Thursday, November 1, 2018. Beloved wife of the late Louis “Lou” Zelekovitz, adoring mother of Sandy (Barbara) Zelekovitz, Jeff (Sue) Zell and Marc (Janet) Zelekovitz; sister of Carl (the late Bertel) Lubetsky, late Morris Lubetsky and Ann Young; grandmother of Rena (Adam Fasone), Justin (Courteney), Adam, Aaron, Max, Mitch (Ashley), Ben (Rivka), Traci and David; great-grandmother of Lily and Eli. Sylvia was active at Beth Samuel Jewish Center and a life member of Hadassah. She will be remembered for her cooking, baking, dancing and complete loving devotion to her husband and family. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Beth Samuel Jewish Center of Ambridge. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com PJC

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Community JCC head shares thoughts

Hillel Academy supports mourners

Hillel Academy High School boys follow Jerry Rabinowitz’s casket as it leaves the Photo by Yisroel Smith Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

Doron Krakow, president and CEO of the New York-based JCC Association (right), with Dan Gilman, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff (second from left) and Brian Schreiber, JCC Pittsburgh president and CEO (second from right), attended the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Early Childhood Development Center’s Shabbat. Krakow was in Pittsburgh to talk to colleagues and share the thoughts, prayers and good wishes of countless others throughout the field and Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh the wider community.

Police and mayor visit Hillel Academy

Free admission opens museum’s doors to all On Monday evening, Oct. 29, staff of The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg attended the vigil at the Westmoreland County Courthouse to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, honor the victims and condemn hate and violence. Anne Kraybill, The Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO of the museum, is a newcomer to Greensburg and southwestern Pennsylvania. In a personal email sent to the Chronicle, she said she “witnessed a community that came together to demonstrate that we are indeed stronger than hate.” “It reaffirmed my belief that art museums matter now more than ever,” the statement continues. “We provide expanded perspectives of past and present experiences. We connect community and foster empathy. We provide a forum for people to experience the full range of human emotion. We create space for nuance and ambiguity. However, perceived and real barriers still deter some people from identifying the museum as a space that is accessible and relevant to them. “Looking out at the candlelit crowd on Monday, I was certain that I want everyone in the region to have access to The Westmoreland Museum of American Art on their own terms. And so, starting today, we are eliminating our suggested donation admission policy so the Museum is truly free and open to all. This decision is not one that is grounded in market research, but in our belief that everyone should have equitable access to the arts. “I am honored to be a part of this organization filled with loving, caring people, and privileged to be a part of this community. We will work diligently to not only open our doors, but to continue to reach out of our walls and extend an invitation, collaborate with other organizations and together create a more comprehensive story of American art.”

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto visited Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh to deliver a message of support and introduce students to some of the police officers who will offer protection in the future. Photo by Oren Levy

Sticker given out at voting sites on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Photo by Adam Reinherz

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NOVEMBER 9, 2018 33

Community Therapy Dogs Bring Comfort On Monday, Nov. 5 students and staff at Community Day School were comforted by The Go Team Therapy Dogs, who brought canine caring and compassion to the CDS campus during recess and even wore their #StrongerThanHate bandannas. Photos courtesy of Community Day School

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In the wake of the anti-Semitic murders at the Tree of Life, we the undersigned, all members of the Pittsburgh Jewish Community, set aside our often significant political differences and joined together and rededicated ourselves to the bedrock principles of our tradition and this great nation. In the coming weeks and months we will work together to develop practical solutions to the various problems we face as a community and as a nation. The following jointly drafted letter was delivered to our elected leaders on election day inviting them to join us.

‫ב״ה‬ The Office of the President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20500 The Office of the Secretary of the Senate The U.S. Capitol Room S-312 Washington, DC 20510 The Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives The U.S. Capitol Room H154 Washington, DC 20515

November 4, 2018 Dear Mr. President and Incoming Members of the 116th Congress of these United States: Jewish tradition teaches that the universe was created through spoken word. If speech can build worlds it can surely destroy nations. Hate speech is poisoning political discourse in this country. We are taking concrete steps to restore civil discourse and combat antiSemitism and discrimination in any form in our community. We are not “termites”, we are not “animals”, we are not “mobs” and we are not “deplorables”. We write to you as fifteen Pittsburgh Jews; brothers and sisters; mothers and fathers; sons and daughters; as humans with heavy hearts and grieving souls who continue to mourn our 11 martyrs. While we each share a common Jewish tradition forged over nearly six millennia, we also represent a broad spectrum of religious observance and opposing political views. In the wake of our unimaginable tragedy, we choose to rise above seemingly irreconcilable divisions and join in common cause to help heal our community. Squirrel Hill is now known as the site of the largest mass murder of Jews in American history. We can’t change the past, but we can own our response and set an example for the future. As Jews, we take inspiration from our biblical tradition: This week, we enter the month of Kislev and Hanukkah and recall the lighting of the Menorah and celebrate the transformation of darkness into light. As Americans, we take inspiration from the words of George Washington’s letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport on August 21st of 1790: “[H]appily, the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support… while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.” Our next steps will help define the impact of this tragedy on Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, and your next steps will define the course of our nation. Now more than ever we need leaders full of grit, compassion, and conviction who understand the magnitude of the moment, will make difficult decisions and will stand united against all discrimination, all hateful speech and ideologies, and all bigotry. We look forward to partnering with you as we begin this renewed conversation and restoring the civil discourse of our community and our nation. We invite you, together with our local leadership, to join us in starting this dialogue. May the source of peace bless this endeavor and put into our hearts the compassion to do good. Very Respectfully,

