Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 3-4-22 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

March 4, 2022 | 1 Adar II 5782

Candlelighting 5:57 p.m. | Havdalah 6:57 p.m. | Vol. 65, No. 9 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Pittsburghers shout and sing support for Ukraine

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Healing Ink

Prosecutors of 10/27 case argue trial should be in Pittsburgh By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

Tattoos in remembrance of 10/27

Everyone knows that building. Everyone knows the subway system. We are in the center,” Romanchik, 16, said. The teens’ efforts paid off as about 300 people — according to City of Pittsburgh Police estimates — shouted, sang and prayed on behalf of Ukraine. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said he was impressed by the young adults’ ability to bring so many diverse people together. “It shows you that when we stand up we stand together,” Gainey told the Chronicle. “I’m very proud of this and very emotional because you are seeing people from all over the world here.” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald echoed praise for the young organizers, saying, “It gives you a lot of hope for the future.” Older adults, or those aware of European history, recognize the terror that comes along with “domination by dictators who go over and take sovereign nations over,” he added. As attendees shouted, “Slava Ukraini!

he man accused of murdering 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life building can get a fair trial in Pittsburgh, so a change of venue is unwarranted, according to federal prosecutors. Attorneys for the defense filed a motion on Jan. 17 seeking to move the case from the Western District of Pennsylvania to another venue. The defense claims that because of extensive publicity in Pittsburgh, the accused would not receive a “fair and impartial trial” here. The defendant’s motion further argues that “[o]verall, the local coverage of the shootings portrays [the defendant] in a prejudicial light, linking him to Alt-Right, Neo-Nazi, and conspiracy-minded groups. In contrast, the sympathetic stories of the deceased and surviving victims, as well as their long-standing and deep connections to the Pittsburgh community, are prominent in the publicity. While publicity may surround the case wherever it is tried, the impact on potential jurors in the Western District of Pennsylvania will be significantly greater, as demonstrated by the community’s reaction to the shootings, including the commemorations and memorials.” Prosecutors, who are seeking the death penalty, responded that the defense’s reliance on an “unsound private telephone survey and an overbroad media search” fails to demonstrate the jury pool here was prejudiced through negative publicity. In their opposition to the motion to change venue, prosecutors noted that on Oct. 1, 2020, the defendant filed 15 motions to “suppress various categories of evidence in this case” including evidence from his Gab.com account and statements he made while inside the Tree of Life building about his desire to “kill Jews.”

Please see Ukraine, page 14

Please see Trial, page 14

Page 5

LOCAL Meet Jonathan Shapiro

 Teenagers and event organizers Andrew Romanchik, Kateryna Petrylo and Hrystyna Photo by Adam Reinherz Petrylo demonstrate their support for Ukraine.

Sculpting a response to antisemitism Page 8

LOCAL Standing up for laughs

Comic Jared Freid comes to the Pittsburgh Improv. Page 9

$1.50

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

rowded together in downtown’s Liberty Avenue Park, Pittsburghers delivered speeches, joined in song and hoisted signs signaling support for Ukraine, as the Eastern European country continued defending itself against a Russian invasion. The Feb. 27 rally was organized by teenagers Andrew Romanchik, Kateryna Petrylo and Hrystyna Petrylo. The teens told the Chronicle they felt compelled to act following Russia’s declaration of war three days earlier. “Right after everything happened, we wanted to get together as a community and be together,” Hrystyna Petrylo said. As a lead-up to Sunday’s event, Hrystyna Petrylo reached out to groups throughout the city, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, to garner support. The teenagers then identified a spot to hold their demonstration — Liberty Avenue Park. “It’s in the center of the city. It’s in the heart of Pittsburgh. Everyone knows this building.

keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL

Rabbi Amy Bardack leaves Federation

LOCAL

Mask mandates ease

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Headlines Rabbi Amy Bardack leaves the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

abbi Amy Bardack is leaving the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh on March 18. Bardack has served as the director of Jewish Life and Learning at the organization for nearly six years. She moved to Pittsburgh from Boston — where she was the Judaic studies director at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston — along with her husband and two children. Bardack, a Conservative rabbi, said her decision to leave Federation was timed to take advantage of “an unprecedented opportunity.” “It happens about once every 20 years when there are not enough rabbis for the jobs,” she said. “There are going to be jobs unfilled. Coupled with that, it’s never been easier to work remotely from Pittsburgh for national organizations. So, there are a lot of opportunities for the next step in my career.” Bardack said she has not yet identified organizations where she might like to work but noted that her role at Federation left her little time to look for another position. “This is a very busy job and it’s very, very difficult to look for a job while you’re in a job,” she said. Jewish Life and Learning was a new department at Federation when Bardack was hired in July 2016. She said she was proud of the work she did to establish the new department, which focuses on creating Jewish programs in the community, boosting the engagement of Jews of all ages and strengthening Jewish identity and leadership. “I think it was about raising the bar for Jewish education and engagement, bringing

 Rabbi Amy Bardack

File photo

in research and best practices to enhance it and finding ways to serve the community,” Bardack said. “That meant figuring out grants to enable people to try new things in teen engagement and adult learning and experiences.” Bardack said she was proud of the committees she assembled which included lay leaders from all backgrounds; the support she was able to offer the Jewish day schools, especially during the pandemic; and the work she did following the Oct. 27 massacre at the Tree of Life building. Within 24 hours of the attack, Bardack said she had reached out to all of the Pittsburgh rabbis to coordinate who would lead funerals and shiva minyans. She also worked to ensure all three congregations targeted in the attack, and their rabbis, were receiving needed support.

“We got people the information they needed, if they needed drop-in counseling — which the JCC set up — if they needed to talk with a rabbi,” she said. “We set up a hotline, making connections with trauma specialists.” She also brought in a series of chaplains to help serve the community. Bardack said that she spent significant time out in the community through mid-December 2018 rather than behind a desk. “People were hurting,” she said. “They needed support. I brought in people from all over the country through my connections and contacts. It was very intense and a hands-on experience.” Adam Hertzman, the Federation’s marketing director, said Bardack facilitated almost all of the conversations around the 1-year commemoration of the attack. “Some of those conversations were emotionally charged and she did a fantastic job that really went above and beyond, getting people to work together and remembering what was important and making sure we took a victim-centered approach,” Hertzman said. Bardack often worked behind the scenes, he added. For example, she worked with local Jewish day schools to inspire best practices in education and engagement. She also brought new initiatives to Pittsburgh, including OneTable and Honeymoon Israel. Bardack’s work was critical during the pandemic, Hertzman said. She helped to quickly identify where Federation could provide relief funds to get kids online when they couldn’t go to school, and to get students back to school when able. She also assisted congregations in using virtual technology when that comported with their religious practices.

“Rabbi Bardack has made a lot of improvements in our Jewish Life and Learning program and she will really be missed,” Hertzman said. In February, Bardack wrote a column that ran on both eJewishPhilanthropy.com and in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle titled “How inclusive are we willing to be?” In the controversial opinion piece, Bardack wrote that Jessie Sander, a 26-year-old Jewish educator in New York, had filed a lawsuit against her former employer, “a flagship Reform synagogue, claiming she was fired because of her anti-Zionist beliefs.” “While I cannot speak to the legal claim, I have been thinking about the value of inclusivity which many Jewish organizations espouse,” Bardack wrote. She posited that an increasing number of Jews no longer support Israel and asked if it is within the interest of Jewish institutions to welcome them, writing “[m]any of these organizations proport but one acceptable form of ostracism, and that is toward those who express anti-Zionist viewpoints. “I propose,” she wrote, “that we spend less time labeling all anti-Zionist Jews as antisemitic, and more time figuring out how to be truly inclusive.” The piece engendered some public criticism, including letters to the editor in this paper. Bardack said she spent some time thinking about the piece, and the comments she received in response were positive. “I viewed the piece as pretty mild,” Bardack said. “I wasn’t saying anything critical of Israel. I wasn’t identifying as anti-Zionist. I am not anti-Zionist. I was really asking questions about inclusion and the limits of Please see Bardack, page 15

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Headlines JSS helps Jewish Pittsburghers pay for college — LOCAL — By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

ake Maxwell Harrison knows the value of a dollar — the Pleasant Hills native worked internships, federal work-study and at McDonald’s to help pay his way through Washington & Jefferson College and then Duquesne University School of Law. “In terms of financing my education, money was a huge factor for me in where I would eventually attend,” Harrison told the Chronicle. “In all honesty, cost was the most important factor in where I would go to school for both undergrad and graduate school. This was followed by the perceived value or prestige of the school.” But Harrison, who works for the Department of Treasury as a revenue officer, had a secret weapon — Jewish Scholarship Services. In his sophomore year, he applied to the Sarah and Tena Goldstein Memorial Fund and received between $7,000 and about $10,000 in scholarships each year after that. “That was instrumental in changing my life in terms of how I financed my education,” Harrison said. “The amount of financial pressure this relieved is incalculable, and it allowed me to better focus on my studies rather than panic over how to pay for my next year or semester of schooling.”

JSS, a program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and administered by JFCS, processed 167 applicants and gave out more than $500,000 in the 2020-’21 academic year; the program now is processing applications for the next academic year. JSS has helped Jewish young adults fund their college dreams for decades, according to Dana Himmel, program assistant for JSS. Himmel, who received JSS funds when attending Kent State University, said the program works well because it helps young adults in need. “It’s much more fair that everyone gets looked at together,” Himmel told the Chronicle. “So, students who need the most get the most. It’s not just awards for the most industrious.” JSS is particularly important during the pandemic, when many teens are furloughing decisions to go to college or dropping out instead of pursuing largely virtual educations, Himmel said. “We’re not going to know the reality of what COVID is doing for five to 10 years,” she said. “And that’s especially true in education.” It’s simple to qualify for JSS funds: one must be Jewish, pursuing post-secondary education like college or a trade school, and live in the greater Pittsburgh area. The scholarships only apply to those seeking a degree, not a professional certificate, but they also apply to study abroad opportunities, Himmel said.

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Jamie Kaufer, a pediatric dentist, studied abroad in France during her years at the University of Pittsburgh thanks to JSS support. Hailing from Greensburg, she had her sights set on Pitt pretty early. “I knew I wanted to go into the medical field, and I knew Pitt had a great science program,” Kaufer said. “And a big factor was the Jewish community there.” Kaufer, a board member at Congregation Emanu-El Israel in Greensburg, received

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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the Goldstein fund support, just like Harrison. She graduated from Pitt’s dental school in 2017. “I definitely hope to give back to the JFCS,” she said. “They helped me so much when I was in school. You want to help so a student today can get what I had.” Jewish young adults can also seek college funding through JFunds, a network that includes JSS, JFCS, the Hebrew Free Loan Association, the Jewish Assistance Fund and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Matthew Bolton, director of the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry, said that the JFunds umbrella has helped more and more people in need with programs like tax credits and rent assistance. “Jewish agencies such as the food pantry have pivoted to reflect the new needs of our communities,” Bolton said. Himmel stressed that the interview process for JSS is meant to bring people into the fray, not divide them. “We really try to be inclusive — and that’s a Jewish value,” she said. “We want the word to get out … It’s really hard to live a Jewish life and save for college. There shouldn’t be embarrassment. “You need to get all the help you can get.” PJC

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— LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

arb Feige, a former executive director of Tree of Life Congregation, found a new job in the Pittsburgh Jewish community — and didn’t even need to find a new parking space or ask where they keep the bagels. Rodef Shalom Congregation announced earlier this month that it hired Feige as its interim executive director, effective March 1. Feige served at Tree of Life from July 2019 until December. The Conservative congregation rents space at Rodef Shalom while its synagogue is rebuilt after the 2018 massacre. As of press time, it had not named a replacement for Feige. Before her time at Tree of Life, Feige worked with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and volunteered with numerous organizations, including Hillel Academy, Prevention Point Pittsburgh and the Hebrew Free Loan Association. She also served as the only female president of Shaare Torah Congregation, an Orthodox congregation. Matthew Falcone, president of Rodef Shalom, said it was the totality of Feige’s experience that initially interested the Reform congregation. “She has a lot of diversity with who she’s worked for in the past and what kind of experience that she’s able to bring into her role,” Falcone said. “For us,

 Barb Feige

Photo by s.m.riemer.

For Feige, both familiarity and the temporary nature of the role attracted her to the position. “My interactions with every staff person in the building were wonderful,” she said. “Every single person is amazingly good at what they do, and they do it with a smile — they’re caring and pleasant. It’s not a comparison, but I already knew who the players were.” Feige said she expects to stay in the interim role between eight and 10 months. “We’ll see how things go at the end of that,” she said. “They’ll do a search at some point for a permanent executive director.” Asked if she’d consider applying for the permanent role, Feige said she’d make that decision down the line.

