April 9, 2021 | 27 Nisan 5781
Candlelighting 7:35 p.m. | Havdalah 8:36 p.m. | Vol. 64, No. 15 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NA’AMAT Pittsburgh Council to close June 1
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Israel at 73
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Yeshiva Schools readies new girls’ dormitories By David Rullo | Staff Writer
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Greenfield, who has been active in the group for decades, saw the fruit of her labors almost 15 years ago while visiting day care centers and schools in Israel supported by funds raised in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh resident Ira Frank also visited sites in the Jewish state supported by NA’AMAT. “I saw what they did for the youth and the underprivileged in Israel,” said Frank, NA’AMAT Pittsburgh Council’s 2019 Spiritual Adoption/Scholarship Dinner honoree. Helping all in need has been a central tenet of NA’AMAT since its inception. According to the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives, Zionist labor activist Rahel Yanait Ben-Zvi founded Moetzet HaPoalot (Working Women’s Council) in 1921 with the goal of preparing Jewish women for agricultural work in what was then Palestine. Funds were needed to support the cause and Yanait Ben-Zvi asked American women for help. In 1925, the Organization of Pioneer Women in Palestine was founded in New York City. That same year, the Pittsburgh chapter was established. Meetings were held at the Zionist Institute
or years, the Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh Girls School had to turn away some out-of-town students because of a lack of residences. Each year, the school would match students with host families who housed girls during the school year. The number of out-of-town girls who could attend the private high school was limited by the number of families, typically between 10 and 15. With the opening of a new girls’ dormitory though, the school is set to eliminate its need for host families and double the number of out-of-town girls who can attend the school. “We never publicized ourselves as an out-oftown school,” said Yeshiva Schools CEO Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum, “but the reputation drew girls and we placed them in private homes.” Yeshiva Schools, founded in 1943, will now begin to recruit students from outside Pittsburgh using different websites, social media and word of mouth. “We’re a known commodity,” Rosenblum said. “I think the announcement [of the dormitory] will create a certain amount of excitement. It’s not a new school just starting out.” Part of the inspiration for the new dorm came from the students, said Batsheva Deren, principal of the Girls High School. “Several years ago, I saw that one of the students didn’t look very happy,” Deren said. “I asked her what was going on and she said, ‘Mrs. Deren, at the end of the day, each girl goes home to their own family and I go to someone else’s beautiful, warm family. If only there was a dorm where we could all support each other and be in the same boat together.’” The school will be repurposing a building in Squirrel Hill, according to Rosenblum, meaning that the cost to create the dormitory will be relatively small and the project will not require a capital campaign or fundraising. Yeshiva Schools began experimenting with dorm life this year by renting a home for a
Please see NA’AMAT, page 14
Please see Yeshiva, page 14
Federation celebrates Yom Ha’atzmaut Page 2
LOCAL ‘Who Knows One?’
A Jewish geography game show Page 3
LOCAL Pineapple Payments bears fruit
Squirrel Hill friends’ business acquired by Fiserv Page 4
NA’AMAT USA Pittsburgh members at the Israel Day Parade in 1987, when President Gloria Elbling (front with baby) was running as a delegate to the 31st World Zionist Congress. Photo courtesy of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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fter almost 100 years, Pittsburgh’s NA’AMAT chapter is winding down. The group, which fundraises and advocates for women and children in Israel, will terminate its Pittsburgh council on June 1. Members cited the scarcity of young leaders as the principle reason for closure. “It’s really a shame,” said co-president Roselle Solomon. “We don’t have any young people. No workers. No volunteers.” Solomon, 82, said she began with the group nearly 70 years ago, when NA’AMAT was called “Pioneer Women” and her mother was chapter president. “She used to schlep me to meetings,” Solomon said. The monthly get-togethers gave members a chance to connect and discuss upcoming programs and fundraisers — from yard sales to Mahj and Martini events to the annual Spiritual Adoption Dinner. Co-president Dorothy Greenfield praised the organization’s mission, stressing that “NA’AMAT helps women and children in Israel and it doesn’t matter if they’re Jewish or not — it helps anyone there.”
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Headlines Varied virtual programming offered for Yom Ha’atzmaut — LOCAL — By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle
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he Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will celebrate the State of Israel’s 73rd anniversary of independence with myriad programming this month. The Yom Ha’atzmaut festivities start Sunday, April 11, when chef Paul Nires, who hails from the Pittsburgh sister region of Karmiel and Misgav in Israel, teaches Pittsburghers the ins and outs of cooking in the ways of the Galilee. The virtual session will run from 10 to 11 a.m. Nires will teach how to make pita, za’atar and fattoush salad. Recipes and ingredients are available on the Federation’s website. Following the session, children are invited to take part in a Yom Ha’atzmaut event when the Federation hosts a special online reading of the book “Yerus Goes To Jerusalem,” from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. A third event, scheduled for Thursday, April 15, will take a look at the ethnography and socio-political character of Israel, said Kim Salzman, director of Israel and overseas operations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The “TedTalk”-style session with journalist and photographer Erez Kaganovitz, will focus on Kaganovitz’s series “Humans of Israel,” which has made a splash on social media. Kaganovitz brought an exhibition of his photos to Pittsburgh in 2017, with shows at Rodef Shalom Congregation, Seton Hill University, Upper St. Clair High School and the Artsmiths, formerly in Mt. Lebanon. “A lot of our events are focusing on diversity in Israel — and this is another one,” Salzman told the Chronicle, speaking from Israel. “This will be a really interesting hour-long session with him, featuring people from all walks of
p The Greater Pittsburgh Jewish community is paired with the city of Karmiel and the Misgav region through Partnership2Gether, a program of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Photo via Wikimedia Commons
life, to see the really diverse side of Israel.” The Kaganovitz session runs from 1 to 2 p.m. Those looking to delve further into Israel’s independence story can see and hear a video of the historic declaration of independence for Israel, complete with English subtitles, on the Federation’s website. During the coming week, Federation also will mark Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s official memorial day, which was enacted into
law in 1963 and traditionally paid homage to fallen soldiers, though commemoration now extends to civilian victims of terrorism as well. The Federation’s virtual Yom HaZikaron events start at 8 p.m. April 13 and include poetry readings, music and stories of fallen soldiers, Salzman said. “Because it’s taking place virtually, we can have participants from Israel taking part, too,” she said.
Salzman said she is pleased with the amount of diverse programming the Federation has managed to pull together for Pittsburgh Jews — despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Hopefully, next year, we’ll be able to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut in person,” she said. “But celebrating virtually is better than not celebrating at all.” PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
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Headlines Game show ‘Who Knows One?’ takes Jewish geography to the next level — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer
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ow quickly could you find a random Jew living somewhere in the United States? That is the question on which Micah Hart has based his social media game show “Who Knows One?” Think of it as Jewish geography on steroids. In the game, two two-member teams compete to find a connection to a person identified as “The Chosen One.” The teams reach out to people they know across the country seeking links, using clues given by Hart that become progressively more specific. In a recent episode, Rabbi Emily Meyer of Upper St. Clair and her friend Leah Levy formed team “Kisses and Knishes.” They competed against team “Jews Meet Jersey” to find a connection to The Chosen One: Ed Kaiser. Kaiser was originally identified only as a 51-year-old who used “he/him” pronouns and grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. During the 22-minutes of game play, contestants learned Kaiser’s high school, that he belonged to BBYO as a youth, where he graduated from college, what Jewish camps he attended, where he currently lives, his synagogue and what he does for a living. To the chagrin of Pittsburgh Jews across the South Hills, “Kisses and Knishes” lost to “Jews Meets Jersey” when the out-of-state team was able to connect with Marisa Kaiser, The Chosen One’s sister-in-law. With the win, “Jews Meets Jersey” advanced to the next round of “Elijah’s Cup,” a round-robin tournament inspired by March Madness. Hart created the game, typically played on Wednesday and Saturday nights, after getting laid off from his job as the head of digital marketing for Buffalo Wild Wings due to COVID-19. “I’ve enjoyed playing Jewish geography over the years and thought it would be a fun thing to try,” he said. Hart, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, credits
Jewish summer camp with providing inspiration for “Who Knows One?” “This is all built out of my love for summer camp and my memories of growing up in camp and getting creative and coming up with funny games,” he said. He is also is the host of “Campfires and Color Wars,” a podcast about summer camp memories. Hosting that bi-monthly show gave him the confidence, he said, to create “Who Knows One?,” his Jewish version of “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” — a parlor game based on the assumption that every actor can be connected through their film roles to Kevin Bacon within six steps. Hart has been able to find enough support and sponsors to turn “Who Knows One?” into his pandemic job. It has become so popular that he has taken the show on the virtual road, doing community versions of the game for different congregations and Jewish Federations, and even has involved those outside the Jewish community. Hart recently hosted a version of the game for the American College of Emergency Physicians in which ER doctors attempted to connect with other ER doctors, and he created “Desi Chain,” a similar game for the Indian community. Hart believes the virtual game show’s success can be attributed in part to disconnection during the pandemic. “I think the key to it has been that it’s really all about connection, and not just the connections that you make to find The Chosen One, but the connections and the reconnections that are happening for people throughout the show,” Hart said. “I think is a very soul nourishing experience.” Meyer, a Reform rabbi, attempted to broaden her links for her appearance on “Who Knows One?” by teaming with her longtime friend who has connections in the Conservative movement. Meyer prepared for the show by printing out a map of the United States and writing down the names of contacts in each state who would be helpful to find connections to whomever might be The Chosen One. “It was fun,” Meyer said. “I got to connect
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Headlines Childhood friendship bears fruit with Fiserv acquisition — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer
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f the last nine years have been a dream, don’t wake Brian Gross and Jon Halpern. The pair, along with partner Brian Shanahan, recently signed an agreement for Fiserv, Inc. to acquire their Pittsburghbased payments technology company, Pineapple Payments. The deal is the latest leg of a journey that started for the lifelong friends when they were detailing cars together while still in high school. “The car wash and detail business was our first foray into entrepreneurship,” Halpern remembered. “We were able to convince certain locations to allow us to set up shop and, you know, pester people to get their car washed and detailed.” Fast forward a few years and the Jewish duo combined their chutzpah and drive to create AthleteTrax in Halpern’s college apartment. That company, launched in 2012, helped sports teams and leagues manage their businesses. Gross said that when he returned to Pittsburgh after taking a break from college, he “ended up on Jon’s couch writing code for a lot of nights, weeks and months. It felt like we went to school together, but while Jon
Jon Halpern (left) and Brian Gross’ friendship has evolved from the Little League field to the board room
Brian Shanahan (left), Brian Gross (middle), Jon Halpern (right) started Pineapple Payments after meeting through Halpern and Gross’ previous business, AthleteTrax.
