Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 2-18-22

February 18, 2022 | 17 Adar I 5782

Candlelighting 5:41 p.m. | Havdalah 6:41 p.m. | Vol. 65, No. 7 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Non-Jewish members heartily contribute to synagogue life

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Maintaining the eruv It takes a village.

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Hillel JUC’s Ignite Shabbaton sparks togetherness

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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LOCAL

has Jethro’s name attached to it also has the Ten Commandments, a pretty significant portion. Jethro was honored as a model of a non-Jewish parent or partner who helps the Jewish community.”

Across Pittsburgh, non-Jews play significant roles in many liberal congregations, helping in religious schools, in choirs, during Mitzvah Days and in many other social justice and community programs.

Temple Emanuel of South Hills member Debra Schneider volunteers at the Reform congregation, helping with the congregation’s musical offerings.

oe Slomowitz counted down the days until Ignite began. When Friday, Feb. 11, arrived and it was time to begin the annual Shabbaton hosted by Hillel JUC, he finally experienced those things he had missed for so long: candle lighting, prayer, discussion and socialization.

“I wasn’t here my sophomore year,” Slomowitz, a junior at the University of Pittsburgh, said, “so I missed out on a lot of friendship-building and meeting new people and getting a Jewish experience on campus.”

Now back on campus, Slomowitz soaked up everything Ignite and its weekend-long programming offered. He surrounded himself with other Jewish students from Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University. He participated in student-led services and enjoyed panel discussions, like one led by Jewish social media influencers.

Slomowitz wore a mask and sat distanced, as other participants did when not eating, but for about 36 hours many of the perils of college in the age of COVID felt lifted, he, and others, said.

“It was really cool to just spend the day with my friends in the building,” Hannah Goldstein, a Pitt junior, said.

The last time Goldstein had a similar experience was in March 2020.

She recalled how during the 2020 Ignite, Hillel JUC welcomed American Israeli jewelry designer Ariel Tidhar for a weekend of learning.

Much has changed in two years, especially regarding the college experience. In recognition of those changes, Ignite 2022 was designed to be more internally focused, said Stefanie Greene, Hillel JUC’s senior Jewish educator.

The theme of this year’s event, “Reignite

Please see Volunteers, page 14

Please see Ignite, page 14

‘People of the Book & the Storyboard’

Jewish graphic novels on exhibit in Latrobe Page 7

LOCAL Who was Emanuel Spector?

Jewish Pittsburgh’s highest honor Page 9

 Beth El Congregation’s Rabbi Alex Greenbaum and Dawn Lebovitz present the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program orientation to new mentors in 2019.

Photo courtesy of Dawn Lebovitz

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

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fter Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt, he was met by his father-in-law, Jethro, a non-Jewish Midianite priest who shepherded the prophet’s family through the desert to join them on their journey to Israel. During his time with Moses, Jethro offered advice on leadership and the delegation of authority.

Rabbi Daniel Fellman of Temple Sinai points to this passage as an example for the engagement of non-Jews in synagogues and Jewish life.

“That’s the primary model actually,” Fellman said. “And the Torah portion that

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL

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Headlines Pittsburgh’s eruv is a long and winding (and often broken) enclosure — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

L

ong before the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed several weeks ago, the weekly status of Pittsburgh’s eruv was uncertain at best.

Once the bridge fell, however, the eruv — a wire and string structure, often hanging from poles, that creates a private enclosure and permits Jewish people within its boundaries to carry during the Sabbath — was getting increased attention from segments of the community.

Heading into Shabbat on both Jan. 28 — the day the bridge collapsed — and Feb. 4, Congregation Poale Zedeck’s Rabbi Daniel Yolkut attempted to allay congregants’ concerns by alerting them that the eruv was intact.

“Baruch Hashem,” Yolkut wrote in a Jan. 28 email, “I am thrilled to announce that the Eruv WILL be usable this Shabbos! A tremendous thank you to Rabbi Silver and Rabbi Admon for their quick action!”

One week later, with less than two hours until Shabbat started, Yolkut repeated the message about the eruv’s fitness, writing, “After a lot of work in very challenging weather, coordination with the appropriate agencies and finding the right machinery, Rabbi Silver and the Eruv checkers have successfully made everything work!”

Though the recent bridge collapse is drawing additional attention to the eruv, there’s nothing new about the structure’s fragility, according to those with knowledge of its construction.

Rabbi Shimon Silver who, along with overseeing the eruv, serves as Young Israel

p Rabbi Shimon Silver hauls debris while checking the eruv.

p Screenshot of the Pittsburgh eruv

Screenshot via Google Maps

Photo courtesy of Rabbi Eli Wilansky

of Pittsburgh’s spiritual leader, said the eruv always requires attention and that it doesn’t take a fallen bridge to fracture it; the smallest event can bring it down.

Because many of the wires and strings that create the enclosure are affixed to pieces attached to telephone poles, if a car bumps into a post, a branch falls after a heavy snow, or even a large storm occurs, the eruv can break, Silver said.

Despite its constant maintenance — on Thursday mornings, Silver and two other rabbis each spend about 90 minutes tracing the route and checking to ensure the structure is sound — the amount of work varies.

“Sometimes, we have no repairs, and then

the next week it’s 10 repairs,” Silver said. “It’s unpredictable.”

Rabbi Eli Wilansky of Greenfield checked the eruv on Feb. 10. Along with transporting a ladder, Wilansky brought a hammer, wire cutters and other small tools.

The materials were enough, he said, to fix certain areas where a string had snapped.

But maintaining the eruv becomes more challenging and costly when it requires professional attention, Wilansky said.

Chaim Cowen, a licensed electrical contractor, has worked on Pittsburgh’s eruv for approximately seven years. Most fixes, he said, take only an hour. The more complicated ones, however, can take four or five

hours and require the use of a bucket truck.

Cowen, a Greenfield resident who founded his own company last year, doesn’t own a bucket truck, so he rents one from his previous employer, Valley Electric Co., when repairs require climbing poles as high as 35 feet.

Cowen said he happily performs the repairs at a discounted rate on behalf of the community, but that the work is neither glamorous nor lucrative.

When Cowen is called in, he’s often subject to freezing temperatures or other inclement conditions.

Please see Eruv, page 15

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Headlines Pitt professor accused of comparing wearing face mask to being gassed at Auschwitz — LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

A

t least one University of Pittsburgh student has alleged that visiting professor Vasili Rukhadze said that wearing a mask while lecturing was like being gassed at Auschwitz.

The professor denies he made the comment.

A university junior who goes by the Reddit handle Jsmooth123456 said that before the class began, Rukhadze complained about being forced to wear a mask, stating, it’s “like being gassed at Auschwitz.” The student said the comment was made earlier this month while the professor was teaching a politics of water course.

Jsmooth, who is Jewish — and who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of academic reprisal — said he was stunned and that other students in the class seemed to be taken aback by the professor’s comment.

“Nobody was sure how to react,” Jsmooth told the Chronicle. “He just kept going and just moved on with the lecture. I don’t think anybody felt comfortable.”

Jsmooth said he messaged the professor Please see Professor, page 15

p Varsity Walk at the University of Pittsburgh

Photo by Christopher Lancaster, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Headlines Rodef Shalom’s rabbi continues on ‘administrative leave’ — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

R

abbi Aaron Bisno, senior rabbi of Rodef Shalom Congregation, will continue on paid administrative leave “for the foreseeable future,” Matthew Falcone, the congregation’s president, told the Chronicle.

Bisno was placed on administrative leave late last year. In a Nov. 30 email to congregants, Falcone said that Bisno had taken a leave of absence “to have some time away from work.” No additional details were provided then as to the reason for Bisno’s leave.

Bisno has been senior rabbi of Rodef Shalom, the largest Reform congregation in Pittsburgh, since 2004.

Rodef Shalom’s board updated the congregation on Bisno’s employment status in a Feb. 11 email.

“Late last year, we were put into a difficult position when personnel allegations were brought forth relative to Rabbi Bisno and employees communicated workplace culture concerns,” the email said. “The Board felt that the pattern and tone of these allegations were concerning enough that the most just and best path forward was to place Rabbi Bisno on paid administrative leave while we

 Rabbi Aaron Bisno

File photo

gathered more information.”

Details of the allegations, including the names of those who made the claims, were not shared in the email in order to “protect the employees’ confidentiality,” consistent with Rodef Shalom’s personnel policies, the email stated.

The congregation engaged a firm outside Pittsburgh to “conduct an independent, thorough, and objective investigation,” the email continued. That firm interviewed current and former employees, as well as Bisno.

“We wanted to ensure that our Senior Rabbi had as much due process as possible,”

the board said in the email.

The investigation recently concluded, the email continued “and now the Board’s legal representation is in communication with Rabbi Bisno’s lawyer on the next steps. Right now, we are seeking to resolve this matter as amicably as possible as Rabbi Bisno remains on paid leave.”

There is about a year-and-a-half left on Bisno’s employment contract. Falcone said he could not comment on whether the rabbi’s contract would be renewed.

While the board declined in the Feb. 11 email to share details of the investigation for “legal reasons,” it confirmed that the investigation “did not identify any illegal actions.”

When Bisno was placed on leave, “he was informed that staff had raised complaints, but in order to protect the employees’ confidentiality, we were not able to share the exact details of these allegations,” the email stated.

“Some congregants feel that the Senior Rabbi deserved more information, but that is not compatible with best personnel practices in a sensitive matter like this, and, under the circumstances, we shared as much as we believed we responsibly could.”

Bisno has been a cherished spiritual leader to many during his time on Rodef Shalom’s pulpit.

“We hold our rabbi in the highest regard,” Jim Rudolph, a longtime member of Rodef Shalom, told the Chronicle.

The board’s Feb. 11 email acknowledged that some congregants feel that “the Board has not been forthcoming with information,” and said that now that the investigation is closed, it would

“communicate with more clarity.”

“Rabbi Bisno has been a stalwart spiritual advocate for so many of our congregants and families, so we understand that this letter may be troubling to read,” the email continued. “However, the Board believes that some of his actions with regard to employee treatment were inconsistent with the policies in our employee handbook and the standard for staff and organizational leadership that we expect of our Senior Rabbi.

“In the coming weeks and months, there will be more important decisions we need to make,” the email stated. “We promise you we will continue to make careful decisions that ultimately ensure the growth and vitality of Rodef Shalom.”

Falcone said he is not aware of any lawsuits filed about the matter.

Bisno told the Chronicle he had “no comment at this time.”

Rabbi Sharyn Henry, who has served the congregation since 1999, will continue to serve Rodef Shalom. Rabbi Jessica Locketz, a local rabbi and educator, is assisting Rodef Shalom with life cycle events and Torah study and will be doing so “for the foreseeable future,” Falcone told the Chronicle.

Rodef Shalom has been without an executive director since August 2020. Members of the board’s executive committee are “collectively” filling the role of executive director, according to a Jan. 20 email to the congregation, and the board is searching for an interim executive director. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Police investigating suspicious activity near Yeshiva Boys School

New Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery This field of graves in Shaler Township demonstrates our sacred mission to bury the indigent. Located in Shaler Township and established in 1913 when Old Chesed Shel Emeth ran out of space, this section is now filled. The JCBA is using the adjacent “newest” section of Chesed Shel Emeth, and continuing the tradition of making plots available for those in need.

For more information about JCBA cemeteries, to volunteer, to read our complete histories and/or to make a contribution, please visit our website at www.JCBApgh.org, email us at jcbapgh@gmail.com, or call the JCBA office at 412-553-6469 JCBA’s expanded vision is made possible by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Foundation

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man seen in the area of the Yeshiva Boys School, at the corner of Wainwright and Hobart streets, at approximately 8 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13, appeared to be casing the area, according to an email from Shawn Brokos, director of community security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Chai

Bill McDoodle, the security guard at Yeshiva, followed the man to a green building located at the corner of Hoosac Street and Greenfield Avenue. McDoodle reported the incident to the police and, as of press time, they were still investigating. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

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Headlines Pittsburgher Valerie Monaco wins Sefaria’s ‘Women In Tech’ award — LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

W

hile standing at Rodef Shalom Congregation’s bimah in 2019 for the bat mitzvah of her daughter, Aviva Monaco-Polk, Valerie Monaco felt a spiritual closeness to the Torah and knew at that moment that she, too, wanted to chant from the holy scroll.

“I looked over her shoulder at the Torah and heard her chant and I was like, ‘This is very special,’” Monaco recalled. “I wanted to experience it as well. I became interested in being able to connect with Judaism on that level.”

Monaco didn’t have the opportunity to become a bat mitzvah as a teenager. She grew up in a Protestant home and attended Catholic high school before marrying Deb Polk, who is Jewish. In 2013 Monaco converted but had missed many of the life cycle events experienced by those born into the faith.

