Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 4-7-23

Local Holocaust survivor’s story retold by Holocaust Center/Prime Stage Theatre for Genocide Awareness Month

Rep. Summer Lee signs letter urging shift in US policy toward Israel

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

Playwright L.E. McCullough is quick to note that he doesn’t have Jewish ancestry. He is just as quick to explain that he has Jewish blood.

“When my mother was ready to deliver me, she was critically ill,” McCullough said, “and the only thing that kept her from dying and allowed me to be born was that a friend of my father in dental school, Gerald Epstein, had the correct blood type.”

Epstein’s gift of his blood “saved my life,” McCullough said.

His connection to Judaism has remained strong throughout his career. He has written two books of Jewish plays— “Plays of Ancient Israel” and “Plays of Israel Reborn”— and also adapted the book “Perseverance: A Holocaust Survivor’s Journey from Poland to America” for the stage.

Prime Stage Theatre and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh are partnering to produce

“Perseverance” on April 15 and 16 at the New Hazlett Theater in recognition of Genocide Awareness Month.

This is the third year the two organizations have partnered to present a play for Genocide Awareness Month. In 2021, they produced “Miracle In Rwanda” and last year “The White Rose” was staged. This year, McCullough said, the two commissioned “Perseverance” because they wanted to have a local focus.

“This is very local,” he said. “It starts, obviously, in World War II, but then it’s really about how the Pittsburgh community embraced this one Holocaust survivor’s journey from Poland to Pittsburgh — and that was Melvin Goldman.”

Goldman immigrated to Squirrel Hill after surviving both the Łódź Jewish ghetto and Auschwitz. He founded the G&S Jewelry Store on the corner of Darlington Road and Murray Avenue.

By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee joined other progressive lawmakers in signing a letter last week urging President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Tony Blinken to alter U.S. policy toward Israel in light of recent violence and in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition.

The letter, initiated by Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Sen. Bernie Sanders, argues that the U.S. should “undertake a shift in U.S. policy in recognition of the worsening violence, further annexation of land, and denial of Palestinian rights. Only by protecting democracy, human rights, and self-determination for all Palestinians and Israelis can we achieve a lasting peace.”

In addition to Lee, the letter was signed by Reps. Cori Bush, Andre Carson, Betty McCollum, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib. Endorsing organizations include ardently anti-Israel groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace Action, IfNotNow Movement, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and the

p During the primary for the Democratic nomination, Summer Lee (left) spoke at a forum organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council.

Photo by David Rullo

p Melvin Goldman (right) with his wife, Mildred, at their Squirrel Hill store

Photo courtesy of Lee Goldman Kikel

Headlines

CDS head of school to step down following 2023-2024 school year

— LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

Avi Baran Munro, head of Community Day School, has announced she will retire after the 2023-2024 school year.

Munro said the decision, after serving as the head of school for 20 years, was made for family reasons.

“I am a grandparent of a child that doesn’t live in the city,” she said. “So, the call to travel is much bigger than it used to be.”

Bolstering her decision to announce her retirement, Munro said the private Jewish day school is in a “very strong place right now.”

CDS Board President Evan Indianer thanked Munro for her leadership in a statement, calling her a “visionary and transformative” leader.

“For nearly two decades, Avi has led with a full heart, exceptional intellect, tireless resolve and trademark optimism, and as a result, CDS is as strong as any point in its history and poised for significant growth,” he said.

Under Munro’s leadership, CDS made major campus renovations, built the Gary and Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs: A Holocaust Sculpture, strengthened both its secular and Jewish studies curriculum, expanded to include an early childhood program, recruited faculty and increased teacher compensation.

A search committee will be named to find Munro’s replacement. It will be led by Indianer, CDS Executive Vice President Shiri Friedman and board member Neta Bar.

CDS, Munro said, is in a good place as it begins a search that will consider national, local and possibly international candidates.

“I’m proud to have us invite candidates to look at it,” she said. “I think the school and the city make for a very compelling potential place for someone to lead. Leaving the school in this strong position, to me, equates with good timing.”

The timing of the announcement, more than 15 months before Munro steps down, is part of solid succession planning, Munro said.

“A good search,” she explained, “includes getting input from all the stakeholders about visions for the future.” CDS,

Munro said, follows the National Association of Independent Schools best practices for independent schools’ operations and governance. It celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

Munro’s tenure included shepherding the school through its COVID-19 response.

Munro said that three years ago, the school was forced to cancel the middle school musical performance because of the pandemic. She attended the in-person event this year, the day her announcement was made public.

“It was a very high point in the recovery from COVID,” she said. “Certainly, all schools are feeling the long-term impact

of that period, but I feel like our students have shown how eager they were for things to be in full bloom. They’ve embraced it with a lot of positive energy.”

While the board searches for Munro’s replacement, she said she will remain fully focused and engaged on the job as CDS’ head of school.

Munro has started to think about her two decades as CDS’ head of school, she said, but deferred from listing achievements from her 33 years in educational roles at the school and in the wider community. Instead, she said for now she’d like to highlight the relationship with the school’s board and staff.

“We’ve been able to achieve many things with very stable governance, experienced and very dedicated talented staff members who are definitely at Community Day School for the right reasons,” she said.

The soon-to-be-retired head of school said that her four children attended CDS, and it was the only school she wanted to serve in this type of role.

“I can’t imagine doing this job at any other school,” she said. “It’s very intertwined with my community and passions. So many of my friendships came through the school, and I feel like Pittsburgh has been especially generous in allowing me to have this job in this community and I have found people to be very respectful of boundaries, so it’s been comfortable to be in this position in my own community.” PJC

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

p Avi Baran Munro Photo courtesy of Community Day School

“For nearly two decades, Avi has led with a full heart, exceptional intellect, tireless resolve and trademark optimism, and as a result, CDS is as strong as any point in its history and poised for significant growth.”

–CDS BOARD PRESIDENT EVAN INDIANER

Headlines

Training for Special Olympics: Bouncing balls, stomping feet, create ‘magic’ at JCC

— LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

On Sundays, Jack Flaherty practices shot put by throwing a tennis ball inside the gym at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. Steps away, Dariush Valizebeth and Scott Federbusch prepare for competition by passing a basketball while teammates complete 100-meter repeats one floor above.

The pounding sound of balls bouncing on a hardwood floor as feet slam against a suspended track is “magic,” JCC Chief Program Officer Jason Kunzman said.

Every Sunday it’s the same, as it has been for almost three decades. Afternoons end with some athletes hitting the pool. Others board buses and return home. The group will congregate again the next week, even though most of the athletes, coaches and parents aren’t members of the JCC.

But membership isn’t the point, JCC leaders explained.

Providing a space for Special Olympics “speaks to everything we do here,” said Sherree Hall, the JCC’s senior director of facilities and wellness. “We are open to this community, and we want to be able to serve every part of this community.”

For more than 30 years, Hall has seen children grow up inside the building, use the organization’s resources, begin families of their own and start the pattern again.

The JCC deserves credit for many different programs but not Special Olympics, Hall explained.

“The takeaway is not about us,” she said. “The takeaway is that these participants have a place to come and that our community serves them.”

Kunzman couldn’t agree more.

