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January 18, 2019 | 12 Shevat 5779
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Candlelighting 5:03 p.m. | Havdalah 6:06 p.m. | Vol. 62, No. 3 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Public servant shares her dedication to children Pittsburgh Public Schools board president Lynda Wrenn discusses tenure, goals.
Anti-Semitism in Women’s March complicates matters for local Jews
Charleston survivor comforts congregants By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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“Some members of our group are marching, and some of us would not regardless,” said Hepps. “Within Bend the Arc there is a range of responses. I’m on the spectrum of people in the group who are struggling with this in different ways.” The national Women’s March, as well as the Women’s March in Pittsburgh, are both scheduled to be held on Jan. 19. The first Women’s March was on Jan. 21, 2017, the day after Trump’s inauguration. Its “intersectional platform” promoted the rights of a roster of marginalized communities that were perceived to be targeted by Trump’s election rhetoric. Notably, Jews were absent from that list. Nonetheless, many Jewish women readily embraced the cause, and several Jewish organizations came on board to formally partner with the Women’s March, including the National Council of Jewish Women, the Jewish Women’s Foundation of New York
ours after sundown on a quiet evening in Squirrel Hill, Polly Sheppard recounted how three and a half years earlier on a hot night in South Carolina, a 21-year-old white supremacist gunman spared her after killing nine African Americans at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. It was immediately after Bible study when he opened fire, and with the dead and soon-to-be beside her, Sheppard retreated beneath a table as the murderer approached. “I’m going to leave you here to tell the story,” she said he told her. The silent few who clung to Sheppard’s words on Monday, Jan. 7, included members of New Light Congregation, survivors of the Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue building and loved ones of the deceased. Of the 11 victims of the massacre, three were from New Light. The private program, held in partnership with The Faith and Politics Institute, a Washington, D.C., organization that brings political leaders together, was an opportunity to question “where you are on your own faith journey,” said New Light’s Rabbi Jonathan Perlman. Understandably, people find themselves at different points on that journey, but what Sheppard offers is a model, said Barbara Caplan, New Light’s co-president. “She gave people a glimpse of what could be in the future.” In an hour-long address that favored conversation over lecture, Sheppard emphasized the importance of counseling, forgiveness and faith. “You have to be able to release it,” she said. “You can forgive or you can carry it with you and get ulcers.” Though strong in her convictions, Sheppard wasn’t always a likely candidate to travel across the country lending
Please see March, page 16
Please see Survivor, page 17
Page 2 LOCAL Nefesh Mountain uplifts souls
Bluegrass band brings unique sound to Pittsburgh. Page 4
A woman holds a sign in Market Square during the Women’s March in 2018.
Photo by Lauren Rosenblatt
LOCAL A lifelong dream fulfilled
Ellen Roteman writes her first novel for children. Page 5
$1.50
By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
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he allegations of anti-Semitism against national Women’s March leaders Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory and Carmen Perez have hit such a fever pitch in recent months that the organization’s co-founder, Teresa Shook, called on the women to resign (they have not), while many local marches have either disaffiliated or distanced themselves from the national group. The Women’s March on Washington— Pittsburgh has kept intact its affiliation with the national organization, however, creating a fraught situation for many progressive Jews here still reeling from the Oct. 27 anti-Semitic massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue building. “It’s complicated and incredibly painful for all of us,” said Tammy Hepps, a member of Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh, a Jewish social action group that has collaborated with the local Women’s March, including on a protest against President Donald Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh days after the shooting at Tree of Life.
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Headlines Lynda Wrenn shares insights as school board president — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
“ I think that everyone on the school
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ynda Wrenn may have Pittsburgh’s best and worst unpaid position. As president of the Pittsburgh Public Schools board, Wrenn has a bird’s-eye view of growth occurring within the district. The flip side is the Point Breeze resident is also privy to the most unfortunate matters. On the day of a recent interview, she received an email that morning alerting her and the school board that Jonathan Freeman, a 16-year-old Allderdice High School honors student, was shot and killed the evening before in Homewood. Unsettled by the loss, Wrenn said, “It’s hard because the community is still raw.” Months before Wrenn sat down to discuss protecting schools and delivering best practices with the Chronicle, she and her husband were in North Carolina for a family wedding when her phone “blew up.” It was Saturday morning, Oct. 27. Students were at Allderdice taking the SAT while a gunman was murdering Jewish congregants one mile north inside the Tree of Life synagogue building. Wrenn praised Superintendent Anthony Hamlet and administrators who tackled immediate concerns, such as determining what transpired, providing school security and ensuring test takers safe transportation home. “We certainly didn’t want any students walking anywhere near it,” she said. There was also the issue of initial dissemination of the news, as during the exam students did not have access to phones.
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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Evan Indianer, Chairman Andrew Schaer, Vice Chairman Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary Jonathan Bernstein, Treasurer David Ainsman, Immediate Past Chairman Gail Childs, Elizabeth F. Collura, Milton Eisner, Malke Steinfeld Frank, Tracy Gross, Richard J. Kitay, Cátia Kossovsky, Andi Perelman, David Rush, Charles Saul
board is very committed, very giving of their time and energy. They all have the best interests of the students
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at heart.
— LYNDA WRENN “There’s a lot of things to think about,” she said. The superintendent and administrators handled the heavy lifting, including creating a plan for Monday morning. Apart from providing students, staff and faculty with counseling and resources, there were logistical concerns, such as relocating a school bus stop at Shady and Wilkins avenues, the site of the Tree of Life building. But as she and her husband drove home, still trying to make sense of the events, Wrenn communicated with parents and decision makers. The role can be challenging, but it has its rewards, she explained. For example, she said, as a school board, “we’ve had some good policies.” Wrenn pointed to a July 2018 resolution declaring support for “sensible gun safety legislation,” and a June 2016 unanimous approval for a new transgender and gender expansive student policy. “While those aren’t strictly academic, we try to do things that affect our students’ overall well-being,” she said. “Obviously
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if you’re serving on school board you care about kids a lot.” Wrenn’s interest in education began years ago both as a volunteer and student. A mother of four, she served as PTO president of Linden Elementary School and a classroom volunteer and tutor at the Point Breeze institution. She is a past-president of the Point Breeze Organization and served on the Summer Dreamers Academy and the Gifted Education task forces. Additionally, she is a board member of Temple Sinai and completed an NCJW leadership development program. Wrenn holds a master’s degree in teaching from Chatham University and did student teaching at Pittsburgh Spring Hill K-5. Exposure to city schools on the North Side introduced her to “inequity in the system,” she said. Increasing accessibility has been important ever since. “I ran on equity and ran on the fact that we have to make our schools attractive options for our families,” she explained. “A lot of families in our district have the choice of a
p Lynda Wrenn Photo courtesy of Lynda Wrenn
lot of different schools, and we want to make sure we keep the kids in our schools and keep our schools vibrant and challenging and successful.” Wrenn pointed to efforts in “closing the achievement gap” and expanding early childhood. “We realize how important early childhood education is for leveling the playing field and giving kids the tools they need to succeed in school,” she said. “By the time they get to school, some kids are already behind because they don’t have all of the skills of other kids who have been afforded quality preschools.” There are other aspects regarding Pittsburgh’s schools that Wrenn would love to address, like implementing a later start Please see Wrenn, page 3
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Headlines Wrenn: Continued from page 2
time to the school day, but such matters may be left to her successor. Wrenn was elected board president in December. Her four-year term as a member is up December 2019, and she has chosen not to run again. She is hoping to find work that aligns with her management experiences gained as a volunteer on the school board. Wrenn is just one of nine elected representatives who serve as policy makers for the School District.
“I think that everyone on the school board is very committed, very giving of their time and energy,” she said. “They all have the best interests of the students at heart. “We certainly have challenges but we’re owning them and working toward making the schools the best we can.” As for what else current parents or constituents should know, she added, “We owe it to our students, we want vibrant schools for our communities in all of our neighborhoods and people should check them out.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Federation, Rogers Productions team up on good neighbor message
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he Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Fred Rogers Productions have partnered to create a new public service announcement highlighting what it means to be a good neighbor, as exemplified by the communal response to the Oct. 27 murders at the Tree of Life synagogue building. The PSA was created by Pittsburgh-born
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writer Alex DiBucci, along with Kate Griffiths at the GSD&M agency in Austin, Texas. The 60-second spot highlights the city’s response to the massacre and features words of encouragement from the late Fred Rogers, who lived in Squirrel Hill. The spot can be viewed at https://youtu.be/e5xXT91_E6o. PJC — Toby Tabachnick
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Headlines Nefesh Mountain brings uplifting message to Pittsburgh — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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he communal road to recovery may be paved in bluegrass. Nefesh Mountain, a New York band which incorporates American bluegrass and Old-time music with Jewish themes and lyrics, performed at Bellefield Hall Auditorium in the Oakland neighborhood on Saturday evening, Jan. 12. The free concert was presented by Congregation Dor Hadash, Pittsburgh’s Reconstructionist community. Ellen Surloff, Dor Hadash’s president, conceived of the event after hearing the group two months ago at “Rooted and Relevant: Reconstructing Judaism in 2018,” the Reconstructionist movement’s biennial convention Surloff attended with fellow Dor Hadash member Rabbi Doris Dyen just weeks after the Oct. 27 Tree of Life murders. A Friday afternoon service during the convention allowed Surloff to thank members of the movement for their support. The service, which also honored Blaze Bernstein, the 19-year-old University of Pennsylvania student who was murdered last year in what police have categorized as a hate crime, brought tears, as did hearing Nefesh Mountain, recalled Surloff. There were a lot of emotions, explained
of who we are. Somehow we have Doni Zasloff, the band’s vocalist, landed on a new genre we didn’t in a phone interview prior to the intend for that to happen.” Pittsburgh performance. Audrey Glickman, a member of “We met Ellen in November Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, called right after the event and we just the concert “magnificent” and hugged each other and cried, and described the group’s sound as she said, ‘I wish that everyone “a seamless merging of bluegrass could hear you,’ and we told her, and Jewish music.” ‘They can. We are going to come Rabbi Seth Adelson of and bring you whatever you Congregation Beth Shalom agreed. want,’” said Zasloff. He was “very impressed with the “Music can be a huge healer,” band’s talent and musicianship.” added Eric Lindberg, Zasloff ’s “Our music is for people of all husband and the band’s banjo backgrounds,” said Zasloff. “It’s and guitar player. “We knew that for people who are Jewish, people cognitively before the tragedy. who are any religion, any culture We were shaken so much by and of all backgrounds. The this shooting.” music is at its core about universal Nefesh Mountain performs Nefesh Mountain Photo courtesy of BAM Photography themes and about people. And about 150 concerts a year world- p as Jewish Americans we express wide, but the Pittsburgh show had special significance, said Zasloff. “It’s a very But I sing nonetheless / With love on our side.” it through our music, but it’s about people.” Video of Zasloff and Lindberg performing Whether pain or joy is ultimately expressed, meaningful and important moment for us as American Jews to stand up and say, ‘This is “The Tree of Life” has received more than it is a “natural fit with the style of bluegrass who we are.’ It’s about pride in who we are 339,000 views on Facebook; Bluegrass Today and Old-time music.” All kinds of “indigenous American art and not to be afraid, and trust and believe called the number “a prayer for healing, a beautiful song composed in keeping with forms are wrapped up in the music,” but the that it will be OK.” Days after the Tree of Life shooting, the their habit of playing Jewish liturgical music message is clear, said Lindberg. “We’re not married duo struck that message in “The Tree with bluegrass instruments.” preaching anything. We’re just trying to sing of Life,” a song they wrote and recorded. Lyrics “We are Americans and we are Jewish. We about love and joy.” PJC include, “O sweet friends / Come and dry your love bluegrass music and Old-time music,” eyes / And hold each other / By this tree of life / said Zasloff. “Through falling in love we Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ I am angry and I am tired / Of this great divide / started this band that is authentic expressions pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Journalists write Jewish children’s books the treasure her great-great-grandfather hid somewhere in her Aunt Rivka’s house. This is Holt’s fourth children’s book. Her By Selah Maya Zighelboim | Special to the Chronicle previous three make up the Achdus Club series, which follow the lives of students at llen Roteman and Faygie Holt, two an Orthodox girls school. journalists whose careers included “The Case of the Disappearing Chanukah award-winning work recognized by Candles” is Roteman’s debut novel. It follows the American Jewish Press Association, the five Stern siblings as they attempt to solve released new Jewish youth chapter books the mystery of what’s happening with Mrs. in November. Roteman, a resident of Rabinovitz’s disappearing Chanukah candles. Pittsburgh who began her career at the “I’ve been a journalist for many years, and Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, and Holt even I’d always dreamed of writing screenplays or did separate stints writing for the Jewish novels. I have a whole stack of manuscripts Exponent, the Chronicle’s affiliated publica- and screenplays and whatnot,” said Holt, tion in Philadelphia. who now lives in Livingston, N.J. “Nothing Holt published “Layla’s Vistaville Summer,” ever quite clicked. Nothing ever sold. [I] got a novel about a young girl who searches for pretty close a couple of times, but in the end there was always something that didn’t quite push it to that next level.” Holt’s journalism career includes work at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jewish News Syndicate, Chabad.org and more. She had taken a break from journalism and was working in an Orthodox girl’s elementary school when she started writing her first children’s book, “The New Girl.” She p Faygie Holt is the author of “Layla’s Vistaville Summer.” Photo provided by Faygie Holt wrote it for her students,
— BOOKS —
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as there didn’t seem to be many books on the market for them at the time that had Orthodox characters whose lives reflected their own. Holt’s students loved the book, so she decided to reach out to some Jewish publishers. At first, she received nothing but rejections. Then a few months later, Menucha Publishers offered to release it. Menucha has released her other three books as well. Ellen Roteman is the author of “The Case of “I’m thankful,” Holt said. p “This is a niche that I really the Disappearing Chanukah Candles.” Photo provided by Ellen Roteman fell into, and I’m loving the adventure that it’s taken me on as a writer.” where others encouraged her to write for Holt had dreams of writing novels, but she market trends. “The Hunger Games” series never thought she’d write one for children. was big at the time, so that meant dystoRoteman, meanwhile, had wanted to write pian literature. children’s books for a long time. But Roteman, who lives part of the year Besides at the Chronicle, Roteman worked in Pittsburgh and part in Florida, found for many years at the Jewish Federation the genre depressing. She took a break of Greater Pittsburgh, as well as at Hillel from it by writing a novel instead for her Academy of Pittsburgh and the Jewish own grandchildren. Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. That book became “The Case of the As she was nearing retirement, she began Disappearing Chanukah Candles,” also to take her dream of becoming a children’s released by Menucha. author more seriously. She joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Please see Books, page 19
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Please see Books, page 19
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Calendar q FRIDAY, JAN. 18 In honor of MLK weekend, join Repair the World for a free dinner to learn about the historical context in Pittsburgh for black students to be less than half as likely to meet the SAT’s College and Career Readiness Benchmarks in 11th grade than their white counterparts and discuss how to work toward a more equitable education system in Pittsburgh. Dinner and discussion will be held at 6:30 p.m. at The Shop in Homewood, 621 N. Dallas Ave. There is no charge. RSVP at rpr.world/PittEd and contact pittsburghteam@werepair.org with any questions or visit facebook.com/ events/365019740929959. >> Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions will also be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q FRIDAY-MONDAY JAN. 18-21 Repair the World invites the community to take some time to eat, learn and volunteer over Martin Luther King weekend. From dinners to poetry to yoga, there is something for everyone. Spend MLK Day doing service in the community to commemorate the life and work of Reverend King. Check the Chronicle calendar for opportunities at pittsburghjewishchronicle.org or visit Repair the World at werepair.org/mlk-day.
