Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 12-11-20 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

December 11, 2020 | 25 Kislev 5781

Candlelighting 4:36 p.m. | Havdalah 5:39 p.m. | Vol. 63, No. 50 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

NOTEWORTHY

Happy Chanukah

LOCAL Artists at work

‫חנוכה שמח‬

Despite pandemic, couple continues to create Page 2

J-JEP students build Chanukah EKC’s connections with outdoor ‘Nurse Claire’ dreidel gallery and dies at 90 ‘cardboard arcade’ By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

LOCAL Yale can wait

that celebration, Freedman and Kim had to come up with a new way to connect their community during the holiday season. “What I was trying to figure out with the pandemic is what could we pull off,” said Freedman. “That’s my attitude — instead of ‘We can’t do this, we can’t do that,’ it’s ‘What can we do?’” Freedman remembered the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s 2003 public art event, DinoMite Days, when the museum

laire Reingold, who, as “Nurse Claire,” tended for decades to the ill, wounded and homesick and built an extended family out of campers, counselors and staff at the Emma Kaufmann Camp in West Virginia, died Nov. 30. She was 90. Reingold’s death sparked an explosion of reminiscence last weekend across the Pittsburgh Jewish community, with hundreds of friends and well-wishers sharing memories with the Reingold children and taking to Facebook with their own stories of the storied nurse. “This week, the JCC and Emma Kaufmann Camp lost a legend when we heard of the passing of Claire Reingold, z”l,” Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh CEO Brian Schreiber wrote in an email to colleagues. “I don’t use the term ‘legendary’ very often, but Claire and her husband Vern epitomized that word through their more than 40 years of service at Emma Kaufmann Camp. At her funeral, her children so thoughtfully and beautifully captured the essence of Claire and her devotion to her husband Vern — and he to her. As I got to know her towards the end of her legendary career at camp, Claire’s love of EKC, and her unconditional devotion to the staff and campers remained paramount.” Reingold, born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, was part of the large, extended Selkovits family and had more than 20 first cousins. She attended Aliquippa High School and Virginia Intermont High School in Bristol,

Please see J-JEP, page 14

Please see Nurse, page 14

Mitchell Dubin makes music at CDS Page 3

LOCAL Mitigating COVID-19 Photo at top by Maglara/iStockphoto.com

$1.50

 Nina Blank painted a dreidel with assistance from her family.

Kollel’s Health Expo offers guidance Page 7

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

-JEP Director Rabbi Larry Freedman and Assistant Director Kate Kim knew that Chanukah would look different this year. For the last decade, the Joint Jewish Education Program — Congregation Beth Shalom and Rodef Shalom Congregation’s collaborative supplemental religious school — has hosted a holiday carnival, Latkepalooza, typically attracting more than 500 community members. When the coronavirus crisis forced the cancellation of

Photo by Lydia Blank

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL

8+ nights of celebration

LOCAL

A new face at the CRC

CHANUKAH

Chanukah gift guide

Headlines In a field hard hit by the pandemic, these Pittsburgh artists still keeping busy — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

hanksgiving may have passed but Douglas Levine and Lauren Braun continue to be grateful. With so many colleagues facing economic uncertainty due to the pandemic, Levine, a musician, and Braun, a visual artist, know how fortunate they are to be working. For the past nine months, the married couple, who met on JDate, have remained busy with various projects. For Levine, that includes serving as composer, co-lyricist and orchestrator of “Claws Out: A Holiday Drag Musical.” Although originally slated to open at the Lester Hamburg Studio, City Theatre moved the show to a virtual format given COVID-19 concerns. Running now through Jan. 10, the online drag musical is available for streaming and includes live interactive events on Dec. 12 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. Working on “Claws Out” is a “huge part of what’s kept me sane during the last nine months,” said Levine. “To have this one project not go into the rescheduling heap with everything else, and actually be working on a piece of musical theater, was reaffirming and fortunate.” In recent months Levine has seen numerous colleagues financially struggle and accept positions outside their fields in order to make ends meet. According to Americans for the Arts, two-thirds of American artists and creative workers are currently unemployed, with the pandemic causing $50.6 billion in lost income.

 Douglas Levine and Lauren Braun in Telluride in 2019

For an artist to have a paying gig is something to be grateful for these days, said Levine. Braun agreed. “A big part of visual art is seeing the work in person and being able to socialize, and that has been greatly diminished,” she said. “The art world has shrunken and moved online.” Braun has participated in different digital projects, and has occasionally met up with friends for masked and socially distanced exhibit visits. Still, the past nine months have “been very much a roller coaster,” she said. When the shutdown first went into effect, Braun felt anxious and a sense of “impending doom,” she said, but she managed to channel those feelings. “I was able to try new things and leave behind the work I was doing that wasn’t exciting me, and get inspired by new

Photo courtesy of Lauren Braun

ideas and find new ways to express my artistic vision and go deeper into my creativity,” she said. Braun became interested in the art deco movement and started viewing photos of architecture from the period, as well as collecting patterns from the 1920s. Those efforts eventually resulted in a series of ink paintings on Yupo synthetic paper. Titled “Geo Moderne,” the series’ 12-by-9-inch works reflect the glamour and elegance of the 1920s, she said. Braun donated one of the pieces to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Little Night Silent Auction. Giving back, and staying patient, are important to Braun. Two years ago, the visual artist was asked to display her work at the Pittsburgh International Airport. A California-based

couple, passing through the airport’s security area, noticed Braun’s Rust Belt-inspired mural, took down her name and began following her on Instagram. Two years later, they reached out to Braun and commissioned a piece for their collection. “We live in this really fast-paced society where everyone wants everything right now, and in my world things happen much slower, but when they do happen they can be really great,” said Braun. In addition to working out how to safely ship a large piece of art across the country, Braun has spent recent months handling requests from patrons seeking smaller works. Many people now working from home “want to make their home really cozy and comfortable, and they want something on the wall,” she said. It’s a silver lining in a dark period, but Braun remains grateful to be busy. So is Levine, who has adapted to changes mandated by the pandemic. For instance, when it comes to private piano lessons, which Levine has long offered, Zoom makes it difficult to model hand placement on the keys. Although demonstrating technique can be almost impossible through a screen, “I’ve learned to roll with it,” he said. That sort of flexibility and optimism has carried them not only through the pandemic, but their nearly eight years of marriage, explained Braun. “Doug and I have a nice symbiotic relationship,” she said. “We help each other, we stay focused. If one of us is feeling upset, or down or having trouble, we boost each other up, which is great.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Yale can wait, middle school music cannot — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

itchell Dubin is following the score he composed months earlier — he just thought he’d be playing it in New Haven. Ever since accepting Yale University’s offer of admission, Dubin, 18, knew this year would be meaningful. As a college freshman, and aspiring professional musician, Dubin anticipated private instruction, small ensembles and the opportunity to learn more about conducting. But when Yale indicated that in-person instruction would be unavailable because of COVID-19, Dubin changed his plans. “I knew that it was not going to be a productive way to spend my first year at college,” he said. “I only have four years — this is no way to spend one year of it.” Weeks before the fall semester began, Dubin elected to defer. It wasn’t an easy decision. “I’m a person that likes to have plans and likes to be organized and likes to know what I’m doing, and this was a moment where I said, ‘You know what? I don’t know exactly what this year is going to look like, but I know what it’s not going to look like,’” he said. At the time, Dubin was working for the

p Mitchell Dubin, right, teaches music class at Community Day School.

Photo courtesy of Community Day School

2020 census and offering private piano instruction. Neither endeavor was particularly consuming and Dubin, an accomplished musician and conductor who performed as a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Youth Orchestra, began pondering what to do with his gap year. Several weeks later, Dubin’s mother Amy was visiting Avi Baran Munro, Community Day School’s head of school.

Munro had an idea. With so many teachers requiring remote employment, CDS, like other schools offering in-person instruction, was seeking personnel to monitor classrooms. Munro reached out to Dubin, a former CDS student, and suggested he come to work there and partner with Eileen Freedman, the school’s music director, who had taught Dubin and had followed

his accomplishments as a student musician and conductor at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts. Dubin agreed to Munro’s offer, and began dividing responsibilities with Freedman. Whereas she largely handles online instruction, Dubin takes in-person duties. “We’ve been creating a music curriculum that is pandemic-safe, which is surprisingly different from what normal music class would be,” said Dubin. There’s no singing and no shared instruments — so no guitars, xylophones and certainly no recorders. Class is held outside, in a tent, and there are no desks; but as opposed to focusing on what isn’t there, Dubin likes to emphasize what is there: people. “There is a lot of listening and discussing and analyzing and creating in a safe manner,” he said. “It has absolutely brought us a lot of new opportunities and new ways to use things that we find outside.” Some days, students clack sticks together or generate noise with a piece of discarded wood. During other lessons, students tap, clap and transform their bodies into percussion devices while practicing socially distanced movements. This musical setting, devoid of instruments and song, is an absolutely inviting Please see Music, page 15

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DECEMBER 11, 2020 3

Light one candle for those who are suffering for the strength that we need for all we believe in with peace as the song in our hearts

Now more than ever, the Holiday season is a time for us to reﬂect, be grateful, and look forward with hope. May your Holidays and New Year be ﬁlled with a renewed sense of peace that we will soon be together again.

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4 DECEMBER 11, 2020

12/4/20 3:28 PM

Headlines Temple Ohav Shalom celebrates ‘8+ Days of Chanukah’