Shortly after her daughter’s bat mitzvah, Monaco, who is active at Bet Tikvah and Rodef Shalom, began preparing for her adult bat mitzvah with Rabbi Sharyn Henry.

As the Yiddish saying goes, “Man plans, and God laughs.”

Monaco’s in-person bat mitzvah training was soon forced online due to the pandemic.

The experience wasn’t optimal, but it helped her develop an award-winning idea using Sefaria, the popular online digital library featuring the Torah, Talmud and other Jewish texts.

“I thought, maybe there’s a way that we can be looking at things together, using Sefaria and Zoom, and share the screen,” Monaco said. “I just started thinking about it from that perspective.”

Monaco, who works as a senior data analyst for the City of Pittsburgh and has graduate degrees in psychology and human-computer interaction, began thinking about Torah, trope and its intersection with technology.

While seeking online trope resources, she realized that audio clips could be combined with verses of Torah text in a Safari resource sheet.

“I thought, that’s pretty cool,” Monaco said.

“And you can highlight things in Sefaria.

I thought, well, this is a pretty neat way to pull things together and really leverage the power of Sefaria.”

The fruit of Monaco’s work was an 18-page instruction booklet so others could replicate what she had done. And realizing that most people are unlikely to navigate through what might be viewed as an unwieldy resource,

studying and a source sheet is generated listing the verse in Hebrew and transliteration along with audio files recorded

by Cantor Wendy Shermet.

Unfortunately, Monaco finished the project in August 2021, just a few weeks before being called to the Torah for the first time on Sept. 24, 2021 — meaning she didn’t have much time to use the project for her own studies.

She was, however, able to enter the project in Sefaria’s “Powered by Sefaria” contest.

The contest awards users who find unique and meaningful ways to use its open-source program and free digital dataset of Jewish texts, translations and interconnections.

On Feb. 6, Monaco was notified that she won the “Women in Tech” category. p Valerie Monaco Photo courtesy of Valerie Monaco In addition to all the naches that accompanies such an Monaco created the Torah Chanting Source award, Monaco earned a prize of $5,000.

“It’s sort of a ridiculously large prize and Sheet Generator website.

Visitors to the website Monaco created enter the Torah chapter and verse they are Please see Sefaria, page 8

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Calendar Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q FRIDAY, FEB. 18 National Council of Jewish Women is proud to host teen leaders from Allderdice High School’s Black Student Union as they present “Why Racism Is Systemic: Black Health & Its History,” on the history of policies and practices affecting Black Americans. This presentation, originally made to the Allderdice faculty as part of a professional development program in 2021, will focus on Black health and its history. All are welcome for this important lunch and learn session. Noon. ncjwpghevents.org. q FRIDAY, FEB. 18-MARCH 5 The Zionist Organization of America: Pittsburgh is accepting applications for its Israel Scholarship Program. Jewish teens participating in qualified programs, who will be a junior or senior in high school in September 2022, are eligible to apply.

Three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded.

Applicants will be judged on their involvement in Jewish organizations, volunteerism and on an essay about Zionism and Israel. Applications will be accepted through March 5. For information and applications, contact ZOA Executive Director Stuart Pavilack at stuart.pavilack@zoa.org or 304-639-1758. q SUNDAY, FEB. 20 Classrooms Without Borders and the Holocaust Teacher Institute is proud to announce the Sunday Salon Series: The Rape of Europa the Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War, in conversation with Miriam Klein Kassenoff. 5 p.m. classroomswithoutborders. org/sunday-salon-series.

q SUNDAYS, FEB. 20-APR. 3 Join a lay-led Online Parashah Study Group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge is needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAYS, FEB. 21-APRIL 4 Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q TUESDAY, FEB. 22 Join Classrooms Without Borders and in-house scholar Avi Ben Hur to learn more about the ArabIsraeli conflict. The goal is to make the subject accessible to educators and to give them the tools with which to grapple in the classroom with the subject at large and with breaking news. 2 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/arab_israeli_conflict.

Join Jewish National Fund-USA for a series of interviews, panel discussions and more — all meant to facilitate a dialogue and expose the beautiful and diverse facets of modern Zionism and its positive impact on many aspects of our lives, no matter where we are on the globe. 7:30 p.m. jnf.org/eventslanding-pages/conversations-on-zionism. q TUESDAYS, FEB. 22; MARCH 15, 22, 29; APRIL 12 Temple Sinai presents Cooking Like an Ashkenazi Grandmother. This free, online adult education class is perfect for people who are new to Jewish cooking, people looking for new tips or techniques and those who are interested in a new recipe.

6:30 p.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/cooking-likeashkenazi-grandmother.html. q TUESDAYS, FEB. 22-MAY 24 Sign up now for Melton Core 2, Ethics and Crossroads of Jewish Living. Discover the central ideas and texts that inform our daily, weekly and annual rituals, as well as life cycle observances and

Join the Chronicle Book Club: ‘Plunder’

T

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club’s Feb. 27 meeting, when we will be discussing “Plunder”

by Menachem Kaiser.

From harvard.com: “Menachem Kaiser’s brilliantly told story, woven from improbable events and profound revelations, is set in motion when the author takes up his Holocaust-survivor grandfather’s former battle to reclaim the family’s apartment building in Sosnowiec, Poland. Soon, he is on a circuitous path to encounters with the long-time residents of the building, and with a Polish lawyer known as ‘The Killer.’ A surprise discovery — that his grandfather’s cousin not only survived the war, but wrote a secret memoir while a slave laborer in a vast, secret Nazi tunnel complex — leads to Kaiser being adopted as a virtual celebrity by a band of Silesian treasure seekers who revere the memoir as the indispensable guidebook to Nazi plunder.” The author will be joining us for part of the meeting.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2022

Your Hosts

Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle David Rullo, Chronicle staff writer

How It Works

We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, Feb. 27, at noon to discuss the book. As you read it, we invite you to share comments and join discussions in our Facebook group, Chronicle Connects: Jewish PGH. We invite you to join now if you are not already a member of the group.

What To Do

Buy: “Plunder.” It is available at Barnes & Noble at the Waterfront, Settler’s Ridge and Monroeville Mall, at Amazon.com and from other online retailers.

Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line. We will send you a Zoom link for the meeting.

See you later this month! PJC

essential Jewish theological concepts and ideas as they unfold in the Bible, the Talmud and other sacred texts. $300. 9:30 a.m. foundation.jewishpgh. org/melton-2. q WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23 Classrooms Without Borders presents Czech Embassy Series: Stories from the Middle East with Journalist Jakub Szántó. Szántó, spent years covering the region. He later published the book “Behind the Curtain of War,” which describes his eyewitness accounts from the front lines. In his talk, he will take viewers behind the scenes of wartime reporting. 3 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/ stories-middle-east-journalist-jakub-szanto.

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for Jewish Disability Advocacy Day: Opening Ceremony on Breaking Down Barriers. Come together virtually with diverse communities across North America to break down barriers to opportunity and inclusion. Help advance policies that will empower millions of individuals with disabilities to lead more independent and fulfilling lives. 7 p.m. jewishpgh.org/event/jewish-disability-advocacy-dayopening-ceremony-on-breaking-down-barriers.

Chabad of the South Hills presents “Meditation from Sinai,” a new Jewish Learning Institute course on mindful awareness and divine spirituality to help you think, feel and live more deeply. $95. 7:30 p.m.

1701 McFarland Road or on Zoom. Call 412-512-3046 or email rabbi@chabadsh.com for more information or to register. q

WEDNESDAYS, FEB. 23-MARCH 30

Bring the parshah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful. Study the weekly Torah portion with Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman.

12:15 p.m. bethshalompgh.org/life-text.

Join Temple Sinai to study the weekly Torah portion in its hybrid class available on Zoom.

Open to everyone. Noon. templesinaipgh.org/ event/parashah/weekly-torah-portion-classvia-zoom11.html. q THURSDAY, FEB. 24 Classrooms Without Borders, in coordination with Tali Nates, founder and director of the Johannesburg Genocide & Holocaust Centre, and in partnership with the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Liberation 75 and the USC Shoah Foundation, is pleased to present the series Holocaust Museums and Memorials Around the World. 1 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/holocaust_museums_ and_memorials_around_the_world.

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for Jewish Disability Advocacy Day. Hear from members of congress, disability advocacy champions and experts. Learn about promoting legislation and get the tools and coaching to advocate for disability events in real time. 1 p.m. jewishpgh.org/event/jewish-disability-advocacy-day.

q SATURDAY, FEB. 26 Join Moishe House and celebrate Havdalah — the last event in February. 3 p.m. RSVP: bit.ly/ moho-022622. q SUNDAY, FEB. 27 Classrooms Without Borders and The Ghetto Fighters’ House invite you to History, Archeology and Memory: The 80th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Death Camps Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka. 2 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/history-archeologymemory-80th-anniversary-establishment-deathcamps-belzec-sobibor-treblinka. q SUNDAYS, FEB. 27, MAR. 6, 13; THURSDAY, MAR. 10 Join Beth El Congregation of the South Hills for its Winter Speaker Series. For a complete list of speakers and times, visit bethelcong.org/events. q MONDAY, FEB. 28 Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for Success in the Workplace: Engaging People of All Abilities, an event in celebration of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month and Jewish Disability Advocacy Day. Inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace is not only good for the community — it’s also good for business. Join the conversation exploring the benefits of a diverse workforce. 5:30 p.m. jewishpgh.org/event/successin-the-workplace-engaging-people-of-all-abilities. q WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 Join Jewish National Fund-USA and small communities from across the country virtually for Small Community Virtual Book Talk with Scott Shay, a leading businessman, thought leader and author. Learn about his case study of anti-Zionist conspiracy theories championed on college campuses by both the far left and far right in his book, Conspiracy U. 7 p.m. q MONDAY, MARCH 7 The Yeshiva Girls School is putting on its biannual production. This year the school will tell the story of Bustenai, the last descendant of King David’s dynasty. Learn the story of his survival and how he saved the Jews from devastation. $18. 7 p.m. 6401 Forbes Ave., 15217. tinyurl.com/ yeshivaproduction2022. q THURSDAY, MARCH 10 Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for the free event Universal Early Childhood Education: What Could This Mean for Our Jewish Community? 7 p.m. jewishpgh.org/event/universalearly-childhood-education-what-could-this-meanfor-our-jewish-community-4. q SUNDAY, MARCH 20

Join Moishe House for a takeout Shabbat dinner.

Members will be lighting candles socially distanced and masked up, and then you will take home a Shabbat meal to remember. 6 p.m. RSVP at bit.ly/ moho-020422.

After a two-year hiatus, Hillel JUC Campus Superstar is back. The show will be at Stage AE in person and livestreamed. The solo singing competition features the region’s most talented college students. The audience votes to determine who will win the $5,000 Ellen Weiss Kander Grand Prize. 5:30 p.m. interland3.donorperfect.net/ weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=hilleljuc&id=48.

q FRIDAY, FEB. 25; SATURDAY, FEB. 26

q THURSDAYS, APRIL 7-JUNE 30

Join Temple Emanuel of South Hills for a musician-in-residence weekend with Jewish music innovators Elana Jagoda and Saul Kaye during Friday Shabbat services and for a special Havdalah and concert. Both events start at 7 p.m.

Registration required for the Saturday night concert. templeemanuelpgh.org/event/jagoda.

The Alan Papernick Educational Institute Endowment Fund presents Continuing Legal Education, a sixpart CLE series taught by Foundation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff. Earn up to 12 CLE credits. Each session is a stand-alone unit; you can take one class or all six. 8:30 a.m. With CLE credit: $30/session or $150 all sessions; without CLE credit: $25/session or $125 all sessions. For a complete list of dates and topics, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org/continuing-legaleducation. PJC

q FRIDAY, FEB. 25

— Toby Tabachnick

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines ‘People of the Book’: The Jewish graphic novel on exhibit at Saint Vincent College

p Pages 14 and 15 from “Opening the Windows: A Readers’ Guide to The Prophetic Quest The Stained Glass Windows of Jacob Landau” by JT Waldman. Published by Temple Judea Museum - Congregation Keneseth Israel, Elkins Park, Pennsylvania: 2015

p Page 24 and 25 from “Passover Haggadah Graphic Novel” by Jordan B. Gorfinkel, illustrations by Erez Zadok Published by Koren Publishers, Jerusalem: 2019.

Images courtesy of Jordan B. Gorfinkel

Image courtesy of JT Waldman

— LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

A

new exhibit at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe takes a page from Jewish graphic novels and comics.

Showcasing 12 projects that recount biblical tales, rabbinic writings and personal biographies, the exhibit pairs image and text to spark conversation.