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q FRIDAY, JAN. 18 Werewolf Bar Mitzvah Shabbat from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at Moishe House. Nothing says Jewish tradition like good ol’ fashioned mythical creatures and Hebrew song. Come over to the Moish’ at 7:30 p.m. for Kabbalat Services followed by a delicious feast fit for kings … or wolves! Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for more information. q SUNDAY, JAN. 20 Lox & Learning – Mobilizing Young Jews to Volunteer Locally will be held at 10 a.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day join Zack Block, executive director of Repair the World, who will discuss his work mobilizing young Jews to volunteer in tackling pressing local
needs each year. Learn about this work, and how you can get involved. Block gave up his accounting job to pursue his true passion, volunteerism, community activism and philanthropy in his day job. Visit bethshalompgh.org/events-upcoming for more information. There is no charge. Participate in a MLK Volunteering Project from 1 to 3 p.m. Help NCJW prepare for Project Prom, which provides girls in underserved areas with new prom dresses each year with sorting and organizing as they prepare for prom season. Meet on site at Thriftique, at 125 51st St. in Lawrenceville (parking available on site). Appropriate for ages 12+. Organized by Repair the World Family Service Corps. Visit facebook.com/events/412828285924725 for more information. Celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by joining Repair the World and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in a Free Minds Poetry Workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. at Repair The World Workshop, 6022 Broad St. Free Minds poetry events involve community members reading and responding to poetry from incarcerated men, directly on the poems that the young men have written. Free Minds returns the poems to the writers with feedback. Visit facebook.com/ events/2220118918204633. q MONDAY, JAN. 21 Community Day School will be in session for Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the fourth consecutive year as the school takes on the theme of race in America and honors the life
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and legacy of King. The day will begin at 8 a.m. with special morning tefillah (prayers) and a concert featuring The Afro-Semitic Experience, an ethnic world music group merging Jewish and Afro-diasporic melodies and groove to combine the core concepts of àse and shalom power, action, unity and peace. Free and open to the community, but RSVPs are required at comday.org/MLK. Post-concert linger for an opportunity to learn as the students do. Make and take your very own terrarium to celebrate the birthday of the trees for Tu B’Shevat from 7 to 9 p.m. Location TBD. Contact moishehousepgh@gmail.com for more information. q WEDNESDAY, JAN. 23 Nar-Anon and NA meetings are every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Beth El Congregation, 1900 Cochran Road. Enter through the administration office doors. All are welcome. q THURSDAY, JAN. 24 Young adults (22-45) are invited to participate in I-Volunteer with Challah for Hunger from 7 to 9 p.m. at Hillel Jewish University Center. Contact David Chudnow at dchudnow@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5209 for more information. Paint night at Moishe House from 7 to 9 p.m. led by resident Marissa Walter, complete with wine and snacks. Contact moishehousepgh@ gmail.com for more information. Please see Calendar, page 7
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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 6 q SATURDAY, JAN. 26 Community Day School presents Jammin’ In The Jungle: A Safari Adventure at 7:30 p.m. at Nova Place, 100 S. Commons on the North Side, in support and celebration of the school and to honor Community Leadership Award winners Lester and Barbara Parker and Volunteer of the Year Derek Smith at the 2019 CDS gala fundraiser. The event will feature a silent auction, raffle prizes, food and dancing to the jungle beats of DJ Sosa. RSVP at comday. org/gala or contact Jenny Jones at jjones@ comday.org for questions or ticket information. Safari festive attire is welcome, with dietary laws observed. q SUNDAY, JAN. 27 Temple Sinai’s Brotherhood Brunch & Lecture Series program will feature Pirates manager Clint Hurdle from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The cost is $10 per person by Wednesday, Jan. 23 and $18 per person after. Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. RSVP to Todd Miller at toddprmktg@gmail. com or 412-848-1082; or send a check payable to Temple Sinai Brotherhood to: Temple Sinai Brotherhood, 5505 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, 15217. Visit templesinaipgh.org/brotherhoodbrunch-guest-speaker-clint-hurdle for more information. Temple Emanuel of South Hills’ Bereavement Support group will meet at 1250 Bower Hill Road at 10 a.m., led by Jamie Del, MS, NCC, LPC and Naomi Pittle, LCSW. The group is open to previously and newly bereaved adults. Contact Temple’s office at 412-279-7600 or templeemanuel@ templeemanuelpgh.org for more information. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh will celebrate the 20th “birthday” of the JCC in the South Hills beginning at 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome to the JCC, 345 Kane Blvd., Scott Township. JCC facilities will be free and open to everyone. Contact Bonnie Livingston at blivingston@jccpgh.org for more information. National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh Section will hold Eat, Drink, Create! Vision Boards with NCJW NextGen from 1 to 3 p.m. A Vision Board can be a guide to help navigate through the year. Find clarity as you focus on the words and images that best represent who you are becoming and what you want to bring into your life. RSVP by Jan. 20. Emily Harris, who received her BFA in textile design from Rhode Island School of Design, will run the Vision Board session. There is no charge. Visit facebook.com/events/804-428-169901783 for more information. Temple Sinai’s WoTS and Brotherhood will hold a lunch and puppet show from noon to 1:30 p.m. Temple Sinai member Kellee Van Aken and visual artist and puppet maker Cheryl Capezzuti will present an afternoon of short puppet pieces with stories of discovery, loss and how to put things together — plus a giant puppet dance party. There is no charge but RSVPs are required. Donations will be accepted at the door. RSVP to Debbie Haber at DHaber@TempleSinaiPGH.org or 412-421-7039 by 5 p.m. on Thurs. Jan. 17. Visit templesinaipgh.org/wots-brotherhoodlunch-puppet-show for more information. The Holocaust Center will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a
screening of the French film “Korkoro” at 2 p.m. at the Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Ave. The award-winning drama is a tribute to Romani victims of the Holocaust, and the event will include a discussion with an expert on the Roma experience. Tickets are $10, free for Holocaust survivors and students with valid ID. Visit hcofpgh.org/ korkoro for more information.
in different locations across the county. The program will culminate in a student matinee of the acclaimed play “The Soap Myth,” starring Ed Asner, in May. Act 48 credit is available. The training will be from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Monroeville Library, 4000 Gateway Campus Blvd.
The community is invited for a movie, conversation and Zeke’s Coffee Bar at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Levinson Hall, at 4 p.m. for the screening of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” a documentary about the life and legacy of Fred Rogers. This is the first in a series of Movies We Have to Talk About, an initiative of the JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement. Parents are welcome to bring children who will be engaged in the movie. RSVP requested at tinyurl.com/wontyoubemy. Call 412-339-5416 for more information.