“ She has a lot of diversity with who she’s worked for in the past and what kind of experience

”

that she’s able to bring into her role.

Services

Rodef Shalom hires Barb Feige as interim executive director

— MATTHEW FALCONE, PRESIDENT OF RODEF SHALOM CONGREGATION

it was important that she had expertise as a traditional executive director for a congregation but also spent time at the ACLU and other nonprofit entities.” Rodef Shalom has been without an executive director since August 2020, but Falcone said the congregation hasn’t been rudderless during that period. The executive director’s duties, he explained, were handled collaboratively by the congregation’s executive committee. Falcone said filling the executive director role was difficult for the congregation because of the pandemic, and it made sense to hire an interim director before beginning the search for a permanent replacement. “We wanted to take a little more time hiring a full-time permanent director,” Falcone said. “It is absolutely wonderful that Barb came to us through this process.”

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

The executive director role isn’t the only change at Rodef Shalom. Senior Rabbi Aaron Bisno, who has served the congregation since 2004, has been on administrative leave since Nov. 30. Falcone said that change is part of the ethos of the congregation. “The past several years have been a period of enormous transition for Rodef Shalom,” he said. “We’ve really fundamentally changed, I think, how we’ve operated, as has our place in the community and how we welcome others into the building. It’s been wonderful for us. This next step is just another part of the process we started a while ago, and Barb’s expertise will be good as we move forward.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Tattoo organization helps Pittsburghers heal from 10/27 trauma — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer

raig Dershowitz believes art can heal. He came to Pittsburgh on Feb. 23 to help survivors, first responders and others affected by the massacre at the Tree of Life building. Dershowitz is the co-founder and president of Artists 4 Israel, an organization that helps prevent the spread of anti-Israel bigotry through art and aims to help communities and people affected by terrorism and hate. Healing Ink, a project of Artists 4 Israel, was created to help Israeli terror victims cover their scars with tattoos. The same service is now offered to victims of antisemitic terrorism in the United States. Twenty Pittsburghers received tattoos from Healing Ink, about half at the Squirrel Hill Jewish Community Center, Dershowitz said. Others got their ink in private locations either because of COVID-19 concerns or because they didn’t want to be on display publicly. “It’s incredible to see this planning come to fruition,” Dershowitz said, “especially when you see antisemitic activity and you feel helpless and like there’s nothing you can do. To feel like I’ve done just a tiny bit to help offset that hate and help heal some of the people affected by that, and bring attention to it, it’s one of the most important things I’ve ever done.” The tattoo artists were volunteers from Pittsburgh and other locales, including Niles, Ohio; New York City; and Orlando, Florida. Long before the planned event, Healing Ink connected those wishing to get a tattoo with a tattoo artist to discuss ideas. The Feb. 23 event was the first time the pairs met in person. Antoine Davis has tattooed people for 12 years at Blackwater Tattoo in Niles, Ohio. He was excited to hear about the opportunity with Healing Ink and said it spoke, in part, to why he works in the industry. “My buddy Jesse informed me of the cause, and I was all about it,” Davis said. “One of the things we do in this industry is help people through traumatic times. It’s our job to bring those feelings and emotions into our artwork. It’s a big reason why I got into this industry — to help people.” Davis tattooed a tree onto the chest of David Hurak, a member of the North Hills Special Response Team. Hurak was one of the first responders at the Tree of Life building the day of the attack. Hurak said the tattoo was an opportunity for closure. “It was such a hateful, violent day, and this is bringing together peace and togetherness and sharing,” he said. “Everyone has stories in this room.” Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership Director, helped secure the JCC for the event, a location that she said made sense after she learned more about Healing Ink. “When I got to know Craig and heard more about the scope of their work, it seemed like unconventional spaces are in line with their work,” Feinstein said. “They did want it to be PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p Amy and Eric Mallinger got tattoos in honor of their grandmother, Rose Mallinger. Photo provided by Amy Mallinger

p David Hurak’s tattoo of a tree and bird helped him find closure.

Photo by David Rullo

p Kris Kepler’s tattoo combined Hebrew words from the Shema and an image of a dragon.

Photo by David Rullo

somewhere busier, a place that had its own life to it, that wasn’t a tattoo studio — quiet and serene. That isn’t how they operate.” Feinstein said people often find healing through art, pointing to songs that were composed after Mac Miller’s death and large murals painted after the death of

George Floyd as examples. She said the idea of getting a tattoo after a traumatic loss isn’t surprising. “It’s a way to claim some level of ownership or agency over something that feels like somebody else took ownership or agency,” she said.

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Amy Mallinger came to the JCC with her twin brother, Eric, to get a tattoo in honor of their grandmother Rose Mallinger who was killed on Oct. 27. Eric Mallinger decided on a large rose on his bicep; Amy Mallinger got a smaller rose on her right forearm. “I wanted to get a rose to commemorate her,” Amy Mallinger said. “It was just a matter of picking out which one I wanted that was as simple as her because she was a simple person. I think all she needed in life was her family. So, the rose represented that. And then, I also wanted to add her initials in it to just add a little more spice.” Healing Ink originally planned to visit Pittsburgh in October 2021 but had to postpone the trip because of the COVID-19 surge then. The idea of receiving a tattoo to heal from a trauma, even an antisemitic trauma, isn’t without controversy. In an August interview about Healing Ink’s expected visit, Rabbi Danny Schiff, Foundation scholar at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, told the Chronicle that tattoos were “unacceptable” in Judaism. The prohibition, he said is found in Leviticus 28. “Placing permanent markings in the flesh is forbidden and the inverse of holiness,” Schiff said. Dershowitz, however, said he’s certain that he’s on sound Jewish footing, explaining that he spoke with several Conservative and Orthodox rabbis about tattoos and Jewish tradition; he even features conversations with various rabbis about tattoos on Healing Ink’s Facebook page. “We’re not out there with a gun protecting people from terrorists,” Dershowitz told the Chronicle in August, “but we’re saving them. They’re coming out of their houses — some of these people haven’t left their homes alone, they haven’t worn shorts, as silly as that sounds, in 10 years. They can’t hold their children because of PTSD … I don’t want to seem immodest, but I’m proud that we’ve helped them turn their lives around.” Feinstein urged caution for those who don’t agree with the decision to get tattoos. “I would love to shout from the rooftops that there will be many different opinions about Jewish traditions and tattooing,” she said. “I encourage people to reserve judgment on the ways that people heal, not leaning into the moral authority that Judaism has said a tattoo is wrong. People should make the decision for themselves.” For Tree of Life member Kris Kepler, the decision made sense. Kepler was supposed to be at the Tree of Life building the day of the attack. He had promised Cecil Rosenthal, who was murdered that day, that he would meet him there, but Kepler didn’t go because he wasn’t feeling well. “I’ve always felt this incredible amount of guilt or trauma,” Kepler said. “So, when this showed up, I thought, ‘OK, I know I’m not supposed to do this and my rabbi probably won’t be happy,’ but I thought this was a great opportunity to do this, and for it to have a lot of meaning.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. MARCH 4, 2022 5

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.

central ideas and texts that inform our daily, weekly and annual rituals, as well as life cycle observances and 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 SATURDAY, MARCH 5

q WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9

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.

Classrooms Without Borders, in partnership with Liberation75, presents Larry Langer as part of Confronting the Complexity of Holocaust Scholarship: Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future of Holocaust Studies. Langer is a scholar of the Holocaust in the field of literature and testimony and will discuss his research and most recent book, “The Afterdeath of the Holocaust.” classroomswithoutborders.org/confronting_ the_complexity_of_holocaust_scholarship.

q SUNDAY, MARCH 6

Volunteer with Temple Sinai. Bring your kids’ old clothing or new donations to Temple Sinai to support Foster Love Project. Help kids do some spring cleaning while also doing some good. All day. templesinaipgh.org/ programs-events. Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh; The Jewish Community Center; the Center for Loving Kindness; Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh; Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania; St. Joseph Eparchy, Ukrainian Catholic Church; Turkish Cultural Center Pittsburgh; and Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, Western Eparchy for an Interfaith Vigil in Solidarity with Ukraine: Prayer for Peace. 2:30 p.m. St. Paul Cathedral. q SUNDAYS, MARCH 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 SUNDAYS, MARCH 6-APR. 10

Join a lay-led Online Parashah Study Group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge is needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.

Join Classrooms Without Borders and Ted Comet for Healing, Hope and Resilience Through Art: Holocaust Tapestries Interactive Tour — Demonstration of A Unique Teaching Tool. Ted Comet will discuss five tapestries woven by his late wife, Holocaust survivor, psychotherapist and artist Shoshana Comet. 4 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/holocausttapestries-healing-hope-resiliance-ted-comet. Join the Jewish Future Pledge for a webinar on taxes and philanthropy with financial advisers Mark Halpern and Ken Fink. They will provide free guidance on how to minimize taxes, while maximizing tzedakah dollars. 8 p.m. jewishfuturepledge.org. q

WEDNESDAYS, MARCH 9-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 WEDNESDAYS, MARCH 9-APRIL 13

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.

The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and the Jewish Community Foundation present the eight-part online course Answering Holocaust Questions. In the course, Rabbi Danny Schiff will examine the questions asked of the rabbis about the darkest times and their responses. How did the rabbis advise people to conduct themselves in the midst of those years of ultimate horror? How did they provide guidance when all normalcy had been lost? And what can their insights teach us about who we are as Jews in 2022? 9:30 a.m. $75. foundation.jewishpgh.org/answeringholocaust-questions.

q MONDAYS, MARCH 7-APRIL 11

q THURSDAY, MARCH 10

Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.

Classrooms Without Borders presents “I Am Here” film discussion with Tali Nates, Jordy Sank and Ella Blumenthal, Holocaust survivor. 1 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/i-amhere-film-discussion.

q MONDAY, MARCH 7

q TUESDAYS, MARCH 8-MAY 24

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/universal-early-childhoodeducation-what-could-this-mean-for-ourjewish-community-4. q SUNDAY, MARCH 13

Join Temple Sinai at the Jewish Federation’s Parking Lot for its drive-thru Purim Carnival. With fun games, prizes and a special takeaway meal, this Purim Carnival is fun for all ages. 10 a.m. $20 per car. Please register ahead of time. 2000 Technology Drive. templesinaipgh. org/programs-events. Don your best costume and join Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, South Hills JCC, PJ Library and Temple Emanuel of South Hills for Purim Palooza 2022. Enjoy carnival games, hamantashen-making, a photo booth, magicians, crafts, prizes and more. Two sessions, 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Space is limited for this free event. Advanced registration is required. jccpgh.formstack.com/forms/ southhillspurimpalooza. Chabad of the South Hills presents Pre-Purim Bake-off for Kids. Open to all kids aged 5-13. No charge. 11 a.m. chabadsh.com. q MONDAY, MARCH 14

Join Temple Sinai for its Meet n’ Eat Cooking Class focusing on learning to prepare Jamaican food. Learn about the history and culture of Jewish people in Jamaica while also preparing some vibrant and delicious food. 6:30 p.m. $15. templesinaipgh.org/ programs-events. q TUESDAYS, MARCH 15, 22, 29; APRIL 12

Join Temple Sinai on Zoom for “Cooking Like an Ashkenazi Grandmother” with a different instructor each week. In March, they’ll teach how to make kugel, hamantaschen, matzah balls and gefilte fish. Free. 6:30 p.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/cooking-likeashkenazi-grandmother.html. q WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16

The Squirrel Hill AARP will hold its next open meeting for the senior community in the Falk Library of Rodef Shalom Congregation at 1 pm. The meeting will include a talk by Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor. In addition, there will be a health presentation on how seniors can improve their balance and simple ways to deal with arthritis. A bake sale follows. Please have a mask and a copy of your COVID immunization. For additional information please contact Marcia Kramer, president: 412-656-5803. Temple Sinai hosts the 5th annual LatkeHamentash debate. Come together over Zoom and in person to determine the winner. This fun and hilarious event is free and open to everyone. templesinaipgh.org/event/latke/ hamentasch-debate.html. q THURSDAY, MARCH 17

Chabad of the South Hills presents Purim in NYC. Experience a NYC show, including graffiti wall art. Dress up for the Big Apple and win an

instant prize. Music, hamentashen, graggers and more. $18/adult, $36/family. 5 p.m. Megillah reading. 5:30-7 p.m. Dinner and fun. southhills.chabadsuite.net/civicrm/event/ register?reset=1&id=14. q SUNDAY, MARCH 20

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 TUESDAY, MARCH 22

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh partners with local and state law enforcement to present active shooter training for houses of worship — a safety and preparedness presentation. Clergy, house-of-worship staff, religious education teachers, board members, ushers, greeters, custodians, elders, deacons and servant-leaders of any faith can attend. 7 p.m. jewishpgh.org/event/active-shooterpreparedness-and-response-training. q

TUESDAY, MARCH 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 embark on Holocaust Museums and Memorials Around the World, a series highlighting different angles of complex memory and grappling with the challenges faced in defining representation of both lived memory and historical memory. 2 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/ holocaust_museums_and_memorials_ around_the_world. q SATURDAY, MARCH 26

Join Temple Sinai to watch “Tikkun.” The film explores the journey of a young man questioning his faith. We’ll screen the film over Zoom and discuss afterward. This event is open to all and free of charge. templesinaipgh. org/event/movie-night-tikkun.html. q

TUESDAY, MARCH 29

The Arab-Israeli conflict plays a large (some would claim outsized) role in current events. This course aims to unpack the causes and core issues that relate to the 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. q

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30

Classrooms Without Borders presents a postfilm discussion of “Masel Tov Cocktail” with director Arkadij Khaet and Lihi Nagler, film scholar and an expert on Jewish and German film. 3 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/ post-film-discussion-masel-tov-cocktail. PJC

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 6

MARCH 4, 2022

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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The Big Night Auction There's still time to bid!