When Ben Schachter and Andrew Julo began work on “People of the Book & the Storyboard” nearly two years ago, neither of the Saint Vincent staffers considered their efforts particularly prescient. Yet, in recent weeks, Jewish graphic novels have gained national attention.

Just before Jan. 27 — International Holocaust Remembrance Day — a 10-person school board in McMinn County, Tennessee, voted unanimously to remove Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” from its curriculum, saying the work contained language and imagery unsuitable for students.

Along with depicting Jews as mice and Nazis as cats, “Maus,” a Pulitzer Prizewinning nonfiction book written in the graphic style, describes the author’s relationship with his father, a Holocaust survivor.

As news of the school board’s decision traveled nationwide, the conversation and debate around “Maus” grew. During an on-air discussion about the book’s banning during “The View,” co-host Whoopi Goldberg ignited new controversy by claiming the Holocaust was not about race.

Goldberg later apologized but received a two-week suspension from ABC. Meanwhile, the uproar spurred by the Tennessee school board’s decision generated new interest in “Maus” — and sales of the book exploded.

“The Complete Maus,” which contains

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p Mishna 20 & 21 from “The Illustrated Pirkei Avot: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Ethics” by Jessica Tamar Deutsch. Published by Print-O-Craft Press, Philadelphia: 2017.

Image courtesy of David Zvi Kalman

volumes 1 and 2 of Spiegelman’s work, has remained the third-most-sold book on

Amazon Charts since the controversy began.

Schachter, an art professor at Saint

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Vincent, said he never imagined Jewish graphic novels would feature so prominently in national discourse.

It was Schachter’s contribution to the genre that originally prompted the push for an exhibit about Jewish graphic novels, Julo said.

In 2020, Schachter completed “Akhnai Pizza,” a graphic novel that reimagines a Talmudic dispute regarding the ritual purity of an oven. But as opposed to offering readers a black-and-white page of Aramaic language in which rabbis debate Jewish law, Schachter departed from the traditional Talmudic style and set his story in Pittsburgh, with illustrated characters arguing, in English, about which pizza is the city’s best.

With “Akhnai Pizza,” Schachter tapped into a growing trend, according to Julo, director and curator of the Verostko Center for the Arts at Saint Vincent.

During the past several decades, authors and illustrators have created a “really interesting subset within graphic arts,” he said.

And the new exhibit offers recent examples of “sophisticated ways of telling stories to lots of audiences, regardless of age group.”

Among the 12 items within the exhibit is an illustrated Haggadah, a graphic novel of Pirkei Avot and a visual adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary.

Part of the exhibit’s uniqueness, Schachter said, is that it provides visitors three distinct ways to experience the materials. Attendees can see images displayed in a traditional gallery style, but there’s also space set up like a living room, where people can take any of the 12 works and “sit down and enjoy the books in a casual, natural way.” People can also experience the exhibit virtually by watching and listening to several upcoming lectures on Zoom.

On Feb. 10, at 6:30 p.m., Samantha Baskind, Please see Exhibit, page 15

FEBRUARY 18, 2022

7

Headlines Rodef Shalom gets government grant to support a virtual tour of its artifacts — LOCAL —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

R

odef Shalom Congregation received a $16,000 grant to build a virtual tour of its storied Fifth Avenue site and the numerous collections housed within the synagogue.

The grant was made through PA Humanities, a state humanities council that is an independent nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

The organization announced $1.4 million in recovery funds for 92 Pennsylvania-based organizations under the umbrella PA SHARP (Pennsylvania, Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan).

Leaders at Rodef Shalom were encouraged to seek the PA SHARP grant after receiving a $10,000 PA Humanities grant for personal protective equipment to combat COVID-19 in 2020, according to Mayda Roth, the congregation’s director of development.

Roth said this year’s grant will focus on the congregation’s efforts to celebrate its history.

“We certainly know the value of [history] at Rodef Shalom,” Roth told the Chronicle.

“We have art and artifacts in our building that, to quote the MasterCard commercial, are priceless.”

This year’s grant will help “create a virtual tour of our building, inside and out,” she added. “And we’ll feature our magnificent main sanctuary.”

The sanctuary — designed by Henry Hornbostel, an American architect who designed more than 225 buildings, bridges,

p Rodef Shalom Congregation

and monuments across the U.S. — is not the only star of the virtual show, though.

As examples, Roth pointed to the needlepoint work of Barbara Trellis; a circa-1907 Kimball organ “in need of a benefactor to support its renovation”; and the 100,000-square-foot building’s stunning stained-glass window panels by Herman Schladermundt, a student of Louis Tiffany.

The removal and preservation of the stained-glass panels are made possible through support from the Jack Buncher Foundation, the Samuel Levine Endowments, in loving memory of Howard Rom by his family and through the generosity of more than 150 congregants, Roth said.

“The humanities are on the ground,

Photo courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation

putting people first, by making spaces for new voices, supporting meaningful learning experiences and fostering healing and resiliency in communities of all sizes,” said Laurie Zierer, executive director of PA Humanities.

“PA SHARP further strengthens this essential work through network building, financial support and reimagining the possibilities of the humanities across the state.”

PA Humanities reviewed 337 applications — 41% of which were new applicants.

Ninety-two recipients were selected, representing museums, historical societies, libraries and other vital cultural institutions in 30 counties across Pennsylvania. They were carefully selected with an emphasis on equity and geographic diversity, PA

Humanities said in a prepared statement.

Applicants to PA SHARP reported losses totaling $176 million, revealing the ongoing impact of the pandemic on the cultural sector.

Funds from PA SHARP will help address that challenge by supporting engaging programming, capacity building and general operations, according to PA Humanities.

PA SHARP is an expansion of PA Humanities’ previous recovery work, beginning when the pandemic first affected business operations. In 2020, PA Humanities rapidly responded by reallocating its program funding for emergency support through Pop-Up Grants for Cultural Producers and then later distributed an additional $780,500 through PHC CARES, part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

Funding for PA SHARP comes from PA Humanities’ federal partner, the NEH, as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Recognizing the financial realities of the pandemic and the vital importance of the humanities to economic and civic life, the legislation allocated to the NEH funds to “prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from the coronavirus.”

Rodef Shalom also recently received government funding to support multiple roof replacements and repairs, primarily over its social hall. The project will be financed in part by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Commonwealth Finance Authority and the Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County. PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

Mike Doyle co-sponsors bill aimed at ending Israel’s ‘occupation’

R

ep. Mike Doyle (D-District 18) signed on as a co-sponsor of the Two-State Solution Act, intended to “preserve conditions for, and improve the likelihood of, a two-state solution that secures Israel’s future as a democratic state and a national home for the Jewish people, a viable, democratic Palestinian state, [and] an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories,” the bill’s summary states.

On Jan. 18, Doyle signed on as one of 45 co-sponsors of the bill, which was introduced in the House on Sept. 23, 2021.

Referring to “Israeli settlements as an obstacle to peace,” the bill prohibits the United States from providing support for projects in areas that came under Israeli control after June 5, 1967. It also prohibits the use of any “U.S. security assistance, defense articles, or defense services provided to Israel for efforts to annex or exercise permanent control over any part of the West Bank or Gaza.”

The bill, if passed, will terminate the designation of the Palestine Liberation Organization as a terrorist organization, and restriction of its activities, if the president

certifies that the PLO has ceased supporting terrorist actions and met other conditions.

The bill further provides that goods “produced in the West Bank or Gaza that are imported into the United States must indicate those areas as the country of origin on their labels,” and expands the scope of “foreign and development assistance to foster initiatives, including shared educational opportunities and youth activities, that connect Israelis and Palestinians.”

“This urgent legislation takes meaningful steps to redirect US policy toward

promoting peace, ending the occupation and reversing the steps President Trump took to empower the far-right settlement movement — and I’m so proud that we can now count Representative Doyle as a supporter,” Zach Spitz, the J Street advocacy coordinator for Doyle’s office, said in an email to supporters.

Doyle’s office did not respond to requests for an interview about the bill. He will not be running for reelection and will retire at the end of his term. PJC

Sefaria:

said, is knowing that Sefaria can promote the program, which can give a boost to the website.

Russel Neiss, Sefaria’s senior project engineer, said the Powered by Sefaria contest helps promote Judaism and technology, and that Monaco’s project was interesting because it combined audio files and text.

“It created a really interesting opportunity for someone who was not familiar with this sort of really difficult mimetic tradition to

become more attuned to it through this little sort of technological advantage. It was really nice,” he said.

Neiss said a goal of the “Woman in Tech” award is to help support Sefaria’s belief that technology should be accessible to all, and that technology shouldn’t create a barrier to using the program.

“It’s our little way of trying to live by the values we espouse,” he said.

Polk, Monaco’s wife, said that while she was proud of her spouse, she wasn’t surprised.

“Because I know she does amazing quality work and this was really in her wheelhouse,” Polk said. “She had a great idea and the skills necessary to execute it. I think that it’s really wonderful.” PJC

Continued from page 5

clearly that motivates people,” Monaco said.

“But really, I wanted to get the ideas out of my head and onto the screen. It was great they held the contest because it is motivating to have the time structure and an end-goal.”

Just as satisfying as the prize, Monaco 8 FEBRUARY 18, 2022

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

— Toby Tabachnick

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

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Who was Emanuel Spector? vacuum in the ranks of his followers,” the American Jewish Outlook wrote. The person best suited to undertake such an ambitious communitywide campaign was Manny Spector himself.

— LOCAL —

By Eric Lidji | Special to the Chronicle

N

othing is remembered solely on its merits. Even the most important people and the most monumental experiences require active and ongoing promotion. Think how many mementos have been inserted into Jewish life to ensure that the Jewish people remember the Exodus, an event that would seem to need no help in being remembered.

One way to outsmart forgetfulness is by naming things, but even this method is fallible. Thousands zip past Reizenstein Way each day without knowing that the street was named for a school, which itself was named for a civil rights activist. But at least the name serves as a clue, giving the curious an opportunity to investigate further.

Here’s another clue. The most prestigious honor in the local Jewish community is the Emanuel Spector Memorial Award. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh bestows it each year as something of a lifetime achievement award for volunteer service.

The true measure of any memorial is whether it outlasts everyone who knew the original thing first hand. Emanuel Spector died 70 years ago this month. There are still a few people in the community who knew him.

When they go, will he become just a name?

The Man

Spector was born in Russia around 1897 and came to Pittsburgh in 1913 with plans to study medicine. He went into business instead. He peddled for a time and saved enough to start E. Spector & Co., a wholesaling house on lower Fifth Avenue.

The turning point of his life came in 1935, when his wife Mary Dorothy Spector died unexpectedly. He devoted his remaining years to raising their daughter, Marjorie, and to communal work. He joined the emerging United Jewish Fund in 1936 and grew in responsibility to become its president in 1948, 1949 and 1950, crucial years when global Jewry needed incredible sums to underwrite a massive resettlement effort following World War II and the Holocaust. He raised more than $7 million in those years alone.

Fundraising might impress, but it rarely inspires devotion. Spector was a magnetic, beloved personality. He was known as “the conscious of the community.” His skill was

The Award

p A letter written to Emanuel Spector shortly after his death Images provided by the Rauh Jewish Archives

p After a year of deliberations, the local Jewish community created the Emanuel Spector Memorial Award in 1953 to honor a beloved communal worker.

not raising money but bringing new people onto a cause. Instead of getting a lot out of a few, he got a little out of many — and ultimately he achieved more doing it. One of his sayings was, “It’s not my headache alone, but also yours and yours and yours.”

The Fund

The communal grief following Spector’s death was intense. The local Jewish press carried memorial resolutions for months.

Those were fairly common after the death of prominent people, but these carried an unusual sense of urgency: “Manny’s passing can become a catastrophe for this community unless each of us resolves in reverence and humility to assume a fair share of his sacrificial labors,” the Y Weekly wrote.

There was a feeling that the community had failed to properly memorialize earlier beloved figures. Strong sentiments had spawned big ambitions that went nowhere.

And so, just a few hours after Spector’s funeral, his inner circle met at the home of Leon Falk Jr. and decided, somewhat spontaneously, to create “a living memorial that will represent everything fine in our way of life

that Mr. Spector stood for.” On the spot, they formed a 45-person committee representing all segments of the Jewish community.

A few weeks later, the committee launched a $250,000 campaign for an Emanuel Spector Memorial Fund and appointed a 14-person subcommittee to work out the details.

The committee went quiet for two months and then scheduled two meetings. The first was an invitation-only affair at the Schenley Hotel in late May. The second was a communitywide memorial service at Congregation Beth Shalom in mid-June. The goal of the May meeting was to raise most of the campaign goal before the June service. The committee had collected just $22,000 despite having grown to a dizzying 108 members.