“They don’t really think much about what that should look like, how it should look and what they need to do in order to accomplish By David Rullo | Staff Writer that goal,” Kwall said. To transmit Judaism, one need not strictly emple Ohav Shalom is not ready to follow halacha as set forth by rabbis in the put aside the dreidels and donuts, Talmud, she said, but “you do have to do but the Allison Park congregation more Jewish — you have to be practicing has come up with some fresh ways to mark more Judaism.” Chanukah this year. It is important to focus While the COVID-19 on the joy of the ritual pandemic will force most being observed, and on of us to be indoors and those rituals that are to social distance from personally meaningful, our friends and families Kwall said. As an example, this holiday season, Ohav Kwall pointed to lighting Shalom is offering “8+ candles on Shabbat, a Days of Chanukah” events basic Jewish tradition intended to appeal to a which is easy to explain variety of ages and tastes. to children. Even if famiThe nine days of celelies are unable to perform bration will begin on the that ritual before Shabbat first night of Chanukah begins at sundown, liberal and conclude on Jews who do not have a Friday, Dec. 18. problem with striking p Roberta Kwall “Especially as it’s Photo provided by Roberta Kwall a match on Shabbat getting darker, Chanukah should feel comfortable is the one chance we have lighting their candles to really engage people after sundown with their before they hibernate for children, she said. the next few weeks in “It will teach your kids December and January,” that this is Shabbat,” Kwall said Ohav Shalom Rabbi said. “This is a unique Jeremy Weisblatt. day in Jewish tradition On the first night of and kids who grow up Chanukah, Thursday, with a Shabbat tradition Dec. 10, the congregareplicate that tradition.” tion will host a virtual Remixing Judaism to community menorah accommodate modern lighting. Other events needs is not watering throughout the week down the religion, she include a Kabbalat said, “but doing enough p Molly Dillon Shabbat service, a family Photo provided by Molly Dillon of the tradition that you trivia night, a religious are transmitting it.” school virtual baking event, a Women of A Shabbat service on Friday, Dec. 18, Temple Ohav Shalom latke baking demon- featuring Molly Dillon, Noemie Levy and stration and a virtual dreidel competition. Taylor Lustig — writers from the young teen The nine days of programming also will collection “Yes She Can” — will conclude feature a Dec. 16 presentation by Roberta Ohav Shalom’s nine days of celebration. Rosenthal Kwall, author of “Remix Judaism: Dillon attended high school outside of Preserving Tradition in a Diverse World.” Chicago with Stefanie Greene, cantorial Kwall is the Raymond P. Niro Professor at intern at Temple Ohav Shalom, and worked DePaul University College of Law and the in President Barack Obama’s administration author of several books including “The Soul along with Levy and Lustig. During her of Creativity” and “The Myth of the Cultural time in the White House, Dillon served on Jew: Culture and Law in Jewish Tradition.” the Domestic Policy Council in the Office Not surprising for a law professor with an of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity, undergraduate degree in religion, she has a which helps develop and execute the presispecial interest in the intersection of halacha dent’s domestic policy agenda. and Jewish tradition. “Our team worked on a variety of civil “I realized I wanted to write a book about rights-related issues, from voting rights to American Judaism because I’m passionate about LGBTQ equality, gender equality to homeJewish tradition,” Kwall told the Chronicle. She lessness, labor issues, foster care, criminal is particularly interested in the polarization justice — you name it, we probably worked between the “ultra-Orthodox” approach to on it,” Dillon said. Judaism and the number of American Jews not Dillon, who developed the idea of the participating in any rituals, she said. book “Yes She Can,” and is credited as the When writing “Remix Judaism” Kwall was compiler, hopes that it will inspire young primarily thinking of members of non-Or- women to go into public service. thodox Jewish communities who may not “At the end of the book, we actually adhere to all Jewish laws but still proudly included what we call ‘A Girls Guide to identify as Jewish and want to see Judaism Please see Ohav Shalom, page 15 transmitted to the next generation.

— LOCAL —

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Headlines A new face at the Federation’s CRC — LOCAL —

“ We want all those Jewish voices to leave an

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

he Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council has a new second-in-command. Squirrel Hill native and former U.S. Senate intern Dylan Groff started Nov. 30 as the council’s associate — a supporting role to Director Laura Cherner, who previously served as associate. Groff graduated from Community Day School, Shady Side Academy and then Amherst College, in 2019. After briefly returning to his native Pittsburgh in 2019, he relocated to Washington, D.C., where he interned for Sen. Bob Casey and worked for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Groff, whose mother is Israeli, said his Squirrel Hill upbringing included a lot of involvement in the local Jewish community — services at Shaare Torah Congregation, which his father still attends; Jewish day school from kindergarten through eighth grade; and basketball at the JCC among them. All of those experiences, he said, pointed back to the Federation’s influence. “A lot of the work they do is behind the scenes and I didn’t appreciate just how much work they were doing until I got here,” Groff

impression. When Jewish voices get heard,

”

I think good things happen in Pittsburgh.

— DYLAN GROFF

p Dylan Groff

Photo provided by Dylan Groff

told the Chronicle. “They enabled me to get a Jewish education. They enabled me to play basketball at the JCC. They enabled me to go to Israel for my eighth-grade trip. What they influenced was my ability to grow up in a Jewish atmosphere. I don’t think I’d be the same without their support.” Since returning to Pittsburgh from Washington, D.C., earlier this year, Groff has been volunteering for 412 Food Rescue.

He also helped stage “an EKC-style summer camp” this year on family property in upstate New York, he said. In addition to focusing his efforts on steering the council through the intricacies of COVID-19, Groff is looking forward to further developing relationships with other area nonprofits, collaborating with the 412 Black Jewish Collaborative and establishing a “campus advocate” at Carnegie Mellon University and/or the University of Pittsburgh, he said. “We want all those Jewish voices to leave an impression,” Groff said. “When Jewish voices get heard, I think good things happen in Pittsburgh.” Groff said he’s excited to join the Federation

team and has “a wonderful rapport” with Cherner. She echoed his enthusiasm. “We are thrilled to have Dylan on board as our CRC associate,” said Cherner. “His prior work experience in local government and with Israel advocacy groups make him a tremendous asset to the CRC and will allow us to build upon the important work already taking place. His portfolio will have a particular focus on combatting anti-Semitism on college campuses, as well as engaging young adults in our community with the work of community relations.” PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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Calendar Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q SATURDAY, DEC. 12 Young Israel of Pittsburgh will honor the life of Cantor Moshe Taube by learning the six books of the Mishna, marking the cantor's shloshim. Family and community members will assist with the learning of the orders and the synagogue is still looking for a few people to assist in reading individual tractates. For more information, email halochoscope@ hotmail.com or call (412) 421-0508. q SUNDAY, DEC. 13 Be a superhero and join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Annual Phone-a-thon to raise funds for the community. Super Sunday will be held virtually in 2020. Represent your favorite Jewish Pittsburgh organization. The group with the most representatives will receive $1,800. You will need a computer with internet access and a mobile device to make calls. For more information, visit jewishpgh.org/ event/super-sunday. The Cantors Assembly will look back on The Life and Work of Hazzan Moshe Taube. Taube is one of the great cantors of our generation. A survivor of the Holocaust on the legendary Schindler’s List, Taube served as cantor of Congregation Beth Shalom of Squirrel Hill for over 40 years. The program will feature musical selections, excerpts from recorded interviews and recollections of colleagues and friends. Free. 8 p.m. bit.ly/MosheTaubeShloshim. q SUNDAYS, DEC. 13, 20, 27; JAN. 3, 10 Join a lay-led Online Parashah Study Group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge is needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAY, DEC. 14 Join Chabad of Greenfield for a public menorah lighting at Summerset at Frick Park. Enjoy Chanukah treats and special holiday-themed fun. 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit chabadofgreenfield.com. 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. q MONDAYS, DEC. 14, 21, 28; JAN. 4, 11 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 TUESDAY, DEC. 15 Join Chabad of Greenfield and Chabad of Squirrel Hill for a Grand Menorah Parade and menorah lighting. The parade begins at 5 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation ending at B’nai Emunoh on Murray Avenue. The socially distanced menorah lighting will take place following the parade and will include individually wrapped donuts, Chanukah treats, an LED screen playing Chanukah videos, music and more. 5:30 p.m. For more information,

visit chabadofgreenfield.com.

festival in a festival.” 6:30 p.m. templesinaipgh.org

The Jewish Pittsburgh History Series, sponsored by Rodef Shalom Congregation, will feature Rabbi Mark Mahler, rabbi emeritus of Temple Emanuel of the South Hills, discussing Pittsburgh’s early Jewish neighborhoods in the city south of the Monongahela River. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit rodefshalom.org.

Join Classrooms Without Borders for a weekly book discussion of “Never Alone: Prison, Politics, and My People” with Dr. Joshua Andy on Zoom. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org.

q TUESDAYS, DEC. 15, 22

Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with Rodef Shalom Congregation and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage will screen “From Slavery to Freedom” and host a post screening discussion with Natan Sharansky. 3 p.m. To register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org/natan_sharansky.

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 artbased support group just for teens. The sessions will explore how making art can help regulate the nervous system, promote playfulness, imagination, help 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. q TUESDAYS, DEC. 15-JUNE 1

q THURSDAY, DEC. 17

q THURSDAYS, DEC. 17; JAN. 28; FEB. 4, 11, 25; MARCH 4, 11 The Mishna, the Oral Law in written form, is one of the greatest works of the Jewish people. In this 13-session survey course, Jewish Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will provide a comprehensive overview of this singular, foundational work. Co-sponsored with Derekh at Congregation Beth Shalom. Thirteen sessions, $65. 9:30 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org/mishna. q SUNDAY, DEC. 20 Temple Sinai welcomes Soferet Linda Coppleson who will present Rediscovery: Torah Detective. Coppelson, who is scribing Temple Sinai’s new Torah, will discuss a Sefer Torah’s journey to New York. Is it a relic of Judeo-Spanish life before the Expulsion of Jews from Spain? Is it what remained of a long-since abandoned North African Sepharadi community, threatened by invading armies in WWII? What circuitous route did this small, fragile Sefer Torah take on its journey to New York? Find out more at this free event. 1 p.m. templesinaipgh.org/ event/detective.html

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 MONDAY, DEC. 21-FRIDAY, DEC. 25

q TUESDAYS, DEC. 15; FEB. 9, 16, 23; MARCH 2, 9

q TUESDAY, DEC. 22

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, includes all books and materials. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16 Classrooms Without Borders presents “Becoming Blended L2: A Practical Course for Remote Pedagogy.” All classroom educators can receive this fully subsidized teacher training. Educators attending the program are eligible to receive Pennsylvania Act 48 continuing credits. 4 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org. Join the Women of Temple Sinai for their first Zoom Festival of Daughters, a celebration among females on the sixth night of Chanukah. This year it falls on Rosh Chodesh, making it a special “festival in a

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for a long-standing Pittsburgh tradition, Mitzvah Day, where the Jewish community provides services to organizations throughout the entire community. Opportunities include blood drives and a variety of virtual volunteer activities. For more information, visit jewishpgh.org/mitzvah-day.