was in class we were working on a business behind the scenes.” After acquiring a business that allowed them to assist sports facilities with AthleteTrax, they met Shanahan, who owned Cool Springs Sports Complex in the South Hills, Halpern said. Shanahan had recently exited the day-to-day management of Card Connect, his fourth successful company in the payment processing industry, and was beginning the process of converting Cool Springs from a driving range to a large
indoor sports facility. Shanahan used AthleteTrax’s software to manage the complex, which, as luck would have it, now included a payment solution as well. After months of working together, the three decided to start a new company, Pineapple Payments. And in the last five years the business has grown to 25,000 clients nationwide. “We have a fairly broad-based group,” Halpern said. “Our core business is providing payment processing, credit card and ACH [automated clearing house]
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Headlines Jewish Association on Aging hosts virtual art show
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he Jewish Association on Aging will host a virtual art show celebrating Opening Minds Through Art, a Scripps intergenerational program that engages resident artists as part of JAA’s memory care services. During the pandemic, Opening Minds Through Art has provided JAA’s AHAVA Memory Care residents “with a way to express themselves and explore their creativity,” according to a JAA press release. The virtual gallery show will be held on Wednesday, April 14, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Guests who register receive a Zoom link
for the event and have the first opportunity to see JAA’s new permanent collection of Opening Minds Through Art pieces. The event features guest speakers — including Liz Powell, JAA’s arts education coordinator — as well as a live demonstration of an art project in which attendees can participate. The event is free and open to the public. For more information and to register, go to jaapgh.networkforgood.com/events/ 27546. PJC — Toby Tabachnick
p Making art at the JAA
Photo courtesy of the Jewish Association on Aging
Penn State Hillel grows Jewish learning program
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lmost 100 students at Penn State are engaged in Hillel’s Jewish Learning Fellowship, a 10-week paid fellowship that takes a discussion-based approach to Jewish learning. The enrollment is a “record high,” according to Hillel officials. Through the program, student discussions center around the theme of “Life’s Big Questions,” with topics ranging from “Jewish identity, tattoos, concepts of G-d, sex and intimacy, and the purpose of learning,” according to a press release. “JLF has been a great way for me to be reintroduced to Judaism when I felt like I had left that part of my identity behind. It gave
me a sense of community and faith,” Esther Gershenson, a Penn State freshman and participant in JLF said in a prepared statement. “Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, ‘What we need more than anything else is not text books, but text people,’” said Rabbi Rob Gleisser, Penn State Hillel’s senior Jewish educator, in a statement. “At Hillel we take that quote to heart. In our small group Jewish learning circles we learn about Judaism certainly, but more than that we learn how to be a proud member of a Jewish community through the act of intentional and purposeful self-reflection and sharing.” PJC p Penn State Hillel’s JLF group, taken fall semester last year
Photo courtesy of Penn State Hillel
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APRIL 9, 2021 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. q
SATURDAY, APRIL 10-APRIL 25
Written by Leslie Lewis and Edward Vilga, with an uplifting message of forgiveness and compassion, “Miracle in Rwanda” is based on the life of New York Times bestselling author Immaculée Ilibagiza. “Miracle in Rwanda” chronicles Immaculée’s dramatic experience of survival during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. 8 p.m. $10-25. hcofpgh.org/Rwanda q
SUNDAY, APRIL 11-SUNDAY, APRIL 18
Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for a weeklong celebration of the State of Israel’s 73 years of independence. Yom Ha'atzmaut celebrations will include the photo exhibit "Humans of Israel," featuring the work of Erez Kaganovitz, a virtual standup performance by Benji Lovitt, a virtual cooking class, storytelling, a painting class and more. For information on all the Yom Ha'atzmaut activities and to register visit jewishpgh.org/yom-haatzmaut. q SUNDAY, APRIL 11;
TUESDAY, APRIL 13
Classrooms Without Borders begins its newest Israel seminar, “Bachazit” – On the Frontline. The six sessions will highlight challenges facing Israel and the individuals or organizations that are grappling with issues including the integration of minority groups into the high-tech sector, the struggle for LGBTQ rights, programs that assist Israelis injured during their military service, the fight against racism in Israeli society and more. 2 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/ frontline-israel q
SUNDAYS, APRIL 11, 18, 25; MAY 2, 9
Join a lay-led Online Parashah Study Group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge is needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q
MONDAY, APRIL 12
Beth El Congregation presents a special edition of First Mondays with Rabbi Alex. Women of the Wall Executive Director Yochi Rappeport will share her personal story, WOW’s history and struggle to achieve equality at the Western Wall. Free. 12 p.m. bethelcong.org Join Classrooms Without Borders in Israel — virtually. Monthly tours with guide and scholar Rabbi Jonty
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Blackman via Zoom. 7 p.m. For more information and to register, visit classroomswithoutborders.org. q MONDAYS, APRIL 12, 19, 26;
MAY 3, 10
Join Rabbi Jeremy Markiz in learning Masechet Rosh Hashanah, a tractate of the Talmud about the many new years that fill out the Jewish calendar at Monday Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q
TUESDAY, APRIL 13
Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah and Aviv Hadassah presents Build Your Own Board, with Board Mama, Robin Plotkin. Learn the art of charcuterie board making in this virtual class to create a kosher-style appetizer board. Plotkin is an award-winning registered dietitian and nutrition communicator 7 p.m. $25. hadassahmidwest.org/AvivBoard Calling all aspiring musicians, curious minds, and music listeners: Join Repair the World Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh’s very own Treble NLS for Songwriting for Social Justice. Get your questions answered about the steps of the music process, from brainstorming and writing to mixing and producing. Learn how a social justice lens is an essential part of the writing process. 7 p.m. If able, an $18 or $36 donation to Bukit Bail Fund is encouraged. werepair. org/pittsburgh q
TUESDAYS, APRIL 13-JUNE 1
What is the point of Jewish living? What ideas, beliefs and practices are involved? Melton Course 1: Rhythms & Purposes of Jewish Living examines a variety of Jewish sources to discover the deeper meanings of Jewish holidays, lifecycle observances and Jewish practice. Cost: $300 per person, per year (25 sessions), includes all books and materials. For more information and to register, visit foundation.jewishpgh.org. q
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14
Classrooms Without Borders presents AntiAsian American Racism and Violence: Then and Now - with Susan Stein. With violence and racism against Asian-Americans surging, the program will focus on a dark chapter in American history during World War II too often omitted from school curricula. This is an interactive session that combines discussion, imagination and critical thinking. 4 p.m. classroomswithoutborders.org/antiasian-racism q
SUNDAY, APRIL 18
The Jewish National Fund welcomes stars of the Netflix series “Fauda” to its annual Breakfast for Israel. 10:30 a.m. Register for the free event at jnf.org/bfi.
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MONDAY, APRIL 19
Join Moishe House of Pittsburgh for Incense from the Temple to Your Home with Aya Baron. This is third part of their “Plants in Jewish Traditions” series. 7 p.m. facebook.com/moishehouse. pittsburgh/events q
MONDAY, APRIL 19-MAY 31
Join Temple Sinai for “Making Our Days Count with Rabbi Karyn Kedar (via Zoom).” Rabbi Kedar will discuss the period between Passover and Shavuot, called Omer. She will teach seven spiritual principles for the seven weeks of the Omer: decide, discern, choose, hope, imagine, courage, pray. These principles can offer a path from enslavement to freedom, darkness to light, constriction to expanse. 7 p.m. templesinaipgh.org
Karyn Kedar. Explore three questions, three rules and one important myth that can help create a foundation where children can find resilience and courage. Free. 7 p.m. templesinaipgh.org q
THURSDAY, APRIL 29
The Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah and Hadassah Greater Detroit Attorney and Judges Council, in conjunction with the Jewish Bar Association of Michigan (JBAM), are pleased to welcome Ellie Mosko to speak about Immigration Law: The Past Four Years, And What the Future Holds. Free. 7:30 p.m. Register by April 26 at hadassahmidwest.org/ GDimmigration. q
THURSDAY, APRIL 29
The Jewish Pittsburgh History Series, sponsored by Rodef Shalom Congregation, will feature a presentation by Bob Rosenthal at 7 p.m. Rosenthal will discuss Rodef Shalom’s Building: Construction, Behind the Scenes, Oddities and What Was Where. 7 p.m. rodefshalom.org
Join Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah, Hadassah Greater Detroit and the Nurses Council as Wendy Goldberg presents A Brilliant Rebel: Florence Nightingale’s Message for Our Challenging Times. Goldberg will speak about Nightingale’s contributions to science and health care and their relevance today. 7 p.m. $10 Hadassah member/HGHS Employee; $15 non-member. hadassahmidwest. org/GDrebel
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TUESDAY, APRIL 20
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
Pittsburgh Chapter Hadassah and Hadassah Greater Detroit present Wellness Wednesday Updates in Dermatology, with Dr. Karlee Novice, a virtual program. Novice is a board-certified dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. $10. 11 a.m. hadassahmidwest.org/GDWW2021 Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah and Eleanor Roosevelt Hadassah present A Mother’s Day Brunch Cooking Demonstration with Mimi Markofsky. Markofsky will re-create a few of her favorite brunch dishes, followed by a question-and-answer session. She is the chef/owner of Mimi’s Just Desserts. $10. 7 p.m. hadassahmidwest.org/ RooseveltCookingDemo q
THURSDAY, APRIL 22-MAY 2
The 28th annual JFilm Festival presents international Jewish-themed films that deepen audiences’ understanding of Jewish culture, tolerance and our common humanity. The 11-day festival is complemented by a variety of supplemental programming, including visiting filmmakers, guest speakers and collaborative events with other local organizations. For more information, including a complete list of films, visit filmpittsburgh.org/pages/jfilm. q
MONDAY, APRIL 26
Join Temple Sinai for “Teaching Children Resilience and Courage” with Rabbi
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FRIDAY, APRIL 30
The Talmud says Lag B’Omer celebrates the end of a plague. Moishe House would like to call that in with a traditional bonfire celebration. Join them for pizza and a campfire. To maintain social distancing, attendance is capped at 10 participants. 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/ moishehouse.pittsburgh/events. q
THURSDAYS, MAY 6; JUNE 17
Jews have never desisted from addressing tough problems. In this year’s CLE series, Rabbi Danny Schiff will dive into “Tense Topics of Jewish Law.” Each topic raises significant concerns in our contemporary lives. With CLE/CEU credit: $30/session or $150 all sessions; without CLE/CEU credit: $25/session or $125 all sessions. 8:30 a.m. For more information, including a complete list of topics, visit foundation.jewishpgh. org/continuing-legal-education. q
MONDAY, MAY 10
Join Pittsburgh Chapter of Hadassah and Hadassah Greater Detroit for Raiders of the Lost Art: The Hidden Jews of Ethiopia. Rabbi Josh Bennett of Temple Israel will share the amazing story of the hidden Jews of Ethiopia. He will explore the history of the Ethiopian Jewish community and discover the roots of an African Jewish presence in the ancient Aksumite Kingdom. 11 a.m. $10. hadassahmidwest.org/GDraiders PJC
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Headlines Levine confirmation a milestone for trans community — NATIONAL — By Sophie Panzer | Contributing Writer
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r. Rachel Levine made history on March 24 when she became the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate. After a 52-48 vote, the former Pennsylvania health secretary will serve as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services. “When I assume this position, I will stand on the shoulders of those who came before — people we know throughout history and those whose names we will never know because they were forced to live and work in the shadows,” Levine, 63, told The New York Times. Levine gained public attention as the leader of Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 response and became the face of the health campaign by regularly holding press briefings. As assistant secretary for health, she will help lead the federal response to the crisis. When the Harvard College and Tulane University School of Medicine graduate became Pennsylvania’s physician general in 2015, she spoke to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle about her Jewish identity. She grew up in Massachusetts, where she attended a Conservative shul and had a bar mitzvah, and said she has seen acceptance of LGBTQ individuals improve in the Jewish community since she was young. Levine’s confirmation represents a significant milestone for trans representation in government and medicine, particularly for the trans Jewish community. Hannah Simpson, a trans Jewish activist based in New York, said seeing Levine take on the role was meaningful after her own experiences leaving medical school due to discrimination from administrators. In an email, Simpson wrote that in addition to Levine being qualified for the role, she benefits “from the lived experience of facing the very barriers she aims to break down through improving legislation, training and aggressively combating misinformation.” Jess Harper Meyers, director of candidate relations for We Can Run, was impressed with Levine’s handling of the pandemic and
Chai
Dr. Rachel Levine gives a press conference.
is happy she will have such a prominent position, but also is disappointed she will no longer work for the commonwealth. “I hadn’t followed her career much before the coronavirus, but I was very impressed with how she was handling everything, and then I found out that she was …one of the highest level openly transgender people in the country, even before she was appointed,” said Meyers, who lives in Philadelphia. Meyers also referenced Tara Hunter, a Black trans woman who died 20 years ago after she was in a car crash and was denied care by first responders who cut off her pants, as an example of the dangers trans people face when they need access to health care. “It’s extremely important to have trans people in charge of health care, of people from diverse populations in charge of health care, to make sure that the marginalized populations they represent are represented, so that we can see ourselves in doctors, in politicians, in secretaries of health, and also so that they can make policies that protect people that
News for people who know we don’t mean spiced tea.
Photo via Governor Tom Wolf licensed under Creative Commons license CC BY 2.0
most need to be protected,” Meyers said. Dr. Aimee Ando, a Jewish family medicine physician and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Penn Medicine, treats trans patients and sees Levine’s appointment as cause for celebration. “She really was such an amazing guide, particularly during the COVID pandemic and then a lot of her important work around the opioid crisis that we’re facing here in the state,” Ando said. “I’m just really thrilled that a highly skilled, led-by-the-science clinician that I trust deeply as a colleague and as a leader is now in the position for assistant secretary of health for the U.S.” Ando and Meyers said Levine’s leadership is especially important in the face of the recent spate of anti-trans legislation, several of which target trans people’s access to health care. In Arkansas, the state Senate passed a bill that would prohibit doctors from providing trans youth under 18 with hormone blockers. “I just have such concern and empathy for the trans youth, particularly in the
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Midwest or the South who feel, as we all do as teenagers, like it’s really hard to see beyond the teenage years. It’s really, really tough,” Ando said. Other states, including Alabama and Florida, are introducing bills that would prohibit trans youth from competing on sports teams that do not match the gender they were assigned at birth. “There’s no federal protection for people in states like Arkansas, in states like Alabama, and states like Idaho, where the legislators have been trying to legislate trans people out of existence for a long time,” Meyers said. Ando hopes Levine will use her new position to advocate for health equity and has no doubt that she will “continue to chip away at health care disparities, whether or not they exist on the axis of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.” PJC
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With the increasing costs of long-term care, having the help of a legal professional when planning for your family’s future can help you make better decisions that can result in keeping more of your money. We help families understand the strategies, the benefits, and risks involved with elder law, disability and estate planning. Michael H. Marks, Esq. michael@marks-law.com member, national academy of elder law attorneys
Leslie A. Dutchcot, Esq. leslie@marks-law.com
APRIL 9, 2021 7
Headlines Students in Arizona, teachers in LA: A Jewish high school plans a post-COVID hybrid future — NATIONAL — By Asaf Shalev | JTA
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hen Brooke and Scott Stein began considering where to send their children for high school, they encountered plenty of strong options in the Phoenix area, but each fell short in at least one important regard: The ideal school — coed, college preparatory, Jewish — didn’t exist where they live. Entrepreneurial and ambitious, the couple belongs to a growing, largely Modern Orthodox synagogue that long had dreamed of opening such a school. The costs and risks were too daunting, however, until the pandemic arrived and upended conventional thinking. With remote learning newly a fact of life, the Steins and other members of Scottsdale’s Congregation Beth Tefillah hatched a plan to partner with an existing school somewhere, anywhere. They found what they were looking for in Los Angeles — Shalhevet High School, a respected Modern Orthodox institution established in 1992. Starting in the fall, Shalhevet Scottsdale High School, also known as Nishmat Adin, will enroll its first group of ninth- and
8 APRIL 9, 2021
10th-graders. The Arizona students will connect with their Southern California teachers and classmates through video, and will gather at a site to be determined. They will be supervised there by on-site staff. The two sets of students will integrate with monthly visits. The Steins, who sit on the board of Shalhevet Scottsdale, have applied for their oldest son’s admission and eventually hope to enroll all four of their children. “We had always hoped that a Jewish high school would be available by the time our children reached high school,” Brooke Stein said. “We know that [Shalhevet Scottsdale] will begin small, yet remain hopeful that families will see its value and enrollment will increase in the coming years.” More rests on the success of this experiment than only the hopes of Jewish parents in Scottsdale. As the first partnership of its kind, the Shalhevet Scottsdale initiative is being closely watched throughout the world of Jewish education because of its implications for small communities, as well as for established schools looking to shore up their finances. “There are many Scottsdales around the country,” said Scott Goldberg, a professor of education at Yeshiva University whom the Scottsdale parents hired as a consultant.
