Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 4-16-21

April 16, 2021 | 4 Iyar 5781

Candlelighting 7:42 p.m. | Havdalah 8:44 p.m. | Vol. 64, No. 16 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Local partnerships facilitate vaccination

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Mourning a longtime spiritual leader

$1.50

One teacher’s pandemic year

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

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humbled, more honored, about the partnership, about our role in promoting and supporting public health,” he said.

With Pennsylvania opening vaccination eligibility to everyone 16 and older on April 13, both the JCC and the Squirrel Hill Health Center were prepared for increased activity.

During the first few months of 2021, vaccination supply was “very uncertain” and the Squirrel Hill Health Center lacked the capacity to vaccinate large numbers of people, according to Friedberg Kalson.

“That has all changed in recent weeks.”

Other changes relate to the vaccine itself.

Until now, the Squirrel Hill Health Center received the Moderna vaccine exclusively from the commonwealth. As a federally qualified health center, however, the Center will be eligible to receive additional doses directly from the federal government, said Friedberg Kalson.

The JCC is boosting its efforts as well.

In addition to working with the Squirrel Hill Health Center, the JCC is offering additional clinics at its Squirrel Hill site in collaboration with both Allegheny Health Network and UPMC.

esilient” is the word Sonja Wimer most often uses to describe the 2020-2021 school year.

“I think that the last year has taught us that a lot more is possible,” said Wimer, a teacher at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh. “I keep using the word ‘resilient.’ I think the last year has taught everyone — students and teachers — how resilient everyone is.”

Wimer’s teaching career began in 2008 and she has taught at Hillel Academy for the last seven or eight years. Even though COVID-19 necessitated changes in routine, she said that teachers, staff and students have met the challenges, herself included.

“I’m not the most tech-savvy person but I learned how to use Zoom and screen share and show clips and videos and maps and breakout rooms,” said Wimer, who lives on the North Side with her husband and son.

“We were given a lot of knowledge as soon as it was available. That helps.”

Wimer knows that not everyone agrees with her take on the last year.

“It might not be the most popular answer,” she said, “but it hasn’t really been that bad.”

While there has been a lot of talk in the wider community about a “lost year,” Wimer does not think Pittsburgh Jewish day school students have suffered. Rather, she believes that because the schools decided to meet in person and their faculties learned how to pivot to a virtual environment when needed, the students are having a productive year.

The pandemic, Wimer said, forced teachers to become more creative with their lesson plans, especially during periods when they knew they would be teaching virtually.

One advantage Wimer had going into this year of shifting learning environments was the strong relationships she had built with her students, she said. Since she teaches both middle and high school students, she sees the same students multiple times throughout their school career.

Wimer, who teaches both sixth grade and high school AP social studies, said there hasn’t been a need to cut any of the

Please see Vaccines, page 12

Please see Teacher, page 12

Rabbi Mordecai Leib Glatstein dies at 106 Page 3

LOCAL Tikkun olam and a workout

 Individuals line up to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

Alicia Danenberg helps nonprofits by spinning Page 4

LOCAL JFilm’s 28th season

Online festival begins April 22 Page 16

Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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ines have stretched down Darlington Road in Squirrel Hill for months.

The sight has become routine: queued parties, some with paperwork in hand, patiently awaiting entrance into the Jewish Community Center’s Robinson Building. Inside, staff from the Squirrel Hill Health Center are tending to individuals, processing biographical information and administering jabs.

The gatherings began Dec. 29, 2020.

As of April 8, 2021, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh has hosted 19 clinics between its Squirrel Hill and South Hills branches, resulting in 4,730 people getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Leaders from the JCC and the Squirrel Hill Health Center explained that the joint efforts reflect a mutual commitment to community members’ vitality.

“We thrive when we’re able to work in partnership with community organizations like the JCC,” said Susan Friedberg Kalson, Squirrel Hill Health Center’s CEO. Jason Kunzman, chief program officer of the JCC, agreed.

“We could not be more pleased, more

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle

LOCAL Trees in memoriam

LOCAL Miracle in Rwanda

HISTORY Yom Ha’atzmaut in Etna

Headlines Teenagers help plant trees to honor victims of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

A

Pittsburgh teenager, who wished to remain anonymous, helped organize an event to plant 11 trees in Schenley Park on April 11. Two months prior, another unnamed teen did the same in North Park.

The trees were planted in memory of the victims of the Oct. 27, 2018, massacre at the Tree of Life building. Neither teen was directly connected to the victims’ families nor to any of the three congregations attacked, said Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, who worked with the teens.

The motivation for the teens was to plant something to hold the memory of what was lost, said Feinstein — reflecting the wisdom of a midrash that says trees have the ability to not only communicate with each other, and with humans, but also to offer companionship.

Alan Mallinger, whose mother Rose

 Families and congregants finish mulching trees during the April 11 ceremony in Schenley Park.

Photo courtesy of the 10.27 Healing Partnership

Mallinger was killed and whose sister, Andrea Wedner, was seriously injured in the attack, attended both tree planting events.

Mallinger said it was nice to see young people who “didn’t know the victims or anyone involved” yet still wanted to “remember our family members.”

He recalled an earlier ceremony held outside Pittsburgh Allderdice High School where, after weeks of planning, members of the school’s basketball teams and other students planted 11 dawn redwoods on May 7, 2019.

Each of the three tree planting events was significant and demonstrates young people’s

desire to preserve the victims’ memories, Mallinger said.

According to Feinstein, the activities represent a response to horror by bearing witness and showing honor.

“It’s an important sign of resiliency when we show care, when we show that we acknowledge the lives that were taken, and we stand in grief with the people who are most directly impacted,” she said.

In addition to the trees themselves, the quiet sentiments and activities that preceded their plantings also are important to consider, said Feinstein, who worked with the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy prior to the April 11 ceremony at Schenley Park.

There was one young woman who fundraised to plant 11 trees in memory of the victims, and she found 20 people to contribute and follow her lead, creating a “weight of helpers,” Feinstein said, who are “invested in making change in the future and invested in helping more people.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Dor Hadash responds to Biden’s executive orders on gun violence

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ongregation Dor Hadash — one of three congregations attacked on Oct. 27, 2018 — released a statement on April 8 in response to President Joe Biden’s executive actions on gun safety and the nomination of David Chipman to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Chipman currently serves as an adviser for the gun control advocacy group named for former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in 2011 in Tucson, Arizona.

On April 8, Biden announced several executive actions addressing gun violence, including efforts to restrict “ghost guns,” self-assembled firearms without serial numbers. Another proposed action would clarifiy that certain modified pistols are short-barrel rifles and thus subject to the requirements of the National Firearms Act. Dor Hadash “applauds the executive actions announced today and the nomination of Mr. Chipman,” the congregation said in a press

release. It also encouraged additional action.

“President Biden’s administration can only do so much on its own, and far more is needed before the United States can achieve meaningful gun safety,” the Dor Hadash statement reads.

“Once again, we urge Congress, state legislatures, and our other leaders to enact crucial gun safety measures, starting with a ban on assault weapons and the institution of universal background checks for all firearm purchases.”

Dor Hadash member Dan Leger, who was

shot and seriously wounded during the attack at the Tree of Life building, thanked Sen. Bob Casey for his “commitment to gun safety” and urged Sen. Pat Toomey “to step up” “By supporting legislation on background checks, assault weapons and high capacity magazines, Senator Toomey can end his term of public service with a meaningful legacy as a gun safety advocate.” PJC — Toby Tabachnick

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2 APRIL 16, 2021

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Headlines Longtime Pittsburgh spiritual leader Rabbi Mordecai Leib Glatstein has died at 106 — LOCAL —

(412) 507 - 9922

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

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abbi Mordecai Leib Glatstein’s story — amazing in its scope — came to an end on March 28 when the larger-than-life religious figure who helped define seven decades in Jewish Pittsburgh, a Holocaust survivor who refused to refer to himself as a “survivor,” passed away.

He was 106.

Born into a rabbinic dynasty in Lipno, Poland, in 1916, Glatstein lost his father to the Spanish flu as a young child and was dubbed a Talmudic prodigy — “the Genius of Plotzk” — during his early Yeshiva studies.

According to his family, he went on to watch Nazis destroy his beloved Warsaw, first by building Jewish ghettos, then by burning them to the ground.

Glatstein, who weathered several slavelabor camps, was liberated by the Americans and Russians from Dachau in 1945, his son, Yossi Glatstein, told the Chronicle.

But there is so much more to the legendary stories of his life.

Once, as Glatstein and his brother were dragged into the Dachau crematorium, praying “Shema Yisrael” as they prepared for death, a Nazi guard hollered and pulled them out, insisting they were still healthy enough to work. Glatstein’s family later characterized the guard as the prophet Elijah in disguise.

“That guard, he didn’t save my father and brother — he saved me, he saved my children, he saved my grandchildren,” Yossi Glatstein said. “Do you want to know where God was during the Holocaust? He was saving my entire family from the crematorium.”

Yossi Glatstein also recalled his father’s story about being beaten unconscious

by Nazi guards while davening. When he regained consciousness he picked up davening right in the spot where he left off.

“It was an act of defiance,” Yossi Glatstein said. “‘You Germans can’t touch me. We have our God.’” In the immediate post-war years, Glatstein served as deputy director for the Joint Distribution Committee, providing religious and educational services for survivors, reuniting families separated by Hitler’s death camps, searching for Jewish orphans and serving as a translator for General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In Munich, he served as a chaplain for the U.S. Army and catalogued Jewish artifacts stolen by the Nazis. Glatstein and his wife, Cyna, later recorded testimonies about the Holocaust for filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation.

Glatstein arrived in Pittsburgh in 1949 and served as a spiritual leader for more than four decades at the Charles Morris Center of the Jewish Association on Aging, then known as the Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged. He also served as the primary chaplain for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, visiting patients in various PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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*Kosher meals upon request*  Rabbi Mordecai Leib Glatstein

Photo provided by Sara Glatstein

hospitals throughout the state.

Yossi Glatstein often accompanied his father on his visits, and later filled in for him at JAA when the elder Glatstein was ill.

“I remember the respect he had for every single person there,” he said. “What always struck me was this kind of quiet dignity he imparted.”

Yossi Glatstein said that was no accident.

His father recognized that the first people to be murdered by Nazis upon their arrival to the death camps were the elderly and the mentally ill, and so he decided during the war to dedicate his life’s work to those peoples’ well-being and comfort.

“He established a very good relationship with a lot of the older people he served as chaplain, both as part of the JAA and in the state’s hospitals,” said Rabbi Shimon Silver of Young Israel, an Orthodox congregation in Squirrel Hill. “He was a very sweet man — that’s the best word for it. He spoke softly and deliberately and slowly. And he had class, an old-fashioned European class.”

The JAA mourned his passing this week.

“Rabbi and Rebbetzin Glatstein were beloved fixtures at Charles Morris for many, many years. They touched the lives and hearts of many of our seniors and brought them solace, comfort and hope,” said JAA President and CEO Deborah Winn-Horvitz.

“Rabbi Glatstein’s very presence in our facility added a measure of reverence and sanctity. In so many ways, he set the tone for our future. May his memory be a blessing.”

A faculty member at the former Hebrew Institute of Pittsburgh, Glatstein’s resume was extensive, and he published scholarly works, often in Hebrew, Yiddish, English, German and Polish. He also worked from the pulpit, serving as rabbi of the Toras Chaim Congregation in the East End from 1951 to 1958. He served as president and head of Jewish Chaplains of Pennsylvania,

www.tapestrysenior.com/moon 550 Cherrington Pkwy, Coraopolis PA 15108

Please see Glatstein, page 13

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APRIL 16, 2021 3

Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh presents:

Headlines Local teacher keeps world ‘spinning’ during COVID — LOCAL —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

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The Hannah Kamin Annual

Lion of Judah Event

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 7:00 PM EDT • VIRTUAL EVENT Special guest speaker

Rabbi Sandra Lawson

My Journey to Judaism & Becoming a Rabbi Rabbi Sandra’s vision is to help build a more inclusive Jewish community where all who want to come are welcomed, diversity is embraced and we can come together to learn and to pray.

PLEASE VISIT: jewishpgh.org/event/lion-luncheon A special treat will be delivered to those who register

by Wednesday, April 21. Dietary laws observed.

Questions? Contact Derek Grossman at 412-697-6662 or dgrossman@jfedpgh.org This event is free of charge for Lions of Judah, Lion of Judah Endowment holders, and their daughters, daughters-in-law, and nieces. To learn more about the Lion of Judah program, please visit jewishpgh.org/lion-of-judah THANK YOU to our Diamond Level Corporate Partner

4 APRIL 16, 2021

“When, obviously, COVID-19 happened, the studio and life as we know it shut down and Alicia really took that as a challenge in a way a lot of people didn’t,” Oosterhous told the Chronicle.

She also praised the sense of community that Danenberg has created.

