From classroom to campus: Jewish students share their
By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
In early December, the University of Pittsburgh’s Faculty Assembly president, Robin Kear, announced the creation of a working group on antisemitism.
Authorized by Pitt’s chancellor and its provost, and in collaboration with the university senate president, the working group is charged with analyzing and helping to address antisemitism on campus.
That such a group is necessary is obvious to numerous Jewish students who have experienced or witnessed various incidents of antisemitism at Pitt for months.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, and the ensuing war, anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment on university campuses around the country have led to feelings of isolation and marginalization for many Jewish students. Some have feared for their safety; at least three Jewish Pitt students were physically assaulted last year.
While the physical attacks garnered the most media attention, many more subtle antisemitic episodes have transpired at Pitt, contributing to an unnerving and at times unwelcoming environment, several Jewish students told the Chronicle.
Those incidents include anti-Zionist messaging coming from some faculty members, leading to feelings of intimidation and exclusion. Last April, for example, 49 faculty members signed a letter to Chancellor Joan Gabel in support of the anti-Israel encampments on
Schenley Plaza “to protest ongoing violence in Gaza and to call for University disinvestment from the war on Gaza.”
One-sided perspectives
Olivia Baer is a fourth-year Pitt student majoring in fiction writing. Last fall, she registered for a class in speculative fiction. She was looking forward to the class, but on its first day, she noticed that the assignment for Week 11 was a book called “Palestine Plus 100.”
The book, according to Amazon.com, is a collection of writings from 12 Palestinians considering “what might your country look like in the year 2048 — a century after the tragedies and trauma of what has come to be called the Nakba? How might this event – which, in 1948, saw the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs from their homes – reach across a century of occupation, oppression, and political isolation, to shape the country and its people? Will a lasting peace finally have been reached, or will future technology only amplify the suffering and mistreatment of Palestinians?”
Baer withheld judgment of the assignment, she said, until she got home and viewed a PDF of the book.
“On Page 1, you know, your classic blood libels and genocide and ethnic cleansing,” she said.
Baer withdrew from the class.
“I was not comfortable sitting in a classroom where I knew the professor would teach about the Middle East in a literature class. It was really nothing I was interested in,” she said.
City Council introduces legislation to blunt
By David Rullo | Senior Sta Writer
ittsburgh City Council has introduced legislation meant to blunt a referendum to the Home Rule Charter, proposed by the group Not On Our Dime, which would force the city to divest from Israel and companies that do business with the Jewish state.
Councilperson Erika Strassburger, District 8, along with co-sponsor Bob Charland, District 3, Anthony Coghill, District 4, Daniel Lovelle, District 6 and Bobby Wilson, District 1, introduced two bills at the council’s Jan. 21 meeting that they hope to have added to the May ballot.
The first would prohibit “the discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin or association or affiliation with any nation or foreign state in conducting business of the city.”
The second would prohibit the “Home Rule Charter Amendment process to add duties or obligations beyond the lawful scope of the city’s authority.”
Not On Our Dime’s proposed referendum,
City Councilperson Erika Strassburger
Photo courtesy of pittsburghpa.gov
Students gather at the University of Pittsburgh and demonstrate support for Israel on Oct. 9, 2023.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
Headlines
Rekindle Fellowship looks to reconnect Jewish and Black communities
— LOCAL —
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
The Rekindle Fellowship, Matt Fieldman said, was created for people who are interested in nuance.
“It’s a lot easier to be in your little bubble and only see the world in black and white,” he said. “For people who want to see the world in gray, this is your place. These are your people.”
Rekindle works to connect Black and Jewish communities, which once shared a rich connection. Its mission is to create meaningful social change by bringing emerging leaders from the two communities together for thoughtful, challenging and face-to-face conversations that break down barriers and build new relationships, according to officials of the organization.
Fieldman, who is Jewish and lives in Cleveland, is the executive director of the Fellowship. He co-created it with fellow Clevelander Charmaine Rice, who is Black.
“We really wanted to connect communities,” Fieldman said. “The two communities live right next to each other but don’t really interact. We work in parallel, rather than partnership.”
Fieldman and Rice wanted to find a way to promote civil dialogue between the two communities and after researching what was available, decided to create their own program.
The first Rekindle Fellowship cohort consisted of 12 of the pair’s friends, half of whom were Jewish and half Black. They spent 10 hours meeting, reading, learning and creating relationships. The second cohort expanded to 12 hours. The curriculum is now 15 hours over 10 weeks. The program has expanded far beyond Cleveland to 20 communities across the country including Los Angeles, Omaha, New Orleans and Detroit, and has engaged 130 people in nine cohorts. Pittsburgh is joining the Fellowship this year for the first time.
and both have experienced generational trauma.
“People used to see signs that said, ‘No Blacks, No Jews,’ when they would enter different buildings or stores,” she said. “I think that idea of a shared history really resonated with me.”
Since Oct. 7, she’s seen what she calls “the desperate need for conversation across identity groups.”
Fishman said that people are siloed and there’s an epidemic of loneliness. Rekindle combats that and helps to build bridges — “something that feels relevant to Pittsburgh considering how many bridges you have,” she said.
another fellow about how generational trauma and being white “can sometimes butt heads,” she said. “So what does it mean to be white and Jewish, and what does it mean to maybe have some privilege as a white person but also maybe not have some as a Jewish person, and what that looks like through the lens of a Black man?” she said.
Watford Lowenthal’s experience has differed from other cohort members; as a Black Jewish woman she is a member of both groups.
In addition to texts and videos, Fieldman said cohorts are required to get together in groups of four called RISE (Rekindle Intercultural Sharing and Exchange) projects. The groups, which consist of two Jewish members and two Black members, host cultural events for one another.
“It might be going to an ethnic restaurant or going to a Shabbat or church service,” Fieldman said. “That level of intercultural, interpersonal sharing is really, really powerful and it’s been one of the parts the Rekindle fellows love.”
The diversity on display in the RISE projects has been one of the reasons for the success of the program, he added.
“I bring my ‘Conservative Jew from Orlando, Florida,’ perspective and someone might bring a totally unaffiliated Jewish perspective, and someone might bring an Orthodox perspective, and amongst the Black folks, there’s Black Muslims and Black Christians and Black unaffiliated,” he said. “Everybody brings their own life experience to the table and there’s no judgment.”
Kelly Fishman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League for Cleveland (which includes Pittsburgh as part of its region) said that the ADL is partnering with Rekindle to bring its first cohort to Pittsburgh.
The two communities, she noted, share so much history, including during the Civil Rights era when Blacks and Jews marched arm-in-arm,
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is partnering with Rekindle, as well.
Laura Cherner, director of Federation’s Community Relations Council, said she’ll be part of the Pittsburgh cohort.
At a time when the Jewish community is facing an increase in antisemitism and the Black community is also struggling with challenging issues, Cherner said, the mission of the Fellowship feels timely and relevant.
“It’s always important to build bridges and lean on one another and build alliance and allyship,” she said. “We really need to stick together. A lot of the roots of antisemitism are also applied toward racism and other forms of bigotry.”
Zoe Bluffestone, assistant regional director at the ADL’s Cleveland office, was a member of the Fellowship’s ninth cohort. She will co-moderate the Pittsburgh cohort with Rekindle fellow and ADL Education Facilitator Harriette Watford Lowenthal.
“Community relations is really important,” Bluffestone said. “I knew joining this group was something that would be special and impactful. It’s been a really great way to show support and learn about another community without it being on a surface level.”
Bluffestone said she learned a lot during her time at the Fellowship, especially during one-on-one dialogue.
She recalled a conversation she had with
SUBSCRIPTIONS
subscriptions@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 412-687-1000, ext. 2
TO ADVERTISE advertising@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 412-687-1000, ext. 1
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Evan H. Stein, Board Chair
Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary
Evan Indianer, Immediate Past Chair
Gail Childs, Dan Droz, Malke Steinfeld Frank, Seth Glick, Tammy Hepps, Judith Kanal, Cátia Kossovsky, Charles Saul, Derek Smith
GENERAL COUNSEL
Stuart R. Kaplan, Esq.
“I learned things about both communities,” she said. “My parents are African American, but I didn’t grow up in an African American community. And then I converted to Judaism in 1987. We raised our children Jewish — they’re biracial and Jewish. So, I brought both perspectives to that space.”
She said that grassroot programs like Rekindle are important in doing the hard work of creating unity between communities, especially when there might not be much conversation between organizations that support and lobby for each — like the ADL, Federations, the Urban League or the NAACP.
The proof of the program’s success, Watford Lowenthal said, is in the relationships formed during her time as a cohort.
“There’s an effort to continue those practices, as friends supporting each other,” she said.
While the work is hard, Watford Lowenthal added, the end results are worth it and the relationships continue long after the program ends.
“You choose to get together with people, one-on-one or in small groups, to continue the conversation and support each other’s community projects,” she said.
The deadline to apply to be a part of the initial Pittsburgh cohort is March 7. More information can be found at rekindlefellowship.org/pittsburgh. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Main phone number: 412-687-1000 Subscriptions: 412-687-1000, ext. 2
Jim Busis, CEO and Publisher 412-228-4690 jbusis@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
EDITORIAL Toby Tabachnick, Editor 412-228-4577 ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Jarrad Saffren, Contributing Editor
Adam Reinherz, Senior Staff Writer 412-687-1000 areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
David Rullo, Senior Staff Writer 412-687-1000 drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
ADVERTISING
Amy Weiss, Account Executive (412) 613-0697 aweiss@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
PRODUCTION Jeni Mann Tough Production Manager Carl Weigel Art/Production Coordinator
Subscriptions subscriptions@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 412-687-1000, ext. 2
Published every Friday by the Pittsburgh Jewish Publication and Education Foundation 5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Phone: 412-687-1000
POSTMASTER: Send address change to PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE, 5915 BEACON ST., 5TH FLOOR PITTSBURGH, PA 15217 (PERIODICAL RATE POSTAGE PAID AT PITTSBURGH, PA AND AT ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES) USPS 582-740
Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle become the property of this publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such items.
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle does not endorse the goods or services advertised or covered in its pages and makes no representation to the kashrut of food products and services in said advertising or articles. The publisher is not liable for damages if, for any reason whatsoever, he fails to publish an advertisement or for any error in an advertisement. Acceptance of advertisers and of ad copy is subject to the publisher’s approval. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is not responsible if ads violate applicable laws and the advertiser will indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle from all claims made by governmental agencies and consumers for any reason based on ads appearing in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
p Zoe Bluffestone (left) was a member of Rekindle Fellowship’s ninth cohort. She will co-moderate the organization’s Pittsburgh cohort beginning this spring.
Photo by Mariana Edelman Photography
Headlines
Building bridges and battling antisemitism: Jeff Finkelstein marks 20 years as Federation CEO
By Deborah Weisberg | Special to the Chronicle
When Jeff Finkelstein interviewed for the top job at Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh 20 years ago, he thought about lessons in community building he first learned as a kid at a New Hampshire summer camp.
“I was asked about my vision for Federation,” said Finkelstein, 55, who was then Federation’s vice president of development but eager to become its president and CEO.
“I told them it was to carry forward what I experienced at Camp Yavneh, a diverse place where we all lived together whether we were Orthodox or Hassidic or Reform, where we spoke Hebrew and where we learned to live a little more Jewishly every single day.”
Finkelstein got the job and has thrived in it for two decades. He’s currently the longest-serving Federation director of a large city in the U.S.
Having helped lead Pittsburgh through the aftermath of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and other crises and challenges, Finkelstein is looking forward to 20 more years of furthering the agency’s mission, including combating antisemitism, increasing support for Jewish education and maintaining strong bonds with the broader Pittsburgh community.
“I’m blessed to have this job,” he said. “I love what I do most days and wake up inspired to do more. It is a very special thing to be a Jew. What drives me is a love of the Jewish community.”
Finkelstein, who practices Conservative Judaism, grew up in a traditional Jewish home. His father was a Jewish educator and author who died a year ago. Both parents raised him to embrace his faith, he said. “I was really turned on to Jewish stuff when I was a kid.”
Although Finkelstein planned to be a
p Jeff Finkelstein gives a statement after the jury’s eligibility decision in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial on Thursday, July 13, 2023, outside Joseph F. Weis Jr. U.S. Courthouse.
Photo by Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress
rabbi through a program jointly run by the Jewish Theological Seminary and Columbia University, his junior year at Hebrew University in Israel prompted him to change course.
He enrolled in the Hornstein Jewish Professional School of Leadership Program at Brandeis University thinking he might become a synagogue director, but an internship at the Federation in his hometown of Boston convinced him that Jewish communal service would be the perfect fit.
He joined Pittsburgh’s Federation in a fundraising capacity, and still considers development a top priority, as evidenced by the more than $681 million the agency reportedly has raised under his leadership.
Running Federation is akin to managing a large business, Finkelstein said, given myriad needs within the Jewish community, locally and abroad.
In the immediate future those needs include a continued focus on antisemitism and security, teen mental health, young adult engagement, enabling the elderly to age well and helping Israel to rebuild from the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
Pittsburgh’s Federation has pledged three years of financial and other resources, as part of the national Communities2Gether
initiative, to Nir Yitzchak kibbutz on the Gaza border, where seven members were murdered and six others were kidnapped by Hamas.
“We are trying to help with trauma support at Nir Yitzhak after the horrors people experienced and to make it a desirable place o live again,” Finkelstein said, noting that 49% of residents have returned, “which means 51% haven’t.”
Finkelstein, who serves on the Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Emergency Campaign allocations committee, traveled with Pittsburgh Federation board chair, Jan Levinson, to Israel on a solidarity mission in the wake of the Hamas attack.
Over the years, Finkelstein has led dozens of trips to Israel, including a logistically challenging mega-mission for more than 300 people in 2012 — Federation’s 100th anniversary year — that remains one of his most gratifying accomplishments.
Of even greater significance was his decision to hire a Federation security director in 2016, two years before the attack at the Tree of Life building, that has since become a model for more than 100 other Federations in the U.S.
“We were smart. We saw an uptick in antisemitism and violence in the workplace and we knew something could happen,” Finkelstein said, noting that the active shooter training Federation provided to the congregations in the Tree of Life building prevented more lives from being lost in the massacre.
Federation now employs three full-time security personnel and lobbied the state for grants to install security systems at synagogues and other Jewish organizations throughout Pittsburgh.
Besides hardening facilities, Federation works to build partnerships with the area’s diverse ethnic, religious and university sectors, Finkelstein said, recalling the outpouring of support from non-Jews in the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
“It was incredible at the gathering at Soldiers and Sailors (Memorial Hall and
Museum) on Oct. 28, 2018, when I asked for all of the city’s religious leaders to come up on stage,” he said. “We’ve built so many relationships since then. At the core, it’s all about relationships. It’s hard to hate people when you know them.”
Federation reaches many non-Jews through the agencies it funds, which are open to all, such as the Jewish Community Center and Jewish Family and Community Services.
Jordan Golin, president and CEO of JFCS, values Finkelstein’s “collaborative” approach.
