November 19, 2021 | 15 Kislev 5782
Candlelighting 4:42 p.m. | Havdalah 5:42 p.m. | Vol. 64, No. 47 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
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‘Teens are in trouble’ as national Time to light: mental health crisis escalates Chanukah is coming and there are plenty of places to celebrate
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Rabbis and educators on the front line
By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
Fighting antisemitism
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LOCAL Night of broken glass Representatives of the Teen Mental Health Collaborative, which includes 14 local youth-serving organizations, met at Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh on Nov. 5. Photo courtesy of Jewish Healthcare Foundation
By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
Holocaust Center commemorates Kristallnacht Page 3
LOCAL A Zoo story
A day in the life of Jeremy Goodman Page 7
D
r. Jacob Brent arrived at work only to discover that a tent was pitched outside UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Complete with supplies, staff and exterior purple logos, the makeshift space was erected in mid-September after a surge of children had arrived at the emergency department. Dr. Ray Pitetti, director of the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Children’s, called the influx of young patients “historic” in a statement. One month following Children’s tent construction, the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Children’s Hospital Association declared a national emergency in children’s mental health, citing a significant rise in the number of visits at emergency departments for mental health-related emergencies among children and young adults. Representatives from the AAP, AACAP and CHA, which total 77,000 physicians and more than 200 children’s hospitals, mentioned fear, grief, physical isolation and continuing uncertainty as difficulties facing today’s youth. The harsh realities confronting young adults
were well established before the pandemic or any public declaration of a national emergency. In 2018, long before COVID-19 became part of daily life, suicide was already the second leading cause of death among 10to 24 year-olds. As quarantining and isolation ensued throughout the pandemic, devastating new statistics emerged: By May 2020, the number of emergency visits for suspected suicide attempts had increased 31% from the previous year among adolescents ages 12–17, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Depression and anxiety-related data has raised a similar alarm. Compared with pre-pandemic estimates, the prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms doubled during COVID-19 — with rates increasing among older adolescents and in girls, as the pandemic has continued — according to findings in JAMA Pediatrics. The data is “absolutely frightening,” said Karen Wolk Feinstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. “All the indicators, all the variables, say teens are in trouble.” For Brent, a child psychiatry fellow and pediatric resident at UPMC Western Please see Mental Health, page 8
ith the arrival of shorter days and colder temperatures, it’s almost time to take out a heavy blanket — and a menorah. Chanukah runs this year from Nov. 28 to Dec. 6, and across the region, organizations are preparing to spark some seasonal light. Here is a sampling of community events.
Chabad of Squirrel Hill, Chabad of Greenfield and Chabad of the South Hills
To start the holiday off right, Rabbi Yisroel Altein of Chabad of Squirrel Hill, is inviting community members to publicly light a giant menorah on the corner of Beacon Street and Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. The Nov. 28 4 p.m. event is the first of several Chabadhosted Chanukah programs. On Monday Nov. 29, at 5 p.m., Altein and other local leaders will join Mayor Bill Peduto for a public menorah lighting outside the City County Building. Then, on Nov. 30, beginning at 5 p.m., the annual Menorah Car Parade will make its way through the East End before concluding at 4315 Murray Ave. for a public menorah lighting and festival. Organized by Chabad of Greenfield and Chabad of Squirrel Hill, the festival, which begins at 6 p.m. (following the car parade), will feature the lighting of a large ice menorah followed by a fire show by Ohio Burn Unit. Chabad of the South Hills will also present a “Fire and Ice” event, including a giant ice menorah and fire show, live music, a gelt drop, latkes and doughnuts, at 1801 Dormont Avenue on Dec. at 5 p.m. Please see Chanukah, page 14
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