Discover the latest news and views from Israel and the Middle East. Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for The Month that Was: Behind the Headlines in Israel – Part 2, an in-depth analysis and a fascinating discussion with Neil Lazarus. 12 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jewishpgh.org/event. q THURSDAY, DEC. 24 Got nothing to do on a random December Thursday night? How about a tradition as old as the Torah itself? Join Moishe House Pittsburgh for Chinese Food and a Zoom movie (“But I’m a Cheerleader”). Chinese food delivery is on MoHo (up to $15/person) for the first eight Pittsburgh-based registrants. 6 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/ moishehouse.pittsburgh. q MONDAY, DEC. 28 Moishe House Pittsburgh welcomes HIAS President Mark Hetfield for Our People Were Refugees Too: MoHo Meets HIAS President Mark Hetfield. Hetfield will discuss the organization’s work, the current state of the refugee crisis

during the pandemic and how we can advocate for our country to welcome the stranger. 7 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/ moishehouse.pittsburgh. q MONDAY, JAN. 4 Join Beth El Congregation of the South Hills for First Mondays with Rabbi Alex. This month, musician Seth Kibel will present “Klezmer: American Music.” 12 p.m. For more information and to register, visit bethelcong.org. q THURSDAY, JAN. 7 Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with Rodef Shalom Congregation, is excited to offer the opportunity to watch the film “Beslaney: Memories” and engage in a post-film discussion with the film director Sara Tsifroni, producer Ancho Gosh and the film’s researchers and protagonists Zouheir Takhaukho and Professor Yair Auron, in conversation with CWB scholar Avi Ben-Hur. 3 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.com. q TUESDAY, JAN. 12; FRIDAY JAN. 22; THURSDAY, FEB. 4 What are you doing in June 2022? The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh hopes that you will be in Israel with them and hundreds of others from Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. To learn more, join Federation for a Zoom info session. Young adults are invited to attend a special session on Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. Adults should plan to attend on Jan. 22 at noon or Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit jfedpgh.org. q SUNDAYS, 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 MONDAYS, FEB. 1, 8, 15, 22; MARCH 1, 8, 15 Most people associate the term “Haftarah” with opaque prophetic reading on Shabbat morning. 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. q THURSDAYS, FEB. 18; MARCH 18; MAY 6; JUNE 17 We live in a time of multiple challenges. Controversial issues and struggles confront us daily. But the truth is that Jews have never desisted from addressing tough problems. In this year’s Continuing Legal Education Series, Jewish Community Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff will dive into a range of “tense topics” — difficult and troubling issues that are both powerfully emotional subjects and have substantive legal ramifications at the same time. Get up to 12 CLE ethics credits. With CLE/CEU credit: $30/session or $180 all sessions; without CLE/CEU credit: $25/session or $150 all sessions. 8:30 a.m. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. PJC

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 6 DECEMBER 11, 2020

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Headlines Kollel Health Expo highlights medical expertise — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

he Kollel Jewish Learning Center’s annual Health Expo usually focuses on theoretical issues. Not this year. Instead, the Kollel’s 2020 Health Expo addressed the reality that “life has changed for everyone,” said Rabbi Doniel Schon, associate Rosh Kollel, during the Dec. 6 Zoom program. “We’re in a very different place than we were last year when we had the Health Expo.” For months, Pittsburghers were less affected by the coronavirus than those in other communities, but now the rising number of positive COVID-19 cases in Allegheny County indicate “we’re really in the midst of it,” said Kollel Jewish Learning Center Dean Rabbi Levi Langer. For this reason, it’s critical to receive guidance from medical and spiritual experts, he said. Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, associate rabbi of Young Israel of Woodmere and chief of infectious diseases and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai Nassau, was the keynote speaker of the event. Glatt repeatedly stressed the importance of following CDC guidelines, which call for wearing a mask, remaining at least six feet apart

 Clockwise from top left: Rabbi Doniel Schon, of the Kollel Jewish Learning Center; keynote speaker Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt; JFCS Director of Clinical Services Stefanie Small; and Allegheny Health Network Clinical Psychologist Rebecca Weinberg

Screenshots by Adam Reinherz

from individuals one doesn’t live with, avoiding crowds and washing one’s hands often. “I don’t want to be on this soapbox and be yelling at people, but this is critically important: The most important halacha of COVID that I can tell people is to listen to the advice of the medical experts,” said Glatt. “They know what they’re doing — that’s what they do.”

May the warmth and brightness of the Chanukah lights fill your home

During the past nine months there have been numerous instances in which individuals have failed to heed the overwhelming advice of respected medical authorities, Glatt said. These individuals — some of whom are either rabbinic or medical professionals themselves — are not only providing a disservice to their communities but violating Jewish law and rejecting long-held views of

Orthodox Jewish leaders, he added. When individuals “don’t understand what’s going on, and they say they know better than the CDC, that they know better than the expert doctors, Shulchan Aruch says you’re supposed to ignore them,” Glatt said. “Whether these people have rabbi or doctor as their title, it’s assur (forbidden) to listen to them. You’re m’chuyav (obligated) to listen to the experts, that’s what it says in Shulchan Aruch.” Each individual has the ability to stem rising COVID-19 numbers, continued Glatt, and one way to do so is by mitigating risk. That doesn’t necessarily mean shuttering schools, businesses and synagogues. Rather, keeping these institutions open if it “can be done within the allotted parameters” should be a goal, he said. The problems start when individuals act irresponsibly, such as holding a kiddush or food-related event indoors with unmasked parties. These types of activities are “horrible,” Glatt said, both because of the risk of COVID-19 transmission and the likelihood that communal institutions will have to close. “We’re right there at the cusp of the vaccine, and God willing, the vaccine will save hundreds of thousands of lives,” said Glatt. “People who are anti-vaxxers, they have to understand that that’s not what the halacha says.” In speaking with several rabbinic leaders, including Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Rosh

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Headlines Pittsburgher gets crafty with personalized Judaica — LOCAL — By Kayla Steinberg | Digital Content Manager

athy Frank jokes that she made Christmas ornaments to pay for her kids’ Jewish day school education. It’s not just Christmas ornaments, though — the artist creates and sells all manner of brightly colored, shiny tchotchkes and treasures, from personalized mezuzahs (yes, there’s a Steelers one) to poinsettia Christmas pins on Etsy and in stores. But she didn’t start out that way. Frank, 62, grew up surrounded by jewelry and engravings at her grandparents’ Squirrel Hill store, I. Binstock Jewelers. As a child, she had a knack for the creative stuff, like making little outfits out of tissues and beads for troll dolls, and, in high school, jewelry. Frank pursued her bachelor’s degree in art education with a concentration in gold and silver smithing at SUNY New Paltz while teaching jewelry and enameling at summer camps including Emma Kaufmann Camp. When she graduated in 1981, she ended up working for several years in dentistry — which wasn’t such a far cry from the work she had imagined herself doing. Frank was a perceptive dental assistant with an eye for hue, and the dentist, she said, would never choose a tooth color without consulting her first.

p Cathy Frank in her studio with the original Friendly Plastic sticks

Photo by Steve Frank

But in the little alcove she made for herself at home, she continued her art, using an enamel kiln to create jewelry. After she became pregnant with her son, Jason, she left dentistry. “It could have very easily been that I would’ve been looking at bicuspids and molars the rest of my life,” said Frank, but she wanted to do something more creative. So, she went from carving crowns and

p Cathy Frank’s grandfather, Israel, at I. Binstock Jewelers

bridges to carving plexiglass and selling her works at art centers. In the 1990s, she started making word ornaments and holiday jewelry out of Amaco’s Friendly Plastic sticks — a material developed in the 1980s with a low

Photo by Meyer Fogel

melt temperature and metallic foil overlay. They were a hit. For decades, she has played around with Please see Judaica, page 15

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MISTAKES IN ADMINISTERING AN ESTATE AS EXCUTOR This is one in a series of articles about Elder Law by Michael H. Marks., Esq. Michael H. Marks is an elder law attorney with offices in Squirrel Hill and Monroeville. Send questions to michael@marks-law.com or visit www.marks-law.com. We represent and advise Executors and Administrators to get the best results in a legal process with lots of rules, pitfalls and traps for the unwary. You may be named in a Will to serve as an Executor of an estate, or appointed as an Administrator to administer the estate of a loved one who died without a Will. An Executor or Administrator gathers assets, pays bills, and distributes what’s left over to the beneficiaries. As an Executor or Administrator you are responsible to the beneficiaries or heirs to act accurately, effectively, and honestly. Even the best Executor can make mistakes, making you personally liable for any losses. Here are some common mistakes to avoid: Confusing probate and non-probate assets – Not all assets pass under the direct control of the Executor as part of the legal probate estate. Non-probate assets have a beneficiary named during the decedent’s lifetime, (e.g. life insurance, IRAs, some bank accounts). Nonprobate assets pass automatically and directly to the named beneficiary and are not controlled by the Executor. Not securing real estate– If there is a home or other real estate in the probate estate, make sure to change the locks, confirm homeowner’s insurance, keep pipes from freezing or leaking, mow the lawn, and/or collect rents for rental property.

8 DECEMBER 11, 2020

Neglecting to safeguard financial assets – An Executor’s primary responsibility is safeguarding the principal value of assets. We work with financial planners and CPAs to help Executors avoid losses. If financial assets are overly invested in wildly volatile investments, for example, it might be wise to change them to a more stable investment selection, to avoid losses. Making distributions too soon - Creditors must get paid in a specified order of priority. Sometimes Executors pay the wrong bills first, and can be personally responsible to unpaid creditors of higher priority. Failing to keep accurate and adequate records - Perhaps the single most important task for an Executor is to keep good records of all the estate transactions, bills paid and deposits made. Traps and pitfalls can include making deposits of multiple items without keeping track of the separate sources and amounts, or transferring funds between estate accounts without sufficiently keeping track.

Failing to claim PA Department of Treasury Many decedent’s Unclaimed Property estates have unclaimed property held by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. We regularly navigate that process.

Neglecting to pay estimated PA inheritance tax by the discount payment date – Paying inheritance tax within three months of the date of death saves 5% on the amount of tax paid. Don’t miss this deadline. Not selecting a fiscal year for the estate - The estate itself is a separate taxpayer to the IRS. Selecting a fiscal year over a calendar tax year offers planning opportunities. Using the wrong assets to pay charitable bequests - Qualified charities don’t pay income tax. Individuals do. Fulfilling charitable bequests with the right assets means the charity does not have to pay the

Trying to do it all yourself - I respect someone’s efforts to try something new on their own. However, professional help in this complicated endeavor helps to avoid and prevent mistakes and losses. . I don’t try to do complicated projects that I know nothing about by myself, either. I pay someone who knows how.

Not preserving the spousal portability election - Married couples with Federally taxable estates (presently just over $22 million combined, and scheduled to drop to just over $11 million in 2026) should file a Federal estate tax return at the right time to document use of the spousal exemption amount, saving huge amounts of taxes. Failing to close the estate properly - A Family Settlement Agreement signed by all the parties, or a formal Account and Audit procedure in court, when necessary, protects you from any liability later. At Marks Elder Law, we help people every day with issues like these. I invite your questions and feedback. Please let me know how I can help you and your family.

helping you plan for what matters the most

Not communicating with stakeholders Communicating with the participants along the way can prevent confusion, suspicion and resentment. People appreciate information. Using estate funds for personal uses – This is stealing, obviously, a huge no-no, but we’ve seen it happen. Enough said.

tax that an individual beneficiary would.