In recognition of Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month, Temple Sinai invites the community to a comedy event from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. featuring David Granirer, founder of Stand Up for Mental Health and a comedian and the emcee. Temple Sinai congregants will highlight the humor of their lives with mental health issues. The evening will begin with Havdalah and presentation of the Shore-Whitehill Award to Lisa Lederer. The award celebrates volunteers who promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the fabric of Jewish life through advocacy or direct service to individuals and families. Women of Temple Sinai and Jewish Residential Services are co-sponsors. Donations will be accepted at the door. Reserve tickets with Judy Rulin Mahan at Judy@TempleSinaiPGH.org or 412-421-9715, ext. 110 by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
q MONDAY, JAN. 28 Beth El Congregation’s adult education committee will host its free weekly Winter Speaker Series starting with George Savarese discussing Saudi Arabia and Israel from 7 to 9 p.m. This is a free six-evening series that starts with a wine and cheese reception and includes thought-provoking Pittsburgh scholars presenting a variety of topics. Other evenings will include: Rabbi Danny Schiff, discussing Prager and Steinsaltz, The New Torah Commentators on Feb. 4; Professor Jules Lobel and Rabbi Alex Greenbaum, Feb. 18; Rabbi Danny Schiff, Feb. 25 and March 4; and Karen Wolk Feinstein on March 11. Visit bethelcong.org for more information and to RSVP. Chabad of Pittsburgh will host Soup for the Inspired Soul, an evening featuring three local authors and their inspiring stories at 7:30 p.m. at 1700 Beechwood Blvd. There is no charge. Visit chabadpgh.com/soup for more information. q TUESDAY, JAN. 29 Shalom Pittsburgh will hold a Ladies Night at the Candle Lab from 6 to 8 p.m. Sip some wine and enjoy a relaxing evening pouring your own custom candle using any of their 120+ scents. Registration at jfedpgh.org/ ladies-night includes wine and candle making. The charge is $12. Contact Meryl Franzos at mfranzos@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5204 for more information. The FBI will lead a discussion on Extremism and Hate Crime Indicators from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. The discussion will cover hate speech, bias crimes and extremism that have been reported in the Greater Pittsburgh area. The FBI will discuss the groups that have targeted the area and the relationship to regional and national trends. Learn how to identify symbols affiliated with these hate groups and mechanisms for reporting the activity. Visit jewishpgh.org/event/hate-crime-indicator to register. Game Night: Family Feud at Moishe House from 7 to 9 p.m. Contact moishehousepgh@ gmail.com for more information. q FRIDAY, FEB. 1 The Holocaust Center, in partnership with Prime Stage Theater, will hold teacher training on Teaching the Holocaust Through Theatrical Arts four times during the year
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q SATURDAY, FEB. 2
q SUNDAY, FEB. 3 Temple Emanuel of South Hills invites the community to Bagel Bites: Sunday Brunch Series. Nathan Firestone, professor of history at Point Park University, will speak at 10:30 a.m. The event is free, but RSVPs are requested at templeemanuelpgh.org/ event/brunch2. Call 412-279-7600 for more information. q MONDAY, FEB. 4 Beth El Congregation of the South Hills will host its First Mondays monthly lunch program with Rabbi Alex Greenbaum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. featuring guest Hadar Bechor discussing “What the Gaza Strip means in Israeli history and current events.” Visit bethelcong.org for more information. Call 412-561-1168 to make a reservation. There is a $6 charge. q TUESDAY, FEB. 5 New York Times bestselling author Georgia Hunter will be in Pittsburgh to discuss the decade-long journey of discovering her family’s story of Holocaust survival to write her award-winning debut novel, “We Were the Lucky Ones,” at 7 p.m. in the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, 4400 Forbes Ave. A book signing will follow the talk. Tickets are $18 ahead of time and $20 at the door; free for Holocaust survivors and students with valid ID. The program is sponsored by the Jewish Women’s Foundation. Visit hcofpgh.org/georgia-hunter for more information and to register. q THURSDAY, FEB. 7 Temple Emanuel’s LGBTQ+ Task Force will bring Evan Wolfson to speak at 7 p.m. Wolfson will speak on “Making More Progress for Gay & Transgender People in our Community, Pennsylvania, the U.S., and the World: What Can We Do?” Wolfson is an internationally recognized civil rights lawyer who founded Freedom to Marry, the campaign that won marriage equality in the U.S. He is the author of “Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People’s Right to Marry” (Simon & Schuster, July 2004). He is also a Squirrel Hill native. The format will be a conversation followed by audience Q&A. This event is free and open
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to the community, and is being sponsored by the Rabbi William Sajowitz Endowment Fund. There is no charge. Contact 412-279-7600, templeemanuel@templeemanuelpgh.org or visit templeemanuelpgh.org/event/wolfson for more information. q SUNDAY, FEB. 10 The Derekh Speaker Series will host Samantha Baskind at 10 a.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. Baskind is an art history professor, and her book “The Warsaw Ghetto in American Art and Culture” is a study of how life in the ghetto and the uprising of its inhabitants have captured the American cultural imagination. There will be a book sale and author signing at the end. Beth Shalom Men’s Club will hold its sports luncheon at noon with local sports celebrities, dedicated this year to honor the memories of David and Cecil Rosenthal. The hamburger and hot dog lunch will be held in the ballroom. The community is invited; there is no charge. Visit bethshalompgh.org/ events-upcoming for more information. q DEADLINE TUESDAY, FEB. 12 Jewish Scholarship Service of Greater Pittsburgh (JSS), formerly known as Central Scholarship & Loan Referral Service (CSLRS), is reviewing scholarship applications for Jewish students attending college, secondary technical school or graduate school in the fall of 2019. The deadline for all applications is February 12. Apply at jfcspgh.org/scholarship. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and live in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington or Westmoreland counties. For more information visit the JSS website or contact Alayne Lowenberger, JSS program director, at alowenberger@jfcspgh.org, or 412-422-7200. q MONDAY, FEB. 18 Beth El Congregation will host the third evening of the Speaker Series with professor Jules Lobel and Rabbi Alex Greenbaum at 7 p.m. for a discussion on the Second Amendment and the Jewish view of bearing arms. The series is free and starts with a wine and cheese reception. Visit bethelcong.org to make a reservation. q DEADLINE THURSDAY, FEB. 28 Zionist Organization of America: Pittsburgh is accepting applications for its Israel Scholarship Program to assist local students traveling to and studying in Israel. The program is committed to the future of the children of the region and is designed to encourage and assist student participation on approved educational trips to Israel. Up to three ZOA Scholarships, $1,000 each, are available to students who will be visiting Israel on a structured study program this summer and entering their junior or senior year of high school in the fall of 2019. Applicants must be Jewish and permanent residents of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington or Westmoreland counties. Contact ZOA Executive Director Stuart Pavilack at 412-665-4630 or pittsburgh@zoa. org for more information. PJC
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Headlines Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s personal trainer shares how he keeps this Supreme healthy — NATIONAL — By Ron Kampeas | JTA
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ASHINGTON — Br yant Johnson says pressure creates diamonds, and I think I just upped the carat level. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s personal trainer did not know that his two other clients on the Supreme Court — Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan — are Jewish, too. Until I told him. “I never thought about it that way,” he says when I tell him that he’s responsible in part for the health of the court’s entire Jewish contingent. Ginsburg is 85, Breyer is 80 and Kagan is a spritely 58. Where Johnson takes the conversation from there is interesting — he says he’s gotten pushback from conservative radio over his clients’ politics. “Do you train conservative judges?” Johnson says he’s been asked in interviews. (Answer: He trains whomever asks.) Ginsburg is a liberal icon, and the other two Jewish justices also are part of the court’s liberal minority. Johnson, who met me last month in his office here at the District Court, is acutely aware of his role in maintaining the wellbeing of Ginsburg, whose health status is tracked obsessively by court watchers. Johnson is voluble about Ginsburg, who speaks publicly about her fitness regimen, but will not volunteer much about Kagan and Breyer. “She says she wants to stay on the bench for another five years,” he says. Left unsaid is the likely reason that Ginsburg has made the commitment: She wants to outlast Donald Trump’s presidency if it should reach into a second term. “Someone asked me, do I feel the pressure,” he says and laughs. “Pressure creates diamonds.” By which Johnson means, yes he does, and has for a while. “I help her with her quality of life,” he says. “This is not new to us.” By “this” he means keeping Ginsburg fit, which he’s been doing since 1999 after she survived a bout of colorectal cancer. Whatever its pressures Johnson, an Army reservist and a records specialist at the District Court in addition to running a personal training business, appears to relish his role as something of a health guru. When I arrive at his office, he is dispensing advice to a colleague who has come seeking the healthy munchies he leaves out. Ginsburg wanted to get back in shape after her chemo treatments in 1999. “You look like an Auschwitz survivor,” her late husband, Martin, told the justice, she has recalled. Ginsburg asked her former colleagues on the D.C. District Court for a
p Bryant Johnson, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s personal trainer, in his office in the US District Court in Washington, D.C., in December. Photo by Ron Kampeas
p Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks during a naturalization ceremony at the rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., in December. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
recommendation of a trainer who could accommodate a judge’s schedule. Judge Gladys Kessler (yes, also Jewish) recommended Johnson, who as a court employee had become popular among District Court judges. Johnson designed a program to build up the bone and muscle density that chemo costs a patient. In 2017, it became a book, “The RBG Workout.” (“How She Stays Strong … and You Can TOO!”) Since then, save for a deployment to Kuwait from 2004 to 2007, Johnson has met with Ginsburg twice weekly for an hour or so. They don’t chat much during the exercise routine — Johnson was raised in Virginia by a grandmother who was deaf and did not know sign language, so he’s become adept at nonverbal communication. During their sessions, he has acquired a taste for Ginsburg’s favorite background noises: classical music and “PBS Newshour.”
Johnson was aware of Ginsburg’s role in advancing civil liberties as a litigant before the Supreme Court in the 1970s and ’80s, and then in protecting them since her appointment in 1993. It wasn’t until recently, however, that he internalized how important they were to him personally: Johnson, who is African-American, is an equal opportunity adviser in the Army Reserves. Ginsburg, Johnson notes, cut her teeth on a Supreme Court decision in 1973, Frontiero v. Richardson, that determined that servicewomen were entitled to housing allowances. He faces “similar challenges,” he says, in his Army Reserves work. “I told a couple of soldiers ‘You wouldn’t have these rights’” if it weren’t for Ginsburg, he says. Ginsburg over the years has given Johnson a number of books about her, and a table in his office is decorated with them
(although pride of place is reserved for his RBG workout). Johnson confesses to not having read the books, saying “She didn’t pay me to be her fanboy!” (He won’t say how much he charges, but suggests that his fee for Ginsburg has not hiked much since 1999.) Now, in this Ginsburgian moment fueled by liberal anxiety about whether Trump might have the opportunity to replace her, he is curious about the justice. He saw last year’s CNN documentary “RBG,” and the new Hollywood movie based on her 1970s breakthroughs, “On the Basis of Sex.” “It was amazing,” he says of the documentary. The documentary, while bordering on the hagiographic, is seeded throughout with concerns that Ginsburg is less than aware of her own mortality. (She survived another bout of cancer — pancreatic — in 2009, and last month had malignant growths removed from her lungs.) She still pulls all-nighters, and it is clear the absence of her husband, who died in 2010 and was the only person capable of talking her away from the office, has unsettled those close to her. “Bubbe, you were asleep during the State of the Union, you can’t do that,” her granddaughter Clara Spera recalls telling her in “RBG.” In Martin Ginsburg’s absence, Johnson appears to have become something of a rock for her. “I am often consumed by the heavy lifting Supreme Court judging entails, reluctant to cease work until I’ve got it right,” she writes in a foreword to his book. “But when time comes to meet with Bryant, I leave off and join him at the gym for justices.” Ginsburg asked Johnson to come with her to a swearing-in session for new citizens last month at the National Archives, and he called the session to order, temporarily establishing the archives as a court. He says his commanding voice, developed in the military, has led to him being asked to open court sessions. In the documentary, Johnson is the man who nay says the naysayers. “She’s like a cyborg,” he says. “When I say cyborg, she’s like a machine.” I get similar reassurances. “She’s never used that four-letter word ‘can’t,’” Johnson says. “She’s tough as nails.” But then it becomes clear that he, too, is concerned. Johnson speaks of her fall last month that led to three broken ribs (and the discovery of the growths on her lungs). “That was a result of her being tired,” he says. “If you know the justice and her relentless work ethic — sometimes I have to protect her from herself.” Still, she has some limits. Kagan likes to box, and Johnson once caught Ginsburg eyeing gloves that her high-court colleague had left in the gym. “Are you into that?” Johnson asked Ginsburg. “No,” she replied. “We’ll just leave that.” PJC
www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 8 JANUARY 18, 2019
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Headlines Nelly Ben-Or risked all to play the piano, and it helped her survive the Holocaust — WORLD — By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA
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ONDON — Like countless world-class pianists, Nelly Ben-Or began playing piano at the age of 5 and never stopped. That discipline helped Ben-Or, 86, became an international concert pianist and the person most widely recognized for adapting the Alexander technique for posture and movement improvement for musicians. But unlike most of her peers, much of Ben-Or’s musical training in her native Poland took place while her family was hiding in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, where her mother, Antonina Podhoretz, time and again risked everything to afford her daughter access to the then scarce instrument. Ben-Or, who now lives in London and still teaches master classes in piano and the Alexander technique, unfolds the story of her unlikely survival in an Englishlanguage autobiography that was published this year titled “Ashes to Light: A Holocaust Childhood to a Life in Music.” The frank and short account tackles personal issues like the author’s bouts of depression and her unprovoked cruelty toward one of her music teachers after
“I shivered in fear and despair, the war. It was celebrated as a huddled against my mother’s “brilliant and deeply moving body as I watched them taking personal account” by Jonathan away the instrument which had Vaughan, a director of the become for me such a wonderful prestigious Guildhall School source of magic,” Ben-Or writes. of Drama & Music. Her family was about to Rabbi Andrew Goldstein, the lose much more than their president of Britain’s Liberal prized possessions. Judaism movement, called it Ben-Or “an inspiring story, beauti- p Nelly Ben-Or’s father, Leon, was taken Photo by Cnaan Liphshiz fully written” in a forward he away and, she later learned, killed at penned for the book. the Janowska concentration camp. The strength of Ben-Or’s story, which was Her mother and older sister were able featured on the BBC World Service radio in to obtain false “Aryan” identities, but they July, stems partly from the author bearing became homeless, exchanging one hiding witness to momentous wartime events, place for another. Her sister was left to hide including the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. But on her own. Ben-Or and her mother scramits uniqueness lies in how it marries oppo- bled to leave Lwow for Warsaw, where they sites, such as betrayal and heroism, hunger had a better chance of surviving. and artistic creativity and survival and Through one of many twists of fate, the self-sacrifice. pair missed the last train to Warsaw. They Throughout the packed 180-page narra- ended up leaving as hitchhikers aboard a tive, one character — the piano — makes military train full of Nazi SS officers. One SS repeated and unlikely appearances. man even tucked in Ben-Or with his green The instrument features in Ben-Or’s army coat when she feigned sleep on the earliest memories, from her childhood long journey, she recalls in the book. home in Lwow, which was part of Poland That civilian train they missed ended up before World War II, now Lviv in Ukraine. being searched. Several Jews traveling under She recalls that at 6, German soldiers carried false identities were caught and sent to be off the piano on which she had practiced in murdered, Ben-Or’s mother later learned. her family’s living room. In Warsaw, mother and daughter became
subtenants of a Polish working class family, the Topolskis. Their hosts quickly caught on that Ben-Or and her mother were Jewish but, at great personal risk, did not report them. Still, neighbors became suspicious, forcing the two Jews to seek a new hiding place. Ben-Or’s mother found employment as a maid with a wealthier non-Jewish Polish family, the Kowalskis. That’s where Nelly, then 7 or 8, again saw a piano. “My desire to get to that instrument and play it made me nag my mother” to ask the Kowalskis for permission to play, Ben-Or writes. But doing so would have blown their cover as a working class maid and her daughter, her mother feared. “Musical gifts were so often associated with the Jewish people,” Ben-Or writes. But “a part of my mother wanted me to keep playing,” Ben-Or said in an interview at her home near London, where she keeps two pianos in a study full of books and orchid plants. Antonina relented, but only on the condition that Nelly pretend not to know how to play, recalled Ben-Or, a frail-looking woman with lively eyes. At the height of World War II, when the Nazis were hunting and executing people on the streets just below her home, Ben-Or was Please see Piano, page 20
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN KIDS GET HOMESICK AT EKC? Homesickness is a natural feeling—often comparable to the feeling of nostalgia that we get as adults. At EKC, we carefully train our staff to have frequent conversations with campers to help them get acclimated to camp. We keep campers busy from morning until night so they have little time to think about missing home. We encourage them to write letters to their family members. We remind them of all the fun activities they have done or will get to do at camp. Time away from home and from parents can help a child grow. For your child, it is natural for them to miss them home, and we’re ready to help them overcome these new emotions, so that they can continue to have a great experience with us. —Rachael Speck, EKC Associate Director LEARN MORE: 412-697-3550
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Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports
House GOP leader says Steve King will face consequences for ‘white supremacist’ musing Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, said Iowa Republican Steve King will face consequences for wondering why the term “white supremacist” was offensive. “That language has no place in America,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I have a scheduled meeting with him on Monday. I am having a serious conversation with Congressman Steve King on his future and role in this Republican Party.” CBS said that McCarthy said off camera that consequences might include removing King from committee assignments, depriving the congressman of the key outlet for influence in the body. Republicans also could join in a motion of censure, which the Democratic leadership has indicated it might initiate. “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King said in a New York Times profile last week. “Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization?”