Night On The Town

Chic Shopping in Shadyside The Auction

Fun On The Fairway at Pikewood National Golf Course

Remembering Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant Photograph by George Lange

and so much more...The Auction closes March 5 at 9 pm

go to bidpal.net/bignight22 or scan the qr code

Questions? Email: bignight@jccpgh.org

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MARCH 4, 2022 7

Headlines Sculptor Jonathan Shapiro ‘shines light on antisemitism’ — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

ittsburgh sculptor Jonathan Shapiro’s work beckons viewers to come closer, to follow its mid-air bends and thrusts, and marvel at its form. The mobility of Shapiro’s pieces is a nod to the sculptor’s history — yes, he was a gymnast, but more importantly, he told the Chronicle, he’s Jewish and acutely aware of a cresting antisemitic wave he thinks is readying for impact as it did when it reached his European grandparents decades ago. Shapiro, 48, said his paternal grandparents arrived in the United States after enduring persecution, pogroms and hardship just outside Kyiv. On the day he spoke with the Chronicle, he flipped through histories of the Holocaust while commenting on the growing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “I try reading about what was happening around them, about their cultural life, Ashkenazi urbanism of the time, trying to figure out what that was like,” Shapiro said. “That’s where we came from, why I am distrustful of others.” Shapiro’s rhetoric contrasts with his art. Unlike the smooth movement of his pieces, his sentences, sometimes phrases, are staccato and uttered in a heavy East Coast accent. Shapiro was born at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and grew up on Long Island. He had no interest in discussing his New York roots, though. Instead, he wanted to talk about his art, how it makes him feel and his upcoming show at ZYNKA Gallery in Sharpsburg, which runs from March 5 - April 30. “The important thing is shedding and shining a light on antisemitism and how deeply-seated it is,” Shapiro said before sharing a passage from Jeffrey Veidlinger’s “In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918—1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust.” Shapiro, a Squirrel Hill resident who came here 30 years ago to compete on the University of Pittsburgh’s gymnastics team, said he feels close to the sculptures he’s displaying at ZYNKA. “They began like all my work does, with self-exploration, with who and why we are who we are, or why I am who I am,” he said. The materials — in this case wood, but Shapiro also works with stone, steel and concrete — and their shape offer the artist a starting point. “Sometimes, I like the shape and not the materials, sometimes the materials and not the shape,” he said. What follows is an organic process of self-referential decisions, he explained. Before Shapiro sculpts the natural materials, he asks himself “how does it make me feel and does it make me feel good,” he said. A piece reaches its conclusion “when I feel like there are no more decisions to be made.” In some of his pieces at the ZYNKA show Shapiro recognizes “deep-seated antisemitism through physical form.” He believes that people who have experienced trauma will have similar feelings, but said there’s no right or wrong way to interpret a piece. “It’s how you feel in that moment,” he said. He also sees “hope, perseverance, survival” in the pieces. 8

MARCH 4, 2022

p Jonathan Shapiro

Photo by Susan Abramson

p “Tactical Communication,” inside ZYNKA Gallery.

Photo courtesy of ZYNKA Gallery

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Jeffrey Jarzynka, ZYNKA’s owner and director, called Shapiro a “good soul” and someone who “embeds his own personality and story within his work.” Though the ZYNKA sculptures are not the first Shapiro works Jarzynka has seen — years ago Jarzynka admired a towering 15-foot wooden carving in the Fairmont hotel’s lobby, then later discovered the sculpture was made by Shapiro — the pieces inspired Jarzynka to learn more about the pogroms. After Shapiro titled his newest works, “Shadows from the Pale,” Jarzynka learned how the sculptures pay deference to the Pale of Settlement — a territory within the western region of the Russian Empire where Jews were permitted to live from 1791 to 1917 — and how despite more than 100,000 Jews dying during early 20th-century pogroms there, Shapiro’s grandparents survived. “Jonathan as a person and a figure is small in stature, yet has this powerful presence,” Jarzynka said. He pointed to the Fairmont piece, “which is powering and has mass but doesn’t feel weighty.” Viewing the piece, then looking at the artist, there’s “almost this mindblowing moment like, ‘Wait, you created that?” It takes strength to sculpt, the artist said. He practices yoga, plays pickleball and still has a set of rings and a pull-up bar. His pommel horse, he said, is at a friend’s house in Indiana. Shapiro never formally studied art. At Pitt, in addition to competing in gymnastics, he majored in rhetoric. Eventually, he taught himself how to sculpt. “I didn’t come from an academic art career,” he said. “I didn’t have the critiques and discussion, how to talk about it. I communicate by putting these materials together in a way that feels right, that is my language of communication.” Shapiro’s interest in art began at a young age. His maternal grandfather was a maker and Shapiro quickly grew comfortable operating various woodworking tools. Another early artistic influence came by way of a childhood poster: An image of Alexander Calder’s “Cirque Calder,” a 20th-century sculpture of a circus consisting of an elaborate troupe of miniature wire and wood figures. “Cirque Calder,” which is part of the permanent collection of the Whitney Museum in New York, achieved fame partially through Calder’s using the miniature pieces to demonstrate to a Parisian avant-garde audience how everything from the sword swallowers to spear throwers, lion tamers and acrobats all functioned. Shapiro won’t be giving his ZYNKA audience that type of show, but the artist does see a captivating narrative within his sculptures’ twists and bends. Ingrained in the pieces are his worries about antisemitism, as well as his pride in being autodidactic and perseverant. “All the things that I got from my ancestors,” he said. Ultimately, when it comes to this body of work, “it is who I am — self-taught, resourceful, creative — always been that way. We had to be that way as a people. We didn’t have a choice.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Jewish podcaster and stand-up Jared Freid coming to Pittsburgh — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

omedian Jared Freid is like a bubbie at a bris — loud, entertaining and everywhere. The Jewish Penn State graduate and New York City resident, who is slated to perform six shows at Pittsburgh Improv March 10-13, hosts several podcasts, regularly contributes to others, tours the country doing stand-up and posts incessantly (and hilariously) online. An hour before speaking with the Chronicle, Freid, 37, tweeted about the tendency of social media users who feign expertise about global affairs: “Remember your most unhinged friends during the pandemic?! Well they are BACK as a war correspondent!!” Freid said that the tweet — and its reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — pokes fun at the type of pal everyone has, that person who purports to know everything and is gladly willing to share that knowledge, “especially on a very serious day where we’re watching the world change before our eyes.” War, mass displacement and the loss of human life aren’t particularly lined with punchlines, which is why Freid said he’s happy leaving the reporting to experts. “I want to hear from someone I trust, and there’s a lot of people — especially over the last few years — that have proven themselves to not exactly be the most trustworthy source of information,” he said. “And I’m making fun of that person.” But, as is the case with any joke, some people fail to see the humor. On Instagram, where Freid has 256,000 followers, a few users remarked that Freid’s post wasn’t funny, that it lacked compassion and that

 Jared Freid

Photo by Jordan Braun

war is serious. Freid said he understands that everyone won’t always appreciate every comment. What he posts, or addresses in his bits or on his podcasts, are attempts to “find someone new that could laugh at the things I do,” he said. “I don’t do anything to make someone mad.” Helping others find humor — as he does by “live screaming” every episode of “The Bachelor” — is Freid’s intent. It’s why he left his job selling life insurance and annuities to pursue comedy. At the time, when he shifted careers in 2010, Freid wasn’t sure where he’d land. He thought maybe he’d be writing greetings cards. He definitely didn’t expect

to perform on “The Tonight Show,” where he delivered a set in November. Freid didn’t get there by chance. By the time he arrived at Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center, he’d already built a fanbase of several hundred thousand online. And while performing in front of Jimmy Fallon and a national televised audience was “definitely a highlight,” the true takeaway of the experience was that it was “incredibly validating,” Freid said. “There are no promotions in stand-up comedy, and there are very few moments like that.” Perhaps more memorable are the misses. Freid recalled a show he did just two years into his career where there was only one person in the audience laughing: his mother.

Similarly brutal, he recalled, were several events at synagogues. “There’s nothing harder than performing for your own,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what background you are. If you get in front of a group of people that have the same background as you, they’re always the hardest critic.” As for cracking quips before fellow landsmen, the challenge is that “comedy is the Jewish sport,” Freid said. “I think Jews take a lot of ownership and pride in being the culture of stand-up comedy, of comedy in general. So when you go in front of a Jewish audience, there’s always that punchy older Jewish guy that’s just ready to say he could do this, too.” Jewish Pittsburgh can discover how difficult the task is when Freid performs at the Pittsburgh Improv. Some of the material may touch on family, as it’s one direction he’s taken his comedy in recent years. “I’m not up there to try and talk about men versus women and things like that,” he said. “It’s more just talking about myself and things about myself that I believe will connect with a big group of people.” Freid learned the tactic from his comedic icons Kevin James and Ray Romano. While both of those stars achieved massive fame through televised sitcoms (“The King of Queens” and “Everybody Loves Raymond”), Freid is more pragmatic. “I would love that,” he said. “I would love to have the sitcom version of going and visiting your parents in Boca that doesn’t feel like I’m lifting ‘Seinfeld’ episodes. But, generally, the dream to me is getting to go and do stand-up. Like, go on the road and have people come out and enjoy.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Masking requirements easing in Pittsburgh’s Jewish institutions — LOCAL — By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

s COVID-19 case numbers continue to drop throughout Greater Pittsburgh, several Jewish organizations announced they are lifting or rolling back their masking policies. The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and Hillel Academy are eliminating some mask requirements, while Community Day School is easing mask mandates outdoors and social distancing restrictions elsewhere on campus. The JCC decision applies to all members using its facilities. “Effective March 1, we are lifting our mask requirement, but we will continue our indoor masking mandate for our staff and participants in the Early Childhood Development Center and our after-school clubhouse program,” JCC spokesperson Fara Marcus told the Chronicle. “With that being said, those at risk of contracting COVID-19 or who would feel more comfortable wearing

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who heads the school. The policy applies both indoors and outdoors, though the school intends to continue practicing social distancing where feasible. “We are excited to see our students’ beautiful smiling faces,” Weinberg told the Chronicle. At Community Day School, effective March 2, masks are optional while outdoors on campus. Physical distancing in classrooms and shared spaces also will no longer be required, except while unmasked indoors for any reason, like eating or drinking, Head of School Avi Munro said. “Due to the ineligibility of chil As COVID cases decline locally, some mask dren under age 5 to be vaccinated, mandates are lifted. Photo by :Prostock-Studio these policy changes do not yet apply to Early Childhood students a mask indoors are encouraged to do so.” The JCC’s vaccination policy, which requires or staff, while supervising their students,” proof of COVID-19 vaccination for those aged Munro said in an email to CDS parents. “We feel we can take these steps because we have 5 and older, remains in effect, Marcus said. As of Feb. 28, Hillel Academy responded reached declining levels of community transto the drop in COVID-19 cases by going mission and hospitalizations in Allegheny “mask-optional,” said Rabbi Sam Weinberg, County, the positive rate for students and PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

staff on campus also continues to drop, and [we have] 100% vaccination of eligible CDS students and staff. “We know there are families who will choose to have their children continue to wear masks outdoors — and staff who will do the same — and we expect a safe and judgment-free environment here at CDS for these individuals,” she added. “Throughout the pandemic, we have proceeded with careful intention to help protect the physical and emotional well-being of everyone in our school community. We will continue to move with caution every step of the way as we evaluate relaxing other mitigation efforts on campus.” In the meantime, Yeshiva Schools has not announced any changes in its masking policy, according to CEO Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum. “We didn’t change any of our medical policies, but we have had zero cases,” Rosenblum said. “School is more regular … but the medical committee will look at everything at its next meeting.” PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh. MARCH 4, 2022 9

Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

BBYO holds largest Jewish gathering since pandemic began

More than 3,000 teenagers from 40 countries attended a BBYO convention believed to be the largest Jewish gathering since the pandemic began. The organization said the event at the Baltimore Convention Center from Feb. 17-21 focused on Jewish philanthropy and Jewish education. Speakers included Zach Banner, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive tackle; Mike Posner, a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter; Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of New York’s Central Synagogue, who fielded calls from the hostage-taker in January’s Colleyville, Texas, synagogue assault; Green Bay Packers running back A. J. Dillon; Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who is running for governor; and Jurnee Smollett, an Emmy-nominated actress. COVID protections, including proof of vaccination, testing and masking, were in place throughout the convention.