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With the increasing costs of long-term care, having the help of a legal professional when planning for your family’s future can help you make better decisions that can result in keeping more of your money. We help families understand the strategies, the benefits, and risks involved with elder law, disability and estate planning. Michael H. Marks, Esq. michael@marks-law.com member, national academy of elder law attorneys

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Headlines Award-winning poet Yehoshua November to judge Chronicle’s first poetry contest — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

ehoshua November appreciates how hard it is to write a good poem. “There’s something magical about poetry,” he said. “You do what you can to make the poem work. There’s no formula. You write one good poem, and if you could replicate that it would be easy to write a lot of good ones, but you can’t. When you start a new poem, it always feels like you’re starting from scratch and you don’t know anything.” November knows more than a little about poetry, even if he thinks its elements remain ethereal. He teaches writing at Rutgers University and Touro College and has published two collections of poetry, “God’s Optimism” and “Two Worlds Exist.” He’s a winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry, the National Jewish Book Award, the Paterson Poetry Prize and the Autumn House Poetry Prize. The writer’s poetry has been embraced by the wider writing community despite its decidedly non-mainstream focus: his life as a Chasidic Jew. “As far as influences along those lines, you

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

 Poet Yehoshua November

Photo provided by Yehoshua November

don’t really have many,” November said. “You are kind of dipping into two streams. You go to the secular poets for their style, craft and technique and then, in my case, you go to Chasidic teachings for content and theology. Then you try to use the techniques of contemporary poetry to express Chasidic teachings or how Chasidic teachings play out in your life.” Finding a balance between the two hasn’t always been easy for November, who spent his high school years at Hillel Academy in Pittsburgh before moving to Rochester, New York, to attend a yeshiva. The teenager soon moved back to Pittsburgh, though, and

graduated from Allderdice High School. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Binghamton University, November earned his MFA from the University of Pittsburgh. But writing was almost the road not taken. While studying at Pitt, November became interested in Chasidic teachings just as he was turned off by the literary community. “It just wasn’t as warm as my undergraduate experience,” he said. “At the same time, I was really getting interested in mysticism.” The writer put down his pen and decided to concentrate on Chasidism, studying at a yeshiva in Morristown, New Jersey. After two years without writing a single poem — or even reading a book in English — November was at a crossroads. “My wife was pregnant with our second child, and I had to decide what to do as a career,” he said. He considered becoming a rabbi but was urged by several mentors at the yeshiva to become a writer and professor, pointing to the positive influence he could have on Jewish students. “It was good advice because before that point I always saw Judaism as one world and literature in secular life as another,” November said. “As a young person I always saw everything as binary, so it was refreshing

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

to realize that Judaism is large enough to encompass a person who could be a poet, and that those two ambitions — to live a spiritual life and to be a poet or a professor in university — could be mutually informative.” Though he studied Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism, which can often be abstruse, November prefers his poetry to be easily understood by the reader. “Personally, I like poetry that’s accessible,” he said. “I think that’s what sticks with a person and moves them. I think that’s what can change people or uplift somebody because there’s an entry, a door open to go in.” The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle has selected November as the judge for its first poetry contest on the theme of “solidarity.” Readers are invited to submit a poem in two categories — teens or adults — by Dec. 25. The winning poem in each category will be published in the paper’s Jan. 15 issue and the winning writers each will receive a $54 gift card to Pinsker’s Books and Judaica, supplied by an anonymous donor. November said he’s excited to read the entries and select a winner. “I’m interested in reading what’s good coming out of my hometown.” PJC

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

DECEMBER 11, 2020 9

Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

Candidates exchange accusations of anti-Semitism and white supremacy

The two candidates in a critical runoff election for the U.S. Senate exchanged charges of associations with anti-Semites and white supremacists during a televised debate. The Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, and incumbent Republican Kelly Loeffler faced off in Atlanta ahead of a Jan. 5 special election that could determine which party controls the Senate. “He’s called Israel an apartheid state and said that we should end military assistance,” she said of Warnock. “He’s compared Israelis defending themselves against Palestinians, he has compared them to birds of prey. And he celebrated Jeremiah Wright, an anti-American anti-Semite. That’s divisive.” Warnock has been sharply critical of Israel in his sermons, including denouncing snipers targeting violent protesters on the border with the Gaza Strip. He once signed a document likening Israel’s occupation of the West Bank to South Africa’s occupation of Namibia; it did not liken Israel to an apartheid state. Warnock has said he would uphold current levels of defense assistance to Israel. The Democrat in turn reminded viewers of Loeffler’s close alliance with Marjorie Taylor Greene, a newly elected Georgia

congresswoman aligned with the QAnon conspiracy movement, which includes anti-Semitic tropes. “She says she is against racism and that racism has no place, but she welcomed the support of a QAnon conspiracy theorist and she sat down with a white supremacist for an interview,” Warnock said. “I don’t think she can explain that.” The white supremacist interview apparently refers to Loeffler’s friendly interview this summer with Jack Posobiec, a right-wing provocateur.

Roald Dahl’s family apologizes for his anti-Semitism

Thirty years after Roald Dahl’s death and months before the expected release of a new movie about his life, the family of the children’s author has apologized for his anti-Semitic comments. Dahl was openly anti-Semitic during his life, telling the New Statesman in 1983 about the Jews, “Even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason.” Those comments and others have colored Dahl’s legacy, even as children continue to enjoy the stories he wrote during his 50-year publishing career, including “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach.” A new movie of “The Witches” released in October reignited criticism of anti-Semitic tropes in the 1983 novel. Now, his family has released an undated, unsigned apology; it is not featured prominently on Dahl’s website, and it does not

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— WORLD —

Dec. 11, 1947 — End of British Mandate is announced

Arthur Creech Jones, the British colonial secretary, reveals during a House of Commons debate that Britain will end its mandate in Palestine on May 15, 1948, and will withdraw all troops by Aug. 1.

Dec. 12, 1943 — Settlement leader Hanan Porat born

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Israeli prosecutor Gideon Hausner pleads with the three judges to sentence the Nazi to death.

Dec. 14, 1981 — Israel annexes Golan Heights

The Knesset votes 63-21 in favor of surprise legislation to annex the Golan Heights — captured from Syria in 1967 — and apply Israeli law there in place of military administration. The Labor Party boycotts the vote.

Dec. 15, 2016 — Friedman is named Ambassador

President-elect Donald Trump announces the nomination of New York bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman, a longtime Trump adviser and fundraiser for West Bank settlements, as the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

Dec. 16, 1922 — Father of modern Hebrew Eliezer Ben-Yehuda dies

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with loved ones for Chanukah, we thought that a virtual community menorah might bring a smile to a few of those people. It’s not just 24/7, it’s 24/8 for the eight days of Chanukah.” The Federation hopes the candle lighting cam will bring warmth despite the physical distance. “I hope some people — whether Jewish or not — keep the candles up on a screen to remind them that they are not alone,” said Hertzman. The video feed is available at jewishpgh.org/ Chanukah. PJC

This week in Israeli history

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Antisemitism told the Jewish News, a British newspaper, “For his family and estate to have waited 30 years to make an apology, apparently until lucrative deals were signed with Hollywood, is disappointing .... ” A movie about Dahl’s relationship with his first wife, actress Patricia Neal, whom he divorced after an 11-year affair, is set for release in February. The family and company benefit from licensing for movies made of Dahl’s books (the Academy Awardwinning Maori-Jewish filmmaker Taika Waititi is directing two for Netflix); they also operate an online store and museum outside of London. PJC

Federation broadcasting 24/7 Chanukah candle lighting cam

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mention Jews specifically. “The Dahl family and the Roald Dahl Story Company deeply apologise for the lasting and understandable hurt caused by some of Roald Dahl’s statements,” the apology reads. “Those prejudiced remarks are incomprehensible to us and stand in marked contrast to the man we knew and to the values at the heart of Roald Dahl’s stories, which have positively impacted young people for generations. We hope that, just as he did at his best, at his absolute worst, Roald Dahl can help remind us of the lasting impact of words.” A spokesperson for the Campaign Against

Hanan Porat, a leader among Israel’s post-1967 settlers, is born in Kfar Pines, northeast of Hadera. In 1974 he helps found the Orthodox settlement movement Gush Emunim.

Dec. 13, 1961 — Death penalty is sought for Eichmann

After Adolf Eichmann is found guilty of 15 charges, including murder, crimes against the Jewish people and crimes against humanity,

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, called the father of modern Hebrew, dies of tuberculosis at age 64 in Jerusalem. He founded the Va’ad ha-Lashon, the forerunner of the Academy of Hebrew Language, in 1890.

Dec. 17, 1975 — Kissinger meets with Iraqi foreign minister

U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger tells Iraqi Foreign Minister Saddun Hammadi in Paris that the United States is willing to see Israel “reduce its size to historical proportions.” PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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DECEMBER 11, 2020 11

Opinion Israeli-world Jewry relations: From negation to celebration Guest Columnist Omer Yankelevitch

efore our eyes, Israel is undergoing a miraculous transformation in the way it views its relationship with world Jewry. Earlier this week, we in the Knesset and throughout Israel marked “Diaspora Day,” a day to honor Jewish communities around the world and to strengthen the bonds between us. This day is one of a series of measures that the State of Israel, under the leadership of the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, is taking to create a new paradigm for the Israeli-world Jewry relationship.

The starting point for these measures is Israel’s decision to take formal responsibility for its side of the relationship between the Jewish state and the Jewish people. We understand that ensuring the continuity and vitality of this relationship requires more than symbolism and rhetoric. In fact, it requires three simultaneous efforts. The first will require weaving a new national story, one that combines the Israeli and Diaspora visions. In the past century, the shared experience of the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel served as a common narrative for the vast majority of Jews. However, now that there is a strong State of Israel and thriving Jewish communities, these two pillars no longer suffice. Contemporary Israeli Jewish identity is grounded in Israeli experience and culture. Outside of Israel, Jewish identity often

informs political activism which at times can be at odds with the Israeli mindset. Neither version leaves room for a shared Jewish identity or sense of peoplehood. The new story of the Jewish people must be one grounded in connecting the Jewish people based on our shared heritage, texts, traditions, and perhaps most importantly, our shared destiny to lift up our world. Telling this new story will require the collective talents of writers, musicians, storytellers and educators to inspire our contemporary relationship and center the diverse contributions of Jews from all backgrounds. Let us create this story together. The second effort involves building a new framework to ensure meaningful dialogue between us. This effort started with the passage of a government resolution in July to create a comprehensive strategic framework

for Israel’s activities to ensure the future of the Jewish People. This was an important step in the assumption of the State of Israel’s formal responsibility for its side in the IsraelDiaspora relationship. This framework’s implementation continues with my ministry’s decision to advance a bill requiring consultation with world Jewry on matters that will impact it. We are now hosting a series of roundtable discussions on this effort with a diverse set of Jewish voices. This process represents the most significant instance of Israel requesting the world Jewry’s feedback since Prime Minister Ben-Gurion’s 1958 letter to 51 Jewish scholars regarding the question of “Who is a Jew?” In parallel, we are launching a “Peoplehood Center” in Israel to Please see Yankelevitch, page 13