“This is an explicit demonstration of our approach and our desire to be as inclusive as possible,” he said.

Neither the athletes nor their coaches are asked to pay a cent toward the facilities in Squirrel Hill or the South Hills.

Mercer County resident Connie Federbusch said the arrangement is “wonderful.” Whether the athletes live in group homes, independently or with their parents, “money is always an issue.”

Federbusch, 75, belonged to the JCC decades ago when she lived in Churchill. At the time, her children were involved in a host of JCC activities, including Emma Kaufmann Camp, and spent summer days at the JCC’s Family Park pool in Monroeville.

Her son Scott “always wanted to be like his brother or sister,” Federbusch said. Special Olympics Pennsylvania — an organization that offers “year-round sports training and competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities” — helped make that possible.

Scott Federbusch, 42, is a person with Down syndrome. For the past 34 years, he has competed in basketball, bowling and various track and field events.

“If it’s out there, he’ll do it,” his mother said.

“Except he doesn’t do swimming.”

Like Scott Federbusch, Jack Flaherty, 37, began competing at age 8. At the time, Flaherty’s family lived in Texas. About five years ago, they moved to O’Hara Township.

the mother said.

Competing affords her son, and the other athletes, an opportunity to “gain confidence and build a positive self-image,” McBride-Valizadeh said.

There’s also the social component.

to get involved in Special Olympics, and maybe even join him for training.

“We do skills,” he said. “We run around the gym three times. We do a couple of layups, a couple of drills. I love it.”

Federbusch enjoys basketball but said he

“We found out about the JCC here, and I’m the kind of person who can’t sit in the stands. I have to get involved,” Jack’s mother, Jane Flaherty, 72, said.

Jane Flaherty used to coach basketball and track and field. Now she coaches bowling and bocce.

“I get much more out of it than I put in,” she said. “It’s like having a huge family. We are all connected.”

But the kinship isn’t just between teammates — it’s with the larger community, Flaherty said.

On Sundays, JCC members use the same space as the athletes.

“We practice shot put using tennis balls so we don’t hurt anyone,” she said with a laugh.

Ellen McBride-Valizadeh, 66, has been with the group since the mid-1990s. Her son, Dariush Valizebeth, 35, used to compete in numerous events, now “due to his work schedule, he does bowling and basketball,”

“Some athletes may be in school or work, but their social network can be smaller,” she said. “So to have friends to share with, and laugh with and share in those accomplishments is just thrilling.”

McBride-Valizadeh said the JCC group consists of about 55 athletes ranging from 10 years old to their mid-50s. Several athletes compete in multiple sports. Others specialize in just one.

McBride-Valizadeh urged the wider community to get to know some of the athletes.

“There are many, many different kinds of people in the world, and if you live in your shell and don’t see a person with a disability perform a shot put, or a race, you don’t understand what they’re capable of,” she said. “Anything they want to do, if they put their mind to it, they can do it. They just need the opportunity.”

Scott Federbusch agreed.

He said he hopes readers will be encouraged

looks forward to warmer days when the track and field team meets outdoors at Schenley Park.

“We do laps then we do long jump, shot put and the 100-meter dash,” he said. “I love to run a lot and get more fit.” Because of the exercise, “I fit into my clothes, and I can be more healthy.”

Federbusch knows everyone doesn’t share his enthusiasm for sprinting along a synthetic surface or practicing foul shots in a crowded gym, but he said there are plenty of opportunities, and reasons, to get involved in Special Olympics.

For one thing, he said, it’s a great way to make friends.

“I tell people, if they need anything from me they should give me a call, or text me, and I will talk to them.” PJC

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

p Special Olympics athletes Photo by Ellen McBride-Valizadeh

“I get much more out of it than I put in. It’s like having a huge family. We are all connected.”

– JANE FLAHERTY, SPECIAL OLYMPICS COACH

Jewish comedian buys second church to bring more laughs to Pittsburgh

organization to become self-sustaining,” Hofstetter said. “You know, I never wanted it to be a cult of personality around me. I want it to be something that the members really kind of take ownership of and help run. And so the elections were a big step toward that.”

Though Steel City AF and Sunken Bus Studios are not affiliated, Hofstetter envisions a beneficial relationship between the entities.

“It’s very easy for us to produce shows for Steel City AF at the new space and to allow Steel City AF members to utilize some of the equipment and collaborative space for filming,” he said.

Additionally, when top comics come to perform at Sunken Bus Studios, Steel City AF members can provide opening acts: “This is a way for them to learn and a way for them to get more paid work.”

With nonprofit Steel City AF pushing ahead in Stanton Heights and forprofit Sunken Bus Studios readying to launch in Ross Township, Hofstetter said there’s only one thing left to accomplish: “My goal is to bring an NBA team to Pittsburgh.”

by this summer and credited former tenant Audible Images with designing studios that welcomed both the Wu-Tang Clan and Dave Matthews Band for recording sessions.

Red Caiman Media — a group whose clients include Andrea Bocelli, Ewan McGregor and Leslie Odom Jr. — is moving its downtown studios to the new building and helping Hofstetter transform several rooms into a state-of-the-art post-production facility. Once complete, Sunken Bus Studios can welcome 200-300 people for events and serve as a site for set building, filming, audio and post-production.

The project is “unique not just to Pittsburgh, but I think to anywhere,” Hofstetter said. “That’s unheard of.”

The Jewish stand-up and podcast host is no stranger to repurposing old churches. Two years ago, Steel City AF (the nonprofit Hofstetter founded) bought a former house of worship in Stanton Heights and transitioned it into a “live/work/play environment for comedians in Pittsburgh.”

“We’re still in the process of zoning — it’s a long arduous process — but aside from that

we’re up and running,” Hostetter said of the organization’s Stanton Heights home.

More than 30 members of the organization use the space for writing, recording podcasts and filming. Three comedians live rentfree in an adjacent three-bedroom house thanks to a grant from Steel City AF. And member elections just occurred, Hofstetter said. The organization hopes to partner with the community on city cleanups and other initiatives.

“I’m trying to do what I can to move the

Though the likelihood of a professional basketball franchise coming to Pittsburgh seems ridiculous to most local sports enthusiasts, Hofstetter said the truth behind his joke is there’s little else the city lacks. Having lived in Los Angeles and New York City, Pittsburgh is the most “livable” place he’s ever called home.

“It has almost anything you need from a big city, but it’s still easy to get around,” he said. “The parks aren’t crowded. It’s a simple, easy existence. And I love that, so I want to do what I can to make things even better here.” PJC

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

A new novel about the Ethiopian Jewish experience in Israel

— BOOKS —

Kim Salzman, an Israeli with Pittsburgh ties, will release her debut novel, “Straddling Black and White,” on April 13.

The book, Salzman writes on her website, is her “humble but earnest attempt to pay homage to the tremendous sacrifices made by the thousands of Ethiopian Jews who made aliyah to Israel, and to those who perished on the way.”

The historical fiction saga tells the story of an Ethiopian Jewish family torn apart in the 1980s during Operation Moses. The protagonist, 14-year-old Azmera, embarks on the treacherous journey via Sudan to join her father in Israel, leaving her pregnant mother and younger

siblings behind. Upon her arrival to Israel, Azmera struggles to assimilate into her new homeland where the language,

the land, the culture and the people are foreign to her.