Two Kentucky lawmakers apologize for saying ‘Jew them down’

A Kentucky lawmaker used “Jew them down” in a joke, and a second lawmaker repeated it, then corrected himself: “That ain’t the right word to use.”

Both men ended up apologizing for the phrase that continues despite repeated pleas from Jewish organizations to kill it off. One of the men said he grew up with the phrase. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that the phrase came up Feb. 22 during a Kentucky General Assembly hearing when a government official reported the state had leased two properties from a private company for $1 each. State Sen. Rick Girdler and State Rep. Walker Thomas, both Republicans, soon apologized. Thomas explained that the phrase was second nature.

String of antisemitic, racist incidents roil college near Boston

For nearly a month, a small liberal arts college near Boston has been roiled by a spate of hate incidents, including antisemitic graffiti and threatening racist language. The incidents prompted Curry College of Milton, Massachusetts, to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved. The incidents began Jan. 27 on International Holocaust Remembrance Day with reports of drawings of swastikas and discriminatory and hateful language. Multiple similar incidents were reported over the next few weeks. After threats against the school’s Black community mentioned a specific date, Feb. 22, Curry temporarily shifted its classes online. About 200 people participated in two separate rallies and a march in support of Curry’s Jewish and Black students, according to the student newspaper.

Antisemitic flyers distributed in Colleyville, Texas

Colleyville, Texas, residents woke up over the Feb. 19-20 weekend to find antisemitic flyers on their driveways and yards. The flyers, which were strewn about the town in plastic zip-top bags with pebbles in them to weigh them down, were similar to those distributed in several cities across the country since last year. The town’s synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel, where a rabbi and three of his congregants were held hostage for 12 hours in January, said some synagogue members found the flyers on their properties. “We understand that the Colleyville Police Department and the FBI are investigating, and their involvement brings comfort. We are hopeful that the individual(s) responsible will be identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Circulating hate speech cannot be taken lightly,” the statement said.

Holocaust education bill advances in Oklahoma

An Oklahoma state House committee unanimously approved a bill mandating Holocaust education in the state’s schools. The bipartisan-backed bill that the House of Representatives Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee approved would direct schools to work with Holocaust experts to develop a curriculum for students. John Waldron, the Democrat who authored the bill with Republican Mark McBride, cited the spike in antisemitic

attacks in explaining the bill’s need. “Our greatest generation liberated the Nazi concentration camps that killed 11 million people, including six million Jews,” he said. “Yet knowledge of the Holocaust is declining in Oklahoma and America. Antisemitic hate crimes are on the rise.” At least 22 states have Holocaust education laws on the books, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Following outcry, Duke University student government recognizes campus Zionist group

Duke University’s student government granted recognition to a Zionist student group, reversing an earlier decision. In 2021, Duke’s student body president vetoed a request for recognition by the Duke chapter of Students Supporting Israel over concerns that an Instagram comment of the group’s, which had implored a student to “please allow us to educate you,” had been “potentially hostile or harmful.” Advocacy groups, such as the Brandeis Center for Human Rights and the Israel on Campus Coalition, issued statements condemning the university, prompting Duke’s Offices of Institutional Equity and Conduct and Community Standards to investigate whether the veto had been discriminatory. On Feb. 23, the student government voted to approve a re-submitted proposal from SSI to become an officially recognized student organization within the school’s Student Organization Finance Committee. PJC

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

March 4, 1987 — Pollard is sentenced to life in prison

Jonathan Pollard, who pleaded guilty to espionage, is sentenced to serve life in prison for spying on the United States for Israel in 1984 and 1985 while with the Naval Intelligence Service.

March 5, 1891 — Blackstone petitions president for Jewish home

William Blackstone, an American Methodist lay leader, submits a petition to President Benjamin Harrison that calls for “a home for these wandering millions of Israel” in Ottoman Palestine.

March 6, 1948 — Clifford opposes State Dept. on Israel

Truman adviser Clark Clifford writes two detailed memoranda arguing for U.S. support of the partition of Palestine, setting him in opposition to the policy staff and leadership of the State Department.

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

March 7, 1977 — Rabin, Carter meet in Washington

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and President Jimmy Carter meet in Washington, D.C. Rabin suggests that Israel could pursue peace with Egypt and perhaps Jordan; Carter prefers a comprehensive regional peace.

March 8, 1969 — War of Attrition begins

Egypt launches a major offensive against Israeli positions on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal, starting the War of Attrition, which lasts until August 1970. Egypt aims to strain Israel’s resolve and economy.

March 9, 1932 — Naharayim power plant opens

Pinhas Rutenberg and the Palestine Electric Co. open a hydroelectric power plant at Naharayim. It supplies much of the electricity in Palestine until its destruction by Iraqis during the War of Independence.

March 10, 1970 — Law of Return’s Jewish definition is amended

Israel’s Law of Return is amended to change the definition of a Jew to “a person who was born of a Jewish mother or who has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion.” PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines

PURIM AT THE JCC!

Jewish Exponent sold to Mid-Atlantic Media — LOCAL — By Andy Gotlieb | JE Editor

id-Atlantic Media, LLC, bought, effective Feb. 28, the 135-year-old Jewish Exponent from the Jewish Publishing Group, a subsidiary of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Mid-Atlantic Media, which is based near Baltimore, pledged to maintain local news operations for the Exponent, which is the second-oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the United States. Mid-Atlantic Media CEO and Publisher Craig Burke said that the acquisition fits in well with the company’s strategic plans. “The Jewish Exponent has always been one of the preeminent Jewish publications in the country,” he said. “Seven years ago, we considered it an honor and privilege to help provide custom media services to the Jewish Exponent. Now, the opportunity to acquire the Exponent and bring it into our corporate media portfolio is a true thrill.” The Exponent was founded by 43 prominent Philadelphians and debuted on April 15, 1887, at 14 pages with sermon recaps, synagogue updates, society tidbits and foreign news. Over time, the paper grew in size, adding opinion columns, obituaries, debates about Zionism and extensive coverage of major world events. When the paper floundered financially in the 1940s, real estate magnate Albert M. Greenfield bought it and turned it over in 1944 to the Allied Jewish Appeal — the precursor of the local Jewish Federation. In 1962, The Philadelphia Inquirer touted the paper as “the largest Anglo-Jewish weekly in the United States.” It averaged around 40 pages per issue then and grew as large as 100 pages per issue in the late 1980s. The Jewish Federation addressed the paper’s sale in a letter to the Jewish community. “We are immensely proud to have been the stewards of our community’s news for nearly eight decades and are excited that such a powerhouse in the Jewish publishing business will now take over the reins,” the letter reads. “Importantly, this change in ownership will also enable the Jewish Federation to have greater human and financial resources dedicated to serving the community. In the months and years to come, the Jewish Federation will continue to address the community’s most critical needs while also partnering with the many thriving Jewish agencies, schools and synagogues to ensure a vibrant, inclusive and welcoming Jewish community of Greater Philadelphia for generations to come.” Jewish Federation and President Michael Balaban said the move makes sense for multiple reasons.

“It’s a business you (Mid-Atlantic Media) should be in, and we shouldn’t be in,” he said. “Organizations like ours have to focus on what we do best.” Balaban noted that the trend has been away from Federations owning papers — most have already divested themselves. For the local Jewish Federation, three factors came into play, Balaban said. Aside from Jewish Federation not being a good fit in the publishing industry, the paper was operating at a loss, leaving less money available for the organization’s core purposes. And in today’s highly polarized world, it’s hard to please everyone, he said. He said conservatives called the paper too liberal, while liberals complained the paper was too conservative. Some organizations thought they weren’t featured enough in the paper, while others opposed stories they thought weren’t favorable. “Our steadfast commitment to engage, educate, entertain and connect Jews across the religious, political, demographic and geographic spectra of our community has never wavered,” Jewish Federation said in its statement. “However, the ever-changing landscape of print media can make owning a local Jewish newspaper challenging to maintain. In Mid-Atlantic Media, the paper will have proven experts in the field focusing on its growth, development and relevance in the marketplace.” For those that receive the Jewish Exponent as a gift from Jewish Federation for a donation once made to the Jewish Community Fund, that will continue. Mid-Atlantic Media will contact subscribers occasionally to update contact information. Mid-Atlantic Media first became associated with the Exponent in 2015 when it was hired to operate the paper’s editorial and production departments. “Jewish publications build and strengthen Jewish community with their content, both in print and digitally,” Burke said. “We look forward to providing valuable content to Jewish readers in the Greater Philadelphia area and helping our advertisers grow their business.” In addition, in 2021, Mid-Atlantic Media bought Philadelphia-based parenting magazine MetroKids. The company also publishes Baltimore’s Child, Baltimore Jewish Times, Baltimore Style, Consumer’s Eye Magazine, Frederick’s Child, Home Services Magazine, Montgomery Magazine, Washington Family and Washington Jewish Week. The company — which maintains a corporate office in Owings Mills, Maryland — also operates a substantial national custom media division providing services to clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region; Key West, Florida; Pittsburgh; New York; San Francisco; and Scottsdale, Arizona. PJC Andy Gotlieb is the editor for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication.

NEW LOCATION! JCC Family Park, Monroeville Snyder Family Purim Carnival: Purim at the Park Sunday, March 13 1-3 pm JCC South Hills Purim Palooza Sunday, March 13 10 am-Noon

with Temple Emanuel, Beth El and PJ Library

Learn more and register: Go to jccpgh.org/event/purim or scan QR code below

A welcoming vaccinated environment for members, guests and staff

JCCPGH.org

Proof of vaccination required ages 5+

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MARCH 4, 2022 11

Opinion Ukraine in turmoil — EDITORIAL —

n retrospect, politicians and pundits agree that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch an all-out attack on neighboring Ukraine was predictable. They point to Putin’s paranoid obsession with an ever-growing list of accusations of Russiatargeted expansion in Eastern Europe by the West and NATO, and the unsupported charges of Ukrainian atrocities against the country’s Russian-speaking minority. Yet, in the run-up to the attack, there was hope that an invasion could be averted and that reason, diplomacy and a universal interest in world order would prevail. That was not to be. While governments and their leaders were issuing warnings and threats designed to deter Putin, the international Jewish aid world was ramping up its efforts for rescue and relief of Jews in Ukraine. Instead of waiting for the

attack to launch, the relief agencies planned for it with something close to military precision. The size of Ukraine’s Jewish community is unclear. A 2020 demographic survey numbered 43,000 Jews. The European Jewish Congress says that number could be as high as 400,000. In any case, by the morning after the invasion, Jewish federations in this country were announcing a Ukraine emergency fund and their partnering with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), HIAS and World ORT — all of whom have been working in Ukraine for decades and have established relationships in Ukraine to help facilitate relief protocols. We applaud the quick mobilization and careful planning of the Jewish relief effort, and the related fundraising activities of our local federations and the umbrella Jewish Federations of North America. In this time of crisis, our communities are proving once

again that we are our brothers’ keepers. The Jewish Agency has established six aliyah-processing stations at Ukrainian borders to help facilitate a safe and quick aliyah for those eligible, interested and able take advantage of the opportunity; has accelerated a program to upgrade security at Jewish institutions across Ukraine; and has arranged care for the more than 1500 Ukrainians involved in JAFIsponsored programs in Israel, Budapest and elsewhere, who cannot return home. JDC’s work in the area is focused on Ukraine’s Jewish population — many of whom are refugees in their own country. That work includes continuing care for nearly 40,000 impoverished elderly Jewish Ukrainians and thousands of vulnerable younger community members and involves as well as works with dozens of local organizations devoted to communal safety and welfare. Israel has announced a significant aid package for Ukraine’s Jewish community to support security assistance, food distribution

and absorption of refugees. But, on the political side, the Israeli government has pulled its punches. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid condemned the Russian invasion. But Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in speaking about assistance to Jews in Ukraine, did not name the cause of the situation or place fault. That reluctance to confront Putin and Russia caused some to criticize the government’s failure to respond to the invasion with moral clarity. Others were more accepting, recognizing the fragility of Israel’s reliance on Russian goodwill to allow preemptive moves against Iranian terror-supporting activity in war-torn Syria. On Monday, however, Israel announced it would join the U.N. vote to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In the fluid and fraught situation in Ukraine, we find comfort knowing that our community’s international partners are there to help. We encourage our readers to donate generously to those life-saving efforts. PJC

The Ukrainian refugee crisis and its dire consequences Guest Columnist Jonathan Zisook

kraine is under attack and a humanitarian and refugee crisis is ensuing. Under the guise of liberating the disputed Donbass region of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin waged an unprovoked and all-out military assault against its peaceful neighbor to the west. Immediately following Putin’s declaration of war on Feb.

