Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 11-6-20 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

November 6, 2020 | 19 Cheshvan 5781

Candlelighting 4:52 p.m. | Havdalah 5:52 p.m. | Vol. 63, No. 45 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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Passersby pause and pray outside Tree of Life on Oct. 27

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL In memoriam

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

— Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Squirrel Hill branch — was well organized. Bernstein, who got to the polls around 7:30 a.m., was No. 38 in line and waited about 40 minutes to cast her ballot. The process had never taken that long, she said, but she was encouraged to see so many people turn out. “We all have a moral obligation to vote,” said Bernstein. “We’re really blessed to be in a place that we have a say in our elections.” Prior to Election Day, Liz Greenfield, of Squirrel Hill, got a letter saying her polling place had changed. Instead of Maxon Towers on Forbes and Shady avenues, Greenfield was directed to the Sixth Presbyterian Church on Forbes and Murray. Greenfield arrived at the Squirrel Hill church at 6:45 a.m. in order to beat the crowds. With fewer than 10 people ahead of her in line, Greenfield managed to cast

rom morning until dusk on Oct. 27 people quietly came to the Tree of Life building. After arriving with flowers, handwritten cards, painted rocks or other mementos, the steady stream of passersby made a point of pausing at the temporary fence on the corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues. The galvanized steel barricades were a place to rest and deposit items, stand in silence, even pray. Jewish professionals, journalists and volunteers from area congregations and organizations spent prolonged periods at the site where 11 Jews were murdered during Shabbat services two years ago, but the day’s spirit was noticeably different than it was on Oct. 27, 2019. Perhaps because of the pandemic, or that it was a Tuesday — Oct. 27, 2019, fell on a Sunday — the scene outside the building this year was a bit quieter, said Barb Feige, Tree of Life’s executive director. Even without the crowds, Feige was busy welcoming visitors to the outdoor space and answering questions about the congregation’s general state and how its families are doing. “Most of the people who come here don’t need to engage with us,” Feige said. “All they want to do is come and breathe and connect. They stand at the fence barrier and they feel. They just stand there and feel whatever it is they need to feel.” The reasons for coming to the corner were personal, as were the items brought. One individual, during a morning visit, left an empty white plastic pill bottle. Written alongside the prescribing physician’s name — Jerry Rabinowitz, who was among those killed during the 2018 attack — was the message “May his memory be a blessing.” Another individual left a bouquet with a note reading, “Your Christian brothers and sisters have not forgotten you.”

Please see Election, page 14

Please see Passersby, page 14

Honoring the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting Page 2

LOCAL Night of Broken Glass

Holocaust Center commemorates Kritstallnacht Page 3

LOCAL From beer to beans

 Holocaust survivor Fanny Gelernter and her son Steve Gelernter smile after Fanny completed her ballot at the Squirrel Hill JCC. Photo by Adam Reinherz

Long lines, eager voters on Election Day By Adam Reinherz and David Rullo | Staff Writers

D Kenny Gould and Hop Culture’s coffee club Page 8

espite long lines and chilly temperatures, Pittsburgh voters eagerly cast ballots in person the morning of Nov. 3, exercising their civic duties and joining nearly 97 million others who had already voted in this historic election. By 7:05 a.m., Sheila Posin, of Squirrel Hill, counted 70 people ahead of her at Shaare Torah Congregation. The line of voters stretched outside, she said. After being called inside and directed to a voting booth, “We were given a pen, a long piece of paper,” she said. “We filled in the dots, like we did back in the day, and slipped it into a ballot-reading machine, and that was the end of the process.” Apart from the crowding indoors, the entire process was “very simple.” Kara Bernstein, of Squirrel Hill, said it was strange to vote on a paper ballot, but noted that the overall experience at her polling place

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL

Solving food waste

LOCAL

Pandemic weddings

FOOD

Easy to make lamb

Headlines Virtual event honors lives of those killed during Pittsburgh synagogue shooting — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

he 11 Jewish men and women killed during the massacre at the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018, were remembered two years after the shooting in a ceremony livestreamed on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020. The Oct. 27 Commemoration Ceremony was viewed by over 1,300 people and featured cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Family members of the victims, as well as representatives from the three congregations attacked — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life — remembered their loved ones in prerecorded video segments. Last year, hundreds packed Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall for the one-year commemoration of the attack. Elana Arian opened the 45-minute program singing “Nachamu Ami,” translated from Isaiah 40:1 as “Comfort, comfort My people, Says your God.” Arian is a leading voice in contemporary Jewish music. Her guitar playing was used throughout the commemoration, accompanying segments that reflected on the lives lost. After opening words from Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, 11 candles were virtually lit for each of the victims: Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger. Family members of those who were murdered were then seen lighting candles for their loved ones in their homes. Yo-Yo Ma recounted Mister Rogers’ advice to look for the helpers in times of tragedy,

p Yo-Yo Ma played on behalf of those killed during the attack, as well as the helpers. Screenshots by David Rullo

then performed “Prayer” from composer Ernest Bloch’s “From Jewish Life.” “Today, as we think of the lives lost two years ago, we think of not only the people who lost their loved ones but also the people that have been helping,” the cellist said. “Today, I would like to honor both the people whose lives were lost and those that have been helping all this time.” Following Ma’s emotive performance, the ceremony turned to the spiritual. Chevra Kadisha’s Rabbi Eli Admon recited Psalm 23, which was then read in English translation by New Chevra Kadisha’s Patricia Cluss. Tree of Life Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers chanted “El Malei Rachamim,” the Jewish prayer for the souls of the deceased. Family members of those murdered were each asked for three words they would use to describe their loved ones in segments that highlighted the unique personalities of those

who were killed. Members from each of the three congregations attacked also spoke of how they remembered the victims. The memories ranged from meaningful personal encounters to the victims’ vast contributions to congregational life. Readings and prayers were offered by Christian Associates of Southwest PA Rev. Liddy Barlow and former executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, Wasi Mohamed; New Light Congregation Rabbi Jonathan Perlman; and some of the survivors of the attack: Carol Black, Joe Charney, Doris Dyen, Lou Fineberg, Audrey Glickman, Marty Gaynor, Dan Leger, Deane Root, Judah Samet, Andrea Wedner and Barry Werber. First responders were honored with a blessing read by Dor Hadash Rabbi Cheryl Klein. Peduto and Fitzgerald offered a joint blessing. “With mercy, accept our prayer on behalf

of our country and its government,” Peduto read from the Conservative “A Prayer For Our Country.” Fitzgerald continued reading from the prayer, “Pour out your blessings on this land, upon its inhabitants, upon its leaders, its judges, officers and officials.” The program was the part of a several-day commemoration to honor the lives of the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, which included volunteer opportunities and study. The commemoration concludes with Torah study on Nov. 4 and 5. “We have a special duty to remember the lives that were taken and lift up their stories whenever we can,” said Feinstein in closing the program. “We know, though, our work is not confined to one day.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Kristallnacht commemorated by Holocaust Center with film and panel discussion — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

indows smashed, synagogues and businesses burned to the ground, property stolen, riots in the streets of cities across the country. Kristallnacht, or “Night of Broken Glass,” was a pogrom against the Jews committed by Nazi paramilitary units and German civilians on Nov. 9-10, 1938. Historians generally regard it as a prelude to the Holocaust. In Germany, hate, intolerance and violence against the Jewish people were sanctioned by the state in the half-decade lead-up to Kristallnacht, resulting in the pogrom across the country following the assassination of German diplomat Ernst vom Rath. “When I talk about the five years before Kristallnacht, the Nazis are incrementally introducing things that harm Jews, and because there is not enough of an outcry, the Nazis know they can do more,” explained Lauren Apter Bairnsfather, director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. “This speaks to the power of the individual to speak up when we see something happening that we know is wrong. This is one of the many lessons we get from studying

p The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and Film Pittsburgh will discuss “An Irrepressible Woman” on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Screenshot provided by Film Pittsburgh

the Holocaust.” The Holocaust Center will commemorate the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht with an online discussion of the film “An Irrepressible Woman” in conjunction with Film Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Joining Bairnsfather for the panel discussion will be Film Pittsburgh Executive Director Kathryn Spitz Cohan; 20202021 Holocaust Educator of the Year Jim Lucot; historian David Rosenberg; and Ed Friedman, who will discuss his collection

of French artifacts on long-term loan to the Center. The 2019 film recounts the real-life

Please see Kristallnacht, page 15

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Headlines CMU student closing the food waste loop — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

f an answer to global warming and climate change is ever found, Carnegie Mellon University student Dylan Lew might get credited with providing part of the solution. Lew is the CEO of Ecotone Renewables, which creates liquid fertilizer and renewable energy from food waste. That waste, according to Lew, contributes significantly to global warming. “Food waste rotting accounts for 8.2% of global greenhouse gas emission,” Lew said. “That’s not even producing and transporting the food, that’s just wasted food rotting. That’s what we’re specifically trying to tackle, making sure that food waste is diverted from landfills, emitting methane gas and contributing to global warming.” Ecotone Renewable’s method for converting food waste to fertilizer and renewable energy is unique, utilizing an anaerobic digestion technology. In the anaerobic process, microorganisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen. Ecotone and its partner, Impact BioEnergy in Seattle, both convert food waste using this process. In fact, an internship Ecotone’s original CEO had at Impact prompted the company to create a modular, more portable system.

p Econtone Renewables CEO Dylan Lew holds a bucket of fertilizer created using his company’s technology. Photo provided by Ecotone Renewables

Lew, who studies material science and engineering at CMU, describes Ecotone’s technology as a sort of “synthetic stomach,” which the company refers to as the “Seahorse.” “It basically works by grinding up food waste and puts it through a stomach that has a whole bunch of good bacteria and microbes that eat up all the food waste,” Lew said. “The output of the system is a nutrient-dense liquid fertilizer, as well as methane gas we capture from the process. We run that through a

generator to make electricity.” The fertilizer is donated to the nonprofit Repair the World, but the company’s contributions to a sustainable world don’t end there. The Seahorse is situated in an 8-by20-foot shipping container. Above it, Lew and his partners have built a greenhouse where plants are grown hydroponically – just water, no soil. The produce is either donated to charities or sold at local farmers markets. Before becoming the CEO of Ecotone,

Lew already had an interest in alternative farming and sustainability. While still a freshman, he was working on a closed-loop, water-based farming technique: Plants filtered the water they were growing in, and fish living in the water provided fertilizer for the plants. He joined Ecotone in 2017, tasked with helping to create a system to store methane gas. He will graduate later this year from CMU’s IMB program with both a bachelor’s degree in material science and engineering and a master’s in material science. Lew was born in Jerusalem and moved to Connecticut with his family. The college student lives in Squirrel Hill but will move to South Carolina in July to work for GE Renewables in its two-year Edison Engineering development program. He plans to continue to work with Ecotone during that time. “I want to make sure that we position Ecotone to be in a spot where the four of us that are working diligently on this can be full-time employees and actually make a salary,” Lew said. His partners include Chief Financial Officer Elliott Bennett, Chief Technology Officer Robert Davis and Chief Operating Officer Kyle Wyche. The four used a second-place prize of $10,000 from a renewable energy

Please see Waste, page 15

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Headlines Webinar examines trauma strategies gleaned from Pittsburgh synagogue shooting — LOCAL — By Kayla Steinberg | Digital Content Manager

peakers from four organizations — the Consulate General of Israel in New York, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh and Israel Trauma Coalition — discussed ways to address trauma and crises at the Oct. 28 Zoom event “Two Years after the Antisemitic Attack in Pittsburgh.” They recalled strategies implemented in response to the Oct. 27, 2018, Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, described ways the community has healed and grown stronger since then and stressed the importance of preparing for traumatic events. After a brief introduction from moderator Tal Heinrich, a journalist and anchor for Quick Hits News, Israel Nitzan, acting consul general at the Israeli Consulate in New York, and Jeff Finkelstein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, spoke to more than 150 participants. “This is not just another webinar,” said Nitzan. “This is a story of solidarity.” He described the importance of resilience in the face of two pandemics: COVID-19 and anti-Semitism.

p Jeff Finkelstein

p Jordan Golin

Finkelstein spoke of the collaborative approach Pittsburgh Jewish organizations took following the shooting. JFCS took the lead on mental health, the JCC was a hub of activity and conducted security briefings for each local Jewish organization, and the Federation provided armed guards for every Pittsburgh Jewish institution for the month following the attack, he explained.