“Straddling Black and White,” Salzman

writes, “is more than just a novel about the heroic Ethiopian Jewry’s immigration to Israel — it is a novel about risking everything in pursuit of a dream.”

Salzman was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. After earning her law degree from the University of Michigan, she immigrated to Israel, served in the international law department of the Israel Defense Forces, and worked for the United Nations Refugee Agency and an organization advocating for the legal rights of Ethiopian-Israelis. She lives in Northern Israel and works as the Israel and overseas director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. PJC

Toby Tabachnick

p Steve Hofstetter

Photo by Taylor Reschka

p Book cover Courtesy

“‘Straddling Black and White’ is more than just a novel about the heroic Ethiopian Jewry’s immigration to Israel — it is a novel about risking everything in pursuit of a dream.”

–KIM SALZMAN

A glimpse of Jewish life in Turkey, thanks to a Squirrel Hill student

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

It all started in a simple classroom. The class: Independent Literary Publishing at Chatham University. The student? Madison Jackson, a Squirrel Hill graduate student in the second year of her two-year Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing.

Jackson was tasked with creating an independent press, a publishing house all her own, and she dubbed it with the English translation of her Hebrew name — Malka Ariela, or “Queen of Lions.”

“It has this idea of representing strength, of being fierce,” Jackson told the Chronicle. “And ‘Malka’ makes it [about] strong women.”

Jackson already had an author in mind for her first chapbook, a short tome of about 40 pages printed in a limited run: Liza Cemel, a Turkish-bred Jew living in Germany and writing about the experience of being Jewish in a less-expected corner of the Diaspora.

The title of Cemel’s soon-to-bereleased U.S. debut is “At the Point of Joy and Sorrow: Essays about Jewish Life In Turkey.”

“She’s a passionate Jewish thinker, a passionate writer — she’s 24 years old, and I thought she’d be someone interesting to reach out to,” Jackson said. “I wanted to bring her work to an English, North American audience.”

While working on the book, Cemel’s world was rocked by the Turkish earthquake; the head of Jewish life in her home city of Antakya was killed, along with many others. But, largely true to the initial concept, Cemel added only one essay about life in Turkey after the earthquake.

All proceeds above production costs will be donated to a nonprofit supporting Turkish rebuilding.

“We’re really making this into a project that can help the Jewish world in Turkey,” Jackson said.

Cemel is modest about the colorful experiences that inspired her to write essays about Jewish life and Jewish living.

“Having lived in different countries, I got to experience different parts of the world; of myself; of cultures; of my Judaism, and specifically of different Jewish communities,” Cemel told the Chronicle. “I tried to take different pieces from each and every community, as well as ideas from each and every person that touched my life and my outlook on life.”

Cemel says her unique vision of Jewishness “is a combination of roots

and traditions, continuous Jewish learning and growth, unity and support, experience and discovery of Jewish stories, music, languages and, of course, cuisine!”

Jackson, who is Jewish, has never been to Turkey. But Cemel has taught her a great deal through conversation —and her writing.

“I’ve learned a lot about Turkey through being friends with, and now working with, Liza,” Jackson said.

Cemel admits she “did not realize the actual meaning and potential” of the publishing project when Jackson first approached her about it.

“My guess is that young writers like me might face the challenges of underestimating the ideas we share with the world —at least our world — which we can influence for the better,” Cemel said. “Of course, this is immensely flattering that someone on the other side of the world found the stories very valuable, as I did. The outcomes excite me for my personal and professional growth, and I am looking forward to new things it will bring.”

The book has Jackson looking forward to new things, too.

“It definitely makes me want to go to Turkey even more,” she said. “Just like Jewish life anywhere, Jewish life in Turkey is complicated. While very unique, it has ways of being similar to Jewish life in other parts of the world.”

A launch party for the chapbook will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on April 18, in The Welker Room inside the James Laughlin Music Center on the university’s Squirrel Hill campus. PJC

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Publishes April 21 • Ad Deadline April 12

We invite you to help the Chronicle commemorate Israel’s first 75 years in a special feature section to be published April 21. Through photos, stories and opinions, the section will highlight the Jewish state’s challenges and accomplishments, its resilience and innovation, its art, food and of course, its people. Join us in celebrating the miracle of the Jewish state!

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

p Chapbook cover Image courtesy of Madison Jackson

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.

SUNDAYS, APRIL 9–30

The ten plagues. The Exodus. The splitting of the sea. The delivery of manna … Judaism has a long list of miracles. But do we really believe in miracles? How should rational minds think about the miraculous? In “Miracles - A Jewish Perspective,” Rabbi Danny Schi will consider the place of miracles in Judaism and how Jews might think about the miraculous today. 10 a.m. $55. Four sessions on Zoom. jewishpgh.org/event/miracles-ajewish-perspective.

SUNDAYS, APRIL 9 – DEC. 3

Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for its Men’s Tefillin Club. Enjoy bagels, lox and tefillin on the first Sunday of the month. 8:30 a.m. chabadpgh.com.

SUNDAYS, APRIL 9 – DEC. 17

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

MONDAYS, APRIL 10–MAY 22

We Jews have an array of texts and making sense of them is not easy. In the six-part series “The Jewish Text Puzzle,” Rabbi Danny Schi will put the pieces of the “text puzzle” into one coherent picture, so that the place of Torah, Tanakh, Talmud, Midrash, Responsa and Kabbalah, as well as many other sources, can be easily understood. Schi will provide a historical context that will explain the significance of our various texts to Judaism. 7 p.m. $85. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. jewishpgh.org/event/the-jewish-text-puzzle.

MONDAYS, APRIL 10 – DEC. 18

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

MONDAY, APRIL 10 – SUNDAY, MAY 7

The Healing Garden is an exhibit of drawings by members of the Allegheny Highlands Botanical Art Society. Free and open to the public. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org.

TUESDAYS, APRIL 11 – MAY 9

In “Israel Literature as a Window to Israel Society,” Rabbi Danny Schi will facilitate an encounter with Israeli society through the pens of Israel’s leading writers, discovering voices that are original, contemporary and honest. This 10-part Melton course takes you on a literary journey o ering a fresh examination of the ever-relevant issues faced by Israeli writers. Together, learners will read poetry and prose, gaining insights into the Jewish national psyche. 9:30 a.m. $160. jewishpgh.org/event/israeliliterature-as-a-window-to-israeli-society/2023-02-07.

TUESDAYS, APRIL 11 – DEC. 19

Join Temple Sinai for a weekly Talmud class with Rabbi Daniel Fellman. Noon. On site and online. For more information and for the Zoom link, contact Temple Sinai at 412-421-9715.

TUESDAYS, APRIL 11 – DEC. 26

Led by a certified yoga teacher, yoga class at Temple Sinai is open to all levels. No experience necessary. 16 and older. $15. Register at templesinaipgh.org.

WEDNESDAYS, APRIL 12, 19

Participate in weekly gentle yoga with a skilled and caring yoga instructor experienced in trauma-informed care. Experience an hour of gentle and calming yoga and learn yoga you can do at home and in stressful situations, including while seated. 3 p.m. 10.27 Healing Partnership suite inside the Squirrel Hill JCC. Facilitated by Susie Balcom and open to everyone. Register here: forms.gle/ JQtgrutJyByaMM5K6.