24, Russian soldiers, tanks and warplanes invaded Ukraine, striking military and civilian targets near and in the major cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odessa and Lviv. A colleague of mine in Dnipro, who prefers to remain unnamed, said she is terrified as Russian forces bombard locations, including the airport, just outside of the city. She is preparing to flee westward. Thousands of Ukrainians have already fled, crossing the border into Poland. Polish officials are preparing to accept up to a million or more Ukrainian refugees. The Jewish Agency is also preparing for a significant uptick in Ukrainian aliyah, and the United Nations estimates that

4 million people will be displaced in neighboring countries. Polish doctors are on high alert to provide necessary medical care for the refugee population, according to Dr. Alina Sobczak of the Jagiellonian University Medical College in Krakow. Sobczak, an emergency unit pediatrician, is working around the clock with her colleagues to house Ukrainian children and families at the pediatric hospital. Sobczak is personally hosting 10 refugees in her home, five women and five children, and she and her family are arranging housing for an additional seven refugees. Throughout Polish civil society “there is a huge mobilization of people, to help as

much as they can. They’re collecting food, blankets and other essential items basically in every other shop and kindergarten,” said Maciek Zabierowski of the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Oświęcim. Zabierowski, a Holocaust educator, is volunteering at the border to transport refugees to safety. In Krakow, the local Jewish Community Center has “opened its doors for refugees” from Ukraine, according to Rabbi Avi Baumol, the rabbinic representative of the Chief Rabbi of Poland. The mood is tense, and people are nervous, Baumol said, but Please see Zisook, page 13

Why Israel must stand squarely with Ukraine Guest Columnist David Horovitz

hough its every instinct and principle impels it to condemn Russia’s attempt to quash Ukraine, Israel has for days been balancing that moral imperative with legitimate concerns about the consequences for its own safety. This attempt to somehow avoid taking sides, however understandable, is increasingly untenable — morally and practically. Israel knows it should be standing in solidarity with the brave underdog, the young democracy battling desperately to resist a mighty autocratic force that never accepted its legitimacy and now hopes to achieve its elimination. After all, that’s been pretty much Israel’s reality throughout our modern existence. But its leadership is sensibly worried about

MARCH 4, 2022

the well-being of Russia’s still-sizable Jewish community were it to take a clear public stance against Vladimir Putin. Furthermore, it fears alienating Putin where Iran is concerned, as regards both the nuclear deal negotiations in Vienna and Tehran’s relentless efforts to establish a strong military presence across our northern borders. As America has somewhat disengaged from our part of the world, Russia has become increasingly influential, especially in Syria. Israel has been generally free to carry out airstrikes on Iranian and Syrian military targets, and to prevent the transfer of weaponry, only as a direct consequence of Russia’s indulgence. Were Israel’s complex, nuanced but hitherto warmish relations with Putin’s Russia to plunge into enmity and hostility, Israeli security on its Syrian and Lebanese borders, its capacity to protect itself, would be seriously undermined. As former Israeli deputy national security adviser Eran Lerman put it on Sunday, “If in two years from now we sit under a barrage of Iranian-supplied high-accuracy rockets

killing our citizens because we’ve been denied the capacity to prevent this from happening, that’s also a moral question.” These are profound concerns, and Lerman’s scenario is all too credible. Israel’s reluctance to take the side it knows it ought to take cannot, in short, be put down to some kind of cynical political expediency. It is born of the most tangible, immediate and vital duty: the obligation of the government, first and foremost, to protect its citizens. Israel can reasonably observe, furthermore, that a complacent, feckless world proved resolutely disinclined to act when Putin was massing his military forces against Ukraine, and only began to muster the beginnings of a response, with accompanying condemnations, after Russia went to war. Moreover, much of Israel has long been rather fed up with many Western moralizers, whom it believes underestimate its peril in this region, ignore the evidence that relinquishing contested territory (in southern Lebanon and Gaza) has only brought murderous forces closer to our

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

sovereign doors, and single us out for radically disproportionate and frequently ridiculous criticism (such as Amnesty International’s latest screed, which accuses Israel of enforcing apartheid even within our sovereign borders — upon the only democratically empowered Arab citizenry in the neighborhood). As Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, quoting his late father, remarked in an interview earlier this month, “You know what the world is going to do if Israel is destroyed? They’re going to send a nice letter… And maybe they’d give some nice speeches in the UN.” Nonetheless, the same Yair Lapid on Thursday declared that “the Russian attack on Ukraine is a serious violation of the international order. Israel condemns that attack, and is ready and prepared to offer humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian citizens.” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, by contrast, has maintained a wary ambivalence, offering his mediating services, Please see Horovitz, page 15

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Opinion Chronicle poll results: Invasion of Ukraine

ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “How do you think the United States should respond to Russia moving troops into Ukraine?” Of the 203 people who responded, 56% said, “Provide Ukraine with military equipment in addition to sanctions,” and 35% said, “Put significant diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia.” Seven percent said, “Send U.S. troops and equipment to Ukraine in addition to sanctions. Forty-five people submitted comments. A few follow. I desperately do NOT want another war in my lifetime. Neither do I want Russia to rule or control the rest of the world. I think we need to continue to support NATO and increase the sanctions imposed. Former President Trump’s most recent criticism of President Biden proves had he won a second term (God forbid) Putin would have continued to control Trump — and our country. Show the free world that America is here for them. Demonstrate it with strength and also kindness to refugees. I hope the Jewish Federation will send

Zisook: Continued from page 12

the “JCC [in Krakow] is trying to do whatever they can” to help. The JCC will be providing an apartment, food, clothing and other necessities for two refugee families. The JCC in Krakow is also partnering with the mayor’s office to collect and send blankets, mattresses, diapers, hygiene products, batteries, candles, medical kits, canned food and more to Ukraine as humanitarian aid in this time of crisis. Crises in Central and Eastern Europe are unfortunately nothing new for Jews. The upheavals of the 20th century left lasting marks on the Jewish communities of the region. Most Jews were annihilated during the Holocaust, and those who survived

financial support to Jews in Ukraine. I also hope that Jewish Family and Children’s Services will assist any Ukrainian Jews who may seek refugee status in the USA (depending on how this crisis evolves). We promised to support them when they agreed to give up their nuclear arms. We need to honor our promises. U.S. troops should be deployed only as part of NATO. Putin is evil. And so is Xi in China. Look out Taiwan. Despite being a person of non-violence, Ukraine and her people face a true bully in Putin. Bullies do not negotiate, they only take advantage of the weakness in others. Putin will take as much as the world allows. He fashions himself a modern-day tsar, and must be met with a unity of commitment to securing all sovereign nations in his midst. This is happening because America is projecting weakness. We need to send arms to Ukrainian and possible military trainers, just like we did against the Soviets in Afghanistan. and remained under the Iron Curtain were largely deprived of their Jewish identities. With the fall of Communism, the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe slowly reemerged. Ukraine is one of the shining lights. Today, depending on how Jewish identity is measured, as many as 200,000 Jews live in Ukraine, according to demographer Sergio Della Pergola. Outside of Israel and the United States, Ukraine has one of the largest Jewish populations in the world. Its embattled president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish. The capital city of Kyiv has a vibrant Jewish community with several active synagogues, kosher restaurants, a Jewish school, a JCC and a Hillel on campus. Smaller Jewish communities exist in numerous other Ukrainian cities, but many Jews are also terribly impoverished and live especially precarious lives — even

How do you think the United States should respond to Russia moving troops into Ukraine?

Send U.S. troops Condemn Russia’s actions and equipment with words, but nothing else. to Ukraine in addition 1% to sanctions. Do nothing.

35%

Put significant diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia.

56%

Provide Ukraine with military equipment in addition to sanctions.

Putin is like other dictators; he will push the limit until others respond strongly. The U.S. and allies must respond decisively and not just diplomatically, otherwise he will keep taking more and more of the Ukraine, and then move on the Baltic states if he is allowed. before COVID-19 and the Russian invasion. In the western city of Lviv — also known as Lemberg, Lwów, or Lvov depending on the period and the borders — Jewish sites of memory abound. It is also the emerging center of the Ukrainian refugee crisis, as thousands of people flood the city en route to the European Union border of Poland, just 50 miles away. I was fortunate enough to carry out fieldwork in Lviv in 2018, where I documented historic synagogues and Holocaust sites, spoke with Holocaust survivors and prayed with the small contemporary Jewish community. What will happen to this community under a Russian occupation? Who will care for its synagogues and cemeteries, and the countless others that dot former shtetlach and cityscapes if the Jews of Ukraine migrate en masse? Will Jews and their ancient patrimony survive the bombing

The U.S. should help in giving aid, especially food and other much needed items, but I’m not certain about getting involved with sending our troops — but then we can’t just allow these people to get slaughtered. It’s a very tough decision. We don’t need to help other countries. We need to concentrate on our own country. Scary, scary! I think sending military equipment would be helpful and good, but I’m afraid it might be taken as the USA being an active participant and therefore being retaliated in kind. No thank you. I’d like to see our technology companies get together and help the government figure out how to fight Putin with the kind of cyber war he often launches. I oppose sending in people to be killed, but anything we can do to stop him by crippling Russia’s electronic infrastructure would be excellent. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

Chronicle weekly poll question:

Have you done anything to demonstrate support for Ukraine? Go to pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC of Ukrainian cities the likes of which have not occurred since the Second World War? It is too soon to tell, but the realities on the ground do not portend well for the stability of Jewish life. The young and those with (modest) economic resources have left or will leave in the coming days and weeks. The poor and the elderly will remain. What Putin is doing militarily to destabilize Ukraine will have immense regional and global consequences for Jewish and non-Jewish Ukrainians alike. It is my hope that the Pittsburgh Jewish community will support Ukraine and its Jewish community in this difficult time. PJC Jonathan Zisook, Ph.D., is a visiting lecturer in sociology at the University of Pittsburgh and a scholar of Central and Eastern European Jewry.

— LETTERS —

Invasion of Ukraine

Thank you, Josh Sivitz!

So, Josh, “the more frequent you get pummeled with” usages of our language that your high school English teacher wouldn’t approve of, the more you might consider celebrating — rather than bemoaning — the beautiful diversity of human language and our boundless ability to play with it and modify it (“Resurrecting ‘tucky’,” Feb. 4). Without such inventiveness, you and I would find ourselves still speaking Old English (and reading “Beowulf ” knowledgeably in the original). Of course, there are clear advantages to a nation and its people sharing a standard or prestige dialect (otherwise known, to the likes of high school English teachers, as “correct language”) — but where would we Pittsburghers be without our distinctive pronunciation and usages, so distinctive that Pittsburgh is its own color (er, “keller”) on any dialect map of the U.S.A.? And hah-baht we Jews in the ‘Burgh? Not only can we go upstreet and dahntahn with the rest of Stiller Nation, but we can also watch a bar mitzvy boy in his brand-new yammicky leave the bimmy to go bless the chally (or the matzy)! If readers have never heard these local usages, they simply have not met true Yidzers, tucky! That’s right: tucky, from the Yiddish “takkeh,” meaning “indeed, truly, really.” I look forward to Eric Lidji of the Rauh Jewish Archives enlightening us all about the Yiddish of the Jewish

For more articles about the situation in Ukraine and for updates, please go to our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Correction

Dr. James Guggenheimer was misidentified as Paul Guggenheimer in the headline of his news obituary (Feb. 25). The Chronicle regrets the error. PJC We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 500 words and may be edited for length and clarity; they cannot be returned. Mail or email letters to: Letters to the editor via email: letters@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org Address:

Please see Letters, page 15

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Website address:

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

MARCH 4, 2022 13

Headlines

p Baruch holds an American and Israeli flag during the demonstration.