“These are growing communities with children learning in a Jewish context at the elementary level and finding themselves without options afterward, and the learning is not sustained.” Communities often hire Goldberg when they are considering what to do about the falloff after eighth grade. “Many communities have told me we are going to start a new school,” he said. “But what they don’t have is a full understanding of the costs involved, and also in terms of what you are not getting educationally because it’s a very small institution. I do a feasibility study and when the answer is a no-go, all that passion all of a sudden peters out.” A booming Jewish population in the area fueled the Scottsdale parents’ interest in creating a new high school. A major study in 2019 about Jews in the Greater Phoenix area, which includes Scottsdale, found that the community has grown some 20% over the past two decades, reaching nearly 100,000. Most identify with the Reform or Conservative movements. The percentage of Jews marrying within the religion and raising their children Jewish has been increasing sharply. At least 75 students graduate each year from local Jewish elementary schools, according to an analysis of Jewish federation
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
data by Nishmat Adin board member Ariella Friedman. Afterward, families have the option of local private, public or charter schools. Orthodox families also choose from the single-sex Jewish high schools in the area, and some move or send their children out of state. The rabbi at Congregation Beth Tefillah, Pinchas Allouche, who also serves on the board of Nishmat Adin, has sent three of his 10 children out of state to attend various Jewish high schools. The new school, Allouche said, is not being tailored for his children. “I wouldn’t say I am building this school for my kids or anyone specific but for the needs of the community,” he said, adding that each child, even his own, has different needs that might be best met by different educational options. His drive to establish a new school is borne largely out of his experience as an eighth-grade teacher at Pardes Jewish Day School in Scottsdale, where students get pluralistic Jewish instruction alongside a rigorous secular curriculum. “The story began years ago, a seed planted in my mind as we founded our Congregation Beth Tefillah and as I began to teach at Please see Hybrid, page 15
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Headlines Who is Mansour Abbas, the Arab-Israeli who could hold the key to Israel’s next government? — WORLD — By Ben Sales | JTA
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ollowing yet another Israeli election, voters are getting to know an unlikely kingmaker: Mansour Abbas, an ArabIsraeli lawmaker who might be the one to break Israel’s two-year political stalemate. Abbas, head of the United Arab List political party, is not the kind of politician who usually wields power in the Jewish state. He’s an Islamist who has more in common ideologically with Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood than with any of Israel’s establishment political parties. But through unorthodox electoral maneuvering, Abbas has set his small party up as the potential swing vote between longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his broad array of sworn opponents. Here’s a primer on Abbas and his potentially pivotal role in the wake of the latest election. Who is he? A dentist by training, Abbas, 46, got involved in political activism while studying at Hebrew University, where he chaired the Arab Students Committee. He later became a leader in the Islamic Movement in Israel, an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that seeks to draw Arab Israelis to Muslim observance and political activism, in part by providing social services like health clinics, schools, mosques and a sports league. The movement is split into rival Northern and Southern Branches. Abbas is a member of the Southern Branch. The Northern Branch was outlawed by Israel in 2015 based on accusations of extensive financial and organizational ties to Hamas, the militant group governing the Gaza Strip. The group does not recognize Israel’s government and, in the past, organized protesters to harass Jewish visitors to Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, which is revered by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. The Northern Branch’s leader, Raed Salah, has been repeatedly prosecuted by Israel for incitement to violence and related crimes. He once said, “The streets of Jerusalem will be purified by the blood of the innocents whose souls were taken by the Israeli occupation soldiers.” In contrast, Abbas has disavowed violence, and his Southern Branch is relatively moderate. It has fielded a party in Israeli elections for the past 25 years, usually in partnership with another Arab-Israeli slate. Until this year, the party, called the United Arab List (or Raam, as it is referred to in Israel), ran as part of the Joint List, an umbrella Arab-Israeli party that’s currently the third-largest in parliament. (Abbas is not related to longtime Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.) Why is he influencing the race to form a coalition? Abbas accrued power this year by breaking from the Joint List and saying he would
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consider allying with any Israeli politician, left or right, Netanyahu or not, as long as they agreed to advance his communal interests. Arabs make up about a fifth of Israel’s population, but no Israeli Arab-led party has been part of a coalition in the country’s 73-year history. Abbas’ party gained barely enough votes to enter Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, last week, winning four seats out of 120. But Israel’s political landscape is interminably split, and Netanyahu and his rivals are both looking for as many seats as possible to add to their potential coalitions. Both camps are courting Abbas as the leader who could deliver them a governing majority. As of now the math is fluid. The pro- and anti-Netanyahu coalitions are both short of a 61-seat majority. Another party, the right-wing Yamina, is also positioning itself as a swing vote, meaning that both sides might need both swing parties to form a government. On Tuesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with the job of forming a coalition. If he fails, the opportunity falls to someone else. So after decades in which Israeli Arabs have been excluded from Israel’s leadership, Abbas may be the one who shatters the taboo on forming a joint Jewish-Arab governing coalition. Who will he support? Arab-Israelis have long been associated with the country’s political left, but Abbas has remained coy about who he will support as the next prime minister. In a speech Thursday broadcast on Israel’s major TV networks and delivered in Hebrew, he instead positioned himself above the fray, urging unity across Israel’s ethnic and religious divisions. “I bring a prayer of hope, and of uncompromising determination for a shared life based on mutual respect and true equality,” he said, defining himself as a “man of the Islamic Movement, a proud Arab and Muslim and a citizen of the state of Israel.” “Our common denominator is greater than what divides us,” he said. The Joint List, which held 15 seats in the outgoing parliament, is firmly on Israel’s political left and is an outspoken critic of Netanyahu and his allies. In 2019 and 2020, when three earlier rounds of Israeli elections produced similar stalemates, Netanyahu’s opponents considered forming a coalition with the Joint List in order to oust the prime minister. But right-wing members of the anti-Netanyahu camp opposed partnering with Arab Israelis whose views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other issues diverged from their own. His party is not centrist when it comes to the conflict. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, the party calls for evacuating Israel’s West Bank settlements, establishing a Palestinian state with a capital
YOU, ME, AND ISRAEL AT 73! Sunday, April 18, 2021 10:30 – 11:30 am ET FEATURING GUEST SPEAKERS
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APRIL 9, 2021 9
Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports
Last known Jew in Afghanistan leaving
The man who has been known as the last Jew in Afghanistan for well over a decade is leaving for Israel, fearing that the U.S. military’s promise to leave the country will create a vacuum to be filled with radical groups such as the Taliban. “I will watch on TV in Israel to find out what will happen in Afghanistan,” Zabulon Simantov told Arab News. Simantov, 61, said he will leave after this year’s High Holidays season in the fall. His wife, a Jew from Tajikistan, and their two daughters have lived in Israel since 1998. But Simantov has stayed in his native Afghanistan to tend to its lone synagogue, located in the capital Kabul, through decades of violence and political turmoil, including a period of Taliban rule and the country’s war with the U.S. “I managed to protect the synagogue of Kabul like a lion of Jews here,” he said to Arab News. Simantov, a carpet and jewelry seller, was born in the Afghan city of Herat, which decades ago was home to hundreds of Jews. He eventually moved to Kabul but fled to Tajikistan in 1992 before returning to the capital city. Without him around, the synagogue will close, ending an era of Jewish life in the country that scholars believe began at least 2,000 years ago. “If the Taliban return, they are going
to push us out with a slap in the face,” Simantov told Radio Free Europe last week for an article on the exodus of many of the country’s minority populations.
Rabbi Robert Marx, social justice pioneer who marched with Martin Luther King, dies at 93
Robert Marx, a pioneering social justice advocate and leading Reform rabbi who drew inspiration from his experiences marching with Martin Luther King, Jr., is dead at 93. He died at the beginning of the Passover holiday, surrounded by family at his home in Saugatuck, Michigan, the Chicago Tribune reported. He had suffered a heart attack weeks prior, the Chicago Sun-Times noted. Marx’s legacy lives on through the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, a community organizing group devoted to social justice causes in Chicago that he founded in 1964, and the Hakafa congregation on the city’s North Shore that he founded in 1983, which grew from a few families to hundreds of members. The Cleveland native, ordained at the Reform flagship Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, was moved to make Holocaust comparisons after witnessing white Chicagoans pelt civil rights marchers with rocks and bottles in the summer of 1966. During the march, Marx reportedly sat guard in front of a pile of rocks so that the racist protesters could not use them. “What I saw in Gage Park seared my soul,” Marx wrote in a letter to the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which is now the Union for Reform Judaism. “I was
afraid and I am afraid now. I saw how the concentration camp could have occurred, and how men’s hatred could lead them to kill.” Quotes from that letter are inscribed on a memorial in Chicago’s Marquette Park to King and the infamous march, which King called the most hostile he had ever seen at the time. Marx marched with King in a follow-up in August of 1966, as he had in the famed Selma march of 1965. Marx, whose Jewish Council fought racist housing policies and policing tactics, became one of the country’s leading Reform activists. He saw the causes of anti-Semitism and antiBlack racism as intertwined, and became a staunch ally of Chicago’s Black communal leaders — including Rev. Jesse Jackson, whose ties to the Jewish community were strained at best after calling Jews “hymies” in the 1980s and later standing up for controversial Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Marx said he felt “used” when Jackson met with Arafat. “He was the Jewish voice for justice, working closely with the Black community and Black churches,” Jackson said about Marx in a statement, according to the Tribune. “We prayed together, sang together and marched together. When Nazis marched in Skokie, we fought hate together. We have always been together. I love him so much. I miss him already.” Marx was involved in other interfaith work as well. “Part of his devotion to his faith and his love for his community was in ensuring that that community lived up to its highest ideals of justice and equality,” said Rami
Nashashibi, head of the Inner-City Muslim Action Network. Marx ran Congregation Solel in Highland Park from 1973 to 1983, after losing his 15-year-old son to a longstanding illness. He co-wrote a book called “Facing the Ultimate Loss,” for fellow grieving parents. He is survived by the other child from his first marriage; his second wife Ruth; five stepchildren; and a total of 17 grandchildren.
Anti-Semitic literature, other items, found outside Denmark Jewish cemetery
Red paint, baby dolls and anti-Semitic flyers were left outside a Jewish cemetery in Denmark in an apparent follow-up to a similar incident in Sweden. The display, featuring red paint poured over baby dolls and a document describing Passover as a Jewish celebration of death, was discovered outside the Jewish cemetery of Aalborg in northern Denmark, Ekstra Bladet reported. Last week, baby dolls splashed with red paint were strung outside a synagogue in Norrkoping, Sweden, next to the same flyer. The day that the Norrkoping incident was discovered, the Nordic Resistance Movement, a neo-Nazi group with a history of harassing Jews on Jewish holidays, published on its website a picture of the display that was taken at night. The Anti-Defamation League called on Swedish police to treat the Nordic Resistance Movement as a prime suspect. Police in Denmark and Sweden are investigating the incidents. PJC
This week in Israeli history — WORLD — Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
April 9, 1973 — Israeli commandos raid Beirut
Ehud Barak leads a successful seaborne commando raid on Beirut to kill three PLO officials connected to the Munich Olympics massacre: Mohammed Yousef al-Najjar, Kamal Adwan and Kamal Nasser.