The strategy failed. By the end of June, the campaign had only raised $35,000 of its $250,000 goal. The committee went quiet again for the rest of the year. It reorganized that December with a new chair, a new name, a new charter and, hopefully, new energy.

But as Spector’s first yahrzeit approached in February 1953, the project was still frozen with paralysis. “As the months have passed, the sentiment has been replaced by a conscious loss, a continual question by our leaders — ‘what would Manny do or say?’ This was the sort of persuasive, cohesive leadership which leaves behind a vast

As Spector’s unveiling approached that spring, the committee finally settled on an idea. It would create three awards in Spector’s memory, honoring causes he admired.

The “Pittsburgh Award” would recognize a recent civic contribution by a Pittsburgher “without reference to sex, color or creed.”

The “Israel Award” would recognize contributions to health and social welfare in the state of Israel. The “National Award” would recognize a Jewish person who had made societal contributions on a national level. Each award would have its own recommending body to find nominees.

The National Award disappeared by fall, and the Israel Award by winter. Then the scope of the Pittsburgh Award considerably narrowed. It no longer recognized contributions by anyone in Pittsburgh but instead focused on accomplishments by members of the local Jewish community. In practice, it narrowed even further: The first seven awardees were all members of the Emanuel Spector Memorial Committee. One year early on, the Federation gave the award to itself, in honor of its 50th anniversary.

These diminished ambitions might actually explain the persistence of the Emanuel Spector Memorial Award these past 70 years.

Awards — especially those without prizes — become prestigious through the stature of previous awardees. Almost half the people who have won the award are directly related to someone else who has won it — parents, children, siblings and spouses. Freda G. Shapira was one of at least six Shapiras to have won the award. In her acceptance speech, she noted that Manny Spector was her cousin.

How perfectly Pittsburgh that the highest honor in the Jewish community values deep roots, personal affection and family traditions over, say, global renown.

Manny was known to call his friends twice each day, just to say hello. That’s the spirit of the award. PJC Eric Lidji is the director of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center. He can be reached at rjarchives@heinzhistorycenter. org or 412-454-6406.

Free financial coaching available from JFunds

J

Funds, a collaboration of the supportive financial resources in Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, recently received two grants to provide free individual financial coaching for the next three years. The grants were awarded by the Jewish Women’s Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.

“As people are drained by COVID’s impact in our lives, and all the pivots and adjustments, PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

financial coaching offers a supportive opportunity,” said Cindy Goodman-Leib, executive director of the Jewish Assistance Fund. “During these unprecedented times, the Jewish community is providing free access to a powerful and highly successful service that is proactive and supportive.

“The financial coaching process will support people as they move through these economically challenging times toward a brighter

future,” she continued. “With the support of the Jewish Women’s Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund we are assuring that financial coaching is accessible and available to the whole Jewish community.”

Appointments with the financial coach are free and can focus on “whatever goals the client chooses, including credit score improvement, affording tuition, saving/investing, debt

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

management, budgeting/spending plans, buying a home, student loan consolidation, credit card use best practices, and/or applying for public assistance programs,” according to JFunds officials.

Appointments are via Zoom and can be scheduled at JFundsPgh.org/ financialcoaching. PJC — Toby Tabachnick FEBRUARY 18, 2022

9

Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

Muslim groups in Indonesia want to close Holocaust exhibit

Some Indonesian Muslim groups seek to close the country’s first permanent Holocaust exhibition, saying it’s part of an effort to normalize the nation’s relations with Israel.

The exhibit launch was timed to International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 and is in Indonesia’s only synagogue, Shaar HaShamayim. “Shoah: How is it Humanly Possible?” was created by the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel.

Rabbi Yaakov Baruch of Shaar HaShamayim said he had personal motivation to open the exhibit because family members died in the Holocaust.

Although several conservative Muslim groups have expressed opposition, representatives from Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization — and the world’s largest Islamic organization — have said they support the exhibition as does the local government.

NFL player wishes he could dine with Hitler

Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen of the NFL’s Washington Commanders said that

if he had his druthers he’d break bread with Adolf Hitler, then later apologized.

In an “ask me anything” tweet, a fan asked Allen who were the three people, dead or alive, he wanted to dine with. He listed his grandfather, Hitler and Michael Jackson.

When asked why Hitler, Allen said, “He’s a military genius and I love military tactics but honestly I would want to pick his brain as to why he did what he did. I’m also assuming that the people I’ve chosen have to answer all my questions honestly.”

Allen removed his offending tweet after Twitter blew up.

Later, he tweeted: “Early I tweeted something that probably hurt people and I apologize about what I said. I didn’t express properly what I was trying to say and I realize it was dumb!”

British Jews record highest antisemitic tally in Europe

British Jews and authorities recorded 2,255 antisemitic incidents in the United Kingdom in 2021 — the highest recent total in Europe.

It’s the highest total reported in a single calendar year by the Community Security Trust, British Jewry’s antisemitism watchdog.

Its report found an increase of antisemitic incidents of 34%, up from 1,684 incidents a year earlier. The 2021 tally is 24% higher than the 2019 record of 1,813 incidents.

Of the 2021 tally, 871 incidents happened in May and June, close to when Israel and

Hamas were exchanging fire.

“It is no exaggeration to say that the landscape of UK-based antisemitism in 2021 is largely defined by responses to conflict in Israel and Palestine, as indeed is the unprecedented annual figure,” CST wrote.

The UK’s Jewish population is 292,000.

In France, where the Jewish population is 446,000, a watchdog group there recorded 589 hate crimes against Jews in 2021.

Convicted German Holocaust denier hides in Brazil

A far-right German extremist convicted of denying the Holocaust is taking shelter in Brazil.

Nikolai Nerling, 41, told a Brazilian news site that he fears he will be arrested if he returns to Germany.

The Berlin public prosecutor’s office declined to say whether Interpol was notified of his presence in Brazil or whether an extradition request would be filed.

Nerling was fired in May 2018 from a Berlin elementary school where he taught from 2009 to 2018 after a local newspaper report showed that he was disseminating neo-Nazi content.

In December, he was fined 6,000 euros for denying the existence of the Holocaust in front of students visiting the Dachau concentration camp.

Nerling arrived in Brazil on a tourist visa in November and has spent the last few

months touring cities in and creating more content for his social media channels.

Jewish student among those made to attend Christian prayer assembly in West Virginia

More than 100 students at a West Virginia public high school staged a walkout on Feb. 9 to protest what they said was their forced attendance at a Christian prayer assembly during the school day.

Bethany Felinton told the Associated Press that her Jewish son was told he could not leave the assembly, held at Huntington High School the previous week.

“It’s a completely unfair and unacceptable situation to put a teenager in,” she said. “I’m not knocking their faith, but there’s a time and place for everything — and in public schools, during the school day, is not the time and place.”

An evangelical Christian preacher who urged students to commit themselves to Christianity spoke at the event, which took place during a daily period set aside for study, prayer or optional guest speakers.

The event was organized by a group called the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which organizes Christian prayer in schools and communities.

A Cabell County School District spokesperson said the assembly was supposed to be voluntary but that two teachers had mistakenly taken their entire classes. PJC

This week in Israeli history — WORLD — Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.

Feb. 18, 1577 — Safed Jews petition for protection

The Jews of Safed (Tzfat), the largest Jewish community in Ottoman Palestine during the 16th century, petition the sultan for protection from extortion and other persecution by local officials.

Feb. 19, 2009 — Yemeni Jews secretly are flown to Israel

Facing terrorist threats, 10 of the fewer than 300 Jews remaining in Yemen are secretly airlifted to Israel. Most of Yemen’s Jews left during Operation Magic Carpet in 1949 and 1950.

Feb. 20, 2009 — Netanyahu invites Kadima, Labor to join coalition

Benjamin Netanyahu, whose Likud finished second in the Knesset election, is given the chance to form a government and invites Kadima’s Tzipi Livni and Labor’s Ehud Barak to join a coalition.

10

FEBRUARY 18, 2022

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Feb. 21, 1852 — Pope opposes Jewish emancipation

Pope Pius IX protests the partial emancipation of Jews under Grand Duke Leopold II of Tuscany. The pope writes of the need to try to keep Catholics “from having any contact with the infidels.”

Feb. 22, 1948 — Truck bombs explode on Ben Yehuda Street

Arabs disguised as British troops and two British deserters detonate several truck bombs along Ben Yehuda Street’s shopping district in downtown Jerusalem, killing as many as 58 Jewish civilians.

Feb. 23, 1965 — ‘Sallah Shabbati’ is nominated for Oscar

The Israeli movie industry has its first Oscar nominee when “Sallah Shabbati” is nominated for best foreign language film. The film loses the Academy Award but wins a pair of Golden Globes.

Feb. 24, 1942 — Struma is sunk by Soviet sub

Thinking it is an enemy ship, a Soviet submarine sinks the refugee transport SS Struma in the Black Sea. Only one of the 769 Jewish refugees survives. The British had denied them visas to Palestine. PJC

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Foundation presents

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JEWISH LEARNING EXPERIENCES WITH RABBI DANNY SCHIFF

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Answering Holocaust Questions 613 Commandments Sanctified Sex Seminar Leading an Inspiring Seder The Rabbinic Grill

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FEBRUARY 18, 2022

11

Opinion ‘Come, let us reason together’ Guest Columnist Rabbi James A. Gibson

I

n the depths of the despair of World War II, a group of Reform rabbis started an organization called the American Council for Judaism. Its purpose was twofold: 1) to reinforce the notion that Judaism is a religion, not a peoplehood; and 2) to thwart the growing support of Reform rabbis for Zionism, the building of a Jewish state in Palestine.

The Reform rabbinate rejected Zionism in its original platform in 1885. But with Hitler on the rise, they revised their stance in 1937, declaring: “We affirm the obligation of all Jewry to aid in its upbuilding as a Jewish homeland by endeavoring to make it not only a haven of refuge for the oppressed but also a center of Jewish culture and spiritual life.”

After Israel was successfully established, that support grew. After the wars of 1967 and 1973, Zionism became a bedrock principle of the Reform movement. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the rabbinical and cantorial school of the movement, required all its future students to study for a year in Jerusalem. The movement established two kibbutzim and one moshav in Israel. It established ARZA, the Association

of Reform Zionists of America. Finally, in 1997, it signed the Jerusalem Declaration, affirming its commitment to the security and thriving of Israel as Jewish state.

After the war, many Orthodox rabbis were deeply skeptical of a humanly established Jewish state without the direct intervention of the Messiah. But over time Orthodox Jewry in America came to support Israel fervently. Even many Haredim who don’t recognize Zionism as validly Jewish, accept it tacitly. The Forward described this position as “Anti-Zionist in theory, Pro-Israel in practice.” (Moshe Krakowski, The Forward, 10/11/18).

There are still anti-Zionists in both the Reform and Orthodox camps. The American Council for Judaism still exists.

Its website regularly recounts the injustices of Israel’s government and elevates the ethical heritage of Judaism over Zionist concerns. Satmar Hasids and Neturei Karta both passionately oppose the very notion of a secular Jewish state.

Neither group is taken seriously by the broader Jewish community, especially among Federations, congregations and most Jewishly-oriented foundations.

But there is a new expression of anti-Zionism in the Jewish community: Jews who place their concern for Palestinian rights above the need for Jews to keep their sovereignty in a Jewish state.

I’m not talking about J Street, which firmly supports a moral Zionism as it sees

it. Rather these groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, either reject Zionism outright as immoral or are neutral on the value of a Jewish state. Many of them support BDS, the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel to force it into accepting a Palestinian state. These positions enrage many Jews who feel that Jewish lives and Jewish life are directly threatened by their goals.

Their advocacy raises serious questions, ones we can no longer avoid: Should Jewish learning institutions hire teachers who are anti-Zionist?

Do anti-Zionists provide aid and comfort to those who seek to harm us?

Is there a forum in which anti-Zionist ideas can be discussed?

These questions become more pressing when we understand that this new generation of anti-Zionists is largely composed of our children and grandchildren. They grew up learning about how our tradition demands ethics for Jews and non-Jews alike, and absorbed the Torah lesson of “Justice, justice, you shall pursue.” (Deuteronomy 16.20) They’ve seen the pictures of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in Selma “praying with his feet” for civil rights and justice for an oppressed people.

They ask, aren’t the Palestinian people oppressed? Don’t they deserve justice? How can we support a Jewish state which harms people and takes away their rights?

And we answer, “It’s complicated. It’s not

the same as the situation in the States. Jewish lives are in danger!” Many who oppose Zionism brush this reasoning away. Political complexity seems incompatible with their moral vision. So, we bash each other with our arsenal of facts, all of which are true, none of which persuades.

It’s time to take a breath.

A deep one.