Ukraine: Continued from page 1

Heroiam slava! (“Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!”), sang the Ukrainian national anthem, and hoisted signs reading “Save Ukraine Stop Russian Aggression,” “Hands off Ukraine” and “Resist the Aggressor,” Baruch (who asked that his last name be withheld) stood several feet from Fitzgerald. Baruch, a former resident of Russia, waved both American and Israeli flags, and said the connection between Jews and Ukraine runs deep. Pittsburgher Sam Wasserman elaborated on that bond by describing a conversation he had one day earlier with a friend in Ukraine who organizes activities for Jewish students there.

“She believes in what her country’s doing and what [President Volodymyr] Zelensky is doing and fighting for freedom,” Wasserman said. Alexandra Boyko, who attended Sunday’s event, said she’s spoken with family members in Ukraine whenever they’re available. “They need more help,” Boyko said. “They need more support. Praying is not enough.” Since fighting began on Feb. 24, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh has partnered with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Jewish Agency for Israel and World ORT to provide humanitarian aid to the estimated 200,000 Jews living in Ukraine. Along with those efforts, Pittsburgh’s Federation and its partners are “also tracking potential vulnerabilities that may

p Vlad Kaminsky, top left, joins Alexandra Boyko, second from right, and family members during the demonstration. Photos by Adam Reinherz

emerge within Russia’s Jewish community,” Federation’s president and CEO, Jeffrey Finkelstein wrote in an email. Squirrel Hill resident Steve Irwin, who attended Sunday’s demonstration, said Pittsburgh’s Jews have a history of helping those under duress in Eastern Europe. “When I was a teenager, I used to march for Soviet Jews,” Irwin said. “I used to wear a bracelet of people who were prisoners of conscience. It took so much to get them out. We can’t go back. We can’t go back to what it was before.” Nearly a half-century has passed since American Jews took to the streets on behalf of Soviet Jewry. Irwin said he wishes Pittsburghers understood that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is “much closer to home than people think.”

Trial: Continued from page 1

The court rejected virtually all of those motions, thus allowing for the introduction at trial of the defendant’s posts to Gab. com and his statements within the Tree of Life building. Prosecutors argue that the defendant, in his motion for change of venue, fails “to meet his burden to show that this Court should preemptively disqualify all potential jurors in the 13-county Pittsburgh Division, much less the entire Western District of Pennsylvania.” “Given the size and diversity of the jury pool, the time that has elapsed since the defendant’s crimes, and the fact that the publicity does not contain any inadmissible confession or statement by [the defendanat], or any other blatantly prejudicial information, a pretrial change of venue is not warranted,” the prosecution wrote. Moreover, according to the prosecution’s brief, an impartial jury can be empaneled “by implementing reasonable measures that are much less disruptive than a venue change. Examples include juror questionnaires, rigorous voir dire and detailed jury instructions. Other measures could include ordering a supplemental array or expanding the jury pool to a district-wide (or broader) venire.” 14

MARCH 4, 2022

 Tree of Life synagogue

The prosecution further noted that “other than an initial wave of publicity in the immediate aftermath of the crime, in-depth coverage has largely tracked post-indictment proceedings.” Of the 1,200 articles the defendant appended to his motion to prove prejudice,

Photo by James Busis

“most refer to the tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue only in passing, and some do not mention the shooting at all,” and seem to have been collected by a broad keyword search, according to the prosecution. Those articles include an opinion piece on architectural design; one mentioning

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Though Romanchik is too young to remember protests and marches from the 1970s and ’80s, he said that today’s youth maintain a deep connection to their “homeland,” as evidenced by the shouts and songs ringing through downtown Pittsburgh on Sunday. “Luckily here in America, we’re able to be free about our culture — it’s one of our liberties, to express our culture, to express our thoughts,” Romanchik said. “I’m glad that this [demonstration] can happen in America. We can be a voice for Ukraine here. “But regardless of the fact that we are in America, we will not forget about our country, our culture, our heritage. It means so much to us.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. concerts or events benefitting Tree of Life, with no reference to the shooting; and one discussing the closure of several synagogues in the region, including a different Tree of Life located in Uniontown. Only a fraction of the articles mention the defendant by name, prosecutors noted. The prosecution also argued that the telephone survey upon which the defendant relies to show prejudice is flawed. “[B]eyond the limitations inherent in any telephone survey (e.g., the fact that many people do not answer calls from unknown numbers, hang up on calls from strangers, or refuse to finish surveys over the phone), the defendant’s survey response rate was remarkably low. Of the 25,623 call attempts made in the Pittsburgh Division, the survey obtained only 400 completed interviews, a completion rate of only 1.6%.” The jury pool in the 13-county Pittsburgh division — with a population of almost 3 million — is large and diverse enough to impanel an impartial jury, prosecutors argued. Judge Robert. J. Colville, who has presided over the case since the retirement of Judge Donetta Ambrose on Feb. 1, has not yet ruled on the matter. No trial date has been set. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Bardack: Continued from page 2

inclusion and how we can look at people as a whole and not focus on the one thing that they might believe that we vehemently disagree with.” Bardack said her opinion piece was not the catalyst for her decision to leave Federation, nor was asked to resign. In fact, she said, she will continue to support the organization. “You won’t find me saying anything bad about Federation,” she said. “I’m still a donor. I’m still a Lion of Judah. I have a Lion of Judah endowment. I’m not walking away from the community. I don’t hold any animus.” Bardak said she was warmed by her

Horovitz: Continued from page 12

lamenting the humanitarian crisis, but carefully declining to point the finger of blame at Moscow. Their divergent responses are said to be coordinated — principled Lapid and pragmatic Bennett. Still, on Sunday, Lapid was quoted saying in a closed meeting, in an unconfirmed report, “Israel must be on the right side and condemn dictators who attack democracies.” I hope that’s what he said. It’s what Israel should be saying out loud. Principle and pragmatism are actually aligned. Upholding a principled stance has practical as well as moral benefits. Those who condemn Russia’s attempt to destroy a freedom-loving democracy bolster the pressure for actual measures to help thwart Ukraine’s overthrow. For Israel to join that chorus is to underline its own place as a nation with values that merit and demand international support and protection — a nation that others must champion and invest in protecting. To join that chorus, moreover, is to maintain and broaden international identification with and empathy for Israel, when to hedge and prevaricate — no matter how legitimate the sensitivities — is to risk further diminishing that identification and empathy. And that has direct consequences for Israel’s diplomatic and military room for maneuver. To show solidarity with Ukraine, crucially, is to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States, our most important ally. Israel must always maintain the capacity to defend itself by itself, and we ask nobody else to risk their lives in our defense. But the U.S. leads the international community in ensuring we have the diplomatic and practical space to operate, supplies us with crucial weapons and helps us to maintain our regional

experience and acceptance in Pittsburgh and her time working with its rabbis, regardless of denomination. “I’ve great memories of the honor I was given by Orthodox rabbis when I would meet with them, the respect I was given,” she said. “Being in such a pluralistic environment was really exciting for me.” Hertzman said that Federation will work to fill the soon-to-be vacated position, but the job may look different in light of the organization’s new strategic plan. “We are evaluating organizational structure and job responsibilities in several areas,” he said. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

military advantage. Finally, as the war has developed these past days, Israel’s effort to avoid antagonizing Putin has become increasingly untenable. It should not and cannot allow itself to stay silent when Russia is targeting civilians, forcing vast numbers of people to flee their homes. It should not and cannot allow itself to stay silent as Russia’s president has invoked a nuclear threat in support of his goals. It should not and cannot allow itself to stay silent when Putin demands that Ukraine’s army carry out a coup against its duly elected president, when he repugnantly claims to seek to “denazify” the country, and when he brands Volodymyr Zelensky — a Jew whose grandfather fought the Nazis and whose grandmother narrowly escaped them — “a neo-Nazi.” I called Natan Sharansky as I was finalizing this article, wanting to get his input. His position was so coherent that I wrote up what he said as a separate interview. But I want to reference his wisdom — the wisdom of an intensely practical moral icon who just so happens to have been born in Donetsk. Putin, said Sharansky, “is seeking to change the entire post-World War II order in which your stronger neighbor cannot take away your freedom. To challenge the entire free world. He believes that he is the only one in the world ready to use force, and that he will restore historic Russian dominance… The only thing that can stop him is the absolute solidarity of the free world.” Ultimately, Israel’s own well-being requires that gutsy democracies beat back brutal aggressors. That’s the history we’ve been writing ourselves for three-quarters of a century. We hope and believe that to support and take action to ensure Israel’s survival is to stand on the right side of history. Since the same applies to Ukraine, we need to say so. PJC David Horovitz is the founding editor of The Times of Israel, where this first appeared.

Letters: Continued from page 13

immigrants who settled this area and somehow bequeathed us this delightful transformation of the Yiddish final “eh” (based on the Hebrew final “ah”) into the English sound “ee.” So thank you, Josh, for bringing to our attention this particularly delicious bit of Pittsburgh Jewish speech, which I plan on adding to my own because it’s just so infinitely useable, tucky! Beryl Handler Rosenberg Pittsburgh

The influence of anti-Zionists in synagogues should be limited

Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman’s ethos of synagogue inclusivity must stop — as must all similar doctrines and theories — at the point where it begins to endanger the Jewish community (“Your synagogue should be an ideological sanctuary,” Feb. 25). Today’s anti-Zionist Jews are encouraging and enabling antisemites who masquerade as people merely opposed to Israeli policies. Their antisemitic character can easily be discerned by their use of thinly veiled antisemitic tropes to savage the world’s only Jewish state. History is replete with examples of inclusive, democratic countries and institutions that have been destroyed by permissive approaches to inimical ideologies. The central narrative of Judaism is the return to our indigenous homeland, Eretz Israel. As Jews we can certainly criticize Israeli policies, but if we go beyond that into Natan Sharansky’s three “D” criteria for antisemitism — demonization of Israel, delegitimization of Israel, or holding Israel to a double standard — we have crossed over the line into unacceptable territory. Crossing this line endangers the local Jewish community, as recent events demonstrate there is a strong correlation between fanatic anti-Israel ideology and local antisemitic acts. When we encounter fellow Jews who may have crossed this line, we can certainly reach out to them and engage them in productive discussion, but their role, presence, and influence in the synagogue should be subject to needed limits. Daniel H. Trigoboff Williamsville, New York

Anti-Zionists should not work at pro-Zionist institutions

To an extent, I agree with Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman (“Your synagogue should be an ideological sanctuary,” Feb. 25). Rabbi Amy Bardack’s opinion piece (“How inclusive are we willing to be?” Feb. 11), however, dealt with a somewhat different matter. The question was whether an anti-Zionist teacher should be employed at a synagogue which has a pro-Zionist credo. My answer is, “No.” I would not want my child to be exposed to a teacher who promotes anti-Israel libels (such as those promulgated by Amnesty International, the American Friends Service Committee, Students for Justice in Palestine, B’Tselem, Jewish Voice for Peace and CAIR). Even if the teacher promised not to express these views in the classroom, the students could easily access them on social media. Toby F. Block Atlanta, Georgia

Shaare Zedeck Gate This brick pedestrian entrance along Stewart Avenue in Carrick is the last physical manifestation of this once proud Polish congregation on the Hill. Extensive work has recently been done in removing dead and downed trees, and in cleaning walkways. The main entrance to Shaare Zedeck Cemetery can be accessed through the adjacent front gate at Beth Abraham.