“She’s bringing together, on any night, dozens of people who normally wouldn’t be in the same community,” Oosterhous said.

“It really has attracted people who want to be part of an active athletic community, and who want to spin.”

There is a science to Danenberg’s set-up.

Her partner, Travis, works in film and helped her assemble proper lighting, backdrops and microphones to maximize the workout effect of the basement space.

OVID-19 handed Alicia Danenberg lemons. She, in turn, made lemonade.

Last spring, the Shadyside gym where Danenberg taught spin classes closed. What she did next, she said, “was very intentional.”

“When COVID-19 hit, everything closed,” said Danenberg, a former Chatham University staffer who works remotely for the American Camp Association. “So, I just kind of decided I was going to be doing it on my own — and reach out to all those people who were buying bikes for their homes.”

She held her first virtual “Alicia’s Basement Party” last June in her Greenfield home for those looking to exercise, socialize or just blow off some pandemic steam on their bikes, on their feet or on their treadmills. Today, dozens attend the online sessions several nights each week, some from as far as Buffalo and Chicago.

“Even when only two or three or six people come out, that is still a success,” Danenberg said, noting that it’s just as important as the larger classes.

Danenberg has adopted a flexible “pay what you can, when you can” model, and gives a portion of her monthly proceeds Alicia Danenberg Photo provided by Alicia Danenberg to local charitable organizations, p including Chatham University’s day camp program, Tree of Life Congregation Danenberg majored in music education in in Squirrel Hill — where her family is affili- college, which makes her sessions’ playlists ated — and the Boys & Girls Clubs. particularly effective, said Julia Hartnett, a April’s beneficiary is Friendship Circle teacher who attended school in Penn Hills of Pittsburgh, Danenberg said. Officials with Danenberg. from that organization were grateful “I really like her song choices,” Hartnett for the donation. said. “We both understand how playlists can “It was very kind of her to think of us,” said really change your motivations in a class, Rabbi Mordy Rudolph, executive director of your feelings. Her music is always super Friendship Circle. “Given the current environ- upbeat and inspiring — it keeps you going.” ment, it’s especially appreciated. Sustainability is Danenberg is no stoic task-master, important [and] just knowing that Friendship though, Hartnett said.

Circle is something that comes up on people’s “Alicia’s super motivating and she passes no minds, philanthropically, means a lot.” judgement — she’s great,” Hartnett said. “She “Over the last year, the Friendship Circle sculpts everything to all skill levels and she has seen tremendous community support,” understands. If you are making your personal said Ann Grandinetti, the organization’s best, she is happy. But, if you’re not making development and community engagement your personal best, she’s happy you’re there.” coordinator. “Individuals like Alicia rememDanenberg laughs about her choice of bering the Friendship Circle and choosing to settings — next to the TV, which is set on fundraise in honor of the Friendship Circle has top of her washing machine in her basebeen amazing to see.” ment, “the only place in the house I could Despite the praise from her beneficiaries, play loud music.”

Danenberg is modest and said her intention is And when COVID-19 is finally behind simply to build a sense of community for those us, Danenberg said she plans to continue the who attend her basement sessions. virtual spin classes.

“I’m just grateful to the people who choose to “There’s a wide range of ages — and all ride with me,” she said. body types are welcomed in the basement,” One of those riders is Karen Oosterhous, an Danenberg said. “So many people have pushed education advocate from Squirrel Hill who took us ahead, saying ‘I want to keep going.’” PJC spin classes with Danenberg at the now-closed Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living Shadyside gym. Attending “Alicia’s Basement in Pittsburgh.

Party” was a no-brainer.

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Headlines Holocaust Center marks Genocide Awareness Month with ‘Miracle in Rwanda’

p Malaika Uwamahoro reprised her role in the one-woman play “Miracle in Rwanda” to commemorate Genocide Awareness Month.

— LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

M

alaika Uwamahoro was a child living in Uganda when the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi took

place in her native Rwanda.

“I was 4 when it happened,” Uwamahoro told the Chronicle. “I could see my grandmother near the radio crying. I didn’t know why she was crying. I would hear small things like, ‘They’re killing them.’ I didn’t know what was up, but I knew something was up.”

The genocide that began on April 7,

1994, resulted in the death of more than half a million people during 100 days of murder and violence.

Performing in “Miracle in Rwanda,” a one-woman play, is deeply personal for Uwamahoro, an actor, musician, poet and social activist. She was born in Rwanda but spent her first seven years in Uganda before

Photos by Laura Slovesko

moving to the United States. She moved back to Rwanda in 2001, then returned to the U.S. in 2013 to study theater at Fordham University.

On April 10, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh partnered with Prime Stage Please see Miracle, page 13

HOW WE ENGINEER Equipped with only pencils and rubber bands, eighth graders compete to design and construct the strongest catapult.

By following supply and time constraints, students embrace efficiency and creativity in the engineering process.

How will you give your child the tools to engineer success?

BECAUSE “HOW” MATTERS PK-12 • Four Campuses

VISIT OPPORTUNITIES

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SHADYSIDEACADEMY.ORG/VISIT

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

APRIL 16, 2021 5

Calendar Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon.

q SATURDAY, APRIL 17-APRIL 18 Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for a celebration of the State of Israel’s 73 years of independence. For information on Yom Ha’atzmaut activities and to register visit jewishpgh.org/ yom-haatzmaut.

q SATURDAY, APRIL 17-APRIL 25 Written by Leslie Lewis and Edward Vilga, with an uplifting message of forgiveness and compassion, “Miracle in Rwanda” is based on the life of New York Times bestselling author Immaculée Ilibagiza.

“Miracle in Rwanda” chronicles Immaculée’s dramatic experience of survival during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. 8 p.m. $10-25. hcofpgh.org/Rwanda

q SUNDAY, APRIL 18 The Jewish National Fund welcomes Tsahi Halevi and Rona-Lee Shimon, stars of the Netflix series “Fauda,” to its annual Breakfast for Israel. Attendees are invited to “BTOB” — bring their own bagel to the breakfast while virtually taking in the star-studded event. 10:30 a.m.

Register for the free event at jnf.org/bfi.

In commemoration of the 78th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Classrooms Without Borders and The Ghetto Fighters presents “The End” with Havi Dreifuss, who will present findings from her extensive research for her latest book, “The Warsaw Ghetto -The End (April 1942-June 1943).” 2 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org

q SUNDAYS, APRIL 18, 25; MAY 2, 9, 16 Join a lay-led Online Parashah Study Group to discuss

the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge is needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.

q MONDAY, APRIL 19 April is Genocide Awareness Month. Join Classrooms Without Borders as they explore the new instructional unit “Stages of Genocide: A Toolkit for Educators with The Genocide Education Project and Woven Teaching.” 6:30 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/ stages_of_genocide.

Join Moishe House of Pittsburgh for Incense from the Temple to Your Home with Aya Baron. This is third part of their “Plants in Jewish Traditions” series. 7 p.m. facebook.com/moishehouse.pittsburgh/events

q MONDAYS, APRIL 19, 26; MAY 3, 10, 17 Join Rabbi Jeremy Markiz in learning Masechet Rosh Hashanah, a tractate of the Talmud about the many new years that fill out the Jewish calendar at Monday Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.

q MONDAYS, APRIL 19-MAY 31 Join Temple Sinai for “Making Our Days Count with Rabbi Karyn Kedar (via Zoom).” Rabbi Kedar will discuss the period between Passover and Shavuot, called Omer. She will teach seven spiritual principles for the seven weeks of the Omer: decide, discern, choose, hope, imagine, courage, pray. These principles can offer a path from enslavement to freedom, darkness to light, constriction to expanse. 7 p.m. templesinaipgh.org

q TUESDAY, APRIL 20 The Jewish Pittsburgh History Series, sponsored by Rodef Shalom Congregation, will feature a presentation

by Bob Rosenthal at 7 p.m. Rosenthal will discuss

Rodef Shalom’s Building: Construction, Behind the Scenes, Oddities and What Was Where. 7 p.m. rodefshalom.org

q TUESDAYS, APRIL 20-JUNE 1 What is the point of Jewish living? What ideas, beliefs and practices are involved? Melton Course 1: Rhythms & Purposes of Jewish Living examines a variety of Jewish sources to discover the deeper meanings of Jewish holidays, lifecycle observances and Jewish practice. Cost: $300 per person, per year (25 sessions), includes all books and materials. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org.

q WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21;

THURSDAYS, APRIL 22, 29; MAY 13

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh as it

welcomes each of Pittsburgh’s mayoral candidates

for the 2021 election. During coffee and conversation you can ask your questions on the most pressing issues facing Pittsburgh. Free. 6:30 p.m. For more information, including when a candidate will be appearing, visit jewishpgh.org/event.

q WEDNESDAYS, APRIL 21-MAY 26 Are you curious about contemporary Israel beyond the headlines? Straight after Yom Ha’atzmaut, Rabbi Danny Schiff will host the series Israel in Depth about the realities of Israeli society in 2021. Six Sessions for $30.

10:45 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org/israel-in-depth.

q WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 Pittsburgh Chapter Hadassah and Hadassah Greater Detroit present Wellness Wednesday Updates in Dermatology, with Dr. Karlee Novice, a virtual program.

Novice is a board-certified dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. $10. 11 a.m. hadassahmidwest.org/GDWW2021 Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah and Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah present A Mother’s Day Brunch Cooking Demonstration with Mimi Markofsky. Markofsky will recreate a few of her favorite brunch dishes, followed by a question-and-answer session. She is the chef/owner of Mimi’s Just Desserts. $10. 7 p.m. hadassahmidwest. org/RooseveltCookingDemo Join Tree of Life for “An Evening with Michelle Dresbold.” Dresbold is an internationally renowned handwriting expert, personality profiler, author, and speaker. Change your handwriting and your body language for a happier year. 7:30 p.m. treeoflifepgh.org

q THURSDAY, APRIL 22 Classrooms Without Borders and Rodef Shalom Congregation present Ethical Implications of the Holocaust. This the final in a four-part series and will feature Michael Berenbaum speaking on governmental ethics. Berenbaum is a writer, lecturer, and teacher consulting in the conceptual development of museums and historical films and director of the Sigi Ziering Institute. 4 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/ holocaust-and-ethics

q THURSDAY, APRIL 22-MAY 2 The 28th annual JFilm Festival presents international Jewish-themed films that deepen audiences’ understanding of Jewish culture, tolerance and our common humanity. The 11-day festival is complemented by a variety of supplemental programming, including visiting filmmakers, guest speakers and collaborative events with other local organizations. For more information, including a complete list of films, visit filmpittsburgh.org.

q SUNDAY, APRIL 25 In recognition of April being Genocide Awareness Month, Classrooms Without Borders, the JFCS Holocaust Center and the USF Jewish Studies and Social Justice program present Rohingya

Genocide and the military coup in Myanmar. 4 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/myanmar.

q MONDAY, APRIL 26 Join Temple Sinai for “Teaching Children Resilience and Courage,” with Rabbi Karyn Kedar. Explore three questions, three rules and one important myth that can help create a foundation where children can find resilience and courage. Free. 7 p.m. templesinaipgh.org

q THURSDAY, APRIL 29 The Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah and Hadassah Greater Detroit Attorney and Judges Council, in conjunction with the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan, are pleased to welcome Ellie Mosko to speak about Immigration Law: The Past Four Years, And What the Future Holds. Free. 7:30 p.m. Register by April 26 at hadassahmidwest.org/GDimmigration.

q THURSDAY, APRIL 29 Join Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah, Hadassah Greater Detroit and the Nurses Council as Wendy Goldberg presents A Brilliant Rebel: Florence Nightingale’s Message for Our Challenging Times. Goldberg will speak about Nightingale’s contributions to science and health care and their relevance today. 7 p.m. $10 Hadassah member/HGHS Employee; $15 non-member. hadassahmidwest.org/GDrebel

q FRIDAY, APRIL 30 The Talmud says Lag B’Omer celebrates the end of a plague. Moishe House would like to call that in with a traditional bonfire celebration. Join them for pizza and a campfire. To maintain social distancing, attendance is capped at 10 participants. 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/moishehouse. pittsburgh/events.

q MONDAYS, MAY 3, 10, 24; JUNE 7, 14 Throughout our history, Jews have never shrunk from a good argument and we have had plenty of them-from the moment we got out of Egypt till today. In the course Top Ten Disputes, Rabbi Danny Schiff will take a close look at the top 10 disputes of Jewish History.

How did they start? What made them so contentious?