King later said he rejects “those labels and the evil ideology they define,” but the damage was done. The entirety of the GOP House leadership condemned the remarks, as did the Republican Jewish Coalition. Malaysia won’t let Israeli paralympic swimmers enter country for Olympic qualifier The International Paralympic Committee said it was “disappointed” that Malaysia will not allow Israeli swimmers to enter the country to participate in the World Championship event. The event scheduled from July 29 to Aug. 4 is a qualifying event for the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo. Hundreds of swimmers from 70 countries are expected to compete. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday said Malaysia would deny visas to Israeli swimmers. He challenged the International Paralympic Committee to sanction the country, saying “If they want to withdraw Malaysia’s right to host the championship, they can do so,” the AFP news service reported. Malaysia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Entry to Malaysia on an Israeli passport is prohibited. Beyond Mahathir’s rejection of Israel, he has repeatedly made anti-Semitic remarks in public for decades. The IPC said it would work to “find a solution” for the Israeli swimmers.
In July, the International Judo Federation, canceled two international tournaments, the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam and the Tunis Grand Prix, “until governmental guarantee is given to ensure free and equal participation of all nations at the said events.” Two months later, the United Arab Emirates agreed to the conditions. The decision came after the previous year five Israeli judokas won medals in Abu Dhabai but tournament organizers refused to play Israel’s national anthem. The Israeli competitors also were required to wear the uniform of the International Judo Federation and received their medals under an IJF flag. Anti-Semitic fliers distributed in Boston suburb Anti-Semitic fliers were found distributed across the city of Newton, Mass. The fliers referenced the Daily Stormer Book Club and included a caricature of a man with horns, a long nose and a beard. They read “Why do Jews push pornography and degeneracy on our children,” according to images published by local news outlets. The Daily Stormer Book Club chapters, or SBCs, are “small crews of young white men who follow and support Andrew Anglin and his neo-Nazi website, the Daily Stormer,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. One Jewish resident found a flier posted inside a book swap box, WHDH reported.
Newton police called the placement of the fliers random. The police said it is the first such incident in the city in a decade. Different anti-Semitic fliers referencing the Daily Stormer Book Club were found in several states in October at the time of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Israel’s military locates sixth attack tunnel Israel’s military located a sixth attack tunnel between Lebanon and Hezbollah. Following the discovery of the Hezbollah-dug tunnel Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday declared that Operation Northern Shield was completed. The tunnel, notable for its strategic location, depth, and large size, is expected to “neutralized” soon, the IDF said in a statement. It is “equipped with railway tracks, steps carved into the rock, as well as electric power and lighting system,” the IDF said. The IDF is still monitoring several tunnels that Hezbollah continues to build that have not yet reached Israeli territory. Once the last cross-border tunnel is effectively destroyed the IDF said that it would continue the construction of a concrete border wall on the border with Lebanon. Lebanon said it would file a complaint with the U.N. Security Council over the wall. PJC
This week in Israeli history
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Jan. 18, 1906 — Bezalel Art School opens
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Jan. 19, 1990 — Justice Goldberg dies
Arthur Goldberg dies at home in Washington at age 81. The Chicago native was a labor lawyer before President John F. Kennedy named him labor secretary in 1961, then appointed him to the Supreme Court the next year. As U.N. ambassador in 1965 he helped draft and push through U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 after the June 1967 Middle East war.
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Nazis convened by Gestapo head Reinhard Heydrich at a villa in Wannsee draft the plans for the “Final Solution” to the existence of European Jewry.
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Forty women begin studying painting, drawing and tapestry at the new Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem. The school aims to develop original Jewish art, and find a visual expression for national and spiritual Jewish independence.
Jan. 20, 1942 — ‘Final Solution’ planned
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venelkha (“House of Jacob, let us go”), is founded by 30 students at the home of Israel Belkind in Kharkov, Ukraine. Responding to a wave of pogroms that began in April 1881, BILU sets the groundwork for the First Aliyah.
— WORLD —
Jan. 21, 1882 — BILU launches first aliyah
Jan. 22, 2013 — 19th Knesset elected
After the dissolution of the Knesset over a budget dispute in October, Israel holds early elections. The results enable Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain in power, but he needs eight weeks to form a government because of the loss of legislative seats among right-wing parties.
Jan. 23, 1950 — Jerusalem declared capital
The Knesset votes 60-2 to adopt a Cabinetdrafted resolution declaring Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Members of the left-wing Mapam and the right-wing Herut abstain.
Jan. 24, 1964 — Syria arrests Eli Cohen
Syrian police arrest businessman Kamel Amin Tha’abet at his Damascus home and charge him with espionage. Tha’abet is actually Mossad agent Eli Cohen, who speaks Arabic with an authentic Syrian accent after being raised by Syrian Jewish parents in Egypt. He is publicly hanged May 18, 1965. PJC
BILU, whose name comes from the Isaiah verse, beit yaakov lekhu
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Headlines A pioneering Polish Jewish children’s rights advocate and author is honored 70 years after his murder — NATIONAL — By Ben Harris | JTA
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n 2013, Nashville puppeteer Brian Hull was browsing through the stacks at the Nashville Public Library when he came across an obscure Polish children’s book with a wizard on the cover. “When I saw the book, I thought, what is this, some Harry Potter ripoff?” said Hull, who runs the library’s resident puppet troupe and produces independent puppet shows through his company, BriAnimations Living Entertainment. “Then I saw it was copyrighted 1933.” “Kaytek the Wizard” is the work of Janusz Korczak, a Polish Jewish pediatrician and author best known for refusing to abandon the children of his Warsaw orphanage when they were deported to Treblinka, despite offers of refuge that might have saved his life. The book became available in English only in 2012. “I started reading it and I just became obsessed with it,” Hull said. “I just thought: What is this man doing? This is like no other children’s book I’ve ever read.” Hull went to work in his basement adapting the novel as a puppet show,
complete with original music at the University of Warsaw and and drawn animations. The show became a pediatrician. But in his premiered to a sold-out audience 30s he abandoned the practice of at the 2016 Nashville International medicine to become the head of a Puppet Festival. Hull has scarcely Jewish orphanage, where he began stopped performing it ever since, to put his ideas about children’s staging it at theaters, festivals and education into practice. schools across the country. A firm believer in chil“As I learned more about Janusz dren’s rights, Korczak instituted Korczak Korczak,” Hull wrote in an educa- Janusz democratic governance in the Screenshot from tional pamphlet distributed by the YouTube orphanage, including establishing a parliament where the children set Tennessee Performing Arts Center, “I couldn’t believe I had never heard of him.” their own rules and administered their own Killed by the Nazis in 1942, Korczak affairs. If a rule was broken, the offender could left behind a small but formidable body of be brought before a children’s court overseen novels, poems and pedagogical insights that by a rotating group of judges. Korczak also continue to inspire readers, educators and founded the first national children’s newsactivists more than seven decades after his paper and wrote more than two dozen books. “Many of his actions with the children death. His ideas live on not just in educaI would say are now considered social tional circles, but in international law. Korczak was among the earliest supporters and emotional learning, which is now the of the notion that children have rights, an idea in-word in education,” said Sara Efrat Efron, he promoted on a radio program he hosted an education professor at National Louis before the war and as a signatory to the 1924 University in Chicago. “There is a lot of effort now to find ways of focusing on emotional Declaration of the Rights of the Child. Born Henryk Goldszmit in Warsaw in and social growth, and the methods that are the late 1870s (the exact year isn’t known), recommended are things that Korczak did Korczak was raised in an affluent Jewish day in and day out. So he was really ahead family whose fortunes faded after his father of his time, and maybe ahead of our time.” took ill and died. Korczak studied medicine Today, societies dedicated to Korczak’s
legacy are active in more than a dozen countries. Schools inspired by his pedagogical ideas exist in Germany, Holland, Poland and Russia. His teachings are the basis of a summer camp in Poland, and his life is the inspiration for the song “The Little Review,” by the Canadian folk singer Awna Teixeira. In 2012, a bronze relief of Korczak was unveiled at the University of British Columbia. Translations of Korczak’s s writings continue to be published, including a 2013 Chinese edition of his children’s book “King Matt the First.” Korczak’s efforts on behalf of children were all the more remarkable, Efron says, because they were undertaken amidst the most trying of conditions. With the Nazi occupation of Poland, Korczak was forced to relocate his orphanage to the Warsaw Ghetto. As the moral condition of the surrounding culture deteriorated, Korczak declined to delude the youngsters in his care about the realities of the world, yet neither would he succumb to despair, continuing to believe that children were the best hope for humanity. That conviction was severely tested in August 1942, when the Nazis came to collect the 190 children in the orphanage. In what Please see Korczak, page 20
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JANUARY 18, 2019 13
Opinion Women’s March’s anti-Semites — EDITORIAL —
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lmost everyone agrees that the first Women’s March two years ago was impressive. Hundreds of thousands of women and their supporters marched on Washington, D.C., in the name of human rights, gender and racial equality, and freedom of religion. Recognized as the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, the event came one day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and provided the intended counterpoint to the divisiveness engendered by his campaign. To some, the success of the Women’s March was viewed as a promise of equality for the future. But two years after that historic day, as we stand on the cusp of the next Women’s March — scheduled for Jan. 19, with smaller marches planned in cities across the United States — the leaders of that movement have betrayed the mission of equality by embracing unapologetic anti-Semites like Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and by displaying a distressing ease in promoting anti-Semitism. According to Linda Sarsour, one of the march founders and a Palestinian-American pro-BDS activist, one cannot be both a feminist and a Zionist. “You either stand up for the rights of all women, including Palestinians, or none,” she declared. “There’s just no way around it.” But her admonition does not appear
If, after dialogue, leaders of the Women’s March still stand by anti-Semites, we see no justification for a Jewish person to march with that organization. to apply when the rights of Jews are involved. Thus, when Farrakhan referred to Jews as “termites” during a speech in Detroit this past fall, fellow co-founder Tamika Mallory was noticeably silent. Eight months earlier, Mallory attended a Chicago rally at which Farrakhan announced that the “powerful Jews are my enemy,” and that the “Satanic” Jews are “responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out turning men into women and women into men.” Mallory, who was given a shout-out in Farrakhan’s speech, did not condemn Farrakhan’s remarks. Instead, she doubled down in support of his hateful Jew-baiting and posted an Instagram photo of the two of them with the caption, “Thank God this man is still alive and doing well. He is definitely the … greatest of all time.” The world has long recognized that the failure to condemn hate speech is to condone it. And the silence of Women’s March leaders in the face of hate speech about Jews
and Israel should be a deal breaker for all Jews who care about justice and the rights of minorities. Fortunately, not everyone has followed the leaders. Women’s March activists in other places, including New Orleans, Chicago, Rhode Island and Florida, have either severed ties with the national organization or have canceled their marches. Pittsburgh’s Women’s March, however, will proceed as planned, and its ties to the national organization continue. At both the national and the local levels, a few Jewish groups, including Bend the Arc, have engaged in dialogue with Women’s March leaders in an effort to educate them and persuade them to take an unambiguous stand against anti-Semitism. To date, no obvious progress has been made. Yes, there have been a few written statements condemning anti-Semitism in general terms, issued by both the national and Pittsburgh’s Women’s March, but those