WEDNESDAYS, APRIL 12 – MAY 24

In the new 10-part Zoom course, “Sacks: To Heal a Fractured World,” Rabbi Danny Schi will explore “To Heal a Fractured World,” Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ book on the nature of Jewish responsibility for the broader world. Students will be invited to read this pivotal book and to discuss its contents in order to arrive at a better

understanding of the views of Rabbi Sacks on the goals and vision of Judaism. 9:30 a.m. $145 for all 10 sessions. jewishpgh.org/event/sacks-to-heal-a-fracturedworld/2023-02-2.

Registration is now open for “Melton Core 1: Rhythms and Purposes of Jewish Living.” This 25-lesson course will take you through the year’s cycle — the life cycle traditions and practices that bind us together. Explore not just the what is and how is of Jewish living, but the why is that go with them. 7 p.m. $300 per person, per year (25 sessions), includes all books and materials. Virtual. foundation.jewishpgh.org/melton-core-1.

WEDNESDAYS, APRIL 12 – DEC. 27

Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/life-text.

Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torah portion class on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link.

THURSDAYS, APRIL 13, 27

This bimonthly Refaeinu healing circle is led by Sara Stock Mayo, a spiritual leader, trained drama therapist, musician and poet. The space will be open to anyone who seeks to create community in shared healing rituals, Jewish texts and music, art making and embodied wellness practices. 10.27 Healing Partnership Suite, JCC of Greater Pittsburgh. 7 p.m. To register, visit forms.gle/ pAJoXvNXSJ9Ks3ow9.

FRIDAY, APRIL 14

Welcome Shabbat with family and friends, music and prayer at Rodef Shalom Congregation’s Family Shabbat. Join together for a Shabbat dinner and a Kabbalat Shabbat song session and service specially designed for families and kids of all ages. End the night with a sweet dessert. Dinner is $5 per person with a maximum of $25 per family. Registration required. 6 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 15 –

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

Prime Stage Theatre presents the world premiere of “Perseverance,” a memoir of healing and renewal. Few visitors to the G&S Jewelry Store in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood during the 1960s and ’70s were aware that the cheerful proprietor, Melvin Goldman, had spent his teens enduring the horrors of Auschwitz before arriving as a penniless refugee in postwar Pittsburgh intent on reshaping his family’s destiny. 8 p.m. Adults $24/Students $19. 6 Allegheny Square E, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. primestage.com/education/perseverance.

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

“When Henry Silverstein Got Cold. How Terrible Enumerators Help Us Do Better Census Research with Tammy Hepps” is a collaboration between the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh and the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center. Register online. The program is free for JGS-Pittsburgh members, as well as for the general public. 11 a.m. Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman St. heinzhistorycenter.org/event/ jgs-pittsburgh-presents-when-henry-silverstein-got-cold.

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for an exciting Partnership2Gether online event that brings together people from di erent Jewish communities for a thought-provoking discussion, based on a prize-winning short Israeli film, “Pinhas: Families,” 1 p.m. jewishpgh. org/event/film-club.

Scholar and activist Dr. Shula Mola, named one of Israel’s 50 most influential women in 2022 by Globes newspaper, will deliver the annual lecture of the Israel Heritage Nationality Room and the University of Pittsburgh’s Jewish studies program. The title of her talk is “Becoming Visible: Ethiopian Jews and the Formation of Black Identity” in Israel. 4:30 p.m. Free. Cathedral of Learning, room 332.

The Pittsburgh Girls Choir and Congregation Beth Shalom’s Derekh program proudly present “The Beauty That Still Remains,” a concert of hope and reflection through song in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day. PGC Chamber Choir will sing Linda Tutas Haugen’s “Anne Frank: A Living Voice,” featuring words directly from Anne Frank’s immortal diary. Rounding out the evening’s program: “Ani Ma’amin”

(arr. Caldwell & Ivory) and “Psalm Trilogy” by Srul Irving Glick, with the participation of LaRoche University dancers. 7 p.m. 5915 Beacon Street. Tickets and info at bethshalompgh.org or pittsburghgirlschoir.com.

MONDAY, APRIL 17

Women are invited to attend Chabad of Squirrel Hill’s Torah and Tea and explore the rich stories of our matriarchs with Rivky Herman. 7 p.m. $18. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com.

MONDAYS, APRIL 17 – MAY 15

Understanding the Torah and what it asks of us is one of the most important things a Jew can learn. But most Torah classes begin in Genesis and never finish the first book. If you want a comprehensive overview of the whole Torah, Torah 1 is the course for you. In the first year of this two-year Zoom course, Rabbi Danny Schi will teach Genesis, Exodus and the first half of Leviticus. In the second year, he will complete Leviticus and cover Numbers and Deuteronomy. $225. 9:30 a.m. foundation. jewishpgh.org/torah-1.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19

Dealing compassionately and e ectively with individuals with mental illness is a challenge for Jewish communal professionals, and with the upcoming trial of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, these strategies are needed now more than ever. Although safety is everyone’s concern, unusual behavior is not necessarily a security risk and it’s important to know where to get help for someone who’s in distress. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, in collaboration with The Branch, JFCS and the 10/27 Healing Partnership, is hosting a lunch and learn program for Jewish communal professionals. 11:30 a.m. Registration required by April 12. 2000 Technology Drive. jewishpgh.org/event/compassionatecommunity-response.

Join the Squirrel Hill AARP for its April meeting. State Sen. Jay Costa will be the guest speaker and will discuss what is going on in Harrisburg and senior citizen issues. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, Falk Library. For further information contact Marcia Kramer at 412-656-5803.

WEDNESDAYS, APRIL 19 – DEC. 20

Join AgeWell for an intergenerational family dynamics discussion group. Whether you have family harmony or strife, these discussions are going to be thoughtprovoking and helpful. Led by intergenerational specialist/ presenter and educator Audree Schall. Third Wednesday of each month. Free. 12:30 p.m. South Hills JCC.

THURSDAYS, APRIL 20, 27

Many are concerned that democracy is under threat. That reality raises a critical question: What does Judaism have to say about democracy? What is the attitude of Judaism to majority rule, to defending minorities, to the separation of religion and state, to kings and courts? In “Is Judaism Compatible with Democracy?” Rabbi Danny Schi will delve into what our texts have to say about the structure of government from a Jewish viewpoint. Co-sponsored and o ered in conjunction with Temple Sinai. $55. 9:30 a.m. Temple Sinai, 5505 Forbes Ave. jewishpgh.org/event/isjudaism-compatible-with-democracy/2023-03-23.

THURSDAYS, APRIL 20, MAY 18

Join the JCC Bu alo for monthly virtual readings as part of the Jewish Poetry Series. Hosted by Philip Terman and Baruch November. Each month will feature di erent Jewish poets reading selections of poems that include but are not limited to Jewish themes, values and ideas. 7 p.m. Free and open to the community. jccbu alo. org/events/2023/02/09/arts-and-culture/virtual-jewishpoetry-reading-series.