The relationship between the two agencies is “collegial rather than hierarchal, which is not a model that every Federation follows,” Golin said. “Some Federations create competition among agencies vying for the same dollars, which is not a healthy dynamic. Jeff believes in partnerships, and that tone permeates the Jewish community.”
Finkelstein “isn’t a big ‘toot my own horn’ kind of guy,” Golin said. “He doesn’t have a lot of ego because he sees himself as serving the Jewish community.”
Levinson — the 10th board chair Finkelstein has worked with over the years — echoed that assessment, and added that “people like working with Jeff because he knows what he’s doing, and (promotes) honest dialogue.”
Heading a Federation is a 24/7 job inevitably beset with unexpected crises and developments, Levinson said.
That included last summer’s defeat of the Not On Our Dime referendum, fiscally sponsored by the Democratic Socialists of America, aimed at preventing the city from doing business with Israel.
“Jeff has a natural talent for dealing with pressure and adapting,” Levinson said. “When you love and are committed to your j ob, you can handle whatever challenge comes up.”
PJC
Deborah Weisberg is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
Dave McCormick tapped to chair key Middle East subcommittee
By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
Pennsylvania’s freshman Sen. Dave McCormick has been chosen to chair the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism. McCormick, who unseated longtime Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. in the November election, ran on a pro-Israel, anti-terror platform.
“I am honored to chair a subcommittee on such critical issues,” McCormick said. “I see this as a great opportunity to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance, expand the Abraham Accords, grow U.S.-India cooperation, and delve deeply into regional energy, economic, and security issues. I look forward to working with President Trump and my colleagues to deter the Islamic Republic of Iran, stamp down the terror threat, and realize his vision for a
more peaceful Middle East. I am hopeful my background and perspective will allow me to lead this subcommittee in a manner that is good for Pennsylvania and the country.”
At a town hall-style event hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in
October, McCormick told local community members that he and his wife visited Israel in January 2024, just three months after Hamas’ deadly invasion of the Jewish state. While there, they met with survivors of the Hamas terror attack, families of hostages, members
of the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
“You can’t come away from that without thinking this is Israel’s existential moment, where its very existence is being called into question,” McCormick said. “And since Oct. 7, that’s only heightened with the threat, not only from Hamas, but from Hezbollah and from Iran.
“And so the first reflection is, we have to stand with Israel in defending its very existence,” he continued. “But the second reaction is, when the flare went up, we also saw another fight at home. … We saw that many of our enemies are here at home, either through the explicit antisemitism they’re demonstrating, or even worse, the culpability of weakness, the lack of moral courage, the inability from positions of power to stand up against the fight here at home.”
What happened on Oct. 7, he said, “is a test for all of us,” he said. PJC
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Dave McCormick (pointing) and wife Dina Powell McCormick visit Kfar Azza, one of the sites of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, in early January 2024. Courtesy photo via JNS
Sephardic traditions take center stage with culinary and musical weekend
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Sta Writer
An experiential weekend will enable Jewish Pittsburghers to explore Sephardic history through food and song. On Feb. 7 and 8, chef Susan Barocas and musician and author Sarah Aroeste will present several tasty and meaningful learning opportunities.
On Friday night, Aroeste will join Cantor Toby Glaser and local musician Sara Stock Mayo to lead a Sephardic Kabbalat Shabbat service at Rodef Shalom Congregation. The next morning, Aroeste will return to the Shadyside congregation for a family musical program.
On Saturday afternoon, Barocas will teach a Sephardic dessert cooking class at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill. Then, after Shabbat, Barocas and Aroeste will guide a Sephardic culture program, at Temple Sinai, complete with music, food and storytelling.
For years, Barocas and Aroeste have traveled the U.S. sharing multisensory experiences. Under the umbrella of Savor, the duo has introduced numerous participants to Sephardic culture and tradition.
Mayo first heard about Barocas and Aroeste from a friend in another city, she said.
"Sephardic culture is so vibrant, and it’s so alive. It really is living history in a way that people just don’t know about.”
–SARAH AROESTE
“The more I started digging, I was like, ‘This is so great. We need to bring them to Pittsburgh.’”
Mayo is director of community engagement at the Rotunda Collaborative. Following construction, the Rotunda Collaborative will host educational and other cultural events inside the former B’nai Israel congregation in East Liberty.
“While the Rotunda Collaborative is not going to be not just a Jewish entity, I really see a hole in the community for bringing in Jewish sorts of arts and culture, and I thought this is a really good opportunity to both educate people and also have fun and bring community together,” Mayo said.
Wearing multiple hats, Mayo worked with Barocas and Aroeste to craft a weekend of education and enjoyment for audiences of all ages. While Savor has hosted multiple one-off programs, a smorgasbord of events is the best
Please see Sephardic, page 11
General Trivia (not Jewish-themed) Teams of 3-6 Age 21+ only Sign up as a full team or we’ll match you up!
Registration ends February 6, 2025. $30/person
To register, go to: BethShalomPgh.org/2025-clues-and-schmooze or scan QR code in this ad. No cash prizes. $35 per person after February 2, 2025.
Sarah Aroeste performs before an audience in Naples, Florida.
Photo courtesy of Susan Barocas
Susan Barocas, right, leads a cooking demonstration in Newton, Massachusetts.
Photo courtesy of Susan Barocas
Judaism Is bout Lo e:
Con ersation ith Rabbi Shai Held and the Re . Dr. Jerome Creach
A dramatic misinterpretation of the Jewish tradition has shaped the history of the West: Christianity is the religion of love, and Judaism the religion of law. Join us as Rabbi Held and Dr. Creach share their mutual scholarly interest in the Hebrew Bible, and consider how each of their traditions are religions of love rooted in these Scriptures
Rabbi Shai Held
Theologian,Author,
Theologian, Author, President, Dean, and Chair in Jewish Thought, Hadar Institute
TheRev.Dr.JeromeCreach
Feb.11,2025
Feb. 11, 2025
6:30-8:30p.m.
6:30-8:30 p m
Doorsopenat6:30withlightrefreshments
Doors open at 6:30 with light refreshments t Pittsburgh heological Seminar In person and online
Theologian, Author, and Robert C Holland Profes of Old Testament, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary reach the sor
AtPittsburghTheologicalSeminary Inpersonandonline
The Rev Dr Jerome C .pts.edu/Lo e 616 N Highland ve Pittsburgh, P 15206
Apartnershipo
A partnership of:
Karen Wolk Feinstein with the Galen Health co-founders, Kushagra Agarwal and Logan Nye Photo courtesy of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation
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.
FRIDAY, JAN. 31–FRIDAY, FEB. 28
Pittsburgh-area Jewish students are invited to apply for ZOA: Pittsburgh’s scholarshipto Israel program, taking place in summer 2025. The scholarship is open to junior and senior high school students in the fall of 2025 who are traveling to Israel on a structured study trip. Applications are due by Feb. 2 and can be requested by emailing pittsburgh@zoa.org. A ZOA committee judges applications and three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded.
SUNDAY, FEB. 2
Join Temple Ohav Shalom for “Unlimited Sound,” a free Azure family concert celebrating artists of all abilities in honor of Jewish Disability Awareness Month. From classical music to modern hits, experience the joy of composers, instrumentalists and singers who didn’t believe in limits. An instrument petting zoo follows the concert. All ages, abilities and behaviors welcome. Free. 2 p.m. 8400 Thompson Run Road. autismpittsburgh.org/ azureevents.
SUNDAYS, FEB. 2–JULY 20
Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for its Men’s Tefillin Club. Services and tefillin are followed by a delicious breakfast and engaging discussions on current events. 8:30 a.m. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com.
MONDAYS, FEB. 3–JULY 27
Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmudstudy. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.
Join Temple Sinai for an evening of mahjong every Monday (except holidays). Whether you are just starting out or have years of experience, you are sure to enjoy the camaraderie and good times as you make new friends or cherish moments with longtime pals. All are welcome. Winners will be awarded Giant Eagle gift cards. All players should have their own mahjong cards. Contact Susan Cohen at susan_k_cohen@yahoo.com if you have questions. $5. templesinaipgh.org.
TUESDAY, FEB. 4
Join Chabad of the South Hills for a Day in the Heights for Women. Pray at the Rebbe’s Ohel, visit Chabad’s headquarters, explore Crown Heights, visit a Chassidic art gallery and Judaica shops, enjoy delicious lunch, dinner and more. $125 plus airfare and dinner. For more information, email batya@ chabadsh.com. chabadsh.com/heights.
WEDNESDAYS, FEB. 5–MARCH 12
Join Chabad of South Hills for Decoding the Talmud Get inside the story, substance and significance of the book that defines Judaism. 7:30 p.m. 1700 Bower Hill Road. To register, visit chabadsh.com.
WEDNESDAYS, FEB. 5–JULY 29
Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torahportionclass on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link.
Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly ParashahDiscussion: Life & Text 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh. org/life-text.
FRIDAY, FEB. 7–SATURDAY, FEB. 8
The Rotunda Collaborative invites you to attend Savor: A Sephardic Music and Food Experience with chef Susan Barocas and musician/author Sarah Aroeste of Savor. Engage in a weekend of food, music, history, learning and community, including a communitywide Sephardic-style service at Rodef Shalom. Friday night services are free; Saturday events are $18/each. rotundapgh.com.
SATURDAY, FEB. 8
Join Congregation Beth Shalom for Clues and Schmooze, a fun trivia event including a ra e, open bar and snacks. Trivia will be played in teams of three to six. Bring your own team or be matched up at the door. Must be 21 years of age or older to participate. Doors open at 7 p.m. Trivia starts at 8 p.m. To register visit, bethshalompgh.org/2025-clues-and-schmooze.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12
The first Squirrel Hill Lunch Brunch will meet at IHOP on Browns Hill Road. Noon. RSVP to Geri Linder (412) 421-5868 and mention you saw the notice in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
THURSDAY, FEB. 13
Explore the Torah’s seven stages of growth while creating gorgeous focaccia garden bread at Chabad of the South Hill’s Tu B’Shvat Focaccia Garden 7:30 p.m. $18 1700 Bower Hill Road. chabadsh.com.
FRIDAY, FEB. 14
Join Chabad of the South Hills for Kids do Shabbat, a family Shabbat experience where kids run the show. Candle lighting followed by a four-course, kid-friendly dinner. Come dressed in your Shabbat finest. RSVP by Feb. 5 and choose your role. 5 p.m. 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com/ Shabbat.
SUNDAY, FEB. 16
We Never Heard from Them Again: Researching Relatives Who Died in the Holocaust puts the systematic murder of Jews and other persecuted populations during World War II into historical context before showing attendees how to research the fate of long-lost relatives. Webinar. 1 p.m. $5. pghjgs. org/event-details/we-never-heard-from-them-againresearching-relatives-who-died-in-the-holocaust-withjane-ne -rollins.
Refugee Mariam Al Ahmad will cook and host a Syrian luncheon at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Al Ahmad, her husband, Ahmed, and their five sons are excited for the opportunity to share their delicious Syrian cuisine with the Pittsburgh community. $30 adults; $20 children, 5-17. 1:30 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. thrivepittsburgh.org/ events.
FRIDAY, FEB. 21
Join Rodef Shalom’s Cantor Toby Glaser for a 20s & 30s Kabbalat Shabbat. Get to know other young Jewish professionals and close out the week with apps, wine and great company. Registration required. 7 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org. PJC
Join the Chronicle Book Club!
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its March 2 discussion of “10/7: 100 Human Stories,” by Lee Yaron, an Israeli journalist. Yaron’s account of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel and their aftermath was named the book of the year at the 74th National Jewish Book Awards, making her the youngest author to win the honor. The Jewish Book Council, which sponsors the awards, said that “10/7: 100 Human Stories,” provides “a vital window into the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how internal political turmoil in Israel has affected it, offering the narratives not of politicians or the military but of the lives of everyday people who lived tenuously on the border with Gaza.”
Your hosts
Toby Tabachnick, Chronicle editor
David Rullo, Chronicle senior staff writer
How it works
We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, March 2, at 1 p.m.
What to do
Buy: “10/7: 100 Human Stories.” It is available at area Barnes and Noble stores and from online retailers, including Amazon. It is also available through the Carnegie Library system.
Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line. We will send you a Zoom link for the discussion meeting.
Happy reading! PJC
— Toby Tabachnick
Headlines
Dozens of Jewish groups protest Trump’s plans for mass deportation
to Our 2024 Awardees
By Ben Sales | JTA
Dozens of Jewish organizations have signed an open letter to President Donald Trump protesting his planned mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.
The letter, published on Jan. 27, demonstrates that as Trump retakes office, a range of major Jewish organizations intend to continue to be vocal in opposing his policies on immigration. The signatories include a range of centrist and liberal Jewish groups with a national presence, including the leadership of the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist religious movements. Dozens of local Jewish groups and institutions also signed.
“[W]e write in opposition to your Administration’s plans to launch mass deportations, build massive detention camps, and conduct sweeping raids,” the letter says. “We urge you to chart a different course and change your stated plans for widespread persecution of immigrants. America has long prided itself on being a place of refuge, a beacon of hope for those fleeing persecution and seeking a better life.”
The letter comes as the Trump administration has begun immigration arrests in Chicago and is conscripting the military to deport migrants.
Immigration has historically been an issue of concern for American Jews, many of whom are descended from families that arrived in the United States around the turn of the 20th century, if not later. The letter notes that American Jewry has historically been supportive of immigrant rights.
“Jewish families — past and present, here and elsewhere — know what it is to live in fear for the immediate and long-term safety of our families,” the letter says. “We have been forced to flee, denied access to
safety, scapegoated, detained, and exploited. This history and our Jewish values make immigration policy — including ensuring a functioning and welcoming refugee program and protection of the right to seek asylum — deeply personal to the Jewish community.”
When Trump began his first term in 2017, immigration was an animating, and relatively unifying, issue for many U.S. Jewish groups. Groups representing all four major Jewish religious movements opposed his travel ban on several Muslimmajority countries as well as his policy of separating families detained at the border. Jewish groups challenged immigration actions in court, protested at immigration facilities and volunteered and fundraised to aid migrants.
Since then, some major Jewish groups that spoke out during Trump’s first term have become less vocal about immigration.
A number of major Jewish groups declined to comment on President Joe Biden’s order last June that effectively shut down the U.S.Mexico border. Many of those groups also did not sign Monday’s letter.
The letter also opposed a Trump order last week allowing immigration officers to make arrests at houses of worship. “Proposed changes to the immigration policy, including allowing immigration authorities to enter sacred spaces, only serve to exacerbate feelings of fear, panic, and insecurity. People should be able to come together in peace and worship without fear of deportation, detention, or harassment,” it said.