April 10, 2002 — Suicide bomber kills 8 on Haifa Bus
Eight passengers on a commuter bus in Haifa, including the 18-year-old niece of Israel’s U.N. ambassador, are killed in a Second Intifada suicide bombing claimed by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
April 11, 2002 — Powell visits to negotiate cease-fire
In Madrid, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell calls for an immediate IsraeliPalestinian cease-fire, then flies to the Middle East to meet with the leaders of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
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April 12, 1971 — Singing soccer star Eyal Golan is born
Eyal Golan, a pro soccer player who becomes one of Israel’s most successful Mizrahi singers, is born in Rehovot. He releases his first album, “Whisper in the Night,” during his playing career in 1995.
April 13, 2004 — Hapoel Jerusalem wins basketball EuroCup
Hapoel Jerusalem defeats Real Madrid, 83-72, to win Europe’s No. 2 club basketball championship, the EuroCup. Combined with Maccabi Tel Aviv’s EuroLeague championship, Israel holds both of Europe’s major basketball titles.
April 14, 1961 — All-Time Miss Israel is born
Illana Shoshan, who wins the Miss Israel title in 1980 and is voted the Miss Israel of All Time in 2010, is born in Kfar Saba. She becomes a model, actress, producer, casting director and women’s rights activist.
April 15, 1945 — Bergen-Belsen is liberated
The British 11th Armored Division liberates the Nazis’ Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Anne Frank is among an estimated 50,000 Jews and others who die in the final two years of World War II. PJC
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APRIL 9, 2021 11
Opinion Sorry professors, but BDS and double standards for Israel are anti-Semitism Guest Columnist Eric R. Mandel
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he growing acceptance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism by scores of nations, including the European Union, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and our own country, have made critics of Israel apoplectic. This is because the IHRA asserts that many forms of anti-Zionism rise to the threshold of anti-Semitism. This has driven both anti-Zionists and harsh critics of Israel to find ways to undermine the legitimacy of IHRA. The most recent attempt is to create new definitions of anti-Semitism that minimize or eliminate any association between anti-Semitism and delegitimizing Israel’s existence. Recently, a group of 200 university professors has taken up the mantle against the IHRA with their Jerusalem Declaration of Anti-Semitism (JDA). It states that opposing Zionism or Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state doesn’t necessarily constitute anti-Semitism. It defines anti-Semitism as discrimination, prejudice or violence against individual Jews or Jewish institutions, but eliminates any association between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. It is as if they are living in a time warp, damning old-time anti-Semitism while ignoring the most recent and virulent strain of anti-Semitism emanating mainly from the hard left. That virus has mutated from the politically incorrect prejudice against the Jewish religion into the new anti-Semitism, hatred of the Jewish nation. As one of the
signatories said, “The Israeli government and its supporters have a keen interest in blurring the distinction between criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism to paint any substantive, harsh criticism of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians as anti-Semitic.” According to the JDA definition of anti-Semitism, “hatred of Israel” is not anti-Semitism. Boycotting, demonizing and sanctioning Israel is not anti-Semitism. Mind you, this is not just BDS of products from the West Bank, but boycotting all of Israel because it does not have a right to exist, as their Palestinian supporters allege. Sorry professors, this is anti-Semitism in its most blatant form. One doesn’t even need the IHRA definition to know it. Harsh critics of Israel are alarmed that the IHRA definition is gaining more legitimacy, adding more national governments, colleges, organizations, and local and state governments to the list of supporters. And they worry for a good reason. IHRA explicitly targets all forms of anti-Semitism — from old-time right-wing hatred of Jews to today’s progressive anti-Semitism. Right-wing anti-Semitism gets all the notoriety because it is often manifested as local violence against Jewish people or their property. Left-wing anti-Semitism is ubiquitous on college campuses among academics and pro-Palestinian students, and of significant consequence, advocating policies that threaten an entire country’s safety. And being Jewish does not mean that someone who supports reprehensible antiJewish policies gets a pass. Signers of the JDA twist themselves in knots claiming that anti-Israel actions don’t have much to do with anti-Semitism. Yet many of them are invested in Palestinian rights and disregard Palestinian society’s pervasive advocacy of hatred and violence, from their
mosques to media to schools and government, which is blatantly anti-Semitic. When these professors next go to Ramallah, they should notice that the word “Jew” and “Israeli” are interchangeable. Palestinian calls for two states—one binational and the other Arab— are just fine with them, knowing that this would mean Israel’s demographic destruction. Many of these professors who rightly claim love for the freedom of speech are mute about today’s campus environment, where pro-Israel students are demonized, intimidated and restrained from their First Amendment rights by Palestinian supporters. Protecting students who disagree with your perspective used to be a pillar of academic freedom, but too many professors are activists first, not academics. Silence makes one complicit in stigmatizing Zionist students and pro-Israel professors. This is the very definition of illiberalism. Where are their voices for freedom of speech when their pro-Israel students and their speakers are screamed down in the name of racism, apartheid and colonialism? Is that not anti-Semitism? One signer of the JDA claimed the IHRA had reached a “point where Palestinian students feel threatened on campus.” This is Orwellian. A primary reason for the need for the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism was the threats and intimidation to Jewish students on campus by Palestinians and their supporters. A 2015 Brandeis University poll of North American colleges’ Jewish students found “nearly three-quarters of the respondents reported having been exposed … during the past year to a least one anti-Semitic statement.” There is little evidence of any concerted intimidation against Palestinian students. Still, they and their progressive supporters are often the perpetrators of anti-Semitism against Jewish students who are pro-Israel.
True academic integrity should demand that many of these professors define themselves as pro-Palestinian or anti-Zionist and not hide behind the pro-peace, pro-Israel moniker. Who are some of the signatories? City University of New York professor and New York Times writer Peter Beinart wrote an article in July 2020 titled “I No Longer Believe in a Jewish State.” In response, the ADL’s deputy director said “such calls are themselves anti-Semitic, or at the very least, as in the case of Mr. Beinart, play into the hands of the anti-Semites.” Another endorser of the JDA definition is the anti-Zionist Richard Falk. Former President Barack Obama’s representative to the Human Rights Council, Eileen Donahoe, called his comments on Israel “deeply offensive,” condemning them in the “strongest terms.” She charged that Falk had a “one-sided and politicized view of Israel’s situation and the Palestinian Territories.” No wonder he signed a definition of anti-Semitism that minimized equating anti-Zionism with Jew-hatred. So kudos to those professors who fight against right-wing anti-Semitism; we should all join them. But shame on them for claiming that it’s not anti-Semitism to back the BDS movement, to deny the Jewish people a right to self-determination, to allow Israel to be judged by a double standard and to intimidate Jewish students on campus because they are pro-Israel. PJC
Dr. Eric R. Mandel is the director of MEPIN, the Middle East Political Information Network. He regularly briefs members of the U.S. Senate, House and their foreign-policy advisers. He is a columnist for The Jerusalem Post and a contributor to i24TV, The Hill, JTA and The Forward. This piece was first published by JNS.
Loyalty of last Yemen Jews repaid with expulsion Guest Columnist Lyn Julius
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here is no place like Yemen. Not in America, not in Israel. It’s just not the same. When the people of Yemen say, ‘We don’t want a single Jew here,’ I will go, but until that day, Yemen is my home and that is where I will stay.” Rabbi Yahya Youssef Musa Marhabi uttered those words in 2010. That fateful day came in late March 2021 for him and 12 other Jews: They were driven out by the Houthi Iranian-backed Islamists who have taken control of the north of the country and whose slogan is “Convert or die.” The rabbi’s departure signals the end of a 3,000-year-old community. Just six Jews remain in war-torn Yemen: an old woman, her crazed brother and three others in Amram province. (One 12 APRIL 9, 2021
man, Levi Salem Marhabi, is illegally in jail.) Some reports say that the last Jews agreed to leave as a condition of Levi’s release, but there is no guarantee that he will be freed. The 13, from the Zindani, Habib, and Marhabi families, have arrived in Egypt where they will find no more Jews than now remain in Yemen. The group refused an offer to go to Israel by way of the port city of Aden, which is controlled by the Southern Transitional Council, supported by the United Arab Emirates. Some people are exasperated with the Yemeni Jews’ obstinacy, for it is not as if they did not have multiple opportunities to leave. The group, which had already been forced out of their homes in the north of Yemen and their property stolen, would have preferred to resettle in the UAE, which has taken in three Jewish families from Yemen over the last year, but this was impossible for unspecified reasons. It is thought that some among the 13 did want to go to Israel, but “an influential member” of the group was against the idea.
I would wager that the “influential member” was Rabbi Yahya Youssef. He has heard reports of scantily clad women in Israel and fears that Yemenite Jews will not be able to cling to their traditional, pious way of life. The scholar SD Goiten once described Yemen’s Jews as the most Arab and Jewish of Jews. Rabbi Yahya has insisted that he is Arab before he is Jewish. He has bent over backward to show his willingness to integrate into Muslim Yemen. He has tried to fight for Jews to have seats in Parliament, said that Jewish children should go to Muslim schools, and even said he believed in Muhammad as much as Moses. There is a name for this kind of behavior: Stockholm syndrome, or to use a word familiar to the Jewish-Muslim lexicon, dhimmi syndrome. Dhimmi describes not only the subjugated status of Jews and Christians under Islam, but a survival strategy employing flattery and appeasement. Beleaguered Jews in Arab or Muslim countries have long expressed their hostility
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
to Israel and loyalty to their countries of birth. Where has it got them in the long run? A one-way ticket out of the country. There are no communities left in Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Libya or Algeria. In Iraq, a Jew died recently, bringing the number down to three. It is heartening that countries like the United Arab Emirates and Morocco have chosen a different path, “normalizing” with Israel and encouraging the growth of local Jewish communities. But where are the expressions of consternation, where are the protests, the petitions, the governments and NGOs calling out those Muslim countries that have ethnically cleansed their Jews? The silence is deafening. PJC Lyn Julius is a journalist and co-founder of Harif, an association of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa in the UK. She is the author of “Uprooted: How 3,000 years of Jewish Civilisation in the Arab world vanished overnight.” This piece was first published by Britain’s Jewish News. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Opinion Not even COVID can slow down the Start-up Nation Guest Columnist Kim Salzman
S
eventy-three years young and looking good! Next week Israel will celebrate its 73rd year of independence as a Jewish and democratic state, and its accomplishments are astounding and cause for tremendous pride. This year’s Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day) celebrations in Israel will look very different than they did last year during Israel’s first national lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrations were held over Zoom and Israelis watched the annual torch-lighting ceremony from their homes. What a difference a year makes. In 2021, Yom Ha’atzmaut celebrations in Israel will take place in person all over the country. This is no small feat and was made possible due to Israel’s lightning-pace vaccination rollout. As of this writing, more than 60% of the population has been fully vaccinated.
Israel’s centralized government and efficient national health care system made this expedited vaccination rollout program possible. Controlling the pandemic and preventing the introduction of new variants into Israel led to the closure of Ben Gurion Airport to non-citizens since March 2020, and to nearly everybody for six weeks in early January and February 2021. This closure, however, did not stop aliyah to Israel. In 2020, over 21,000 Jews from around the world immigrated to Israel. While these numbers were smaller than in 2019, they are remarkable nonetheless given that the entire world was largely in lockdown throughout most of 2020. During the historic closure of Ben Gurion, the aliyah of Ethiopian Jews as part of “Operation Tzur Yisrael” continued, with multiple flights of new immigrants landing at an otherwise closed airport during Israel’s third lockdown. While Israel closed itself off from the rest of the world, it kept its doors open to Jews seeking to make Israel their home, a testament to Israel’s role as home and haven to the Jewish people. The Jewish Agency for Israel, supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, plays a crucial role in bringing Jews from all over
the world to Israel and in absorbing them into Israeli culture and society. Jews from around the globe have been making aliyah to the land of Israel long before the establishment of the State of Israel. Today, Israeli Jews hail from more than 70 countries, making it literally and figuratively the “ingathering of the exiles.” Jews in Israel come from Ethiopia, Algeria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, India, China, countries that were previously part of the former Soviet Union and others. There is no typical look or color for Israelis, and each person’s history and culture enriches Israeli society. As Passover came to an end less than a week ago, Israelis from all different backgrounds attended a “mimouna,” a traditional Moroccan ceremony marking the end of Passover by serving muletas, or doughy pancakes. The ceremony has been widely adopted by Israelis of all different origins, a testament to Israel’s diversity and openness to different Jewish traditions and cultures. Similarly, the Sigd holiday, observed by Ethiopian Jews 50 days after Yom Kippur to mark the acceptance of the Torah and the return to Jerusalem, was declared an official Israeli holiday more
than a decade ago, thereby establishing the celebration as common national heritage. In this spirit of celebrating diversity, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will be hosting multiple virtual programs to honor Yom Ha’atzmaut and the diverse backgrounds of Israelis (See “Varied” on page 2 for more information), including the following programs: a virtual event with renowned photographer Erez Kaganovitz and his “Humans of Israel” exhibit, at which he will showcase the diverse faces of Israel to tell Israel’s story; a virtual stand-up comedy show with Benji Lovitt, an immigrant to Israel who will provide hilarious commentary of Israeli culture and society; a virtual cooking class with a local chef from Misgav, Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether region, who will teach how to make traditional food from the Galilee; and a virtual story session, at which a local Israeli will share “Yerus Goes to Jerusalem,” a beautiful tale about how a young Ethiopian girl makes the treacherous journey to Sudan and then to Israel. PJC
his little sister into a corner of her play area before she was rescued by my son. Levi saw pictures of the ship stuck sideways in the Suez Canal, the machines digging out the ship, and then later when the ship became unstuck, he saw videos of the Ever Given floating up the Suez Canal. This was also the first year that Levi was old enough to take in the basic Passover story. He was at first upset that Pharoah was so mean to the Jews, but then he got interested in plagues and the heroic escape when the Red Sea parted. But what he really liked was his mother’s Persian-Jewish tradition of whacking each other with leeks or scallions during Dayenu. By the end of the second seder, Levi was earnestly recounting the story of Passover to his uncles and grandparents. He began with the Jews being slaves in Egypt and Pharoah
being mean to them. Then the Jews escaped from Egypt after plagues and the coronavirus (which he calls “bugsy”) on the Ever Given, which then got stuck in the Suez Canal because the captain messed up. But then the excavators worked really hard to get the ship out of this tight spot, and the water turned to blood. In the triumphal ending, Moses raised his hand and God parted the waters so the Ever Given could float up the Suez Canal into the Red Sea with the Jews on board. Perhaps there is something to Levi’s version of the Passover story. After all, the story of Passover is the story of the liberation of the Jews from Egypt or Mitzrayim — “that narrow place.” PJC
Kim Salzman is the Israel and overseas director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. She lives in Misgav, Israel, with her husband and three children.