statements avoid any reference to the specific instances of anti-Semitism with which they are associated. As recently as Monday, in an interview on “The View,” Mallory still failed to denounce Farrakhan and his hateful rhetoric despite being given several opportunities to do so. And, despite receiving no financial support from the national movement, Pittsburgh’s Women’s March has not abandoned its connection to the national organization, nor condemned its leaders. We support dialogue with those who may need help understanding the uniqueness of the bigotry of anti-Semitism, and encourage those Jews willing to do so to continue in that dialogue. Dialogue, however, is distinct from endorsement. If, after dialogue, leaders of the Women’s March still stand by anti-Semites, we see no justification for a Jewish person to march with that organization. After the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue building on Oct. 27, Jewish Pittsburghers have a particular responsibility to call out anti-Semitism wherever we see it — on the right or on the left. Today, we see it on the left, and we stand firmly with those who have abandoned the charade of Sarsour, Mallory and friends — self-centered, hate-mongering, hypocritical equality advocates, who don’t want to be infested by Jewish “termites.” PJC
Understanding the experience of trauma Guest Columnist Iris Valanti
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ooking back on the recently completed year, no event of 2018 has made more of a lasting mark on this community than the tragic shooting of 11 friends and neighbors in late October. In the months since, many opportunities for counseling and healing have been offered, including drop-in counseling, individual therapy and support groups, coordinated by Jewish Family and Community Services (JFCS). One counselor, EMDR trauma therapy expert Dr. Jamie Marich, came from Ohio to help staff the drop-in counseling sessions at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, and led several trauma therapy workshops to help even those in the counseling business understand the deep effects of trauma on individuals and the community. Marich and JFCS Counseling Services offers this advice to those who are struggling in the aftermath of the shooting and who have not yet received any counseling: Do it now. Many people who experience horrific, traumatic events do not immediately feel ready to talk about what happened; this is a completely normal response. But trauma comes from the Greek word meaning wound,
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p Initial memorials at the Tree of Life synagogue building
and much of what we know about how to heal physical wounds also informs our understanding of what the human brain needs in order to heal from emotional trauma. “With physical wounds and with emotional wounds, we know that the sooner medical care is administered, the lower the chances of long-term complications,” says Marich. “When we go through a traumatic experience, the area of the brain that puts us on alert and keeps us protected during the experience — the limbic brain — goes into a panic mode. “For many survivors of trauma, this panic button of protection doesn’t reset. This can
Photo by Maureen Busis
result in long-term complications including post-traumatic stress, adjustment disorders, depression, anxiety and a variety of other emotional difficulties. The likelihood of such problems increases significantly if treatment is not received within the first 1-3 months after the traumatic experience.” In short, survivors’ symptoms can grow worse the longer they wait to receive care, and the impact of these symptoms may be felt strongly by those they love, continuing the cycle of harm. The good news? Many approaches to healing from trauma do not require
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survivors to talk specifically about what happened during the event. There are a variety of techniques and strategies that can help to both cope more effectively with the new reality as well as to shift how traumatic memories are stored in the brain. When we learn to live less in “limbic activation,” the impact of what happened may just remain a bad memory as opposed to a hot, charged and volatile memory that controls our lives. While it is certainly possible for people to heal old traumatic memories, we know that the earlier a person begins the healing process, the better the chances of long-term health and recovery. Human beings have many resilient characteristics that help us endure and get through horrible experiences one way or another. Helping professionals recognize that peoples’ internal strength has helped them get through the initial recovery from this horrible tragedy. And they can work with these same qualities to help transform the impact of the traumatic experience in as healthy a manner as possible. To learn more about the idea of “trauma as wound,” visit the TEDx talk by Dr. Jamie Marich, as well as other trauma resources at traumamadesimple.com. JFCS can answer any questions and refer people to an appropriately trained trauma treatment professional in the Pittsburgh area. Call them at 412-422-7200. PJC Iris Valanti works for Jewish Family and Community Services.
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Opinion The wisdom behind Israel’s crazy multi-party system Guest Columnist Ariel Picard
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sraeli politics looks like a big mess right now. In the past few weeks, three new parties have been launched and one party has kicked out a former partner. More changes are likely, too. It probably will get messier still if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is indicted before national elections are held on April 9. The latest polls show 12 to 14 parties entering the new Knesset, many with the bare minimum of four seats. (The Knesset has 120 seats.) That would be up from 10 in the recently dissolved parliament. But expect those early tallies to change. The polls diverge widely in their counts, and more political surprises are surely in store. For Brits and especially Americans, who are used to two-party politics, this fluid situation may seem like a weakness of Israeli democracy, but it is actually a sign of its strength. As they say in the tech world, Israel’s political condition is a feature not a bug. Why is that? The games of musical chairs, with parties breaking away and others being fired, are not only being driven by political egos. That’s not to say no egos are in play. But the emergence of new parties and the shrinking of older ones are based on the notion that the Israeli voter is “woke” and caring. Voters have demands, opinions and desires, and the country’s politicians are trying to find out what they want. Hardly any voters are in the back pockets of politicos, who cannot take anyone for granted. Most Israelis no longer vote based on family traditions, ethnic loyalty or rabbinic
directives. They change their minds every campaign. Old and influential Zionist movements like Labor and the National Religious Party are losing ground politically, even though people still believe in the ideologies. Voters are making specific demands of their leaders and will not be loyal to a politician just because he or she heads a particular party. These continuing splits have also shattered the traditional support networks of the old-line parties. Labor cannot count on the support that its “ground troops” from the Histadrut labor unions and kibbutzim used to provide. The religious parties used to be able to count on their B’nei Akiva youth groups and yeshiva students. Such networks are less important in an era of internet campaigning, and that traditional support is certainly not showing up on Election Day. Not even the haredi Orthodox vote en bloc anymore. You would have thought that in a right-wing government they would get what they want. But they didn’t and in the end, there will be army conscription of young haredi men, even in a right-wing coalition. Overall, the haredim hold fewer seats than their demographics would suggest. It is even possible that the Sephardic haredi party Shas won’t receive enough votes to gain Knesset seats. With right-wingers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked exiting the Jewish Home party, its remnants, primarily the old National Religious Party, also may not exceed the electoral threshold of four seats. Other examples of such fracturing abound. Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party doesn’t represent Russian Israelis anymore. The Arab political parties are a more complicated matter, but on numbers alone, one would think they could hold more than 20 seats in the 120-member Knesset, as Arab Israelis represent 20 percent of the country’s population.
The two-party, presidential system in the United States has ground to a halt, the result of a polarized electorate and differing parties running the two houses of the Congress. America’s founders wanted governing to be difficult, but they also wanted consensus of a sort — seemingly impossible in a system that demands a stark choice between two sides of a divide. Unlike Donald Trump, Netanyahu cannot just play to his “base.” The forming and reforming of factions means he is always in danger. You can argue that danger paralyzes him from acting, but it also demands more caution. In a society with a lot of friction, it gives more representative power to different parts of society, which is what democracy is about. I prefer that to some kind of political tyranny or a democracy that grinds to a halt. A democracy is not tested by the power of a ruler but by the constraints it imposes on power. A prime minister in a parliamentary system must be open and listen. He or she has to make concessions, even to small parties. There will always be people who are unhappy, and here, virtually every political group is both happy and unhappy, depending on the moment. One of the proofs of this is our high voter turnout. Nearly 72 percent of Israel’s eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2015 election, compared to 58 percent in the United States in 2016, a presidential year, and less than 50 percent in 2018 — itself the highest midterms turnout since 1914. Either Israelis are naive — they are not — or they think the system is working. Elections in Israel are an example of the trust people have in the political system, and the greater the noise and chaos, the greater the involvement and engagement. PJC Rabbi Dr. Ariel Picard is director of the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought.
Correction
— LETTERS — Odd ways to express unity In her interesting and informative Jewish Review of Books piece on the history of Pittsburgh’s synagogues, Barbara Burstin notes the “Stronger Than Hate” signs that sprouted in the aftermath of the dreadful event of Oct. 27. As she and others have observed, their widespread presence has been a touching reassurance and reminder of the sympathy and solidarity that links our Jewish community, Squirrel Hill and the city itself. Now, almost three months later, it’s moving to walk the streets of Squirrel Hill and still see those signs with the Steeler logo linked with the Star of David. But their omissions are also jarring. The Sixth Presbyterian Church, sitting in the heart of Squirrel Hill, maintains on its marquee that “Black Lives Matter,” and belatedly added a gold and black sign stating that “love is stronger than hate” — whatever that means. No Star of David or mention of Jews for that church, perhaps reflecting the persistent animus that the national Presbyterian Church expresses annually toward Israel. More surprising is the only sign that the Squirrel Hill Giant Eagle posts in its window. A huge banner exhorts passersby to “Love Thy Neighbor — No Exceptions.” Presumably that would include the neighbor who is a murderer, rapist or anti-Semite. There is no Star of David to be seen on that sign, given that it comes from the American Friends Service Committee, whose love encompasses the BDS movement, thereby necessarily making Israel the exception to its exhortation. And, as I walk the streets of Squirrel Hill, I also wonder why all those who have been moved to post their virtue with their Arabic/Spanish/English welcome-whoever-you-are signs, have not been similarly moved to express their affinity for the losses suffered by their immediate community. Yet I have seen only one yard that added the second sign to the first. In the end, these exceptions, while perhaps revealing, also reinforce our awareness of the widespread unity and support that exists here. We can be grateful that these omissions are notable because they are rare. Ann Powell Pittsburgh PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
But they are stuck in the low double digits. By my estimates, only 20-25 percent of voters cast their ballots according to tradition, and they are clustered in the Likud and haredi parties. That is not a large enough percentage to be a game changer. The game changer is the other 75 percent. The Israeli political map in the 2019 election is different from 2015’s, which was different from those in 2012 and 2009. This is not a sign of chaos. Rather it is a sign of a mature democracy and shows voters’ critical thinking about politics. They say, “I won’t vote for you just because I voted for you last time or because I was raised in your educational system.” There are no loyalties. This direct influence of the individual citizen on politics is the real check and balance in our political system, especially as we don’t have a constitution and the courts are under attack. Even Benjamin Netanyahu, a great politician, has to seesaw back and forth among differing ideas. You cannot fool Israelis, and he knows it. The argument that most of Israel’s Jewish population is right wing is a fact, but it’s a result of the current situation. It wasn’t like that always, and it won’t always be like that. Bibi won’t be here forever. Even though Likud looks as if it is the last of the old-line parties to retain its deep core intact, the day that Netanyahu goes — and that day will come — Likud will implode as its historic rivals and partners have. He’s the only one holding the Likud together. A governing coalition with many small parties is a problem. But I prefer a fragile system that is sensitive to the different opinions in society than strong leadership like a presidential system. Israel’s politics may seem chaotic, but it gets things done. Innovative legislation of cannabis exports, child vaccinations and cigarette labeling made it through the system before the Knesset dissolved.
In “After mix-up, ‘Tree of Life’ funds to join Pittsburgh effort” (Jan. 4), the transfer of funds was incorrectly described. The funds designated for Tree of Life Oil City were not transferred to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Our Victims of Terror Fund, but rather to Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha. The Chronicle regrets the error. PJC 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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JANUARY 18, 2019 15
Headlines March: Continued from page 1
and Keshet, a group which works for LGBTQ equality in Jewish life. Now, in the wake of the charges of anti-Semitism against its leaders, the national Women’s March is left with only three Jewish groups willing to partner: the fledgling Bend the Arc, established in 2016; Jewish Voice for Peace, which promotes the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel; and the New York-based Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, another group that is outspoken in its criticism of Israel.