THURSDAY, APRIL 20 – SUNDAY, APRIL 30

The JFilm Festival takes place April 20-30. The festival will showcase 24 Jewish-themed, independent feature films from around the world. Exclusive Film Schmooze discussions about some of the films will be featured. The festival will include the April 27 festival premiere of “Jack L. Warner: The Last Mogul.” For more information, visit FilmPittsburgh.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

Do your kids like to sing and dance? Do you want them to get the Shabbat feeling? Are you looking for an informal, inviting way to teach your little ones about Shabbat and

connect with other families? Join Temple Sinai for Tot Shabbat beginning at 5 p.m. with snacks, schmooze and fun. Service starts at 5:30 p.m. A complimentary and kidfriendly dinner will follow at 6 p.m. templesinaipgh.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 23

Advanced Community Active Threat Training (CATT), a free three-hour course presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, addresses the mind of an active shooter, predator versus prey, situational awareness and survival mindset. It focuses on basic self-defense using techniques such as Krav Maga and is hands-on for those wishing to do so. It explores weapons awareness and disarming techniques. The last portion of the class builds on skills learned, adding more advanced defensive tactics to include team tactics and realitybased training. 1 p.m. Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, 1900 Cochran Road, 15220. jewishpgh.org/event/ advanced-community-active-threat-training-catt-2.

Jewish Veg welcomes Rabbi Akiva Gersh, aka The Vegan Rabbi, from Israel to Pittsburgh. A graduate of Brown and Yeshiva universities, Rabbi Gersh will show how our sacred texts and rabbinic tradition lead us to a plant-based diet. Kosher vegan hors d’oeuvres will be served. Free. 3 p.m. Boyce Park, Patrol Shelter, Plum Borough. jewishveg.org/Pittsburgh.

Join Rodef Shalom Congregation for “Understanding Gen Z: How will the next generation shape our Jewish world?”, the 2023 Ruth and Bernard Levaur Contemporary Lecture with guest speaker Rabbi Debbie Pine, campus support director at Hillel International. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. Reception to follow. 7:30 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/levaur.

SUNDAYS, APRIL 23, MAY 21, JUNE 11 and SEPT. 10

Join Beth Shalom Congregation for “Toward Friendship and Discovery: Conversations Between Christians and Jews” as they read portions of “The Bible With and Without Jesus” together in small interfaith groups. The program is currently limited to 50 Jewish and 50 Christian participants. Childcare will be provided. All food o erings will be kosher or otherwise labeled for mutual comfort. Registration is required. $100/per person. BethShalomPgh.org/Interfaith-Program-2023

MONDAY, APRIL 24

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for its Yom HaZikaron ceremony honoring soldiers who gave their lives to defend the state of Israel, and victims of terror. 8 p.m. JCC Katz Performing Arts Center. jewishpgh.org/event/yom-hazikaron.

SUNDAY, APRIL 30

On your mark. Get set. Go! Israel is celebrating 75 years of statehood this April. Pittsburgh will celebrate with a community “Yom Ha’atzmaut: Run/Walk/Roll for Israel at 75.” Free for nonracers. Craft tables, bounce house, Israeli line dancing, photo booth. Register to run/walk/roll and receive a race kit. 9:30 a.m.$12 per person/$5 for kids. Schenley Oval, 1 Overlook Drive. jewishpgh.org/event/run-walk-roll-for-israel-at-75.  Gather at Chabad of Squirrel Hill with other teen girls for a Teen Cooking Club and bake desserts for Our Giving Kitchen. 3:30 p.m. chabadpgh.com.

THURSDAYS, MAY 4; JUNE 1

Join local clergy from Jewish and Christian backgrounds for the Christian Jewish Dialogue, a monthly discussion exploring topics of similarities and di erences. Noon. Rodef Shalom Congregation. rodefshalom.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 16; WEDNESDAY, MAY 31

UpStreet Pittsbugh presents “Supporting Kids with Anxiety: A Jewish Approach,” the Annual Alex Seed Memorial Lecture. Both sessions are open to anyone. May 16 is directed to educators; May 31 is directed to parents. In this free Zoom workshop, you’ll gain insight into how anxiety and other mental health challenges show up in various environments and impact both adults and children in those spaces; an understanding of hallmark unhealthy thinking patterns that show up frequently with depression and anxiety; and, Jewish texts and values that can be used as a lens for modeling and teaching healthier thinking habits. 7 p.m. upstreetpgh. org/alexseed. PJC

Headlines

Jewish leaders address 2024 primary election scheduled for Passover

Sasha Rogelberg | Contributing Writer

For the upcoming presidential primary, some Pennsylvania Jews worry they may have to sacrifice their civic duties for their religious ones.

Pennsylvania, as well as Delaware, Rhode Island and Maryland, is scheduled to hold its 2024 presidential primary elections on April 23, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, which is the first day of Passover, JTA.org reported.

The first two and last two days of Passover are all yom tov, festival days, which, according to Jewish law, prohibit the use of technology or writing, preventing halachically observant Jews from driving to the polls or using voting machines to cast their ballots.

Rabbi Yochonon Goldman of B’nai Abraham Chabad in Philadelphia said the conflict would deter some Jews from visiting the polls.

“I’m sure there are a lot of observant Jews who would not be able to participate in voting,” he said.

Pennsylvania’s administration, including Jewish Gov. Josh Shapiro, is aware of the conflict, said Hank Butler, executive director

of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition. Leaders across political parties and religions, including the Catholic Conference, have reached out to Butler asking how they could help in efforts to change the primary’s date.

An argument to move the primary’s date for religious reasons likely wouldn’t gain much traction because Pennsylvania offers mail-in ballots for residents to vote remotely before election day.

Some legislators have pushed to move

the presidential fortunes of many candidates have relied upon Pennsylvania,” Solomon said. “So we make ourselves even larger if we move that date a month back.”

An earlier primary would mean that presidential candidates would spend more time interacting specifically with Pennsylvanians. Additional news coverage in the commonwealth would mean more press affiliates and campaign staff staying in Pennsylvania, which would increase revenue, Solomon said.

The bill will enter a newly formed committee in the House soon, with a companion piece entering the Senate. There are additional bills that would increase voting accessibility, Solomon said, such as automatic and same-day voter registration, and one which proposes two weeks of in-person early voting that would eliminate future concerns of election days falling on holidays.

“This good news is, we have over a year to figure this out,” Butler said.

Jewish Democratic state Rep. Jared Solomon, who represents Philadelphia, has helped introduce a bill to move the 2024 presidential primary up to March, though the date change has nothing to do with Passover.

up Pennsylvania’s primary date to give the commonwealth greater influence in the election, as well as bring in additional revenue. The push to move the primary has existed since Gov. Ed Rendell’s tenure, according to Solomon.

“We’ve been pivotal in choosing the makeup both for the U.S. Senate, and

“The goal, of course, is that at every time, whether it’s mail-in voting or in-person voting, we want to make sure that everyone is able to access the ballot,” he said. PJC

Sasha Rogelberg writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication.

“The goal, of course, is that at every time, whether it’s mail-in voting or in-person voting, we want to make sure that everyone is able to access the ballot.”