“There were no additional threats,” Finkelstein said. “But we wanted to make sure everyone was not only safe but that they felt safe and would return to our Jewish institutions.” A testament to that, he said, is that all but one family showed up to preschool at the JCC just 48 hours after the shooting. Following the two speeches was a panel discussion featuring Jordan Golin,

Photo provided by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

Photo provided by JFCS

president and CEO of JCFS Pittsburgh, Stefanie Small, clinical director of JFCS Pittsburgh, and Talia Levanon, director of ITC. Heinrich’s first question: How did you react moments after the Oct. 27 attack? Golin said he was shocked, then quickly shifted into action mode. Small was at a bar mitzvah and heard siren after siren after siren. The congregation went into lockdown, she said, but they didn’t know much at the time, just bits and pieces from staff members with phones at the bar mitzvah. Levanon said ITC and Golin connected via the consulate. The next day, ITC started recruiting experts, and 48 hours after the shooting, those experts were in Pittsburgh. JFCS had therapists on staff, but not trauma experts, explained Golin. ITC educated them on trauma, set expectations and offered suggestions to implement in the community. “We had institution after institution, people after people, family after family that were all in need,” Golin said. “The fact that ITC was there to help us figure out how to meet those needs, I can’t overstate the importance of that from our perspective.” Small agreed. “They were like a warm hug, which is what we so needed in that Please see Trauma, page 15

Thank you to our Recovery Committee Rita and Andy Rabin, Recovery Chairs

Carol Robinson and Jeffrey B. Markel

Lauren and Scott Americus

Nikol and Stanley Marks

Rachel Firestone and Jason Binder

Debbie and Lloyd Myers

Betsy and Marc Brown

Lori and Lou Plung

Millie and Lou Cestello

Hilary Tyson and Charles Porter

Julie and Josh Farber

Todd Reidbord

Erica and Billy Goodman

Lori and Jimmy Ruttenberg

Ina and Larry Gumberg

Stacey and Scott Seewald

Lori and Richard Guttman

Tracy and Evan Segal

Mardi and Bill Isler

Lori and Bob Shure

Anna Hollis and Gregg Kander

Linda and Ken Simon

Carole and Jerry Katz

Nancy and Jim Wolf

Cindy Goodman-Leib and Scott Leib

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Calendar This course, Haftarah, will attempt to make the opaque sparkle. Choosing selectively from the most interesting Haftarah portions, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will seek to imbue meaning in these powerful prophetic passages. Fourteen sessions for $70. 9:30 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation. jewishpgh.org.

develop insight, and connect us more deeply to our bodies, emotions and thoughts. For the first session, blank paper and drawing materials that have some variety of color will be needed. Free. 3 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jfcspgh.org.

Moishe House will be serving hot soups and beverages at Soupy Sabbath, the final in-person Shabbat dinner of the year. Dress warm and enjoy a cozy Shabbat meal and reflect on what may have been an emotionally taxing election week. 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/ moishehouse.pittsburgh.

q MONDAYS, NOV. 9; DEC. 14

q SUNDAY, NOV. 8

q TUESDAY, NOV. 10

Treating Jewish jokes as text, From Sinai to Seinfeld invites students to analyze and interpret the evolving concerns, styles, rhythms, preoccupations and values of the Jewish people that lie buried deep in words that make us laugh as Jews, and that bond us as a people. $50 per person, (10 sessions), includes all books and materials. For more information and to register, visit foundation. jewishpgh.org.

Classrooms Without Borders is honored to present David G. Marwell, author of “Mengele: Unmasking the ‘Angel of Death.’” “Mengele” is a gripping biography of the infamous Nazi doctor, from a former Justice Department official tasked with uncovering his fate. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Jewish Studies Program welcomes via Zoom Natan Meir, Lorry I. Lokey Professor of Judaic Studies at Portland State University. Meir will present “Epidemic and the Marginalized of Society: A View from the Jewish Past.” 6 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jewishstudies.pitt.edu.

q SUNDAYS, NOV. 8-DEC. 6; WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 11-DEC. 9

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for a virtual tour of Kibbutz Eshbal, Israel’s first educator’s kibbutz. Eshbal is in Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether region of Karmiel and Misgav and is working on revolutionizing education as well as creating a strong and equal Israeli society. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is a longtime supporter of its important work with at-risk youth. For more information, visit jewishpgh.org.

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 FRIDAY, NOV. 6

Chabad of the South Hills presents Secrets of the Bible, a new six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Study iconic stories, mystical meanings and their lessons for life. Sunday classes begin at 10:30 a.m.; Wednesday classes start at 8 p.m. Classes are presented on Zoom. For more information and to register, visit chabadsh.com. q SUNDAYS, NOV. 8, 15, 22, 29 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 SUNDAYS, NOV. 8, 15, 22; DEC. 6; JAN. 31; FEB. 7, 14, 21, 28; MARCH 7, 14 What does Jewish tradition have to say about God, Torah, mitzvot, suffering, messiah, Israel? In this special course, Pittsburgh Rabbis on Jewish Belief, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will host 14 Pittsburgh rabbis, each teaching a session on fundamental aspects of Jewish belief. Fourteen sessions for $70. 10 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation. jewishpgh.org. q MONDAY, NOV. 9 Join the University of Pittsburgh Jewish Studies Program, the German Department and the German Embassy’s Campus Weeks Program for “Remembering Kristallnacht: 9-10 November 1938.” The program will discuss when synagogues burned, Jewish homes, hospitals, orphanages, schools and businesses were attacked and Jews were arrested and interned in Germany. 4 p.m. For more information, visit jewishstudies.pitt.edu. q MONDAYS, NOV. 9, 16, 23, 30 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, NOV. 9, 16, 30; DEC. 7; FEB. 1, 8, 15, 22; MARCH 1, 8, 15 Most people associate the term “Haftarah” with opaque prophetic reading on Shabbat morning.

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Join Classrooms Without Borders in Israel — virtually. Monthly tours with guide and scholar Rabbi Jonty Blackman via Zoom. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org.

In commemoration of the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh is partnering with Film Pittsburgh to present “An Irrepressible Woman: A Discussion of the Holocaust in France (Kristallnacht Commemoration 2020)” featuring a panel discussion about the film and the Holocaust in France. 7 p.m. For more information, including a link to view the film and information on the speakers, visit hcofpgh.org/events. The University of Pittsburgh’s African Studies Program, Zita’s Healthy Beginnings and ASA Social Fund invite you to attend Let’s Talk Africa: What You Don’t Know is Happening- Voices from Nigeria. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meet. 12 p.m. For more information, visit ucis.pitt.edu/africa/ upcoming-events. q TUESDAYS, NOV. 10-DEC. 22 Jewish Family and Community Services hosts Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress Management, offering the opportunity to cultivate greater awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings and actions. Increasing awareness and integrating mindfulness and meditation into one’s routine strengthens one’s ability to act with intention rather than reactively and decrease feelings of being overwhelmed. 11 a.m. To register, visit jfcspgh.org. Join Classrooms Without Borders scholar Avi Ben-Hur on a fascinating look at Jewish heritage in six different countries across Europe and North Africa. Ben-Hur will dedicate two weekly sessions to each country in this 12-week series. This series is co-sponsored by Rodef Shalom Congregation. 2 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org/jewishheritage-around-the-world. Join Jewish Family and Community Services for Art and Contemplation - Teen Edition, an art-based support group just for teens. The sessions will explore how making art can help regulate the nervous system, promote playfulness, imagination, help

q TUESDAYS, NOV. 10, 17; DEC. 1, 8, 15; FEB 9, 16, 23; MARCH 2, 9

q TUESDAYS, NOV. 10-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, NOV. 11 The 21st century is 20 years old. In that time, the Reform movement has produced more responsa than any other non-Orthodox movement. What have these pieces taught us about 21st-century Judaism? In 21 C Reform Responsa, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will examine two decades of responsa for their statements about contemporary Judaism. Six sessions for $30. 11 a.m. To register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. Join Moishe House for Incarceration & Judaism: An Evening with the Aleph Institute. Executive Director Rabbi Moishe Vogel will answer questions including: What do Jewish texts and traditions say about incarceration? How do Jewish inmates experience Pennsylvania’s jails and prisons? How can we, as a Jewish community, support people who are currently incarcerated and advocate for a criminal justice system that aligns with our values? 7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/ moishehouse.pittsburgh. q THURSDAY, NOV. 12 New Light Congregation, Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, Congregation Dor Hadash and the 10.27 Healing Partnership present “An Evening with Beth Kissileff and Eric Lidji,” editors of the new book “Bound in the Bond of Life: Pittsburgh Writers Reflect on the Tree of Life Tragedy,” moderated by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle CEO and Publisher Jim Busis. 7 p.m. For more information on this free Zoom event and to register, visit the event page at newlightcongregation.org. Join Moishe House for How to Take a Break: A Pre-Shabbat Discussion. Reflect on what it means to take a day off from striving once a week and make plans on how you will take a break this weekend. Regardless of whether you are Jewish or Sabbath-observant or if these concepts are totally new, we would love to have you. 7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/ moishehouse.pittsburgh. q SUNDAY, NOV. 15 Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for “At Home in Warsaw.” Take a virtual tour of the vibrant city and hear from three Warsawans as they share the joys and complexities of living in this

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contemporary city. 1 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jewishpgh.org. q MONDAY, NOV. 16 Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Cardozo Society and Women’s Philanthropy for a virtual tour of the Illinois Holocaust Museum’s exhibit “Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” 5 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jewishpgh.org/event/notorious-rbg. q TUESDAY, NOV. 17 As we enter the month of Kislev join Moishe House for Rosh Chodesh Kislev Intention Setting. Take a moment to set intentions for the month ahead in the second installment of their Rosh Chodesh Intention Setting series. 7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/moishehouse.pittsburgh. q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 18 Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for a webinar that will offer community members the opportunity to come together for a virtual introduction of safeguarding children and teens from abuse. Community members will walk away with a clear road map for safeguarding youth in both the home and communal settings, as well as an introduction to national youth safety efforts. 8 p.m. For more information, visit jewishpgh.org q THURSDAY, NOV. 19 The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh presents the latest installment in the Generations Speaker Series: Alison Brown Karabin. Alison will share the story of her grandmother, Elizabeth Brown (z”l), a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who endured Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Volary death march. 3 p.m. Free. For more information and to register, visit hcofpgh.org/events. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh presents “The Month that Was: Behind the Headlines in Israel — Part 1.” Join Neil Lazarus for an in-depth analysis of the latest news and views from Israel and the Middle East in the last month. 12 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jewishpgh.org. Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with Liberation75, Rodef Shalom Congregation and Film Pittsburgh, presents “Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz” and postfilm discussion with director Barry Avrich; former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues David Scheffer; Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation Stephen Smith; former Senior Historian at Facing History and Ourselves Mary Johnson; and Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum. 4 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org. Time for a throwback to an old Moishe House staple, Jackbox Game Night, their first game night since March. Play Jackbox games together from the safety of your home. 7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/moishehouse.pittsburgh. q MONDAY, NOV. 23 Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with the American Association of Teachers of German, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York City and Germany Close Up, convenes a lecture with Dr. Felix Klein, Germany’s Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Anti-Semitism. RSVP to receive the Zoom link. The link will be sent out 24 hours before the program. 12 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org PJC