And how were they ultimately resolved? Five sessions for $25. 9:30 a.m. For more information and to register, visitfoundation.jewishpgh.org/top-ten-disputes.

q THURSDAY, MAY 6 Hadassah Chicago-North Shore presents The Power of Women Who Fight Gun Violence, featuring Gabby Giffords. $36. 12:30 p.m. Register by May 4 at hadassahmidwest.org/CNSPL.

q THURSDAYS, MAY 6; JUNE 17 Jews have never desisted from addressing tough problems. In this year’s CLE series, Rabbi Danny Schiff will dive into “Tense Topics of Jewish Law.” Each topic raises significant concerns in our contemporary lives. With CLE/CEU credit: $30/session or $150 all sessions; without CLE/CEU credit: $25/session or $125 all sessions. 8:30 a.m. For more information, including a complete list of topics, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org/ continuing-legal-education.

q MONDAY, MAY 10 Join Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah and Hadassah Greater Detroit for Raiders of the Lost Art: The Hidden Jews of Ethiopia. Rabbi Josh Bennett of Temple Israel will share the amazing story of the hidden Jews of Ethiopia. He will explore the history of the Ethiopian Jewish community and discover the roots of an African Jewish presence in the ancient Aksumite Kingdom.

11 a.m. $10. hadassahmidwest.org/GDraiders

q SATURDAY, MAY 15 Registration opens soon for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Tikkun Leil Online. 10 p.m. Free.

For more information, visit jewishpgh.org/event. PJC

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 6 APRIL 16, 2021

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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Headlines Yom Ha’atzmaut in Etna — LOCAL —

By Eric Lidji | Special to the Chronicle

E

tna sits along the Pine Creek tributary of the Allegheny River, immediately north of Pittsburgh. Unless you like to explore, you probably only think about Etna during traffic reports. Route 28 is often backed up “from Etna to the 31st Street Bridge.”

A century ago, Etna had a small Jewish community bringing together about 70 people living in towns along the Allegheny River — Etna, Millvale, Sharpsburg, Aspinwall and even a person or two from Blaw Knox. None of those towns could support communal institutions alone, only together. (You find a similar situation in other corners of Western Pennsylvania, most notably the towns of the Kiski Valley.) This community operated a synagogue and religious school out of a rented building at 386 Butler Street. Today, the building is gone.

The location is home to Kiya Tomlin’s store.

One of the leaders of this community was Harry M. Caplan. He was born in Poland around 1887 and immigrated to Western Pennsylvania as a young man. He started a dress store on Freeport Street in Etna around 1911 and ran it for the next 45 years, even after he relocated to the East End and

became a leader at B’nai wrote after Caplan’s death Israel Congregation. in 1959. “Not Harry. Is it a His passion was Zionism. good purpose? Will it bring He led the Zionist District of comfort to a troubled heart?

Etna and its Junior Zionist Or might it ease a pain or Club and helped reorganize distress? These are all Harry the Zionist Organization of asked. And he labored so America No. 5, covering all quietly, so utterly without of Western Pennsylvania. lust for limelight that one Toward the end of his life, hardly realized how vast was he became a director of the stretch of his service.”

That suggests a reserved, the Hebrew Institute. The Hebrew Institute was not meek figure. In truth, primarily Zionist, but it Caplan was a bright light. shared many of the concerns We have two of his handHarry M. Caplan began of the movement, specifically p written letters, and both working for Zionist causes overflow with idealism an interest in developing the before World War I and and camaraderie. mechanics of Jewish people- finally visited Israel for the “Admiring friends,” hood: knowledge of Jewish first time in April 1958, a he wrote to the Hebrew history, sacred Jewish texts year before his death.

Image provided by and the Hebrew language. the Rauh Jewish Archives Institute board on April 16, 1958. “Regret can not be at Caplan was what used to be called a “worker.” It described something the meeting. I’m flying fast tonight to the between “staff ” and “volunteers.” Workers sweet State of Israel.

“To my brethren of the free — did hard stuff, without compensation. for the first time in 2,000 years Caplan was beloved for consistently taking where the moon and sun really shines on two of the most important and least desirable assignments: finding new members and upon them, the stars sparkle like diamonds cold calling existing members for donations. their speech sounds like music “Some folks won’t touch a task if it doesn’t their institutions are flourishing make the public prints or is not weighted their fields are in full bloom down with glory,” the Jewish Criterion, their trees bear fruits one of the Chronicle’s predecessor papers, their cattle gives real milk and butter

their bees furnish the honey-blossom perfumes.

That’s why they celebrate the 10th ANV and the loyal Jews of the entire Jewish world here-abroad and in our own land join them

with prayers, song-dance-happyand laughter.”

The letter ends with a version of the Priestly Blessing written in third person — rather than second, as the Torah has it. Caplan was addressing it specifically to those “brethren of the free,” his friends at the Hebrew Institute and other workers like them.

Caplan had a four-point platform for communal work: “For our People — For our Homeland — For our Culture — For our Institutions.” Within that framework, every small effort he made from tiny Etna was advancing a global cause, millennia in the making.

After Israel’s Declaration of Independence, in 1948, the local Jewish press naturally sought quotes from the most prominent figures in the community. But the meaning of that moment may have been clearer at the margins: for the sense of purpose it gave to a communal worker from a small town, making cold calls between sales at his dress shop. PJC Eric Lidji is the director of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center. He can be reached at rjarchives@heinzhistorycenter.org or 412-454-6406.

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REVOCABLE AND IRREVOCABLE TRUSTS This is one in a series of articles about Elder Law by Michael H. Marks., Esq. Michael H. Marks is an elder law attorney with offices in Squirrel Hill and Monroeville.

Send questions to michael@marks-law.com or visit www.marks-law.com.

Do you have a Revocable Living Trust? Are you a Trustee or beneficiary of a trust?

Trusts are useful estate planning tools. Trusts serve a very broad range of uses and applications.

What is trust? A trust is a three-way transaction, when the trust creator, also called a grantor or settlor, assigns money or property to be held by someone else they have confidence in – someone they trust, the trustee – for the benefit of a third party, the beneficiary.

Trusts can used be to consolidate and manage assets for yourself or for another person. Trusts are employed to direct or protect an inheritance for family members; to say who will inherit from you, and when, and how. Trusts can be structured to save taxes or to avoid probate estate legal paperwork and proceedings when you die.

Trusts are created to implement charitable gifts.

Trusts help to protect assets against risks and creditors, and are often used to protect disabled beneficiaries and to help them maintain their benefits, while at the same time getting added value from the trust.

Often, trust provisions are contained within a Last Will and Testament, to come into effect only later, when you die, and only if needed, such as when children are still young.

A trust agreement or trust entity can also be created during your lifetime, coming into effect

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and existing immediately upon creation.

A Trust isn’t a place to put things - it’s a different way to own things, rather than as an individual.

The most common type of lifetime trust is a Revocable Trust, or so-called Living Trust.

Using a Living Trust instead of a Will helps to avoid legal probate proceedings and paperwork when you die, and makes it easier for your successor to wind up your affairs. You can amend it or even revoke it at any time. You can play all three roles - be the creator, the trustee and the beneficiary of your own revocable living trust.

The trustee of a trust is a fiduciary, someone who serves for the benefit of another, with a legal obligation at a high level, a “fiduciary duty” to act properly. For example, Trustees are bound by the Prudent Investor Rule, which requires safe investments under the circumstances. Trustees are obligated to protect the principal amount and assets of the trust, to keep records and to act fairly, honestly and lawfully; but above all, to follow the terms and requirements of the trust.

A trustee can be personally liable for wrongful acts.

If you are the trustee of a Revocable Living Trust, perhaps for a family member, be aware that you must give notice to certain beneficiaries when specific events occur, such as if the trust creator should die or be become incapacitated. You might also have to disclose information about the trust on request. You can protect yourself from liability by reporting information periodically to the beneficiaries.

An Irrevocable Trust is just what it sounds like – you can’t revoke it or take it back once it’s created (though modern Pennsylvania trust

laws can actually make it somewhat easier to change or even undo a nominally irrevocable trust, if necessary).

and is vulnerable to the risks of legal or financial problems of the recipient, such as business losses, or being caught up in a divorce.

The reason to choose an irrevocable trust is usually to create a distinct separation between the individual, the trust and its assets. Unlike a revocable trust that you can take back any time, when the trust can’t be changed or undone, it’s more clearly a different entity, not the same as you individually.

If you are a beneficiary of any trust, you can try to enforce the trustee’s obligations to you; however, the original intent of the trust creator will ordinarily control and may be difficult to override. In addition, like any litigation in court, challenging your trustee takes resources – time, energy and money - that may be scarce. One other note: asking the court to remove a trustee is generally a difficult endeavor, allowed only on proof of clear wrongdoing by the trustee.

Property transferred or gifted into an Irrevocable Trust is no longer owned by you as an individual. This can help to avoid taxation, or to make someone eligible for long-term care or disability benefits based on financial need.

Giving a gift through an Irrevocable Trust to a family member can be more secure and protected than making a simple outright gift.

An outright gift can be used for any purpose

At Marks Elder Law, we help people every day set up both Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts, as well as act as a trustee on your behalf to administer the trust and interact with the beneficiary (ies). I invite your questions and feedback. Please let me know how I can help you and your family.

helping you plan for what matters the most

www.marks-law.com

412-421-8944 4231 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

With the increasing costs of long-term care, having the help of a legal professional when planning for your family’s future can help you make better decisions that can result in keeping more of your money.

We help families understand the strategies, the benefits, and risks involved with elder law, disability and estate planning.

Michael H. Marks, Esq. michael@marks-law.com member, national academy of elder law attorneys

Leslie A. Dutchcot, Esq. leslie@marks-law.com

APRIL 16, 2021 7

JC BrainHearing DementiaFIN 2021_Eartique 3/15/21 6:27 PM Page 1

Headlines

Federation distributes another $500,000 in COVID aid

T

he Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has distributed an additional $500,000 to local Jewish agencies for COVID relief.

In total, Federation’s COVID relief distributions have reached $8,153,545 so far, including $2.5 million that the Jewish Healthcare Foundation provided to the JCC. The latest funding includes: $100,000 to the Jewish Association on Aging for COVID testing; $192,000 to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh for COVID testing at Emma Kaufmann Camp; $25,500

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to Hillel Jewish University Center for several items, including finals week care packages and student interns for food and resource distribution; $60,800 to Hillel Academy for laptops, headsets and conference cameras; $60,800 to Community Day School for staffing, including IT support and classroom monitors; and $60,800 to Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh for additional administrative support and COVID facility upgrades. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

Summer service opportunities for young adults

Y

oung adults looking for Jewish service and learning opportunities can apply to be a Service Corps Member with Serve the Moment, a program powered by Repair the World and supported by the Jewish Service Alliance.

Serve the Moment “mobilizes young adults and college students (ages 18-29) through a part-time stipended Jewish service-learning experience from June 21-July 30, 2021,” according to a press release from Repair the World.

Corps Members will devote about 10 hours a week for six weeks, volunteering and

participating in online learning sessions, including those with a focus on food insecurity, education, unemployment, racial justice, and other needs exacerbated by COVID-19. Upon completion of the program they will receive a stipend of $750.

The priority deadline is May 10, 2021, and the final deadline is May 31. Interviews and acceptances will be conducted on a rolling basis, according to the press release. Candidates can apply at tfaforms.com/4841213. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

Treasured Video and Photo Memories? This week in Israeli history — WORLD —

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A Notable Personality • Philip Chosky-Pittsburgh

Giving people in need a helping hand, providing for scholarships to enhance culture, and funding important priorities within the community were all central to Philip Chosky. Born in the Hill District in 1925, Philip’s brilliant mind took him first to Carnegie Tech for an electrical engineering degree and then on to found Rosedale Technical Institute in 1949. He also founded both the Electronics Institutes of Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, programs that afforded graduates associates degrees. Philip always found it in his heart to assist veterans through scholarships as they prepared for their post-military careers.

This pioneer in technical education shared his good fortune with causes close to him with an emphasis on theater arts, education, science and children’s programs. This man, who had no children, has a legacy that lives on through bettering students’ lives as well as the lives of needy individuals in the Pittsburgh area.

When Philip talked, which was not often as he was a quiet man, his trademark wit and humor came out. He established the Philip Chosky Charitable and Educational Foundation in 1996, and was joined by his close friend Charles Kirshner as its first Executive Director. Charles’s guidance, along with fellow advisors Stanley Barg and Judge Michael O’Malley, was invaluable as the Philip Chosky Charitable and Educational Foundation set its course for the future. The Foundation has made Pittsburgh and Jewish Pittsburgh a better place to live, and is ably led by Meryl Ainsman as its Executive Director.

Philip Chosky passed away in 2011 and is buried at Machsikei HaDas Cemetery in Reserve Township.

For more information about JCBA cemeteries, to volunteer, to read our complete histories and/or to make a contribution, please visit our website at www.JCBApgh.org, email us at jcbapgh@gmail.com, or call the JCBA office at 412-553-6469

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

April 16, 1983 — Watches, art are stolen from Islamic Museum

In what may be the costliest heist in modern Israel, watches, clocks and paintings worth tens of millions of dollars are stolen overnight from the Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem.