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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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MARCH 4, 2022 15

Life & Culture ‘My Best Friend Anne Frank’ misses opportunities — STREAMING — By Sasha Rogelberg | Contributing Writer

hose one degree of separation from Anne Frank have made their way into headlines in recent weeks: Dutch Jewish notary Arnold van den Bergh, who allegedly betrayed the Frank family by reporting their whereabouts to Nazis officials, a potential foe; and Hannah Goslar — a friend — Holocaust survivor and schoolmate of Frank’s in Amsterdam, whose story is most recently depicted in the film “My Best Friend Anne Frank,” now streaming on Netflix. “My Best Friend Anne Frank,” directed by Ben Sombogaart, oscillates between scenes of Hannah (Josephine Arendsen) navigating the beginnings of Nazi rule in Amsterdam in tandem with the trials and tribulations of teen-dom and surviving the horrors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, where she takes on the role of parent to younger sister Gabi, while still a child herself, only 16 years old. Hannah and Anne (Aiko Beemsterboer), young teens more concerned with wooing blond-haired, blue-eyed boys than with the ongoing Second World War, are given an unwelcome dose of reality as they are told more and more often by their parents to keep a low profile and to avoid picking up the phone or leaving the house — lest someone dangerous spots the bright yellow cloth stars sewn onto their cardigans. Despite both being young Jewish girls growing up in the Netherlands, Hannah and Anne couldn’t be more different. Hannah is shy and blushes deeply when she’s teased by classmates who ask her how her mother became pregnant. She wants to become a nurse but is sensitive and naive to the way the world works. Anne is keen on taking Hannah outside of her comfort zone. Growing up with older sister Margot, Anne is knowledgeable, confident and outgoing. She instigates kerfuffles with Hannah, often being the first to tease her on her childlikeness, but also the first to apologize and the first to ask Hannah for help when she’s in a tight spot. As quickly as their friendship is established, it is stripped away from them as the war and the film escalate. Hannah thinks the Frank family flees to Switzerland to what she believes is a skiing vacation that she was uninvited from; and Hannah, baby sister Gabi and father Hans Goslar are captured by Nazis and sent to Bergen-Belsen, where they are separated.

p From left: Aiko Beemsterboer and Josephine Arendsen as Anne Frank and Hannah Goslar in “My Best Friend Anne Frank” Photos courtesy of Dutch FilmWorks/IMDb

In the days leading to the camp’s liberation, Hannah’s sole mission becomes to find extra food to send over to a sick Anne, who is in a different part of the camp with harsher living conditions. The title of the film, though enticing to audiences, is misleading, as the film features modest screentime between Hannah and Anne. Their friendship serves as a plot device to thread together Hannah’s experiences before and during the Holocaust, both of which are punctuated by moments of friendship with Anne. In its efforts to bill itself as a film about their relationship, “My Best Friend Anne Frank” instead tries to weave together the narratives of two complex characters, both of whose stories fall flat. Meaningful questions about Hannah and her family are left unanswered, particularly as her family is given a way to escape the camp. Due to the family’s possession of Palestine exchange papers, a detail not explained in the film, they are permitted to be exchanged with a German prisoner of war. According to a 1997 Scholastic interview with Goslar, the Goslar family also had passports from Paraguay, and their documentation allowed

The story of Hannah as depicted by “My Best Friend Anne Frank” is a true reminder of the humanity of those who endured the Shoah.

MARCH 4, 2022

p Josephine Arendsen as Hannah Goslar in “My Best Friend Anne Frank”

them to occupy a part of the camp that was exempt from the Holocaust’s worst horrors. Goslar is also originally from Berlin; the family moved to Amsterdam after a failed attempt to move to England. With little contextual information about Hannah, the film falls short in painting her as a fullfledged character, especially one independent of Anne, whose story is so well-documented. For a film that woefully neglects plot points, “My Best Friend Anne Frank” pays refreshing attention to detail, breathing life into a Holocaust narrative that has been mirrored in past films such as “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and “The Devil’s Arithmetic.” The Jewish mourning tradition of tearing clothing depicted in the film is evocative. Hannah can’t pass a threshold of a room without kissing the mezuzah,

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even retrograding a couple of steps to make sure she fulfills the mitzvah. In these small moments, the film reminds the audience of the Jewish people’s deep commitment to tradition, even in the face of extreme adversity. The story of Hannah as depicted by “My Best Friend Anne Frank” is a true reminder of the humanity of those who endured the Shoah. Beyond being resilient and heroic, survivors — particularly children — are still human: impetuous, impulsive and misguided at times. In its effort to tell the story of two girls over several years, “My Best Friend Anne Frank” spreads itself a little too thin, the important reminder of the Shoah diluted by the film’s lack of restraint. PJC Sasha Rogelberg writes for the Jewish Exponent, where this first appeared. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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Celebrations

Torah

Bar Mitzvah

Standing up to evil through acts of loving kindness

Gabriel (“Gabe”) Burkett Shapira will become a bar mitzvah at Temple Sinai, on March 5, 2022. Gabe is the son of Amanda Shapira and Joshua Shapira and brother of Sofia. Grandparents are Barbara and Danny Shapira of Pittsburgh and Barbara and Tony Burkett of Liverpool, England. Gabe is a seventh-grader at Winchester Thurston School. He loves playing sports, spending time with his family, friends and dogs (“Benny and Grace”) and is an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Liverpool Football Club. PJC

Show off your Purim costume

urim, which begins this year on the evening of March 16, is widely considered the most joyous holiday on the Jewish calendar. One way of manifesting that joy is by dressing up in costume, a tradition that has been around since the Renaissance. So, what are you wearing this Purim? Send a photo of you in your Purim finery to newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org,

and write “Purim costume” in the subject line. Please include your name and town. If sending photos of your children, please include their age. Your photos may be included in a March 11 photo spread in the Chronicle. Photos of past Purim costumes are also welcome. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

Pittsburgh Federation providing support to Jews in Ukraine

he Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, together with its global partner agencies, is providing support to help protect the more than 200,000 Jews living in Ukraine during the conflict with Russia. “With one of the world’s largest Jewish populations, Ukraine is home to many elderly Jews, including thousands of Holocaust survivors,” Jeffrey Finkelstein, the Federation’s president and CEO, said in an email to supporters. Pittsburgh’s Federation, along with The Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, “are on the ground providing aid

and emergency assistance to the vulnerable Jewish community in Ukraine. We are also tracking potential vulnerabilities that may emerge within Russia’s Jewish community,” Finkelstein wrote. The ongoing support to Ukraine’s vulnerable Jews includes food, medicine, home care and heating supplies; safety check-ins with homebound seniors and Holocaust survivors; and support for community centers, synagogues and Jewish organizations. To donate to the Federation’s relief fund, go to jewishpgh.org/ukraine-emergency-relief. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

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Rabbi Chuck Diamond Parshat Pekudei | Exodus 38:21 - 40:38

riving past the Tree of Life building recently, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the heinous act of terrorism that occurred just a few years ago. An act of a godless person, driven by a baseless hatred toward the Jewish people, exposed the presence of evil in our own backyard. He attacked the innocent and the defenseless and in the process killed 11 lovely souls (may their memories be for a blessing). Some people would like him to receive the death penalty. Others, like me, choose to “blot” out his name and focus on Gemilut

still commanded to remember their deeds and destroy them. I was always uncomfortable with these commandments to kill an entire people. There were other commentators who were also uncomfortable with these commandments. The Zohar says that Amalek is Satan; other sources, though, say we are commanded to blot out Satan or the yetzer hara, but not the actual people Amalek. It is worthwhile to note that the commandment to blot out Amalek is omitted by Rabbi Yakov ben Asher in his halachic code the Tur, and by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the Shulchan Aruch. Some rabbis claim that Amalek no longer exists. Evil clearly exists and along with that are

There are people — far too many — who continue to attack the stragglers, the weak, those with disabilities and others. Their motivation is often a baseless hatred. Hasadim — acts of loving kindness — in order to honor and cherish the lives and memories of those we lost. This week in the haftarah for Shabbat Zachor, the prophet Samuel orders King Saul to “attack Amalek and to spare no one, but kill alike men and women, infants and sucklings, oxen, sheep, camels and asses.” (I Samuel 15:3) Amalek was another godless person who, according to some rabbis, did not follow the norms of war by attacking a defenseless bunch of former slaves on the road, just for the sake of attacking them. He had little to gain — it was an act seemingly motivated by hatred. Amalek attacked the stragglers, the weak, the women and children and those with disabilities who were lagging behind. King Saul was commanded to wipe out Amalek. Maimonides is among those who say that Amalek, as a people, still exists, and we are

“Amalek”-type people who are evil. There are people — far too many — who continue to attack the stragglers, the weak, those with disabilities and others. Their motivation is often a baseless hatred. We must stand up for the weak, protect the stragglers and provide for those who are in need. There are evil people who are godless and exist in every generation. I agree with Professor Rabbi David Golinken that the lesson we learn from Shabbat Zachor “is not to hate certain groups” but to protect and defend the weak and the stragglers and to provide for the downtrodden and needy. I will continue to do so in order to honor those cherished friends who lost their lives on that horrific Shabbat morning. I hope you will as well. Shabbat Shalom. PJC Rabbi Chuck Diamond is rabbi of Kehillah La La.

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Obituaries BERNSTEIN: Edward D. Bernstein, M.D., age 85, of Sarasota, Florida, on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. Beloved husband of Lucie Bernstein; son of the late David D. and Sarah L. Bernstein; brother of Naida I. Kanter of Pittsburgh; uncle of David and Beth Kanter. Dr. Bernstein was an OB-GYN who practiced at West Penn Hospital and Magee-Women’s Hospital. He was the first physician to introduce laser surgery in the tri-state area. He also contributed to the expansion of laparoscopic surgery in the 1990s. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Temple Sinai Memorial Park. schugar.com FREEDEL: Norton Jay Freedel, on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Beloved husband of Adrienne Freedel and the late Sylvia Freedel. Loving father of Judy (Eric) Daar, David (Natasha) Freedel, Darrell (Mary) Triulzi and Jill Triulzi (Robert). Brother of the late Paul Freedel. Papa to Evan (Bailey), Jared (Lesley), Adam (fiancée Karen), Ryan, Leah (fiancé Joe), Ben, Ryan, Juliette and Sam. Great-grandfather of Leah Daar. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022. Interment private. Contributions may be made to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, One Children’s Hospital Drive, 4401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224 or a charity of the donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com KARELITZ: Racille Goodman Karelitz, on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. Beloved wife of the late Morton Karelitz. Beloved mother of Cheryl Karelitz, late Evan (surviving spouse Kathy) and Alan B. (Meryl) Karelitz. Sister of late David B. Goodman (surviving spouse Joan), late Frank C. (late Sandra) Goodman. Grandmother of Barry S. Karelitz, Josh (Holly) Karelitz, Laura Karelitz-Duffy (Seth) and Andrea Karelitz. Great-grandmother of Charlie, Martin, Dominic and Delano Karelitz and Theo Duffy. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. She was the owner of Pet Corral and a professional dog groomer. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Contributions may be made to Monroeville Animal Shelter, 200 Starr Drive, Monroeville, PA 15146. schugar.com MORTON: Thomas E. Morton, on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Beloved husband of Marcia S. Morton. Beloved father of Anne Forrest (Steven Bend) and Susan Good (Duane Good); and stepfather of Daniel Swanson (Karen Swanson), Andrew Swanson (Robert Nowlan), and Eric Swanson (Lori Swanson). Brother of the late Dale Morton, Julia Johnson, the late Dean Morton and the late Joe Morton. Grandfather of Lee Forrest, Kristin (Swanson) Taber (Kirk Taber), Timothy Swanson, Paxton Fijolek and Maxwell Fijolek. Also survived by his former spouse Sara Morton, good friend Joe Johnston and many nieces and nephews. Thomas completed his undergraduate degree at CalTech and his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. He taught at Carnegie Mellon University from 1969-1997. In addition to mentoring Ph.D. students, Thomas was the PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

author of several books and numerous articles in his field of operations management, some of which are still used in universities around the world today. Tom founded the PLEA Compeer Life Friends program, a socialization center for persons recovering from mental illness. Thomas was active at Temple Sinai Brotherhood, where he ran the raffle for many years. He was also involved in Alcoholics Anonymous for 40 years. Services were at Temple Sinai, 5505 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, on Monday, Feb. 28 at 1 p.m. Visitation was one hour prior to services (12 - 1 p.m.). Interment was at Homewood Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Compeer Life Friends c/o PLEA, 733 South Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221; Temple Sinai, 5505 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217; or Onala Recovery Center, 1625 W. Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com OLIPHANT: Ste ph e n Oliphant. It is with profound sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of Stephen Duncan Oliphant Junior (Dec. 31, 1933 — Feb. 19, 2022), who peacefully passed surrounded by his loved ones. Born and raised in Beaver, Pennsylvania, Steve resided with his parents and older brother, the late Stephen, Dorothy (Thompson), and Robert Oliphant. Losing his father at the young age of 13, Steve developed a remarkable sense of independence, a trait which he valued and deliberately instilled in future generations of his family. During his years at Beaver High School, he remained an active community member and three-sport athlete. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Jefferson College where he played football and held various leadership roles, such as his role as president of the Letterman’s Club. Following graduation, he served on the W & J Board of Trustees and as president of the Alumni Association, maintaining a connection to the institution he so deeply cherished. Professionally, Steve began his lifelong career in the steel industry at Jones and Laughlin Steel Company. While living in Cleveland he was active in the civil rights movement, chairing a community center. After leaving J and L Company he became president at Roth Steel Tube Company. Inherently entrepreneurial, Steve later founded various companies in the metal industry, including TubeTech, North American Steel Company and Steel Tubing Sales. Steve gained immense satisfaction from his occupation, reluctantly lessening his workload during recent years to spend more time with his family and more significantly, his beloved wife. Later in life Steve pursued multiple interests, including teaching political geography at CMU Osher, refereeing JV football and exercising daily. He is survived by his beloved wife, Judith Roscow, with whom he shared a marriage filled with love and support. Such reflected the way in which Steve entered all relationships, conveying genuine kindness and interest in everyone he encountered. Steve is the father of Melissa Oliphant and Harriet Clift (Ray); the stepfather of Diana Terrill (Marc), David Roscow (Rachel), and Please see Obituaries, page 20

Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from ...