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Local Christian Zionists fundraising for Israeli ambulance — LOCAL — By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

pair of Christian Zionists from Pittsburgh are getting close to raising enough money to send a new ambulance to serve the citizens of Israel. Jeff and Arlene Berg, Christians with a love for Israel who live in Wilkins Township, have raised $78,548 out of $100,000 for an ambulance for Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical first responders. “We’re here to support them, God’s chosen people — it’s a moral issue,” Arlene Berg said. “It’s a moral issue when you see lives at stake,” added Jeff Berg. Jeff and Arlene Berg frequently quote a passage from Genesis, in which God addresses Abram in support of his people’s dedication to Israel: “I will bless those that you bless you and curse those that curse you.” “God really pinpointed those who cursed Israel,” Jeff Berg said. “We interpret the Bible literally — and if more Christians did that, there wouldn’t be these clashes.” The Bergs have the backing of their church, Crossroads Ministries, a nondenominational group in Finleyville that was frequented by up to 600 people each weekend before the pandemic. The church has taken

part in the Bergs’ fundraising efforts, such as giving out Matchbox ambulances to families from the congregation. “We have a real compassion and care for our community — we’re here to let people know how much God loves them and how much he does for them,” said Ken Barner, the group’s lead pastor. Barner said his congregation gives extensively during the holiday season — everything from ambulances for Israel to feeding needy families in Haiti. They have donated several thousand dollars to the Bergs’ ambulance drive. “We do a mission every year here at Christmas,” Barner said. “We teach people Christmas is about giving to God more than giving to your family.” Israel’s fleet of 1,200 ambulances, 375 of which are mobile ICUs and about 30 of which are dedicated to serving those with COVID-19, needs to be regularly reinreplenished, said Rob Rosenthal of American Friends of Magen David Adom. His organization sends about 100 ambulances to Israel every year. “Because of the hard miles they drive, these ambulances need to be replaced every six to eight years,” he said. “There’s a need — these are not easy miles.” Rosenthal said it’s not only Jews who support his group’s mission. “Increasingly, we are getting support from

p Israel’s need for new ambulances has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo provided by American Friends of Magen David Adom

the Christian community and particularly the evangelical community,” Rosenthal said. “It is obviously the birthplace of Judaism and Christianity and our paramedics and EMTs represent the cross-section of Israel.” Arlene Berg first traveled to Israel in 1974, as part of a tour of Israel, Egypt, Lebanon and Greece. Jeff Berg followed five years later and the two have visited often. They continue to

be entranced by the place and its people. But they are mild-mannered about their fundraising efforts. They’re just trying to do a little good in the world, they said. “It’s mainly sending out emails, letters and texts to friends,” Arlene Berg said. PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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Headlines Kenny Gouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hop Culture team segues from beer to coffee â&#x20AC;&#x201D; LOCAL â&#x20AC;&#x201D; By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

eave it to Kenny Gould, the sage of stouts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; he knows that if ever thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a time to brew a new idea itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s during a pandemic. For the past seven months, as restaurants, businesses and other elements of society went dormant, Gould expanded beyond his popular digital magazine Hop Culture into a new domain: coffee. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to sit still,â&#x20AC;? said Gould. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Put me in a house for too long and I start three companies.â&#x20AC;? Prior to March 2020, Gould and his team at Pittsburgh-based Hop Culture were hosting live beer festivals nationwide. Whether in Boston, Nashville or Berkeley, California, the craft crew took their alcohol-related expertise and cheerful irreverence on tour. When COVID-19 hit, however, live events were no longer possible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our team got together and said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What do we do now?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? and almost immediately, Grace Weitz, Hop Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head of partnerships, suggested shipping coffee, recalled Gould. The idea sounded sweet to the cafephiles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ship alcohol directly to consumers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not legal, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have that type of licensing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but you can ship coffee anywhere

you want, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need any special permit,â&#x20AC;? said Gould. So Gould and company launched a new project: The Hop Culture Coffee Club. In order to fashion the subscription service in Hop Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image, it required a bit of familiarity, so, rather than shipping two 12-ounce bags of just any java each month, Hop Culture partnered with breweries that roast their own beans. As an added perk, and paying homage to Gouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journalistic interests â&#x20AC;&#x201D; apart from founding his own magazine and authoring a book, he is a past contributor to Forbes, Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health and Thrillist â&#x20AC;&#x201D; club members received a biweekly newsletter with information about their coffee, a curated playlist and several long-form stories. In time, Hop Culture rolled out a sister brand: Bean Culture. And with a similar vibe and aesthetic â&#x20AC;&#x201D; most artwork is done by British artist Sam Taylor â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Bean Culture introduced Hop Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quirky and sunny style to a new demographic. Much of Hop Cultureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pre-pandemic work required scouring the country for interesting beers and their makers. Even so, finding good coffee was always a part of each trip, said Gould, and during a visit out West the group stumbled across San Diego-based Modern Times Beer and its barrel-aged coffee. Fascinated by the concept of pairing

New Light Congregation-Tree of Life*Or Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Simcha Congregation Dor Hadash - 10.27 Healing Partnership

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Thursday, November 12, 2020 Zoom 7:00 - 8:30 PM Free www.newlightcongregation.org/events/ bound-in-the-bond-of-life

Join us for readings by the editors and essayists: Laurie Eisenberg, Molly Pascal, and Arlene Weiner Followed by a moderated discussion remembering those we lost, grief and healing, and our communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt to come to terms with the attack of October 27, 2018. This event is free but registration is required. The anthology may be purchased at a discount during registration. The Editors

%HWK .LVVLOHÎ? is the author of the novel â&#x20AC;&#x153;Questioning Returnâ&#x20AC;? and editor of the essay collections â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reading Genesis: Beginnings and Reading Exodus: Journeys.â&#x20AC;? She is the spouse of Rabbi Jonathan Perlman of New Light Congregation, who survived the October 27th attack. Eric Lidji is the director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center. He is the author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;John Riegert and The Seventeenth Generation: The Lifework of Rabbi Walter Jacobâ&#x20AC;? and a co-editor of +HU 'HHGV 6LQJ +HU 3UDLVHV 3URČ´OHV RI Pittsburgh Jewish Women. +H LV RYHUVHHLQJ WKH HÎ?RUW WR SUHVHUYH GRFXPHQWDWLRQ RI WKH DWWDFN IMCHA

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whiskey barrels and coffee beans, Gould reached out to friends for help. They collected barrels from Dancing Gnome Brewery in Pittsburgh and Jackie Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brewery in Athens, Ohio, and selected and sourced beans from Guatemala â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which, due to their porous

Photo by @thetangleleg

nature, absorbed past barrel contents. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of beans have their own flavors and characteristics and you want to let that be sort

Please see Beer, page 9

Susan G. Komen closing all regional offices, including Pittsburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

he nonprofit Susan G. Komen, which raises funds to fight breast cancer, will close all 64 of its regional offices, including its Pittsburgh affiliate, by the end of the calendar year and will handle all operations nationally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a loss to the city,â&#x20AC;? said Laurie Moser, who co-founded the Pittsburgh Race for the Cure with two other Jewish women â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Eileen Lane and Pat Siger â&#x20AC;&#x201D; under the National Council of Jewish Women in 1992. Moser has an emotional connection to Komen â&#x20AC;&#x153;because I know what the disease is,â&#x20AC;? she said. She was diagnosed with her second bout of breast cancer while involved with the Pittsburgh affiliate â&#x20AC;&#x201D; as a volunteer chair for four years and the executive director for six years. Her breast cancer wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t life-threatening the second time, she said, because she was armed with information she had learned from Susan G. Komen. She thinks the race allowed women to talk about breast cancer, making it feel less scary. At the time Komen was founded, people rarely spoke in public about breast cancer or breast health. Kathy Purcell, CEO of Susan G. Komen Greater Pennsylvania, is unsure whether the Pittsburgh and Scranton Race for the Cure events will continue. The event raised $400,000 this year and was held remotely mid-September in place of the usual Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Day fanfare in Schenley Park. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through your support, Komen Greater PA raised $46 million for community education, screening and treatment initiatives, and $10 million for national breast cancer research,â&#x20AC;? Purcell wrote in a letter shared via email and social media. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We invested your contributions in community initiatives, including patient navigators at local hospitals, educational programming and the life-saving Mammogram Voucher Program. We are very proud that much of the national research funding was re-invested in our region, supporting local research initiatives as well [as] two Komen scholars at the University of Pittsburgh.â&#x20AC;? Remaining funds were given to five local nonprofits that will put the money toward the local breast cancer community. In April, Komen announced that it would restructure and start to centralize its operations. Lane is uncertain whether and how much she might support the national organization moving forward. Still, she knows how much the organization and the Pittsburgh affiliate specifically have accomplished. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud and I guess hopeful that the important mission will continue under Komen,â&#x20AC;? she said.â&#x20AC;&#x201A; PJC â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kayla Steinberg PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Stressful pandemic wedding planning leads to joy — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

hen Janice and Nathan Bahary’s daughter, Ayelet, originally scheduled a March 22, 2020, wedding in New Rochelle, New York, COVID-19 hadn’t yet entered most people’s vernacular. Ayelet, and her now husband Harry Esses, picked the date months earlier. They arranged a venue, mailed invitations and eagerly anticipated what everyone assumed would be a beautiful affair with several hundred attendees. Everything changed in a matter of days. On March 10, 12 days before the wedding, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that due to COVID-19, a 1-mile “containment area” would begin in New Rochelle. “It is a dramatic action, but it is the largest cluster in the country, and this is literally a matter of life and death,” Cuomo said at the time. As soon as Cuomo made the announcement, Janice Bahary began receiving calls. The wedding was to take place less than a mile from the containment area, and when Cuomo’s announcement made national news, people wanted to know what the plan was, she said. Offering an answer proved difficult, however. On March 16, six days before the wedding, the federal government advised people to avoid groups of 10 or more. That same day, New York began limiting social and recreational gatherings to 50 people. “Our primary goal right now is to slow the spread of this virus so that the wave of new infections doesn’t crash our health care system, and everyone agrees social distancing is the best way to do that,” Cuomo said then. With days to go before the wedding, Bahary’s guests wanted information. “What we tried to do was, starting around one week before the 22nd, we tried moving the location and the number of people,” said Bahary. The problem was, each time they identified a new venue, it would fall through because of new regulations. “We couldn’t do it in Long Island, Philadelphia, Harrisburg,” Bahary recalled. “All the guests were like, ‘What’s happening?’”

Beer: Continued from page 8

of the focal point and let that shine, but with this we want to let the barrels shine,” said Gould. The beans were aged for six weeks — during which the barrels were rolled and humidity was checked — before roasting and bagging. Gould is proud of the thought and effort that went into each step. “It’s not just designing the label but actually making the product,” he said. “And even though it’s presented with a sort of irreverence, the product itself is not an irreverent product. We could be snooty about it if we wanted, but I don’t think that’s a very fun way to be, personally.” The commitment to shunning snootiness PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p Ayelet Bahary and Harry Esses on their March 22 wedding day Photo by Janice Bahary

Meanwhile, personalized yarmulkes and booklets containing the “Birkat Hamazon” had arrived at the home of one of Ayelet’s friends in New Rochelle but were irretrievable. That friend was originally supposed to bring them to the venue but because she lived inside the containment area nothing was allowed to come out of it “regardless of wherever the wedding would be,” said Bahary. On March 19, the families decided to hold an intimate wedding in the Bahary’s Squirrel Hill backyard. There would be no grandparents, aunts or uncles, just a “small gathering of family,” said Bahary. To keep numbers low, both the photographer and videographer, who are friends of the family, were counted in the minyan. Creative Kosher Catering delivered individually wrapped meals. Rabbi Daniel Wasserman, of Shaare Torah Congregation, erected a portable chuppah, stepped in to officiate and played a recorded message from

Rabbi Avraham Shmidman, of Lower Merion Synagogue, who was originally slated to oversee the service. “Rabbi Wasserman saved the day,” said Bahary. “Where are you going to find a rabbi who on Wednesday was like, ‘I’ll go anywhere’? This guy went above and beyond.” On March 22, Ayelet Bahary, wearing her mother’s wedding dress — made by Nathan Bahary’s mother years earlier — walked down the stairs of her parents’ deck in their Squirrel Hill backyard. Ayelet entered the chuppah and moments later she and Harry were married. The families then drove through Squirrel Hill, where they received well wishes from friends who watched the ceremony on Zoom, before venturing to Schenley Park and taking photos. Before the day was over, Harry’s parents packed food and drove home to Philadelphia, as staying in Pittsburgh wasn’t possible due to the pandemic. The leadup to March 22 was stressful for the bride and groom, Bahary said. They were trying to determine whether it was

has enabled Hop Culture to reach a wide range of audiences. “The theme that runs through all of my projects is creating something that brings enjoyment and excitement to people, and also creating products and spaces that facilitate connection,” said Gould. “Those are things that are really important to me as an entrepreneur and as a Jew.” Hop Culture, with its belief that conversation yields understanding, created The Lagerlands, a socially distanced pop-up beer garden. Located at 339 McKean St. on Pittsburgh’s South Shore, the reservationonly venture between Hop Culture, De Fer Coffee and Tea, and Cinderlands Beer ran from Sept. 11 to Nov. 1. “It was all outdoors,” Gould said. “It felt very safe and it just provided some semblance

of social normalcy during a pretty crazy time.” Gould is presently at work on Fir Junction, a winter-themed pop-up bar at 5523 Penn Ave. inside a space shared with Chef Jamilka Borges, founder of Wild Child. Given its name, Gould has been busy decorating the venue so that it resembles a ski lodge — and even put a menorah above the fireplace. For those who choose to sit indoors, seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. But for those who wish to drink and dine outdoors, there’s a seasonal twist — seating is inside one of eight heated igloos located in the parking lot; customers order directly from their phones. The only interaction with a server happens when the food and beverages arrive. “Again, just maintaining safety is the