As a Zionist, I forthrightly support Israel as a state for Jews and a Jewish state. I also support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, demilitarized and living side-by-side in peace with Israel. A difficult goal, but one that can be achieved.

That said, we can no longer avoid dealing with these hard questions.

We can’t let our fear or ideology keep us from confronting the difficult issues raised by so many of our young. But, by the same token, they must listen as well.

More than once I have offered to meet quietly with Jewish Voice for Peace, to take their views seriously and search for common ground. They have refused to meet, not wanting to grant legitimacy to my views.

But passionate debate has been the cornerstone of Jewish thought for the last 2,000 years. I have spent more than 35 years of my life creating dialogues between people who opposed each other on principle, often with antagonism. The time spent in dialogue is Please see Gibson, page 13

When I recall my father Elie Wiesel, my shame about these Olympics only deepens Guest Columnist Elisha Wiesel

O

n Friday, Feb. 4, my world was shaken. It hit me as though it were a fresh wound: My father, Elie Wiesel, was really gone.

It hurt terribly when he died over five years ago, on July 2, 2016. But I also found peace and awakening as I grieved. I had this sense from the very moment he passed that he would be with me always. Through his dreams for me, I felt that as long as I lived, he would too — as would my ancestors.

This feeling deepened over the years that followed. My year of Mourner’s Kaddish ended and I still found myself drawn to Shabbat peace, to morning tefillin, to the intentionality of a minyan gathered to pray, to the stories of our people in ancient texts. I felt the wholeness of history, of the chain of which he had always wanted me to feel a crucial part, which he so keenly felt himself. And although I miss him daily, I unfailingly find that thinking of him makes my footsteps feel sure.

But on Feb. 4 I had to stop and catch my breath as I realized the depth of my loss, our loss.

12 FEBRUARY 18, 2022

Because that day was the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and millions were tuning in to the opening ceremony. Most of the world didn’t seem to know, or care, that the host country is hosting a pageant of “peace and friendship” while simultaneously terrorizing its Uyghur minority.

The Chinese government’s systematic oppression of the Uyghurs, a Muslim group in northwest China, is not the Holocaust.

But although we may not have seen this particular movie, we know the genre.

I have heard the painful testimony of Uyghur dissidents, who manage to get the word out despite a media clampdown that makes it almost impossible for the Western press to report on the facts. Forced internment camps target people for thought crimes and racial affiliation. Medical data suggests that forced sterilizations are taking place among this targeted racial group. Families have been forcibly separated and threatened into silence.

Just like in 1936, the International Olympic Committee is unwilling to push the issue. And our community is mostly silent.

I saw 100 or 200 brave souls rally on a rainy Thursday in Times Square. In the gray neon light, the young leaders called on each other and passersby via megaphones whose batteries could not keep up with the urgency of the message: Turn off the Olympics, and close the concentration camps in Xinjiang.

It should have been the whole city turning up to honor their message.

I know now that we have failed my father in this regard. He did not fail us. He spoke of how he always felt he had to answer to the dead: Did he do enough? And yes. He did.

He was there to speak up against atrocities in Darfur, Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda. He tried with everything he had to tell us. And all the words he spoke and wrote could not change the fact that five years after his death, 1 million people are reportedly in concentration camps, because of their race and religion, in the grip of a totalitarian regime — a regime honored to host the world’s nations, on a global television platform that packages sports with advertising.

Today’s culture of workplace activism is highly developed. In corporations and small businesses across the United States, Black Americans and their allies, for one, showed with emotion how cries against police brutality could be heard in board rooms and executive suites.

But are men and women of conscience reaching out to their managers at the corporations that sponsor the Olympics? Are voices inside corporate America respectfully but insistently calling for company conversations about their responsibility when they hear survivors’ reports of genocide on the part of the Chinese government? If they are,

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they are not making themselves heard.

There are brave leaders, like Steve Simon of the Women’s Tennis Association, who canceled a lucrative tournament in China when the WTA’s demands for player Peng Shuai’s safety and freedom went unanswered. Natan Sharansky and BernardHenri Lévy, two leading Jewish intellectuals, signed an ad in The New York Times, organized by me and paid for by the Elie Wiesel Foundation, urging a protest of the Beijing Olympics; Jewish organizations across the denominational spectrum have spoken up for the Uyghurs; and Jewish World Watch is trying to generate widespread action around the issue.

But they are still too few. I fear that China’s state-sponsored capitalism has silenced us through our greed.

My father believed passionately that speaking up mattered, especially to the victims.

Have I, blessed to live in this country which stands for freedom, done enough?

“Shame on Xi Jinping,” shouted the determined young people in Times Square on Thursday night.

And I think: Shame on me, if we can’t find some way to help. Shame on us. PJC Elisha Wiesel is the son of Marion and Elie Wiesel. This piece first appeared on JTA. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Opinion Chronicle poll results: Whoopi Goldberg

L

ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Do you think that Whoopi Goldberg’s two-week suspension from ‘The View’ was an appropriate response to the comments she made about the Holocaust?”

Of the 282 people who responded, 37% said “no, because I think that the response was too strong even though I disagree with what she said”; 36% said, “no, because I think the response should have been stronger”; 20% said, “yes”; and 7% said “no, because I think that there is nothing seriously wrong with what she said.” One hundred people submitted comments. A few follow.

Do you think that Whoopi Goldberg’s two-week suspension from “The View” was an appropriate response to the comments she made about the Holocaust?

7% No, because I think that there is nothing seriously wrong with what she said.

She was right: Jews are not a race. She

Gibson: Continued from page 12

almost always fruitful, even when disagreements could not be bridged.

Let me be clear: I cannot advocate for anti-Zionists to teach in institutions committed to Zionism, even if they are

No, because I think that the response was too strong even though I disagree with what she said.

Yes.

36%

Instead, devoting a “The View” program with experts on the subject of the Holocaust and racism to discuss how she was wrong would have been an important teaching moment for her and many viewers.

It’s not about the loss of a paycheck; rather, it is about the message sent. Those that have an open forum must think before they speak.

37%

20%

No, because I think the response should have been stronger.

was wrong: Jews have been and are frequent victims of racism.

This was a teachable moment about accepting apologies.

Torah scholars. Shuls and schools should not be browbeaten into supporting the teaching of values inimical to their missions.

I strongly advocate teaching ahavat Yisrael (love of Israel), both our people and the state, as well as teaching bikoret Yisrael (critique of Israel).

But ahavat Yisrael also demands that we not fence anyone out. Those who oppose

No, because she apologized, learned and set the record straight immediately. Her comments were not hateful, but incorrect as to the facts. Understandably so, in light of her background. To shame or punish her further looks ridiculous and makes Jews look vindictive. Seeking to educate the public about the true facts would have been much better.

merely gave her view. So childish to be “timed out” like a child!

Ms. Goldberg is a very well-educated, astute woman. Her comments cannot be explained as mere ignorance of the topic.

I wish we’d stop trying to silence everyone we disagree with.

Whoopi apologized and admitted her lack of knowledge. We need less cancel and more education.

There are people who distort the Holocaust maliciously, and there are people who distort it out of ignorance. I think this was ignorance. It is, therefore, a teaching moment, not a moment for retribution.

She should have been fired.

The show is called “The View,” and she Zionism in our community are Jews, often serious-minded, caring and knowledgeable.

We should embrace their hard questions even if we cannot accept their answers. The time has come for serious conversations grounded in deep caring for each other, intellectual honesty and willingness to hear views that challenge, or even affront us. The question remains as to whether anti-Zionists

She needs to be educated. What was the point of the suspension? What did she learn during the suspension? Did she hear firsthand accounts from any survivors? I hope she has become more sensitive and learns that it was about race and dehumanization.

Her follow-up comments showed that she listened and learned from the experience.

She now has an opportunity to spread great good by discussing her lack of knowledge and understanding, and helping educate her listeners by sharing the truth about the Holocaust. PJC — Toby Tabachnick Chronicle weekly poll question: Should anti-Zionists be employed at Jewish institutions that support Israel? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. are willing to meet and listen to opposing views for the sake of the Jewish people.

More than 2,500 years ago the prophet Isaiah taught, “Come, let us reason together.”

(Isaiah 1.18) His words call to us more urgently than ever. PJC Rabbi James A. Gibson is emeritus rabbi at Temple Sinai.

Sander case is a bellwether

— LETTERS — Josh Sivtiz’s essay “Resurrecting ‘tucky’” (Feb. 4) was a nifty piece of writing. But there is a caveat: I must disagree with Mr. Sivitz’s English teacher, Mrs. Franklin. (And yes, I realize the risk of taking such a position.) For instance, her contention that sentences cannot begin with certain words (for, and, nor, but, or, yet and so — also known as FANBOYS) is … well, not unfalse. Nor is she alone: Many instructors have banned the FANBOYS from the sentence’s starting gate. Yet this outdated rule persists, despite many examples to the contrary.

So let’s set the record straight: We should feel free to use these words to open our thoughts.

Or, better yet, let us consider our thoughts first, before we open our mouths.

I read with interest the two opinion pieces about the case of Jessie Sander, the young Jewish educator who is suing a synagogue for firing her because of her anti-Zionist views (Feb. 11).

While Ms. Sander is somewhat extraordinary, both in her level of anti-Zionism and her level of devotion and commitment to Judaism, she is but an extreme example of a phenomenon that is growing: It is some of our most devoted and committed young people who are most critical of Israel’s behavior.

If we are wise, we as a community should take this case as a bellwether that spurs us to action. While we want to support Israel, it is at Israel’s peril that we ignore the illegal and unjust actions of its governments.

Unless we pay attention to our core value of justice, we will lose our most idealistic youth, and risk losing Israel as well.

Mark Collins Ben Avon

Eileen Kraus-Dobratz Pittsburgh

For, and, but, or, yet and so

Jews should be proud of Israel

A Jewish school hiring an anti-Israel teacher is like a state hiring an anti-vaxxer to manage its pandemic response. Jewish schools just like Catholic schools should have the right to hire people whose philosophy harmonizes with the ideology for which the school was established.

What is really disturbing in Rabbi Amy Bardack’s essay, “How inclusive are we willing to be?” (Feb. 11) was her assertion that 22% of American Jews believe that Israel is carrying out a genocide against the Palestinians. How could there be a genocide when in 1948 there were 750,000 Palestinian refugees and in 2021 5.5 million? The outrageous lie that Israel is deliberately wiping out Palestinians must be dismissed and those responsible for this libel condemned. If Jews can’t be proud of Israel, there is something seriously wrong with us.

Our Jewish community has a lot of educating to do and rather than waste it on arguing about inclusiveness, we should go into a full court press to educate our people about the miracle of Israel. One hopes that Rabbi Bardack would be among those devoted to helping American Jews achieve an honest understanding about Israel, not succumbing to Israel’s enemies’ distortion and lies.

Larry Shapiro Calgary, Alberta Canada

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Zionism is Jews’ ‘foundational narrative’

To deny that anti-Zionist Jews are antisemitic is to deny Judaism (“How inclusive are we willing to be?” Feb. 11). Judaism exists solely within the pages of the Jewish Bible, aka the Old Testament and the Tanakh. That Jewish Bible has only one foundational narrative: the Jewish people’s return to Zion — what today is Israel. It is not complicated: Zionism is Judaism. The Jewish people have no other foundational narrative. To deny Zionism is to deny the Jewish Bible. The Jewish anti-Zionist is an apostate. That, too, is not complicated.

Richard Sherman Margate, Florida 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 or email letters to: Letters to the editor via email: letters@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org Address:

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Website address:

Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 5915 Beacon St., 5th Flr., Pittsburgh, PA 15217 pittsburghjewishchronicle.org/letters-to-the-editor

FEBRUARY 18, 2022

13

Headlines Volunteers: Continued from page 1

Schneider, who isn’t Jewish, said she considered converting to Judaism, but after marrying her husband, Ron, she decided against it based on advice from Temple Emanuel’s then-senior rabbi.

“It was Rabbi [William] Sajowitz that sat me down and said, ‘Conversion is not just adding insights — you really are repudiating something,’” Schneider recalled. “That wasn’t for me.”

The rabbi’s words, she said, were a comfort to her and allowed her to talk with her husband about how their interfaith family would work.

Schneider’s decision to remain a practicing Christian, while still raising her children Jewish and finding space to volunteer at Temple Emanuel, hasn’t always been easy, she said. But she always feels the need to participate.

The South Hills resident has played piano during the High Holidays and sung during Shabbat services. She’s also drawn to Judaism’s mandate of tikkun olam, or repairing the world.

“I’ve been on [Temple Emanuel’s] social action committee for years and years,” she said. “One of the first things I did was a really cool project for Mitzvah Day with SHIM (South Hills Interfaith Movement). That’s how I got involved with SHIM. I ended up serving for a number of terms on the SHIM board and as the president of their board.”