An upcoming anti-Semitism panel shows different rules for Jews Guest Columnist David Schiff

he divisive organization Jewish Voice for Peace will cohost a panel on Dec. 15 headlined “Dismantling Antisemitism, Winning Justice.” The panel — which will feature figures, such as U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Temple University professor Marc Lamont Hill, who have themselves engaged in anti-Semitic rhetoric, alongside outspoken Israel critic Peter Beinart — has been received with a mixture of shock, dismay and outright bewilderment. The inclusion of these participants in a panel on anti-Semitism is both comically counterproductive and a tacit approval of an intellectual environment in which anti-Semitism is allowed to blossom. Such an initiative is unsurprising coming from JVP, an organization that openly stated its goal to create a “wedge” within the Jewish community over Israel, and which has long been an ardent supporter of BDS campaigns against the Jewish state. Nor is this the first

time that JVP has downplayed the issue of anti-Semitism, stating in 2016, for example, that “anti-Jewish bigotry is not equivalent to the structural oppression” faced by other minority communities. But even by those standards, the upcoming panel is an especially cynical take on an issue that JVP usually pretends to take seriously. Indeed, the notion of a panel on anti-Semitism comprised of a non-Jewish majority is emblematic of the increasing hostility towards Jewish voices in academia and civil society. In the current political climate in the United States, it is exceedingly difficult to imagine any other minority group being asked to tolerate such treatment. A panel on combating racism with little to no representation of people of color, for example, would be met with derision and scorn, let alone the outcry that would rightly ensue were such a panel to include a participant associated with white supremacism. But the same rules don’t seem to apply to discrimination against Jews. And then there are the panelists themselves. Congresswoman Tlaib, a fervent BDS supporter, openly calls for the end of Israel as a Jewish state and has in the past made comments downplaying Jewish suffering in the Holocaust. Most recently, she reacted to the

nomination of Antony Blinken (a Jew) as secretary of state under the incoming administration of Joe Biden by expressing her hope that he will not “suppress my First Amendment right to speak out against [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s racist and inhumane policies.” It’s a statement perceived by many to be an anti-Semitic dog whistle. Hill, an academic, was fired from CNN in 2018 for calling for a free Palestine “from the River to the Sea.” Beinart, the panel’s sole Jew, has recently advocated for the erasure of Israel’s identity as a Jewish state. Barbara Ransby, the panel’s fourth participant and a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has referred to Israel as a “project of apartheid and ethnic cleansing.” To be clear, criticism of Israel’s policies should not be conflated with anti-Semitism. But calling into question Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, a practice in which the panelists engage, undoubtedly should be. The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti-Semitism, adopted by 28 countries, includes denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination. And even in the absence of such

provisions, the choice of JVP and its cosponsors to include figures perceived by a large portion of the Jewish community as openly hostile does little to assuage fears of anti-Semitism in contemporary discourse. In fact, it achieves the opposite. A telling indicator of this was provided by Beinart himself, who in an interview this week with The Jewish News stated that the panel’s goal was to discuss how “the fight against anti-Semitism has become a way to legitimize bigotry against Palestinians.” In other words, anti-Semitism is not a problem. Rather, accusations of anti-Semitism have made it inconvenient for NGOs to pursue a BDS agenda. The inability to discuss anti-Semitism without reference to the Palestinian issue betrays a tendency to hold Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel, another component of the IHRA working definition. Anti-Semitism should not be a partisan issue, and conversations about it should not be wielded as political tools. That is a dangerous path, even for the likes of JVP. PJC David Schiff is deputy editor at NGO Monitor. He grew up in Pittsburgh and lives in Israel. This piece first appeared at JNS.org.

Helping our lone soldier along his path Guest Columnist Stacie Stufflebeam

hile we often talk about the need to protect the land of Israel, those of us living outside of the Jewish state don’t talk often enough about what that really means. Though my husband and I live in the U.S., four of our sons have bravely chosen to serve as lone soldiers — soldiers serving in the IDF without parents living in Israel. All have served 12 DECEMBER 11, 2020

in combat units, all with a strong desire to protect Israel. This past week I got a call from my youngest son, our (6-foot-2) “baby.” He is in the officers’ training pre-course and wanted to talk some things through. I was honored that he turned to me, and I was determined to be as supportive as possible. Together, we considered the practicalities and pros and cons of continuing on to become an officer versus being discharged and becoming a civilian. We talked about how COVID-19 might impact this decision and what the best path for him might be. He talked and I listened — a skill I’ve honed as a lone soldier mom — and I tried not to insert my opinion, a skill I’m still working on, and

only offer support (all the while thinking: I vote for discharge so I can stop worrying so much!). During this discussion, my son talked about the need to be ready to lead his unit into war. Bam! With just one sentence, my wall — the one I’ve carefully constructed to separate the idea of protecting Israel and the actuality of my son protecting Israel — came crumbling down. It’s not the first time. My husband and I have been lone soldier parents for almost eight years. At times we had two — and once, for a few weeks, three — sons serving at the same time. Our first chayal is a Tzuk Eitan (Operation Protective Edge) veteran, and there have been many times over the last eight years that the situation has been tense and it

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seemed Israel might be on the brink of war. If there has been any upside to a global pandemic for me, it’s been that things in Israel have seemed quieter than I remember them being for a long time. During the coronavirus crisis, I’ve had a chance to worry about other things in Israel, like how long the soldiers had to remain on base and how they were doing laundry. Were they getting enough to eat? Had anyone on base been diagnosed? All of these small worries allowed me to rebuild my wall, not of denial, but of separation between the idea and the reality that my son, a thoughtful Please see Stufflebeam, page 13

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Opinion ‘Let our fate be a warning to you’: The significance of Holocaust education Guest Columnist Meg Pankiewicz

rembling, with tears in his eyes and panic on his face, Sam realized he had forgotten a small piece of bread he carried with him in his pocket every time he left the house. I pulled the car over in an attempt to comfort and reassure him that we could return to his home and he would not go hungry. Sweet Sam. Even though this happened almost 20 years ago, this moment is ingrained in my mind forever. Witnessing the raw trauma of Holocaust survivors, and forming close relationships with many of them, has been a powerful incentive for me in the field and mission of Holocaust education. I have worked for years to modify curricula in schools to encompass a more multicultural approach and promote human empathy through literature and stories of human suffering, and I have seen firsthand

Yankelevitch: Continued from page 12

strengthen the awareness and identification of Israeli Jews with the wider Jewish People. The third effort is to enable and empower young people to engage with their Jewish identity on their own terms. In this spirit, initiatives such as Shalom Corps—the global Jewish peace service that combines the values of Jewish Peoplehood and tikkun olam—are the key to our children’s shared future. As we develop such opportunities with partners from around the world, we must remember that the metrics of contemporary Jewish engagement are not those of our parents’ generation. It is the obligation of all who care about the future to meet the rising generation where they stand. These three efforts will take place within

the effects of Holocaust education. The Holocaust is more than a history lesson: It can be a roadmap of how to live your life. In my studies of the Holocaust, hearing the pleas from the survivors to carry on their stories — and hearing the echoing cries of the victims as I stood in the crematoriums and gas chambers in Poland — has changed every aspect of how I live. As educators, we are on the frontlines of combating hate and inequities. Our roles are noble and powerful and can transform the way future generations live and how they treat all sentient beings. It is extremely rewarding and inspiring to see my students take the lessons of this genocide and be proactive in their own pursuits of social justice and human dignity. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security released reports this past September stating white supremacists are the most lethal threat to the United States. How did we get here? Is there something seriously lacking in our education system? In Haim Ginott’s book “Teacher and Child,” he published a letter written by a Holocaust survivor to educators with this plea: “Help your students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters,

skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns.” It is not only imperative to study the factors and reasons behind the birth of certain hateful ideologies but also the reasons why they continue to grow and flourish in society. We have seen the horrific rise in hate speech and hate crimes. There is a toxic presence of people who are emboldened by their hate today. Hate speech never ends with hate speech, it evolves into action. Unchecked hate speech creates an environment that is conducive to violence. It only escalates. History has proven this; present times have solidified this. As a person of conscience, I cannot stand idly by and not do my part to combat hate. The greatest weapon against hate is education, particularly Holocaust education. Teaching the importance of individual choice, collective responsibility, the dangers of hate and that being silent to an injustice is also being compliant to it, results in creating a better society that promotes human decency. Sam, a Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia living in Pittsburgh, and my best friend for almost 20 years, passed away last June. I miss him every day and think about his small piece of bread that he carried

an ecosystem that requires every Jewish individual, institution and leader to take on this mission through their own lens. As minister of Diaspora Affairs, I see my office as a natural convener for this work. Creating such a paradigm shift will not be a simple task. However, it is the critical mission of this generation of the Jewish People, in line with our tradition of setting lofty and ambitious goals. When the State of Israel and world Jewry each commit to elevating our shared people, ultimately we are setting the foundation to elevate our entire world. PJC

Stufflebeam:

Omer Yankelevitch is the State of Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and member of the Knesset. Yankelevitch is the first female haredi minister to serve in the government of Israel. She and her husband, Yaron, live in Beit Shemesh with their five children. This piece first appeared at JNS.org.

Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle Poetry Contest Our readers are invited to submit poems to the Chronicle’s first poetry contest. Winning entries will be published in our Jan. 15 issue, prior to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The theme is “solidarity.” Submissions will be accepted in two categories: teens and adults. The winner in each category will receive a $54 gift card to Pinsker’s Books and Judaica, supplied by an anonymous donor. All submissions must be received no later than Dec. 25.

Continued from page 12

soul, a gentle warrior, might have such an enormous burden. We know that each of our children is on their own path and one of our most important jobs as parents is to help guide and support them as they make their way along that path. Prior to the pandemic, we used to travel to Israel for our sons’ tekesim (ceremonies). Leading up to their Tekes Kumta (Beret Ceremony) the soldiers do a very long hike. For some units, parents are invited to join their soldier for the last couple of kilometers, a truly amazing experience we have been honored to participate in. Several years ago, sitting with other parents while waiting to join our second chayal for those last kilometers, we struck up a conversation with another parent sitting with a soldier that I assumed was there to support a sibling. As it turned out, that soldier was a member of my son’s

in his pocket with him everywhere. He would tell me that I would be his “witness” to the catastrophic horrors he faced during the Holocaust after he was no longer here on this earth and I would be responsible for telling his story and teaching his lessons. I promised him that I would never stop telling his story or teaching about the Holocaust. As a Holocaust educator, I must create “future witnesses” so that Sam’s story and the story of millions who perished in the Holocaust will never be forgotten. Education, empathy and awareness are the cure to the destruction of a society and the theft of human dignity. “Let our fate be a warning to you” is engraved on the mausoleum at Majdanek death camp in Poland, which contains the ashes and remains of the victims, a place of profound sadness and unspeakable tragedy. Our obligation now, as persons of consciousness, is to heed and listen to the pleas of the genocide victims from their graves. The future of humanity rests on their ashes. PJC Meg Pankiewicz is an English and Holocaust and genocide studies teacher at Canon-McMillan High School. unit but had been injured and could not participate in the long hike. As we talked, the soldier told me that when he had been injured on a training hike, he had fallen behind and, as is the way in the IDF, his fellow soldiers stood by him to help him. He told us that one soldier in particular had stayed with him supporting him until the end of the hike. At some point we realized it was our son who had stayed on and helped him make it to the end. Now, this soldier was there to do the same for my son. As my son’s unit came into view, this young man immediately fell in behind my son with his hand on his shoulder helping to support and push him to the finish. Now, as I reflect on the conversation with my youngest son, I know one thing for sure: Just as that soldier literally had my son’s back, I will be there for my current chayal, at his back, supporting him on his chosen path. And, just as importantly, I know that all of Israel has his back as well. PJC Stacie Stufflebeam is the executive director of the Michael Levin Lone Soldier Foundation. She lives in Pittsburgh.