–JARED SOLOMON, STATE REPRESENTATIVE

Headlines

Robert Kraft will spend $25 million running ads against antisemitism. Is this the right way to protect Jews?

— NATIONAL —

By Arno Rosenfeld | Forward

In what may be the most ambitious public awareness campaign about American antisemitism since the 1950s, Robert Kraft, the billionaire Jewish businessman, plans to spend $25 million flooding television airwaves with wrenching depictions of hatred against Jews over the next six weeks.

The effort, which launched Monday, will aim to show the advertisements to every American adult at least 10 times — for a total of more than 1 billion impressions — and ask them to post a blue square emoji on social media to draw attention to antisemitism.

“We believe this is the most effective way to start a conversation with people across the country,” said Matthew Berger, the director of the Foundation to Combat Anti-Semitism, which is managing the project. “We need to show people outside the Jewish community what antisemitism looks like.”

The move by Kraft, who created the foundation in 2019, is the newest and most expensive entry in a growing field of advertisements condemning antisemitism aimed at the general public. While a host of philanthropists appear eager to bankroll these appeals, some observers question the efficacy of pouring millions of dollars into public campaigns whose impact is difficult to measure.

“We don’t have people who are asking, ‘Hey, is this a good strategy?’” said Jonathan Sarna, a scholar of American Jewish history. Critics question whether portraying Jews as a uniquely embattled minority group is accurate or productive. The campaign leans heavily on an interpretation of polling data and statistics that makes hatred against Jews appear especially dire.

Kraft first ran an advertisement against antisemitism last fall during an NFL game featuring the New England Patriots, which he owns. But JewBelong has been running billboard campaigns against antisemitism since 2021 and Shine A Light, a coalition of nearly 100 leading Jewish groups funded by the South African billionaire Natie Kirsh, ran a national advertising campaign about a ntisemitism over Chanukah.

There have been other smaller and more sporadic projects, including 10 digital billboards produced by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles in December meant to highlight pithy words of Jewish wisdom. And that’s not counting the proliferation of social media awareness campaigns — which require far fewer resources to produce — by organizations launched in recent years like #EndJewHatred.

Kraft created FCAS, which is based in the Boston area, after he won the Israeli Genesis Prize, pledging $20 million to the new foundation and announcing two $5 million gifts from others, including Roman Abramovich, the Russian Jewish billionaire who has recently been ensnared by controversy over the war in Ukraine.

At the time, Kraft said one of his primary motivations was “to counter the normalization

of antisemitic narratives that question Israel’s right to exist,” though he stayed away from that rhetoric in announcing the new media blitz.

Instead, the focus is on what many metrics have shown to be a rising number of antisemitic incidents in the country. “There is a role for each of us to play in combating a problem that is unfortunately all too prevalent in communities across the country today,” Kraft, who declined an interview request, said in a statement. “We must stand up and take action against the rise of all hate.”

This rise includes antisemitic stunts, like banner drops and laser projections by white supremacist groups, as well as the offensive acts by celebrities, media figures and politicians like Donald Trump, who dined with Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier, in November.

Kraft has long been close with the former president, including donating $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee, and his new ad push steers clear of political components of antisemitism.

Highlighting ‘upstanders’

The minute-long ads, directed by Derek Cianfrance, who made the film “Blue Valentine,” feature harrowing depictions of antisemitism followed by moving interventions from people outside the Jewish community. In one, a young girl is confused to see the message “No Jews” painted alongside a swastika on her family’s garage door. When her mother returns from dropping her off at school, a neighbor has painted over the graffiti. “1 in 4 Jewish Americans were the victim of hate last year,” the ad concludes.

That figure comes from an American Jewish Committee survey released in February, and refers to the 26% of Jews who reported being targeted by an offensive remark in person or online, or a physical attack. Respondents were not polled about antisemitic vandalism like that depicted in the video, which is exceedingly rare. The Anti-Defamation League found that vandalism targeting homes represented a tiny fraction of overall cases last year: about 12 out of more than 3,600 incidents.

In another spot, a teenage boy is sitting on

his bed when he starts receiving antisemitic comments on a TikTok video of his bar mitzvah. “Could your Jew nose get any bigger???” one reads. Moments later, a Black a capella group sends him a video in which they sing a Jewish prayer. Another statistic flashes on the screen: “70% of Jewish Americans faced antisemitism online last year.”

The AJC found that 13% of American Jews had been “the target” of online antisemitism, like the boy in the ad. That number jumps to 69% after including those who had seen antisemitic content online that was not directed at them at least once in the past year.

Berger said the scenes depicted in the ads were based on real incidents and that they represented a fair portrayal of antisemitism.

“Not all antisemitic incidents are to the level of what we describe in our videos, but I believe everyone in the Jewish community is fearful that they’re the next target,” Berger said in an interview.

The campaign, called #StandUpToJewishHate, is focused on the idea that Jews are a tiny proportion of Americans but the targets of most religious hate crimes. The blue square emoji, which takes up a small share of television and phone screens, is meant to represent the 2.4% of Americans who are Jews.

The square is contrasted with the 55% of religious hate crimes that the FBI said were aimed at Jews in 2020, the last year for which reliable data is available. Like other figures used in the campaign, that statistic is also complicated. There were 959 hate crimes against Jews reported in 2020, or about 8% of all such incidents if you include hate crimes of all categories. FCAS shows both the 55% and 8% figure on its website.

The emphasis on rising antisemitism, and the need for non-Jews to intervene, is a common theme in recent public campaigns about the issue. Shine A Light, which was launched in 2021 but expanded with a $4 million budget last year, used the hate crime statistics in social media ads, while JewBelong directs many of its arch appeals to the general public: “Does your church need security cameras? ’Cause our synagogue does.”

But do they work?

Jewish ad campaigns against discrimination became popular in the 1930s and many ran through the 1950s, using a combination of billboards, bumper stickers, pamphlets and radio messages to promote an inclusive society.

These public appeals, which did not focus on antisemitism, were funded by the ADL and American Jewish Committee, though they eventually fell out of favor in the 1960s as the sponsors realized they had no idea if the ads were working.

“It was virtually impossible to demonstrate to financial contributors in the Jewish community, for example, that costly mass media programs were having a significant impact on public opinion,” Stuart Svonkin, a scholar of antisemitism, wrote in his book “Jews Against Prejudice.”

There have been sporadic attempts to run ads decrying antisemitism and raising Holocaust awareness in the decades since, although they did not become common in the U.S. until recently.

In 2004, the Union of Jewish Students in France canceled a series of ads condemning antisemitism that portrayed the French phrase for “Dirty Jew” above images of Jesus and Mary, a pairing that managed to offend both Catholics and many Jews.

And in 2001, two ad campaigns were canceled for doing more harm than good. A billboard in Berlin meant to raise money for a Holocaust memorial showed a pristine mountain landscape under the words “The Holocaust Never Happened,” intended to offer a jarring example of what forgetting the genocide might look like. It was taken down early. That same year in the Czech Republic, a series of government-sponsored television ads, billboards and transit posters meant to ridicule neo-Nazis alarmed many locals by using the confusing slogan, “Be Kind to Your Local Nazi.”