Schneider also volunteers with Christ Methodist Church; she sings there and serves as a part-time staff member.

As part of her work with the secular Giving2Grow, Schneider finds ways to engage Temple Emanuel members. When she was collecting children’s books, for

Temple Sinai welcomed her and encouraged her participation, Gordon said. Several years ago, she served on the search committee to help find a new assistant rabbi and is a part of the Women of Temple Sinai.

She volunteers during Purim, performs in the congregation’s annual purimshpiel and recently joined the committee that helps with shivas.

Gordon works at Mainstay Life Services, and this year she helped the organization participate in Jewish Disability Inclusion and Awareness Month.

She remembered a time when a story appeared in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle that claimed Judaism was dying because of intermarriage.

“That really hit me the wrong way considering I’ve put so much into raising children who p Darcy Gordon (front) participated in Mitzvah Day really, really identify as Jewish with her daughters, Dora (left) and Rebecca, and other and who are Jewish,” Gordon volunteers in 2015.

Photo by Darcy Gordon said. “They appreciate other example, she reached out to the synagogue’s faiths and learn about other education director, Kate Louik, who gath- faiths, but they love being Jewish.” ered 375 books to donate to the organization.

Non-Jewish members’ participation isn’t Like Schneider, Darcy Gordon didn’t limited to Reform temples. grow up Jewish. In fact, her father was a Dawn Lebovitz serves as a member of Presbyterian minister. Gordon, a member the board of trustees at Conservative Beth of Temple Sinai, said that she grew up as an El Congregation of the South Hills. As active member of her church, singing in the part of her work with the congregation, choir and serving as a deacon. When she and she volunteers with Oy Joy Labs, a series of her husband married, however, they decided multi-sensory events for enrichment of the their children would be Jewish.

Jewish holidays and life cycle events, and “When my husband said he wanted our B.R.I.D.G.E.S — Building Relationships in children to be Jewish, I said, ‘That’s great, Devotion to God for Every Season, a mentor but they have to be Jewish and we have to be program welcoming new members. involved with a congregation,’” Gordon said.

Lebovitz is also a member of the

Ignite: Continued from page 1

your Jewish spark,” hails from the teaching of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook, the first chief rabbi of pre-state Israel, who wrote that “the old will be made new, and the new made holy.”

Kook’s 1909 comments were made in context to shmita and a seven-year cycle of allowing the land of Israel to rest from farming, but the sentiment also applies to a modern college campus, Hillel JUC leaders explained.

Because many students spent prolonged periods away from each other during the pandemic, Hillel JUC was “determined” to host Ignite and its weekend of growth, Dan Marcus, Hillel JUC’s president and CEO said.

But while nearly 200 students came together last weekend in person for Ignite, it’s not as if Judaism wasn’t experienced on campus this year, Pitt junior Justin Cohen said.

Throughout the semester, Cohen hosted book clubs and discussions promoting Israel awareness. What Ignite permitted, though, was a chance to piggyback on those efforts and place them within the context of a larger Shabbat experience.

14 FEBRUARY 18, 2022

p Students and staff gather at Ignite.

On Saturday afternoon, Cohen guided an hour-long conversation about the Abraham Accords and the 2020 normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Seeing 25 people gathered to discuss the future of the Middle East, or the dozens who prayed at both the egalitarian and Orthodox student-led services on Friday night, made

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congregation’s Community Development Task Force, formerly known as the Interfaith Committee. She attends Shabbat services and participates in numerous other events and activities.

Lebovitz said she became involved at Beth El 33 years ago when her sons were young and attending Beth El’s nursery and religious schools.

“I have always served in my devotion to God on behalf of my marriage to my husband, Lowell, and my sons, Evan and Adam, for the good of the Beth El community through benevolence and charity,” she wrote in an email to the Chronicle.

While she hasn’t converted, Lebovitz said that she considers daily prayer essential and is drawn to God through the prayers and rituals offered in Judaism.

Lebovitz believes that religions can teach lessons to those who aren’t members of the faith.

“There is a world of possibilities with a shared commitment through a linked chain of strong hearts with the common hands of giving,” she said.

Non-Jewish volunteers play important roles in congregational life, said Leslie Hoffman, Temple Emanuel’s executive director.

“At Temple Emanuel, we value and appreciate the contributions of all of our members, whether Jewish or not, as they volunteer in areas that align with their passions and interests,” she said.

For Temple Emanuel member Schneider, that’s fairly simple.

“There’s something for everybody,” she said. “It’s in the context of doing God’s work — it’s everybody’s interpretation of that.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

clear that Ignite helped students to not only experience something meaningful but created a space on campus where people can “feel at home,” Cohen said.

Carnegie Mellon junior Etan Cohn agreed, saying Ignite allows students to engage with Judaism in multiple ways.

On Saturday afternoon, Cohn and others volunteered with Balance Boxes, a youth-led organization, co-founded by CMU student Sydney Holubow, that provides students in low-income communities with educational activities, non-perishable food items and coupons for free virtual tutoring.

“Judaism means so much to different people, and for me, being able to give back to the community is one of those important aspects,” Cohn said.

Whether it’s volunteering or participating in discussion or prayer, Ignite gives students various entry points for meaningful Jewish engagement, he added. It also provides a surefire spark for the future.

“We’ve got a really strong and great Jewish community here,” Cohn said. “There’s gonna be a lot of growth.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Eruv: Continued from page 2

Last week, he hiked down a snow-covered hill in Frick Park to reach an area of the eruv that was disturbed by the bridge collapse. Other times, such as when repairs are required to the part of the eruv spanning Baum Boulevard near Shadyside, he heads out at 5 a.m. to avoid traffic.

“And even then there’s traffic,” he said.

In these types of cases, costs can accumulate because apart from the materials needed to repair the eruv, and the expense of renting a bucket truck — according to Herc Rentals, a 38-foot diesel bucket truck in Pittsburgh costs $650 per day — someone has to be hired to direct traffic below while Cowen is

Professor: Continued from page 3

after class and that Rukhadze said he didn’t know what the student was talking about.

After the email exchange, Jsmooth posted the following on Reddit: “As someone of jewish descent this made me like extremely uncomfortable so I sent him an email explaining this, but if this becomes an issue again I was wondering if there’s a way to take action against him through pitt.”

The post elicited more than 200 responses and numerous private messages, some of which said that other students had heard the professor make the alleged comment.

After posting on Reddit, Jsmooth contacted the department of political science’s chair, Jae-Jae Spoon, who told him the university would be speaking with Rukhadze.

Rukhadze sent an email apologizing to the students in the class and denying he compared mask-wearing to the Holocaust. It read in part, “I am reaching out to all of you regarding today’s class. I want to start with an apology to each one of you, if my humorous attempt in class today to complain about my mask blocking my air offended you in any way.

“I definitely did not compare and will never compare mask-wearing to the greatest genocide in human history, and I certainly did not intend any offense against any individual or any group of people. I am surprised and hurt about this whole incident. I have been teaching at US universities for years and never had any case of this nature.”

Exhibit: Continued from page 7

a professor of art history at Cleveland State University and author of several books on Jewish American art and culture, and comic artist JT Waldman will discuss the impact of Jewish illustrators, authors and publishers on 20th-century American sequential art.

On Feb. 23, at 3 p.m. Nina Caputo, an associate professor of history at the University of Florida, will discuss her visually-narrated book “Debating Truth: The Barcelona Disputation of 1263, A Graphic History” and the historic exchange between Rabbi Moses ben Nahman and Catholic priest Pablo Christiani.

Rabbi James Gibson, a Saint Vincent PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

three stories high working on the eruv.

Wilansky said he wishes Pittsburghers were more aware of the expenses needed to keep the eruv functioning.

Writing from Israel while on sabbatical, Shaare Torah Congregation’s Rabbi Daniel Wasserman informed congregants that after the Jan. 28 bridge collapse it was “not a miracle” that the eruv remained intact but actually a concerted effort, and that it took “dedication” from several individuals to keep the structure usable.

Wasserman mentioned the time and various expenses needed to keep the eruv functional and implored congregants to “send in your Eruv contribution next week.”

The requested donation is $1.75 a week.

The annual eruv budget is approximately $45,000, Silver said.

“I know everybody doesn’t use the eruv 100%, but typically people benefit from it one way or the other,” Cowen said. “People should try not to take it for granted because without the proper funds it’s hard for it to stay up.”

Wilansky noted that when he and his wife moved to Pittsburgh five years ago they were thrilled that the city had an eruv.

Neither Montreal, where he grew up, nor Crown Heights, where his wife was from, had an eruv, so the fact that Pittsburgh had one enabling them to bring items to friends’ homes or push strollers on the Sabbath was “amazing,” Wilansky said.

A lot of people benefit from the eruv, and although there are plenty of individuals who don’t use it, “it’s important to get involved,” he added.

Silver, who’s worked on the city’s eruv since 1990, said that in addition to donations, he’s always looking for people to perform regular eruv checks.

This is something that may be appealing to people who like to be outdoors, he added, because although certain portions require one to drive along the route, other parts of the eruv can be traced while walking or jogging.

Silver said he’s happy to offer interested people the requisite instruction — it only takes a few hours — and that for those seeking to undertake a new Jewish practice, checking the eruv is a relatively easy act.

“It’s not like schechting (slaughtering meat),” he said. PJC

Rukhadze wrote in his email that his family members were killed during World War II by the Nazis while being forced to work as slave labor. He also wrote of his experience as an immigrant from the former Soviet Union and that he in no way opposes wearing masks, or vaccines.

After receiving the email, Jsmooth met with Spoon and another university staff member voicing his concern that the email did not acknowledge the actual statement Rukhadze made.

A second email from the professor was then sent to the class, which said, in part, “I want to reiterate my sincere apology for the joke that I said in class. It was wrong and it was tasteless.

I am sincerely sorry for any offense or pain that it caused to anyone in class or outside of it. It absolutely does not reflect my character in any way. I am willing to discuss this matter further in class or with you individually.”

Pitt officials have called Rukhadze’s alleged Holocaust analogy “inappropriate and offensive.”

“The University is aware of a faculty member using inappropriate and offensive language during a class,” David Seldin, Pitt’s assistant vice chancellor of communications, wrote to the Chronicle. “The faculty member’s comments stand in direct opposition to our values and the appropriate offices have engaged with both the faculty member and students. As a university, we remain steadfastly committed to creating an inclusive environment that allows everyone to succeed and events like this underscore how important this work continues to be.

We encourage the Pitt community to report incidents like these so the university can assess the situation and promptly respond.”

Kathleen Blee, dean of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, of which the political science department is a part, released a statement on the University’s website acknowledging an ongoing inquiry by the University.

“Recently one of our students alleged that a Dietrich School faculty member made anti-Semitic statements during a class,” Blee’s statement read in part. “This report is very concerning, and I assure you that we have taken several definitive steps to address the situation, including engaging the appropriate University offices to conduct a thorough inquiry of the incident — an inquiry that remains ongoing.”

Blee’s statement urged anyone traumatized by the incident to reach out to the university’s Office of Student Affairs and Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and to report bias incidents to the school through Pitt Concern Connection.

In an email to the Chronicle, Rukhadze’s lawyer, David Kobylinski, said that “Dr. Rukhadze absolutely and unequivocally denies that he compared wearing a mask to being poisoned by gas at Auschwitz.

Dr. Rukhadze is an Asian-American from the country of Georgia whose own family was persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime during the Second World War. He has worked in academia for over two decades and never once, until last week, has an accusation like this ever been levied against him.

He was stunned to the core of his being to hear of these false accusations.

“The young man who made these false statements appears to be a troubled individual who has a history of confronting Dr. Rukhadze at lectures,” the email from the professor’s attorney continued. “Of note, the young man most recently engaged Dr. Rukhadze during the class immediately prior to the class in which he now alleges Dr. Rukhadze made this statement. Dr. Rukhadze is concerned for this individual’s well being and encourages him to seek counseling.”

In a second email to this reporter, Rukhadze’s attorney said “the University is absolutely wrong to have stated what you claim. We are aware that the University has statements from students in the class who state they did not hear any reference to Auschwitz or the Holocaust.”

“If you proceed with defaming my client,” the email continued, “you and the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle will be named in a defamation suit that we are currently preparing against several entities.”

The alleged incident was first reported

by The Pitt News, the school’s student-run newspaper, and was subsequently reported by several other media outlets.