Other signatories included the progressive group Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, the Chicago Board of Rabbis, the Jewish refugee aid group HIAS, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Jewish Women International, the liberal Israel lobby J Street, the Jewish LGBTQ group Keshet, National Council of Jewish Women and the liberal rabbinic human rights group T’ruah. Jewish Community Relations Councils in eight cities also signed. PJC
DAVID SUFRIN
Emanuel Spector Award
ELLEN TERI KAPLAN GOLDSTEIN
Gerald S. Ostrow Volunteer of the Year Award
MARSHA D. & BERNARD D. MARCUS
PNC Community Builders Award
SAMUEL E. KLINE
William and Olga Stark Leadership Award
SHAWN BROKOS
Doris & Leonard H. Rudolph Jewish Communal Professional Award
LAURA CHERNER
Ira and Nannette Gordon Community Professional Achievement Award
— NATIONAL —
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent prepares to arrest alleged undocumented immigrants in Salem, Mass., June 19, 2018.
Photo courtesy of Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
Harvard settles antisemitism lawsuits with promises to police anti-Zionist speech
Harvard University has settled two lawsuits with Jewish groups accusing the school of fostering an antisemitic environment in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, as President Donald Trump retakes office with a promise to more heavily police universities for such cases, JTA reported.
As part of the settlements, Harvard says it has agreed to an unspecified monetary payout; to change its policies around anti-Zionist speech and devote more resources to study antisemitism; and to pursue a new partnership with an Israeli university.
It will also partner with the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, one of the groups that had sued the school, “to host a variety of events on campus.”
“Today’s settlement reflects Harvard’s enduring commitment to ensuring our Jewish students, faculty, and staff are embraced, respected, and supported,” a Harvard spokesperson said in a statement. “We will continue to strengthen our policies, systems, and operations to combat anti-Semitism and all forms of hate and ensure all members of the Harvard community have the support they need to pursue their academic, research and professional work and feel they belong on our campus and in our classrooms.”
Harvard took fierce criticism over its handling of campus protests amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Its president, Claudine Gay, resigned under intense pressure after being grilled by GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Harvard graduate who is now Trump’s nominee for United Nations ambassador and recounted the now-infamous hearing at her Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 21.
The school also briefly faced a Title VI investigation by the Department of Education until the lawsuits preempted it.
The agreement reflects a wish list of many pro-Israel groups that demanded a more forceful response from universities to the explosion of pro-Palestinian activism on their campuses. The Brandeis Center and Students Against Antisemitism, the groups that reached settlements with Harvard, praised the school for taking such steps.
“We are heartened that Harvard has agreed to take numerous important steps necessary to creating a welcoming environment for Jewish students,” Kenneth Marcus, the Brandeis Center’s founder and chair and a former Trump education department official, said in a statement. He added, “We look forward to working with Harvard on the important work in this agreement to ensure that the rights of all students are protected.”
In Holocaust day speech, Irish president focuses on ‘horrific loss of life’ in Gaza, sparks protest Irish President Michael D. Higgins used his speech at Ireland’s Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and praised the “long-overdue ceasefire,” in the Palestinian enclave, leading some to walk out of the room in protest, The
Today in Israeli History
Feb. 3, 1980 — Actress Hanna Rovina dies
Times of Israel reported.
Higgins said he believes that the cease-fire and hostage release deal has been welcomed by “those in Israel who mourn their loved ones, those who have been waiting for the release of the hostages,” as well as the “thousands searching for relatives in the rubble” of the Gaza Strip.
Appearing to draw a line between the murder of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust and the war in Gaza, which was sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror assault in southern Israel, Higgins said: “When wars and conflicts become accepted or presented as seemingly unending, humanity is a loser.”
“War is not the natural condition of humanity. Cooperation is.”
He said that world leaders should be made “acutely aware” of the “complicit actions of silence or the averted gaze of those who, by their indifference, allowed the Holocaust to be planned, prepared and to occur.”
Ireland notably maintained an official policy of neutrality throughout the Second World War.
Ireland’s RTE news outlet reported that several protesters stood with their backs facing Higgins throughout his speech, while others left the room in protest of his participation.
Several people, including an Israeli-Irish woman, were forcibly removed from the room as well, the Irish Times reported.
When the plans for Higgins to speak at the ceremony were announced last month, some of Ireland’s Jewish leaders said that he was an “inappropriate” pick for the event, due to his “grave insensitivity to Irish Jews.”
Higgins has repeatedly accused Israel of conflating criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu with antisemitism and has rejected accounts from Irish Jews of skyrocketing antiJewish sentiment.
Some have accused Higgins of helping fuel antisemitism due to his harsh censure of Israel over the war in Gaza and unwillingness to tackle the issue.
New Knesset law punishes denial of Oct. 7 massacre with up to five years in prison
The Knesset passed a law unanimously that criminalizes denying the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, JNS reported.
Oded Forer of Yisrael Beiteinu proposed the legislation, which 16 members supported in its third and final reading on Jan. 21.
The law designates denying the massacre to defend or support Hamas or its partners as a criminal offense punishable by up to five years in prison.
The proposal clarifies that statements made incidentally, in good faith or for legitimate purposes will not be considered a criminal offense.
The Israeli attorney general must approve indictments under the new law.
The legislation is reportedly modeled on a 1986 law, which the Knesset passed and which criminalizes Holocaust denial.
“The horrors of Oct. 7 cannot be denied,” Forer stated after the law was approved. “The truth is more important than ever. We will not let lies and hatred prevail.” PJC
— Compiled by Jarrad Saffren
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Jan. 31, 1961 — Ben-Gurion resigns over Lavon affair
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion resigns, triggering Knesset elections, to protest a Cabinet decision a month earlier to exonerate Pinchas Lavon for his role in a botched spy operation in Egypt in 1954.
Feb. 1, 1979 — Khomeini returns to Iran
Two weeks after the Shah fled, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 15 years in exile. He guides Iran’s transformation into an Islamic republic and ends decades of close military and economic ties with Israel.
Feb. 2, 1965 — Sale of Waqf property is approved
The Knesset revises the Absentees’ Property Law to allow the government to take over and use property that is considered abandoned and is held in a waqf, an endowment created under Islamic law.
Hanna Rovina, “the high priestess of the Hebrew theater,” dies in Ra’anana at 91. Born near Minsk, she gave up teaching Hebrew to make her stage debut in Moscow in 1918 with what became Habima.
Feb. 4, 1921 — Greek Zionists demand new lessons in Jewish schools
In Salonica, the Conference of Greek Zionists adopts a resolution declaring that the education at Alliance Israelite Universelle Schools does not support Jewish national aspirations and calling for a new syllabus.
Feb. 5, 1879 — Engineer Pinhas Rutenberg is born
Engineer Pinhas Rutenberg, credited with bringing electricity to British Mandatory Palestine, is born in Ukraine. He moves to Palestine in 1919 and builds out the grid, including hydroelectric plants of his own design.
Feb. 6, 1951 — 9 are killed in raid on Arab village
Israeli soldiers launch an overnight raid on Sharafat, a village of about 200 Arabs just south of Jerusalem, in retaliation for a deadly Arab raid into Israel. Nine villagers, including five children, are killed. PJC
p Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini arrives in Tehran from exile in France on Feb. 1, 1979.
sajed.ir,
Headlines
Antisemitism:
Continued from page 1
Baer, who grew up in a suburb outside Pittsburgh, said she’s a “huge believer in diplo macy.” So she wrote a letter to the literature professor and copied the vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion.
“What you are doing is propagating the next generation of American antisemites and this is where MORE casualties come into play,” Baer’s letter read, in part. “The statistics show us the surge of antisemitic hate crimes in the United States. Our humanity tells us that we are not helping anyone by distributing and teaching anti-Israel propaganda.
“My Jewish identity is inextricably inter twined with the land of Israel,” Baer’s letter continued. “I attend the University of Pittsburgh for an education. There is no room for the propagation of hate speech in a classroom, and a book which introduces Israel as a country of ‘ethnic cleansing’ is false and insensitive.”
The professor did not respond, Baer said. An assistant from the vice chancellor’s office replied and offered to set up a meeting, but did not follow up with dates that could accommodate Baer’s schedule.
“It’s ironic how these people that are, like, propagators of misinformation have the gusto to put that in their syllabus, but not to have a conversation with a student about it,” Baer said. She emailed the chancellor, received an acknowledgment later that day, then a response from the dean of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, which said that “We acknowledge that legally protected speech and expression can, at times, offend, marginalize, and cause distress to some members of our community.” His response also referred to campus resources to help “navigate the complexities that all of us are facing during what can feel like a polarizing and intense time.”
The speculative literature professor is not the only one to bring up the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in class. In Baer’s French class, the professor screened a film about an Israeli boy and a Palestinian boy switched at birth. Baer skipped class that day, but was told by a friend that the discussion afterward focused on the war in Gaza. And in her history of jazz class, a clip of an Al Jazeera documentary was played where a speaker accuses Jews of using their whiteness to oppress Black people, she said.
“When [professors] mention the conflict, it is always one-sided, like a pro-Palestinian perspective,” Baer said. “I have never heard a professor or faculty member advocate for Israel or the rights of Jewish people. Sometimes they love to throw something like ‘antisemitism is unwarranted,’ and then say something that undermines what they just said.”
She fears that animosity toward Israel among some faculty members contributes to other troubling incidents on campus.
“Last semester, I took a peek at the encampments because I’m a big believer of, like, go on the ground, see it yourself. Decide how you feel about what’s going on,” she said. “And I watched kids scream into my friends’ faces, ‘Go back to Poland.'”
The “normalization of Jew hatred,” she said, “is horrifying.”
Julie Paris, Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs — a national organization that fights antisemitism and educates about Israel — said several Jewish students in Pittsburgh have reached out to her for support since Oct. 7, 2023.
“Students have reported instances where professors have offered extra credit for attending anti-Israel protests and assigned readings or incorporated materials in class that present a one-sided, anti-Israel view of the conflict, including in courses where the conflict is not
with a particular stance.”
Some students have reported these incidents to the university, but others have chosen not to.
“Sometimes Jewish students feel hesitant to report these incidents or voice their opinions in class because they worry about ostracization or grade retribution,” Paris said. “Some students also do not think that administration would do anything to address the issues, so they decide not to report them.”
The response from the administration varies, Paris explained.
“Some reports are taken seriously, but others seem to go unaddressed. This inconsistency can discourage students from coming forward, as they may feel that their concerns will not lead to meaningful action.”
Faculty play “a significant role” when it comes to shaping campus climate, Paris continued.
“When faculty members share misinformation or present biased views, students may be more likely to internalize these messages, given their trust and credibility. … This can perpetuate a one-sided narrative over time and create an environment where certain viewpoints are implicitly or explicitly marginalized.”
An uncomfortable environment
Some Jewish students at Pitt were dismayed to learn that a professor in the Arabic studies department offered extra credit last semester to students who attended a cultural event co-sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine, an anti-Zionist group that was a central organizer of the 2024 student encampments at U.S. universities. SJP has called for the removal of Jewish groups from campus and held events where Jews were told “Go back to Europe.” SJP has also urged students to support two individuals arrested for spraying antisemitic graffiti on Chabad of Squirrel Hill and a sign outside the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. One of the defendants identifies as a Hamas operative.
A sophomore at Pitt, who asked that her name be withheld, recounted meeting with an adviser in the Global Studies department to discuss studying or taking an internship abroad. When the adviser learned that the student had taken Hebrew classes, she suggested Israel as a possible destination. After the student revealed that she was born in Israel, the adviser’s “demeanor changed,” the student said.
“There was just a shift,” the student said. “And I told her that one of the reasons I wanted to pursue this [Global Studies] certificate was I wanted to bring students together at the University of Pittsburgh with different views and different experiences. That means Israeli and Palestinian people with different opinions, and to have these hard conversations, because I believe that if we avoid having these uncomfortable conversations where people’s opinions differ, and we stay within our comfort zones,
“And then she said, ‘You’re probably never going to want to see me again after I say this, but you have to acknowledge your privilege as an Israeli before you meet with these people before anything can happen.’ This was my adviser, a staff member at this university, telling me that I had to acknowledge my privilege. I told her that, if anything, I think we should speak more often and have these uncomfortable conversations. But I was barely 19 years old.
“I’ve known people that have passed in this war,” the student continued. “I don’t know how this war has affected [the adviser] personally, but I know it’s affected me very personally. She’s telling me that I have to acknowledge my privilege. At that moment, I was very upset, and I decided that I no longer wanted to pursue the certificate. I didn’t report it, and now I know I should have reported it, but I was a freshman in college, and I felt scared of reporting an adviser, an academic adviser that I would have to be seeing for the next three years.”
Since then, however, she has met with several administrators to complain about various antisemitic incidents on campus. She said she feels “heard” but “not listened to.”
“I believe that anybody who goes against the code of conduct or creates an unsafe space for students needs to face the consequences — it doesn’t matter what side they’re on,” she said. “I can’t necessarily say that they’re not holding certain groups accountable, but we’re definitely not seeing that on our end.”
Another sophomore at Pitt, who asked that his name be withheld, said he enrolled in a Hebrew course last semester, not only because he wants to learn the language, but he “wanted to be in a classroom environment where I felt safe, where I could just learn and not have to worry about if there are classmates who are judging me because I wear a Star of David or because I’m wearing a hostage tag.”
There are some students in his STEM classes, he said, whose social media posts seem to be “very pro-terror, I guess is one way to say it.”
One of his classmates posted on social media that “resistance is justified.” Another one “liked” a post by Students for Justice in Palestine that quoted an intifada leader.
“That kind of stuff is alarming to me, because if there are students on campus who align themselves with those views, I just don’t feel safe,” he said.
The student recounted an incident in the library when he left his backpack unattended for a few minutes. When he returned, he saw that someone had tucked a note in its pocket saying, “Free Palestine Pitt Divest Now.”
“It was just like a shocking feeling to me, because, I mean, I always wear a Star of David and a hostage tag,” he said. “So it feels like they had to deliberately see where I put down my stuff, and then write that note and drop it in my bag. I felt like someone was watching me and I had no idea, and I’ve been so alert ever since.”
He recounted another incident where Students for Justice in Palestine members were demonstrating in the library. He and a friend were observing the protest when someone from the group “came up to us and started taking down our descriptions, like in a notebook.”
“It’s really hard,” he said, “and it’s taken a toll on my mental health.”
He reported the incidents to Pitt officials and filed a police report as well. With regard to the first incident — the note in his backpack — officials scanned security footage but “couldn’t find anything,” he said. With regard to the second incident, he received an email response with a form to file a civil rights complaint, which he has not yet done.
He said he isn’t sure what action he would like to see the university take in response.
“They’ve called for violence against Jews,” he said of the anti-Israel activists. “They’ve targeted Jews. They’ve quoted convicted murderers and terrorists. I don’t know what else has to be done for them to be kicked off of campus. My heart goes out to all the innocent children and men and women in Gaza who are suffering because of this war, but their antisemitic acts on campus are taking away from what they really should be talking about. And it’s just kind of sad because they aren’t the activists that they need to be. By spreading antisemitism and targeting students they aren’t doing that.”
A mechanism to report concerns
Pitt spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said in an email that the university “strives to build and maintain a positive and welcoming environment for every member of our campus community. To help achieve that goal, the University has an established and robust mechanism in place that allows any member of our campus community to report concerns or ask questions.”