April 17, 1948 — Rabin leads relief convoy into Jerusalem

Commanded by Yitzhak Rabin, the Harel Brigade delivers a convoy of supplies to Jewish residents of Jerusalem who have been blockaded since February. Arab forces again cut off the city April 20.

April 18, 1955 — Albert Einstein dies

Physicist Albert Einstein, who declined an offer to serve as Israel’s president in 1952, dies at 76. He was drawn to Zionism after World War I and raised money for the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

April 19, 1956 — Writer Gadi Taub is born

Gadi Taub, a leading academic interpreter of modern Zionism, is born in Jerusalem.

A Hebrew University instructor and newspaper columnist, he also writes novels and works on films and TV series.

April 20, 1799 — Napoleon backs Jewish claim to Palestine

While laying siege to Turkish-held Acre, Napoleon issues a proclamation offering to give Palestine to the Jewish nation if France captures it, but he fails to win the support of Palestine’s Jews.

April 21, 1947 — 2 Jewish Militants kill themselves before hanging

Moshe Barazani, 20, of Lehi (the Stern Gang) and Meir Feinstein, 19, of the Irgun kill themselves with a grenade smuggled into their prison cell to prevent the British from hanging them the next morning.

April 22, 1948 — Haganah seizes Haifa

The Haganah executes a three-pronged attack to secure control of Haifa except for the port, which the British hold, amid the violence ahead of the Israeli Declaration of Independence. PJC

JCBA’s expanded vision is made possible by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Foundation

8 APRIL 16, 2021

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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Headlines you a fun time.”

— WORLD —

Earliest evidence of kosher diet in UK found in 800-year-old animal bones from Oxford

From JTA reports

Julian Edelman, star Jewish wide receiver for Patriots, to retire

Julian Edelman, the New England Patriots wide receiver who has shown his Jewish pride on a number of occasions, will retire following a stellar 11-year career in which he won Most Valuable Player in Super Bowl LIII and won two more championships.

The longtime Steeler nemesis was at his best in the big games, finishing second all-time with 118 postseason receptions, trailing only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s 151.

Edelman, now 34, has a Jewish father but was not raised in the religion. It was during his breakout campaign in 2013 that, coincidentally or not, he identified as Jewish in an interview with the NFL Network.In 2014, he wore a pin featuring the Israeli flag, has tweeted about Jewish holidays and wrote a children’s book that references Theodor Herzl.

After the Tree of Life shooting in 2018, he wore special cleats with Hebrew on them to honor the victims. Last month, he reached out on social media to NBA center Meyers Leonard, who used an anti-Semitic slur while playing a video game on the public Twitch channel.

“Let’s do a Shabbat dinner with some friends,” Edelman wrote Leonard. “I’ll show

Archaeologists in the United Kingdom discovered findings from a medieval Jewish community of Oxford that they said were the earliest evidence of a religious diet.

The findings, locked inside pottery fragments excavated in Oxford, go back to the 12th and 13th centuries following William the Conqueror’s invitation to Jews in Northern France to settle in England.

The fragments came from two former homes in Oxford’s center that belonged to Jews: Jacob f. mag. Moses and Elekin f. Bassina, according to a report in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences last week on the findings by the researchers from the University of Bristol.

“A remarkable animal bone assemblage was unearthed in this latrine, dominated by domestic fowl (mainly goose), and with a complete absence of pig bones, hinting at a kosher diet,” the researchers wrote.

Fish bones comprised only species such as herring, which are kosher, they added.

The lead author of the research, Julie Dunne from the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry, said in a statement about the study: “This is a remarkable example of how biomolecular information extracted from medieval pottery and combined with

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‘These people and their f***ing tree houses’: Andrew Cuomo chafed at campaigning on Sukkot

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has long prided himself on his strong relationship with the Jewish community — a relationship he dates back to his father’s three terms as governor.

But that love for the Jewish community apparently does not extend to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

In a story about Cuomo’s political career, The New York Times Magazine reported Cuomo’s frustration with a campaign appearance at a Sukkot event during his run for attorney general in 2006.

“These people and their f***ing tree houses,” Cuomo said to his team, according to The Times.

A spokesman denied the comment.

“His two sisters married Jewish men, and he has the highest respect for Jewish traditions,” the spokesman said.

Sukkot is marked by eating, and sometimes sleeping, in a sukkah, a temporary hut often built from wood and covered in tree branches.

Cuomo’s relationship with the Jewish community has largely been positive for most of his career. But his ties with the

Orthodox Jewish community hit a rough patch in the fall when Cuomo ordered tightened restrictions on a number of Orthodox neighborhoods with heightened COVID-19 test positivity rates during a major surge in cases. Coincidentally or not, those restrictions were announced during Sukkot.

One Orthodox advocacy group, Agudath Israel, even sued Cuomo, claiming that a rule restricting attendance at religious services in those neighborhoods was a violation of religious liberty. The Supreme Court agreed with Agudath Israel in November and the rule eventually was amended.

Cuomo’s comments about Sukkot were revealed as the governor continues to power through a multifaceted political scandal involving multiple accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct, charges that his office tampered with the number of COVID-19 deaths of nursing home residents and a newer scandal involving government employees working on his memoir about the early days of the pandemic.

The political firestorm was set off when Lindsey Boylan, a former aide now running for Manhattan Borough president, accused Cuomo of sexual harassment and kissing her in his office in February, followed by nine other accusations. The state attorney general has opened an investigation into the accusations and multiple New York elected officials have called on Cuomo to resign, but he has refused to step down. PJC

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APRIL 16, 2021 9

Opinion America has made a serious mistake on UNRWA Guest Columnist Ben Cohen

T

he Biden administration’s regressive decision to include $150 million for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as part of its restoration of more than $200 million of financial aid to the Palestinians symbolizes its deeper refusal to recognize the gargantuan obstacle this agency has placed in the way of resolving their ongoing conflict with Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statement last week clearly demonstrated the administration’s conviction that the Palestinian issue must be treated as a humanitarian question before anything else. On the subject of UNRWA, Blinken entirely overlooked the serious, copiously documented accusations against the agency that range from institutionalized corruption to the propagation of anti-Semitism, focusing instead on the provision of educational services to 500,000 Palestinian children of school age along with “health care, medicine, medical supplies … and cash and food assistance to families severely impacted by COVID-19.”

Blinken’s only concession to the concerns about UNRWA that have been expressed by American politicians from both sides of the

aisle for most of President Joe Biden’s political career was to offer the assurance that the United States “is deeply committed to ensuring that our partnership with UNRWA promotes neutrality, accountability and transparency.” He then noted, “as with all of our engagements with U.N. institutions, the United States needs to be at the table to ensure that the reforms advance efficiencies and are in accord with our interests and values” — a rehash of the same argument Blinken used to explain the U.S. decision to return to the structurally flawed U.N. Human Rights Council back in February.

The policy of the previous Trump administration, which suspended aid to the Palestinians in August 2018, was never going to be sustainable in the long term without a viable alternative to agencies like UNRWA. What the new administration has done, however, is to reinvest U.S. taxpayer money in a thoroughly discredited institution whose historic purpose has been to perpetuate, rather than resolve, the question of as many as 700,000 Arab refugees from Israel’s 1947-48 War of Independence and their descendants in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, who presently number 5 million stateless people.

The basic problem with UNRWA is reasonably well-known. The only U.N. humanitarian agency to be exclusively dedicated to a single refugee question, UNRWA also has its own definition of who constitutes a refugee. Whereas the United Nations main

refugee agency, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, doesn’t transfer refugee status from parents to children, UNRWA does exactly this, in theory for all eternity.

This means that those Palestinians registered with UNRWA are condemned to refugee status while they wait for their leadership to dismantle the Zionist entity and return them to their rightful homes.

UNRWA’s primary function is to reinforce this status by categorizing a Palestinian child who is born tomorrow in Jordan or Lebanon as a “refugee.” As non-citizens of the countries in which they actually reside, Palestinians are thereby denied educational and employment opportunities and subjected to humiliating bureaucratic discrimination, all for the sake of their eventual “national liberation.”

As well as bolstering this wretched status, UNRWA provides Palestinians with the requisite ideological tools to preserve their generalized hatred of Israel. In the very schools portrayed by Blinken as providing an essential service, it is also the case that hatred and contempt for Jews and Israel is ingrained as a habit of mind, pressed upon impressionable kids in the playground, in math class and certainly in their history and language studies.

A January 2021 investigation into the curriculum in UNRWA schools by IMPACT-se — an Israel-based institute that carries out first-class research on intolerance in education across the region — produced

some alarming, if not unexpected, findings.

“UNRWA-produced material frequently references, and sometimes directly reproduces, texts and phrases from the PA textbooks that glorify violence and sacrificing one’s life and blood to defend the ‘motherland,’” the report observed. “Such examples include Arabic grammar exercises that use the language of jihad and sacrifice. … We were unable to find any direct condemnation of violence or approach to resolve conflict within the UNRWA-produced material.”

For those tempted to believe that Palestinian schoolchildren would be provided with a more benign view of Israel in the event of achieving Palestinian statehood, consider IMPACT-se’s assessment of how they are taught to perceive Jews.

“UNRWA-produced materials were also found to consistently ignore Jewish history, despite Jews being one of the major ethnic groups of the region. Historical Jewish presence in the region is not discussed and no substantial information was provided about Jewish culture or religion which would have been well within UNRWA’s mandate to ‘enrich the curriculum,’” the report remarked. “The majority of references with regard to this issue included allegations that Israel is striving to systematically ‘Judaize’ Jerusalem … Jews are rarely mentioned in non-negative or neutral contexts.”

Please see UNRWA, page 11

Prince Philip’s powerful and natural link with the Jewish community Guest Columnist Zaki Cooper

T

he differentiating factor of a royal engagement with the Duke of Edinburgh was laughter from the guests. The Duke’s humour and irreverence are well documented, and I had a close-up view of this in my three years working at Buckingham Palace, whether he was speaking to young or old, aristocracy or celebrity, Brit or foreigner.

The Duke’s death at the age of 99 leaves a hole in the fabric of the nation, as the Queen’s companion and steadfast support over 73 years of marriage.

The Duke had a powerful and natural connection with the Jewish community. I think that was based on three things.

The first was the influence of Kurt Hahn, a German Jew who escaped the Nazis and came to the U.K., establishing Gordounstoun, the Scottish private school. Prince Philip, who had been born in Corfu and was part of both the Greek and Danish royal families, became one of Hahn’s early pupils at Gordounstoun.

Hahn was a formative influence on the young prince. He advocated stretching young people to their potential, encapsulated

10 APRIL 16, 2021

in his motto, “There is more in you than you think.” He also thought that freedom and discipline were not mutually exclusive, and both were necessary ingredients to mold young people’s character. Although Hahn later converted to Christianity in 1945, his German Jewish roots were a strong part of his identity.

The second link the Duke had with the Jewish community was through his mother, Princess Alice, who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust. She hid a Jewish family, the Cohens, at her house in Athens during the war.

Years later, in 1994, she was made a Righteous Among the Nations and the Duke visited Israel for the ceremony. Speaking on that occasion, he said: “It never occurred to her that her action was in any way special. She would have considered it to be a perfectly natural human reaction to fellow beings in distress.” On his visit to Jerusalem, the prince was able to visit his mother’s grave at the Russian Orthodox church of St. Mary Magdalene.

The lesson of Princess Alice’s heroic action seemed to leave an indelible mark on the prince. It gave him an appreciation of humanity’s capacity for scapegoating and prejudice, and he showed empathy to the victims of this. This even came to light as a young boy when he came to the rescue of a fellow Jewish pupil at school in Germany, who was picked on and had his hair cut off.

Speaking decades later, the Prince of Wales

said: “I shall always be proud of my father’s act of compassion.” The Duke’s personal experience and family history meant that he had a particular interest in engagements with Holocaust survivors, which became more frequent over recent years.

The third connection point the Duke had to the Jewish community was an alignment of values. Through a series of conversations I’ve had with different people in the know over the years, I am convinced that the Duke was admiring of Jewish values of hard work and resilience along with a can-do spirit. The Jewish story of bouncing back from setback and persecution would have found favour in the no-nonsense Duke’s eyes. He channeled his vision through his charity, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, which he founded in 1956 and operates in 144 countries including Israel. Of course, Jewish schools have participated and many Jewish philanthropists have supported this famous charity.

The Duke has engaged with Jewish charities, visited Jewish schools and worked with Jewish figures over the years. One of his most interesting areas of work was in convening an interfaith dialogue between Jews, Christians, and Muslims in 1984, together with Sir Evelyn de Rothschild and Crown Prince El Hassan of Jordan. He also founded the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, and it’s no surprise that his eldest son and grandson are so engaged in

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

environmental work.

I have my own memories of the Duke, mainly from the engagements I worked on. My mind wanders to the annual meeting the Duke did with the cricket County Champions at the Palace every year, a Council of Christians and Jews gala dinner in 2011 or a visit to a Hindu school at the start of Jubilee year in 2012, which he seemed so much to enjoy. I saw him and the Queen work side by side. He would often lighten the mood and was an important foil for the more formal Queen.