The escape from Egypt Guest Columnist Margaret Fried
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ust before Passover, my son overheard my 2 ½-year-old grandson, Levi, approach a friend with the enigmatic conversational gambit: “Did you hear about that big boat that got stuck in the sand near the Jews?” This question about the Ever Given, stuck in the Suez Canal, followed a year in which Levi had become fascinated with earthmoving machines. In addition to dump trucks, backhoes and excavators (formerly known as steam shovels), he learned to recognize and name level-finishers, cranes, graders, hydraulic hammers and bulldozers
(or “dozers” to the initiated). He even learned the names of the parts of these machines, like the boom and the teeth of the excavator. Despite the pandemic, and with the kind indulgence of the City of Pittsburgh workers who were busy replacing the water pipes in my neighborhood, I was able to help sustain Levi’s interest by sending him videos of hydraulic hammers tearing up streets and various other big machines digging holes, scooping up earth and laying pipes. Naturally, Levi was completely entranced by the saga of the Ever Given, this monster ship stuck in the Suez Canal requiring numerous excavators and cranes and all sorts of other heavy equipment to get it unstuck. Levi proceeded to reenact this saga by pushing balls and other toys into tight places and announcing that they were the Ever Given, and he even tried to wedge
— LETTERS — Another genocide
I recently read an article on the front page of the Chronicle about Pittsburgh’s Holocaust Center marking Yom HaShoah, and I wanted to remind your readers that the U.S. and 29 other countries recognize as genocide a mass murder that occurred during World War I. According to Wikipedia, during the invasion of Russian and Persian territories by paramilitary units of the Ottoman Empire in 1915, a massacre of approximately 1 million ethnic Armenians took place. Apparently, the paramilitary units assumed that some isolated efforts by Armenian groups to oppose the invasion led to a conclusion that the Armenian population was fighting the Ottoman empire. Between 100,000 to 200,000 Armenian women, children, elderly and those physically challenged were sent on death marches into the Syrian desert with no food or water (and frequent attacks); those who survived the death marches were dispersed to concentration camps. In early 1916, another wave of massacres was ordered. In addition, between 100,000 to 200,000 ethnic Armenians were forcibly converted to Islam during this time period. The Turkish government denies a crime against the Armenians occurred. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Margaret Fried is a retired attorney living in Squirrel Hill. She has 11 grandchildren.
I learned about this from an Armenian classmate when I was studying archaeology at the University of Michigan in the early 1970s. I’m now retired but try to keep up with archaeological findings. I always hope for good news but have no doubt that other evidence of similar inhumane events will be found, unfortunately. Sheryl Stolzenberg Pittsburgh We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 500 words and may be edited for length and clarity; they cannot be returned. Mail, fax or email letters to:
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letters@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Address & Fax: Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 5915 Beacon St., 5th Flr., Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Fax 412-521-0154
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APRIL 9, 2021 13
Headlines
p Pioneer Women/NA’AMAT members at an Israel Day Parade in the 1970s
p Gloria Elbling (National President of NA’AMAT) and Luise Wikes (local officer) at the dedication of a NA’AMAT Vocational High School in Tiberias in late 1986
NA’AMAT:
membership dues, she joined NA’AMAT. “I thought it was a very progressive organization,” said Gottlieb. “They believed in women’s rights — that’s what we fought for — rights in Israel for women. And also labor — being paid the right amount of money for the many hours you work.” By the late 1960s, Gottlieb was selected as one of 20 future leaders of the organization and was offered the opportunity to spend a summer in Israel — which she accepted. Pittsburgh resident Julian Elbling, 74, remembers driving his mother to New York for the flight, alongside his father and brother. “We all backed her,” said Elbling. “NA’AMAT was her baby.” Gottlieb soon found herself returning to Israel on behalf of NA’AMAT as often as four times a year — for a total of 39 times. She met with Israeli leaders including Abba Eban, Golda Meir and Shimon Peres, and with each visit she saw the impact of her organization on the lives of women and children in Israel. Working beside friends in Pittsburgh to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars through NA’AMAT “gave me a purpose to make sure that Israel survived,” Gottlieb said. “If we had Israel many years ago we wouldn’t have lost all the people we did.”
While Gottlieb stressed that NA’AMAT’s mission remains critical, she accepts the current realities. “We’re living in a different age,” she said. “Young people don’t join organizations. They don’t join synagogues or churches, and you can’t keep on. It’s very sad.” Marcia Weiss, a past president of NA’AMAT USA, Pittsburgh Council, described some of the organization’s challenges six years ago in an interview with the Chronicle. “Membership is down in NA’AMAT,” Weiss said in 2015. “Lots of our members were older and have passed away, and we don’t have the numbers to replace them. We do get new members, but not on a regular basis. Younger women are working, and spending time with their families, and they just don’t have the time to volunteer.” Gottlieb said she understands the disappointment generated by the upcoming closure, but hopes people still support NA’AMAT and its efforts in Israel. “I do feel bad but it’s not the end of the world,” she said. “We have to go on and do something else, that’s all.” PJC
of four and Pittsburgh native attended the school, and her son and two of her daughters are graduates. Her youngest daughter, a 10th-grader at Yeshiva Schools, lived in the temporary dorm this year. “She feels like she has the camp experience all year round,” Fishman said. Fishman said she was impressed with the residence when she came to Pittsburgh to help her daughter move in. “I was amazed at how beautiful and clean and fresh it was,” Fishman said. “They have one kitchen that is dairy and one that is meat. There’s a mini grill and panini press and smoothie maker. They have everything they need to cook for themselves, which they’re all capable of.” The Yeshiva alum said that when she attended the school 16 girls graduated, eight of whom were from out of town. That number has declined, she said, because of the need for host families.
Fishman thinks the new dormitory will allow more girls to attend the school. In fact, one of her daughters will be returning in the fall as a dorm counselor. “It’s great to have a dorm experience where everyone from out of town is part of the same dorm family,” she said. Based on the number of applicants the school is prepared to open up to two dormitories, Deren said. She is enthused about the opportunity presented by the new residences and is looking forward to no longer turning away potential students. “I felt awful because families that wanted to send their children away for education often didn’t have a school where they live,” Deren said. “Now, I’m excited to know that we will have openings to accommodate girls that would like a high-quality, Jewish education.” PJC
Photos courtesy of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives
Continued from page 1
in Pittsburgh’s Hill District before moving to the Labor Zionist Building in Squirrel Hill, then to the Tree of Life building and eventually to Rodef Shalom Congregation. Since the pandemic, monthly meetings have occurred via Zoom. Although the century-old precursors to NA’AMAT focused on supporting agricultural work in then-Palestine, interests broadened through the years. In addition to advancing agricultural schools, NA’AMAT began supporting children’s centers and women’s vocational training. NA’AMAT currently operates nearly 250 day care centers in Israel and provides funding for technological and agricultural high schools, a women’s shelter, legal aid bureaus, educational scholarships, women’s rights centers and women’s health centers. The board voted on March 3 to close the Pittsburgh branch, said Jackie Braslawsce, NA’AMAT USA, Pittsburgh Council’s executive director. “We just looked around the past year — Hadassah closed their office and before that JNF closed their office and went toward a
regional model — and it’s hard to sustain an organization at this time and in this climate,” she said. “And we thought the right thing to do was to shut our doors and continue to support NA’AMAT through the national office.” Despite its upcoming closure, Pittsburghers can be proud of NA’AMAT Pittsburgh’s many accomplishments in Israel, said Braslawsce. “We supported the mission and have done so since the 1920s....What we have built in Israel under the Pittsburgh name, through Pittsburgh philanthropy, is definitely a legacy to be proud of,” she said. Gloria Elbling Gottlieb, 94, has a practical perspective on the decision to close Pittsburgh’s NA’AMAT chapter. “It’s very sad, however my theory is nothing lasts forever,” said Gottlieb, a former Pittsburgh resident and past national president of NA’AMAT USA. “We don’t have any department stores in Pittsburgh, big companies go under and people go under. You have to deal with it.” Gottlieb, who was a delegate to three World Zionist Congresses, first became involved in NA’AMAT in the mid-1960s. Shortly after her wedding, she was eager to support a cause with like-minded women. Despite not being able to afford the $15
Yeshiva: Continued from page 1
handful of students, Rosenblum said. The girls living in that residence were joined by two resident dorm counselors. That model will continue as the school moves girls into the permanent dormitory. In addition to the counselors, the school employs a wellness director who supports the students, and will be adding “dorm mothers” to check in with the students daily and who will assist with larger needs, such as doctors appointments. “These are ladies in the communities whose children attend our school,” Deren explained. “They wanted to contribute but they don’t want to teach, so this is a perfect opportunity.” The girls will still attend Shabbat dinner at the homes of different local 14 APRIL 9, 2021
Rendering of the new dormitory space located in Squirrell Hill Rendering by Wolf Blohk designs
families, Deren said. Texas resident Rivkah Fishman has a long history with Yeshiva Schools. The mother
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Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines One: Continued from page 3
with people I haven’t heard from in a long time. I got to make new connections, people are watching, and people are having fun talking to each other in the comments. I’ve met some professional contacts through the comments. It’s just been like an easy way to be with other people.” Lynn Berman was recently featured as The
Friendship: Continued from page 4
business. We have all the core compentencies covered from sales and marketing to product technology to finance. These are really smart people who are good at what they do and care about what we’re trying to accomplish together.” The core relationship, though, is the friendship between Gross and Halpern, both 29, that began when they were 5 years old. That relationship has evolved from playing Little League, to dating girls to finding customers to raising millions of dollars, Gross said. “It hasn’t always been easy,” he added, “but we continue to learn from each other and grow.” “Brian and I have a tremendous amount of mutual respect for each other, and we trust one another,” Halpern said. “We also have a tremendous amount of fun along the way.” They have chosen to work with others for whom they have the same respect, and in some cases, similar history. Halpern called Shanahan an incredible mentor and someone he and Gross have learned a lot from. He also pointed to David
Abbas: Continued from page 9
in Jerusalem, and giving Palestinian refugees the right to return to Israel — positions that are anathema to Netanyahu and his right-wing allies. But Abbas emphasized pragmatism in his campaign, saying he would work with anyone who committed to addressing bread-and-butter issues in Arab-Israeli society, like combating crime and providing economic development. “We need to attempt to bargain and negotiate in order to bring about achievements for our people,” he told the Jerusalem Post in November. What could get in the way? In the past, Netanyahu has made opposing Arab parties — and voters — a piece of his election campaigns. In 2015, he controversially posted a video warning that Arab-Israelis (who have the right to vote)
Chosen One in an episode of the game she said was “weirdly compelling and brilliant.” She had signed up to be a Chosen One on the show’s website. Berman first heard of the program on social media in its nascent stage when it was known as “Zoom Jewish Geography” and thought it sounded fun. The Squirrel Hill resident is now hooked. She regularly watches the program, even when she does not know the contestants or The Chosen One. “It shows us that we’re all connected,”
Berman said. “I think that even after this is all over, which God willing it will be, it will still be entertaining. Not in the same desperate need for connection, but for the fun of realizing the connections within the Jewish community.” Hart isn’t sure what will happen to the game once the pandemic has ended, but he is thankful for the opportunities it has created. “That’s the existential question that a lot of people ask me,” he said. “I didn’t anticipate
any of this happening, so, on some level, it feels like I’m playing with house money. If it lasts for two more months, I’ll be grateful and if it lasts for another 10 years, I’ll be grateful. That said, I think there is a place for this, even in the post-pandemic environment because I think we’ve all been disconnected from each other and this is a fun way to reconnect.” PJC