The Pitt Concern Connection “enables faculty, staff and students to file a report or ask a question online, by phone or via text message, with the option to remain anonymous.” Additionally, students can “elevate concerns to relevant faculty and staff, such as the department chair if they have questions about a class assignment.” Emergencies should be reported immediately to the University of Pittsburgh Police Department.
The Office of Compliance, Investigations and Ethics reviews PPC reports and questions, and “assigns the matter to the appropriate area to investigate and respond,” Stonesifer continued. “The University reviews and responds to every concern and provides updates through the PCC.”
At times, however, “only limited information on the outcome of a report may be shared,” such as when disciplinary action is taken."
“In other cases," Stonesifer said, an incident may be uncomfortable for a student, but protected under federal free speech laws. In these cases, we strive to connect the student to available resources so that they feel supported and safe.”
He stressed that despite the university’s inability to report confidential results, officials “take each report seriously.”
“It’s also critical to note that given the times we are in, and given the unique nature of reports regarding antisemitism, some reporting takes place outside of formal channels,” Stonesifer said. “That’s one of the reasons why the University has been proactively undertaking antisemitism training for our entire administration — from the Chancellor down to faculty and staff — so that we are better prepared to respond sensitively and to make the appropriate referrals to support services or community partners, as circumstances dictate.” PJC
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Signs at an anti-Israel encampment at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning last spring
Photo by David Rullo
Headlines
City Council:
Continued from page 1
which the organization is attempting to have added to the May ballot by gathering more than 12,500 signatures, seeks to amend the Home Rule Charter to establish “a financial policy to divert funds from governments engaged in genocide and apartheid — such as the state of Israel and corporations doing business with them,” implement “investment policies with goals to reduce arms production and promote human dignity” and “increase “transparency of City business relationships and investments.”
Strassburger, whose district includes Squirrel Hill, said she wrote the legislation out of concern over the effects the Not On Our Dime referendum would have on the city if passed by a majority of voters.
She said that if the referendum were put into effect “it would hamstring the city so much that we wouldn’t be able to accomplish much at all.”
The city does business with a vast number of global entities, including Israel, Stassburger said, and would have to stop doing business with countries like China as well.
There most likely would be legal challenges concerning whether particular countries fall under the language of the referendum, she noted, and it would take significant resources to compile a list of companies and countries the city does business with, as well as “some sort of sanctions list.”
“That’s a lot of time spent,” Strassburger said, “when we should be spending time on really critical issues facing the city like vacant lots and housing, homelessness and the future of our downtown.”
Additionally, she said, there is the question of legality and whether the Not On Our Dime
Sephardic:
Continued from page 4
mechanism for introducing people to the richness of Sephardic culture, Aroeste explained.
“The fact that we can offer such a diversity of programming is really paramount for us,” she told the Chronicle by phone from her home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. “This is an oral tradition — both the food ways and the music — it was passed down, not through written-down recipes or written-down lyric sheets, but through experience and through the mouth. … That’s what we try to mimic when we’re in a community: to make sure that everybody has a hand in this, in this world tradition.”
Sephardic Jewish history is traced to Spain and the early years of the Common Era, according to My Jewish Learning. For centuries,
Awards:
Continued from page 5
critical procedures, thus reducing delays and improving outcomes
Elythea, an AI platform that predicts pregnancy complications early, helping clinicians to allocate resources and engage patients with timely interventions, particularly in underserved areas
The three runners-up are Reel Free, a motorized device that manages oxygen tubing at home; ERinfo, which uses AI tools and facial
referendum “directly contradicts the sort of prohibition against boycotts and sanctions that exist at the state level, not to mention potential conflict with federal law and the Constitution.”
Some community leaders have speculated that if the Not On Our Dime referendum becomes law, it would prevent the state of Pennsylvania from doing business with Pittsburgh.
South Side councilperson Charland also is concerned about the impact the proposed referendum would have on the city.
“I want to make sure that everything we’re doing in the city is on strong legal footing and legally sound,” he said.
Coghill, whose district abuts the South Hills suburbs, which is home to the second largest Jewish community in the region, said he believes the courts would strike down the Not On Our Dime legislation, but doesn’t want to take any chances.
He said that while no one wants to see the ugliness of war, he’s a strong supporter of both the Jewish community and Israel.
“What they [Not On Our Dime] are doing is divisive,” Coghill said. “We see the possible end to this crazy war that was thrust upon Israel. We should be nurturing and hoping it comes to an end. Instead, they want to put this forward, which is divisive and insulting.”
City Controller Rachel Heisler, who joined the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to successfully challenge a similar referendum brought by Not On Our Dime in August, said her office has a fiduciary duty to the City of Pittsburgh.
“As we evaluate potential effects of the new language being circulated, I am glad City Council is separately considering legislation to remove guesswork from the referendum
process and to better align with state law,” she said. “I am committed to doing what is best for the City of Pittsburgh and our residents.”
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said he understands residents are concerned about the security of Israel and that they have compassion for the people of Gaza, as well. Cooperation, he said, is what drives the city to create a safe environment for everyone, and that is achieved through honest dialogue and commitment to building on common ground.
For that reason, he said, he’s “not sure that amendments to the Home Rule Charter are an appropriate or effective way for us to engage in this dialogue.”
Gainey said he asked the city’s law department to review the impact of all three referendums and the effect they would have on the city’s ability to provide government services.
“I do not want to see unintended consequences that would harm the safety, well-being and economic stability of our residents,” Gainey said. “Let’s be thoughtful in how we move forward to ensure that every decision we make strengthens our community and promotes peace rather than division.”
Laura Cherner, director of Federation’s Community Relations Council, said she’s glad council members introduced the new legislation, adding that council should be focused on the needs of the city.
“They have a responsibility to govern in a way that supports the city’s ability to function,” Cherner said. “Abuses of the Home Rule Charter, like the ones proposed by Not On Our Dime, would not be enforceable because it runs afoul of state law.”
And while it is Cherner’s belief that the proposed council referendums would address Not On Our Dime’s ballot initiative, she said that
Sephardic Jews soon migrated to Amsterdam, North Africa and the Middle East.
“We have lived in almost every country in the world. And so, as a result, when you look at Jewish cuisine, you’re looking at world cuisine,” Barocas said by phone from her home in Washington, D.C.
The U.S., with its minority of Sephardi Jews, is an outlier, Barocas continued: “If you go to Israel and if you go to other places, you find that there’s this wonderful diversity of Jewish culture.”
Federation was working to educate the community about the initiative and urging people not to sign the petition to get it on the ballot.
The Federation will challenge the referendum if necessary, Cherner said.
Julie Paris, StandWithUs’ Mid-Atlantic regional director, said her organization will also work to educate the public about the potential harm of Not On Our Dime’s referendum.
“We will continue to work with local, state and federal officials on understanding the harm that the BDS movement causes and why this particular referendum will cause harm to the well-being of every citizen of Pittsburgh,” Paris said.
Ben Case, a leader of Not On Our Dime, said he’s happy that “the tools of direct democracy are getting more attention in Pittsburgh.”
Not On Our Dime is reviewing the referendums’ language with its legal team, Case said, but the group supports increasing p rotections against discrimination in Pittsburgh.
“To be perfectly honest with you,” he said, “I don’t understand why someone would think that [the council’s] proposals are in conflict with our campaign.”
Case said that Not On Our Dime wants more transparency about how citizens’ tax dollars are spent, “specifically concerning foreign governments that are engaged in certain types of morally reprehensible behavior. To the degree possible, we don’t want our public money going toward governments that are engaging in behaviors like genocide and ethnic cleansing.”
Strassburger said a public hearing will take place on the council’s measures before a final vote on Feb. 4. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
located in North Macedonia.
Preserving their families’ legacies, and the story of Sephardic Jewry is imperative, the Jewish professionals said.
“We hear such doom and gloom about Jewish history and Jewish culture, and I’m not even just talking about what’s in the news today,” Aroeste said. “Sephardic culture is so vibrant, and it’s so alive. It really is living history in a way that people just don’t know about.”
the community flourished; however, in 1492 the Sephardic Golden Age ceased after King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella expelled Spain’s Jews. Following similar expulsions in Portugal,
recognition for patient identification during emergencies; and Galen Health, a Carnegie Mellon University-related startup that created early detection technology for pancreatic and other cancers.
Logan Nye, a physician and CMU graduate student in computer science, said receiving a PRHI award is confirmation that he and his Galen partner, Kushagra Agarwal, are developing a technology worth pursuing.
“We’re pretty jazzed,” Nye, 32, said, noting that he and Agarwal, 24, have entered a number of contests to build credibility for
Merely 4% of U.S. Jews identify as Sephardic or Mizrahi, whereas 66% of U.S. Jews consider themselves Ashkenazic, according to the Pew Research Center. Within Israel, the divide is “nearly evenly split,” as Ashkenazim represent 45% and Sephardim/Mizrahim represent 48%.
Barocas and Aroeste both trace their roots to Sephardi families from Manastir, a city now
their AI-generated program described as a screening tool to help doctors avoid missing important diagnoses.
The partners are navigating funding now through well-established angel investors and venture capital firms, Nye said. “Getting introduced to them is the thing.”
PRHI has been working on patient safety for nearly 30 years, Feinstein said of a vexing health care issue that, according to some studies, is the third leading cause of death in America.
Except in some areas, such as anesthesiology,
“It’s important that we Jews continue to understand Sephardim and the rest of the diversity of Jewish experience,” Barocas said. “That is so important to me. I don’t want to let that die.”
A schedule of events, and registration information, is available at rotundapgh. com/projects. PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
the problem of preventable patient harm generally has gotten worse, she said. According to PRHI, they include medication-related errors (44%); basic complications with patient care, such as falls, electrolyte imbalances and skin tears (23%); procedure and surgery mistakes, such as leaving an instrument in a body (22%); and infections, like UTIs and pneumonia (11%). PJC
Deborah Weisberg is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
p Sarah Aroeste and Susan Barocas hold biscochos, classic Sephardic cookies.
Photo courtesy of Susan Barocas
Approaching never again, again
Guest Columnist
Sarah Kendis
This week the world observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is a holiday not without its own issues, instated less than 20 years ago in 2005 (and 56 years after Yom HaShoah) by the United Nations, which is always comically late to the game on all things factual or Jewrelated. The 27th of January was specifically selected to commemorate the Allies’ liberation of Auschwitz in order to portray these nations as more heroic, and in truth, to pacify guilt after such unforgivable chosen ignorance and abandonment of Jews in their time of need. But the day exists all the same, ideally as an annual reminder of the worst of humanity’s past, but unfortunately also as a warning of what still lurks today, and a symbol of how too many try to hijack history.
absolutely conscious decision and malicious calculation to retraumatize.
Everyone has heard at least once the grotesque allegations that many Jews hear weekly, if not daily: Jews are Nazis, Israel is committing genocide by ethnically cleansing the Palestinian population, Gazans are being held in at best a ghetto like Warsaw — but additionally an actual concentration camp, and also exactly the same horror as Auschwitz itself.
Why choose these terms specifically?
see Israel as worthy of well-being and doesn’t value the lives of its citizens as full humans, so it doesn’t value its necessary eradication of terror over casualties.
The Holocaust is globally known, and also denied, as the single most defining rise of antisemitism and death of Jews, without any event coming anywhere close in vicious and intentional savagery … until Oct. 7. It is literally beyond belief that global Holocaust survivors had to witness another attempted genocide within their lifetimes, and it is the height of surreality that some had to become survivors of both.
The only thing sadder than observing a day of remembrance for the genocide of one’s people, in the wake of another attempted genocide, is observing it while unimaginably being accused of the very crime itself.
Welcome to the sick reality of Holocaust inversion: using a term conceived by a Jew, to describe the mass extermination of Jews, against Jews today, is nothing short of an
It is not simply because genocide is the worst thing that one can do, and Nazis are the worst thing that one can be. It is because some of the worst crimes in modern human history are also inextricably tied to Jewish history. Never underestimate the absolute intention and gleeful thrill of deliberately inflicting greater present pain on Jews by co-opting and warping the pain of their past. The cherry on top for these quintessential antisemites is watching Jews being forced to defend themselves, their humanity and overall reality against horrific accusations. To be a disingenuous distraction, waste of time and energy drain, is pure victory in itself.
This should be abhorrent enough on its own, but there is more intentional malevolence behind this perversion of history and morality than just deranged spite: Comparing Jews to Nazis lays the framework for first rationality of dehumanization and then acceptability of destruction.
The tactic is unfortunately working. Most commonly seen among the general population is passive dehumanization. No one would ever second-guess any other country for needing to eliminate threats of terrorism despite the undesirable consequence of civilian casualties. Every other nation would be granted the acknowledgment that its own wellbeing would depend on the utter eradication of all terrorists next to them and would also be worth the effort. However, the world doesn’t
We see a sense of this internationally as well. The West has become unnervingly lax on acceptable antisemitism, due to the same dark truth: There is no reason to take implied or even literal violence seriously when you don’t take the well-being of Jews seriously. Therefore, it is now acceptable to yell “death to Jews” in the street, to harass, taunt and block Jews from public areas and roads, and repeatedly threaten Jewish spaces. With this as the new standard, it comes as no surprise that assault and murder of Jews has new room to increase as well — all while progressive nations sit back in seeming moral paralysis, insisting through top-notch gaslighting that the most obviously reprehensible still requires context.
The unfortunate itching of history to repeat itself gravely proves that Holocaust education has not been globally successful, assuming it has been attempted at all. For too many that even experienced any education, it appears to have only been a memorization of numbers (12 years of Hitler’s regime, 6 million dead Jews) while the crucial takeaways of why and how have been lost. As a result, we have the modern phenomenon of diluting the grave concept of Nazism into anyone who disagrees with the perpetually offended. Further, it is shallowly assumed that such horrific hate can only be a manifestation of a single political side, with those on the opposing side oblivious to the transformation of themselves into that which they live to despise. Thus, among everything else the past year-and-a-half, we’ve seen Palestinian flags flown by Auschwitz, Anne Frank’s memorial defaced and then hidden to fend off future defacement, and Western youth calling for the same global genocide that their grandparents likely fought against.
What we can take away from both past and
Reflections on a complicated society
Guest Columnist
My perception of Havana: a sparkling city with classic cars and stunning hotels that Michael Corleone swiftly left after an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Hyman Roth (a depiction of Meyer Lansky), as Fidel Castro’s troops storm the city in “The Godfather Part II.” The Cuba that I saw offered a glimmer of those images; a glamorous past faced with the reality of Communism and embargoes — chaotic, creative and complex.
of this beautiful island mixed with candid commentary from our guides. We quickly discovered the juxtaposition of Havana; stunning architecture abutting dilapidated buildings left to fall. Many of us compared it
presented by the Cuban people. From the street art in alleyways to the world-renowned Malpaso Dance Company to the stunning installation of mosaic artist Jose Fuster’s “Fusterlandia” in the heart of a fishing village
Reflecting on this transformational experience, I’ve emerged with a great sense of belonging to the Pittsburgh women’s Jewish community and value its strength across multiple generations of Jewish women.
recent history is that when the conditions are right, the sentiment hasn’t necessarily changed; rather, the resentment has intensified now that Jews are not sitting ducks without a nation and army this time around.