Sarna, a professor at Brandeis University, said it wasn’t just the effectiveness of advertising against antisemitism that has gone untested. Almost none of the recent boom in philanthropy focused on keeping Jews safe has been rigorously analyzed.

Please see Kraft, page 10

p Robert Kraft Photo by New England Patriots, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Stanford digitizes thousands of pages of Nuremberg trial documents, available to public Stanford University digitized thousands of pages and documents from the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, which followed the defeat of the Nazis and the end of World War II in 1945, JNS.org reported.

The archive is a collaboration with the library of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It relied on funding from Taube Philanthropies and cataloging assistance from United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

“The idea is to present to the public, without any cost, information that is directly derived from these trials, directly derived from the prosecution of people who have committed crimes against humanity,” Michael Keller, a librarian at Stanford, told NBC’s Bay Area affiliate.

The Taube Archive of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, 1945-’46, includes a digital version of Nuremberg courtroom proceedings, films, audio recordings of the proceedings and about 250,000 pages of digitized English, French, German and Russian documents, according to its website.

The more than 9,900 items — searchable and viewable in digital form —include “evidence exhibits filed by the prosecution and the defense” and “documents of the Committee for the Investigation and Prosecution of Major War Criminals,” as well as the judgment.

Greece arrests 2 men suspected of planning attacks on Jewish sites in Athens

Greek authorities arrested two men on March 28 who were planning mass terrorist attacks on Jewish sites in Athens, including a Chabad outpost and a Jewish restaurant, JTA.org reported.

The Mossad, Israel’s spy agency which contributed to the investigation, told the Associated Press that the men, who are Pakistani nationals, are also part of an Iranian terror network. A third man is wanted for questioning. The group reportedly entered Greece from Turkey illegally four months ago.

“After the investigation of the suspects began in Greece, Mossad assisted in unraveling intelligence of the infrastructure, the methods of operation, and the connection to Iran,” the Israeli agency said in a statement.

In Greece, home to between 2,000 and 3,000 Jews, the attacks were believed to be imminent, officials said, noting that the suspects “had received final instructions” to carry them out. Police searched for the suspects in Athens, southern Greece and the island of Zakynthos.

Greg Weiner becomes first Jewish president of a US Catholic university

When he was inaugurated as Assumption University’s 17th president on March 23, Greg Weiner reportedly became the first Jewish person to run a Catholic university in the United States, JNS.org reported.

After serving in the role on an interim basis the prior year at the educational institution in Worcester, Massachusetts, he was eventually

Today in Israeli History

— WORLD —

Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.

April 7, 1977 — Maccabi Tel Aviv wins European title

Maccabi Tel Aviv wins its first European basketball championship by defeating the two-time defending champions, Mobilgirgi Varese of Italy, and avoiding a letdown after upsetting the Soviet Union’s CSKA Moscow in the semifinals.

April 8, 1929 — Palestine Exhibition opens

The fourth Palestine and Near East Exhibition opens in Tel Aviv, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, to showcase the commercial and industrial activity of the Jewish area of settlement.

April 9, 1973 — Israeli commandos raid Beirut

Ehud Barak leads a successful seaborne commando raid on Beirut to kill three PLO officials connected to the Munich Olympics massacre: Mohammed Yousef al-Najjar, Kamal Adwan and Kamal Nasser.

April 10, 2002 — Suicide bomber kills 8 on Haifa bus

Eight passengers on a commuter bus in Haifa, including the 18-year-old niece of Israel’s U.N. ambassador, are killed in a Second Intifada suicide bombing claimed by both Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

April 11, 1909 — Tel Aviv is founded

Sixty-six families gather on the dunes outside Jaffa to claim lots in the new neighborhood of Ahuzat Bayit (“Homestead”), marking the founding of Tel Aviv. A lottery using white and gray seashells connects families to lots.

April 12, 1951 — Knesset creates Yom HaShoah

The Knesset establishes the 27th of Nisan as Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. The date is chosen because it is close to the start of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising without intruding on Passover.

April 13, 1971 — Black Panthers meet with Meir

Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir meets with leaders of the Black Panthers, a Mizrahi activist group protesting social injustice and discrimination.The group is inspired by but not affiliated with the U.S. Black Panthers. PJC

nominated for the position.

Weiner, who earned a doctorate at Georgetown University, a Jesuit school, came to Assumption in 2011 as a professor in the political science department. In 2019, he became provost and vice president of academic affairs.

Weiner has authored four books on U.S. politics and history. He has also served as a non-resident senior fellow at American Enterprise Institute. He also worked on the Hill in Washington, including as communications director and press secretary to senators.

Raised Orthodox, he is an active member of a Conservative synagogue. His grandparents founded an Orthodox synagogue in Florida.

Chasidic Rapper Nissim Black gives weather forecast on South Carolina program

Jews don’t control the weather. But that doesn’t mean a visiting Chasidic rapper can’t help report local temperatures on television, JNS.org reported.

That’s just what Nissim Black did on FOX Carolina News in Greenville, South Carolina. And the forecast got, well, Talmudic.

“I don’t know why it decided to be four degrees hotter over here, but that’s what happened,” said Black, who was in town for a concert at Furman University. “I don’t understand why it’s 55 here.”

He asked the regular weather forecaster to explain why the sun is hotter in some places than in other places “that only seem to be nothing but two minutes away from each other.” He was told that it’s cooler in foggier areas and hotter in sunnier ones.

Black, who wore a frock coat and black hat

during the interview, converted to Judaism in 2011. He lives in Israel. He has a following of nearly 220,000 across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

Tel Aviv U researchers first to record sounds emitted from plants

Tel Aviv University researchers have a breakthrough in recording and analyzing sounds distinctly emitted by plants, the institution announced on March 30, JNS.org reported.

The click-like sounds, similar to the popping of popcorn, are emitted at a volume similar to human speech, but at high frequencies beyond the hearing range of the human ear.

“We found that plants usually emit sounds when they are under stress and that each plant and each type of stress is associated with a specific identifiable sound. While imperceptible to the human ear, the sounds emitted by plants can probably be heard by various animals, such as bats, mice and insects,” the researchers said in a statement.

“From previous studies, we know that vibrometers attached to plants record vibrations. But do these vibrations also become airborne soundwaves; namely, sounds that can be recorded from a distance? Our study addressed this question, which researchers have been debating for many years,” said Professor Lilach Hadany from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, who co-led the study. Their paper was published in the scientific journal Cell. PJC

— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

Wishing a happy and kosher Passover to our many

customers and iends.

STORE HOURS:

SUNDAY, APRIL 9 • 8 A.M.-6 P.M.

MONDAY, APRIL 10 • 8 A.M.-6 P.M.

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THURSDAY ARPIL 13 • CLOSED

FRIDAY, APRIL 14 • 8 A.M.-3 P.M.

p A Black Panther poster in Hebrew reads, “War on poverty – not the poor.”

p A poster promotes the 1929 Palestine and Near East Exhibition in Tel Aviv.

Headlines

Perseverance:

Continued from page 1

The store, McCullough said, is where the audience meets Goldman, who tells his story of perseverance and survival.