Anti-Semitism at the top
Many of the accusations of anti-Semitism against Mallory, Sarsour and Perez are not in dispute. Mallory is tied to Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, which has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Farrakhan’s loathing of Jews and the LGBTQ community is well documented. In 1984, he described Hitler as “a very great man.” At a rally last February in Chicago, Farrakhan told his audience that the “powerful Jews are my enemy,” and that the “Satanic” Jews are “responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out turning men into women and women into men.” Mallory was in attendance during Farrakhan’s Chicago rally, at which he gave her a shout-out. Afterward, she posted an Instagram photo of Farrakhan with his arm draped around her shoulder. The caption: “Thank God this man is still alive and doing well. He is definitely the GOAT (greatest of all time).” When Mallory was criticized for her failure to condemn Farrakhan’s anti-Semitic statements, she tweeted: “If your leader does not have the same enemies as Jesus, they may not be THE leader! Study the Bible and u will find the similarities.” In October 2018, Farrakhan referred to Jews as “termites” during a speech in Detroit. (Citing the nexus between Farrakhan and Mallory, the Southern Poverty Law Center backed out as a cosponsor of this year’s Women’s March.) On Monday, Mallory remained steadfast in her refusal to condemn Farrakhan, or his anti-Semitic statements, during an interview on “The View.” As early as 15, Mallory — who was born in 1980 to activists who helped found the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network — had been exposed to anti-Semitic rhetoric. In 1995, when Mallory was working for NAN, Sharpton came under fire for calling a Jewish landlord in Harlem a “white interloper,” which preceded a murderous attack on that man’s store. Sharpton also was criticized for stoking the attacks against Jews during the Crown Heights riots in 1991. In a December 2018 investigative piece, Tablet magazine reported that both Mallory and Perez used anti-Semitic rhetoric and intentionally excluded Jews from leadership positions in the days the Women’s March was being formed. Mallory and Perez deny the claims, although others at those early meetings have verified them. Tablet also reported suspected financial improprieties among the Women’s March leadership. Mallory and Sarsour also have used 16 JANUARY 18, 2019
p Mayor Bill Peduto addresses the crowd in Market Square at the Women’s March in 2018. File photo
extreme anti-Israel rhetoric, going beyond mere criticism of Israel’s government. Mallory has called the establishment of Israel a “human rights crime.” Last May, she tweeted praise for the “bravery” of Hamas terrorists for using human shields. In 2012, Sarsour, a vocal proponent of the BDS movement against Israel, tweeted that “nothing is creepier than Zionism.” In a 2017 interview in The Nation, Sarsour opined that one cannot be a Zionist and also be aligned with the feminist movement. In a speech at the Islamic Society of North America convention in Houston in September 2018, Sarsour warned American Muslims against “humanizing” Israelis. Just two months ago, she accused progressive Jews who support Israel of dual loyalty. In November 2018, the Women’s March issued an apology for being too slow in committing to fighting anti-Semitism. It still has not condemned Farrakhan. That apology was not good enough for several local Women’s Marches. On Dec. 13, the leader of the Women’s March in Washington state wrote that her chapter was disaffiliating with the national movement. “Because of the events happening at the national level and their refusal to acknowledge and apologize for their anti-Semitic stance, we have decided to dissolve our Women’s March on Washington State organization in order to separate from the national message that is being sent, both from a social justice standpoint and a financial standpoint,” the leader wrote. Other local marches that have severed ties to the national group or canceled their marches include New Orleans, Chicago, Rhode Island, Florida and Cincinnati. The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington issued a statement noting that it does not endorse events that are held on Shabbat, as the Women’s March will be this year. Nonetheless, that statement continued, even if the March were not held on Shabbat, the JCRC would neither endorse it nor encourage Jewish women to attend. “The anti-Semitism demonstrated by the leaders of the Women’s March Inc. is reprehensible and deserving of universal condemnation,” the statement read.
Pittsburgh’s march
The Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is not endorsing the Women’s March in Pittsburgh, according to Josh Sayles, director of Pittsburgh’s CRC. The actions of the national leaders of the Women’s March “speak louder than words,” he said. Pittsburgh’s CRC does not endorse events on Shabbat, Sayles noted, but added that “even if it were not on Shabbat, because of
the ties to the national movement, we would not endorse it.” Pittsburgh’s CRC attempted to meet with local Women’s March leader Tracy Baton to express the concerns of the Jewish community before the March, but was “unable to connect,” Sayles said. Baton, however, has been in close communication with Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh, with whom she has worked to draft a statement condemning anti-Semitism. “Countering anti-Semitism was always part of my fundamental vision of what it means to fight hate in this world,” said Baton, adding that she was taught from a young age by her activist mother “that fighting hate and standing against white supremacy meant standing with Jews.” Baton said she did not know enough about the allegations of anti-Semitism against the national Women’s March leaders to determine their veracity, but took national Bend the Arc’s lead in deciding to maintain affiliation with the national movement. “I feel like I can’t know enough at this distance,” Baton said. “My national allies like Bend the Arc national support them and their work. Other national Jewish organizations support them in their work. I presume they know better than I can possibly know. “What else would I go with? Anything else is making decisions based on internet firestorms and drama. If I know nothing in this time, it is possible to weave a web of lies.” The Women’s March Pittsburgh receives no funding from the national Women’s March organization. For now, Baton is not inclined to condemn those at the top of the national Women’s March. “Do I think Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour should step down? I don’t think that’s my decision to make,” Baton said. “I think the allies that stand with them locally and nationally have a much better vision of their work and what they do. And so for right now I will stand with those allies.” The local Women’s March cemented its ties with Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh in the aftermath of the Tree of Life shooting when a member of Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh reached out to Baton for help in planning the rally protesting Trump’s visit. Baton provided a small stage and the sound system, and served as consultant on the rally, she said. She also spoke at the event. That cooperation made an impression on Sara Stock Mayo, a member of Bend the Arc: Pittsburgh who will continue to support the Women’s March in Pittsburgh and will speak at that event on Jan. 19. Mayo sees the importance of “building coalitions across communities to be agents of change,” she said. “After our community in Squirrel Hill was attacked, the Women’s March and other progressive organizations that are allies showed up for us. They sang with us, they brought us equipment, they supported and uplifted us. They prayed with their feet with us. If we are to tackle any of the deeply divisive issues we face in Pittsburgh, we must do it together.” Building relationships with local leaders of the Women’s March is paramount in developing allies, according to several members of Bend the Arc, despite the issues at the national level. “The local march has not chosen to
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disaffiliate from the national march the way some have in other cities,” acknowledged Hepps. “But the challenge in all of this is that locally, our groups have worked together effectively, and locally we have had effective dialogue where we believe in each other and we believe in each other’s best intentions.” Cantor Michele Gray-Schaffer, spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Abraham in Butler, has participated in the Women’s March in Pittsburgh for the last two years, and said that despite the accusations of anti-Semitism at the national level, she will probably march again this year. “I’m not as excited for it, but I probably still will go,” she said. “It’s putting a very big damper on my wanting to participate. This anti-Semitism, especially in the light of Tree of Life, really concerns me, but there are a lot of other issues there. I think it’s still really important that we get out there and march.” Rabbi Jeremy Markiz, director of Derekh & Youth Tefillah at Congregation Beth Shalom, joined the Women’s March in Pittsburgh last year, but had not yet decided if he would be participating in this year’s event because of “logistical reasons.” But the issues the Women’s March represents resonate for him. “I feel strongly about feminism, and about men and women being equal, and for women to flex their political power,” he said. “These are the reasons I supported the Women’s March in the first place. “I don’t know enough about the local march, but my belief is that they are against prejudice of all kinds,” he continued. “For me, it’s fundamentally about feminism, and women’s voices and queer voices, and LGBTQ voices. That’s the primary value to me about it. While I think it does matter what the national organization is doing, I’m looking locally.”
Aligning with ‘bigots’
For other Jewish Pittsburghers, the anti-Semitism at the national level is a deal-breaker. Ilia Murtazashvili, a University of Pittsburgh associate professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, has not marched in the past. Still, he was “hoping for an opportunity for an inclusive march that would be welcoming to all groups, including Jews of all identities,” he said. “The Women’s March, unfortunately, is not inclusive. Its leaders expressed anti-Semitic views and the ‘apology’ was ambiguous. “The fact that leadership expressed such hateful views and remains in power is an example of the continued acceptability of anti-Semitism in American culture,” continued Murtazashvili, a Squirrel Hill resident and member of Beth Shalom. “The tragedy of Tree of Life raises the stakes of taking a stand against anti-Semitism. Local groups were more than willing to protest Trump’s visit even though many Jews and community members were still mourning. Yet the local chapter of the Women’s March is willing to march even though other chapters have cancelled marches in solidarity with Jews.” The taint of anti-Semitism at the national level puts the Women’s March beyond the pale, according to Jewish historian Deborah Lipstadt of Emory University, author of the soon-to-be released book Please see March, page 17
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Headlines March: Continued from page 16
“Anti-Semitism: Here and Now.” “I recognize the importance of the issues that the Women’s March is representing, but when people who stand by someone who calls me and my people termites, I can’t march with them,” she said. “I would not march with someone even if I agreed with 98 percent of what they stood for if they used the ‘N’ word, for example. How can I march with people who have to be educated and cajoled to say that Louis Farrakhan doesn’t align with their views? “There’s a point of no return,” Lipstadt continued. “There’s a point of self-respect. Does someone have to be educated to not stand by an anti-Semite, using the word
Survivor: Continued from page 1
comfort and expertise. Prior to the church shooting, and even afterward, she was a shy member of the congregation who preferred cooking and cleaning to being featured, but “after about three years of sitting on it, I finally found my voice,” she said. Sheppard still speaks in hushed tones, but her message resounds. A questioner who survived the Oct. 27
In the rising of the sun and its going down,
‘termites’ when so many were exterminated in the Holocaust? Calling us termites is the wrong thing to say, and there is a decided lack of self-worth and self-respect of the people marching with them.” But, as a historian, Lipstadt has a different role than do the activists working for social change on the ground, according to Hepps. “Deborah Lipstadt is an academic who is studying a present-day phenomenon; she’s not a person who is trying to repair it,” Hepps said. “There is a really huge difference.” It is important for Jews to dialogue with those whose thinking they may be able to influence in a positive way, Hepps explained. “People like Tamika Mallory and Linda Sarsour — and you can believe it or not — they are saying that they want to do right by all marginalized communities.
“If that’s the starting point, somebody needs to be in dialogue with them to help them to understand when they get it right, and when they are not,” added Hepps. “When they are building the tent they want to build, and when they are missing the mark of what they profess as being their goals. If no one is in dialogue, if all there is vilification, guess what? You only widen the rupture.” Zioness, a group formed for Jews and Zionists feeling “pushed out” of progressive spaces, will not be marching with the national Women’s March in Washington, according to Amanda Berman, president of Zioness. “I don’t think American Jewish women want to be part of a movement endorsed by bigots or with bigots leading the charge,” she said. Zioness has 23 local chapters, but so
shooting asked, “Where was God?” Sheppard replied, “He didn’t escape you. He was right there with you. I would be lying to you if I said my faith wasn’t shaken, but all I had to do was rely on His word.” To the person whose loved one survived the shooting and wished to know when normalcy would resume, Sheppard said, “There’s no timetable, but stay in God’s word because grace and mercy will come.” Sheppard still suffers nightmares. Occasionally she wakes up in a sweat, she said. Still, “God has a plan for me. It’s not the plan I asked for. I’m not always happy to do
it, but this is what He wants.” Hearing such words were “enlightening,” said Jacob Notovitz, a New Light board member. Joan Mooney, president of The Faith and Politics Institute, described a natural connection between survivors. “It’s a community no one wants to share, but sadly is something they have in common,” said Mooney. Barry Werber, who survived the Oct. 27 shooting, agreed. “When you go through the same sort of hell you come out the same way,” he said, “but
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far, no presence in Pittsburgh. The group, though, has had “conversations” with some local leaders. Berman acknowledged the seeming incongruity of a local march maintaining its ties to a national organization marred by anti-Semitism, especially when it receives no financial support from that national organization. “Why are any of these groups still formally aligning with bigots when they are not getting anything in return? That’s hurtful to our community,” she said. “And it’s unfortunate if they are getting encouragement from Jewish groups. We all have to be accountable.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
I’m going to have a hell of a time forgiving the gentleman, and I say gentleman lightly.” “It’s hard to move forward. We are still suffering and still looking for a way to move forward,” added Stephen Cohen, New Light’s co-president. At evening’s end, attendees prepared to leave the Eisner Commons in Congregation Beth Shalom. Perlman invited everyone to return for Sunday morning services and breakfast. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Celebrations
Torah
Engagements
Getting to the heart of the divine
Gordon/Nagle: Alan and Linda Gordon of Squirrel Hill are pleased to announce the engagement of their son, David Gottlieb Gordon, to Jillian Anne Seeling Nagle, daughter of Thomas and Linda Nagle of Nashville. David’s grandparents are Dr. Mark and Carole Gottlieb of Pittsburgh, and Sara and the late Lawrence Gordon of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Jill’s grandparents are Rita and the late Burton Nagle of Burley, Idaho, and George and the late Caroline Seeling of New Orleans, Louisiana. David is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and is a senior people operations associate for Red Ventures, a digital marketing company in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jill is a graduate of Wake Forest University and is a senior paid media associate for Red Ventures. David and Jill met in Charlotte and reside there. An October wedding is planned in Nashville. Shpiez/Rupe: Lois Feldman of Mt. Lebanon announces with great joy the engagement of her daughter Ravit Rahel Shpiez to Jordan Alexander Rupe. The bride-to-be is the daughter of the late Arie Shpiez; granddaughter of Olga and the late Dov Shpiez of Tel Aviv, Israel, and the late Marion and Bernard Charles Feldman. Ravit is a Spanish teacher and Arts Connection programming director at The Neighborhood Academy. The groom-to-be is the son of JoAlice and Charles Inghram of Holly Pond, Alabama; grandson of the late Valeta and Theron Rupe and the late Vera and James Figgatt Jr. Jordan is an account manager at Staffmark. A November wedding is planned.