Goldfarb, the company’s general counsel. “He grew up in Squirrel Hill with us and has been with us the entire time,” Halpern said. Although Fiserv has acquired the business, Pineapple Payments will continue to operate in Pittsburgh with Gross and Halpern at its helm. Pineapple Payments, located on Stanwix Street, has been operating remotely since the onset of COVID-19, Halpern said. There are no plans to close or relocate the business once Fiserv completes its acquisition, nor are there plans to eliminate employees, not just in Pittsburgh, but also in Chicago, Boston and even Iceland, where Gross is currently living with his family. The success of both AthleteTrax and Pineapple Payments still amazes them. “When you think about the journey,” Halpern said, “that all this started because the two businesses blended together. I mean, this really started with a college idea that created AthleteTrax and a small Pittsburgh connection led to Pineapple Payments, and here we are with a transaction with a behemoth like Fiserv. It’s definitely a surreal and cool moment for the two of us.” PJC
Hybrid:
per student, which includes tuition and the cost of monthly travel to Los Angeles for the two campuses to gather in person. For those who cannot afford the bill, the school is hoping for subsidies through a tax credit scholarship program pioneered in Arizona. In Los Angeles, tuition to Shalhevet is much higher, over $40,000 a year. Block said he was eager to work with the Scottsdale parents to devise a model that might allow families to access high-quality Jewish education at a lower price point. “We were thinking about the tuition of day school education,” he said. “What can we do that’s out of the box, that’s creative? COVID gave us an opportunity to do things in a new way. It would be silly to ignore these wonderful educational technologies.” This push to increase access to Jewish education has earned the attention of Paul Bernstein, the CEO of Prizmah, a network that represents about 300 Jewish day schools across North America serving some 90,000 students. Bernstein said the partnership is a testament to the vitality of the schools he works with, which have largely operated in person at a time when many students across the country learned mostly from home. “During the crisis caused by COVID, we have seen the excellent value proposition of Jewish day schools come to the forefront,” he said. “As people recognize the strength of Jewish day schools, we want to make sure we can maximize access. This partnership could help the sustainability of these schools.” Whether a critical mass of parents in Scottsdale or elsewhere will be convinced that a mostly remote education is worth the tuition remains unknown. It will take even longer to assess whether it’s possible to teach students effectively for the long term in the hybrid arrangement the school is planning — and whether social bonds can form. And while Shalhevet’s faculty is blessed for the moment with buy-in from faculty, according to Block, teachers across the country this year reported finding hybrid classrooms difficult to manage. The Steins, meanwhile, hope the remote learning arrangement they are focused on promoting is ultimately a temporary one. “The idea is that as enrollment grows, so will our ability to wean off of Shalhevet L.A. and ultimately have our own brickand-mortar school complete with faculty and administration while still maintaining the excellent Shalhevet curriculum,” Brooke Stein said. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
were “heading to the polls in droves.” But this year, Abbas’ offer may be tempting to Netanyahu, who is contending with a corruption trial and may seek whatever support he can get to pass a law giving him immunity from prosecution until he leaves office. But one of Netanyahu’s allies, the far-right Religious Zionism party, has ruled out working with Abbas in any capacity. Netanyahu’s opponents likewise may not be able to find a way to include Abbas in a coalition. The anti-Netanyahu parties include some right-wing lawmakers who likewise have opposed partnering with Arab-Israeli parties. Both sides need every vote they can get in parliament, and if neither side is able to form a coalition, Israel will head to a fifth round of elections, throwing Abbas’ future into the air. But should Abbas convince the prime minister or his opponents to work with him, he could decide the future of Israel — and break a major barrier for its largest minority. PJC
Continued from page 8
Pardes,” Allouche said, “when I realized very quickly that many of my students and congregants were drifting away as soon as they hit high school age because they didn’t have a Jewish high school.” Goldberg’s feasibility study just found enough of a pipeline to justify creating a small school, and based on the community’s character, he proposed “a halakhic and mitzvot-centered institution open to Jews of various backgrounds” — that is to say, a school that would be appealing both for Orthodox and non-Orthodox families. Years of considering how to ensure sustainability led Goldberg to think of pooling resources with established schools. “Can a school gain revenue streams by partnering with other communities? People had begun dabbling in collaboration, but the last year taught us that it’s possible to have students who are in a classroom — and not in a classroom — to join with a teacher to make an educational environment that is quite valuable, all without having to take a major risk of building up much new infrastructure,” he said. Gathering at their own campus, Scottsdale students will have access to Shalhevet’s extensive Judaic and secular course offerings. Teachers are being trained to teach both sets of students at the same time using the sort of remote learning technologies that have become commonplace during the pandemic. The school also promises to integrate Scottsdale students into Shalhevet’s clubs and extracurricular activities when possible. The Arizona students will not be without in-person adult supervision. Local staff will be hired to facilitate the virtual learning and guide students. Once a month, the Scottsdale kids will travel to Los Angeles to get to know the classmates they’d otherwise only see on their screens. It wasn’t hard for Shalhevet to see how it could benefit from the arrangement, too. “We got very excited internally because of our conversations with a wonderfully sincere community in Scottsdale,” said Rabbi David Block, the associate head of school at Shalhevet. “And we thought this is important for a few reasons, starting with it puts us on the forefront of education innovation. We are a very mission-driven school.” The Scottsdale campus will charge $24,750
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 15 APRIL 9, 2021
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Life & Culture Sachlab or malabi: This recipe does double duty — LOCAL — By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle
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achlab — a warm drink loved by children and adults alike —is the epitome of Levantine comfort food. Also known as sachlav and salep, every country seems to have its own take on the recipe with its own favorite toppings. My recipe also doubles as malabi, a traditional boiled milk pudding, well-loved in Israeli and Middle Eastern home cooking. Malabi is a favorite after-school snack and lightly sweetened dessert at my home. While the recipe is identical, sachlab is served warm immediately after cooking and malabi is ladled out and chilled until it’s set into a firm pudding. The base takes less than 15 minutes to make. This recipe is lightly scented with rosewater, which I love but I apply sparingly. Feel free to add more to your taste, or leave it out altogether. You can choose to serve this recipe hot or cold, in mugs, mini ramekins, or even in elegant crystal glasses for dessert. It’s glutenfree, Passover- and Shavuot-friendly, and can also be made pareve or vegan if you use a nut milk instead of whole milk. Once served, top it with cinnamon, pistachios, walnuts, coconut, raisins, dates — you get the drift. Sachlab or malabi
Serves 6-8
Ingredients: 4 cups whole milk, coconut milk or almond milk 4 tablespoons corn or potato starch 6 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract ½ teaspoon rosewater, optional
Measure 4 cups of milk into a heavy-bottomed pan and place on a medium-sized burner on the stovetop. Ladle about half a cup of cold milk into a smaller dish. Turn the heat of the burner to medium/low. Whisk the starch of your choice into the
Sachlab. above, and malabi, right.
smaller bowl of milk until the powder is combined with the milk. After about 5-7 minutes, when the milk in the pot is just starting to feel warm to the touch, add the honey and vanilla before whisking in the starch/milk mixture until combined, stirring a few times per minute to make sure that the starch mixes nicely into the milk. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir constantly as the mixture softly boils and begins to thicken. It is important that the mixture be continually stirred so that it does not scald on the bottom of the pan. Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes, then remove the pot from heat. It is important not to allow this mixture to sit in the pan, or it will develop a layer of “skin” over the top. For sachlab, ladle into mugs and serve immediately, adding your desired spices or toppings.
11 trees to be planted near Schenley Park in memory of Oct. 27 victims
T
o honor the 11 Jewish Pittsburghers murdered in the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018, an anonymous young woman raised funds through the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s commemorative tree planting program. In the coming days, a grove of 11 trees will be planted near Hobart Street and Prospect Drive in Schenley Park. Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27
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Healing Partnership, thanked the unnamed woman and said that a private ceremony with families of the victims is scheduled for the April 9 weekend. “This kind gesture is separate from the ongoing memorial planning by the families and the congregations,” added Feinstein. PJC
Photos by Jessica Grann
For malabi pudding, ladle immediately into cups or glasses. Allow the pudding to rest at room temperature until cool, then cover with plastic wrap and transfer the cups to the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours, or until firm. Remove from the refrigerator when you’re ready to serve and add your favorite toppings. I like to put out small bowls of each fruit and nut, so that my family and guests can add what they prefer. Enjoy! PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
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Life & Culture Chef, born next to a Minsk matzah factory, delivering meals to survivors — GIVING — By Shira Hanau | JTA
G
rowing up, Passover was always a special time of year for David Teyf. It wasn’t just about the holiday. It was also the stories his family would tell about the matzah factory they used to operate behind his grandfather’s house in Minsk before they left Soviet Belarus in 1979. Teyf, who was born in that house, was 5 when they left that capital city. Now a successful chef, Teyf has few memories of the matzah factory. Yet he has found himself thinking about it more often lately as he cooks and delivers weekly Shabbat meals, and more recently Passover meals, for Holocaust survivors living in New York City. He started cooking the meals nearly a year ago, in part inspired by his own grandparents, all four of whom were Holocaust survivors. “If my grandparents were alive, who would take care of them?” Teyf thought to himself. “A Holocaust survivor who’s 90 years old, who’s taking care of them? That’s when I said to myself, I have to do something.” Teyf is one of many in the restaurant and events industries who found themselves unable to work when the pandemic began last spring. Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, where he runs LOX at Cafe Bergson, closed to visitors last March. So did the 2nd Ave Deli, where Teyf is the executive
David Teyf delivers Shabbat meals to homebound Holocaust survivors in New York City on Friday, August 21, 2020. Photo by Benjamin Kanter
chef of the second-floor dining room. Soon the weddings, bar and bat mitzvahs and other events he was set to cater for the rest of the year were canceled, too. “I was busy 24/6,” Teyf said of his pre-pandemic schedule. “Then when the pandemic started I went from being busy 24/6 to nothing, absolutely nothing.” It was during one of the long walks through Central Park that filled his newly empty days that he started thinking about
how his survivor grandparents might have gotten through the pandemic. Teyf contacted the president and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Jack Kliger, and they reopened the cafe’s kitchen with a few workers shortly after Passover 2020. With some financial support and names supplied by local organizations that provide services to Holocaust survivors, Teyf and his team started cooking and delivering Shabbat meals to the survivors at their homes all
over New York City. Teyf focused on traditional foods like challah rolls, gefilte fish and kugel but tried to make the foods a little healthier, using less salt on account of the survivors’ ages. He had grown up hearing about how his grandparents had starved during the war. That inspired a slogan for his current project: “No survivor should ever go hungry again.” Teyf and his team do all the deliveries themselves, driving to survivors’ homes throughout the five boroughs. Typically they ring the doorbell and leave the meal at the door in order to limit any COVID risk to the survivor. But sometimes a survivor opens the door while the deliverer is still standing there. “They’re very grateful and their smiles mean the world to me,” Teyf said. “And they speak Russian, so they give me their blessing.” Even as more and more people are vaccinated and the risks involved with the pandemic decrease for the vaccinated elderly people spending time outside their homes, Teyf isn’t planning to end his project anytime soon. In fact he’s looking for more names, hoping to add to his list of about 70 survivors across the five boroughs, where an estimated 20,000 survivors live. The Shabbat meals and deliveries remind Teyf of his grandfather and the risks he took to prepare matzah for the Jews of Minsk — a reward that makes the time and cost involved in his Shabbat meals project well worth it. “When I do these meals and when we cook and deliver,” he said, “I always see my grandfather smiling down. I feel him.” PJC
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APRIL 9, 2021 17
Celebrations
Torah
Bar Mitzvah
Admitting our mistakes Dylan Jacob Childs will become a bar mitzvah on April 10, 2021, during a Shabbat virtual service at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills. Dylan is the son of Solomon and Shari Childs of Upper St. Clair and brother of Alyana Childs. Dylan’s grandparents are Sam and Michelle Markovitz of Upper St. Clair and Edward and Myra Childs of Fox Chapel. Dylan enjoys being a goalkeeper in soccer as well as skiing and basketball. He is currently a seventh-grader at Ft. Couch Middle School, where he serves as student council president.