Jsmooth said he is uncomfortable returning to the politics of water course and is instead working with the department to create a personalized course of study he can complete as an alternative. PJC

professor and rabbi emeritus at Temple Sinai, participated in a Jan. 27 lecture to open the exhibit. Following the talk, Gibson told the Chronicle that he encourages Allegheny County residents to trek eastward to Westmoreland County to see “People of the Book & the Storyboard” — and that those who live in highly-populated Jewish areas should appreciate the exhibit’s regional significance.

“I think the fact that the exhibit is in rural western Pennsylvania, in a Catholic institution, underscores the attempt of Saint Vincent to bring the Jewish experience to people who may have never met Jews, and we should support that effort by our presence and attendance at that exhibit,” Gibson said.

Julo agreed, saying that he hoped the exhibit would serve as a bridge-builder

between communities and that the exhibit and recent “Maus”-related controversies highlight the role of graphic novels as critical educational tools, especially when it comes to the Holocaust. “There’s revisionist history going on right now, and a widening of narratives about World War II, but we need to keep [clear] that this was an attack on Jews first and foremost,” Julo said. “And as a Catholic school, it is important for us to say that this was an attack on Jews and that an attack on any faith group is unacceptable.”

Although several items within the exhibit — including the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s “Chutz-Pow!” — focus on World War II and the Holocaust, the exhibit functions as a commentary and conversation starter on events and periods apart from

those occurring last century, Schachter said.

“The comic book page and graphic novel,” he said, “is a way to engage those difficult topics in a way that is approachable.”

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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

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

“People of the Book & the Storyboard,” at the Verostko Center for the Arts at Saint Vincent College, runs through March 11. The center is open Wednesdays 1-4 p.m., Thursdays 1-7 p.m., and Fridays 1-4 p.m. Those looking to visit the center outside its normal hours can make an appointment by emailing verostkocenter@stvincent.edu. The exhibit and its programs are free and open to all. Masks are required for in-person events. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

FEBRUARY 18, 2022

15

Life & Culture Yes, ‘real men’ do eat (crustless) quiche 3 eggs 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese 1 clove garlic, finely minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 3 tablespoons onion, finely minced, or 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder A few sprays of cooking oil

— FOOD —

By Carole Mantel | Special to the Chronicle

Q

uiche is such a versatile dish. It may or may not have pastry crust, and it can be made with vegetables, cheese or seafood. It is usually filled with eggs and milk and/or cream.

Quiche is perfect any time of the day. I especially like quiche for brunch paired with a Bloody Mary or with a green salad for lunch. Adding grilled salmon and a glass of chardonnay makes for a delicious and romantic dinner.

There are infinite combinations of ingredients that can make a good quiche. To create a healthy version, I omit the crust and use vegetables and low-fat cheese fillings.

Ricotta cheese makes a creamy custard, and that’s what I use in this recipe rather than milk or cream. My favorite vegetable combo is mushrooms and asparagus with Gruyere, but you can pair any two or three vegetables.

For example, spinach and mushroom also pair well with Gruyere, and broccoli and cheddar is a popular option.

To reduce water retention and inflammation, I have cut down on salt in my cooking.

In this recipe, I use Parmesan cheese for its salty flavor.

I learned from one of the caterers while

Directions:

Sauté mushrooms and asparagus and allow to cool.

Sauté onion and garlic and allow to cool.

Mix all ingredients together, reserving half the shredded cheese for the top.

Put in a Pyrex dish sprayed with cooking oil to prevent sticking.

Top with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes, until golden brown on top.

p Crustless quiche

Photo by Carole Lampel Mantel

volunteering in the Beth El Congregation kitchen that eggs must be either raw or fully cooked, not par-cooked. This means you can make this recipe ahead and chill it in the fridge for an hour or overnight, then bake it before serving. You can also freeze it raw (careful not to spill it when putting it in the freezer), defrost it overnight in the fridge and then bake.

I am all about cooking once and eating twice, so you can double or triple this recipe.

Crustless quiche Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side dish Ingredients: 2 cups cooked vegetables. I use one cup each of mushrooms and asparagus (if using zucchini or spinach, squeeze the water out before mixing) 1/2 cup low-fat ricotta 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere, Swiss cheese or mozzarella, divided in half

In case you wonder where the phrase “real men don’t eat quiche” comes from, I Googled it. According to Wikipedia, “‘Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche’ is a best-selling tongue-in-cheek book satirizing stereotypes of masculinity by the American screenwriter and humorist Bruce Feirstein, published in 1982.” And, for the record, my husband loves my crustless quiche! PJC Carole Lampel Mantel is an independent health coach and home chef. She can be reached at darbypaw@aol.com.

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17

Celebrations

Torah

Wedding

Shabbat: A day to regain our souls Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer Parshat Ki Tisa | Exodus 30:11 – 34:35

Lester and Leslie Frischman are overjoyed to announce the marriage of their son, Max Harris Frischman, to Inbar Shuv-Ami, daughter of Gadi and Orly Shuv-Ami of Netanya, Israel. Max and Inbar were married on Sept. 12, 2021, in the gardens of Hagiva in Kibbutz Givat Brenner in Israel. Max is a graduate of Virginia Tech and is the chief business officer of Eagle Point Funding. Inbar is a graduate of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and is a dance, Pilates, and yoga instructor. The newlyweds reside in Jerusalem with their dog, Bamba. PJC

Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle poetry contest

O

ur readers are invited to submit poems to the Chronicle’s poetry contest. Winning entries will be published in our March 18 issue, just one month before Passover. The theme is “freedom.”

Three winners will each receive a $54 gift card to Pinsker’s Books and Judaica, supplied by an anonymous donor. All submissions must be received no later than March 4.

Guidelines:

Poems must be submitted to newsdesk@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Please type “Poetry Contest” in the subject line. The poem must be in a Microsoft Word file. No pdfs or handwritten entries will be accepted.

• One submission per author • Must include the author’s name, address, phone number and email address • Poem should reflect the theme of freedom • Unpublished poems only PJC — Toby Tabachnick

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caught His breath.” Yet it is supportable if we understand that God’s purpose in laying down the rules for the seventh day of rest is for our benefit and to regain our souls. Our tradition already teaches that we are given an extra soul on Shabbat. It stays with us until Shabbat departs on Saturday night with the Havdalah service. The extra soul always is part of who we are, but during the work week we get caught up with our affairs, and it’s distant and estranged.

Does God need any of these actions — to refresh or catch His breath or get His soul back? Of course not, but we do. When God reinforces the commandments concerning Shabbat, it is for the benefit of His beloved “very good” creation, humankind.

The word vayinafash appears in the third verse of the Rothblum version of V’shamru.

Perhaps it is time to add a fourth verse: “On the seventh day, we rested and were refreshed, caught our breath and found our second soul.” PJC Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer is the spiritual leader of Congregation B’nai Abraham in Butler. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.

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

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Our tradition already teaches that we are given an extra soul on Shabbat. It stays with us until Shabbat departs on Saturday night with the Havdalah service.

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One of my congregation’s favorite prayers is the V’shamru, sung just before the Amidah on Friday night and preceding the Kiddish on Saturday morning. We sing the rhythmic Rothblum melody which, more often than not, inspires clapping. Congregants’ faces and enthusiasm leave no doubt: This is one of their favorite parts of the service.

V’shamru, translated as “The children of Israel will keep or guard the Sabbath,” is found in this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa.

Unlike the many prayers and hymns which are amalgams of different Torah verses and phrases, the V’shamru is lifted precisely and exclusively from Ex. 31:16 - 17. This is not the first time God mentions observing Shabbat, but each repetition adds a dimension to the commandment.

The first mention of keeping the Sabbath is found in Genesis 2:2-3, “God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that God had done.” A few verses earlier, the Torah stated that God created humankind in God’s image. It follows that, in resting on the seventh day, humankind is to follow God’s example.

The next mention appears in Exodus.

At the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, the Israelites are charged to remember the Sabbath and rest on that day. God confirms the holiness of the day and prohibits work.

This adds a humanitarian and inclusionary dimension to the commandment, as it extends to strangers, servants and beasts of burden.

In Ki Tisa, the Hebrews are admonished to guard, or keep the Sabbath, for “on the seventh day, God rested and vayinafash.”

This usually is translated, “God rested and was refreshed.” Robert Alter offers a different translation: “God rested and caught His breath.” Alter’s translation is well-supported.

Vayinafash comes from the same Hebrew root as nefesh, which alternatively can be translated as soul, breath, a person or even passion. Still, his translation caught me by surprise. As readers of the Torah, we are

familiar with the portrayal of God in human terms — as a father, mother or shepherd. We are given other anthropomorphic descriptions, like God’s hands, face or back. Early in Genesis, we have the image of God breathing the breath of life into Adam. God, as the unfathomable Holy One, does not have any of these physical characteristics, but we need these metaphors in order to better understand the unknowable.

Alter’s translation gave me pause, but also inspired me to try out one of the other translations of nefesh in the context of V’shamru.

Why not, “God rested and got His soul back”? This is even more startling than “God

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Obituaries HANDELMAN: Anna Handelman, on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Beloved sister of the late Rose Handelman Orr. Aunt of Marcia Orr (David) Gordon, Norman (Judy) Orr and Jan Orr (Tom) Miles. Graveside service and entombment were on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Mount Lebanon Cemetery. Contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com LAMPL: Robert O Lampl (72) died Feb. 7, 2022. Robert O was born Nov. 29, 1949, in Pittsburgh, to Mary Ann (Herron) and Richard Lampl. Robert O graduated from C ar neg ie Mel lon University with an industrial engineering degree (taking a break to enlist in the Marine Reserves). He was a proud Marine and used the term “Semper Fi” with many of his colleagues, clients and friends. Robert O later earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Although he lived most of his childhood life in Squirrel Hill, his fondest childhood memories are from his summers at his Uncle Ross’ farm in the Mon Valley. Robert O lived for his work and family, both of whom were sacred to him. Robert O raised his two sons after the untimely death of his beloved wife, Leslie Alberts Lampl. Those who knew him well knew that he was a loyal friend who was thoughtful, kind and generous to a fault which belied his tough, stoic outward appearance. Other than an occasional movie and dinner, he could be found in his office doing research or at a family event enjoying his grandchildren. Robert O was an exceptional attorney, a rain man, a brilliant strategist and a legal scholar who had an encyclopedic knowledge of the law and history. He could read a case, commit it to memory and orate all facts to the court. He always strived to make a deal with his opposition and was largely successful in both state and federal practice in many types of litigation. He was especially proud to have been a part of the inception of the Bankruptcy Court as we know it today following the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978, which brought about a great deal of change, including replacing referees with bankruptcy judges, and required the creation of new rules and procedures. Robert O participated in several rules committees and was influential in the development of the rules and procedures in local practice today. He was an iconic, legendary “Lion of the Bankruptcy Bar.” He, along with a select few, worked with each other, often on opposing sides, to mold the local bankruptcy system. Although he is most known for his fierce advocacy as a debtors’ attorney, he prided himself on beginning his career as both a creditors’ attorney and debtors’ attorney as, at that

time, such divisions were simply undefined.

For the next 40 or so years, he practiced law in his own passionate, though perhaps somewhat unorthodox, way and regularly obtained positive results even in the most complex scenarios. To put it simply, he loved the law with all of its facets. He represented many large debtors, including Mesta Machine Co., Brownsville Hospital, Pittsburgh Brewing, Monsour Medical Center, Ceda Mills, Inc., and Max and Erma’s. Robert O was intensely involved and influential in the legal community in Western Pennsylvania and was a force of nature. He will be fondly remembered as a great mentor to many young attorneys over his storied career and will be deeply missed within the legal community and beyond. He is remembered as a statesman and warrior for the people who always had a soft spot for the underdog. Robert O was truly one-of-akind! Robert O is survived by his fiancée Jeannine Schemm; five children: Michelle A. Apessos (Craig), Elsie R. Lampl (Ben Huber) (daughters of Helen R. Przywarty), Ross C. Lampl, Sy O. Lampl (sons of Leslie A. Alberts, deceased), Chase R. Schemm (Alyssa), Haley Schemm Hores (Matthew) (children of Jeannine Schemm); grandchildren: Corinne Bringe, Ella Bringe, Ada Huber, Maggie Huber, Carly Huber; and Siblings: Patti (Gary) Holupka, Tommy (Lisa) Lampl, Joni Lampl Roche (Mike) and Edward (Valerie) Lampl. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews and grand-nieces and -nephews, and their families. William Slater II Funeral Service (412-563-2800) 1650 Greentree Road, Scott Township 15220.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Semper Fi. LEVIN: Frances F. Levin, on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. Beloved wife of the late David R. Levin; sister of the late Eleanor F. Blum and Beatrice F. Parnes; also survived by nieces and nephews. A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a master’s degree in education, Mrs. Levin taught in the Pittsburgh Public School system for 39 years, primarily at Dilworth Elementary. She was a volunteer at the Carnegie Museum for 31 years, mostly at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Frances loved traveling with her husband David. She was very charitable to Jewish causes, especially to Rodef Shalom Congregation and to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, as well as to numerous community charities.