The Dara Horn quote that “people love dead Jews” could not be any more appropriate in this age. The only genuinely politically savory Jews are the ones to be pitied and forgotten in death, as they are the ones who no longer pose a nuisance, and certainly not the ones who both dare to exist and are capable of fighting back. It bothers too many to the core that we choose to keep surviving, and worse, solidify our survival through our own defended nation.
Antisemitism hasn’t changed over the decades, or millennia, but fortunately neither has our resilience. What has changed is our fortified strength of community and resources, so we — and not just the bigotry of others — decide our future now. It’s a good thing, too, because if there’s one basic truth that we have sadly learned multiple times over the past century, it is that most of the world is at very best apathetic to a fault and will go out of its way to do nothing to help, so it’s truly on Israel and Jews to defend ourselves — which, despite both the age-old and current disdain, is exactly what we will keep doing.
“Never again” isn’t just a nice little slogan for hypocritical world leaders to mindlessly say or parasitic movements to cringingly appropriate … we actually mean it. Israel may not have been created because of the Holocaust, but the Holocaust showed the need for Israel, and because of Israel, we won’t have to face one again. And much to the dismay of all our timeless naysayers and bigots, Jews will sustain the ultimate vindication, continuing to not only survive but absolutely thrive, just as we always have. PJC
I had the privilege of traveling to Cuba on a Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh women’s mission. About 60 women from or adjacent to Pittsburgh’s Jewish community — mothers and daughters, cousins, friends and a few Federation staff members — embarked on a five-day tour of Havana.
The women on our two tour buses enjoyed a packed agenda of Jewish sites and Cuban cultural institutions, learning about the history
to the aftermath of a war-torn city, but left in shambles due to neglect and poverty instead of war. Trash piled high on street corners due to lack of diesel to fuel garbage trucks punctuates the tale of post-COVID Cuba. The pandemic drew a bright line between a time of greater hope and prosperity and the current climate of despair and poverty.
Embedded in the fabric of Havana we saw tremendous beauty, ingenuity and pride
outside Havana, we experienced the joy that persists despite the significant challenges the community faces daily.
A small and tightly-knit Jewish community survives in the center of this study in extremes of beauty and ruin. Before 1959, 25,000 Jews called Cuba home. After that, many Jews left Cuba, recognizing the limitations that faced private enterprise due to Communism. Cuba’s Jewish population today hovers around
600-700 people, the vast majority residing in Havana. An agreement between Israel’s chief rabbi and Fidel Castro permitted Jewish Cubans the “Law of Return” to Israel, and many of them, in particular Cuba’s Jewish youth, accepted that option, hoping for and seeking a brighter future.
One of the themes of our mission was “kehillah,” or community. We had the honor of spending time with the leader of the Sephardic synagogue of Havana, Samuel, who shared his oral history of Jewish Cuba and the realities of Cuban Jews today. It was evident that community members care deeply for each other, joining together for, among other programs, weekly prayer, Israeli dancing and learning. We also learned about the role of the Jewish Joint Distribution Committee that provides critical funding to Jewish communities in need in Cuba and around the world. A portion of the funds raised through the Jewish Federation’s annual Community Campaign is allocated to the JDC to help ensure the survival of Jewish communities everywhere. It was incredibly impactful to visit a community that receives this funding and see our dollars in action.
Please see Firestone, page 13
Sarah Kendis is a musician living in Pittsburgh.
Rachel Firestone
Opinion
Chronicle poll results: Cease-fire/hostage deal
Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Overall, do you think the cease-fire/hostage deal is good for Israel?”
Of the 257 people who responded, 39% said yes; 31% said no; and 30% said they weren’t sure. Comments were submitted by 91 people. A few follow.
It’s very much a “between a rock and a hard place” situation. We need our hostages back — no questions asked. But time and time again it has been proven that whenever we release murderous terrorists from Israeli prisons in these deals, we suffer later. I sincerely hope this time is different.
I don’t trust Hamas with anything and the fact that we had to release terrorists in order to get just a few hostages out at a time is bewildering to me.
It’s great for the hostages to finally be returning home. The price is big. But .... what are we to do when we prize life above all else. I can understand why the
Firestone:
Continued from page 12
On Shabbat, we attended services at the Ashkenazi synagogue. Before the service, the vice president of the Jewish community spoke to us about youth programming, including Sunday school, active participation in BBYO and Maccabi Games, as well as the exodus of young Cuban Jews to Israel. The service that followed was led by teenage Jewish community leaders. I could not help but think back to
Overall, do you think the cease-fire/ hostage deal is good for Israel?
families of those killed and injured by the released prisoners are angry. We are in a no win situation. This has to end.
my own experience leading Shabbat services as a USYer in high school. Although we are decades and countries apart, Jewish prayer and tradition endures — l’dor va dor, generation to generation. As congregants and guests joined arm in arm alongside each other singing the concluding prayer of the Amidah, “Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleynu, v’al kol Yisrael, v’imru amen,” there were tears of gratitude among us — gratitude at the news of the first three Israeli hostages to be released, gratitude to be Jews in the United
Pursuing peace is a ‘moral obligation’
Various community leaders give their thoughts on the cease-fire deal (“Local community members express cautious optimism over hostage deal,” Jan. 24). As we look toward the future, it’s clear that the challenges facing Israel, the Middle East and the world are immense. The conflict between Israel and its neighbors, the rise of extremism, the threat of wider regional war and the deep divisions within societies all require our urgent attention.
But amidst these challenges, there is also hope. The new truce, the ongoing efforts of diplomats and activists, and the resilience of the human spirit all point toward a future where peace might be possible.
It is incumbent upon all of us to remain engaged, to stay informed and to take action to support the causes we believe in. Whether it’s through political activism, community involvement, or simply engaging in thoughtful dialogue with those around us, we all have a role to play in shaping a better future.
The road ahead will undoubtedly be difficult. There will be setbacks and disappointments, and the path to peace will be long and arduous. But we must not lose hope. We must continue to strive for a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in peace and security, where the threat of violence is replaced by the promise of cooperation, and where the divisions that currently plague our world are replaced by a shared commitment to a better future for all.
As we move forward, let us remember the words of the prophet Samuel, quoted by Netanyahu in his U.N. speech: “Israel will live forever.” But let us also remember that the pursuit of peace is not merely a political imperative; it is a moral obligation. It is a responsibility that we all share and it is a goal that we must pursue with unwavering determination.
The future of Israel, the future of the Middle East and indeed the future of the world depend on it.
Ivan C. Frank Squirrel Hill
Trump forced this rotten deal on Netanyahu to make himself look like the “only one who could do it.” Netanyahu is as frightened as the rest of us of what the “loose cannon” might do if he didn’t bend the knee.
Even though Israel has to release a whole lot of terrorists, the overall positives of the hostages going home and the country gaining a bit more of a public relations image of seeking peace are positive — especially if the world watches those terrorists after they are sent back to Gaza.
Israel has once again snapped defeat from the jaws of victory. This just tells terrorists that all they have to do to free a thousand murderers is take a few civilian hostages and the world will treat that as a fair trade. I weep for the hostages but I weep even more for those who will be murdered or kidnapped and tortured next year and the years after.
Since Israel had the upper hand in terms of power and control, they could have gotten a much better deal! I’m disappointed that
States and gratitude that, although many miles from home, we were able to share ancient traditions with our people. Am Yisrael, we are one people.
Reflecting on this transformational experience, I’ve emerged with a great sense of belonging to the Pittsburgh women’s Jewish community and value its strength across multiple generations of Jewish women. My commitment to this community and to the worldwide Jewish community has been renewed. Though the future of Jewish
the United States did not hang tougher on Israel’s behalf.
Anything that stops the level of insanity that has so many people suffering is a step forward. I don’t have a solution, but I know the current state of affairs was not a way forward.
Hamas survives to return to threaten Israel and all the hostages are not freed now. The deal is terrible for Israel!
I think it is time for Netanyahu to quit fighting. Without a parallel home for Palestinians, there will be no peace.
Beware when you deal with the devil
Let’s see how long it takes for the Palestinians to break the truce. PJC
— Compiled by Toby
Tabachnick
Chronicle weekly poll question: Do you agree with President Trump’s mass deportation initiatives? Go to pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC
Cuba is mired in uncertainty, I know that as Jews we have always been responsible for our own people, and after this experience, I am confident that this tradition will continue for the global Jewish community for generations to come. PJC
Rachel Firestone is a management consultant living in Point Breeze. She is a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, vice chair of engagement on the Federation’s Women’s Council and vice chair of development for Hillel JUC.
of those who see that creating a shared society in Israel is essential to long-term peace and reduction in violence. This view is shared by many American Jews including Jews here in Pittsburgh. Each of the men has suffered immensely from the violence, with tragic losses of parents and siblings. It was important to hear from them and learn how they have reached out to each other with respect and empathy. Their vision of the future and their practice of collaboration is the way forward for the people of that region and indeed for all of us. To illustrate their respectful approach, when an audience member described Israeli actions as “genocide,” Aziz Abu Sarah argued against use of the term, noting that it functions as a barrier to communication.
The alternative approach offered by more extreme voices on both sides of the conflict promises only continued war and destruction. Unfortunately, that perspective was reflected in the Chronicle’s article. Rather than focus on the speakers’ presentation, the article focused on a flyer distributed by a representative of the Pittsburgh Palestine Coalition that was critical of Israel. The individual involved had no role in the event. The Chronicle’s focus on the flyer distorted the central theme of the evening and undermined the speakers’ message. It also discredited Mayor Ed Gainey, whose office sponsored the presentation. While uncomfortable for many, the Pittsburgh Palestine Coalition’s point of view, emphasizing the massive destruction in Gaza and oppressive Israeli policies in the West Bank, has a right to be heard. Nonetheless, their flyer was not the focus of the event and most attendees had no interaction with their representatives. In contrast to what was reported in the Chronicle’s article, the focus of the evening was on the necessity of recognizing the suffering of both peoples and ending the war.
I am grateful that Mayor Gainey brought Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon to Pittsburgh. Richard Weinberg Edgewood
‘Building Bridges’ article missed the mark
The Chronicle’s coverage of the Jan. 12 presentation by Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, which I attended, was a distorted account of what happened that evening (“Mayor Gainey’s ‘Building Bridges’ event marred by distribution of anti-Israel flyers,” Jan. 17). I saw your article as an attempt to discredit efforts to bring the voice of the Israeli peace movement to Pittsburgh.
Aziz Abu Sarah, a Palestinian Arab, and Maoz Inon, an Israeli Jew, presented the perspective
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. Send letters to:
letters@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org or Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, 5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence, we cannot reply to every letter.
Life & Culture
Olive and feta phyllo spirals
By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle
I’m a phyllo addict. I can’t get enough of this light and buttery pastry. Whether it’s sweet or savory, I’m all in to enjoy it.
I’ve published my mom’s spanakopita recipe and a Persian spiced baklava, but this is my first time publishing the coiled version. This is the easiest way to get comfortable working with phyllo because the coiled shape hides any tears or flaws.
This recipe has a light and refreshing mix of onion, mint, cheese and olives. The use of mint may seem strange if you’re not familiar with Levantine cooking, but a little bit adds to the flavor and softens the sharpness of the cheese and olives.
The filling is on the lighter side. If you put too much into the rolled-up shape, the pastry will tear. You will get a nice amount of cheese in every bite, but don’t expect this to be oozing with filling. I think the ratio of flaky pastry to cheese is perfect.
Ingredients:
1 package phyllo pastry
2 sticks unsalted butter
A pinch sea salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced, about 2 ½-3 cups
5 scallions, thinly sliced, about 1 cup
½ teaspoon dried mint
1/16 teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ cups pitted olives, coarsely chopped
1 ½ cups crumbled feta cheese
1-1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella or Muenster cheese
Optional garnish: sesame seeds
The first and most important step is to thaw the phyllo pastry dough overnight in the fridge, which will make it easier to work with.
Preheat your oven to 350 F, and place the wire rack in the middle.
Melt 2 sticks of unsalted butter in a small saucepan, then add in a pinch of salt. Salted butter can form burned milk solids when heated, which is why I use unsalted butter and add a little salt to flavor the pastry.
Dice the onion and slice the scallions, using every part except the rooted end.
Warm the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-low heat for a minute, then add the onion.
Cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every few minutes until the onion is translucent, then stir in the scallions and mint and cook for 1 more minute before removing the pan from the burner.
Prepare the olives and cheese while the onions are cooking. Choose your favorite olives. You can use any mixture of green or black olives as long as they are cured in salt/ brine as opposed to red wine. I typically use a can of mixed Israeli olives, but I have made this with sliced green olives with pimentos, which gives it a good, but different, flavor. Remove any pits, coarsely chop the olives and go over them again with your fingers to make sure no pit fragments remain.
Mix the olives into the onion mixture, making sure the pan is cool to the touch before adding the feta cheese; you don’t want the cheese to melt before you prepare the pastry.
Stir in the pepper.
Do not add any salt to the filling because the feta and olives have more than enough salt to flavor this dish.
Put 1 cup of shredded mozzarella or muenster cheese into a separate bowl; you can add more to the bowl if you need it later.
You will need a pastry brush for this recipe; you can’t prepare the phyllo without one.
Take the phyllo from the fridge and cut the bag open.
Unfold the roll, lay it on a clean cutting board and immediately cover the pastry with a large, clean tea towel. Every time you take a sheet of pastry from the pile, immediately cover it with the towel. It should remain covered as you work on each separate coil.
If making individual coils, line a baking sheet with parchment paper before you begin to prepare the pastry. This recipe makes 9-10 individual coils. If you want to make a large spiral version, lightly butter round cake pans. You can use either two 8-inch pans or one 12-inch round pan. The only difference between these methods is that the pan coils need more time to bake. I made one 8-inch pan and five single coils, so I would have photos of both options.
Phyllo is very forgiving when baked, so if you have tears, just keep rolling; once you brush the spirals with butter, the tears almost always disappear once baked.
Phyllo comes in a rectangular shape. Take each piece to your work space and lay it out so it is wider from left to right than it is top to bottom.
Lightly brush the pastry sheet with butter. Add 3-4 tablespoons of the olive mixture to the bottom edge of the pastry sheet.
Sprinkle the mixture across the bottom (there will be some gaps) before sprinkling the shredded cheese over the top of the filling. The shredded cheese will fill i n the gaps and add texture to the filling, which also keeps it from oozing out when baking.
While the filling may look sparse, I assure you, it is enough. Adding more will tear the pastry and make it more difficult to roll.
Start at the bottom and gently roll the pastry sheet up until you get a long tube. Gently roll the pastry into a spiral coil, tucking the end under the bottom to keep it in place while baking.
If you’re baking individual coils, it helps to bake them close together so they don’t lose their shape. If you’re making these in a pan, then coil the first one and place it in the center of the pan. Take the second piece, tuck one end into the previous coil and wrap it around the center until the pan is full. If you have an inch or so of space left around the edges, add one more piece to the pan to keep the coil tight.
