March 18, 2022 | 15 Adar II 5782
Candlelighting 7:12 p.m. | Havdalah 8:12 p.m. | Vol. 65, No. 11 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Two years after pandemic’s start, Pittsburghers relish lessons learned
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL A costly Passover
Members of Rodef Shalom seek answers regarding rabbi’s removal By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
The skyrocketing costs of kosher food
S
Kari Semel and Andrew Exler
Photo by Rachel Rowland of Rachel Rowland Photography
By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
introduced to the word “sonder,” and quickly began thinking about not only the people he regularly interviewed, but his colleagues and even strangers, he said. “Human interaction was something we took for granted.” Irwin started appreciating phone calls, quick conversations, even just seeing someone’s face on a Zoom, he said. Lawrenceville resident Jen Hoffman said that, like Irwin, her boyfriend, she too learned much about herself during the past two years. “I learned the power of a routine and not being afraid to fine-tune or adjust the routine as you evolve,” she said. Hoffman, 27, said that one of the ways she managed the early days of the pandemic, while living in Pittsburg, Kansas, was by taking long walks and listening to podcasts, including “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” “Armchair Expert” and “The Daily.” There’s a “transformative power” to
cores of Rodef Shalom Congregation members are bewildered by its board of trustees’ recent announcement that the contract of Rabbi Aaron Bisno would not be renewed. Those congregants say they are dismayed by the board’s lack of transparency. They still don’t know what Bisno is accused of doing, nor do they know the process involved that led the board to conclude that a beloved spiritual leader could no longer serve his congregation. They feel disenfranchised, and they want answers. Bisno, senior rabbi of Rodef Shalom since 2004, was placed on administrative leave late last year by the board. The congregation was first informed of that leave in a Nov. 30 email that said Bisno had taken a leave of absence “to have some time away from work.” In that email, the board asked congregants not to contact the rabbi. In a Feb. 11 email to congregants, the board provided more details, writing that “personnel allegations” and “workplace culture concerns” had been brought forth relative to Bisno. Details of the allegations, including the names of those who made the claims, were not shared to “protect the employees’ confidentiality,” consistent with Rodef Shalom’s personnel policies. The congregation engaged a firm outside Pittsburgh to “conduct an independent, thorough, and objective investigation,” the Feb. 11 email continued. That firm interviewed current and former employees, as well as Bisno. While the board declined to share details of the investigation for “legal reasons,” it confirmed that the investigation “did not identify any illegal actions.” Then, in a March 7 email, the board told
Please see Pandemic, page 14
Please see Rodef, page 14
Page 3
LOCAL Gaining ‘Momentum’
Mothers’ trips to Israel resume. Page 4
LOCAL ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’
I Opens at Benedum Center March 18 Page 16
$1.50
n the two years since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Lawrenceville resident Jesse Irwin has clung to a particular term — “sonder.” The neologism, which is defined by “The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows” as “the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own,” was a perfect way to appreciate so much of what’s recently transpired, Irwin explained. Before the pandemic, Irwin, 28, was living in Pittsburg, Kansas, and working as a morning anchor and features producer for KOAM-TV. When March 11, 2020, arrived, and the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Irwin transitioned, like countless others, to remote employment. Despite setting up an in-home studio, Irwin missed “the environment and affirmation of coworkers,” he said. As Irwin proceeded to perform the extrovertive duties of an on-air personality, he was
NIAL CENTEN
Memories begin on pg. 7