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

even appropriate to hold a wedding when so much devastation was occurring in the world around them. But the Sephardic families believe “you’re supposed to get married on the day you’re supposed to get married, and Rabbi Wasserman took the ball and ran with it,” said Bahary. Gayle and Dan Kraut also know the stress of planning a wedding during a pandemic. Their son Jordy married Devorah Cohen, of Cleveland, about three months ago. “The wedding, although it turned out to be awesome and beautiful, was truly much more stressful because of corona,” said Gayle Kraut. “We had to figure out a way for all of the parties to be happy.” The first issue was timing. Because Jordy’s brother, Aaron, was slated to leave for a year of study in Israel the week after Aug. 11, the couple did not want to delay the wedding. Then came the question of location. Cohen is from Cleveland. The Krauts live in Squirrel Hill. The families agreed on a country club in Cleveland that allowed a hybrid of indoor and outdoor spaces and accommodated Ohio COVID regulations. When it came to seating people, the bride’s family elected to place their guests indoors. The groom’s family chose to seat their guests on the patio outside. “We did it in a way that any guest who wanted to come would feel safe,” said Kraut, estimating 120 people attended. Social distancing was in effect both indoors and outside, though ensuring everyone kept adequate space during the indoor badekken (when the groom veils the bride) was a bit challenging, said Kraut. People were masked, and at points even held pool noodles during the wedding to ensure adequate distancing. For those who didn’t physically attend, they could watch on Zoom. The wedding turned out beautifully, Kraut said, and the weather cooperated. Even with the stress of the pandemic, the families made sure to put their children first and not let differences impact a long-term relationship, Kraut said. “Don’t let this be a reason to break up families,” she said. “It’s only one day. The rest of your life is much more important.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. number one priority,” Gould said, “but also providing a way for people to get out of the house, and live and be able to get together with friends who they feel comfortable seeing.” Fir Junction is slated to run until Jan. 31. By then, Gould and his Hop Culture team will surely be busy on another project, and whether it’s related to beer, coffee or some other comestible with a subculture of devotees, creating during a pandemic is fueled by faith, said Gould: “As Jews, especially, I think we’ve been taught resiliency from day one. Judaism actually has played into a lot of my outlook right now — just being able to look at challenges and knowing that this too shall pass.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. NOVEMBER 6, 2020 9

Headlines Knishes and babka and matzoh ball soup on menu of new deli food truck religious experience.” At night, he moonlighted at Eleven and In addition to the pastrami and veggie- DiAnoia’s in the Strip District, and later friendly seitan “pastrami” sandwiches, which worked his way up to supervising chef at some say are reminiscent of Carnegie Deli’s, Acorn, an upscale eatery in Shadyside. Barr is offering two types of knishes, a unique Then came COVID-19. take on matzoh ball soup, salads, chocolate On March 15, the day after every esteemed babka and, yes, that staple of the New York restaurant in Paris closed indefinitely, Barr Jewish deli, Dr. Brown’s soda. The food is not came into Acorn on his day off to locate food kosher and Barr admits his taste in food might banks and other places in need to send its seem blasphemous to some. “Shrimp is not kosher but pork is anti-Semitic,” he laughed. “That distinction is completely lost on me because I eat whatever I want.” He also has an unusual and impressive resume as a chef. While working as a cook at a local chain restaurant after giving white-collar work a go, Barr daringly contacted the head chef of the Duquesne Club for a job — and landed it. “The Duquesne Club was p Haskel’s Delicatessen at home Photo by Ben Prisbylla where I learned to do things in a big kitchen,” he said. “They’d put 150 pounds lots of food. Soon after, he was unemployed. of onions in front of you and say, ‘Make “I like to say the whole industry was fired several gallons of French onion soup — juli- overnight,” he said, “which is kind of true.” enne them.’ You’d just do it till you didn’t feel Some time into the pandemic, Barr noticed your hands anymore and you couldn’t even food trucks were still serving food at a coffee hear yourself chopping.” shop near his home. He was intrigued; the

— LOCAL — By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

on Barr often doesn’t get very nostalgic for the New Jersey suburbs where he grew up. But he does the miss the food. Perfect cuts of New York-style pizza. Rich, doughy bagels. Delicious, gravy-topped “disco fries” at all-night Greek-owned diners. And, of course, meat-stuffed knishes “the size of a football” and pastrami sandwiches at New York’s famous Jewish delis. “Jews were raised with this stuff — there’s a nostalgia factor,” said the budding chef. “And everybody who grew up in the New York/ New Jersey/Pennsylvania area grew up with these delis.” So, he’s doing what comes naturally to him: He’s opening a Jewish deli-style food truck right here in Pittsburgh. And, yes, he said, the pastrami is knockout good. “Pastrami is the king of cold cuts; it’s the best one,” said Barr, a 30-something secular Jew from Regent Square who is debuting Haskel’s Delicatessen this month outside local coffeehouses and independent breweries. “Pastrami’s doing things that other deli meats aren’t trying to do. You eat pastrami and you’re tasting it six hours later. It’s a

idea for a Jewish deli came naturally. “Pastrami is spicy, pastrami is smoky, pastrami is really a strange thing to have made,” said Barr, who cuts and brines his own meats every day. “I like to think that pastrami harkens back to some older day — it’s an aggressively seasoned food that doesn’t exist elsewhere in Ashkenazi cooking.” Ever the chef, Barr admits his matzoh ball soup is less the typical “Jewish penicillin” and more inspired by the likes of good ramen and Vietnamese pho. “My matzoh ball soup goes beyond comfort food,” Barr said, but declined to reveal any of the special ingredients. The truck will debut at Commonplace Coffee Voluto in Garfield on Nov. 18. On Nov. 19, it’s in Bakery Square, and on Nov. 20, in Grove City. It will be in Wexford on Nov. 21. The truck’s website — hasksdeli.com — and Instagram feed are stuffed with locations. Barr estimates he already is booked through March. He is characteristically full of selfdeprecating Jewish humor about expectations for the debut. “If you see somebody having a panic attack in the truck,” Barr quipped, “just place your order and don’t worry. PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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Nov. 6, 1987 — Singer Zohar Argov dies by suicide

Zohar Argov, 32, who as one of Israel’s first Mizrahi music stars is known as the “The King” but battles drug addictions and once served prison time for rape, dies by suicide in jail after being accused of attempted rape.

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Nov. 7, 1878 — Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz is born State

Avraham Tamir, who serves in the Haganah and the British army and rises to IDF major general, is born. He is one of the first Israeli officials to meet with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Nov. 10, 2004 — ‘Hatikvah’ is officially declared national anthem

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Nov. 9, 1924 — Gen. Avraham Tamir is born

The Knesset officially adopts “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”) as Israel’s national anthem. The action has been delayed for decades over concerns that non-Jewish Israelis feel excluded by the Zionist lyrics.

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Ben-Shalom, the future Pashkaner Rebbe, is born to a Hasidic and Zionist family in Bohush, Romania. He and his wife smuggle themselves into Palestine in 1946.

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Yisrael Amir, the first commander in chief of the Israeli Air Force despite his lack of aviation experience, is born in Vilna in the Russian Empire.

Nov. 12, 2009 — Labor politician Eliyahu Speiser dies

Eliyahu Speiser, a Labor Party member who wins three terms in the Knesset, dies at age 79. He serves as deputy mayor of Tel Aviv and chairs the Association of Cities of the Dan Area. PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

Brazilian governor renounces father’s Nazi sympathies — but Jewish groups say not enough

The new governor of a Brazilian state was forced to condemn her father, who has praised Hitler and other Nazis, but Jewish groups say her repudiation was not forceful enough. At a recent press conference, Daniela Reinehr, the new governor of the Santa Catarina state in southern Brazil, was asked about her father Altair, who has written texts that relativize Nazi atrocities during WWII and once said “it is not even allowed to remember Hitler’s positive works” in the caption to a photo of himself in front of Hitler’s house in Austria. “Your father, as a history teacher, preached in the classroom Holocaust denial, including using books by a publishing house that was condemned for telling lies about World War II,” Intercept Brasil’s Fabio Bispo said. “We want to know if you corroborate these neoNazi and denialist ideas about the Holocaust.” “I cannot be judged by what anyone else thinks. I respect individual rights and freedoms. I repudiate any regime that goes against what I believe,” she answered. “I am against Nazism, just as I am against any regime, system, conduct or position that goes against individual rights, security guarantees or people’s lives. I am a friend of Israel and the Jews,” she added.

The Brazilian Israelite Confederation, which is Brazil’s umbrella Jewish organization, and the local Santa Catarina Israelite Association released a joint statement on Thursday. “The governor must vehemently express her disgust at the denial of the tragedy that was the Holocaust. It is important that she demonstrates unequivocally her rejection of the ideas that led to the extermination of 6 million innocent Jews,” the statement read. Brazil’s Santa Catarina state is home to many German immigrants and their descendants and has been the stage for several neo-Nazi incidents. Last month, a man living in the state with a large swastika on the floor of his pool was kicked out of his political party after trying to run for a local office.

Headstones smashed at Jewish cemeteries in Moldova and Hungary

Headstones were smashed and graves defaced at Jewish cemeteries in Hungary and Moldova. At least five headstones were destroyed at a cemetery in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, the Jewish Community of Moldova said in a statement. Swastikas, a pentagram and the number 666 were spray painted on other headstones. The same cemetery has been targeted for vandalism for three years straight, the statement said. In a separate incident in Kecel, south of Budapest, three tombstones were smashed and human feces were found

on a nearby headstone, the Mazsihisz umbrella group of Hungarian Jewish communities reported on its website. Police are investigating.

Book calling Holocaust a hoax to hit stores in Iceland

An Icelandic company has plunged the country’s publishing industry into a debate about censorship with its plan to publish a 1976 book that argues the Holocaust is a hoax. The book, an Icelandic-language translation of “The Hoax of the Twentieth Century: The Case Against the Presumed Extermination of European Jewry” by Arthur Butz, is being advertised online ahead of the Christmas shopping period, the news site Visir reported. Denying the Holocaust is not illegal in Iceland, but the Association of Icelandic Book Publishers has the means to intervene to stop the book’s sales, Visir reported. However, the head of that organization told the news site he is not inclined to do so. “One of the cornerstones on which book publishing here and elsewhere is based is freedom of the press and expression,” Heiðar Ingi Svansson said.

Florida principal fired again after Holocaust denial

Weeks after voting to rehire a principal who told a parent he “can’t say the Holocaust is a factual, historical event,” a Florida school board has reversed course.