Daniel Berkowitz

Drew Goldstein

Rebecca Ackner

Lauren Baldel

Peter Braasch

Sari Cohen

Oren Dobzinski

Rona Kaufman

David Knoll

Yuval Kossovsky

Michael Milch

Donielle Morgenstern

Daniel Muessig

Julie Paris

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Evan H. Stein

NOVEMBER 9, 2018 35

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Community Art as comfort

Nimi the Clown

Praying

Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Emery/Weiner School, a Jewish day school in Houston, Texas, used art to process the shootings in Pittsburgh and to offer comfort to the mourners. They plan on donating the works they created to the affected congregations or a Jewish organization. Photo courtesy of Deborah Horwitz

Nimi the medical clown provides a much-needed message to Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh students about how to handle difficult emotions, bringing smiles to faces while doing so.

Photo by Micki Myers

Hillel Academy High School girls daven mincha at the Tree of Life building.

Photo by Yikara Levari

Bend the Arc Pittsburgh marches

Partnership 2Gether (P2G) Partnership 2Gether (P2G) is a program of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) that pairs the Pittsburgh Jewish community with the city of Karmiel and the adjoining region of Misgav in the Central Galilee region of Israel. A vigil and ceremony were held in Karmiel, with the mayors of Karmiel and Misgav in attendance, along with members of the Congregation Beth Shalom mission and the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project mission. Photos courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

Bend the Arc March held in Squirrel Hill on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Photo by Dale Lazar

The staff of the Diller Teen Fellows International Office shows its support of Pittsburgh, which has participated in the teen leadership program for the past 10 years.

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NOVEMBER 9, 2018 37

Community Remembrance Vigil at CDS As a way to process their emotions about a deadly anti-Semitic attack in their community, eighth-graders at Community Day School created and held a Remembrance Vigil on the morning of Monday, Oct. 30 at the site of the Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs: A Holocaust Sculpture on the CDS campus. Students shared poems, readings and prayers and lit a candle in memory of each of the 11 victims while reciting their names. Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Rabbi Jeffrey Myers and his wife, Janice, a learning services teacher at CDS, attended the vigil. Rabbi Myers chanted the “El Malei Rachamim” prayer for the departed. “When I came this morning, I didn’t have any strength,” Rabbi Myers said. “You have given me the strength to get through today, and for that I thank you.” Photos courtesy of Community Day School

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Community A song to remember the victims Duvy Burston of Monroe, N.Y., a 16-year-old at Pittsburgh’s Yeshiva Boys High School, is a musician, and in the aftermath of the events at the Tree of Life building, composed a song in honor of the 11 victims. “I am sharing this new song with the world and dedicating this piece to the 11 souls gunned down at the Tree of Life Synagogue, under a mile from where I, too, was praying,” Duvy said in a written statement. “The lyrics, which encompass the famous Psalm 23 written by King David, often are said in times of distress. The Lord is My Shepard; I shall not want. … Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil for You are with me (Psalm 23 Verses 1,4). The final verse, which states, ‘May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life’ (verse 6) is my hope for the community here in Pittsburgh. The whole Jewish nation, and the world at large – that we should be saturated with goodness and kindness.” Duvy’s piece can be found on YouTube. Photos courtesy of Yeshiva Schools

Yeshiva Girls chalk for Shabbat Yeshiva Schools seventh-grade girls participated in #LetsChalkShabbat. So far, the girls have shared Shabbat in Squirrel Hill, The Point and outside the Tree of Life building. Let’s Chalk Shabbat was founded by a teenage girl from Brooklyn who started chalking in front of her home every Friday. She chalked three bright, traditional candlesticks: two big and one small, reminding women and young girls to light their own candles every Friday night. She included the candle lighting time for that week and provided candles to the passersby who needed them. Her neighbors would start to look out for the art and rely on it for the time to light. When she shared the idea with others, the response was a contagious excitement.

Yeshiva Girls at the Point spreading the Shabbat message

The Jewish Association on Aging The Jewish Association on Aging distributed 500 donated T-shirts to residents and staff, and naturally, everyone wanted to wear one. Photos courtesy of Jewish Association on Aging

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 9, 2018 39

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