Services were at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Avenue, Shadyside on Tuesday Feb. 15, 2022 at 1 p.m. Interment at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or a charity of the donor’s choice. A celebration of Frances’ life will be held at a later date to be announced. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

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Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 19

LEVY: Malvina Levy, 92, of Mo n r o e v i l l e , Pennsylvania, died Feb. 7, 2022, at ConcordiaMonroeville. She was born in Košice, Czechoslovakia, on Oct. 28,1929, and came to the United States in 1936 where she was adopted by Esther and Benjamin Solomon (her biological aunt/uncle). After graduating from Westinghouse High School, she attended Montefiore Hospital School of Nursing where she met and later married Dr. Alexander A. Eisner. He passed away in 1965. In 1968 she married Seymour Levy who preceded her in death by 12 years. She continued to work as a nurse intermittently until she retired and helped raised her grandchildren. She enjoyed reading, playing mahjong, and coloring. She lived at Independence Court in Monroeville for five years prior to Concordia. She was very popular with the other residents and staff. She is survived by her sister, Florence Solomon of Florida; her daughter Ronna Eisner Nagin and her husband Joshua Nagin; Mark Eisner and his wife Pat Eisner; Marsha Eisner Hodes; Philip Levy and his wife Debbie Levy. Also survived by her grandchildren Alexis Damonte (Jim); Meredith Ortiz; Allison Gatti (Steve); Natalie Eisner; Rachael Hodes; Jason Levy; and Andrew Levy. She also is survived by her great-grandchildren Riley, Gray and Lincoln Damonte; and Oscar, Ziggy and Xander Ortiz. She was preceded in death by her grandson, the late Jonathan Levy. Graveside services and interment were held at Ohav Zedeck Cemetery.

Donations in Malvina’s memory may be made to charities of the donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

SHUTZBERG: Sam Shutzberg was born in Pittsburgh on Sept. 19, 1930, and died on Feb. 8, 2022, at the age of 91, but as he liked to say, “Age is only a number.”

His parents, Louis and Mariam Shutzberg, came to the United States from Bessarabia with his older brother Joseph in the 1920s.

Yiddish was the only language spoken in their house. After high school, he was carefree with no future plans. One day, a cousin of his said, “What are you going to do with your life?”

Sam had no answer, so the cousin offered him a job at Z & L Lumber Co. His first task there, for 25 cents an hour, was unloading frozen lumber from railroad cars coming from Canada. He had to climb into rail cars and use a pickaxe to separate the frozen lumber. After the first day, he came home with splinters in his hands, and his mother told him he didn’t have to continue with that job. But Sam was determined to continue what he started. He worked his way up to a sales position with the company. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army, and having never traveled beyond Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, to visit cousins, he was stationed in Germany during the Korean War. It was in Germany where he discovered his love for travel. He got on a plane one day and flew to England. As he was on a walk from his hotel, he saw the Queen of England getting into her horse-drawn carriage at Buckingham Palace. After his return from the Army, he continued in sales with Z & L, where he met other builders and suppliers, which eventually led him to open his own remodeling business.

Grant Builders was in business for the next 45 years. With his loving wife, Ettie, Sam raised his family in a home that he built in Stanton Heights. Together, Sam and Ettie would travel to Europe, Mexico, Israel and several other

h

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destinations. One time, on a trip to Florida, he met Don Rickles. When Don asked him his name, and he said, “Sam Shutzberg,” Don said, “That’s not a name, that’s a disease.” He enjoyed playing golf at Lincoln Hills C.C. with his steady foursome (Hicks, Herbie and Joe).

He was gratified to say that he put all three of his children through college. He was always a PROUD Zadie, and was very happy when his fifth and last grandchild was born, and liked to say, “that’s one for the thumb.” Sam leaves a daughter and son-in-law, Janet and Richard Wilson of Coraopolis, Pennsylvania; a son and daughter-in-law, Neil and Leslie Shutzberg of Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania; and a daughter and son-in-law, Dini and Randy Freed of Overland Park, Kansas. He also leaves his five grandchildren, Glenna Shutzberg, Hillary (George) Santel, Sean (fiancée Jaclyn Warner) Wilson, Martin Shutzberg and Evie Freed. He was preceded in death by his wife of 45 years, Ettie Shutzberg, in 1997, and his brother Joe in 1983. Services and interment were private.

Donations can be made to Adat Shalom Synagogue, 368 Guys Run Road, Cheswick, PA 15024. The website for the synagogue is adatshalompgh.org. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com SILVERMAN: Martin H. Silverman, age 95, in Delray Beach, Florida, formerly of Pittsburgh, on Friday, Feb. 11, 2022. Beloved husband of 62 years to the late Louise G. Silverman.

Loving father of Edwin and Diane Silverman and the late Randi Silverman. Brother of Ralph (Audrey) Silverman. Beloved “Poppy” to Hilary and Andrew Sigal and Mitchell Silverman (fiancée Chloé Aillery). Cherished great-grandfather to Tova Rae Sigal. Uncle of Stuart Silverman and Ellen (Robert) Garvin.

Graveside services and interment were held on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022, at 10:30 am at Pliskover Cemetery. Contributions may

be made to Pliskover Cemetery, PO Box 8327, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com ZIONTS: Shirley Lyon Zionts, on Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. Beloved wife of 64 years to the late Albert J. Zionts. Beloved mother of Gail (Micha) Raz, Harry (Laurie) Zionts, and the late Leon (Nancy) Zionts. Sister of the late Grace (late Jim) Lenk and Mimi (Jack) Halpern. Devoted grandmother to Ariel (Elana) Raz, Hadar (Yossi) Bahir, Ilan (Tuli) Raz, Yuval (Adi) Raz, David (Aviella) Zionts, Shana Zionts, Kayla Zionts (Andrew Rubin), Allison Zionts (James Curtis) and Danielle Zionts (Rachel Parker). Great-grandmother of Omri, Shachar, Keren, Tamar, Barak, Gal, Itamar, Zohar, Doron, Yael, Aliya, Naya and Noah. Also survived by many beloved nieces and nephews. Shirley, a teacher and librarian, spent her career at Community Day School, while also serving as chairman of the board of Monarch Oil Company, where her husband, Albert, was president and co-owner. She was also a past president of the Pittsburgh chapter of Hadassah. An avid traveler, Shirley and Albert enjoyed many trips to Israel and other places around the globe. Shirley was a devoted and active mother and grandmother.

She loved being involved in the lives of her family. A supporter of the arts, she loved the theater and watching her late son, Leon perform. Shirley was a spirited and loving presence in the lives of all who knew her and she will be deeply missed. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Internment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Community Day School, 6424 Forward Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, Beth Shalom Congregation, 5915 Beacon Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 and Front Porch Theatricals, 112 Sewickley Ridge Circle, PA 15143. www.schugar.com. PJC

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Life & Culture Spielberg, Gyllenhaal, Garfield among 2022 Jewish Oscar nominees — FILM —

By Andrew Lapin | JTA

S

teven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” drew seven Oscar nominations on Feb. 8, including best picture and best director.

Spielberg’s best-director nomination makes the Jewish Hollywood legend one of only four filmmakers in history to ever be nominated at least eight times for best director. (Two of the others are also Jewish; the third is Martin Scorsese.) He has won the award twice before, for “Schindler’s List” and “Saving Private Ryan.” With this nomination, Spielberg also makes history as the only director to have ever been nominated for the award across six different decades, beginning with his nod in 1978 for “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.”

Spielberg, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Andrew Garfield were the most prominent Jews to nab Oscar nods this year. The year’s nominations also included a high-profile Jewish snub: “West Side Story” screenwriter Tony Kushner failed to score a best adapted screenplay nomination.

Gyllenhaal got a best adapted screenplay nomination for her take on “The Lost Daughter,” based on the Elena Ferrante novel, which she also directed. (“The Lost Daughter” also received nominations for lead and supporting actress.) Gyllenhaal has received one other Oscar nomination: for best supporting actress for 2009’s “Crazy Heart.”

Elsewhere in the acting categories, Jewish star Andrew Garfield was nominated for best actor for his portrayal of Jewish playwright Jonathan Larson in the musical “tick, tick…

BOOM!” The movie was based on Larson’s own stage show and also received a nomination for best editing. It’s Garfield’s second acting nomination; his first was for starring in Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge.” And Kristen Stewart, who started her performing career by singing the Dreidel song at a school Hanukkah concert, received a best actress nomination for playing Princess Diana in “Spencer,” her first nomination.

Jewish actress and rock musician Alana Haim, who was expected to be a contender for her debut lead performance in “Licorice Pizza,” did not receive a best actress nomination, though the film — about a young Jewish woman’s coming-of-age in 1970s Los Angeles — received three, including best picture.

Veteran Jewish screenwriter Eric Roth, already an Oscar winner for “Forrest Gump,”

p Andrew Garfield attends the GQ Men Of The Year Celebration in West Hollywood on Nov. 18, 2021.

was nominated again in the adapted screenplay category for co-writing the script to the sci-fi epic “Dune” with Jon Spaihts and the film’s director, Denis Villeneuve. “Dune” nabbed 10 nominations in total, including best picture.

And David Sirota, a progressive journalist and former Bernie Sanders staffer who has tweeted about his Judaism as well as his criticism of Israel, was nominated in the original screenplay category for collaborating with Adam McKay on the climate-change satire “Don’t Look Up,” which received four total nominations, including best picture.

In the music category, longtime recording artist Diane Warren received her 13th Oscar nomination for penning the original song “Somehow You Do” from the film “Four Good Days” (performed in the film by country star Reba McEntire). Warren, whose other hit songwriting credits include “Rhythm of the Night” and “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” grew up in a Jewish family in Los Angeles and has said her father changed their last name from Wolfberg to sound less

Jewish. Despite her large stack of nominations, she has never won.

Three of the five nominated composers in the original score category have Jewish backgrounds: Nicholas Britell, nominated for “Don’t Look Up”; Hans Zimmer, nominated for “Dune”; and Jonny Greenwood, nominated for his work on the moody Western “The Power Of The Dog” by director Jane Campion (Greenwood, also a member of the band Radiohead, is married to Israeli artist Sharona Katan, who has told Israeli media that the couple raises their kids Jewish).

“The Power Of The Dog” received 12 nominations in total, including best picture, and is considered a favorite to win.

One under-the-radar Jewish snub came in the best documentary short category, where the animated documentary “Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis,” about Jewish soldiers in World War II assigned to look after a secret Nazi POW camp on American soil, failed to make the cut.

However, another short documentary

Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images

with Jewish connections did score a nomination: “When We Were Bullies,” directed by Jay Rosenblatt, a longtime independent filmmaker who also currently works as program director at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. In Rosenblatt’s film, he explores his own complicity in a school bullying incident decades prior.

Meanwhile, “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” the Shakespeare adaptation from writer-director Joel Coen, did not score any nominations for Coen but did earn three other nominations, including best actor for star Denzel Washington.

Announced in a virtual ceremony co-hosted by “Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross, whose dad is Jewish, the nominations made room for some guest appearances.

One visitor who dropped in was TikTok star and movie enthusiast Reece Feldman, who also worked as a production assistant on the set of the upcoming fourth season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and has made videos poking fun at his Judaism. PJC

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Community What’s new at Yeshiva

Students from Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh’s Girls High School traveled to a Shabbaton in Columbus, Ohio.

Staying fit in the South Hills

p Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh members enjoy Group Power at the South Hills.

Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

Sweet Treat Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh students began “Bracha Chidon,” a project where students are challenged to make the correct blessings throughout the month.

p From left: Liba Frankel, Aviva Taibe, Batsheva Shkedi and Devi Hoen

p After learning about various blessings, students pose with floral arrangements made from different types of food.

Photo courtesy of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

Law, order and high school

p From left: Gabriella Balyasny, Emuna Naiditch, Sara Friedman, Toba Grossman and Bracha Shkedi

Elementary school students at Yeshiva just took the next test to qualify for the International Sefer Hamitzvos Chidon. The year-long competition is open to students worldwide.

p Students from Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh’s Girls High School pose before participating in the Pennsylvania Bar Association Mock Trial. Photo courtesy of Tahara Reinherz

Macher and Shaker Pittsburgher David Rosenberg received an official medal from the French city of Amiens on Feb. 8. Rosenberg is the creator of “Who is a Jew? Amiens, France 1940-1945,” an exhibit focusing on the photos, letters and events of the Holocaust pertaining to Jewish citizens of Amiens.

Photo by Sophie-Laure Zana

p Studying brings smiles.

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Photos courtesy of Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh

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