Correction

On the Community page in our Dec. 4 issue, Andrea Karelitz was misidentified as Laura Karelitz. The Chronicle regrets the error. PJC

Guidelines: Poems must be submitted to newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Please type “Poetry Contest” in the subject line. The poem must be in a Microsoft Word file. No pdfs or handwritten entries will be accepted. • One submission per author • Must include the author’s name, address, phone number and email address • Must designate whether entry is intended for teen or adult category • Poem should reflect the theme of solidarity • Unpublished poems only

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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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DECEMBER 11, 2020 13

Headlines J-JEP: Continued from page 1

placed 100 dinosaur statues throughout Greater Pittsburgh. The museum invited the community to find each of the dinosaurs, which were painted by local artists and students. Freedman decided to use that concept, but with giant dreidels placed in yards across the city. “You can drive by, you can walk up, but you don’t have to be near people, you don’t have to breathe on people, it could all be very socially distant,” Freedman said. “And I just thought, ‘Here’s something we could do.’” Freedman’s friend, Dr. Michael Boninger, had a woodshop and helped the rabbi cut 40 4-foot dreidels. Those dreidels have been made available for J-JEP’s students, kindergarten through seventh grade, and their families to paint and display in their yards, or in Freedman’s yard, if they prefer. The project will not only allow students to show their parents what they’ve learned about Chanukah through the themes they choose in decorating the dreidels, but will provide a means for the wider community to engage. “People will drive around, and you can either step out and wave hello, or you can stay inside and wave,” said Freedman.

Nurse: Continued from page 1

Tennessee; Penn State University; and Montefiore Nursing School. Reingold, who had four children with her husband and camp handyman Vern, had a career in nursing that included 44 summers at EKC and more than 30 years at Chatham College. “Claire was motherly,” said Evan Stein, of Friendship, an IT consultant who first went to EKC as a boy in 1988 and later served as its aquatics director. “She was the mother to homesick campers who needed a hug. It was a little bit of medicine but a lot of old-world love.” “She was a goddess — Claire was angelic and sort of hovered over the whole camp,” remembered former camper Mark Rogalsky, who grew up in Squirrel Hill and now lives in Oakmont. “If you wanted to feel good physically, as well as emotionally, you went to the infirmary.” She married Vern Reingold, another frequent fixture at EKC, in September 1957 to the tune of “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” their wedding song. They were, in the words of friends, often the first to enter the dance floor and the last to leave it. Vern died in 2010. Pittsburgher Lenny Silberman, who served as the director of EKC from 1987 to 1993, said times were different in the era when “Nurse Claire” ran the infirmary. “Claire and I and maybe one or two others were the adults in the room,” Silberman said. “If I was the father, Claire was the mother, as well as the nurse. She always had a smile on her face. On many occasions, I had to remind her the infirmary was not just a country club 14 DECEMBER 11, 2020

helped to prepare the dreidel they took home. All three children participate in J-JEP. Nina, 5, is a student; Landon, 14, is involved in the school’s eighth-grade program and is training to be a madrich; and Abby, 15, is a madricha. The Blank family’s dreidel has a collage of inspirational words for the coming year. “We use words like ‘mask up,’ ‘hope,’ ‘get outside,’ ‘life’ and ‘does chocolate make you happy?’”Lydia Blank said. The Highland Park resident is excited to have the opportunity to connect with other families during this period of forced isolation. “I think this is a really cool idea that Rabbi Freedman came up with to help families connect because we don’t get to see each other,” she said. “We’ve been doing online schooling on Sundays and it’s been great, but this is another activity to keep everyone  The Blank family’s dreidel will be available to view involved. This is a way to do as part of J-JEP’s dreidel gallery on Sunday, Dec. 13. something fun and an offline Photo by Lydia Blank activity to be creative.” While Freedman was developing the idea “You can make it as social as you want, as of the dreidel gallery, Kim was working on a distant as you want.” Lydia Blank, her husband and three children separate idea to make up for the lack of this

— for campers as well as for staff.” Jeff Solomon was one of Reingold’s campers. At age 10 in 1976, he was homesick and Claire had just the tonic: a shoulder to cry on, an open set of ears and words of advice. “Claire just let me hang out with her,” said Solomon, who lives today in Largemont, New York, and is the CEO of an investment bank. “She made me feel welcomed and talked to me like a real person. It’s probably not an overstatement to say she changed my life.” “I think everybody on these email threads had a personal relationship with Claire and Vern,” Solomon added. “Everybody has stories about how they changed their lives. It’s a remarkable testament to their humanity.” As of Dec. 5, Michael Reingold, the youngest of Claire and Vern’s children, said more than 620 people had responded to his Facebook posts about his mother’s death. “As much as my parents were appreciated, they appreciated the opportunity to enrich the community — it enriched their lives immensely,” said Michael Reingold, who lives in Manhattan and works at a JCC in neighboring New Jersey. “It was wonderful for us to be part of a large, loving family and it was wonderful for us to be part of the Squirrel Hill community.” “Our family has been very touched by the outpouring of support,” he added. “We were very grateful for the support. And hearing each story — it’s story after story — really means a lot.” Shoshi Reingold, who is four years older than her brother Michael, said she never quite understood just how strong her mother was. “At EKC, she worked from sunup till late in the evenings, but she loved her work and she loved being around people — it fueled

 Claire Reingold

her,” said Shoshi Reingold, who has lived in Atlanta for 15 years, more than nine of them with her mother in a nearby seniors’ facility. Though she suffered from dementia in recent years, her spirit didn’t dim. “My mother, she was strong, in some ways,” Shoshi Reingold said. “She was before her time. She made things happen.” Nurse Claire also served her children, Shoshi Reingold said. She recalled waiting to get her wisdom teeth extracted while attending the University of Michigan, and advocating for a university doctor due to the prestige of the school’s dental program; Nurse Claire insisted her daughter come back to Pittsburgh, where she could help care for her. “Finally, I gave in and I came home,” Shoshi Reingold laughed. “What she really

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year’s Latkepalooza. She was inspired by the short documentary film “Caine’s Arcade,” which featured a cardboard arcade created by 9-year-old Caine Monroy. “We asked our families if they’d like to create their own carnival games at home similar to Latkepalooza for Chanukah,” she said. “We’re going to have a big contest to find winners in different categories.” Students will submit pictures of the games they created, and a winner will be announced on Dec. 13 during J-JEP’s virtual menorah lighting. “My hope is that we’ll get some really good submissions and then, when we’re able to do Latkepalooza in the future, we can hopefully bring those games in that kids have created and have everyone play them,” Kim said. The lessons of Chanukah are important during the winter months, Freedman stressed, especially as the community continues to practice social distancing. “Chanukah is about dedication,” he said. “Maybe this is about rededicating ourselves to the community, rededicating ourselves to taking proper precautions, and to our art and our heritage.” The Great Dreidel Outdoor Gallery will take place on Sunday, Dec. 13. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Photo provided by Michael Reingold

valued in life was respect; it was important to her. But so was kindness.” “Nurse Claire had one prescription in her little bag: it was love,” one friend wrote online. “The love she shared with Vern, her family, and her huge extended family will forever be missed, but her memory is a blessing for all.” Reingold was a member of Congregation Beth Shalom, the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh and Hadassah, and received honors from the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh, the Western Pennsylvania Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and Chatham College. Graveside services were held on Dec. 3 at Poale Zedeck Memorial Park Cemetery. PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Music: Continued from page 3

space, explained Dubin. “What’s great about this sort of weird environment that we’re in is that everybody is equalized: Nobody’s asking you to play an instrument, no one’s asking you to sing — those are things that people are often wary of because they don’t feel that they are good

Ohav Shalom: Continued from page 4

Getting into Government,’” she said. “It can be a little confusing, unclear, nebulous of how to get a job at the White House. It’s not something where there is a path that is laid out for folks. It’s not as clear as going

Health: Continued from page 7

Yeshiva at Yeshiva University, Glatt found the rabbinic consensus is that taking the vaccine is “an obligation” because “it will save lives.” Before concluding his remarks with the hope that proper Chanukah observance would result in restored health for the sick and bring messianic redemption, Glatt reminded listeners of

Judaica: Continued from page 8

the material, making ornaments and mezuzahs and wall hangings, pulling all-nighters, sometimes, to make her creations happen. Mezuzahs are a particular challenge, but thanks to eminent Jewish artist Gary Rosenthal, Frank now has it down. The two met at a craft business institute in the late ’90s, and Rosenthal helped Frank get the glass tubes for the mezuzahs. She fuses each mezuzah in her toaster oven, then puts the scroll inside (the mezuzahs come with a non-kosher scroll, but customers can order a kosher one from her on Etsy at an additional cost). People love the bright colors, she said, and

enough, whatever that should mean,” he said. “Now that we don’t do that, and we’re doing very different sorts of activities, I think we’ve seen these students are much more equalized, much more willing to participate, and they’re much more willing to showcase their own abilities even if they don’t realize that.” Freedman has enjoyed watching Dubin grow, not only as a musician and conductor but as an educator. “For him to give back and provide the needs

that the school has right now, it’s very special,” she said. “It’s a very special kind of brightness and light in a time that could be kind of dark.” “You could probably count on a couple of hands the number of elementary and middle schools that are offering in-person music and art during this time,” said Dubin. “For CDS to use me and create these opportunities, and be flexible, they have shown that they prioritize the education of this Jewish community, and it’s very special to be

involved with that.” The feelings are mutual, explained Munro. “He’s such a mensch and he’s made such an impact on the community,” she said. “It just feels like a very beautiful opportunity that he’s not swept away to Yale and that we got to have him, and our kids get to have him. They love him, so it’s a privilege.” PJC

to medical school, where you know exactly what steps to take.” Throughout the book, there is a theme of “taking a little bit of like magic and extending it as far as you can,” similar to the Chanukah miracle “of one night’s worth of oil lasting for eight nights,” Dillon said. “In my chapter, I talked about how I pulled off this event to roll out a bunch of new foster

care policies,” she said. “We didn’t have a budget — meaning not a limited budget, we literally had zero dollars — and how you can take this very small finite resource that you have and make the biggest impact possible.” Following Friday’s Shabbat service, during which the trio will speak, Ohav Shalom is hosting a talk-back session with teens that will focus on public service.