The Palm Beach County School Board voted a year ago to fire William Latson, who had been removed from his post after the 2018 comments came to light. Latson sued, saying he had been wrongfully terminated, and in August, a judge concluded that he should have been reprimanded but not fired. The board voted earlier this month to rehire him rather than face a protracted and costly legal battle. But the board’s only Jewish member voted against rehiring Latson and said at the time, “If we rehire Dr. Latson, it is going be a stain on this school district that will never go away.” After an outcry, the board chair asked the board to reconsider. A meeting two weeks ago to reconsider the decision ended without action after the board received more than 1,200 public comments that members were required by law to read or hear before voting. Then Latson issued a public apology last week. On Monday, the board voted unanimously to fire Latson again. Members said they had come to the conclusion that their decision represented a statement of the district’s values that transcends the risk of litigation, according to a report in the Palm Beach Post. “I am so at peace that I am going to rescind my vote from the Oct. 7 meeting,” said one board member who switched her vote, the newspaper reported. “What Dr. Latson did was open the door for the students whose parents are Holocaust deniers for generations to come to deny the atrocity of the Holocaust.” PJC

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Opinion Corbyn is gone, but Labour anti-Semitism remains — EDITORIAL —

eremy Corbyn, who led Britain’s opposition Labour Party until earlier this year, was suspended from the party last week. He was a leader with a blind spot for his own dislike of Jews and the anti-Semitism he helped foster in his party. The suspension was another sign that the Labour Party is trying to move beyond a strange interlude in which it shunned the country’s moderate center-left voters and embraced heavy-handed nationalization, old-fashioned British anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and friendship with Hamas, whose ideology calls for Israel’s destruction. Corbyn was suspended because he dismissed a report on anti-Semitism in his

party as “dramatically overstated,” a reaction that reinforces the observations of Corbyn’s critics that he has a blind spot when it comes to anti-Semitism. Unfortunately, Corbyn wasn’t the only Labourite to embrace anti-Semitism. Indeed, according to a British parliamentary committee of inquiry in 2016, the party became a “safe space for those with vile attitudes towards Jewish people.” But, according to columnist Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian, much of the blame lies with Corbyn, since “it was Corbyn [as party leader] who made British Jews feel an anxiety they had not known for the best part of a century. It was he who acted as a magnet, drawing in assorted cranks and bigots to join a party whose great name they soiled by their very presence.”

In its report last week, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the British government’s watchdog on racism, found that that Labour under Corbyn failed to address and resolve anti-Semitic behavior in its ranks. And the commission directed that Labour “must live up to its commitment to be a political party with zero tolerance of anti-Semitism” and provide anti-racism training to its staff and members. The legally binding directive from the commission is significant, even if its findings are nothing new. Many in the Jewish world have commented before on the poison of Corbyn’s Labour reign. His hateful behavior so alienated an otherwise docile Jewish community that largely supported the Labour Party that Britain’s three highly competitive Jewish newspapers in 2018 published a joint

front-page editorial warning of the “existential” threat to British Jewry that a government led by Corbyn would pose. Corbyn and Labour lost that election. But even with Corbyn suspended, his disturbing inclinations remain active in the Labour Party, as does the struggle between the far left and moderates within the party. The Labour Party has a lot more work to do to revitalize itself, and to address the continuing festering anti-Semitism in its ranks. How it responds will determine Labour’s status as a mainstream party in a largely two-party democracy, and whether Britain’s Jewish community can learn to trust the party that had been its home for decades. PJC

Is there a way back from a broken political culture? Guest Columnist Jonathan S. Tobin

any Americans are anticipating a return to normalcy once the votes have been counted and the presidential election determined. For some, that just means an end to the constant bombardment of election ads on television, the Internet and even via unsolicited text messages turning up on your phone. For others, it’s a more specific hope that the outcome will mean the defeat of President Donald Trump. Love or hate him, Trump is a unique figure in American political history and perhaps the most polarizing. His unorthodox manner, coarse discourse and contempt for the political establishment have fueled rage from both supporters and opponents. Trump didn’t create the bifurcated political culture that currently exists in the United States in which the two partisan camps have taken on the aspect of warring tribes that no longer watch, listen or read the same media, and view each other as an existential threat to the nation. However, opinions about him have exacerbated it. The fear-mongering about both Trump and his opponents, added to the conspiracy theories in which he is either viewed as a would-be authoritarian about to destroy democracy or the last line of defense against radical left-wing tyranny, has created a particularly toxic situation. One of the key elements of a successful democracy is the willingness of both sides to accept defeat and the legitimacy of a system in which their opponents might wind up in control of the government. Hanging over all of this is the threat of violence. Democrats believe that gun-toting white supremacists are liable to react to the election results. On the flip side, the buildings being boarded up in cities and suburbs around the nation in anticipation of rioting and looting from the same people who took to the 12 NOVEMBER 6, 2020

streets in the “mostly peaceful” Black Lives Matter demonstrations testify to the fact that in 2020, political violence has, along with the unprecedented vituperation on Twitter, become normalized. So it is hardly surprising that we’ve all been hearing accounts of people who have cut off communication with friends and relatives, including parents and children, simply because they were voting for a different candidate.

Either way, it’s clear that it’s now perfectly acceptable to treat a friend, neighbor or relative who holds a different view about politics as not merely mistaken, but a bad person who should be shamed or shunned into changing their minds. As regrettable as it is from a personal standpoint to allow politics to end friendships and even sever family ties, it’s even more dangerous for democracy for such attitudes to become prevalent. If voters aren’t willing

p A polling station sign in New Jersey in 2008

Some claim that this is a matter of protecting their mental health since being forced to listen to opposing views about Trump is too much for many to bear. That’s almost understandable considering that in this year of a pandemic, all too many of us have been living in actual and virtual cocoons in which we can shut ourselves from the annoyance of having to deal with those who have a different perspective. Others are blunt about their judgmental attitudes in that they believe it is simply wrong to have anything to do with someone who holds wrong opinions about Trump or any issues. Some research shows that liberals are more intolerant of conservatives than the other way around while other surveys show that each side is equally intolerant of each other.

Photo courtesy of Van Vyi via Wikimedia Commons.

to accept that their side was defeated legitimately or to acknowledge the legitimacy of their opponents, then democracy doesn’t work. As bad as this might be when it is done in the name of Democratic or Republican talking points, it’s even worse if it is carried out supposedly in order to defend Jewish values. And it is at that point when we start to accuse each other of being other allies of Nazis and anti-Semites or useful idiots for Marxist Israel-haters that American Jews have crossed a line that should never be approached, let alone crossed. The issues at stake in this election are earth-shaking. But if this election turns out to be merely one more battle in a war in which we think we are fighting for the sons of light against the sons of darkness—to

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quote the language of the Dead Sea Scrolls— then any talk of normalcy with or without Trump is absurd. That we arrived at this point is clearly a function of the way politics has replaced the role religion used to play in the lives of many Americans, and intermarriage statistics illustrate why. Over the course of the last 50 years, the once-vast share of Americans who didn’t want their children marrying outside their race or faith has declined exponentially, according to long-term tracking polls. But resistance to marrying someone affiliated with a different political party has increased exponentially. By 2016, nearly two-thirds of those polled opposed political intermarriage. That’s more than double the number of those who held that opinion in 1958. More Americans are now hostile to political intermarriage than those who feel the same way about race or faith. Indeed, it’s entirely possible that there are now more interracial marriages taking place than those between Republicans and Democrats and supporters or opponents of Trump. In such an environment, normalcy doesn’t have much of a chance, and neither do friendships or families. But as much as concern for the political beliefs you cherish is not to be dismissed, sacrificing those most important to us for the sake of politics will cause as much personal harm as the threat we think our opponents pose to the nation. No matter which side you are on, this election is the moment to step back from the political brink and stop treating those we know who differ from us as if they are evil people unworthy of either respect or credit for having good morals. Listen to them rather than merely lecturing them about their faults. Most of all, don’t act as if political disagreements are akin to a religious war. If we don’t, the hurt we are doing to ourselves will be as great, if not far greater, than the damage we think our foes will do. PJC Jonathan S. Tobin is editor in chief of JNS—Jewish News Syndicate. Follow him on Twitter at: @jonathans_tobin. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Opinion What I learned about teshuvah (and the internet) when I sat down with a repentant white supremacist Guest Columnist Rabbi Avram Mlotek

efore I met him, I saw Benjamin McDowell’s name in the news. Inspired by Dylann Roof, the notorious shooter responsible for the Charleston church massacre, he planned an attack on a synagogue that was thwarted by FBI agents. No lives were lost. No lasting physical harm was done, though the synagogue members certainly felt threatened and terrified. I read the news item online and, though I didn’t yet know the word, doomscrolled onward. I probably wouldn’t have thought much about McDowell again had I not seen a video of him in my Facebook feed three years later. Rabba Karpov, the rabbi of Jewish Center of Indian Country, Oklahoma, had posted a YouTube video uploaded by McDowell in which he expressed remorse for his past behavior. (The video has since been removed, though I don’t know why or by whom). I watched the video and was genuinely moved. Something had happened to Benji while in prison. Here he was, talking about the power of love and light to transcend differences, political and religious, and how we were all part of one larger human family. How many of us have undergone such a profound, public transformation from deadly darkness to hope? How many ex-White Supremacists are out there seeking to amend their past ways? A few nights before I had watched the film “Burden,” which tells the true story of how a Black minister, Reverend Kennedy, welcomed a former KKK member, Mike Burden, into his home and changed his life forever. Inspired by this radical act of loving kindness on the reverend’s part, I felt compelled to act on the video of McDowell. I reached out to him directly on Facebook. Even though I have invited anti-Semites into my home before, I generally believe it is not the Jewish people’s responsibility to combat anti-Semitism — in the same way that it is not Black people’s responsibility to dismantle systemic racism. Racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia are prejudices which plague society, and we as a

nation bear a communal responsibility toward eradicating them. But a communal responsibility is fulfilled through countless individual acts. And I knew that encounters with people from such a polar opposite outlook can be sacred and potentially profoundly impactful. After some texting and a phone call, I invited Benji onto my show, “A Rabbi And A —– Walk Into A Zoom.” I’ve hosted priests, Holocaust survivors, doctors, musicians, actors — even President and Michelle Obama’s speechwriter — but never before a repentant white supremacist. And so, we had our event’s name: “A Rabbi And A Former White Supremacist Walk Into A Zoom.” He described meeting with an undercover FBI agent who was ready to sell him weapons to use against the Jewish community. The FBI had tracked his hateful rhetoric online and sought to see just how close this one blogger was to bringing his online musings into fruition. What struck me most during our conversation — which took place on Sept. 14, right before Rosh Hashanah — was the dissonance McDowell described between his online and real-life experiences. Online, he was being inculcated with and reflecting back an ideology centered on the idea that Black people and Jews are destroying society. But he said that even when he was writing hateful messages about Black people online, he always treated them fairly when he countered them in real life. “And Jews?” I asked. He had never met a Jew before. Our conversation, he said, was the first time he had knowingly spoken to a Jew. The Rabbis of the Talmud wrote of the spiritual potency of teshuvah, a genuine return to one’s self, heartfelt repentance. They wrote that teshuvah has the power to transform one’s intentional sins into meritorious deeds. A preposterous sentiment! However, when speaking with Benji, I saw how teshuvah indeed could be seen this way. His intentional hateful acts had brought him to this meritorious place of seeking out reconciliation. Though our country is engulfed in national turmoil, and we are each convinced of our own political righteousness, McDowell said he was undergoing a personal transformation.

— LETTERS — Proper tahara is necessesary to prepare for burial

I am writing representing myself, a 15-year-plus member of the Chevra Kadisha of Greater Pittsburgh. I was honestly shocked and dismayed by what I read in your recent issue about the dropping of taharas (hands-on preparation of the dead for burial) by another chevra kadisha (“Pittsburgh’s Jewish burial societies persevere amid pandemic,” Oct. 30). The Greater Pittsburgh Chevra Kadisha never stopped doing taharas. Obviously, and in accordance with appropriate health considerations, we have taken additional precautions since the start of COVID-19, using bleach, distancing and more PPE than we did before COVID-19. I have had the honor of doing some of these taharas. The Chevra Kadisha of Greater Pittsburgh is not the “Orthodox” chevra kadisha as the article labeled us. We serve all of Jewish Pittsburgh, regardless of the religious observance of whomever we are doing a tahara on. We treat each deceased person with equal respect, and we do all we can, in full accordance with Jewish law and in full accordance with necessary

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Rabbi Avram Mlotek (right) interviewed Benjamin Hoss Mcdowell, a repentant white supremacist who was arrested for planning a violent attack against a Jewish community in South Carolina.