My favourite anecdote about the Duke (courtesy of Barry Hyman) relates to when he visited the Sternberg Centre in the 1990s and was shown the interfaith room, with his hosts telling him that they worked hard on JewishChristian relationships. “Really,” he replied, “and what about Jewish-Jewish relationships?”!

Unsurprising for a 90-plus-year-old, his health has been up and down. He had a scare during the Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and missed some of the main weekend celebrations that year. His loss 62 days before his 100th birthday, and the year before the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, comes at a particularly cruel time (the Queen lost her mother and sister at the start of Golden Jubilee year in 2002). PJC Zaki Cooper is a trustee of the Council of Christians and Jews, and is on the Advisory Council of the Indian Jewish Association. This piece first appeared in Britain’s Jewish News.

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Opinion A tribute to the bereaved parents of unsung fallen Israelis Guest Columnist Ruthie Blum

A

s Israel enters the 24-hour period that marks Yom Hazikaron — Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism (this year, on April 13-14) — the country turns its attention to individual stories of heroism and bereavement. The annual tradition, enacted into law in 1963, is notable for its purposeful proximity to Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. Indeed, as soon as the sun literally and figuratively sets on the somber nationwide ceremonies honoring those killed on behalf of the Jewish state, the public celebrates its birth with a burst of fireworks.

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, social-distancing regulations prevented mourners last year from descending en masse on Israel’s 53 military cemeteries. Instead, the families and friends of the thousands of fallen soldiers buried in various locations were asked to stagger their gravesite visits.

The grieving mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, spouses and offspring told reporters that they don’t need a particular date to remind them of the person whom they lost, as they live with their heartache every day. Yet all agreed that the difficulty posed by the government’s coronavirus restrictions was the inability to gather at one another’s homes on Yom Hazikaron to shed communal tears and share fond memories.

The Hebrew media, therefore, are making much of the relief that the bereaved feel at the prospect of a “post-corona” Memorial Day, when they can now congregate to recount tales of their late sons’ and daughters’ bravery, hopes and dreams.

Photos of these happy youngsters on pre-army treks in India or South America are on display in newspapers and magazines.

Videos of such kids composing songs for instruments that they played so beautifully before their lives were cut short are broadcast on TV for all to see and identify with.

Teachers are seen reminiscing about their late students’ academic prowess and generosity of spirit toward fellow classmates.

Widows are heard talking wistfully about their heroic dead husbands who won’t get

the chance to see their babies grow up.

It’s virtually impossible to remain dry-eyed at these mini-biographies of so many incredible Israelis who died in the line of admirable duty.

But there’s another group of bereaved parents far from the limelight, unable to engage in the kind of collective mourning that characterizes Memorial Day. These are the mothers and fathers of kids who committed suicide during their service in the Israel Defense Forces — after suffering from periods of depression, unrequited love, unfulfilled perfectionism and probably a less-than-stellar adolescence.

Though suicide, like illness and accidents, is counted in the annual tally of casualties among soldiers, police and civilians, it is not championed as “heroic” or highlighted on Yom Hazikaron. Nor are the parents of suicide victims as likely as their more “normative” counterparts to revel in or dwell on the circumstances surrounding their children’s demise.

Sadly, however, these mothers and fathers — who warrant just as much empathy as those given constant accolades for their kids’ accomplishments — are largely ignored.

It’s actually odd, considering that suicide remains what the IDF admitted in January is

the leading cause of death among its troops.

According to IDF Manpower Directorate commander Maj. Gen. Moti Almoz, of the 28 soldiers who died last year, nine took their own lives. Eight of these were men, and five served in combat units.

Almoz claimed that because of prevention programs, the IDF has a lower suicide rate than the country as a whole and less than many other of the world’s militaries.

He boasted that four soldiers were saved in 2020 thanks to cell phone data used to locate them before they managed to selfharm. In addition, he said, IDF commanders are better equipped these days to recognize suicide warning signs.

If so, they and the rest of the public, which stands in silence at the sound of the siren denoting the start of Yom Hazikaron, should give thought and pay tribute to the families of the unsung fallen Israelis gunned down at their own hands.

May their memories be a blessing. PJC Ruthie Blum is an Israel-based journalist and author of “To Hell in a Handbasket: Carter, Obama, and the ‘Arab Spring.’” This piece was first published on JNS.

A legacy language Guest Columnist Manya Brachear Pashman

I

f mastery of Hebrew and Yiddish were required to host a Jewish podcast, I would be out of a job. I butcher Hebrew and my Yiddish is, well, farshtunken. My husband hates it when I “k-vetch” or “k-vell.”

It pains him to hear me habitually separate the K and the V. So the news this week that Yale University will begin offering Yiddish courses and the language learning app Duolingo added Yiddish to its menu was klezmer to my ears.

Finally, I can learn to pronounce these words properly. Now there’s even an app for that.

But the study of Yiddish is more than just learning how to enunciate schlep and schmooze and schmutz. It’s about preserving yet another component of European Jewish culture that was almost silenced. It’s a reminder of what we have lost and what we can never allow to happen again.

UNRWA: Continued from page 10

As true as it may be that Palestinians who want a stable, prosperous life have been poorly served by UNRWA and the ideological warfare it wages, the answer is not to dissolve these institutions with a sweep of the hand, as the underlying problem remains intact. But even recognizing this, if the Biden administration is PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Experts say there are fewer than a million Yiddish speakers in the world today, down from around 11 million before World War II. More than 85 percent of the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust are believed to have spoken Yiddish, a combination of medieval German that incorporates Hebrew, Polish and Russian. Those who survived and moved to America or Israel assimilated and adopted English or Hebrew.

Yiddish is one of several fading dialects Duolingo has added to its course catalog in recent years. Its Irish course, for example, launched in 2014. (Confession: I didn’t know there was a separate Irish language until last month when American Jewish Committee invited the Irish Consul General and others to recite the Four Questions of Passover.)

To understand the significance of the Yiddish awakening, I reached out to Zalmen Mlotek, the artistic director of the National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene. Mlotek helped create the off-Broadway hit “Fiddler on the Roof ” in Yiddish. If any piece of musical theater can tap a trend, “Fidler afn Dakh” certainly did.

Before the pandemic, the production was set to launch an international tour with a

cast already selected in Australia, which also became home to a number of Yiddish speakers after World War II. Mlotek said the American theater was not founded more than a century ago to preserve the language, but to entertain and inform the millions of Jewish immigrants in their lingua franca. It became a staple.

The theater was where many immigrants saw plays by William Shakespeare and Leo Tolstoy translated into Yiddish. Now it presents non-Yiddish productions too.

In 2022, it expects to feature the world premiere of “The Garden of the FinziContinis,” an English language opera based on the movie about the Holocaust in Italy, and Barry Manilow’s labor of love, “Harmony,” about a vaudeville singing group in 1920s Germany.

The theater offers lessons online and teaches its actors to speak and sing in Yiddish for certain productions, but that’s not the primary purpose, Mlotek said.

That’s a byproduct.

He described the revived interest in Yiddish as an arc. Jewish immigrants did everything they could to stop speaking

unwilling or unable to propose a viable alternative to UNRWA — in the form of an agency that concentrates on integrating the descendants of Palestinian refugees as full citizens of the nations where they now live — then it can at least demand some reforms in return for what we can call, if we’re being very generous, its good faith gesture.

I can think of at least three demands, all of them reasonable. First, all negative references to Jews and Israel in UNRWA educational and

publicity materials must be removed within the next year, and verifiably replaced with neutral examples recognizing that Israel is as legitimate as any other state in the region. Second, the well-documented corruption within UNRWA, which resulted in the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland all temporarily halting their funding to the agency in 2019, must be stamped out. And third, UNRWA must shift its fundamental priorities so that its goal emphasizes integration of the refugees

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Yiddish and to ensure their children spoke the language of the land. As second, third and fourth generations now seek a connection to their roots, the desire to preserve traditions such as language has gone far beyond nostalgia into full blown revival.

High school and university classes have sprung up in Israel too. Mlotek, who is about to gain a son-in-law in Israel, recently enrolled in Duolingo’s Hebrew classes. Out of curiosity, he will probably enroll in the Yiddish classes too, though he’s already fluent.

I asked him how to conquer my phonetic challenges. He tried to coach me through that KV combination and others. At first it seemed to be working, or as he said, arbetn.

“Arbetn,” I repeated, adding that I practically swallowed my tongue to get it right.

Perfect, he kvelled. Maybe there’s hope for me yet. PJC Manya Brachear Pashman is co-host of People of the Pod, an American Jewish Committee podcast about global affairs through a Jewish lens. This piece is reprinted from The Times of Israel. A version of this piece originally aired on People of the Pod.

right now, rather than the elimination of Israel in some distant, dystopian tomorrow. For if the Palestinian issue really is a humanitarian one first and foremost, then there is no need for UNRWA to retain this ideological role— and every reason to ditch it. PJC Ben Cohen is a New York City-based journalist and author who writes a weekly column on Jewish and international affairs for JNS, where this piece first appeared.

APRIL 16, 2021 11

Headlines Vaccines: Continued from page 1

On April 15, the JCC and Allegheny Health Network will partner on a clinic for Greenfield, Hazelwood, Wilkinsburg, Oakland and East Liberty residents, and are preparing to distribute up to 1,500 Pfizer vaccines during that event, said Kunzman. Second doses will be administered on May 13.

In recent days the Jewish Community Center, through its Center for Loving Kindness, has reached out to 79 community-based organizations within those five neighborhoods. Feedback from those efforts has given JCC leadership reason to believe the April 15 event will be wellattended, said Kunzman.

On April 18, the JCC and UPMC are partnering on a clinic for members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Both the JCC and UPMC are prepared to distribute up to 1,000 vaccines at that event, said Kunzman.

Prior to both the April 15 and April 18 clinics, the JCC has strived to reduce barriers to vaccination, said Kunzman, including adjusting event hours to accommodate work schedules and addressing cultural needs.

Those actions, as well as partnering with local entities and working to bolster residents’ health, are central to the JCC’s’s mission and history, explained Brian Schreiber, the organization’s president and CEO. During the 1918 influenza pandemic, the Irene Kaufmann Settlement House (which later became the Jewish Community Center) was performing considerable “on-theground work,” said Schreiber.

In November of that year, the Jewish Criterion, a precursor to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, reported that “nurses, and indeed all the workers, of the Irene Kaufmann Settlement have gone into hundreds of homes visited by disease and death and given help to the sick and cheer and comfort to the bereaved.”

p More than 4,700 people have received vaccination against COVID-19 thanks to the partnership between the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and the Squirrel Hill Health Center.

Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

“When you look at that history, and you look at what we’re trying to do today in so many ways, 100 years later the stories are very parallel,” said Schreiber.

While the past year has been challenging, it’s also been “a very special time,” he said.

Friedberg Kalson agreed.

“The past year has tested all of us,” she said. “It’s been enormously challenging. The

silver lining in this is the partnerships and collaboration and the deep sense of community that we have with the JCC, as with other partners around the county.”

Friedberg Kalson credited the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation with supporting the effort.

“We are all working together to put an

Teacher: Continued from page 1

curriculum, even though at times the entire school day was spent online.

In addition to the education of her students, their safety has always been a primary concern, even prior to COVID. “It’s just that now there’s an added layer to it,” she said.

It was out of concern for the students’ welfare that she supported the return to in-person learning. Students, she said, “desperately” wanted to return to the classroom.

Because of the students’ enthusiasm, the school was able to make the year work, Wimer said.

“There was a lot of worry and fear, but because everybody has just been so fully on-board with following protocol and trusting the science, the year overall has actually been fairly successful.”

Hillel Academy leadership has worked hard to maintain safety requirements so that both teachers and students felt comfortable, Wimer explained.

“I remember over the summer, I was helping with camp and Rabbi [Yisroel] Smith 12 APRIL 16, 2021

p Sonja Wimer teaches her Hillel Academy students, socially distanced and wearing masks Photo provided by Sonja Wimer

was literally measuring with a yardstick all the classrooms to see how many desks could technically fit,” she said.

That has been typical throughout the

year, Wimer said, with school administrators taking charge of safety measures so that teachers could focus on students.

Wimer got the COVID-19 vaccine early

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

end to this pandemic and vaccination is the way it will end,” Friedberg Kalson added. “I just encourage everybody to get vaccinated.

Please, please, please — it is safe. It is what is going to allow us to be free of what we’ve all lived through.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. with a leftover dose from a clinic when the state was primarily inoculating healthcare workers. It felt as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders, she said.

“I guess I didn’t realize how much it weighed on me until I was vaccinated,” Wimer said. “We’re still being very careful, because there’s still a lot that we don’t know.