While many of the events included in the synagogue’s “8+ Days of Chanukah” are directed at the congregation’s members, both Kwall and Dillon’s appearances are open to the public and can be accessed through Ohav Shalom’s Facebook page. PJC

the power each person holds: “Everybody has the potential to help with this problem.” Following Glatt’s address, Dr. Marc Itskowitz, associate professor of medicine at Temple University School of Medicine and director of the Center for Perioperative Medicine for the Allegheny Health Network, discussed the history of COVID-19’s spread and the current strain on local health institutions and medical professionals due to surging cases. Stefanie Small, director of

clinical services at JFCS, described acceptable risk-taking in the current climate, and Rebecca Weinberg, clinical psychologist and director of clinical operations for the Perinatal Depression Program at Allegheny Health Network, offered parenting advice and mental health tips. The closure of synagogues and communal institutions has been challenging, said Langer, and there is no way of understanding why God would allow this pandemic to

occur, but “our job is to find out how we can work according to the health guidelines and to keep ourselves vigilantly healthful. “Our job is to turn to Hashem and daven to Hashem at this time, and perhaps also to find within that a greater appreciation for prayer, to the ability that we have to connect to Hashem, now that we’re somewhat missing it.” PJC

the ability to personalize the glazed it and affixed it to her products. Bar and bat mitzvah butterfly, so it would look kids can request their names like the wings of the butterfly and favorite activities, new were lifting the children up. parents can order mezuzahs She called her winning entry with their baby’s name and “Generation Lost.” birthdate for the nursery and When, in 2015, Amaco sports fans can pick a mezuzah announced it was discontinwith their favorite team. uing Friendly Plastic sticks, A decade ago, Amaco chalFrank bought 100 pounds of lenged artists to design a the remaining material. But butterfly out of Friendly Plastic she also wanted to make her sticks for the Houston Holocaust own sticks. She played around with the more widely availMuseum’s “The Butterfly Project: able Friendly Plastic pellets, Remembering the Children of p Personalized turning them into flat pizza the Holocaust.” Frank made hers mezuzah Photo by Cathy Frank shapes. Artists loved them so into a mezuzah. She cut out a black and white photo of children much that Frank later partnered with a manufacturer to meet the demand. during the Holocaust standing behind a fence,

She is now a distributor of the environmentally friendly material, which she renamed “custom metallic acrylic” because she thought “friendly plastic” sounded tacky, she said. Frank sells the material on Etsy, along with her own creations. “It gives me no greater joy than to be able to give this material to the artists so that they can continue making [art],” said Frank. And she gets joy from creating memorable gifts, too, hence her Etsy shop’s name: CF Joyous Designs. “I am often struck by how much I feel like I am celebrating with my customers as I make their pieces,” she wrote in an email to the Chronicle. “It’s personal and very rewarding.” PJC

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

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

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

Kayla Steinberg can be reached at ksteinberg@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

JHF-managed HIV/AIDS initiative receives $1.5 million

IDS Free Pittsburgh (AFP), a public health movement managed by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, received renewed funding commitments of $1.5 million from Allegheny Health Network and UPMC, and new project funding in the amount of $125,000 from the Highmark Foundation. JHF also approved a five-year, $250,000 grant to support operating costs of AFP. “For decades, the caregivers at Allegheny Health Network’s Positive Health Clinic have been committed to providing leading, compassionate care to those in our region PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

who live with HIV/AIDS,” said Dr. Susan Manzi, chair of the AHN Medicine Institute, in a prepared statement. “With this mission in mind, we are pleased to support AIDS Free Pittsburgh which brings together our region’s most robust health care resources in order to make a significant difference in the lives of these patients and the health of our community,” The initiative has made “significant progress toward ending the HIV epidemic in our region,” said Dr. Steven D. Shapiro, chief medical and scientific officer of UPMC

in a prepared statement. “Our clinicians are dedicated to providing rapid access to state-of-the-art HIV care for those newly diagnosed with HIV,” successfully suppressing the virus in more than 90% of their patients. The grant will “continue the great strides made in reducing the rate of new HIV infections and will promote the importance of early detection in Allegheny County,” said Yvonne Cook, president of the Highmark Foundation in a prepared statement. “This is a huge win for our community.” Although considerable efforts

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have been dedicated to combating COVID-19, JHF officials were encouraged that local health systems remain committed to ending the HIV/ AIDS epidemic in Allegheny County. “We are very happy the Highmark Foundation, UPMC and AHN have decided to trust the work and vision of AFP,” said JHF HIV/AIDS Project Director Richard Smith in a statement. “Their commitment to the HIV community will make a lasting sustainable impact.” PJC — Adam Reinherz DECEMBER 11, 2020 15

Life & Culture 6 prominent Holocaust survivors have died in Europe over the past month he constant stream of breaking news about American politics and the coronavirus pandemic has hidden a sobering fact: Six prominent Holocaust survivors who had dedicated much of their lives to educating others against hatred have died in Europe over the past month. These are their stories.

An experienced lecturer and gifted writer, he often spoke at high schools before teenagers. Many of them easily related to Cling’s story because he was 15 when police took him away at his school on May 20, 1944. Cling was sent to the Drancy internment camp with his parents and older brother, Willy. The family was deported to Auschwitz, where the Nazis murdered the parents on arrival. Willy would help Maurice survive the camp but was murdered there. Cling was moved to Dachau and liberated there by American troops. He had four children.

Esther Cohen

Paul Sobol

— RELIGION — By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA

One of only 160 people from her native Greek city of Ioannina who survived the genocide, Cohen died there at the age of 96. She had escaped the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and for years told high school students about her survival story in testimonies, TVXS reported. Cohen belonged to the ancient Romaniote Jewish community, which had survived for 2,000 years before being nearly eradicated by the Nazis. Ioannina was a major center of Romaniote Jews, with about 1,800 living there before the Holocaust. Cohen had two children.

Maurice Cling

Born to Romanian Jews who fled anti-Semitism for France, Cling was a linguist and English teacher who died Nov. 23 in Paris at 91.

After walking for days in a death march from Auschwitz, Sobol, who died in Brussels on Nov. 17 at 94, found the strength to escape during an Allied air raid on the German troops guarding him and fellow prisoners. He was 18. Before his capture, Sobol and his family had lived four years in hiding in Nazioccupied Brussels. The Nazis murdered his parents and younger brother, but his sister survived. For many years after the war, Sobol did not speak much about the Holocaust, but felt the need to share his story as he grew older. He would be celebrated by the local media as “a conveyer of memory” for his activities at schools and Holocaust commemoration events. Sobol had two children.

Renzo Gattegna

In addition to testifying before young people about the Holocaust, Gattegna, who died of COVID-19 complications on Nov. 10 at 81, also helped rebuild the Jewish community in Italy after the genocide. Gattegna had led the Union of Italian Jewish Communities for 10 years until 2016. Although he was born in 1938, “I started living in 1944,” he said in one interview. His early childhood was a time of fear, want and uncertainty as his family moved from one hiding place to the next in Rome’s suburbs, where they managed to flee before fascist gangs showed up and ransacked their home. Gattegna had two children.

Mikhail Zhvanetsky

Before his death on Nov. 6 at 86 in Moscow, Zhvanetsky was a standard-bearer for standup comedy in Russia. But Zhvanetsky, who identified as Jewish when doing so was dangerous, operated in the Soviet Union under one of the 20th century’s most repressive regimes — one that was famously anti-Semitic. In a disarmingly selfdeprecating manner, he delivered his commentary on everyday life in Russia. It was apolitical but with traces of social criticism on the edge of what was safe to say publicly in those years. Born in Odessa, in what is now Ukraine, Zhvanetsky was evacuated with his family

to Russia before the advancing Nazi army conquered his native city, murdering his childhood friends and many relatives in the Holocaust. Zhvanetsky performed for decades until his retirement only last month. He won many awards, including the Order of Merit for the Fatherland last year. He had five children.

Justin Sonder

A retired police officer, politician and Holocaust commemoration activist, Sonder died Nov. 3 in Chemnitz at 94. Soon after his return from Auschwitz to Germany, Sonder began devoting his life to rebuilding the society that created Nazism. He became a police officer just six months after U.S. troops liberated him from a death march from Auschwitz, in Poland, to Germany. His mother and 21 of his relatives were murdered in the camp. Sonder eventually became a commissioner for serious crimes. Following his retirement in 1985, he served as a lawmaker in the federal parliament for four years, beginning in 2009, as a representative of the Die Linke left-wing party. In 2016, he testified in the trial of SS guard Reinhold Hanning, who was convicted of crimes against humanity. For decades, Sonder spoke about the Holocaust to high school students in eastern Germany, where the far right is seeing a resurgence. He had three children. PJC

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Life & Culture 2020 Chanukah gift ideas

If someone in your life reads “chocolate rugelach from Marzipan Bakery” and says something like, “Well, why not mix it up and try the cinnamon ones?” cut that person out of your life, because they do not have your best interests at heart. Don’t reinvent the wheel here; go ahead and order some of the best rugelach on the planet to your

Criterion Channel

The thing about Netflix, Hulu and every other movie streaming service is that the overwhelming glut of movies can only mask the lack of quality for so long. How many hours of scrolling have been lost on streaming services, staring at row after row of stinkers? Criterion Channel is the service that picks the highest quality movies, and offers selections from around the globe. This is the antidote to the feeling that there’s nothing good to watch, and it’s $10.99 per month at criterionchannel.com.

Periwinkle Flower Seder Plate

UGG Leda Cozy Crew Socks

OK, enough food. I quite like the slippers that I have, but they can quickly feel too warm, and I don’t always want the feeling of wearing shoes when I’m in the house. I have friends who swear by these UGG socks. Warm, but not too warm, and cozy as can be. One pair goes for $18 at ugg.com, but you’ll get a lot of use out of these: They’re durable, according to most reviews.

Faux fur throw blankets

Fur is a little iffy, ethically speaking, but there’s nothing iffy about it aesthetically. In a winter that’s going to involve untold levels of sitting on the couch — or staying warm

This seder plate, which comes with a platter and six small bowls, is only available in the National Museum of American Jewish History’s online gift shop. It is certainly a hopeful gift, the hope being that by March 27, 2021, the world will allow Jews everywhere to come together once in again for joyous seder meals. Not that there wasn’t joy to this past year’s celebration, but still, this seder plate is pretty enough to be enjoyed by as many people as possible, in person. Find it for $112 at judaicashop.net. PJC Jesse Bernstein writes for the Jewish Exponent, a Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicleaffiliated publication. Additional reporting by Kayla Steinberg.

Irina Shisterova/iStockphoto.com

Speaking of llamas, Chosen Threads, by Jewish Pittsburgher Shira Levenson, sells Jewish holiday-themed apparel including Hanukkah Llamakkah pajamas (or, as Levenson puts it on Facebook,

The former “Bon Appétit” star Claire Saffitz has released her first cookbook, a gorgeously photographed slate of recipes that are uniquely arranged; besides the typical separation of sides and starters, there’s a matrix at the beginning of the book to help you determine the difficulty of the recipe and the time it should take to complete. In other words, an efficiency matrix that asks how much you really want to bake a babkachallah mash-up called a Babkallah, a nod to Saffitz’s Jewish roots. “Dessert Person” is available on bookshop.org for $32.30.

for an outdoor hangout on a chilly evening — these stylish throws are a good way to stay cozy. Prepare to hibernate! These start at $60 at westelm.com.