Bat Mitzvah
Casey Isabella Bloom, daughter of Alona Bloom and Sam Bloom, will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday, Jan. 19, which is also her 13th birthday. The service will take place at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill. Casey has an older sister, Jordyn, who is a sophomore at Pittsburgh Allderdice. Grandparents are Andrea and Raymond Emas, Trudi and William Feldman and Arthur Bloom. Casey is a seventh-grader at Pittsburgh Colfax and is a member of the swim team there. Casey spends her summers at Emma Kaufmann Camp, loves to dance and spending time with her friends and family. PJC
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin Parshat Beshalach Exodus 13:17-17:16
W
hat is the best way to give thanks to God? As the walls of the sea come crashing down on the elite Egyptian chariots and the Israelites realize that the Egyptians will never be able to attack or subjugate them again, a spontaneous song of gratitude and praise bursts forth. The song is Israel’s magnificent cry of religious awe, an acknowledgment of God’s “great hand” and direct involvement with their destiny. But the climactic exclamation of Israelite adoration and commitment is obscured by one word which is difficult to translate: “This is my God ve-anveihu, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.” What does ve-anveihu mean? Targum Onkelos translates the phrase as “This is my God, and I shall build a Temple for Him,” naveh being the Hebrew word for home. Rashi prefers “This is my God, and I shall declare His beauty and praises [in prayer],” na’eh or noy being the Hebrew word for beauty and goodness. An anonymous Talmudic sage builds on the same root as Rashi, but gives it a somewhat different twist: “This is my God, and I shall beautify [His commandments before] Him by serving Him with a beautiful sukkah, a beautiful shofar” (Shabbat 133b). The opposing Talmudic view, in the name of Abba Shaul, divides the Hebrew into two words: I and Thou, ani ve-hu, turning the verse into a ringing endorsement of proper ethical conduct: “This is my God, and I shall be like Him: Just as He is compassionate and loving, so must I be compassionate and loving.” These views may be seen as an ascending order of commitment. The first has the Israelites commit to building a temple for God. The second, sensitive to the fact that
an external structure says nothing about the nature of the spirituality within it, insists that the Jews declare their intent “to declare God’s beauty and praise to all of those who enter the world,” in other words, to publicly pray to Him. The third is not satisfied with prayers alone, but prefers a whole panoply of adorned rituals. The fourth maintains that the most important issue is who we are — the personality and character which make up our essential being. Perhaps there is an even deeper level to this debate. The Midrash Mekhilta, cited by Rashi, mystifyingly declares that a lowly maidservant at the moment of the splitting of the sea had a deeper vision of the divine than even the great mystical prophet of the supernal chariot, Ezekiel. The sages of the Talmud make another comparison involving Ezekiel, declaring: “To whom may Ezekiel be compared? To a town dweller. To whom may Isaiah be compared? To a city dweller” (Chagigah 13b). I heard a fascinating interpretation of this statement in the name of Rabbi Isaac Bernstein. When a city dweller has an appointment in another city, he goes straight to the meeting. He is oblivious to the tall buildings and impressive plazas he is used to seeing at home anyway. The town dweller, however, is liable to become distracted by the novelty of big-city architecture. Isaiah, the prophet of the Land of Israel, is likened to the city dweller who, used to living with spirituality all the time, goes straight to the heart of his vision, the holiness and omnipotence of the divine. Ezekiel, on the other hand, lives in Babylon. He is so wonderstruck by his exalted picture of the divine that he seems to gets lost in the myriad of details. The maidservant, Isaiah-like, had an even deeper perception than Ezekiel, and went to central core: “This is my God.” PJC Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is the chief rabbi of Efrat.
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Obituaries ALTERMAN: Martin Alterman, on Sunday, January 6, 2019. Beloved husband of the late Rose Doris Alterman. Beloved father of Howard Jay (Polly) Alterman of Merced, California, and the late Janet Sue Alterman. Brother of the late Marcelyn Lebowitz. Grandfather of Tracey (Bill) Bateman, Bryan (fiancee Pauline Lusk) Alterman, Justin and Erin Alterman and the late David Zionts. Great-grandfather of Sean Ryan Mansfield, Sammi Mansfield and Lizzie Bateman. Great-great-grandfather of Cole and Lorilai Rose Mansfield. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Medical Eye Bank of W. PA, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. schugar.com BANDLER: David B. Bandler Jr., 75, passed away on December 31, 2018. David was born in White Plains, New York, and raised in the New York City suburbs, but spent the majority of his life in Pittsburgh, which became the hometown he loved. David graduated with his bachelor’s degree in English literature from Princeton University, master’s degree in English literature from Columbia University and doctorate in the same from Carnegie Mellon University. He then taught at Carnegie Mellon University and was a senior executive at Ketchum Advertising. Later in life, David additionally received a
Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and loved counseling his patients in Pittsburgh. All the while, David was a prolific writer, leaving an important legacy. David is survived by his loving sister, Ellen B. Fertig, and two stepbrothers, Kenneth R. Blum and Robert M. Blum. He also leaves eight nieces and nephews and 10 grandnieces and nephews, as well as their spouses, all of whom considered him the best and most fun loving, witty and adventurous of uncles. He will be deeply missed by his family and close community of Pittsburgh friends. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com MARCOVSKY: Stephan Marcovsky age 60, of Wilkinsburg, died peacefully on Friday, January 11, 2019. Beloved son of Paula Marcovsky Rubin and the late Ralph Marcovsky and late Mort Rubin. Brothers and sisters, David and Carol Marcovsky, Mark and Harriet Rubin, Lynn and Jeff Rosenthal, Andy Rubin and Liz Bradley. Nieces and nephews, Ryan Marcovsky, Lila and Rebecca Rubin, Jared, Jill and Emmett Rosenthal, Jesse and Lauren Rosenthal and Jonah Rosenthal and friend Mike. Graveside services and interment were held at Pliskover Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com PJC
Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from ...
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Susan Goldman .......................................... Isadore Pachtman Edward M. Goldston ............................. Frumie Fraidel Brown Elayne Herman .................................................. Harry Gruskin Steve Katz ........................................................ Maurice Smith Sharon Knapp................................................... Nettie Galanty Sharon Knapp................................................“Brother Knapp” Sue Libenson............................................... Erwin Rubenstein Sally & Tim Litman .............................Leah & Louis Rosenfield Elinor Malyn Parnell .........................................Albert D. Malyn Paul & Diane Pechersky ............................ Mildred Pechersky Mrs. Shirley Preny ......................................... Esther Mallinger Mrs. Shirley Preny .............................................Max Mallinger Mrs. Shirley Preny ......................................... Jack I. Mallinger Mrs. Anne D. Rosenberg .............. Minnie & Jacob Rosenberg Herbert Shapiro .................................................. Clara Deutch Patricia Steinberg ....................................... Harry L. Steinberg Harold Weiss ..................................................Jeffrey S. Weiss Marion Reznik.............................................. Isadore Bergstein
THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday January 20: Mollie Barnett, Herman A. Bloom, Irving Glicken, Morris Goodman, Mollie Greenfield, Harry Gruskin, Clara Ida Harris, Helene Heppenheimer, Esther Mankovitz, Martha Rogal, Edgar Schaffel, Harry D. Wald Monday January 21: Esther Berkman, Harry A. Cohan, James H. Darling, Ida S. Goldberg, Jacob J. Gordon, Sidney Hyde, Walter E. Katz, Carl Labovitz, Ludwig Landman, Sheldon G. Lindner, Philip Rosenthal, Harry Shapiro, Jennie Shrager, David Silverblatt, Minnie Rhea Silverblatt, Jennie Sobel, Dorothy Spolan, Annie Stearns, Julius Wolf Tuesday January 22: Jacob Adler, Ida Alpert, Simon Bostocky, Froomie Brown, Eva Cohen, Mollie Hilsenrath, Michael Hoffrichter, Daniel Levinson, Rebecca Luick, Dorothy Pollock, Leon Prinz, Mollie Ryave, Max Schoenberger, Benjamin W. Steiner Wednesday January 23: Chia Sora Brody, Hyman Browarsky, Ethel Golanty, Morris D. Herwitt, Hyman Klahr, David Lundy, Isadore Lupovitz, Joseph Markovitz, Lew J. Miller, Isadore Pachtman, Milton Ripp, Eunice Roth, Lena G. Skirble, A. Leonard Winer, Ivan Lee Wolinsky Thursday January 24: Myer Borovetz, Saul Frank, Marcus Gropper, Max Halle, Irving Hochhauser, Lillian Y. Horwitz, Vivian S. Hyman, Samuel M. Krause, Ernest Metzger, Mildred Pechersky, Jennie Pink, Elsie L. Plesset, Freda Z. Rosen, Rose Rosenfeld, Irving Ross, Alexander Roth, Mark J. Serbin, Philip Solomon, Leon Stein, Mabel Z. Swartz Friday January 25: Bertha Ackerman, William Barnett, Newman Cohen, Esther Goodman, Ethel Greenberg, Myer Grossman, Selma B. Katz, Sally Marcovsky, Rose Schlessinger, Wolf Young Saturday January 26: Fannye P. Balkman, Edith Cohen, Reuben A. Cohen, Hattie Debroff, Hannah R. Eliashof, Rose Fireman, Celia Glantz, Herman Glass, Robert Kane, Rose Klein, Haim Lazarus, Dr. William B. Lieberman, Mathilda Marcus, William D. Orr, Rena Pollock, William Racusin, Sara Rubenstein, Philip Schmeiser, Frank Stark, Joseph Stein, Geraldine Tyson, Ruth Weinberger, Arthur Weiner
Books: Continued from page 5
Soon after the book was published, Holt reached out to Roteman to congratulate her on being a new author. Holt wanted to interview Roteman for her blog, and as they talked, they discovered what they had in common. “It’s just so cool to meet somebody by chance and find out you have a lot of things in common with them,” Roteman said. “It’s the Jewish story. That’s how we make contact in our whole world.” Reflecting on their experiences of becoming children’s book authors, the two women had some advice for aspiring writers. “Just do it,” Holt said. “Sit down and start working on it. There’s no right time. It’s never going to get easier. You’re never going to miraculously have 15 hours in the day where
you can just sit and do nothing and sit and write. If you think you want to write, take five minutes in the morning, in the afternoon, your lunch break — whatever it is — and start writing notes. Just start writing something.” “If you’re really serious, you do need to find a good critique group,” Roteman offered. “You get so close to your project. If you love writing, you’re going to get so close to it that you lose your perspective, and a critique group will bring you perspective and ideas and of course help you with the tools of writing for kids, how to pace the story, how to develop your characters.” PJC Ellen Roteman’s book, “The Case of the Disappearing Chanukah Candles,” is available at Pinsker’s, on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. Selah Maya Zighelboim writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
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Headlines Piano: Continued from page 9
playing music on a grand piano that brought her brief hope of normalcy. Noticing her talent, the Kowalskis suggested that Ben-Or join their granddaughter’s weekly piano lessons, to which her mother reluctantly agreed. The teacher suggested that Ben-Or attend a music school, but Antonina vetoed it. “The fewer people who noticed me, or you, the safer we were,” Ben-Or’s mother told her. As a little girl, “playing the piano for chosen periods in the day became moments of paradise on Earth,” Ben-Or recalls. The teacher insisted that Nelly play at a students’ concert, and she was was allowed to play, becoming the talk of the block for a while. But her mother’s fears turned out to be justified. Soon after the concert, rumors that Antonina and Nelly were “not who they pretended to be” started circulating among the neighbors, forcing the two to leave yet another hiding place, Ben-Or writes. They were rounded up in German army operations targeting Warsaw citizens who had joined a massive resistance operation that followed the doomed uprising of Jews inside the Warsaw Ghetto. In yet another narrow escape, Nelly and Antonina eventually were released in the countryside because the concentration camp where the Germans had planned to place them was full. Penniless and hungry for food, the two found shelter in a pig sty that locals had made
livable for refugees like them from Warsaw. But even there, “my ear caught the sound of piano from a neighboring house,” Ben-Or writes in her book. It was the home of the piano teacher in the town of Pruszkow, and again Ben-Or’s mother reluctantly allowed her daughter to play. The teacher allotted the girl half an hour each day. “I went on eagerly from one piece of music to the next, playing anything that was available,” including Johann Strauss waltzes considered too demanding for 8-year-old piano pupils, Ben-Or writes. “Yet today, as a concert pianist, I am convinced that I owe to that unorthodox but invaluable experience of piano playing,” she writes. It helped her hold on to her humanity and hopefulness in hours of despair and panic, she says. After the war, Ben-Or was enrolled in a school for gifted musicians. She and her mother emigrated from Poland to Israel in 1950. A decade later, Ben-Or went to study in England and stayed. She married in 1964. She and her husband have a daughter who lives in London. The book describes her development as an artist and her experiences as a survivor in three countries. “It seems as if my voracious appetite for academic and musical progress was partly a reaction to the years of repression,” Ben-Or writes. “It was as if the darkness of the war years had been lifted, and the bright light and fresh air of freedom filled my whole being with the need to receive as much as possible of all that I had missed before.” PJC
Korzcak: Continued from page 11
would come to be the story by which he is best remembered, Korczak, by then a prominent figure in Poland, declined offers that might have enabled his escape. Instead, he dressed his charges in their finest clothes and led them through the streets to the deportation point, where they were placed on trains to Treblinka. “Korczak’s clinging to hope did not stem from naivety or blindness,” Efron wrote in a 2016 article, “but from a calculated choice, an existential understanding that despair means giving up on change, thus conceding the future.” Decades after his death, Korczak’s ideas would be promoted by Poland’s postwar government. The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly in 1989, was first proposed by Poland in 1978. The Order of the Smile, an international award given by children to adults distinguished in promoting their interests, was started in Poland in 1968 and recognized by the U.N. secretary-general in 1979. This year, the award went to Marta Santo Pais, the U.N. special representative on violence against children, who delivered the keynote address at a November conference on Korczak’s legacy, pedagogy and advocacy for children’s rights held at Columbia University. The conference was sponsored by the Polish Cultural Institute New York, among others.