Screenshot via JTA.org

He had never met a Jew before. Our conversation, he said, was the first time he had knowingly spoken to a Jew. (He told me he doesn’t follow the news much because its toxic nature isn’t the most conducive to his emotional recovery, as he puts it.) How many of us have given up on Fox News viewers, or MSNBC viewers, because they are dead set in their ways? How many of us refuse to engage with someone who says “All Lives Matter” or “Black Lives Matter” because we are so disgusted by the sentiments we think are motivating them? If Benji has taught me anything, it is to never believe the lie that we are conditioned to believe: that people cannot change. People can. It is ironic that I encountered Benji through Facebook, a social media giant which is often under criticism for fueling misinformation and polarization. I myself experienced Facebook’s mishandling of hate speech when its moderators removed a post I wrote about being assaulted by Farrakhan supporters on a subway car. The platform, for all of its flaws, permitted Benji and me to connect. But as Benji himself

puts it, it was also the echo chamber of the online groups he had found, which further fueled his toxic thinking. If Facebook chose to actively combat misinformation and hate speech, who knows how many Benjis would be steered away from falsehoods? Facebook’s new policy banning Holocaust denial on its platform is a welcome change that comes several years too late. In the age of COVID-19, we are online now more than ever. For me, Benji’s story is serving as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of echo chambers, a reminder to Facebook of the heavy burden they now carry as a connector of people. But may we also remember that there are people behind the profiles. Real human beings with emotional range and capacity. Let us never lose sight of each other’s humanity, no matter how deeply we doomscroll. PJC This piece originally appeared at JTA.org.

health measures. We perform hands-on taharas on all Jews and we never stopped. A deceased Jewish person deserves a tahara. If the family of a deceased Jew wishes a proper tahara, they can contact the funeral home handling the arrangements for burial and request a tahara from the Chevra Kadisha of Greater Pittsburgh. Yitzchok Gordon Pittsburgh We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 500 words and may be edited for length and clarity; they cannot be returned. Mail, fax or email letters to:

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Headlines Election: Continued from page 1

her ballot and head to work with little interruption. She said she was surprised by the seamlessness of it all but was mostly pleased that Election Day had finally arrived. “I hope we can move on,” Greenfield said. “There’s too much negativity.” Outside the Squirrel Hill Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Steve Gelernter escorted his mother Fanny into their car. Fanny, an octogenarian and Holocaust survivor, had just voted indoors. Memories of Nazi Germany, along with present-day fears, prompted Fanny’s desire to cast a ballot, said Steve: “She said that when Charlottesville happened she had flashbacks to Nazi Germany and said, ‘This is how it all started.’” Shelby Cunningham said it was important to exercise her freedoms on Election Day. The Greenfield resident stood outside Shaare Torah Congregation providing voters with literature about Jay Walker, a Green Party candidate for Pennsylvania District 23.

p Voters wait in line outside of the South Hills JCC.

Cunningham, who has a history of lung problems, said she was worried about being able to safely engage with voters this year. So Cunningham’s husband took an old TV antenna and attached clothespins to the ends and made her a tool to give out material while still social distancing. By 10:30 a.m., nearly 90 people had already voted inside Rodef Shalom Congregation in Shadyside. Yael Schenker, a Highland Park resident and judge of election for precinct 07-01, said she was happy to see so many voters engage in the process.

Photo by David Rullo

“People are excited to vote,” said Schenker. “We are extremely lucky to be part of a democracy.” Voters in the South Hills similarly flocked to their polling places early Tuesday morning. Tiana Van Slyke waited in line for 30 minutes before voting at the South Hills JCC. Van Slyke, who said she voted for Trump, didn’t expect to know election results for at least a few weeks. George and Toni Brkovich, also at the South Hills JCC, were bothered by the prospect of no clear winner by this evening.

Passersby: Continued from page 1

Richard Rattner, of Squirrel Hill, came to the corner last year. He returned this year because of his friendship with Cecil and David Rosenthal — the brothers were among those killed in the 2018 shooting. “I think it’s important to remember,” said Rattner after reciting Yizkor, a memorial prayer recalling the deceased. “It was more for the memories and not letting the victims become faceless.” For nearly two years, Alan Hausman, a Tree of Life vice president, has implored visitors to keep that principle in mind. “It’s important to remember that this isn’t about an event or a day,” Hausman said. “It’s about 11 people that lost their lives, about people that were seriously injured — a number of public safety personnel that also were seriously injured.” When a government official arrived at the corner around noon, Hausman walked west with him on Wilkins Avenue. After reaching the building’s locked glass doors, where contents from the former makeshift memorial are displayed, Hausman recalled each of the 11 people who were murdered on Oct. 27, 2018. He described their personalities, what they’d wear to Shabbat services, the types of jokes they’d tell and what role each person played within their congregations. Mariely Gessler didn’t know Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax or Irving Younger. But that didn’t stop her from coming to the corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues on Oct. 27, 2020. Gessler, a Steubenville resident, was in Homestead when she heard a radio report about the second commemoration of the shooting at the Tree of Life building. Gessler told her three children, ages 9, 13 and 19, that the synagogue was nearby and that it 14 NOVEMBER 6, 2020

p Outside the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2020

Photos by Adam Reinherz

“There’s 90 million people that voted already — there should be some idea,” said Toni Brkovich. “They knew this was a possibility. Why aren’t they going to have it counted by the end of the night tonight?” George Brkovich expressed similar dismay about this year’s election process. “It’s a little frustrating because of the way our courts are making decisions for us,” he said. Mitchell Hill said he decided to vote in person at the South Hills JCC because he never got an absentee ballot for the previous election. “I thought it would be better to show up,” he said. Hill waited 20 minutes in line before filing his ballot. Kim Lundy waited 30 minutes at the South Hills JCC before casting her vote. She said it was necessary to fulfill her civic duties in person this year. “I wanted my vote to be counted,” said Lundy. “I thought it would be safer.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

was important to go there. “I think it is truly horrific what happened two years ago and it comes to me as kind of just a shock that something like this could happen in a city like Pittsburgh,” said Gessler’s son Emmanuel, 19. “It just shows how much more work needs to be done to stop this kind of extremism.” Stationed across the street from the Tree of Life building were representatives from the 10.27 Healing Partnership, Center for Victims and Jewish Family and Community Services. The staff, and their respective organizations, provided resources and space for those who wished to talk, sit or enjoy the company of Cooper and Nelly, two docile canine advocates. Vanessa Wheeler, of Center for Victims, estimated a “couple dozen” people stopped to pet the neatly groomed dogs throughout the day. Stefanie Small, JFCS’ clinical director, credited the many professionals who spent the day offering aid to passersby, and said that JFCS will continue “to support the community in whatever need and way we can.” With the online commemoration program scheduled to stream at 7 p.m. that night, the many professionals and volunteers began packing up before dark. Shortly before leaving the area, Hausman walked south on Shady Avenue toward Solway Street and the nearby assembled police officers. Hausman, who serves as Chief of PA Strike Team 1, an urban search and rescue team, wished to thank the officers for standing guard and enabling scores of people to safely visit the corner. Whether it’s Oct. 27, or any other day on the calendar, it’s important to remember people, to acknowledge any love received and to return those kindnesses, explained Hausman. “Pittsburgh is just a big small city,” he said. “People in Pittsburgh rally and help each other. And that’s the way it’s always been and the way it always will be.” PJC

p Mariely Gessler, left, brought her children Mari Gessler, Emmanuel Gessler and John Paul Gessler to the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2020.

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

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Headlines Kristallnacht: Continued from page 3

romance of Jeanne Reichenbach and Léon Blum, a Jewish-French socialist politician and three-time prime minister of France. “Kristallnacht was the moment when Jewish men were arrested for being Jewish men,” said Bairnsfather. “It’s the end of a process introducing more laws that restrict Jewish life, discriminate against Jews, sanction violence against Jews. It’s the moment, if you’re paying attention, that the writing is on the wall. With this program we are connecting Kristallnacht in concrete ways with France.” The film offers viewers an opportunity to reflect and understand history far better than reading about the same subject in a book, said Spitz Cohan. “Films show and encourage emotion,” she noted. “The visual image is so accessible, which is why movies are so popular.” Although watching the movie is not

Waste: Continued from page 4

competition and a $25,000 Ford Community Challenge prize to launch the company and build the Seahorse, and are putting any money made back into the company. The plan for Ecotone’s eventual profitability is based on the fees municipalities would pay for the company taking their food waste, and on selling the fertilizer created. Lew said that most municipalities currently pay $40 to $50 a ton to landfill waste and will be able to sell the fertilizer created for $35 to $40 a gallon once it is certified as organic. For the time being, Ecotone is working with 412 Food Rescue, which donates food it is

Trauma: Continued from page 5

moment,” she said. Heinrich asked what the response to the shooting said about the Jewish people. “I believe that the only way to beat hate and despair is by hope and kindness,” said Levanon. “And we saw a lot of that in Pittsburgh. And we think that the community in Pittsburgh has become stronger because of this kindness, and we became stronger when we came back from Pittsburgh because of that.”

necessary to attend the program, anyone registered is able to screen the film online before the event. The Edgar Snyder Kristallnacht Commemoration Fund is subsidizing the

Snyder said. “It was my first time with, at that time, Russians making aliyah. It started a whole emotional — and I don’t want to say religious — but Jewish feeling within me, after

“ Kristallnacht was the moment when Jewish men were arrested for being Jewish men.” — LAUREN APTER BAIRNSFATHER ticket price, making the film available to attendees on Nov. 9 or 10. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the fund started by Pittsburgh attorney Edgar Snyder. Snyder, who served as the Holocaust Center’s board chair in 1999, said that it was a Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh trip to Israel in 1991 that ignited his passion to become involved with the Center. “It had a very emotional impact on me,”

experiencing all those people who gave up everything to come to Israel and wait and kiss the ground.” During the trip, Snyder visited Yad Vashem for the first time. That visit, combined with first-hand accounts from survivors, created a desire within Snyder to get more involved in the community and, eventually, to create the Edgar Snyder Kristallnacht Commemoration Fund.

“ It basically works by grinding up food waste and puts it through a stomach that has a whole bunch of good bacteria and microbes

”

that eat up all the food waste.

— DYLAN LEW unable to use, and Pittsburgh residents who collect food scraps in compost containers. Before he relocates to South Carolina, Lew and his partners are busy. They recently moved their system from East Liberty to

Swissvale and will be spending the next several months getting it up and running and implementing some updates. They will also be reconstructing the greenhouse, which they had to deconstruct to move.

For Golin, hugs were part of the healing. “I’m not a real huggy kind of person,” he said. “But I gave more hugs and received more hugs in the weeks and months after this shooting than in probably my entire life.” Some of the services and strategies — such as hotlines and support groups — that were used to respond to the shooting were also implemented when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, said Small. And JFCS has added two trauma therapists to its team, who Small said are “helping the helpers so we are strong enough to help the rest.” Since the shooting, the community has

helped other communities dealing with hate attacks through the 10.27 Healing Partnership, and communal security director positions have been added across the country, said Golin. In addition to security and training, relationship-building is critical, stressed Finkelstein. “The outpouring of support and love that we had from so many communities wasn’t by accident,” he said. “It was because we know each other.” That outpouring came from all over, said Small and Golin, who described

Snyder pointed out that the fund he and his ex-wife started was not responsible for the Center’s commemoration of Kristallnacht, but rather allowed for more robust programming and events. He is excited to be able to watch the program this year online because he is not currently in Pittsburgh. He is proud, he said, that the program “is an extension of what we started in the year 2000.” Snyder stressed that the lesson learned from Kristallnacht isn’t partisan. “It is not a political statement,” he said, “but clearly the messaging of intolerance and prejudice and bigotry — at that time it was for the Jews, it doesn’t have to be for the Jews, it can be toward anyone — if it goes unabated and unchecked, and Kristallnacht was that type of event, we all know what happened after Kristallnacht.” To register for the Kristallnacht commemoration, go to hcopgh.org. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Lew said that even though he will be leaving the Steel City in July for a few years, he has fallen in love with Pittsburgh and points to his move here as helping to grow his Jewish identity. “I would meet people and later find out they were Jewish,” he said. “It’s been amazing to be in Pittsburgh and have a strong Jewish community. In Connecticut, my family was one of like three Jewish families in a town of like 40 to 50,000. It’s been great to be so openly Jewish. I have this pretty amazing tradition of going to Shabbat with my friends, which has now been Shabbat-to-go. I appreciate the strong network we have because it’s not something I’ve experienced before.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

the windchimes from Los Angeles, painted stones from Maine, challahs from Philadelphia, therapeutic clowns from Israel and cards from all over the world that were sent to Pittsburgh. Levanon ended the discussion with a sobering reminder of the need to be prepared. “I know I can only wish that it will never happen again,” she said. “But unfortunately, I don’t think that we are all that naïve.” PJC Kayla Steinberg can be reached at ksteinberg @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Life & Culture Don’t be afraid of rack of lamb By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

or most of my adult life, rack of lamb terrified me. It seemed like the sort of meal that only a gourmet chef could even try to attempt. I’m happy to say that I could not have been more wrong. It is actually one of the simplest and best tasting entrées that you can make. Rack of lamb isn’t cheap, but it’s worth the splurge for a special occasion meal with loved ones. Ingredients 3-3 ½ pound rack of lamb roast 2-3 tablespoons good quality olive oil 6 cloves garlic, minced 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Two hours before cooking, rub the olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary into the roast. You can simply drizzle the oil, place the fresh rosemary sprigs and garlic into your hand, and rub in into the meat. Sprinkle with salt and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours. It’s important that lamb and beef be at room temperature before cooking in order to get the best flavor. Set your oven to 400 F and place the rack in the upper third of the oven.