Engagement
Susie and Don Gross are proud and delighted to share the engagement news of their son, Michael Louis Gross to Jennifer Michelle Lande, daughter of Beth and Jerry Lande of Carmel, Indiana. Michael is the grandson of Stanley and Patty Levine of Pittsburgh and Bea Gross of Laguna Woods, California, formally of Pittsburgh, and the late Alvin Gross. Jen is the granddaughter of Ann Lande of Indianapolis, and the late Dody and Al Rothenberg of West Bloomfield, Michigan. Michael is employed as the operations manager for Chowbus, Inc. in Chicago and Jen is employed by Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago as the director of advancement. Both Michael and Jen are graduates of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. They met in Chicago where they currently reside. Their wedding is planned for Aug. 28, 2021, in Indianapolis, Indiana. PJC
JEWISH CEMETERY BURIAL ASSOCIATION O F G R E AT E R P I T T S B U R G H
RESTORATION ✡ PRESERVATION ✡ CONTINUIT Y
The Children’s Section at Beth Abraham Cemetery Children’s sections are not unique to Jewish cemeteries since often no arrangements are in place when a child passes away. In years past, many of the area’s Jewish cemeteries had a separate section dedicated for children. In Beth Abraham, the region’s third largest cemetery, it is located on a hillside in Section 4. There are over 70 children interred there, though almost half of these graves are unmarked. Thought is being given to a proper memorial. This effort is part of JCBA’s overall and ongoing major work being done in Carrick at the Beth Abraham, Shaare Zedeck and Marks Cemeteries. Dignity is the watch word as monuments are being reset, downed trees are being removed, and deferred maintenance is being addressed. We are grateful for the generous partnership with Urbach Monuments and John Dioguardi. The JCBA is appreciative of the community’s ongoing support as we further maintain and sustain our sacred Jewish cemeteries. 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
Rabbi Levi Langer Parshat Shemini | Leviticus 9:1-11:47
I
n this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Shemini, Moses, or Moshe Rabbeinu, misconstrues an instruction given to him by the Almighty, and so he becomes upset at Aharon, the High Priest, because Aharon had burned one of the sacrifices instead of eating it. Aharon apprises him of his error: Moshe has misinterpreted the Law in this instance. And Moshe — here is the really important part — admits to his error. He
to God and telling His message. And he was prepared to concede that he’d made a mistake and God had actually said something different. Oftentimes when we make a mistake, we feel we need to defend the wrong position we’ve adopted in order to save face. But we end up digging ourselves into an even deeper hole, and we make even more mistakes trying to cover up our original error. In contrast, when we concede that we’ve erred, this increases our credibility and causes others to trust us to be objective and truthful. The Talmud teaches that Rava, one of the greatest of the Sages, once lectured in public
The people, upon seeing Moshe admit his mistake, saw clearly that Moshe’s teachings were not a product of his personal viewpoint or perspective; they did not derive from any personal self-interest. does not attempt to defend his position. He does not claim to have heard otherwise from Hashem. He simply admits, in a simple and straightforward manner, that he has erred. Moses takes quite a gamble here. After all, if even the greatest of the prophets can err, then who can guarantee that all the other things he taught us are accurate and authentic? Wouldn’t it have been worthwhile, just this one time, to fudge things just a bit and to claim he had been misunderstood and he had meant to take Aharon’s position all along? Wouldn’t that be justified, given the high stakes at hand and the importance of maintaining Moshe’s credibility with the people? The answer is that Moshe’s admitting his mistake here is in itself an integral Torah teaching with a lesson for us all. The people, upon seeing Moshe admit his mistake, saw clearly that Moshe’s teachings were not a product of his personal viewpoint or perspective; they did not derive from any personal self-interest. Everyone saw how Moshe was fully objective, listening carefully
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and ruled in a manner which was contrary to the accepted tradition. When apprised of his error, Rava immediately ascended the podium once again and announced in ringing tones: “The ruling that I taught you earlier was a mistake. But now that I’ve erred and struggled with the matter and figured out my mistake, my understanding of the matter is clearer — because one only comes to a full understanding of Torah after one has made the mistakes and gone through the struggle and sorted out the confusion.” Rava’s disciples may have had to spend some extra time that day studying the lecture. But look at the lesson they learned: a lesson in intellectual honesty, and in the character and the courage demanded of every student of the Torah. That lesson, too, is a part of the Torah. PJC Rabbi Levi Langer is the dean of the Kollel Jewish Learning Center. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.
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pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 18 APRIL 9, 2021
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Obituaries BERKOWITZ: Herbert Blair Berkowitz, M.D. On March 28, 2021, Dr. Herbert B. Berkowitz peacefully passed away in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Born in Pittsburgh on Aug. 31, 1935, the son of the late Sam and Helen Berkowitz. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and completed his internship in pediatrics at L.A. Children’s Hospital. Upon returning to the East Coast, he served in the Army at Ft. Lee, Virginia. After his service, he practiced pediatrics in Laurel, Maryland, and then opened his own office in Greenbelt where he remained for almost 40 years. In retirement he volunteered at Community Clinic, Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and as an usher at the Music Center at Strathmore. Herb enjoyed his adult education classes at Osher and Oasis. Herb loved music, having played saxophone for his high school and college marching band. He enjoyed singing with his wife in the synagogue choir and he could often be caught humming a favorite tune throughout the day. He was an avid sports fan and enjoyed rooting for all the local teams. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Cynthia, his sons Jason (Major) and Dr. Jared (Elizabeth), and adored grandchildren Liam and Maya. His is also survived by his sister Judith (Dr. Jerry Liepack) of Columbus, Ohio, and nieces Laura (Ari) Hirschman and Melissa (Ron) Rabinowitz and numerous cousins. Funeral services will be held privately at Judean Memorial Gardens in Olney, Maryland. The services will be on Zoom. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made to Children’s National Medical Center or the charity of your choice. Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care. FLOM: Gertrude “Gig” Flom, on Thursday, March 25, 2021. Beloved wife of the late Daniel P. Flom. Devoted mother of Nancy and Jack Petro, Cindy Cohen and Ron Taylor and Steven Flom and Gregg Mauroni. Sister of the late Shirley (late Harry) Friedman and the late Munroe Green. Sister-in-law of Annabelle (late Martin) Flom and Beverly (late Merwin) Erenbaum. Grammine to Jack (Colleen) Petro, Shaun Flom (Kayla VanAuken) and Mitchell Cohen (Katie Kachinko). Great-grandchildren, Josh Mackin (Gabby Medina) and Isaiah Flom. Also survived by nieces and nephews around the world. Graveside services and interment are private. Contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, (stjude. org). Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com
Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from … In memory of … Morton S. Alman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Casper Alman Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maurice Azen Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helen Danovitz Berenfield Maurice & Judith Bourd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anna Bourd Susan Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Morris Schwartz Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sylvia Gerson Robert & Kathleen Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bessie N. Harris Ruth Haber . . . . . . . . Beloved grandmother Bertha Miller Mary Jatlow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Florence Sherwin Denise Kaiser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Harold S. Kaiser Aaron Krouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Abraham Krouse Aaron Krouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Herman Lee Krouse Jere & Arlene Leib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Max H. Leib The Luick Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carl Luick Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pesach Aron Katz Susan & Melvin Melnick . . . . . . Dorothy Natterson Maas
A gift from … In memory of … Howie & Shelley Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitzi G. Miller Linda Rattner Nunn . . . . . . . . . Shirley Rattner Lieberman John Phillips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank & Esther Phillips Mr. & Mrs. Arthur J. Pollock & Family . . . .Lena Davidson Joan Privman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Regina Margolis Linda & Jeffrey Reisner & Family .Joanne Brodell Alpern Marc & Eileen Rice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sylvia Gerson Ronna & Jeff Robinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Esther Leipzig Ross Rosen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isadore Rosen Paul & Debbie Rudoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bessie Popkin Karen K. Shapiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hyman Shapiro Karen K. Shapiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frances Simon Irwin & Georgetta Wedner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Celia Wedner Rita & Al Wenkert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward Pearlstein David & Martha Wolfson . . . . . . . . . . . Lillian Handmacher
THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday April 11: Joseph Abraham Abady, Jacob Ash, Joseph A. Block, Selma Winograd Cohen, Max Felder, Mollie Fiman, Abraham Friedman, Jacob Goldman, Harry Hertz, Bella Hostein, Pearl Janowitz, Fae Greenstein Klein, Rose Lebowitz, Jacob Levinson, Morton (Bud) Litowich, Bessie Mallinger, Anna M. Oppenheim, Morris Pearlman, Evelyn M. Perlmutter, Meyer Schlessinger, Alvin Silverman Monday April 12: Shirley Bilder, Ruth Fleser Coplon, Blanche Epstein, Alfred Gordon, Harry Greenberg, Fannie Horowitz, Tillie G. Kubrin, Joseph Lederer, William Lewis, Edward Mermelstein, Hanna W. Pink, Annabelle M. Topp, Florence P. Wedner, Louis Zacks Tuesday April 13: S. Abel Alterman, Louis Berman, Florence Cohen, Lillian Finn, Bertha Goodman, Harry M. Greenberger, Sidney Greenberger, Sadie Klein, Frederick Knina, Stanley Slifkin, Karl Zlotnik Wednesday April 14: IElias Bloomstein, William Bowytz, Samuel Broffman, Mollie Goisner Dugan, Milton E. Golanty, Anna Goldblum, Celia Greenfield, Eva Korobkin, Reba Lazar, Anna Miller, Sarah Offstein, Rose Orringer, Martha Rosen, Bella Siegal, William H. Whitman, Eva Grossman Willinger Thursday April 15: Louis Americus, Isadore Berman, Hyman Caplan, Isadore Abraham Frand, Lea S. Golomb, Ida Greenberg, David L. Gusky, Arthur Samuel Herskovitz, Max Hochhauser, Dora Berman Horwitz, Sam Lurie, Celia Marcus, Sadie Mullen, Lee Calvin Plevin, Dolores K. Rubin, Philip L. Silver, Helen Strauchler, Phillip Tevelin Friday April 16: Bella H. Cohen, Sheila Dobrushin, Paul Leipzig, Abe I. Levinson, Saul Mandel, Louis M. Myers, Morris B. Pariser, Wolf Shoag, Joseph M. Swartz, Louis Wolf, George Zeidenstein Saturday April 17: Max Azen, Gilbert Bernstein, Sonia Firestone, Herman Frankel, Lena Sanes Goldman, Barbara Gross, Solomon Hahn, Shirley Lebovitz, Donald Lester Lee, Harriet Berkowitz Linder, Harold Leo Lippman, Sam Littman, Moss A. Ostwind, Hilda Stern Press, Samuel Raphael, Dr. William Reiner, Carl Rice, Goldie Rosenshine, Scott Samuels, Scott Samuels, Rev. Meyer Schiff, David Shussett, George Teplitz
Please see Obituaries, page 20
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APRIL 9, 2021 19
Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 19
GERSON: Arthur Scott Gerson. On Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, Arthur Scott Gerson, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, passed away. Beloved husband of Janet Gerson; devoted father of Alan (Cyndi) Gerson and Matt Gerson; loving brother of Bruce (Beverly) Gerson and Rita (Spencer) Kreger; cherished grandfather of Valerie and Nicholas. Funeral services will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Anti-Defamation League (adl.org). Services entrusted to Sagel Bloomfield Danzansky Goldberg Funeral Care. sagelbloomfield.com KERR: Henda “Bunny” Kerr, 76, of Fox Chapel died March 30 after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Bunny was born in Squirrel Hill to Carl and Roberta Munter. She attended The Ellis School before going off to The Ohio State University. She worked at Filene’s department store in Boston before returning home to work at Kaufmann’s. Bunny carried this passion of retail sales into opening The Trillium Shoppe in Aspinwall. She eventually moved the store to the Fox Chapel Plaza, closing only when the majority of the Fox Chapel women were fitted in the correctly-sized bra. Bunny enjoyed playing bridge, traveling with her husband, and spending time with her grandchildren. She is survived by her husband of 22 years, Tom Kerr. Beloved mother of Rory (David) Lazear and Brett (Jennifer) Sholder. Devoted sister to Candy (Ike) Brown and Stephen (Zola) Munter. Affectionate and always full of wisdom, she was “BB” to Toby Lazear, Casey Lazear, Skyler Sholder and Blake Sholder. Also, a loving stepmother to Tom’s three children: Amy (David) Parker, Brian (Angela) Kerr and Sara Ruth (Scott) Rigsby. Bunny was known as someone who was always looking to help other people. She handed out coupons at the holiday time to surprised shoppers, made sweets and treats for friends and loved dedicating her time to caring for
others. Graveside services and interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society or the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com LAUTEN: Erika Lauten, age 96 and-ahalf, of Pittsburgh, died on March 30, 2021. Born in Germany, Erika immigrated to the United States in 1947. For 25 years, Erika worked as a preschool teacher at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. She was an amazing cook and loved to entertain. She was predeceased by her husband Bernard, and her son, Richard. Erika is survived by her children, Eddie (Jan) Lauten of Roswell, Georgia, and Robert Lauten of Pittsburgh; grandchildren, Sarah (Paul) Wood, Stephanie (John) Libbon and Jessie Morton of Cumming, Georgia; and great-grandchildren, Harrison, Leah and Noah who knew her as “Omi” and “Gomi.” Graveside services and interment were held at B’nai Israel Cemetery, Pittsburgh. Donations in her memory may be made to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com LEVINE: Robert A. Levine, on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Loving husband of Carole Reed. Beloved father of Harlan (Bridget) Levine. Mr. Levine was a graduate of Case Western Reserve University. He taught high school in Bedford, Ohio. Once settled in Pittsburgh, he worked at Westinghouse as a mechanical engineer. He later taught as a math professor at CCAC until his retirement. Graveside services and interment held on Wednesday, April 7, at 1 p.m. at Homewood Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, 415 Crossways Park Drive, Suite D, Woodbury NY 11797 or Humane Animal Rescue, 6926 Hamilton Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Arrangements
entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schuger.com MARCUS: Robert Bruce Marcus, age 73, of Squirrel Hill, died on Monday, March 29, 2021. He was born in Pittsburgh on May 3, 1947, and is the son of the late Morris Bernard and Janet Landay Marcus. He was a well-known attorney in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas for many years. He began his career as a public defender, then in-house counsel at Cinemette Corporation. He was head partner of the former Marcus, Steinberg and Steidl Law Firm. Edgar Snyder said Robbie was his hero for being the first attorney in Pittsburgh to advertise on the radio on KQV’s “Advice From Counsel.” He liked to bowl, golf, and play poker with his friends on Sunday evenings. He also enjoyed vacationing at the beach, was a huge Beatles fan and loved learning about history. He had no patience for bad drivers and always made them aware of it. He also loved 420. He is survived by his son, Matthew Marcus of Munhall; granddaughter, Hannah Marcus; brother, James (Marlene) Marcus of Pittsburgh; sister, Jill (Jan Lott) Balmuth of Pittsburgh; former wife, Dawn Marcus (Stephen) Stept of Pittsburgh; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Elizabeth Marcus who died July 14, 1995. Graveside services took place at Temple B’nai Israel Cemetery at Elrod on Thursday, April 1, 2021, at 12:30 pm with Rabbi Avraham Marcus officiating. Arrangements were handled by Strifflers of White Oak Cremation and Mortuary Services, 1100 Lincoln Way, White Oak, PA 15131 (412 678 6177). MAZER: On April 1, 2021, Jean Sigal Mazer, age 95. Married to the love of her life, the late Edward Mazer. They were wed for 64 years. Jean is survived by her beloved children, Jeffrey Mazer (Kathleen Skovan), Richard Mazer (Tzippy) and Amy Fenton (Mike); loving grandmother to Elise Abromson (Hank), Marc Mazer, Justin Fenton (Jennifer), Greg Fenton (Nina) and Jared
Fenton (fiancée Kimberly); great-grandmother of Andrew and Evan Abromson and Charlotte and Ava Fenton. Jean was devoted to many friends and family members. She will be missed by her caregivers Tracy Moss and Jennifer Seiss. Graveside services and interment were held at Homewood Cemetery Star of David section. Professional Services trusted to D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory, Ltd., Lawrenceville. dalessandroltd.com SINDLER: Norman A. Sindler, age 88, of Squirrel Hill, passed away peacefully at home on the evening of Friday, March 26, 2021. Beloved husband of the late Marilyn (Cohen) Sindler (z’l) with whom he was married for 53 years. Devoted father of Mark A. Sindler and his wife Debbie Press, Ross M. Sindler and his wife Stacie Byers, and the late Joshua L. Sindler (z’l); Zadie of Samantha, Cate, Noah, Melanie and Jacob; brother of the late Max Sindler. He was adoringly called “Uncle Norman” by his nieces and nephews. Norman was born in Pittsburgh to the late Rose and Morris Sindler. He grew up in Point Breeze and after graduating from Duquesne University, he entered the Air Force which was followed by a 39-year career as a multi-state furniture manufacturer’s rep. He loved life on the road and liked sharing stories about his work trips. He was an avid tennis player, played bridge weekly, and enjoyed international travel. He was a loyal father, grandfather and friend. Those who knew him felt his humility and warmth, and he will long be remembered for his unique fashion style. The Sindler family is grateful for Norman’s caregivers: LouAnn Peterson, Carol Green and Saroya Brown. Private graveside service and burial were held at Rodef Shalom/West View Cemetery; arrangements by the Gesher Hachaim Jewish Burial Society. Contributions may be made to the Joshua L. Sindler (z’l) Hillel Academy Creative Classrooms Art and Music Endowment Fund or Kollel Jewish Learning Center. PJC
Pittsburgh synagogue shooter seeks government’s knowledge of his online activities
A
ttorneys for the man accused of murdering 11 Jews in the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018, want the government to produce any information concerning its monitoring of the defendant online prior to the massacre. In a motion filed on March 30, defense attorneys asked the court to order the government to produce documentation of its awareness of the accused’s “activity on the Gab.com platform in 2018, and those with whom he communicated on that platform, prior to the shootings at issue in this case.” Gab.com is a social media network popular among the alt-right and some extremists. While the information requested would 20 APRIL 9, 2021
not impact the defendant’s legal culpability, “it is potentially mitigating or could lead to mitigating evidence that is relevant to deciding sentence,” defense attorneys wrote. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Pursuant to federal precedent, “the government’s awareness of the potential for a person to commit violence, and the government’s capacity to avert violence, are mitigating circumstances of a capital offense,” according to the defendant’s motion. The government’s previous filings in this case indicate it had reviewed the accused’s online activities, “at least on Gab. com,” according to the motion filed by the defense. “What is not plain…is whether the
government was aware of his online activity prior to the shootings, as well as his exposure to the comments of others suggesting or promoting violence or expressing anti-Semitic comments on Gab.com. The government has also declined to provide information about what, if any, action it took in response to that online activity before October 27, 2018.” The defense claims in its motion that the government has been monitoring social media sites for anti-Semitic content for more than a decade. “For years, the government has sponsored the development of software and other tools to track the online activity,” the defense motion states. “In public reports, the government
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made clear that this threat was significant and should be a focus of law enforcement monitoring and intervention. Based upon the documented monitoring by federal agencies over an extended period of time — both prior to and after Oct. 27, 2018 — there is good cause to believe that the federal government was aware of [the shooter’s] online activity, and the activity of others with whom he interacted on Gab.com, during the months before the shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue.” Prosecutors have until April 21 to respond to the motion. No trial date has been set yet. PJC — Toby Tabachnick PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
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APRIL 9, 2021
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Life & Culture The next great ‘Jewish movie’ was just made by a 24-year-old female director — FILM — By Jordan Hoffman | The Times of Israel
N
EW YORK — Much of the tension — and there is a lot of tension — in the outstanding new film “Shiva Baby” derives from the older generation’s heavy expectations of the young, female protagonist. So I’d like to head off any life-reflecting-art at the pass by assuring writer-director Emma Seligman that I don’t really mean it when I say the future of Jewish filmmaking rests on her shoulders. And yet, this young woman, just 24 during production (the same age as Steven Spielberg on his first feature — no pressure!) can navigate the rest of her career, wherever it may take her, and know that she’s made one of the truly great “Jewish movies.” “Shiva Baby,” streaming on platforms including Amazon Prime Video and iTunes starting April 2, is a “Jewish movie” both on its surface and in its roots. For starters, almost all of it takes place at a shiva — the quintessentially Jewish weeklong mourning ritual when someone loses a relative — with a spread of lox and bagels laid out before a Greek chorus of kibitzing relatives. One might once in a while hear a bissel (little) Yiddish in a movie, but the mamaloshen spills from the character’s mouths in “Shiva Baby” with an unforced ease that smacks of authenticity. (When there is schmutz on someone’s punim [dirt on their face], why phrase it any other way?) But it is also a “Jewish movie” in the way most great entries to that canon frequently are — with main character Danielle figuring out how to navigate her own identity without
p Rachel Sennott as Danielle in ‘Shiva Baby’
causing a rift with the wider community. When Danielle’s anxiety jailbreaks from inside her head and begins manifesting chaos among the mourners, her mother pulls her aside, cleaning her up with water from the ritual pitcher at the front of the house. “God’ll forgive us; it’s too crazy in there,” she says, and is probably correct, as mothers usually are. At issue is a series of lies, all pointing to a greater truth. Danielle (brilliantly played by Rachel Sennott) is about to graduate from college and has absolutely no clue what the hell she is going to do with her life. This is very much at odds with how she presents herself, one who proudly forwent pursuing law school to devise her own major in
Courtesy photo
something to do with media and being a feminist (it’s a little vague.) Moreover, this is a young woman of today with agency and ownership of her sexuality, who is engaged in a sugar baby relationship with an older man, with one of the pretenses being that he’s helping her through law school. It’s not dating, it’s not sex work, it’s something else (and apparently very common these days, thanks to new apps), but it’s still a surprise when that man shows up at the shiva. And it’s a bigger surprise when she learns he’s got a wife and an infant. While these revelations shouldn’t bother her, they do, and it also bothers her that
her ex-girlfriend Maya (Molly Gordon) is also there, the one who is doing the sensible thing and going to law school. Parents love law school. Danielle’s mother (a hilarious Polly Draper) is aware of her previous relationship with Maya, but waves her daughter’s bisexual identity away as “just a phase.” It’s unclear what her father, Fred Melamed, knows. About anything. This all may sound complicated, but Seligman’s script teases this out nicely, tightening this mix of millennial angst with the cinematic conventions of a horror film. By the end, the orange glow of sunset in the not-quite-suburban home crowded with Corningware-carrying aunts eager to get into the one downstairs bathroom evokes the fiery cinders of a self-induced hell. Low-budget first films that clock in at 77 minutes are usually best served as indicators of what a director could do “on a real one.” That’s not the case with “Shiva Baby.” Sennott’s performance as Danielle, balancing between deviance and a clear desire to “do good,” whatever that is, is strikingly empathetic. There are also some rock-solid jokes, and not just ones centered around how to pronounce rugelach or if the kids look too happy in a photo outside a Holocaust museum. I’ll stress again, non-Jews will still “get” this movie; think of movies you’ve seen about customs foreign to you… you eventually figured out what’s what. As Danielle realizes that she is not as in control of anything in her life as she’s told herself, she experiences a gamut of emotions, climaxing in a literal embrace of the steadying comfort of her Judaism. Her choices of what to do next appear clearer to her, as she prepares to begin her adult life. PJC
Helen Mirren to play Golda Meir in upcoming film ‘Golda’ — FILM — By Gabe Friedman | JTA
I
t’s a Meir moment. Academy Award winner Helen Mirren will portray Golda Meir, Israel’s only female prime minister, in an upcoming biopic set during the Yom Kippur War. Production on “Golda” will begin later this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The news follows the announcement last month of another star-powered production on Meir, a series titled “Lioness” led by Israeli actress Shira Haas of “Unorthodox” fame. While “Lioness” will follow Meir from “her birth in Kiev to her American upbringing in Milwaukee, her role in the formation of Israel and her rise to become the new nation’s first and only female prime minister,” according to a report in Deadline, “Golda” will focus on the turbulent Yom Kippur War period. Along with the rest of Israel, Meir and her
all-male cabinet were taken by surprise by the attack on the eve of the holiday in 1973 by Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian forces. The ensuing bloody conflict — chronicled in the recent acclaimed Israeli production “Valley of Tears” on HBO Max — shattered the nation’s growing sense of confidence at the time in an embattled region. “Golda” will be directed by Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv, who won the 2018 Academy Award for best short for “Skin,” a film involving neo-Nazis that he later made into a feature.
“As someone who was born during the Yom Kippur War, I am honored to tell this fascinating story about the first and only woman to ever lead Israel,” Nattiv said in a statement. “Nicholas Martin’s brilliant script dives into Golda’s final chapter as the country faces a deadly surprise attack during the holiest day of the year, a core of delusional generals undermining Golda’s judgment. He added: “I could not be more excited to work with the legendary Miss Mirren to bring this epic, emotional and complex story to life.” PJC
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Community Budding with kindness
Time to Remember
Friendship Circle “Kids Who Care” participants decorated pots and planted flowers. The items were then donated to Beacon Place senior residents.
As Passover drew to a close, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Center for Loving Kindness hosted a Yizkor service on April 2. Led by local professionals, the digital program enabled participants to remember deceased loved ones and light a Yizkor candle in their memory.
p Eitan and Arielle Jacobs get to work.
p Geraldine Massey (Center for Victims, Center of Life) describes the power of loss.
p Peter Layman is blooming with smiles.
p Geri Coffee demonstrates the joy of spring.
Photos courtesy of Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh
p Sara Stock Mayo (Kesher Pittsburgh) uses song to access spirituality.
Quite the carload Spurred by ECDC educators and their discussions about tzedakah, Temple Emanuel ECDC families and members delivered 708 pounds of food for SHIM’s March to Sack Hunger Food Drive.
p Rabbi Ron Symons (Center for Loving Kindness) leads the kaddish.
p Emilia Louik, Eli Meyer and Evelyn Meyer find space amid the donations.
Photo courtesy of Temple Emanuel of South Hills
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p Maggie Feinstein (10.27 Healing Partnership) discusses pathways forward. Screenshots by Adam Reinherz
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APRIL 9, 2021 23
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