But I didn’t realize how stressful it was until I got the vaccine.”

Masked or unmasked, virtual or in person, Wimer thinks that the pandemic has proven the business of education to be an example of that word she keeps returning to: “resilience.”

“There’s always going to be people figuring out new innovative ways to continue education no matter what obstacles get in the way,” she said.

Well, except maybe one old standby: the snow day.

“I do think that part of childhood is playing in the snow when there’s snow, and we don’t get a whole lot of it anymore,” she said. “I think that, especially in the face of all these challenges, you do have to remember to have a little bit of fun.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Glatstein: Continued from page 3

and helped form and, for 30-plus years, guide the Vaad Harabanim of Pittsburgh.

Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel, who has been serving the Vaad Harabanim for nearly 20 years, recalls Glatstein and his wife delivering kugel to area seniors before Shabbat each week.

“His dedication to that population, his dedication throughout, was legendary,” Vogel told the Chronicle. “He meant so much to the Pittsburgh Jewish community. He was very nurturing and a very kindhearted, gentle soul. He brought a lot of warmth to a lot of people.”

Vogel remembered when Glatstein left Pittsburgh after the death of his wife in 2018. He spent his remaining years with Yossi Glatstein, one of his three children, in Brooklyn.

“You never heard an idle word from him,” Vogel said, simply adding, “This is a big loss to the community.”

During his time in Pittsburgh, Glatstein also embraced the mitzvah of “chesed shel emes,” officiating at funerals for those without families or without means to provide a proper Jewish burial, his son said.

Former Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff

Miracle: Continued from page 5

Theatre for a special Zoom production of the play in honor of Genocide Awareness Month.

It is available for streaming April 16-26.

“Miracle in Rwanda” director Steven Wilson was not aware of the enormity of the slaughter of the Tutsi minority by Rwandan militias until he was asked to direct the show, he said. Now, the South Hills native is invested in the story and wants more people to learn about what happened in the African nation.

“I hope people have the same feelings and reactions I had when I first learned about this, which is, ‘I can’t believe this occurred.

I can’t believe I didn’t learn about this. I can’t believe that such little information was offered to us about this huge thing,’” Wilson said. “I want to learn more because this is such a small part of a much larger story.”

The play is based on the life of New York Times bestselling author Immaculée Ilibagiza, chronicling her experiences during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Uwamahoro previously performed “Miracle in Rwanda” at Theatre Row-The Lion Theatre in New York City, handpicked for the role by the play’s author, Leslie Lewis, in 2019. She is excited to perform the work again as part of Genocide Awareness Month, she said, and for the opportunity to work with Wilson.

Wilson said he’s attracted to stories about social justice and activism and was drawn to help Uwamahoro tell the story, despite being removed from the subject matter.

“This is a Rwandan story with a Rwandan performer,” he said. “I am very aware of the vessel I appear in. I wanted to make it very clear to Malaika that I’m not here to dictate any sort of perspective. The perspective is PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

“ I knew I had a great father because you

observed it every single day in everything

”

he did.

Chronicle welcomes veteran journalist Gabe Kahn

— YOSSI GLATSTEIN officially declared March 28, 1993, Rabbi Mordecai and Cyna Glatstein Day, in recognition of their contributions to enhancing the lives of their fellow citizens and the Jewish community.

Rabbi Levi Langer, dean of the Kollel Jewish Learning Center in Squirrel Hill, came to know Glatstein when he was well into his 90s: Glatstein took part in Langer’s Talmud class and rarely missed a session.

“Old age was no impediment to him,” Langer said. “He was in his 90s and it was impossible to get him down.”

Glatstein remembered hearing the wails of Jews as they died in the Nazi gas chambers at Dachau during the Holocaust, many of them screaming that nobody would survive to say the Kaddish for them.

“When he survived, he dedicated himself to praying Kaddish for those who had lost

their lives,” Langer said. “He was really dedicated to that. He would pray standing for hours on Yom Kippur. He was indomitable. He always thought about how he was doing these things for those who left no one behind. He was a very inspiring figure.”

Glatstein was buried beside his wife on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem on the fourth day of Pesach, surrounded by family and dozens of mourners.

Yossi Glatstein said he always knew his father was a very special man.

“I knew I had a great father because you observed it every single day in everything he did,” he said, fighting back tears. “My father was the light of my life.” PJC

Malaika’s. She’s the expert.”

Both Wilson and Uwamahoro are seasoned artists. Wilson has directed more than 20 shows, including classics by Shakespeare and contemporary pieces like “A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant.” Uwamahoro has appeared in film, television and stage productions. Still, staging a play in the age of COVID-19 for an online audience was unusual for both of them.

“It was a unique experience,” Uwamahoro said. “I think you have to be very clear with your direction and very articulate about what you want and not get frustrated by these boxes. That’s what Steven was able to clearly do.”

Like live theater, collaboration is important to Zoom productions, Wilson said. He credits not just Uwamahoro and Rwandan musician Teta Diana for helping to create an immersive experience, but also HearCorp, a multimedia company, for assisting him in crafting his vision.

“I feel like we’re still trying to figure out what exactly theater is now,” Wilson said.

“This is very much a hybrid of film and theater. I’m used to working with performers and artists and designers and with this I walked in and HearCorp were like, ‘What do you want? Tell us what you want, and we’ll make it happen.’”

Wilson noted the multiple cameras used by HearCorp.

“There’s an aerial camera, there’s three cameras on the ground, one’s on a dolly that moves, one center, and one is on another side, stationary,” he said.

With all of the angles and the new way of looking at the production, Wilson said that HearCorp staff often had to remind him to not get distracted by the look of what was happening on the stage, and instead focus on the various monitors.

“It’s really wild, the options you have, and maybe it does give it a very cinematic feel,” Wilson said. “But at the same time, it’s obvious this is a live presentation.”

Lauren Apter Bairnsfather, director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, said the idea to produce “Miracle in Rwanda” came after a conversation with Prime Stage leaders, who wanted to do something in recognition of Yom HaShoah, which was observed on April 8.

Since the Holocaust Center already had its Yom HaShoah program planned, Bairnsfather thought a play in recognition of Genocide Awareness Month would make more sense.

“For genocide awareness, we want people to know that this is the growth in how we educate about the Holocaust,” Bairnsfather said. “We want people to realize that when we say, ‘Never again,’ we mean it, but genocides continue to happen. So, we haven’t reached ‘never again.’ We have a long way to go.”

Immediately following the live performance on April 10, Prime Stage hosted a Talkback event with Bairnsfather, Uwamahoro and Immaculée Ilibagiza.

On April 18, Pittsburgh’s Holocaust Center is teaming with the Holocaust and Genocide Center in Johannesburg, South Africa, for an hour-long international conversation. The public forum will include school children from Pittsburgh, South Africa and Rwanda.

It will feature brief clips from the play as well as speakers Uwamahoro, Bairnsfather, Prime Stage Theatre Production Director Wayne Brinda and Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Executive Director Tali Nates.

Information on streaming the play and programming can be found at hcofpgh. org/rwanda. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

 Gabe Kahn

Photo by Amy Margulies

T

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is pleased to announce Gabe Kahn has joined its team as contributing editor.

Kahn previously served as editor of the New Jersey Jewish News and The Jewish Advocate in Massachusetts, and his work has appeared in the New York Jewish Week, Long Island Jewish World and Manhattan Jewish Sentinel. He has also worked in the field of public relations.

Before moving to Jewish journalism, Kahn wrote about sports, primarily as a beat writer covering the Boston Celtics for the Boston Metro and later as an editor for OT, a weekly magazine published by The Boston Globe.

Kahn said it was a dream come true to cover sports in Boston, his hometown.

“As a native Bostonian, we’re raised to care about sports before traffic safety,” he said.

When he moved to New York in 2009, journalism afforded Kahn the opportunity to intermix two of his other passions, “Judaism and writing,” he said. “And it worked out well because no other place was so understanding when I couldn’t work on Jewish holidays.”

He received his Master of Journalism from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and his Bachelor of Arts from Brandeis University.

“Gabe brings a wealth of experience in both Jewish and secular journalism,” said Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle.

“We look forward to his helping us in our quest to continually improve the Chronicle.”

Kahn has two children and lives in Manhattan. PJC — David Rullo

GET THE news.

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APRIL 16, 2021 15

Life & Culture JFilm’s 2021 season showcases Jewish-themed films from around the world — FILM —

J

Film, the region’s long-standing Jewish film festival, begins its 28th season online on April 22 and runs through May 2, featuring 18 international Jewish-themed films. From the opening night showing of “Sublet,” the tale of a middle-aged gay travel writer in Israel, to “Thou Shalt Not Hate,” an Italian-language drama about a Jewish surgeon experiencing guilt in the aftermath of an ethical dilemma, the films thread universal themes of love, acceptance and discovery.

Complementary events during the 11-day festival include 12 filmmaker Q&As and three “Film Schmoozes” with members of the University of Pittsburgh community.

Additionally, on April 26, JFilm is hosting a live panel discussion with “Shared Legacies” director Shari Rodgers; former United States Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rabbi David Saperstein; Center of Life CEO and pastor of the Keystone Church of Hazelwood, Tim Smith; and Pittsburgh Steeler Zach Banner.

As in years past, the festival’s films come from around the world, including Canada, Denmark, Israel and Mexico.

Reviews of six of the films follow. For a complete schedule and to view trailers, visit filmpittsburgh.org/jfilm/films.

“Aulcie”

English/Hebrew; 74 minutes More than 40 years before NBA superstar Amar’e Stoudemire suited up for Maccabi Tel Aviv, another American-born basketball player took Israel by storm. After being cut from the New York Knicks in 1975, Aulcie Perry, a 6’10” overlooked center, arrived in the Jewish state. Perry’s ability to lead Maccabi Tel Aviv to two EuroLeague Championships, and captivate a country’s heart during nine seasons of play, begins director Dani Menkin’s 74-minute film.

 “Aulcie”

 “The Electrifiers”

As the documentary unfolds, however, the Israeli hero’s professional career wanes as his struggles rise. Relationship difficulties and drug addiction plague the international superstar ending his meteoric climb from Newark’s gang-filled streets.

Menkin relies on interviews with Tal Brody, an American-Israeli basketball player, as well as conversations with teammates and coaches in telling Perry’s redemption story.

Whether “Aulcie” hits that shot or suffers a near miss largely depends on how one views Menkin’s portrayal of Perry’s quest to explain himself and reconnect with family. Unlike the EuroLeague Championships, life doesn’t keep score and it’s often tough to tell who wins even after the buzzer sounds.

— Adam Reinherz

you can’t go any lower. Mickey found a way to fall even lower.”

Mickey’s luck starts to change after Anna Lev, a much younger singer confined to a wheelchair due to a spinal cord injury, joins the band.

A talent agent from America comes to Israel and sees the “The Electrifiers” perform. The band’s sound, freshened by the addition of Lev, is a hit and they are booked for at least one show in the United States.

Just when it seems things are on the upswing, issues with the band’s visas cause more complications.

“The Electrifiers” has plenty of laughs, lessons about the value of friendship and family, and a look at what it means to live for a dream that might be different than the one you thought you were working toward.

— David Rullo

“The Electrifiers”

Hebrew with English subtitles; 90 minutes A pre-recorded Q&A with the film’s director, Boaz Armoni, accompanies this screening.

Middle-aged rocker Mickey Tevel’s life is falling apart. He is separated from his wife and she has started to see someone new; his band has been fired from the one steady gig they had; he’s living out of his van; and, his agent has died.

As the occasional narrator of “The Electrifiers” says after one particular embarrassing moment, “There are low moments in life, rock bottom moments and you think

“Howie Mandel: But, Enough About Me”

English; 89 minutes A pre-recorded Q&A with the film’s director, Barry Avrich, accompanies this screening.

Howie Mandel’s life is a series of contradictions.

He’s a world famous comedian whose first national success came through a dramatic role; a public figure whose obsessive-compulsive disorder prevents him from shaking hands; a dedicated family man whose friends

 “Howie Mandel: But, Enough About Me”

and family often bear the brunt of his practical jokes and escapades.

The documentary “Howie Mandel: But, Enough About Me” lays bare many of these contradictions detailing the comedian’s rise from the clubs in his hometown of Toronto to his role as a judge on the hit show “America’s Got Talent.”

The film serves as a companion piece to Mandel’s autobiography “Don’t Touch Me.” It recounts his early start as an improv, anxiety-driven comic to his numerous stints on “The Tonight Show” and his tenure on the hit medical drama “St. Elsewhere.”

The documentary recounts Mandel’s time hosting his own talk show, his acceptance of becoming the face of “Deal or No Deal” (a role that turned the comedian from a star to a phenomenon), and his new passion: filming short pieces for TikTok. In the revealing 88-minute film, Mandel remembers his time as a carpet salesman before beginning his comedy career, discusses the death of his father, and, in some of the most intimate footage, explains how OCD affects his life. He also talks in detail of his deep love for his wife, and even revisits the Toronto synagogue where they were married.