A cast iron skillet will give the best results for this recipe. Place the rack (or racks, sometimes there are 2 per package) rib side up and cook for 30-35 minutes. This helps the outer layer of fat to sear and creates a beautiful color on the edges. Check with a digital instant-read thermometer by choosing a meaty place in the middle of the meat. Medium rare lamb should be at 125 F. I prefer lamb cooked to medium, which is 140 F. You can see in the photo that my lamb is just slightly pink. You should cook to your preference, and check the lamb at 25 minutes if you wish to have rare meat. I don’t suggest cooking rack of lamb to well done — it is such a good cut of meat, and overcooking can diminish the overall quality. Remove from the oven, flip so that the rib side is down, and let rest in the skillet for 10 minutes before removing to a cutting board to cut and serve. The meat has a natural template, so simply slice between each rib. This recipe serves 6-8 people depending on portion size. I serve this meal with blanched green beans and roasted potatoes — it does not need competitive side dishes. I made it just last week, and I can tell you that it is hands down the best meal I have made this entire year. PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

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Celebrations

Torah

Bar mitzvah

The assumptions we make about those other people

Brian Firman, son of Mindy and Irv Firman of Squirrel Hill, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Brian is the brother of Eli Firman and Lucy Firman. Grandparents are Anna Lee and the late David Firman and Bernard and Evelyn Sobol. Brian is a seventh-grader at Shady Side Academy. His interests include basketball and baseball.

Bat mitzvah Olivia Marcovitz, daughter of Jodi and Uriel Marcovitz, will become a bat mitzvah Saturday, Nov. 7, at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills. Grandparents are Sandy and Marshall Goldstein of Upper St. Clair, and Marilyn and Richard Marcovitz of Bridgeville. PJC

Mazel Tov! SPECIAL OCCASIONS DESERVE SPECIAL ATTENTION What is a special occasion…a birth, a b’nai mitzvah, an engagement, a wedding, an anniversary? Absolutely!

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Rabbi Ron Symons Parshat Vayeira Genesis 18:1 – 22:24

his is one of those moments when the weekly Torah portion serves as a lens through which we can better understand our reality. I write these words the week before Nov. 3 and you are probably reading them before we know the definitive outcome of our elections. “Darn those Ds!” “Darn those Rs!” Each one of us might have said these words. I am confident we have all heard them. Let’s turn to the eternally contemporary words of Torah to better understand where we are today. For the second time in his married life, Abraham tries to pass off his wife Sarah as his sister, assuming that a perceived nonadulterous sexual encounter between Sarah and Pharaoh (Genesis 12) and this week with Abimelech (Genesis 20) will save his life. Let’s be clear: It is patriarchal and misogynistic and calls out for #MeToo. No matter what the standards were in those days, it is just wrong. As we dive deeper into the narrative and motivations, we can learn much about our current perspectives. Abimelech is perceived by God as morally corrupt: “But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, ‘You are to die because of the woman that you have taken, for she is a married woman’” (Genesis 20:3). What a stinging indictment from the Holy One of Blessing: “Your immorality makes you a dead man!” But wait, God was wrong: “Now Abimelech had not approached her. He said, ‘O ETERNAL, will You slay people even though innocent? He himself said to me, “She is my sister!” And she also said, “He is my brother.” When I did this, my heart was blameless and my hands were clean’” (Genesis 20:4f.). There are three lessons to be learned from all of this. First, Abraham was wrong. No matter how hard we and our tradition might try to manipulate words that are recorded on parchment to Abraham’s credit, he was plainly and simply wrong. You can’t try to pass off your loved ones, those who rely on you, so that

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Rabbi Ron Symons is the founding director of the JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.

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they will be harmed and you will be saved. In our world today, we hear national and local leaders, along with our own closest circles of friends, family and neighbors arguing that they didn’t say what they did say, or we misunderstood it. Second, Abimelech, the perceived immoral actor in this Torah tale, the one who we might have thought went “low,” actually went “high.” He made his decisions based on the wrong facts he was given by both Abraham and Sarah. Our parents Abraham and Sarah shared the fake news of the day and it was despicable. Worse yet, it was fake news shared by the good guys! Today, we need to stop spreading fake news. No matter our political color, we have a responsibility to stick to the real facts. Third, and perhaps the hardest one to write and read: God, the ultimate arbiter of justice, was wrong in this case on first impression. God sentenced Abimelech to death before hearing the other side. How powerful it was for the perceived moral villain, Abimelech, to echo the perceived moral hero, Abraham, right back to God. When fighting for the innocent in Sodom and Gomorrah, it was Abraham who questioned God only two chapters before: “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (Genesis 18:25). Here, it is the innocent and misinformed Abimelech who challenges God’s character: “O ETERNAL, will You slay people even though innocent?” If God can be called in on moral grounds, then every single one of us can be called in, too, no matter how we vote. In our contentious 2020 world of medical, moral, economic and political pandemics, we look back on our people’s big story to better understand our own paths forward: Words matter, no matter which side speaks them. Facts matter, no matter which side offers them. Morality matters, no matter which side is acting. PJC

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Obituaries ALEXANDER: Michael J. Alexander of Bozeman, Montana, formerly Pittsburgh, passed away peacefully on Sept. 21. Son of the late Gilbert and Judith Alexander. Michael is survived by his loving wife Diane of 34 years. His memory is a blessing to his three daughters and seven grandchildren: Jennifer (Larry), Samantha, Grayson Honig; Tiffany (Bruce), Rebecca, Natalie, Caleb Willner; Alexis (Al), Alex, Alexis Madrid and Diane’s three sons and three grandchildren, the St. Cyr family: Joey (Christian), Todd (Chris), Jacki; Jeff (Arin), Maci, Franci. Contributions can be made to the Pittsburgh Zoo (donate@pittsburghzoo.org). BLUMMER: Sondra R. (Stutz) Blummer. On Friday, Oct. 30, 2020. Beloved wife of Morry W. Blummer; loving mother of Marcy (Larry) Grollman and the late William “Bill” Aaron Blummer; grandmother of Joshua (Veronica) Grollman, Jordan Grollman and Mitchel, Wesley, Kyle and Laine Blummer; great-grandmother of Jonah Grollman. Sondra enjoyed many years of teaching elementary school students, playing mahjong, socializing with friends, weekly visits to the hair and nail salon, and lunchtime trips with Morry to Costco. However, her favorite times were those spent with her six grandchildren and her great-grandson. Service and interment private. Contributions may be made to Temple Sinai, 5505 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, 1900 Cochran Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15220. Arrangements entrusted to the Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com COHEN: Robert “Bob” Philip Cohen, 93, of Pittsburgh, passed away on Oct. 22, 2020, with his family at his side. Bob was born in New York City, June 28, 1927, to the late Charles and Evelyn Goldman Cohen and grew up in Washington Heights, New York, New York. Upon graduating from George Washington High School one year early through the Rapid Advancement Program, he attended a two-year college, Syracuse University in New York. He then joined the U.S. Army in 1945 during WWII and became a radio operator stationed in Germany. Upon his discharge from the service in 1947, Bob attended NYU. Shortly after, he began his career in advertising for his uncle Milton Goldman at The Shield and later worked at the National Can Corporation. He met his future wife, Effie, in Pittsburgh on a blind date. She was the love of his life, and they married in October 1956. He then worked with his father-in-law, Jerome Edlis, at the Edlis Beauty and Barber Supply Co. Bob and Effie owned and managed this company as partners side by side for over 50 years until their retirement. Bob had many hobbies and interests. He enjoyed learning, especially history. He exercised daily, never missing a day. His love of food was evident, and he took pride in cooking healthy meals. Bob was predeceased by his beloved wife of 62 years, Ethel “Effie” (Edlis) Cohen as well as his parents, brother, Leon Cohen, and sister, Geraldine Pitasky Silverstein. He is survived by his children, Melinda “Mindy” (Bob) Parson, Lynn Cohen, Gwen Cohen and Martin (Catherin) Cohen, grandchildren Sam Vogel, Charlotte Vogel, Audrianna Mira Cohen and Charles Mira Cohen, and many nieces, nephews and friends. Graveside services were held at 12 p.m. on Oct. 23, 2020, at Homewood Cemetery in PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Squirrel Hill. Donations in his memory may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of his late wife or to Chabad of the South Hills. D’Alessandro Funeral Home. dalessandroltd.com DISKIN: Betty (Friedman) Diskin, Ph.D. Of Mt. Lebanon, on Monday, Nov. 2, 2020. Resident of Concordia of South Hills. Born to the late Simon and Sara Friedman in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, graduated high school in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Earned a bachelor’s degree, Penn State University; master’s degree, New York University; doctorate, University of Pittsburgh. Beloved wife of the late Arthur J. Diskin, Esq., loving mother of the late William Stewart Diskin and the late Robert David Diskin. Her professional career began as a teacher of speech and English in New Jersey, moved to advertising and public relations in New York City and educational director for Warner Cable Corporation in Pittsburgh. Always interested in theatre, she played the nurse in “Mr. Roberts” which opened the Craft Avenue Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. She produced and co-hosted the TV show “Twixt Twelve and Twenty” on Channel 11 with Bill Cardille. Betty was active in local theatres including the Little Lake Theatre, Baldwin Players and the original Pittsburgh Playhouse. After retirement, she was a study group leader in the Osher Program at Carnegie Mellon University. Betty was also a longtime member of Temple Emanuel of South Hills, where she established the Diskin Music Fund in memory of her husband and their two sons. Other activities included attendance and enjoyment of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Public Theater and the City Theatre. She also established funds at the Pittsburgh Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. She is survived by nephew Joel Harris, Pittsburgh; nieces Roberta (Richard) Handel, Williamsville, New York; Sue Breger, (late Dr. Herbert) New York, New York; Wendy (James) Harper, Vero Beach, Florida. She was predeceased by her niece, Sherrie (Mrs. Robert) Rice. Interment at Temple Emanuel section of the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery on Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Contributions may be made to the Diskin Music Fund, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh or to a charity of choice. Services and arrangements entrusted to William Slater II Funeral Service (412-563-2800), 1650 Greentree Rd., Scott Twp. 15220. www.slater funeral.com FINK: Diane “DeDe” (Linder) Fink, age 72, of Fox Chapel, passed away peacefully on Oct. 30, 2020. She was the daughter of Ruth and Isadore Linder (z”l). DeDe was loving, loyal, brave, tough and an eternal optimist. She faced many challenges in her life but never complained and always put others before herself. She set an example by which all could envy, persevering through one of life’s most unfortunate circumstances to make a difference in the lives of everyone she encountered. She was a dedicated mother and grandmother and loved nothing more than spending time with her children and grandchildren, playing mahjong and bridge with her friends, shopping, exercising, sitting in the sun and decorating her

Please see Obituraies, page 20

Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from … In memory of … Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J . Jay Eger

A gift from … In memory of … Sandra Press Kearns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hilda Press

Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louis Kaddell

Sharon Knapp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ida Sadowsky Frankel

David and Judith Clovsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Irving Clovsky

Sharon Knapp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anna Sadowsky

Mr . and Mrs . Jonathan Glasser Dane . . Jay David Glasser

Jan & Ed Korenman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Bilder

Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Goldston

Mark Browar Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mark Browar

Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Leebov

Mark Browar Trust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Marion Browar

Irwin Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isaac Goldstein

Rachel Meyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belle Meyers

Mrs . Phyllis Katz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pauline Daniels

Rachel Meyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Alvin Meyers

Sandra Press Kearns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dr Sanford Press