Courtesy of judaicashop.net

Chocolate rugelach from Marzipan Bakery

danibeder / iStockphoto.com

Courtesy of Abrams Books Photo courtesy of Shira Levenson

Laura Gehl, the author of over 20 books for children, including t wo others about Jewish holidays, posits that one of the goofiest looking members of the camelidae family is the perfect vehicle to teach children about Chanukah. In this book, written by Gehl and illustrated by Lydia Nichols, the Llama family does everything that your family does for the holiday — spin the dreidel, eat latkes and light their menorah — but in their own llama way. You can buy it on indiebound.org for $14.99.

‘Pajamukkahs’ from Pittsburgh-based Chosen Threads

‘Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence,’ by Claire Saffitz For the candle person in your life: Check out Songbird Artistry’s Chanukah-themed soy candles like Let’s Go for a Spin (featuring a dreidel, of course), Shine Bright like a Menorah and Keep Calm and Mazel Tov. Songbird Artistry, started by Jewish Pittsburgher Debbie Jacknin and her daughters, Jennifer and Jacklyn, also sells a free-form embroidery kit with your choice of a Jewish star, hamsa, chai or dreidel outline that Jacknin can help you make over Zoom. You can buy the candles for $14 and embroidery kit for $25 at songbirdartistry. com or in Songbird Artistry’s store across from Children’s Hospital (masks and social distancing required).

‘Happy Llamakah,’ written by Laura Gehl and illustrated by Lydia Nichols

If you really want to get nutty with it — and if there was ever a time to do so, it’s now — then a subscription to Trade Coffee is the way to go. Based on your coffee preferences (and it goes much deeper than just “light” or “dark”), they’ll send you one 12-ounce bag at intervals of your choosing, selecting from a list of hundreds of coffees from around the world. What sounds better than dunking your Marzipan Bakery rugelach into a delicious cup of coffee from, I don’t know, Malta? Anyway, your first bag goes for $12.50, with free shipping and 30% off from drinktrade.com.

Courtesy of ugg.com

If you’re looking for a funny and comfy T-shirt or hoodie, Schmattees offers a line of home goods and apparel for children and adults that combine Jewish pride and humor with a touch of chutzpah. The name is a take on the Yiddish word “schmatte” combined with “T-shirt.” Schmattees carry a lot of funny T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, mugs and face masks in sizes from infant to 3X. T-shirts start at $18 at shopschmattees.com.

Chanukah candles and crafts photo by Debbie Jacknin

Yiddishkeit T-shirts

Candles and crafts from Pittsburgh-based Songbird Artistry

etienne voss / iStockphoto.com

he manner in which this gift guide was assembled is the manner in which these gifts are meant to be bought, received, given and enjoyed: from the comfort of home. Chanukah, which begins on Dec. 10 this year, is the time to let the people you love know you’re thinking of them, even if you can’t be together in the way you normally would.

Trade coffee

Courtesy of Clarkson Potter

By Jesse Bernstein | Jewish Exponent

front door. $14.99 on amazon.com gets you a package of 12.

Courtesy of westelm.com

“pajamukkahs”), glow-in-the-dark Light Up the Night PJs and Menorasaurus shirts. And there is year-round apparel, too, like “Oy Vey All Day” onesies and adult pullovers, “Here for Schmear” onesies and “ShalOHM” yoga tank tops. The apparel, mostly in the $15-25 range, is available on Etsy at etsy.com/shop/ ChosenThreadsApparel.

— CHANUKAH —

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DECEMBER 11, 2020 17

Celebrations

Torah

Birth

Lighting the darkness on Chanukah Rabbi Shneur Horowitz Parshat Vayeishev Genesis 37:1 - 40:23

Ross and Kayla Miller of Greenfield are proud to announce the birth of their grandson, Will Portman Miller. He was born on Nov. 8, weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces. His paternal grandparents are Todd and Elaine Miller of Squirrel Hill and his maternal grandparents are Tom and Theresa Neff of Gibsonia. Will’s Hebrew name is Chaim Levi, in memory of his beloved paternal great-grandmother, Myrna Portman Miller (z”l) — “Meema” — whose zest and love of life were an inspiration to all who knew her. PJC

his week, Jews around the world are celebrating Chanukah, which commemorates the victory of the small Jewish army against the mighty Syrian Greek army that oppressed them and didn’t allow them to fulfill mitzvot and learn Torah. The Jews returned to the Bet Hamikdash (Holy Temple) after winning the war and prepared to light the menorah, a sacred part of the daily service. But alas, all the oil was desecrated except for one jar of pure olive oil. There was only enough olive oil to burn for one day and it would take eight days to procure more. Miraculously, the oil in the menorah lasted eight days and nights. We commemorate the miracle of the oil by lighting the menorah for eight days, kindling one flame on the first night and adding one candle each subsequent night. If the menorah we light on Chanukah is commemorating the miracle of the menorah in the Bet Hamikdash, why do we light our candles from the time it starts getting dark, while the one in the Bet Hamikdash was lit during the day? To answer this question, we must understand what the victory of Chanukah and the battles the Maccabim (the pious group of

Jews who led the battles against the Syrian Greeks) fought were truly about. The times of Chanukah (preceding the victory) were spiritually dark times for the Jews. The Syrian Greeks endeavored to get the Jews to assimilate into their hedonistic culture and idolatrous beliefs and leave them devoid of the G-dliness inherent in Torah and mitzvot. Sadly, many Jews succumbed to temptation and abandoned their observance. The small group of Maccabim, arousing their inner strength, fought and vanquished their enemies against all odds, transforming darkness into light. We light the menorah at night because the darkness of exile and its challenges arouse our inner strength, giving us the fortitude to light the darkness around us. We are living through very challenging times; let us awaken our innate strength and use the light of Chanukah to transform the darkness into light by performing more mitzvos and good deeds. As Maimonides wrote, every person should see the world as an equal scale: One good deed can tip that scale and bring salvation to the entire world. With the coming of Moshiach, may it be speedily in our days. Amen. PJC Rabbi Shneur Horowitz is the director of Chabad Lubavitch of Altoona, Pennsylvania. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.

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Obituaries ACKERMAN: On Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, Robert S. Ackerman of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, passed away at the age of 86, peacefully and painlessly, with his family at his bedside. He is survived by his beloved wife, Judith, of 59 years and his children, Melanie and Mitchell Ackerman, as well as his granddaughter Shaina Little and great-grandson Nathaniel, and grandchildren Austin, Joshua and Emma Ackerman. Son of the late Goldie and Isadore Ackerman, and brother to his late sisters, Esther Leif, Shirley Bellman, Lenora Ianotti and Dolores Marcus, and brother to the late Ed Ackerman. In addition, he was fortunate to be the uncle to many loving nieces and nephews. Robert served in the U.S. Army in Korea and during the Berlin crisis. He devoted his life to his wife and children and then grandchildren. An avid sports fan, Robert enjoyed watching Steelers games and hockey games. In his younger years, he was a talented basketball player, playing for Peabody High School and during his time in the army. He gave up playing at the age of 65 to spend more time with his family and grandchildren, the source of most of his joy throughout his life. Graveside services and interment were held at Temple Sinai Memorial Park, Plum Boro. Contributions may be made to Sivitz Jewish Hospice and Home Healthcare, 200 JHF Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com DREYER: Ronald Dreyer, M.D., passed away on Nov. 28, 2020. A longstanding member

of the New York and the Pittsburgh Jewish communities, he will be remembered as a dedicated physician, loving grandfather, outstanding father and a devoted husband. He graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School and Washington University in St. Louis. His interests tended toward medicine and helping people. He trained overseas at the University of Leiden, where he not only learned medicine but also did so in a foreign language. During his time in Leiden, he married Mollie Marder. Their marriage lasted 62 years, until she passed away in 2017. His love for her was especially evident during the last five years of her life, when he became her sole caregiver. He refused to delegate that responsibility to anyone. On their return to the United States from the Netherlands, they lived in Baltimore, the Bronx and Rockland County, New York, and finally settled in Scarsdale, New York. His medical practice was based in Nanuet and Bardonia, New York. Dr. Dreyer also served as president of the Nyack Hospital medical staff. He had a large impact on many patients, both in the New Square and the rest of the Monsey community. He was one of the earlier practitioners to insist on universal vaccination for his patients. Dr. Dreyer was available to any patient, regardless of ability to pay in the Rockland community. There were many families where he took care of two and even three generations of children. He was one

of the eyewitnesses at the 1981 Brinks Robbery, and his car was taken from him at gunpoint by one of the robbers. Despite the chaos and trauma of this event, he put these fears aside and attempted CPR for one of the fallen troopers. He was known to always put others first. Family was incredibly important to him, and he was always eager to let them know how proud he was of them. He will be greatly missed by his son Evan, his daughter-in-law Melissa and his grandchildren Rebecca, Samantha and Justin. In his memory, donations can be made to your local food bank. FREED: Jeffrey “Peter” Freed (12/16/194411/8/2020) was born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and was a graduate of Penn State University with a bachelor’s degree in business. Married to Wendy Copeland Freed in 1971, they moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he opened the Star Insurance Agency, specializing in long-term care insurance, later becoming vice president of the United Security Assurance Company until 10 years before his retirement in 2004. After retiring, the Freeds moved to Pittsburgh, where they spent six months a year along with six months in Boynton Beach, Florida. The family were members of Keneseth Israel in Allentown and Temple Emanuel in Pittsburgh. Mr. Freed is survived by his wife, Wendy, sons Dr. Michael C. Freed, his wife Dr. TingTing Zhu and their two young daughters, Rachel and Samantha of McLean, Virginia, and Jonathan C. Freed, his wife Chris and their two young sons, Logan and Gavin of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. In

lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society or any charity of your choice. William Slater II Funeral Service, Scott Township, entrusted with arrangements. slaterfuneral.com KLEIN: James “Jimmy” R. Klein. Age 90, of Point Breeze on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Beloved husband of the late Barbara M. Klein; loving father of Robert C. Klein, Faye (Leo) Kennedy, Jeanne Tomanio and Alisa (Bruce) Johnson; grandfather of William Drischler and four others; great-grandfather of Isabella, Scott and Troy James Drischler; brother of the late Herschel Klein; uncle of Kim (Greg) Eddy; son of the late Isador J. and Goldie Klein. Jimmy is well known and well loved in the bridge world as a player, educator and director. He will also be missed by his high school students at Westinghouse and Brashear, where he taught computer science and math. Everybody loved Jimmy; you would never see him without Barbara. His burial was held at Homewood Cemetery. Professional services by D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd., Lawrenceville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Angel Ridge Animal Rescue, angelridgeanimalrescue.org. dalessandroltd.com Please see Obituaries, page 20