Brush both versions with butter and add sesame seeds if desired.
Bake on the center rack of your oven. The individual coils take 30-35 minutes. The larger pan coils can take 45 minutes to over an hour. The top of the pastry should be lightly browned. The individual coils turn a darker brown since they are baked on a flat sheet.
For a crispier pastry, leave either version in the oven for a few more minutes, but be careful not to overdo it or the filling can leak out and burn.
Remove the pastry from the oven to cool. Individual coils should cool for 5-10 minutes before serving, and a pan coil should cool in the pan until it’s cool enough to lift out of the pan.
If you’re anxious about removing the coil, cut it in the pan. You can slice this version like a pie and remove it with a spatula to keep it from breaking apart.
I serve this with a Greek salad, stuffed grape leaves and hardboiled eggs.
Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC
Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
p Olive and feta phyllo spirals
Photo by Jessica Grann
Burton Morris unveils heart-themed art to aid LA’s fire recovery efforts
By Deborah Weisberg | Special to the Chronicle
Pittsburgh-born pop artist Burton Morris has created a special heart-themed print to raise funds for the recovery of fireravaged Los Angeles — the city he has called home for the past 20 years.
The signed prints, which feature a red heart, sell for $150, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Los Angeles Fire Department and Wilshire Boulevard Temple Wildfire Relief Fund to support fire victims and first responders, Morris said.
Although he did not lose the Cheviot Hills home he shares with his wife, Sara, and their three daughters, or his Santa Monica studio, many of the family’s friends suffered immeasurable losses, said Morris, who described the destruction as catastrophic.
Besides offering victims clothing and other assistance, Morris and his wife, who also is his business manager, wanted to help on a broader scale.
The obvious means was with art.
“I wanted to design something simple that would resonate,” said Morris, who brainstormed with Sara and their eldest daughter Ava, 15, before deciding on a heart because it symbolizes resilience and hope. He titled the print “Love LA.”
Renowned for his bold, graphic depiction of iconic objects, Morris chose fire-engine red for the heart, which is surrounded by his signature energy marks, on a silver-grey background. “I wanted to keep the tone somber yet positive,” he said.
The computer-aided design is being reproduced as an open-edition 12-inch-by-12-inch pigment print on archival paper.
Eventually, Morris plans to make an acrylic painting of the piece.
The prints have been selling well, he said, including in Pittsburgh, where he maintains strong ties.
Morris, 60, grew up in Squirrel Hill and then Churchill, graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts and started his career as an art director in advertising. (His mother, Bunny Morris, taught physical education at Taylor Allderdice High School for 22 years.)
Morris opened his eponymous studios in 1990 and began making his small post-pop icons into large-scale paintings, using his
background in advertising, he said, to blur the lines between high and low art.
to represent Pennsylvania in its Absolut Statehood campaign, and showcased it along
hit NBC sitcom “Friends,” which helped estab lish Morris’ art in contemporary pop culture.
of Pittsburgh campus this summer, adding to an extensive portfolio that includes artwork for the 76th Academy Awards, the 2004 Summer Olympics, 2006 MLB All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, 38th Montreux Jazz Festival, 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer and 2016 U.S. Open.
Corporations such as H. J. Heinz, Microsoft, Rolex, Coca-Cola, Chanel, Perrier, Kellogg’s, Ford Motors, Warner Brothers and AT&T have commissioned original artworks by Morris, and collectors include Oprah Winfrey, John Travolta, Brad Pitt and former President Barack Obama.
Morris has used his art to raise money for charities worldwide but none of the magnitude of the fire, so close to home.
He recalled that when he drove to Santa Monica to check on his studio he could see, from a distance, flames and smoke in Malibu. “What was crazy is how the fire came down from Palisades straight to Malibu and burned for a five-mile stretch along Pacific Coast Highway,” he said. “Incredible homes were just gone.”
About 40 families affiliated with Wilshire Boulevard Temple, where the Morrises
“I was raised to give back and I have always done it through my art,” he said. “It means The prints can be found at burtonmorris Deborah Weisberg is a freelance writer
with ignorance.
It only leads to frustration.”
Lee & Lisa Oleinick
— ART —
p “Love LA” Copyright, Burton Morris
p Burton Morris, his wife, Sara, and their children, Ava, Bella and Sunny
Photo courtesy of Burton Morris
Life & Culture
A costumed chorist:
The
unofficial organizer of the JCC choir
By Abigail Hakas | Special to the Chronicle
If you attend a performance by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Choir, you may see a peculiar sight: Earl Parker wearing a tuxedo shirt and a top hat or a fake mustache.
Parker, one of a few choir members who typically have solos during the group’s performances, dresses in thematic costumes for his songs.
“I’m the only one that does that,” he said.
He’s joined by an eclectic group of singers, almost 40 members, who meet weekly to rehearse at the Squirrel Hill JCC. Parker is Jewish but the choir has many non-Jewish members and varies widely in age. Parker, 94, is the eldest of the group and joined in 2008.
It’s hard to pin down a one-size-fits-all description of the group.
“I think they’re all different,” he said. “But the bottom line is they all like to sing. They enjoy singing and that’s why they come.”
Cindy Harris directs the group and Ceinwen King-Smith plays the piano for their performances. As for Parker, he said he does “everything else that there is to do.”
He creates the programs, makes arrangements for the location of the performances, makes the schedules and changes the program if Harris has notes.
For every program, he picks a theme. The group’s next performance is “Songs About
Music & Songs,” and he’s already put the next 15 programs together.
Before joining the chorus, Parker had no musical experience or background. To do his choral work, he reads and searches for songs online. His internet research doesn’t always yield classic songs, so he reads books from the decades they often perform music from: the ‘20s to the ‘50s, although he’s not opposed to modern songs.
“Most of our audiences are seniors, but as we grow older, our audiences seem to be younger, and sometimes I’ll put in more up-to-date programs,” he said. “I try to aim at our audience, whatever I feel that the audience is going to appreciate and enjoy.”
He’s constantly looking for new ideas. He’s been retired for two decades, and in addition
to keeping busy playing cards and baking, he spends at least two days a week working for the chorus.
Despite the amount of time the Pittsburgh native invests in the choir, he’s humble about his role, and if he has an official title, he isn’t aware of it. He’s quick to direct praise to others, speaking highly of Harris’ work as a choir director with many groups and KingSmith’s talent as a blind pianist.
The group performs eight to 10 times a year at assisted living facilities, nursing homes and senior apartment buildings like The New Riverview, where Parker and a few other members live.
“This has happened more than once where a caregiver will come up to us and say, ‘You know, the woman that I’ve been taking care of never
speaks, but she was singing along with you people, and I’ve never seen her like that before,’” Parker said. “It really makes you feel good. You feel like you have accomplished something.”
The roots of the chorus run deep: The Anathan House, a recreational center for senior citizens started in 1949, had a chorus. That chorus eventually moved to the JCC. Parker keeps newspaper clippings about the history of the group, including an old photo that ran in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
His own history with the group now spans almost two decades. After Parker’s wife, Elaine, died in 2007, he was bowling with a man who was married to the then-director of the chorus. After being encouraged to join, Parker started singing with the group. He’s been the unofficial organizer for almost a decade.
He said he was likely nervous for his first few performances because he had never sung in front of an audience — a formal audience, that is.
“My sister-in-law was in one of the homes we were performing at, and the director went over and said, ‘I bet you never heard your brother-in-law sing.’ And she said, ‘Oh, he sang in the car all the time.’”
The chorus welcomes any and all to join rehearsals, which happen every Friday at noon in Levinson Hall at the JCC in Squirrel Hill.
“Music always seems to bring the best out of people,” he said. “We urge them to sing along, and we have some very good audiences that respond very well to us.” PJC
Abigail Hakas is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
Jewish puppeteer Betsy Rosen combines love of acting with puppets in ‘Life of Pi’
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Betsy Rosen doesn’t mind if you call it bashert.
The puppeteer and actor knew when she auditioned in 2022 to be a part of Broadway’s “Life of Pi” that fate was intervening.
“I had this feeling that this was meant for me,” she said. “I was meant to work on this show and eventually that happened.”
Rosen will be performing with the touring company of “Life of Pi” at the Benedum Center from Jan. 28 to Feb. 2.
The role marks a chapter of a career that began when Rosen was a child growing up in Reisterstown, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb.
Her father, she said, noticed a theater, Open Space Arts, where people were “doing a lot of fun stuff on the porch.”
Some of the “fun stuff” offered by the community theater included making puppets and offering playwriting classes.
“I basically spent the next 10 years of my life, from 8 to 18, taking acting classes, and in the summer I spent my days learning how to sew costumes and build papier-mache masks. In the evening, the community would rehearse for the big summer show,” she remembered.
Rosen said she grew up on PBS favorites like “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’
Neighborhood,” television programs that mixed live actors, puppets and a sense of community — something she also found at Open Space, and a life in the arts.
“I love being expressive with puppets and acting with puppets,” she said. “I loved the sense of community created there. That drew me in.”
Still, she thought her life’s work would primarily be acting — that is, until word started to spread around the University of Maryland, where she was a student, that she did some puppetry.
“A graduate design student found me and
asked if I wanted to work together. I said sure, and that started the second phase of my life with puppetry,” she said.
Rosen next made her way north, spending time at Sandglass Theater learning a Japanese form of puppetry called Bunraku, which she said opened a new world of possibilities.
Soon, she was creating her own puppets and working in theater and puppet theater companies around Washington, D.C. uppetry, she said, “had found me and taken me down a path I could have never imagined.”
That path has led to work on Broadway and in the national touring company of “Life of Pi,” work that she said combines both her passions:
“In order for puppetry to be effective, to really affect an audience and for them to feel something, the puppeteers have to be excellent actors,” she said. “If the puppets are not having all the thoughts, all the feelings and emotions, and filter them through this object, the audience won’t connect to the puppet in an emotional way.”
Rosen said she’s been lucky to combine her two passions and find success on stage.
The puppetry of “Life of Pi,” she said, is unlike any other that she’s experienced.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It’s the hardest show I’ve done, hands down and in a great way, the most challenging, which is why I love it and why I’ve been working on this show for over two years now,” she said.
“There’s always something new to find.”
While audience members see a stunning visual performance that flows between actor and puppet, Rosen said the challenges onstage are both emotional and physical.
“The positions and the strength and the dexterity it takes to perform these puppets eight shows a week is unlike anything I’ve been asked to do before. We work together. It takes three people to bring Richard Parker, the tiger, to life,” she said.
Those performers, she said, work hard to make the tiger one entity, utilizing breath and listening and the slightest of cues because they are miked for the performance and, as a result, can’t talk to one another.
“You’re asking three people to make one thing come to life and look cohesive, and sort of recede into the background but be present enough that we understand the character,” she said.
Growing up, Rosen, who is Jewish, experienced the full gamut of Jewish lifecycle events. Her grandfather was a general manager at one of the larger Orthodox synagogues in Baltimore, and she attended Hebrew school three days a week, studying for her bat mitzvah.
Her Jewish heritage, she said, like puppetry and theater, is part of her DNA.
“I am very proud of being Jewish. That feels very special to me. My faith and culture are part of who I am,” she said. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p The JCC Choir performs at The New Riverview in July. Earl Parker is second from left.
Photo courtesy of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
p Betsy Rosen combines her love of poetry and acting playing Richard Parker, the tiger in “Life of Pi.”
Photo by Ellie Kurttz
Life & Culture
Righteous Among the Neighbors: James Lucot
By Maddy Holder | Mt. Lebanon High School
Righteous Among the Neighbors is a project of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh that honors non-Jewish Pittsburghers who support the Jewish community and stand up against antisemitism. In partnership with the LIGHT Education Initiative and Mt. Lebanon High School, student journalists interview honorees and write article-length profiles about their efforts. To learn more, visit hcofpgh.org/ righteous-among-the-neighbors/.
From a young age, James Lucot, a teacher at Seneca Valley High School and a Holocaust educator at Butler Community College, has had a passion for history. Growing up, his grandmother told him what his family sacrificed to oppose what was happening in Germany during World War II. These stories turned into a calling when Lucot discovered how to combine his love for history and education: teaching. He has been recognized for his impactful teaching of the Holocaust by receiving an Educator of the Year award from the Holocaust Center in 2020 and being a recipient of the Righteous Among the Neighbors award this year.
again next year, to do it for kids that I don’t know about yet.”
Many of the lessons Lucot brings into the classroom come from personal experiences gained through his travels and the people he meets. He went to Poland and Treblinka with a Holocaust survivor, Howard Chandler, which helped shape the way he thought about teaching.
“I had read ‘Remembering Survival’ by Christopher Browning, and I took these meticulous notes,” Lucot said. “So many people were asking Mr. Chandler questions, and when he couldn’t remember things specifically, he would just say, ‘Hey, Jim. You know?’ And I’d be able to have the information. I just knew I would teach the Holocaust for the rest of my life. I made a promise to him and other survivor friends of mine that I will do that, and I am keeping that promise.”
Lucot not only teaches Holocaust history, but connects lessons of antisemitism to local incidents so his students are aware that the world is still plagued with these issues. It is vital to understand the history of antisemitism so we can learn how to counter these attacks, he said.
Lucot has always felt deeply impacted by the atrocities of WWII. When he was growing up, he said, he was surrounded by Holocaust education.
“My uncle was killed in World War II, and I don’t have any memory without World War II,” Lucot said. “My grandma told me my earliest memories of how my family had to sacrifice. We had to sacrifice him to stop what was happening in Germany.”
As an adult, Lucot delved deeper into the history of the Holocaust. He felt it was important to meet the people affected by these events.
“When I got into my 20s, I would read stories about Holocaust survivors in the newspaper, and then I would go over to
“I just knew I would teach the Holocaust for the rest of my life. I made a promise to him and other survivor friends of mine that I will do that, and I am keeping that promise.”
―JAMES LUCOT
Squirrel Hill and see if I could meet them,” Lucot said, emphasizing that he first researched their stories, then contacted them requesting an interview.
Lucot demonstrates the importance of tangible history in his classroom by bringing in survivors so his students can “meet the people that made the history” they talk about — including a friend who was a “hero of the Bataan Death March.”
As a testament to how impactful his teaching is, Lucot was nominated for the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year award in 2015. In addition to this honor, he was the only teacher who was nominated by a student.
“Everyone else was nominated by principals or superintendents,” he said.
“So in my mind, I won right there. I guess it motivates me because I want to do it
“I do a thing in my class. I have eight swastikas,” Lucot said. “I have pictures of them spray painted, cut and etched, and I show them all. And I say, ‘Guess what? They’re all [from the school]. These are all the ones that we’ve had taken out.’”
Through his impactful teaching and deep understanding of Holocaust history, Lucot aims to equip his students with the skills to not only counter discriminatory acts, but to stand up fearlessly to injustice. He explains how important it is to speak for those without a voice and fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
“I want my students to know that you cannot be a bystander,” Lucot said. “You can’t see something happening, look the other way and say, ‘Oh, I’m just a bystander.’ That’s not an option.” PJC
Maddy Holder is a senior at Mt. Lebanon High School.
