September 17, 2021 | 11 Tishrei 5782
Candlelighting 7:07 p.m. | Havdalah 8:04 p.m. | Vol. 64, No. 38 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL A corporate response to antisemitism
Jewish Pittsburghers ready to welcome guests to their sukkahs
American Eagle soars
Please see Federation, page 14
From Mt. Lebanon to Lollapalooza Page 4
LOCAL Andy Reibach’s sukkah
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M
argaret Angel said she isn’t nervous about the pandemic when it comes to celebrating Sukkot, which she calls a “simcha of joy.” Angel, a member of Congregation Poale Zedeck, along with her husband, Shmuel, helps connect community members who build sukkahs with those who don’t — such as college students or apartment dwellers — allowing them to observe the mitzvah of eating in the temporary structure. Sukkot is a “beautiful holiday to be enjoyed outside,” she said — and people can always opt not to host guests if they are uncomfortable doing so because of COVID. Last year, as the pandemic raged and vaccines had not yet been introduced, those
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Please see Sukkah, page 14
Meet Isaac Lewis
By David Rullo | Staff Writer
By David Rullo | Staff Writer
observing Sukkot were generally wary to invite guests for festive meals. “Sukkahs are enclosed much more than a typical outdoor setting,” cautioned Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau on Long Island, in a message to his Orthodox community last year. At the time — October 2020 — doctors urged celebrants to follow the same precautions they were taking indoors: Wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of distance from others. This year, COVID restrictions have loosened — with masks optional in many stores, and restaurants open again for indoor dining — so many community members are more inclined to host guests in their sukkahs.
LOCAL
Temple David’s first rabbi, Jason Edelstein
Federation unveils new strategic plan at annual meeting new strategic plan, unveiled by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh at its annual meeting, is aimed to position the umbrella organization as a community convener and to grow its leadership role to “serve the global Jewish community and create a better Pittsburgh,” according to a statement released to the Chronicle. In prerecorded remarks during the Sept. 12 virtual meeting, Federation President & CEO Jeff Finkelstein said that after more than a century in existence, the organization needed to continue to adapt to the new realities of the 21st century. Central to the three-year strategic plan are new mission and vision statements. The new mission, to “cultivate resources, connect people and collaborate across the community to live and fulfill Jewish values,” was created by an ad hoc committee that included Jewish leaders from across the Pittsburgh area. Federation board and staff contributed to an updated vision: “A flourishing Jewish community where everyone feels included, supported and inspired.” The language of inclusion, Finkelstein said at the meeting, implies “that the only way to achieve a flourishing Jewish community is when everyone — every individual — feels supported and inspired.” To facilitate the new strategic plan, the Federation’s staff and volunteers, the various Jewish agencies it supports, and thought leaders across the Jewish community will focus on four goals, Finkelstein said. The first is to establish Federation as the leading convener of local Jewish organizations and to help drive initiatives that enable all members of the Jewish community to feel included, engaged, safe and supported. “This goal goes directly to the core, the
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Baruch dayen ha’emet
$1.50
Photo by Andy Reibach
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The Newcomer Crew of JFCS
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Connecting with the divine
RECIPE
Easy, gluten-free pumpkin cake