“Korczak’s main idea is that a child is a human, only a small human, and therefore his or her rights cannot be treated differently from adult rights. That was revolutionary for his time,” said Anna Domanska, acting director of the institute. “So was his innovative way of running a center for orphaned children. Korczak’s activity was also made possible by the general social climate of interwar Poland, where citizens, enjoying their freedom after 123 years of foreign domination, wanted to express that freedom as fully as possible.” In 2012, the lower house of Poland’s parliament, the Sejm, declared the Year of Janusz Korczak, marking 70 years since his death and 100 since he founded his orphans’ home. “This allowed us to commemorate the old doctor and fix his memory not only in Polish reality, but the world’s,” said Marek Michalak, Poland’s Children’s Rights Ombudsman from 2008 to 2018, chancellor of the International Chapter of the Order of the Smile and president of the International Janusz Korczak Association. “Korczak was not just as a victim of the Holocaust, but also as the first spokesman for children’s rights, an outstanding pedagogue and author.” PJC This article was sponsored by and produced in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute New York, a diplomatic mission of Poland’s Foreign Affairs Ministry that promotes comprehensive knowledge of Poland, Polish history and national heritage.
Help us Document the Events of the Past Weeks The attack at the Tree of Life synagogue building promises to be one of the most consequential moments in the history of Pittsburgh. With the support of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives is actively collecting original documentation of the event and its aftermath. The public is encouraged to submit digital materials — everything from photographs of vigils, to voice messages and texts on the day of the attack, to posts on Facebook and other social media, and to stories from the past week — through a special web portal https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/collections/rauh-jewish-historyprogram-and-archives/responding-to-the-tree-of-life-tragedy To donate physical materials, please contact Eric Lidji at eslidji@heinzhistorycenter.org or 412-454-6406.
20 JANUARY 18, 2019
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Cell: 412 377-7775 Office: 412 241-4700 ext. 11 maureenstates@neighborhoodrealtyserservices.net
POINT BREEZE • $1,050,000 NEW LISTING! Walk to the park from this beautiful, spacious 6-bedroom, 5 full bath and 2 half bath home! 1st floor features an open kitchen/family room, a formal dining room and living room with fireplace, plus a den/office. 2nd floor includes a large master suite with two bathrooms, plus three additional bedrooms, a bath with a heated floor and a laundry. The 3rd floor has a bedroom suite with a full bath. Lower level gameroom, bedroom w/full bath, loads of storage, and a 2-car garage. The magnificent corner lot boasts a sprinkler system, custom lighting, fenced-in yard with a great deck for entertaining. Too many amenities to list! MURDOCH FARMS • $1,200,000 EXCITING GRAND STONE 7 BEDROOM, 3.5 BATH HOME WITH ALL THE AMENITIES. Formal living spaces with hardwood floors. Leaded and stained glass throughout, gourmet kitchen, glass doors from dining room lead to a fabulous patio and two car garage. Bonus of a great third floor that could be used for teenager or nanny suites. Close to universities, hospitals and Schenley Park. In Colfax and Allderdice School District. SHADYSIDE • 5000 FIFTH AVE • $710,000 NEW LISTING! One of the most prestigious buildings in the city. Enjoy 2 bedrooms and a den. Large eat-in kitchen. Fabulous open living room and dining area, 2.5 baths, in-unit laundry and balcony. There is always staff on site, a guest suite and great exercise area.
Put nearly 4 decades of proven experience to work for you! Get the best of customer service and make the process easy. CALL ME NOW! GET THE RESULTS YOU DESERVE!
JILL and MARK PORTLAND RE/MAX REALTY BROKERS 412.521.1000 EXT. 200 412.496.5600 JILL | 412.480.3110 MARK
REALTOR SERVICES
FOR SALE
BUYING OR SELLING?
FOR SALE • SQUIRREL HILL CONDOS Spacious One Bedroom Move-In Condition One Bath • Central Air Balcony • Parking Available Monthly condo fee includes heat, water, sewage insurance on the common areas $159,500
Studio • Move-In Condition Central Air • Balcony Elevator • Secure Building Parking Available Monthly condo fee includes heat, water, sewage insurance on the common areas $102,000
412-421-7774 FOR RENT
FOR RENT
5125 Fifth Ave.
BEACON PLACE
2 & 3 Bedrooms Corner of Fifth and Wilkins Spacious 1500-2250 square feet
”Finest in Shadyside”
412-661-4456
www.kaminrealty.kamin.com
Lovely one bedroom apartment with balcony and walk-in shower in the heart of Squirrel Hill. $1185 includes utilities Age 62 + for occupancy No pets. No smoking. 24/7 Super on site 412-952-1746 elaineabeck@gmail.com Photos available
SHOWCASE YOUR PROPERTIES EVERY WEEK IN THE PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
Business & Professional Directory CAREGIVER WANTED Cooking and driving required. Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Call 412-521-7272.
EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY Blink Ink-photography— B a r / B a t - M i t z v a h - We d ding-Reunion-Event—Jay Podolsky—412-277-2922— Blinkink@me.com.
ORGANIZED GETGET ORGANIZED IN 2019 Contact Phil Durler to schedule your advertising pdurler@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org • 724-713-8874 advertising@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
IN 2019
or skill to tackle it? Is your home full of clutter and stuff that creates disharmony? I help overwhelmed families, people in transition, and busy professionals. I can make your home more livable and your office more efficient. CALL JODY at 412-759-0778 or send an email to: allegheny organizing@gmail.com.
CEMETERY PLOTS
SENIOR COMPANION
2/4 Reform Jewish Cemetery Plots North Hills
SENIOR NURSING HOME SITTER
(3) Include Bronze Marker, granite base, vaults and more. $4300 each
HOUSEKEEPER
(1) Gravesite only $2500
LOVELY HOUSEKEEPER. PLEASE CALL 412-3541007.
Call for further details. 954-472-4666
Are you drowning in paperwork, but don’t have the time
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
Why pay an agency? I will sit with your loved one and provide the nurturing and extra care your loved one needs when you are not there. For more information call Charlene at 412-327-6079.
www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org JANUARY 18, 2019 21
Community Pittsburgh teens help rebuild Puerto Rico Four Pittsburgh teens joined 58 others as they traded relaxing vacations for a week of hard work and service learning while helping to rebuild communities in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Maya King, Judah Kass, Eitan Weinkle and Mira Morris hammered, painted, played with local kids and learned a lot about giving back. They also ran a Christmas carnival for the children of Loiza and Morovis. They are pictured with Kareem Rabbat and Ethan Gertzman, two University of Pittsburgh students who were part of the “AWB” (Alternative Winter Break) staff team.
u From left: Kareem Rabbat, Maya King, Eitan Weinkle, Judah Kass, Mira Morris and Ethan Gertzman
Photo courtesy of Karen Morris
Lubavitch Center and Yeshiva Schools The Lubavitch Center and Yeshiva Schools held the annual Melava Malka event on Saturday, Jan. 12 at Congregation Beth Shalom. The event is held to celebrate the community, and
this year the honorees were Chaya Engle and Pittsburgh Police Officer Dan Mead, the first, first responder at the Tree of Life synagogue building mass shooting.
p Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, dean of Yeshiva Schools, with members of the Zone 4 Police Station at the Melava Malka event. From left: Officer David Shifren; Rosenfeld; first responders immediately on the scene Officer Michael Smidga, who suffered an injury to his face, Officer Sean Stumpf and Officer William Faith
p Yeshiva Boys High School student Duvy Burston singing his original song, written in honor of those murdered in the Oct. 27 shooting.
p Honoree Chaya Engle, accompanied by her husband Arkie Engle, speaks to the community about her commitment to keeping the community safe.
p Officer Dan Mead, the first, first responder on Oct. 27, addresses the community. Photos courtesy of Lubavitch Center and Yeshiva Schools
22 JANUARY 18, 2019
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Community Events at CDS Community Day School first-grade students hid Love Rocks around the perimeter of the school’s campus that were sent to Squirrel Hill in the wake of the Oct. 27 synagogue building shooting through a friend of their teacher, Elizabeth Halfhill. The Love Rocks movement began when an Oregon couple wanted to honor the memory of their daughters, who were killed in a tragic accident, by spreading love and kindness; people paint hearts on rocks and either leave them for strangers to find or give them to someone in need of an act of kindness.
Community Day School basketball teams raised money for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Our Victims of Terror Fund through the sale of “Stronger Than Hate” CDS Lions warm-up shirts for their players. The fundraising initiative was spearheaded by Boys JV assistant coach and CDS alum/current parent Michael Sampson. The team first wore the jerseys before a game on Jan. 8.
p Orel Ohayon (left) and Lior Amram
p CDS sixth-grader Jordan Sampson and his sister, Talia Sampson, in their “Stronger Than Hate” warm-up shirts
p Alia Neivert (left) and Liran Naveh
p CDS seventh-grader Adam King warms up before a game against Falk School, getting some advice from Coach Michael Sampson
Photos courtesy of Community Day School
New Members at Congregation Beth Shalom
Hillel Pittsburgh awarded honors On Dec. 12, 2018, at the Hillel International Global Assembly in Denver, Colorado, the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh received the Joseph Meyerhoff Award for Jewish Educational Vision. This award honors a Hillel that enables students to continue to grow in their knowledge of and connection to Jewish life and be empowered to make life decisions using Jewish values.
p On Sunday, Jan. 13 Congregation Beth Shalom welcomed new members with singing, conversation, holding the Torah and a tour of the beautiful sanctuary, followed by brunch. Photo courtesy of Congregation Beth Shalom
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
p From left: Alex Zissman, Ariel Walovitch, Risa Fruchter, Andrey Kogan, Matthew Callman, Daniel Marcus and Eric Fingerhut accepting the award.
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
Photo courtesy of Hillel Jewish University Center
JANUARY 18, 2019 23
KOSHER MEATS
Empire Fresh Kosher Bone-In Split Chicken Breasts
• All-natural poultry — whole chickens, breasts, wings and more • All-natural, corn-fed beef — steaks, roasts, ground beef and more • Variety of deli meats and franks Available at select Giant Eagle stores. Visit GiantEagle.com for location information.
3
99 lb.
Price effective Thursday, January 17 through Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Available at $' B3-&B LQGG
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