Sharon Snider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nettie Touber

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday November 8: Dr. Max A. Antis, Frank Cohen, Rose Feigenbaum, Bernard Aaron Feldman, William L. Fogel, Rose Glick, Blanche Moskowitz Gould, Saul Kopelson, Rachel Lazarus, Celia Meyers, Harold L. Roth, Sarah Safier, Theodore Sokoler, David Volkin, Lena Wesoky Monday November 9: Robert Scott Ackerman, Emery J. Feldman, Linda Goldston, Nathan Israel, Paul Kimball, Morris B. Kirschenbaum, Mary Mannheimer, Saul I. Perilman, Rosalyn Serrins, Mitchell Shulman, Rose Stern, Paul Emanuel Tauberg, Samuel Viess, Clara Weiner, Louis Zweig Tuesday November 10: Bernard Berkovitz, Dorothy M. Brill, James Cohen, Sidney H. Eger, Sidney H. Eger, Ephraim Farber, Howard Joseph Green, Charlotte R. Greenfield, Julius Gusky, Samuel Hackman, Max Hoffman, Nathan Levenson, Albert S. Mar, Edward Witt Wednesday November 11: Meyer R. Bochner, Elliot Borofsky, J. Jay Eger, Annie Chotiner Ellovich, Mildred Flanick, Mildred Hahn, Morris Bernard Marcus, Freda Miller, Richard S. Rosenfeld, Sarah Schwartz Rudick, Milton E. Steinfeld, Abraham Stevenson Thursday November 12: Mayme Altman, Selma Berger, Esther L. Carver, Sally Chudacoff, Eva Dizenfeld, Jack A. Eckert, Olga Engel, Max Feinberg, Stanley Glasser, Max Horovitz, Louis A. Levin, Julia Moses, Helene Mueller, Bernard Samuels, Sam Seminofsky Friday November 13: Doris Libby Bennett, Joseph Bilder, Max Cohen, Herman A. Donofsky, Leah Firestone, Phillip Friedman, Morris Glassman, Betty Grayer, Jennie Iskowich, Harry Jacobs, Bertha Klein, Leon Morris, Polina Novak, Meyer Seiavitch, Irwin Sidler, Fannie G. Skirboll, Sidney Stein, Sam Stern, Sam Stone, Marvin Tachna, Joseph Thompson, Mildred Weinberger, Milton Zakowitz Saturday November 14: Bessie Lottie Azen, Sylvia Braun, Harry Cukerbaum, Anne Firestone, Julia Goldstein, Louis Greenberg, Zelda Gutmacher, Isaac Klein, William Levy, Joseph Lustig, Jacob S. Miller, Gertrude R. Nachman, Ruben Nadler, Miriam S. Nydes, Max Perr, Philip Rubenstein, Shana Sergie, Ida Sussman, Nettie Touber, Rose Wolovitz

D’Alessandro Funeral Home and Crematory Ltd. “Always A Higher Standard”

Dustin A. D’Alessandro, Supervisor • Daniel T. D’Alessandro, Funeral Director

4522 Butler St. • Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (412) 682-6500 • www.dalessandroltd.com

Please consider the Jewish Burial Grove at Penn Forest Natural Burial Park.  Sanctified for Jewish Burial by Rabbi Stephen E. Steindel.

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 Located in Verona PA — 13-miles from downtown Pittsburgh.  No burial vaults used.  Only biodegradable coffins or shrouds allowed.

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 We work with all funeral homes.  We honor all Jewish burial practices.

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Call 412-265-4606 for tour appointments or other information or email Laura@PennForestCemetery.com. All prices on our website: www.PennForestCemetery.com/pricing.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 6, 2020 19

Obituaries Obituaries:

be made to your charity of choice or Adat Shalom Synagogue (adatshalompgh.org), Paws with a Cause (pawswithacause.org) or Jewish National Fund (jnf.org). Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated, schugar.com

Continued from page 19

home with beautiful flowers and trinkets. She loved pictures and surrounded her home with beautiful photos of the people she loved. DeDe was a graduate of Allderdice High School, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University. Prior to having children, she was an elementary school teacher. She taught kindergarten at Adat Shalom for many years and spent much of her time volunteering for many local organizations, including her synagogue, Adat Shalom; Hadassah; Children’s Hospital; Paws with a Cause; and so many more. She was an avid athlete, and even after she was injured in a bicycle accident 37 years ago that left her paralyzed, she continued to compete in racquetball, wheelchair racing, swimming and more. She won multiple wheelchair competitions, including the Great Race, and won gold medals in track and field, and swimming at the U.S. National Wheelchair Games. You could often find her using her wheelchair bike through the streets of her neighborhood, swimming miles at Club 1 and walking her dog at Squaw Valley Park. DeDe is survived by her daughter Julie (Rob) Paris and son David (Tricia); grandchildren Ari, Judah and Henry; former husband Rodney Fink; sister-in-law, Marsha (Jon) Turner; her nieces Lauren and Lindsey Turner, and Jennie and Ben Linder; brother Alan (Barbara) Linder; and her many wonderful friends, who were like family to her. We would like to give a special thank you to her nurses, who cared for her so deeply and were instrumental in allowing her to live with dignity, remain independent and always live her best life. Graveside services and interment were held at Kether Torah Cemetery. Donations may

KRIMSKY: Jeffrey H. Krimsky, age 71, of Monroeville, on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, following a courageous battle with multiple system atrophy. Beloved husband of 37 years to Jackie (Morrison) Krimsky; adoring father of Jason (fiancée Jackie Pajan) and Jennifer Krimsky; brother of Shelley (Norman) Getson and Geri Norris; uncle of Sarah Norris and the late Jeffrey Getson. Jeff was a furniture manufacturer representative for over 40 years where he was very well regarded by his customers. Truly, his greatest pleasure was being with his family. An outdoor funeral service was held on Tuesday at Soxman Funeral Homes. Interment to follow in Temple Sinai Memorial Park. Visit mealtrain.com/g48mve to offer donations to the family. To honor Jeff’s memory, contributions may also be made to Multiple System Atrophy Coalition, 7918 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 300, McLean, VA 22102. NEMOY: Rosalyn (Shoshana) Nemoy passed away peacefully on the second of Cheshvan after a long illness. A Holocaust survivor, she was born in a concentration camp in 1941. Her father, Michael Weiner, was an opera singer, and due to his fame, his family was able to survive the war, but he passed just before they were liberated. Shoshana came to this country as a young girl after the war and with her mother, Maureen Weiner, moved to California. At age

20, she married her high school sweetheart, Joel Nemoy, an architect, who designed and built his own house for his family. The house was featured in a national magazine, which was a source of pride for Shoshana long after she had moved on. A year later, a son, and another son two years after that. Bills, affairs, fights, separations, bonus baby, divorce, reconciliation and eventually she was a single mother with a young daughter, her sons already grown. She was good with numbers and supported herself for many years as an accountant. When her oldest son first moved out on his own, he met up with Chabad, and through its influence, both he and his entire family became more religious. Shoshana and her daughter eventually made their way to Crown Heights, where she lived for several years. She then moved to Buffalo, New York, for a short time before joining her son, who was living in New Haven, Connecticut. Deprivation from her early years combined with her stress as an adult took a severe toll on her health, but like a cat with nine lives, she rallied back many times. When she no longer had the strength to live alone, she moved once more to Pittsburgh, where her family had since settled. She leaves behind three children, nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and innumerable friends whose lives she brightened and inspired. Her funeral took place on a dreary, rainy day, as though G-d himself was joining with his tears. But up in heaven there was dancing and rejoicing

REMEMBRANCE

BLOOM: Michael Jay Bloom, who passed away Nov. 14, 2019, was a “Renaissance Man.” Law, Talmud, city management, history, Judaic studies, baseball, liturgical music, science, psychology, nature, photography, people

— everything interested Mike. A Harvard, Boston University and Yeshiva University graduate and alumnus of Hillel Academy, he found unique ways to combine these interests. He edited a Torah journal as a student and later published works of comedy, Judaic articles and public policy as well as writing for Walt Disney Pictures. Founder of the Washington Nationals’ ballpark minyan; he was a docent and historian at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in Washington, D.C., and chairperson of the General Orde Wingate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Having served as director of budget planning at the U.S. Treasury, Bloom was also a Torah reader at the Pentagon Chapel and national deputy chaplain of the Jewish War Veterans of the USA and chaplain at the National Museum of Jewish Military History. Ordained in his mid50s, “Rabbi Mike” had earlier begun serving as chaplain at senior citizen facilities in the Greater Washington area. He taught and led services at multiple facilities in addition to his presentations on Jewish foods, history, ethics, comedy, writing and Judaism at academic and cultural programs in the Virginia-Maryland-D.C. area. Son of the late Albert W. and Evelyn G. Bloom of Pittsburgh, Rabbi Michael Bloom will be remembered by friends, siblings: Shanen Bloom Werber, Dov Bloom, Elana Bloom, nieces and nephews on Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. on a Zoom and in-person memorial from the Garden of Remembrance Cemetery, Clarksburg, MD. https://us02web. zoom.us/j/83312465526?pwd=MUZqWG93NytMc2VlODZmTE9KQ0Frdz09 Donations in Rabbi Michael Bloom’s memory can be directed to Yad Yehuda of Greater Washington or to Hillel Academy. PJC

BUYING AND SELLING

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Jason A. Smith & Caryn Rosenthal Jason: 412-969-2930 | Caryn: 412-389-1695 Jasonasmith@howardhanna.com Carynrosenthal@howardhanna.com

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This very unique Home of Distinction property at 95 E. Woodland Road on the Chatham University campus in Shadyside is truly an urban oasis! Today’s buyers are increasingly

DOWNTOWN • $950,000 Gateway Towers. Primo sensational double unit. Over 3000 square feet. 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. View of all three rivers. New windows installed (approx $70,000). The best unobstructed space and views in Pittsburgh. This is a full service building and PET FRIENDLY.

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 6, 2020 21

Community Scenes from Oct. 27, 2020

p From left: Alan Hausman, of Tree of Life, FBI Special Agent David S. Foster and chevra kadisha member Rabbi Elisar Admon stand in silence after lighting candles on behalf of those murdered on Oct. 27, 2018. Photo by Adam Reinherz

p A passerby reads the note left beside a bouquet of flowers.

p Yeshiva Girls School students recited psalms near the corner of Wilkins and Shady avenues. Photo by Jim Busis

Photo by Jim Busis

p Rabbi Yisroel Smith, of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, pauses by the barricade on Oct. 27, 2020. Photo courtesy of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

p Kelly Moore, left, of Jewish Family and Community Services, and Vanessa Wheeler, of Center for Victims, sit with Nelly, a canine advocate. Photo by Adam Reinherz

Chabad remembers and delivers  Students from Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh packed 450 Shabbat bags to be delivered by the Bnai Emunah Chabad community to neighbors in Greenfield in honor of Oct. 27. Photo courtesy of Rabbi Yitzchak Goldwasser

22 NOVEMBER 6, 2020

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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Community Wightman Park reopens

Machers and Shakers  Bob Silverman, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Community Relations Council’s immediate past-chair, was presented with the Sonia and Aaron Levinson Community Relations Award. The award recognizes Silverman’s commitment to social justice, promotion of intergroup relations and leadership of the CRC. Photo courtesy of Bob Silverman

p Civic leaders participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopening of Wightman Park on Oct. 28. Pittsburgh City Councilperson Erika Strassburger was joined by Mayor William Peduto, state Sen. Jay Costa, state Rep. Dan Frankel, Executive Director of Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority Will Pickering, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Tim Prevost, manager of Wet Weather at ALCOSAN to celebrate the opening of one of Pittsburgh’s most sustainable and inclusive park spaces. Photo by Mona Strassburger

 Pittsburgh Magazine associate editor and dining critic Hal Klein received a food writing award from the Internatioanl Association of Culinary Professionals. Klein won in the category Food Section of a City Magazine. Photo by Becky Thurner Braddock/Thurner Photography

What’s new at the JAA

p Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center resident Cynthia enjoys roses from Scent with Love, a Pittsburgh-based project that collects arrangements and delivers them to area locations.

p Janie holds Chewey on the new promenade at The New Riverview. Photos courtesy of Jewish Association on Aging

Little learners Pre-K students at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh spent the week expanding their minds and making a bit of a mess.  Exploring Hebrew letters

 Learning about pumpkins can be a sticky situation. Photos courtesy of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 6, 2020 23

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Available at 24 NOVEMBER 6, 2020

and PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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