“Distraction is my coping skill for life,” Mandel says, and “But, Enough About Me,” directed by Barry Avrich and filmed during Please see JFilm, page 17

Film Pittsburgh readies for digital-only festival Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

M

ovie theaters are largely vacant but the shows still go on. With days remaining until the 28th annual JFilm Festival, Kathryn Spitz Cohan is touting an “all-star lineup” of films and a first-rate online experience. The 18 international feature films, which come from countries including Denmark, Israel and Italy, address issues of tolerance, culture and universality.

Between the Jewish-themed movies, postscreening discussions and opportunities to vote on festival favorites, Film Pittsburgh’s April 22-May 2 online event should be largely familiar, even without in-person attendance in theaters.

Spitz Cohan, Film Pittsburgh’s executive 16 APRIL 16, 2021

director, said she wishes the festival could be enjoyed in person, but understands the need to distance.

“This is my 20th season and the fact that I don’t get to see people, and hug people and talk to them about the films is breaking my heart,” she said. “It’s something I really look forward to every year.”

Even so, there are ways for JFilm participants to connect. In addition to a mix of recorded and live online programs, an opening night Zoom party will give festival-goers a chance to chat with JFilm staff and other participants.

“I and the rest of the staff really miss them,” said Spitz Cohan. “The film crowd is special — many of them have been there with me every year since I’ve been there.”

Since joining JFilm two decades ago,

Spitz Cohan has partnered with staff and volunteers to build the in-person festival experience by selecting top-notch movies and hosting discussions. When last year’s festival was mostly canceled due to COVID19, Spitz Cohan paused before shifting Film Pittsburgh’s work online.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to be Netflix. I don’t want to be virtual,’ but then we did the Re-Imagined JFilm Festival, and it was so successful that it really made me believe that we could do a virtual festival,” she said.

Last spring’s daily online events and the 2020 Fall Festival, which was also held online, convinced Spitz Cohan of the need to provide programming to people at home and confirmed that Film Pittsburgh could do so effectively. In recent months, the organization retooled its website and platform

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so viewers could easily purchase festival passes, watch films and participate in virtual programs. The upcoming festival reflects that commitment to integrating technology and providing festival participants an enjoyable viewing experience, explained Spitz Cohan.

Given the ability to watch films at one’s convenience throughout the festival, she hopes that JFilm-goers may increase their movie consumption.

Even after in-person programming resumes, an online option will remain, she said.

“We’re lucky that we get to continue doing what we do,” said Spitz Cohan. “Thanks for hanging in there with us.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Photos courtesy of JFilm Festival

Chronicle Staff

Life & Culture JFilm: Continued from page 16

the COVID-19 pandemic, bears out that point. It also illustrates Mandel’s love of family and his drive to succeed despite the challenges of dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety.

— David Rullo

“Misha and the Wolves” English; 90 minutes

shun commitments.

The film is at once a love letter to Tel Aviv and a contemplation on the complexity of relationships. An Official Selection of the Tribeca Film Festival, and the winner of the Audience Award of the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival, “Sublet” is presented in partnership with ReelQ Film Festival. It features understated and moving performances by both John Benjamin Hickey and newcomer Niv Nissim.

— Toby Tabachnick

“Tango Shalom”

English; 115 minutes A pre-recorded Q&A with the film’s director, Gabriel Bologna, and actors Jos Laniado, Judi Beecher and Claudio Laniado, accompanies this screening.

Early on in “Misha and the Wolves,” director Sam Hobkinson relates an incredible tale of a young girl during the Holocaust: In the process of traveling through the woods from Belgium to Germany in search of her parents — and avoiding Nazis in the process — she is accompanied by a pack of wolves.

The narrative that follows in the 90-minute documentary, an Official Selection of the Sundance Film Festival, spans decades and involves international parties and talking heads, and while archival footage offers a trail of facts, the questions raised by the story are ever more compelling: In the aftermath of horror, who can claim victimhood? Is memory the arbiter of truth? What do we make of those who veer from the pack? “Misha and the Wolves” offers hints, and uses the mysteries of wolves and their relationship to humans as bait to explore fact, fiction and where demarcation falls.

Whether the totality of the film is enough to satisfy a hungry audience is yet another unanswered question.

— Adam Reinherz

“Sublet”

Photos courtesy of JFilm Festival

English/Hebrew; 87 minutes Opening Night kicks off with a screening at 7 p.m., followed by a ZOOM afterparty at 8:45 p.m.

A pre-recorded Q&A with the film’s director, Eytan Fox, accompanies this screening.

In “Sublet,” Michael, a middle-aged gay journalist from New York visiting Israel on assignment, tells Tomer, his unexpected roommate in his Tel Aviv sublet, that the city is one of contradictions — it is both “chaotic” and “laid back.”

This quiet tale of human connection is itself a study in contradictions: youth versus age, discipline versus spontaneity, monogamy versus the inclination to PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

The plot is preposterous and the acting is cartoonish, but “Tango Shalom,” produced

by Joel Zwick (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”), is nevertheless a welcome escape during a trying year, with an endearing message of inclusivity and tolerance.

Set in the Chasidic neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn — denoted as “the promised land” at the commencement of the film — we are introduced to Rabbi Moshe Yehuda, a father of five, who is struggling financially. When he ventures out of Crown Heights in search of a job, he stumbles across a tango class taught by Viviana — a beautiful dancer with a heart of gold — who invites him to be her tango partner in a televised competition with a big cash prize. Moshe loves to dance, has a talent for it, and really needs the money. But, because of his religious beliefs, he is forbidden to touch a woman other than his wife, which puts him in a pickle.

Moshe goes in search of advice, first to his Grand Rebbe, then to a Catholic priest, a Muslim imam and a Sikh holy man.

Integrating the wisdom imparted by each of his newfound spiritual guides, he comes up with a strategy to dance with Viviana while abiding by his Orthodox mandates — sort of.

“Tango Shalom” is a little bit “Shtisel” and a little bit “Silver Linings Playbook.”

The film features an ensemble cast, including Renée Taylor (“The Nanny”) and Lainie Kazan (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”). Karina Smirnoff (“Dancing with the Stars”) shines as Viviana. The late Joseph Bologna plays the priest. “Tango Shalom” was his last project.

The film has garnered several awards, including Best Jaipur Critics Film at the Jaipur International Film Festival and Best Comedy and Best Lead Actor at the Montreal Independent Film Festival.

“Tango Shalom” plays into cultural stereotypes and won’t appeal to everyone, but if taken for what it is — a confectionary parable with a timely lesson — it is worth a watch. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

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APRIL 16, 2021 17

Torah The heroes of Tazria-Metzora Rabbi Larry Freedman Parshat Tazria-Metzora Leviticus 12:1-15:33

I

volunteered to write the d’var Torah for Tazria-Metzora. That’s right.

Volunteered. I am not one to shrink from a challenge. For 28 years, I coached b’nai mitzvah students on Tazria-Metzora. Yes, it is the toughest parsha in the Torah but it forced the students to dig deeper, to think deeply. It challenges us to get over the “ick” factor of leprosy and ask not simply why it is there, but what is the meaning to be found?

Let’s skip the stomach-turning symptoms and jump straight to Lev. 13:45-46, the rules

for someone infected: “As for the person with a leprous affection, his clothes shall be rent, his hair shall be left bare, and he shall cover over his upper lip; and he shall call out, ‘Unclean!

Unclean!’ He shall be unclean as long as the disease is on him. Being unclean, he shall dwell apart; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

I know that many will see this as cruel, making the person a spectacle, subjecting the person to derision. Or is it? Perhaps the sick person wishes to care for others and prevent them from getting sick as well.

Covering the upper lip? Is that a mask?

Calling out, “unclean!” Is that an ancient version of informing the county health department and letting your workplace know when you were last in the building?

Celebrations

Dwell apart? You mean quarantine?

Sickness isn’t shameful, of course. But neither does sickness exempt those who are ill from personal responsibility. Even if we do not feel well, our responsibility to others remains.

Yes, we are sick. Yes, we are contagious. Yes, we must do everything we can to let others know and prevent the spread. We cannot sit around and laugh at the Cohanim, the priests.

We cannot dismiss the study and effort of medical experts. The experts of today and the Cohanim of antiquity were doing their very best with the latest data they had.

And what do we do? Conspiracy theories, attention to snake oil salesmen, racist fear mongering, dismissal of empirical evidence and — worst of the worst of the worst — refusal

to take the least, most modest bit of personal responsibility, a simple mask, as we make our way through our present-day scourge.

Those ancient Israelites who covered their lips and shouted, “Unclean!” were not pitiful. They were heroes. They stood up. They took the knowledge of their day seriously. They cared about stopping the spread as a personal obligation.

Would that more of us paid closer attention to the heroes of Tazria-Metzora. Their example might just help us diminish the virus for good. PJC Rabbi Larry Freedman is the director of the Joint Jewish Education Program. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.

B’nei Mitzvah

Engagement

Azi Knoll, the son of Rebecca and David Knoll, older brother of Caleb and Ayelet, grandson of Atara and Michael Kentor of Pittsburgh, and Judy and Sy Knoll of New York, was called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah on March 27, 2021, at Shaare Torah Congregation. While reading your Torah portion in a mask is not ideal, it was rumored that he was loud enough to be heard across town at Poale Zedek, and so quick that all went home early enough to finish their last challah roll before Passover began. Azi is a student at Hillel Academy where he has become a real mensch. This has helped him come to the decision that, although he did not want to have a bar mitzvah announcement in the paper, it was more important to make his grandparents happy.

Susie and Don Gross are proud and delighted to share the engagement news of their son, Michael Louis Gross to Jennifer Michelle Lande, daughter of Beth and Jerry Lande of Carmel, Indiana. Michael is the grandson of Stanley and Patty Levine of Pittsburgh and Bea Gross of Laguna Woods, California, formally of Pittsburgh, and the late Alvin Gross. Jen is the granddaughter of Ann Lande of Indianapolis, and the late Alex Lande, and the late Dody and Al Rothenberg of West Bloomfield, Michigan. Michael is employed as the Operations Manager for Chowbus, Inc. in Chicago and Jen is employed by Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago as the director of advancement. Both Michael and Jen are graduates of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. They met in Chicago where they currently reside. Their wedding is planned for Aug. 28, 2021, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Sylvia Svoboda is the daughter of Mara and Paul Svoboda, sister of Sasha and Simona, granddaughter of Marlene and Kevin Snell and Cyril and Judy Svoboda. A seventhgrader at Community Day School, she enjoys reading, riding her bike, ice skating, spending time with friends and family and exploring new places, especially ones with a connection to history. She will celebrate becoming a bat mitzvah on April 17, 2021, at Congregation Beth Shalom.

Eitan Locketz Schwartz will become a bar mitzvah on April 17, 2021, during a virtual Shabbat service at Temple Emanuel of South Hills. Eitan is the son of Rabbi Jessica Locketz and Larry Schwartz, and the older brother of Ezra Schwartz. Eitan’s grandparents are Michael and Enid Locketz of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Edward (z’l) and Arlene Schwartz of Swanzey, New Hampshire. Eitan enjoys cycling, parkour, math competitions and all things tech. He is really looking forward to returning to Camp Harlam this summer. Eitan is currently an eighth-grader at Fort Couch Middle School in Upper St. Clair.

18 APRIL 16, 2021

Wedding

Dana Ariel Zeve and Cory Charles Murphy, of Los Angeles, were married in a civil ceremony on March 11, 2021, in Laguna Hills, California. Dana, is the daughter of David Zeve of Pittsburgh, and Roberta Zeve of Laguna Beach, California. Cory is the son of Diana and Bryan Murphy of Irvine, California. A future wedding celebration will be planned. PJC

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Obituaries ELOVITZ: Ellen Azen Elovitz, 68, died March 30, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio. A graveside private service was held on April 2. Ellen is survived by her children: son Lawrence Elovitz, daughter Abbie (Jerry) Ames and grandson Max Ames, all of Columbus; sisters Marilyn (Alan) Moscowitz of Dayton, Ohio, and Phyllis Michelson of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; as well as loving nieces, nephews and dear friends.

Her parents and son, Mark Elovitz, preceded her in death. Ellen was born in Pittsburgh on Aug. 5, 1952, to Joan (Youngheart) and Howard Azen. She moved to Dayton, Ohio, in 1979 when her then husband, Alan Elovitz, became president of the Youngheart family business, Dayton Mattress. Ellen had a talent for cooking and entertaining for holiday meals and gatherings and became known as the ultimate hostess. She was a caring mother with a huge heart and the Elovitz home became a go-to place for friends. She was known for designing baskets and gifts for special occasions. Ellen adored her grandson Max and showered him with gifts and love. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society or the Jewish Federation of Dayton.