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Bernard Dickter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara E. Dickter Sylvia & Norman Elias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geraldine A. Tyson Audrey Hatfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bertha Lieber Mrs. David Lieberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Rebecca Rubin Randy Malt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lilly Lakey Malt Linda & Jeffrey Reisner & Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joanne Brodell Alpern Andrea & Martin Sattler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward Oring Judith & Alan Tapper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irvin Tapper

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Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 19

Jonathan (Katy) Roscow; and grandfather to seven wonderful grandchildren who he adored. Graveside services and interment were held at West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom Congregation. Contributions may be made to Washington & Jefferson College Class of 1955, Scholarship Fund, Department of Development, 60 S. Lincoln Street, Washington, PA 15301 or Sewickley Public Library, Children’s Department, 500 Thorn Street, Sewickley, PA 15413. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com SHAPIRO: Robert D. Shapiro, of Pittsburgh, passed away Feb. 22, 2022, at the age of 96. Bob was the beloved husband of 70 years to the late Sophie Shapiro who passed at 91 years, Aug. 31, 2018, and father to Michael who unexpectedly passed on Dec. 29, 2021. Surviving Robert are his daughter Elynn, son Daniel (Sharon,) four grandchildren, Ali McNamara (Ray), Abbey Stewart (Jason), Cole Shapiro, Zane Shapiro (Lisa), and great-grandchildren, Aubrey Knight, Bryce Stewart, Cash and Duke Shapiro, and Bob’s brother Harold Shapiro. Robert was born July 25, 1925, in Pittsburgh, son of Louis

and Eva (Lee) Shapiro. Eva passed away when Robert was 5 years old, and in 1934, Louis remarried Edith Sniderman. Bob was raised on Raleigh Street in Squirrel Hill and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School. Bob and his Allderdice boys, Arnie Malkin, Irv Terner, Brud Oseroff, and Gene Lichter, were unique, as they remained best friends their entire lives, interweaving their families, Jewish lives and absolute support through the good and bad times life brings. After graduation at the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was stationed at Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune. Robert served in the Marines for four years, and then the reserves. He studied and played football at Franklin Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After serving his country, he returned to Pittsburgh and attended the University of Pittsburgh where he graduated with a degree in business. In 1945, he met Sophie Zubroff, and married in 1948. Bob joined his father, Louis, and his brothers, Melvin and Harold, in the family business, Ideal Specialty Shoe Company at 1016 Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh. Bob enjoyed running the business with his son Daniel until 1992, ending a very significant and meaningful chapter…but certainly not the end of the book. Bob’s second career

started at the age of 62, when he became a successful senior certified real estate agent, first for Metro Realty, and then as commercial manager for Coldwell Banker Realty, retiring at the age of 90. Jewish causes are the third significant component in the tapestry of Bob’s life. Temple Emanuel was his pride as he was a founding member, and he occupied a variety of positions, including president. The congregation’s gratitude was displayed when he became a recipient of its Man of the Year Award 1973-1974. He spent so much time helping out at the Temple that its associate rabbi at the time, Elliot Holin, became his “third” son. Bob was responsible for helping to create the Rabbi William Sajowitz Youth Foundation, a fund where he labored arduously to support Temple Emanuel youth activities. In addition, Bob was heavily involved with the ZOA, culminating in a run as president of the Pittsburgh District. He helped to create the first ZOA/ UJF Israel Scholarship program, chaired an American Zionist Foundation dinner for the Pittsburgh district, and was a delegate to the World Zionist Congress. He was also a life member of the Jewish Chautauqua Society, was affiliated with the Century Club of B’nai Brith Youth Services, and was instrumental in the creation of Bnai Zion here in the city. Among his many other accolades are the Theodore Herzl Award

from ZOA, The Brandeis Award, and the Israel Service Award for his years of leadership and service to Israel and the Zionist movement. Bob was a Grand Master of the Masons, a board member of Montefiore Hospital and was involved in the negotiations with the University of Pittsburgh. Bob and Sophie often traveled to Italy and South America for his shoe business, which made it possible for them to enjoy the many cultures of different countries, as well as his beloved Israel. He had a love for reading, music, photography, sports, his beautifully maintained backyard flower garden, and his true love, spending time with family. Bob was the most loving individual whose enthusiasm for life was contagious. His loyalty, kindness, and sensitivity along with great deeds are his legacies. Robert was an exceptional man whom we were privileged to have known and loved. He will be sorely missed by all his family and friends. A celebration of his life will be planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Temple Emanuel of South Hills Rabbi William Sajowitz Endowment Fund, 1250 Bower Hill Road, Pittsburgh, Pa 15243 or Three Rivers Hospice, 300 Oxford Drive, Suite 200, Monroeville, PA 15146. William Slater II Funeral Service, 1650 Greentree Rd, Scott Twp, 15220 entrusted with the Shapiro family arrangements. slaterfuneral.com PJC

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Headlines Join the Chronicle Book Club!

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its April 3 discussion of “The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family Paperback,” by Joshua Cohen. “The Netanyahus,” winner of the 2021 National Jewish Book Award and a New York Times Notable Book of 2021, is set at a college in not-quite-upstate New York in the winter of 1959-1960. From the publisher: “Ruben Blum, a Jewish historian — but not an historian of the Jews — is co-opted onto

a hiring committee to review the application of an exiled Israeli scholar specializing in the Spanish In qu i s it i on . Wh e n Benzion Netanyahu shows up for an interview, family unexpectedly in tow, Blum plays the reluctant host, to guests who proceed to lay waste to his American complacencies. Mixing fiction with non-fiction, the campus novel with the lecture, ‘The Netanyahus’ is a wildly inventive, genre-bending comedy of blending,

identity, and politics that finds Joshua Cohen at the height of his powers.”

Your Hosts

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

How It Works

We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, April 3, at noon. As you read the book, 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: “The Netanyahus.” It is available from online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line. We will send you a Zoom link for the discussion meeting. Happy reading! PJC — Toby Tabachnick

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MARCH 4, 2022 21

Headlines A tropical Latin Purim: vegan hamantaschen with pineapple and mango filling By Ilana Meiller | Contributing Writer

dream of basking in the sun on a tropical beach in Latin America during the winter. But while this wish will materialize in the future, I am content to bring the tropics to my table this Purim. Craving vegan hamantaschen with pineapple and mango filling, my search for recipes on the internet has yielded no results. Therefore, I came up with these unique oznei Haman, which

transport me to a calm ocean with every bite. The first step to making this Purim treat is to ensure that the pineapple and mango filling is prepared in advance. In less than 30 minutes, this four ingredient jam is ready and packed with vitamin C, fiber and protein, which boosts the immune system and supports weight loss. I recommend opting for fresh pineapple and mango, as they taste better and retain higher levels of vitamins. Studies, for instance, show that canned pineapple and mango containing either fruit juice or syrup add more calories, carbohydrates and sugar to your diet. And speaking of sugar, since

these fruits are naturally sweet, no added sugar or sweetener is needed in this recipe. Chia seeds are used as a thickening agent that provides this jam with multiple uses. The leftover preserve spreads nicely on bread and can be served on top of pancakes, crackers, cereal, etc. Once the jam starts to cool and thicken, you can form the dough for these cookies. My vegan version finds the perfect balance between the wet and dry ingredients, creating a dough that is not tough and crumbly. And it is infused with exotic coconut oil and maple flavors … delicioso (delicious). Feliz (Happy) Purim! Ingredients for the pineapple and mango jam: 1 cup ripe mango, diced (or frozen) 1 cup ripe pineapple, diced (or frozen) 1-1½ tablespoons chia seeds 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice DIrections:

Peel, core and dice the pineapple if using fresh. Cut and dice the mango if using fresh. Discard the skin and pit. Cook the pineapple and mango in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously for about 10 minutes. Puree or mash the fruits with a hand/immersion blender or a potato masher. Stir in lemon juice and chia seeds. Remove from the heat and set aside until you are ready to assemble

the hamantaschen. Ingredients for the hamantaschen: ¼ cup pure maple syrup ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal mixed with 3 tablespoons water) 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unrefined coconut oil, melted ½ teaspoon baking powder 2 pinches of salt 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 1 baking sheet with parchment paper for about 16 hamantaschen. Mix 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons water in a small cup. Let it sit for 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the maple syrup, vanilla extract, flax egg (thickened for 10 minutes) and coconut oil. Stir in the baking powder, salt and flour. Knead until a soft (not sticky) dough is formed. Do not over knead. Lightly flour a surface. Divide the dough into 2 pieces and roll each piece to about ⅛ inch thick using a rolling pin. Note: No food processor and refrigeration are required. Cut 3-inch circles using a cookie cutter or glass. Place a teaspoon of jam in the middle of each circle. Wet your finger with water and moisten the edges of the circle. Form a triangle shape by folding up the dough and pinching three corners to seal. Transfer all the assembled hamantaschen to the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. PJC Ilana Meiller was born in Israel and works as a school-based mental health professional in Baltimore County. This piece first appeared in the Baltimore Jewish Times, an affiliated publication.

Photo by Ilana Meiller

— FOOD —

1-2-3-4 cake in half By Keri White | Contributing Writer

he 1-2-3-4 cake is an iconic, simple, classic cake whose name derives from the proportion of ingredients: one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour and four eggs. But it makes either a two-layer cake or a large oblong cake, which these days is just too much for my household. So I thought about cutting the recipe in half, making a single layer round with a killer ganache icing, and it worked! A note on the ingredients: I used buttermilk because I had it, and I love the tang and heft it brings to cake, but you can swap in any type of milk you have or prefer. As for the flour, I used cake flour, but you can use all-purpose: Just be sure to sift it. The cake might be a bit heavier, but it will still be delicious.

MARCH 4, 2022

Here’s what I did: The cake: 1 stick butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 eggs ½ cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1½ cups cake flour 1½ teaspoons baking powder Pinch salt

Heat your oven to 350 F. Spray a round 9-inch pan with oil, then line it with parchment, and spray the parchment. Beat the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl until smooth and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again. In another small bowl, mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the flour mixture and milk to the butter mixture, and blend well. Pour it into the pan and bake for 25 minutes or until the surface is golden brown, PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

the center of the cake springs back when pressed and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool the cake, and remove it from the pan. The icing: ½ cup best-quality dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips) ½ cup heavy cream

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles surround the surface. Do not boil. Place the chips in a bowl and pour the hot cream over them. Cover this for a few minutes to allow the chips to melt. Stir until smooth. Pour this over the cooled cake and serve. PJC Keri White writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication where this first appeared. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

1-2-3-4 cake in half Photo by Keri White

— FOOD —

Community “May it please the court?” High school students from Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh are participating in the Pennsylvania Bar Association Mock Trial. Hillel Academy’s team is composed of girls high school students, who represent the prosecution, and boys high school students, who represent the defense. Hillel Academy’s teams have won their first two trials and are among eight schools in Allegheny County to move on to the playoff round.

u Students from Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh’s Boys High School stand with their mock trial coach Donald Garwood. Photo courtesy of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

Changemaking at CDS

Jewish discovery at Chabad of South Hills

As part of Community Day School’s How To Be A Mensch program, the Jewish day school in partnership with PJ Library Pittsburgh, welcomed Pittsburgh City Council District 8 Councilperson Erika Strassburger for a discussion about advocacy and changemaking. Participants also performed activities related to leadership, communication and teamwork.

p Pittsburgh City Council District 8 Councilperson Erika Strassburger visits Community Day School students. Photo courtesy of Community Day School

p As part of a weekly Jewish Discovery Program at Chabad of South Hills, students in the “IsraelQuest” track solve clues related to an escape room.

How about a hamantasch? Chabad of Squirrel Hill hosted hamantaschen baking on Feb. 27.

p Look what we made.

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p Mixing makes the smiles.

p You can’t measure how much fun this is. Photos by Kelly Schwimer

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

p Sid Nardini follows the Hebrew alphabet. Photos courtesy of

Chabad of South Hills

MARCH 4, 2022 23

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