Fetterman, Cassidy reintroduce legislation targeting antisemitism at universities
Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican, reintroduced bipartisan legislation this week that would empower students to file civil rights complaints if they experience violence or harassment on campus because of their heritage.
The Protecting Students on Campus Act was previously introduced by Fetterman and Cassidy after the surge of antisemitic incidents on college campuses following Hamas’
“Colleges should be places for students to learn and grow, and the Protecting Students on Campus Act would help ensure that they are exactly that,” Fetterman said. “This bill is about protecting young people facing discrimination on college campuses and making sure they know their rights. The increasing rates of discrimination, including harassment, hateful speech, instances of vandalism have left students feeling unsafe and threatened based on their race or what country they’re from, particularly over the last couple years. Colleges need to do more to protect students and help them find paths
to recourse. This bill would help us get a clearer view of where these terrible acts are happening, understand actions taken by colleges to address these occurrences, and hold colleges accountable.”
Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Department of Education is compelled to hold universities accountable for failing to address discrimination against students on campuses.
Antisemitic incidents on college campuses increased almost 500% between 2023 and 2024, according to the Anti-Defamation League, totaling more than 1200 reports.
The Protecting Students on Campus Act
will empower students by increasing their awareness of how to report civil rights violations and will require colleges and universities to post links and language on their website with instructions on how to file a Title VI discrimination complaint. If the act is passed, institutions that receive federal funding will be required to report the number of civil rights complaints they receive and the actions they took to address those complaints.
The ADL and the American Jewish Committee endorse the legislation. PJC
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
p James Lucot
Photo by Brian Cohen
Torah Celebrations
Unredeemed
Maren Wynne Goldberg will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah at Rodef Shalom Congregation on Feb. 1, 2025. Maren is a seventh grader at Falk Laboratory School. She is the youngest child of Beth and Eric Goldberg of Squirrel Hill. Her interests include basketball, baseball, hanging out with friends and family, reading and dance. Maren volunteers at The Friendship Circle in Squirrel Hill as she loves to put smiles on people’s faces. She also has a desire to facilitate individuals feeling welcome and included in the community. Maren likes to share her experiences and love of Judaism with the children she interacts with during her volunteering time. Maren hopes to pursue a career in a helping profession.
Jackie and Evan H. Stein enthusiastically announce the birth of their daughter, Mara Eden Stein, on Jan. 15, 2025. Mara was named after her maternal great-grandfather Milton Friedman and her paternal great-grandmother Edith Thall. Mara is the granddaughter of Yvonne and Barry L. Stein of Squirrel Hill, and Laura and Cary Friedman of Trumbull, Connecticut, and her older brothers are Sam and Ronen Stein. PJC
Shemot 13: And every firstborn of man, of your sons, you shall redeem.
In the aftermath of the Death of the Firstborn, the Torah introduces a new mitzvah: Pidyon haBen, the Redemption of the Firstborn, an obligation on the father of a firstborn son to “redeem” his son by giving a gift of silver to a Kohen.
But what happens if, intentionally or not, a firstborn is not redeemed? Halachically, the father’s obligation to redeem becomes the son’s at his bar mitzvah. The great Polish halakhist known as the Rama records a fascinating custom associated with that transition:
Yoreh Deah [305:15]: “Some have written that ‘Unredeemed,’ should be inscribed on a silver pendant and hung on the child’s neck, so that he should know to redeem himself when he matures.”
Certainly, this silver pendant is a fascinating image: a perennial reminder for the young man of his status and his responsibility to be aware and take action when he can, rather than to be complacent in his unredeemed state.
the constant consciousness that we remain unredeemed, and let that continue to motivate and move us.
I wonder, however, if the pendant is not solely for the child’s benefit. Perhaps it is intended as well as a constant, silent rebuke and reminder to the recalcitrant father who failed to address this covenantal obligation of fatherhood; a reminder that it’s never too late for him to rectify his mistake.
Just like the silver pendant of the unredeemed son, our dog tag is intended for our Father as well. This is not a case of an orphaned bechor, bereft of a father to redeem him.
We believe with every fiber of our being that Od Avinu Chai, that our Father in Heaven lives forever, which makes the conundrum of our Unredeemed reality all the more enigmatic and painful.
So we continue to display our pendant to our Father, begging him when He sees us: O God, redeem Israel from all its troubles.
As far as I know, even the most enterprising Judaica designer has yet to market the “Unredeemed” necklace, but in the past year another pendant has taken the world by storm: the “Bring Them Home” dog tag. A symbol of identification with the hostages held by the murderers in Gaza, even our esteemed Sen. John Fetterman has been seen many times wearing his dog tag. In these dark days, I imagine the Jewish people as a whole wearing a silver dog tag engraved with the words , “Unredeemed.”
Like the firstborn, we need constant reminders after 15 months of agony and fighting that we all remain unredeemed:
• So many brave children, siblings, spouses and parents have spent untold months in mortal danger defending the Jewish people in Gaza and in the North — and remain unredeemed.
• Even in these weeks when we’ve begun to see the return of some of our beloved hostages, so many of our kidnapped continue to languish in the horrors of Hamas captivity, yearning for pdyon shevuyim, the redemption of captives — and remain unredeemed.
• So many live in terror for the fate of their loved ones — and remain unredeemed.
• So many have been forced to leave their homes — and remain unredeemed.
• So many widows and orphans, bereaved parents and fiancées — remain Unredeemed.
We Diaspora Jews each need to cultivate
Notwithstanding the Rama, the consensus of halakhists is that this pendant is unnecessary. Citing among other concerns the near certainty that the silver plaque will disappear long before adulthood (something certainly born out in my misadventures in parenthood), most believe there is another solution to the plight of the unredeemed child that requires neither waiting for adulthood nor for the father to do his part. Rather, they maintain that it is the role of Beis Din, the representatives of the community as a whole, to intervene and redeem the son in infancy.
Perhaps the core of our response to an Unredeemed Jewish people is seeing ourselves as imbued with the power and obligation to take responsibility to make our own interventions.
• In the world of tzedakah, continuing to leverage our resources to mitigate the suffering of so many, we are the Beis Din
• In the world of lobbying and diplomacy, continuing to call and write our elected officials and show up for rallies and vigils, we are the Beis Din
• In the world of public advocacy, of making the case for Israel in the media and on the internet, we are the Beis Din
• And in fighting on the spiritual plane, in terms of what we can accomplish with every prayer, every chapter of Psalms, we are the Beis Din
In a world where we remain unredeemed, we return to the ancient promise enshrined in Tehillim: Israel, hope to Hashem, for kindness is with Hashem and much redemption is with Him.
And He will redeem Israel. PJC
Rabbi Daniel Yolkut is the rabbi of Congregation Poale Zedeck. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabonim of Greater Pittsburgh.
Rabbi Daniel Yolkut Parshat Bo
Obituaries
BLUMENFELD: Rochelle (Reznik) Blumenfeld, prominent Pittsburgh artist, died peacefully at age 88 at her ome in Shadyside on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. A lifelong Pittsburgher, Shelley was born in 1936 in the city’s Hill District to Rose and Lawrence Reznik and eventually moved to the East End with her parents, her younger brother Alan (wife Mimi) and her maternal grandfather, Harry Fairman. Fairman himself was an artisan nd encouraged her to start painting and inspired her long career. Zadie Fairman insisted that she always have her own studio so she could pursue her talent. When Shelley was in fifth grade, she began taking art classes at the Carnegie Museum’s Tam O’Shanter program. In high school, she took advanced art classes in painting at Carnegie Tech. After graduation from Peabody High School, she studied painting and design at Carnegie Tech. She married Irving Blumenfeld in 1955 and moved to Stanton Heights, where their children Harold (wife Sheryl Riddle), Beth and Louis (wife Irina) were born. She began private classes with renowned artist Samuel Rosenberg at the YMWHA, where she was one of his youngest students. Rosenberg introduced her to the world of abstract art. She painted on large canvases, enjoying the physicality of painting. Her works encompassed motion, space and light. She was inspired by life around her to reflect and make statements in her paintings. Blumenfeld used bold colors, light and movement in her art to express herself. She was inspired by the natural shapes of the world around her. The artist stated, “Life continually alters its course on an unknown journey, and coping is not always easy.” Her paint-splattered third floor studio in her home in Highland Park was the favorite space for her grandchildren, including Harold and Cheryl Blumenfeld’s children, Brandon (wife Cassandra Malis), Justin and Morgan (husband Ryan Vibbert), and Louis and Irina’s children, Sofia and Loren Rose of Orlando, Florida. G-G to Finn, Eli, Ollie, Ben, Adam, Eliza and Margot. Also survived by nieces, Cookie Elbling and Amy Reznik (Julie and nephew Robert (Lizet) Reznik. Shelley was not only the consummate artist, but also the consummate hostess and friend. Her home was the center of family life, love, parties and holiday celebrations. One of Shelley’s favorite hobbies was collecting: memorabilia, religious objects, tea strainers and objets d’art. Her grandchildren’s curiosity about her many family collections inspired her to start a series of more realistic Hill District paintings, so she could share her childhood memories of that diverse immigrant neighborhood with generations to come, including great-grandchildren, Eliza Rose Blumenfeld and Margot Elyse Vibbert. Blumenfeld’s paintings have been exhibited in numerous public and private collections, including the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg. Her work has been included in the Bicentennial Exhibit of “American Painters in Paris” in Paris, France, the Copley Society of Art in Boston, Dunfermline Fife in Scotland. Her work has also been included in the Heinz History Center’s partnership with the Master Visual Artists Project recognizing the lifelong achievements of influential Southwestern Pennsylvania artists. Shelley’s family would like to thank the loving and dedicated caregivers who helped Shelley: Shawntee, Lamiya, Breanna, Dara, Tara, Lori, and Maxine and Mandy Amedysis Hospice. Services held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment B’Nai Israel Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Pennsylvania Chapter-Pittsburgh Office, 2835 E. Carson Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 or a charity of donor’s choice. schugar.com
LEVICK: Marvin Howard Levick, born on March 11, 1934, to the late Bennie and Lillian, in Pittsburgh, passed away peacefully on Friday Jan. 24, 2025, leaving behind the legacy of his loving family. Marvin is survived by his beloved wife of 64 years, Judy (Markowitz), with whom he shared a lifetime of cherished memories. Together, they raised three children: Debra Levick Rudel, and Emery Levick (Cynthia) and Ronald Levick. Marvin was a proud grandfather to Eric Rudel (Elizabeth), Alex Rudel (Rebecca), Rachel Rudel, Andrea Levick, Macy Levick, Rowan Levick and Kyle Levick. He was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, Goldie (Alex and Rebecca) and Evelyn (Eric and Elizabeth). Also survived by his loving sister Marcia (Levick) Fireman and Judy’s brother Earl Markowitz, and his many nieces and nephews. A lifelong learner and academic achiever, Marvin graduated first in his class from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. He was invited to Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society (Pitt’s highest undergraduate honor), which earned him a commemorative brick on the university’s Walk of Fame. He continued his education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he excelled as one of the top students in his class. His passion for knowledge and commitment to excellence defined his career as a physician. After his tour with the U.S. Public Health Service he joined a private practice in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, where he touched countless lives with his care and compassion. Marvin and Judy shared a love for travel that took them to fascinating destinations around the globe. Their adventures were marked by a world map adorned with push pins representing the many places they visited together … always accompanied by Marvin’s trusty pillow. Marvin’s studious nature follows him in death as being part of a study for Alzheimer’s research. Due to this study, the family has chosen to forgo a traditional funeral. Following a private service, shiva was held for one night at Ron’s home on Monday Jan. 27. In lieu of flowers, donations will be appreciated for the Anti-Defamation League or a charity of your choice: support.adl.org/give/174715/#!/ donation/checkout. Tribute email is Marvinhlev@yahoo.com.
MEDWIN: Lorraine M. Medwin. It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Lorraine M. Medwin on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. Wife of the late Stanley J. Medwin, daughter of the late Herman and Emma Anenberg, loving mother of Glenn E. (Carol) Medwin, and Stacy R. (William) Levin. Sister of the late Ellen (Norman) Wolpert. Also survived by her loving grandchildren, Michael Medwin, Rebecca (Sean) Cameron, great-grandchild, Olivia Cameron, adopted grandchildren, Fateema and Aeysha Hassan. Beloved mother, grandmother, aunt and sister, Lorraine
dedicated her life to supporting others, making a meaningful impact in her temple life and proudly keeping her Jewish faith, sharing it with her friends and family. Lorraine’s zest for life, kindness to others and love will be remembered by all who knew her. She was the matriarch of the family. May her memory be a blessing and a source of inspiration to all who knew her. Her spirit will endure in the cherished memories and the values she imparted on all of us. The family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to her personal caregivers, the staff, CNAs and nurses at Concordia Rebecca Residence and Concordia Cabot, as well as the Sivitz and Good Samaritan Hospice teams, for the exceptional care and compassion they provided to Lorraine during her final months. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel. Interment at Elmlawn Cemetery, Kenmore, New York. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that contributions be made in Lorraine’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org). schugar.com
SAWDAI: Joseph Sawdai, on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. Beloved husband of the late Eileen Sawdai. Loving father of Mike Sawdai (Johanna), Terri Sokoloff (Ned) and step-daughter Karen LaFlamme. Son of the late Heskel and Ivy Sawdayee. Grandfather to Zachary and Sidney. Cherished brother of Albert, Shirley, Claret, the late Lilly and the late Sasson. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Joseph was a dedicated employee at U.S. Steel for 25 years, where he formed lasting relationships with colleagues and made a meaningful impact through his work. Outside of his professional life, Joseph had a profound love for nature. He spent countless hours fishing at North Park Lake, often accompanied by friends and family. Gardening was another of his great passions — his
Please see Obituaries, page 20
The Goldberg Family
Sharon Galanty Knapp
Jan & Edward Korenman .Freda Winerman
Jan & Edward Korenman Betty Kuperstock
Belle
Carl Krasik
Jeffrey Kwall
Cindy & Harold Lebenson .Phillip Harris
Stephanie Letzt .Gertrude Schugar
Becker
Jean Metzger
Sanford A Middleman .Katie Middleman
Ann Notovitz Mollie Samuel
Marcia & Joel Platt .Madelyn Platt
Herbert Shapiro Clara Deutch
Jay Silberblatt .Pauline Silberblatt
Contact the Development department at 412-586-2690 or development@jaapgh.org for more information. THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —
Sunday February 2: Gertrude Berenfield, Nathan Bilder, Paul Carpe, Joel David Cohen, Lillian Cook, Minnie Farber, Morris Fleshman, Samuel J Frankel, Paul Freedman, Jennie Glick, Sanford K Greenberg, Lipa Haimovitz, Edward Hertz, Anna Harr Krause, Harry Lautman, Madelyn Platt, Dorothy Rosenthal, Dr Eugene J Schachter, Gertrude Silberman, Jacob W Simon, Alvin Weinberger, Esther Pakler Weiss
Monday February 3: Irving E Cohen, Nettie Galanty, Phillip Harris, Edith Lazear, Rheba Markley, E Harry Mazervo, Oscar Robbins, Rebecca Rosenfeld, Gertrude Schugar, Pauline Silberblatt, Abraham Ulanoff
Tuesday February 4: Rebecca Broudy, Rubin Davidson, Leonard A Fleegler, Raymond Goldstein, Jacob Graff, William Randall Greene, Anna Grossman, Sarah Haimovitz, Tina Kaminsky, Anna Kart, Rose Klein, Betty Kuperstock, Anne Bilder Mallinger, Joseph Cliff Ruben, Ida Seminofsky, Sherman Shore, Jack C Siegel, Al W Wolf, Rose Blattner Zionts
Wednesday February 5: Clara Deutch, Myer Feldman, Isadore F Frank, Benjamin Harris, Bess M Levenson, Albert Dale Malyn, Frank Miller, Sophie Paransky, Max Rosenfeld, Louis E Rosenthall, Harry Schlesinger, Leon Stein
Thursday February 6: Sidney J Alpern, Samuel J Amdur, Julius Belle, Beverly Renee German, Harry Kalson, Tillie Krochmal, Dee (Dolores) Laine, Joseph H Levin, Jeremy Marcus, Samuel Miller, Ida B Shaffer, Edith Nayhouse Thorpe, Minnie Weller
Friday February 7: Marcella Apter, Anna Cohen, Celia Cohen, Edythe B Dickerman, Julia P Farbstein, Katie Fireman, Jennie Gold, Sarah Goldstein, Ruth W Gusky, Max Jeremias, Harry Kaplan, Marian Papernick Lindenbaum, Morris Lipkind, Alice Lipp, Manuel L Mason, Harry Miller, Anna Schwartz, David S Shermer, Albert Sherry, Ruth K Slotsky
Saturday February 8: Jennie Bluestone, Bernita Buncher, Charles Fishkin, Ida Karp, Freda Lenchner, Katie Middleman, Lillian Myers, Louis Rosenfield, Rebecca Schutte, Meyer H Siegal, Maurice Smith, Harry L Steinberg, Roslyn Weinberg
Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following:
gift from ... In memory of...