G L AT S T E I N : A towering figure in the annals of Pittsburgh Jewish history for over 70 years, R abbi Mordecai Leib Glatstein died on the first day of Pesach in Brooklyn, New York, where he had been living in the home of his son Yossi and Ettie Glatstein since the passing of his beloved wife Cyna in 2018. A survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, slave labor camps and multiple concentration camps, and a first-hand witness to the destruction of Polish Jewry, he was finally liberated from the infamous camp at Dachau in April 1945. Rabbi Glatstein spent the immediate post-war years as deputy director for the Joint Distribution Committee as a provider of religious and educational services for fellow survivors, helping to reunite families that had become separated, searching for Jewish orphans, and rebuilding Jewish institutions in the Displaced Persons Camps established after the war. He often spoke of an especially memorable encounter with General Dwight Eisenhower, whom he accompanied for a time as translator. In Munich, he served as a chaplain for the U.S. Army, and was appointed to catalogue Jewish artifacts that had been looted by the Nazis and gathered in Prague for what was to have become the Museum of the Extinct Jewish People. Arriving in Pittsburgh in 1949, Rabbi Glatstein served as a teacher, congregational rabbi, and for more than five decades, spiritual leader of the Charles Morris Center of the Jewish Association on Aging (formerly the Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged).

He published extensively in Hebrew, Yiddish, English, German and Polish. A member of the faculty of the College of Jewish Studies and Hebrew Institute of Pittsburgh, he was

also rabbi of the Toras Chaim Congregation in the East End from 1951 to 1958, president and head of Jewish Chaplains of Pennsylvania, as well as a founder of the Vaad Harabanim of Pittsburgh from its inception. Having watched so many of his fellow Jews die under the most heinous circumstances, he embraced the mitzva of “chesed shel emes“ — officiating at funerals for those without families or means to imbue their deaths with dignity and ensure a proper Jewish burial. He also recited the Kaddish prayer daily in memory of those who perished at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators who did not have surviving family to say Kaddish for them. Born in Lipno, Poland, in 1916 into a rabbinic family, he lost his father to the Spanish flu as a young child and spent several years living with his grandparents in Linshitz, where he attended cheder. He was the eldest of three brothers. Rabbi Glatstein was recognized early as a Talmudic prodigy and known as the “Illuy (Genius) of Plotzk” where he attended Yeshiva. He received smicha (ordination) from the Mesivtah Rabbinical School in Warsaw; a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh; and a doctorate from Dropsie College in Philadelphia. Both he and his wife recorded oral histories for Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation. March 28, 1993, was officially declared Rabbi Mordecai and Cyna Glatstein Day by the Mayor of Pittsburgh Sophie Masloff in recognition of their major contributions to enhancing the lives of their fellow citizens and the Jewish community. Both Rabbi Glatstein and Cyna were beloved by all those who knew them and the countless people whose lives they touched. Rabbi Glatstein was buried beside his wife Cyna on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem on the 4th day of Passover, surrounded by family and dozens of mourners. He is survived by his children Hannah, Yossi and Yitzchak and their spouses, and loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nephews and nieces who cherish his legacy — his kindness, scholarship, altruism and love for Judaism that will forever stand as an example to follow.

GOMBERG: Clarence “Code” Gomberg, on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Beloved husband of Geraldine “Jerry” (Marks) Gomberg.

Beloved father of Susan Harriet Gordon and Barbara Lynn (late Thomas) Buckley.

Brother of Ruth (late Howard) Love and the late Bernard Gomberg. Grandfather of Leann Nicole Gordon. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Graveside services and interment were held at Cneseth Israel Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Project Healing Waters (project healingwaters.org) or Jewish War Veterans, 1811 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

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Jeffrey L. and Roberta R. Kwall . . . . . . . . Clara Sigal Kwall

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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday April 18: Harry Broff, Edith Pichel Davis, Katie Elpern, Lottie Fleisher, Arthur Goldsmith, Jack Goldstein, Joseph Goldston, Sam Goldston, Yosef Goldston, Beate Gruene, Pearl Katz, William Kliman, Selma Neiman, Imre Neubauer, Jacob Schulman, Sidney Yecies, Rose C. Zapler Monday April 19: Pauline Schlesinger Americus, Louis Berlow, Ida Rose Diamond, Julius Goldberg, Dr. Joseph Irwin Greenberger, Samuel Judd, Rose Markowitz Klein, Jerome J. Levenson, Rose Marks, Melvin Murman, John Rothman, Freda B. Saltsburg, Sol Sieff, Yetta Weinberger, Minnie Gertrude Wolf, Harry Yecies Tuesday April 20: Harry Auerbach, Joseph Braun, Julius H. Cohen, James A. Eckstein, Lena Fish Freedman, Sidney Friedman, Samuel Laskowitz, Louis P. Rosenberg, Vivian Baltin Rosenthal, Ruth E. Sherman, Morris Zeff Wednesday April 21: Stanley Friedlander, Isadore Gerber, Ida Ginsburg, Penina Reva Goldberg, John J. Klein, Sam Klein, Samuel Mermelstein, Hymen Oawster, Marcus Schwartz, Fay L. Sidler, Rita W. Silverman, Milton Snyder, Esther Supowitz Thursday April 22: Isaac Adler, Paul Beerman, Fred Gluck, Michael N. Lutsky, Rose Mannison, Max Neustein, Fannie Rapoport, Morris Rosenberg, Dr. Herman A. Saron, Albert Schwartz, Albert Silverberg, Albert Silverberg, Florence Simon, George Simon, Philip Sugerman, Jay Weinthal, Norman Leonard Weissman Friday April 23: Hilda Parker Cohen, William Feivelson, Max Geltner, Lena Gescheidt, Samuel Goldblum, M.D., Grace Lebovitz, Samuel H. Miller, Elva Hendel Perrin, Mary Evelovitz Rom, Andrea Sue Ruben Serber, Florence Specter, Morris Stern, Cecelia Tepper, Louis E. Walk, Bernard Weiss, Maurice Wilner Saturday April 24: Jeanne Gettleman Cooper, Isadore Cousin, Louis Diamond, Regina Friedman, Bennie M. Granowitz, Sam Greenberger, Isadore Gutkind, Solis Horwitz, Hyman Kramer, Anna Finestone Levit, Samuel Monheim, Louise Plotkin, Marcus P. Rose, Leonard J. Singer, Jewel Weiss

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APRIL 16, 2021 19

Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 19

HILLNER: Edward “Ed” Hillner, age 92, of Pleasant Hills, passed away on Thursday, April 8, 2021. He was born on April 1, 1929, to the late Irving and Ida Hillner.

He was the loving husband of the late Beatrice Hillner for 66 years; he was the loving father of Elaine (Hillner) Lau and David Hillner; beloved grandfather of Allison Lau and Jeffrey Lau; great-grandfather of Wesley Lau Calamaras; son-in-law Andrew Lau; brother-in-law Saul Weissberg; and sister-in-law Brenda Weissberg. Ed graduated from CCNY and NYU with a Ph.D. in chemistry. He served in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps as an SP3 (Specialist 3) and spent his career working at the Bettis Atomic Power Lab. He was a longtime member of Beth Israel Center. His hobbies included bridge, bowling, fishing and traveling. Graveside services and interment will be private. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com LENK: Grace Lyon Lenk LIVED her 88 years, five months and 27 days.

Strong, feisty, spunky and a force of nature, Grace was the life of the party and a free spirit who always did things her way, and pretty much always got everyone

around her to do them her way too. This made her well-suited for a sales career that included custom appliquéd denim shirts and jeans, Cadillacs and real estate. She believed passionately in women’s equality in every sphere of life. She was a teacher, not just by education with a degree from the University of Pittsburgh, but of the qualities needed for success in life — independent thought (“If everyone was jumping off the bridge, would you jump too?”) and hard work (“If you want to be a plumber, be the best plumber”), which drove her to be a founding member and first religious school principal for the New Reform Temple in Kansas City, Missouri. Always on the lookout for a new experience, she embraced technology like no one else her age and loved to travel, particularly when she got to use her Marriott timeshares. She was known for welcoming friends and acquaintances into her home, especially to celebrate the Jewish holidays. Grace loved her family fiercely — her husband Jim of 66 years who preceded her in death, her sisters Shirley and Mimi, son Franklin and his wife Martie, daughter Barbara and her husband Roger Harrington, and son David, as well her five grandchildren, Lyon, Adam, Mattie, Matthew and Elizabeth.

She made friends everywhere, including her communities at The Bayshore and Sun City in South Carolina. A brief memorial service was held on Zoom on April 7. Donations may be made in Grace’s honor to one of the following: Memory Matters of Hilton Head Island; The Democratic National Committee; and Hadassah.

LICHTENSTEIN: Alan Lichtenstein passed away on April 10, 2021, from complications of lung cancer. He is survived by

his life partner of 31 years, Joan Breman; his children, Michael Lichtenstein (Anjali), Jamie Lichtenstein (John Pawling), Sherri Whitlock (Michael) and Steven Breman; grandchildren, Nikhil and Avinash Lichtenstein, Benjamin and John Pawling, Rachel Preston (Colin) and Alex Preston (Kendall). He graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School (1960) and Washington and Jefferson College (1964) and was well known in the insurance field specializing in health and Medicare.

Alan had a quick sense of humor and made everyone laugh. He was loved and respected by friends, family, clients and his medical team. Due to COVID, a private service will be held at the D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory, Ltd., Lawrenceville. Alan was buried at Tiphereth Israel Cemetery in Millvale. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. dalessandroltd.com ROSENBERG: Sandra (Sandy) Rae Cohen Weinstein Rosenberg, on Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at the age of 81. Beloved daughter of the late Hyman and Anna Cohen and sister to Fred Cohen. Loving mother to Marci Weinstein Wiseman and Carl Weinstein and daughter-in-law, Sarah Weinstein. Adoring grandmother to Jillian Wiseman and Cole Weinstein and step-grandchildren, Joshua, Samuel and Daniel Rosenberg and Phoebe Sanders. And devoted stepmother to Michael (Helen) Rosenberg and Susan Rosenberg Sanders. Sandy was preceded in death by her husband of 25 years, David Rosenberg.

Sandy was an educator in the classroom and in publishing, but she devoted her life to the job she loved most, “mom.” She graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pittsburgh. Sandra taught elementary school in Chartiers Valley, and taught in Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair townships before becoming a consultant in the educational publishing business. Sandra grew up in Squirrel Hill, and after being married, lived in the South Hills (Scott Township and then Upper St. Clair), where she raised her children. She was involved in various charitable endeavors, including a longtime membership in ORT, serving for several years in various leadership capacities.

In 1995, Sandra remarried David Rosenberg, her high school sweetheart, in a beautiful wedding in one of their favorite places, Sante Fe, New Mexico. They lived in Akron, Ohio, later in Palm Springs, California and for the last 16 years in Seattle, Washington. Sandy was drawn to the West Coast to be closer to her son and daughter and her grandchildren. Sandy was the greatest cheerleader for her children and grandchildren and will be forever remembered for never missing a special event, a recital, performance, holiday or birthday party — even when that meant multiple cross country trips a year. Sandy and David traveled extensively, liked to throw parties and built a wonderful life in Seattle with a close circle of friends. Memorial service and final resting plans are private.

Donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. PJC

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Community Yom Hashoah 2021 Community Day School middle school students marked Yom Hashoah on April 7 with music, prayer, readings and a candlelighting ceremony broadcast live from the Gary & Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs: A Holocaust Sculpture. CDS alum Boaz Munro (Class of 2001), grandchild of Holocaust survivors Moshe and Malka (Z”l) Baran, delivered the keynote address.

p Eighth-grader Benjamin Pinkston shares a reading on the theme “Be the light in the darkness.”

p Trumpeter Aiden Magley plays “Hatikvah.”

p Eighth-graders Hannah Adelson and Antonia Beckman sing “Halev Sheli” by Ishay Ribo.

Zachor Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh commemorated Yom Hashoah by holding an online candlelighting ceremony and featuring an intergenerational dialogue on April 8.

p Eighth-grader Aidan Prouty lights a memorial candle in memory of those killed during the Shoah.

Photos courtesy of Community Day School

“Ken ikh hubn a baygl mit shmirkeyz?”

Pigeon Bagels and Duolingo celebrated the latter’s new Yiddish course with a free bagel and schmear day on April 6.

p Cantor Henry Shapiro of Parkway Jewish Center, a former student of Cantor Moshe Taube (Z”l), sings “Ani Ma’amin” and “K’eyl Maley Rachamim.”

Screenshot courtesy of Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh

We want clean air Nearly 300 attendees participated in an April 6 resident-led town hall event regarding local air pollution.

p Yiddish speaker Toby Neufeld helps out Pigeon Bagels staff.

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Photo by Adam Reinherz

p Local activist Howard Rieger describes the region’s poor air quality.

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Screenshot courtesy of Adam Reinherz

APRIL 16, 2021 23

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