Bilder Anne Bilder Mallinger
Obituaries
Obituaries:
Continued from page 19
backyard was a testament to his hard work and love of the outdoors. Joseph was deeply involved in his faith and was an active member of his local synagogues. His commitment to his community and his love for his family were always at the heart of his life. He cherished spending time with his loved ones, and his warmth, kindness and generosity will be missed by all who knew him. Graveside service was held at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Adat Shalom Synagogue (adatshalompgh.org/), and Congregation Beth Shalom (bethshalompgh.org/) or charity of donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com
SCIULLI: Marta F. Sciulli, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. Beloved wife for 56 years of Michael J. Sciulli; loving mother of Alan Sissel, Frani (Bob) Wyner, John Sciulli and the late Michael Sciulli. Sister of Bernard (Thalia) Fudor and Stanley (Roslyn) Fudor. Adoring grandmother of Matthew, Samuel (Jane) and Robert Notovitz, Cassie Sciulli, Joshua and Zachary Sissel, Isabella and Joey Sciulli, and Jessica and Samuel Wyner. Proud great-grandmother of Marco Cutright. Also survived by nieces, nephews, cousins and her only surviving uncle, Sam Silberman. Marta is also survived by many loving friends, and especially her best friend for 70 years, Barbara (Sam) Klein. Marta served as president of Hadassah, Elana Chapter. She worked as an optician for several years, caring for patients and their children, watching them grow up. She became an adult bat mitzvah in her 60s. She loved her doggie-kids, Nena, Dulce and Auggie. Marta had a way of touching everyone’s life and all who knew her admired her for her compassion, love of family, her generosity and her kindness. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Homewood Cemetery, Star of David Section. Contributions may be made to Breast Cancer Care at Hillman Cancer Center, 5115 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232. schugar.org
SOLTMAN: Herbert Sorrell Soltman passed away on Jan. 22, 2025, at the age of 89. Herb spent his entire life in his beloved hometown of Pittsburgh. Born to Harold and Phyllis (Stewart) Soltman, Herb was raised in Squirrel Hill with two younger brothers, Theodore (Teddy) and Nelson. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Pittsburgh in 1956. He was a proud member of the Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity and the Pitt Marching Band. Later in life, he participated in annual gameday performances with the Pitt Alumni Marching Band. Following graduation, Herb enlisted in the Army and spent 1956-1958 stationed in the Panama Canal Zone where he cultivated a lifelong affection for the people and culture of the country. Herb returned to Pittsburgh to work with his grandfather and father in the family’s wholesale packaging business, Charles Stewart Co. He enjoyed meeting with customers throughout the Pittsburgh area, and relished the conversations and relationships he developed along the way. He married Jo Mitchell in 1961, and they raised two daughters, Debbie and Laurie, in Mt. Lebanon. Herb was a lifelong member of Rodef Shalom Congregation and longtime member of Temple Emanuel. Herb was an enthusiastic ambassador for Pittsburgh. He welcomed, hosted and led city tours for hundreds of international visitors from around the world for the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors (PCIV), now Global Pittsburgh. In 1960, he was present at Game 7 of the World Series between the Pirates and Yankees, sprinting onto the field at Forbes Field in celebration of Bill Mazeroski’s championship-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. He would celebrate this moment for the remainder of his life, most notably as a member of his cherished “Game 7 Gang,” who organize an event at the Forbes Field wall every Oct. 13 to replay the broadcast of the game and relive the Pirates’ win. Herb was fortunate to have found joy, love and companionship with Hope Bassichis for the past 34 years and had great fondness for her daughter Marni and grandson Henry who loved “Herba.” Herb was an adoring grandfather to his own grandchildren Colby, Madison and Lindsay, and reveled in their stories, photos, calls and visits. He is survived by his daughters Lauren Soltman and Debra (Robert) Geer; three beloved grandchildren, Colby, Madison and Lindsay Geer; brother Nelson (Sharon) Soltman; nephews Daniel (Marie) Soltman and Michael (Pam) Soltman; niece Eileen (Eric) Madson; former spouse Jo Schuman and many extended family. He also leaves behind devoted life partner Hope Bassichis. He was predeceased by his father Harold Soltman, mother Phyllis (Stewart Soltman) Goldstein and brother Theodore Soltman. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Pirates Charities (115 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212); Global Pittsburgh (137 West Bridge Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15120) or the Phyllis Goldstein and Harold Soltman Memorial Youth Fund (c/o Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213). Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment West View Cemetery. schugar.com PJC
Estate of Armand J. Pistilli Sr. a/k/a Armand J. Pistilli, Deceased April 9, 2024, of Lincoln, Pennsylvania No. 02-24-04918 Catherine M. Pistilli, Executrix; 218 Harbinger Ridge Road, Harbinger, NC 27941 or to Bruce S. Gelman, Esquire, Gelman & Reisman, P.C., Law & Finance Bldg., 429 Fourth Avenue, Suite 1203, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Life & Culture
Jewish postwar epic ‘The Brutalist’ picks up 10 Oscar nominations, with ‘A Complete Unknown’ close behind
By Andrew Lapin | JTA
Apostwar epic about a Holocaust survivor, a contemporary comedy about Holocaust tourism and a biopic of a Jewish musical legend helped lend a formidable Jewish presence to last week’s Oscar nominations.
Meanwhile, nominations for a documentary about the West Bank and a docudrama about the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes also kept Israel in the conversation. The nominations announcement, delayed multiple times by historically destructive Los Angeles wildfires, arrived amid calls in some corners to cancel the Oscars altogether out of deference to the fires’ victims.
Whether or not there is an awards ceremony this year, “The Brutalist,” a threeplus-hour historical drama starring Adrien Brody as a fictional Hungarian Jewish architect inspired by real Jewish designers, is well positioned with 10 nominations, tied for second-most of the year. Those included the major categories of best picture, director, lead actor for Brody, original screenplay, supporting actress for Felicity Jones, and supporting actor for Guy Pearce. The film was also nominated in the categories of original score (for work by British Jewish composer Daniel Blumberg), cinematography, editing and production design.
Directed by 36-year-old Brady Corbet, filmed in Hungary as a substitute for Philadelphia, and steeped with details of the Jewish immigrant experience, the film has been heavily lauded this awards season. It could repeat the success of last year’s heavily nominated epic about a Jewish genius, “Oppenheimer,” which went on to win Best Picture and numerous others.
“The Brutalist” has also been the subject of some late-breaking controversy, as members of the film’s crew recently admitted to using artificial intelligence to craft some aspects of the movie — including perfecting the Hungarian accents for Brody and Jones, a crucial detail of their performances. (The revelation came after voting for Oscar nominations had already closed; Corbet has defended what he said was a very limited use of AI and said the actors’ performances are “completely their own.”)
Brody, who spoke Hungarian for the role and is a favorite in the best actor category, is the son of a Jewish father and Hungarian artist mother. He also won in this category in 2002 for playing another Holocaust survivor, in “The Pianist.” Jones, who is not Jewish, plays his character’s wife, who is a Hungarian convert to Judaism; Pearce plays a WASPy industrialist who employs Brody’s character while letting slip some sinister views about Jews and immigrants.
“The Brutalist” isn’t the only Jewish movie this year with Holocaust ties to earn
awards attention. “A Real Pain,” which follows two Jewish cousins on a tour of Poland to commemorate their survivor grandmother’s passing, received two nominations: supporting actor for Kieran Culkin and original screenplay for the film’s writerdirector-star, Jesse Eisenberg.
Eisenberg based the film on his own experience reconnecting with his family’s Polish Jewish heritage; his co-star Culkin, who is not Jewish, is heavily favored to win the supporting actor trophy.
Nominated films about Israel and the Palestinian territories, meanwhile, took on new dimensions in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
“September 5,” a docudrama about the journalists who covered the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis and massacre of Israel’s athletic delegation by the Palestinian terror group Black September, was nominated for original screenplay. The film was shot before Oct. 7, 2023, but its hearkening back to another Israeli hostage crisis has led to the film being accused in some corners of being “Zionist propaganda” — including by a Brooklyn movie theater union that unsuccessfully petitioned its employer not to screen it.
Notably, the best documentary category nominated “No Other Land,” co-directed by an Israeli-Palestinian filmmaking collective. That film, which chronicles the Israeli military’s orders to destroy the Palestinian villages of Masafer Yatta in the West Bank from the perspective of the villagers, was also shot almost entirely before Oct. 7. But it has become a rallying cry of sorts for Israel’s critics in the movie world. Its directors have decried Israeli “apartheid” in awards speeches, and the movie remains without a U.S. distributor despite racking up prizes across the globe.
(Another Israel-themed documentary contender, “The Bibi Files,” was shortlisted for the category but not nominated; meanwhile in the international feature category, “From Ground Zero,” a movie shot in the Gaza Strip and submitted by Palestine, also failed to make the final list of nominations after clearing the shortlist.)
In lighter Jewish stories, the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” strummed its way to a surprising eight nominations, including for best picture. Lead actor Timothée Chalamet, who has notable Jewish heritage and does his own singing as Dylan, was also nominated, as were co-stars Edward Norton as Pete Seeger and Melissa Barbaro as Joan Baez; the film also received nominations for best director, costumes, sound and adapted screenplay. It was based on the book “Dylan Goes Electric” by Jewish author and musician Elijah Wald.
The film itself is light on Jewish content, but does include a brief glimpse of Robert Zimmerman’s bar mitzvah (before he became Dylan) in a photo album as a symbol of the life he left behind to become a folk singer.
In the lead actress category, Jewish performer Mikey Madison scored a nomination for playing a stripper and sex worker who is descended from Russian immigrants in “Anora.” Neither the character, nor the young son of a Russian oligarch with whom she jumps into a whirlwind marriage, are explicitly defined as Jewish, but a stray menorah plays a key role as a weapon in one scene. Jewish “Saturday Night Live” cast member Sarah Sherman recently revealed an “Anora menorah” prop that was cut from a sketch on the show.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Strong — who has Jewish heritage — was nominated for best supporting actor for playing the virulently
anti-Communist Jewish lawyer and Donald Trump mentor Roy Cohn, in Trumpcritical biopic “The Apprentice.” His co-star Sebastian Stan was also nominated in the lead actor category for playing Trump, for a movie the now-president had tried to stop from being released.
Other nominees had notable Jewish connections, as well. Jewish super-producer Marc Platt was nominated for producing “Wicked,” a best picture contender, for which Jewish composer Stephen Schwartz (who also wrote the Broadway musical’s original music) was also nominated for original score. And in the best original song category, Jewish songwriter and erstwhile nominee Diane Warren — who has now been nominated 16 times without winning a competitive Oscar — received another nod for the WWII film “The Six Triple Eight,” about the U.S. military’s only all-Black female regiment to serve in the war. Jewish composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein also has a connection to “The Only Girl in the Orchestra,” nominated for best documentary short: the film focuses on bassist Orin O’Brien, who became the first woman in the New York Philharmonic when Bernstein hired her.
The nominations were announced by Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott, the latter a non-Jewish actress who has carved out a niche playing Jewish roles in films such as “Shiva Baby” and “Saturday Night.”
The year’s most-nominated film, the Netflix drama “Emilia Pérez” — a Spanishlanguage French musical about a trans cartel boss, which picked up 13 nominations — also has an unexpected Jewish tie-in. The doctor who performs the gender-reassignment operation on the main character is Israeli and sings a Tel Aviv-set duet with nominated actress Zoë Saldaña. PJC
p Guy Pearce (front), Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones in a scene from “The Brutalist” Photo by Lol Crowley/A24
Community
Bridge of sighs
Community members gathered for a weekly bridge game at Rodef Shalom Congregation.
Making room at the table
Temple Emanuel of South Hills hosted Abraham’s Table. The event is part of a series of conversations that bring together the wisdom and shared values of the Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Participants include members of Temple Emanuel, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and the Turkish Cultural Center.
Macher and Shaker
Fabiana Cheistwer, wellness director at Providence Point and Baptist Senior Family, was recognized by the International Council on Active Aging as one of the Top 5 Wellness Directors in North America. The award recognizes her ongoing dedication to enhancing the lives of older adults.
Breaking bread and building friendship
MLK Day at CDS
For the 10th year, Community Day School celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day with hours of service. Joining students at the Jewish day school, were local politicians Rachel Heisler (city controller) and Corey O’Connor (Allegheny County controller) and former U.S. Congress
Jewish and Hindu leaders met for an inaugural leadership luncheon at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. The local event enabled participants to address areas of commonality and understanding in an effort to build lasting friendships and fight hate.
p Friendship and food bring the smiles.
Photo courtesy of Julie Paris
p
Photo courtesy of Temple Emanuel of South Hills
City Controller Rachel Heisler joins Community Day
Photo courtesy of Community Day School
Community Day School Gala
p Bari Weiss speaks during the Jan. 25 event.
Photo by Joe Appel
p Congrats to the life masters.
Photo by Jim Busis