“The first time we see Melvin, he’s in his shop and answering the phone,” the playwright said. “In the next 30 seconds, we see who he is. He’s humorous, he’s generous, he’s kind. He’s actually done something to enhance a piece of jewelry for a customer without even charging more. We just see who he is. He takes on challenges and just wants to make the world a better place.”

Goldman’s daughter, Lee Goldman Kikel, penned the book on which the play is based, relying on audio tapes recorded by her father during downtime at the store while she was away at college.

“He would be conducting business and then you hear the doorbell ring and the telephone ring, and the tape turns off and then he picks it back up,” she said.

Her father recorded the tapes in the 1970s, telling his life’s story chronologically.

“He did it before a lot of survivors were recording and telling their stories,” Kikel said. “He thought it was important to preserve those tapes.”

Goldman put the tapes in a box in his closet where they sat until he died in 1996. His wife moved them to another closet, and when she died in 2012, Kikel brought the tapes to her house where they remained unopened until

Lee:

Continued from page 1

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Jewish Voice for Peace condemns Zionism. IfNotNow accuses Israel of apartheid. The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights and CAIR are among the leaders of the boycott movement against Israel in the U.S.

The letter calls for the Biden administration to ensure U.S. taxpayer funds “do not support projects in illegal settlements,” and to determine “whether U.S.-origin defense articles have been used in violation of existing U.S. laws.”

The letter further urges the Biden administration “to ensure that all future foreign assistance to Israel, including weapons and equipment, is not used in support of gross violations of human rights.”

“Many of us have previously written to your administration with deep concern

Kraft:

Continued from page 8

“Our tendency is to think — and it’s not wrong — that every piece helps,” said Sarna, who complimented Kraft for finding a niche in a crowded field. “But it seems that evaluation could tell us much more about what’s effective, what works, what doesn’t work.”

‘Universal values’

Sharon Goldtzvik, a communications consultant who works with Jewish groups, said that the support of a single donor like Kraft, who is worth an estimated $7.2 billion, may have enabled a campaign that is divorced from a larger strategy.

“You can do something that has really, really

the family planned a trip to Berlin in 2015 to retrace some of her father’s steps.

“My son said, ‘I think it’s time you listen to the tapes,’” Kikel recalled. “It was almost 20 years since he was gone. Just hearing his voice, I immediately turned off the tapes and said, ‘OK, I’ll do this in increments.’”

What she found when she listened to the recordings was her father saying numerous times that he was recording his memories as the basis for a book. Kikel decided to honor his wishes.

It was a Prime Stage Theatre board member who suggested adapting the book for the stage, said Wayne Brinda, the artistic director and co-founder of the theater.

“The book brings up something very

regarding the entrenched Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian Territories, including the occupation and military siege of Gaza, and the Israeli government’s worsening systemic violations of Palestinian human rights,” the letter continues.

“Those concerns have only deepened and grown more urgent under the new Israeli government.”

In an accompanying letter to colleagues, Bowman wrote: “[A]s long as the violation of Palestinian rights is permitted, the democratic and human rights of everyone in the region will remain in danger. The longer we wait to take action, the further the reality of a two-state solution — and the closer the reality of an entrenched extremist government and worsening violence in the region.”

The letter was open for signatures until Friday, March 31.

significant penetration and you don’t have to first do a lot of deep narrative thinking and work,” said Goldtzvik, who designed a recent guide on how progressives can talk about antisemitism in a productive manner for Bend the Arc and the Collaborative for Jewish Organizing, a network of nine liberal groups.

Goldtzvik said the scenes in the FCAS ads were moving and would likely resonate with many Jews. But she said they also risked portraying Jews in competition with other minority groups — for example, when it comes to who is the victim of more hate crimes — and make Jews who see the ads feel isolated.

“When you portray it in that way, I think it could have the effect of just making Jewish people feel more afraid,” she said.

Berger said the ads, with a focus on

unique,” Brinda said. “It’s about a Pittsburgh survivor and what he did to basically turn his life around.”

Brinda, who also serves as a museum teaching fellow at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., said that he’s read a lot of Holocaust literature.

“But this one got to me simply because of the whole thing about preserving, and what [Goldman] learned from his father, how he practiced it his entire life in the ghetto and in Auschwitz and even when he came to Pittsburgh as a refugee,” Brinda said.

Lee, who represents Pennsylvania’s 12th District, which includes Squirrel Hill, did not yet respond to a request for comment from the Chronicle. In the lead-up to her election in November, she did not make herself available to the Chronicle for an interview and has not done so since, despite numerous requests.

In May 2021, Lee tweeted: “When I hear American pols use the refrain ‘Israel has the right to defend itself’ in response to undeniable atrocities on a marginalized pop, I can’t help but think of how the west has always justified indiscriminate & disproportionate force & power on weakened & marginalized ppl.”

She also tweeted: “The US has nvr shown leadership in safeguarding human rights of folks its othered But as we fight against injustice here in the mvmnt for Blk lives, we must stand against injustice everywhere. Inhumanities against the Palestinian ppl cannot be tolerated or justified.”

people outside the Jewish community intervening to correct antisemitism, are meant to encourage the opposite.

“We’re highlighting a problem that is very specific — and how prevalent it is today — but also, at the same time, reinforcing values that are universal,” he said. “The same values we would expect people to respond with if they were addressing racism, gender inequality, LGBTQ hate.”

The #StandUpToJewishHate campaign will be backed by a coalition of more than 100 organizations, including many outside the Jewish community like AARP, the League of Women Voters, National Urban League and the National Governors Association.

After an initial six-week push, Berger said the goal is to target similar videos and ads to specific

Brinda said he was moved by Goldman’s story of survival and perseverance and how he “really made a difference in the community.”

Christina Sahovey, the Holocaust Center’s operation manager, said the center is pleased to partner with Prime Stage Theatre for a third year and to bring a play focusing on the Holocaust — with a local connection — as part of Genocide Awareness Month.

Prime Stage Theatre was awarded a $10,000 National Endowment of the Arts grant to produce “Perseverance.” Sahovey said the play will be the first offered by the two organizations live, due to the COVID restrictions of the last two years.

“This play will be another great opportunity — and a pretty unique one, at that — for people to learn more about a local survivor’s story, which is always at the heart of everything we do at the Holocaust Center,” Sahovey said.

McCullough said that the play has universal themes and will appeal to a large audience, both in and out of the city.

The play, he said, offers “a sense of the local color.” Through Melvin, it also imparts a universal message:

“No matter what life throws at you, you have just one direction to go — find the way.”

“Perseverance” will run in person on April 15 and 16 at the New Hazlett Theater. A recording will be available to stream from April 24 through May 7. PJC

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

Questioned about those tweets at a town hall meeting organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council in April 2022, Lee said she believed American politicians should have spoken out on behalf of the Palestinians in the midst of fighting in Israel and the Gaza Strip in May 2021.

“That would have cost us nothing,” she said. “Instead, I saw American politicians rushing to use the phrase, ‘Israel has a right to defend itself,’” she said. “The question was, what were they defending themselves against at that moment? What that tweet was talking about is, when we are saying that a powerful entity has a right to defend itself when no one has done anything needing defense?”

PJC

Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

populations. For example, they could target messages on social media to users who follow a celebrity that has made offensive comments, or toward residents of a city where an antisemitic incident took place.

But Berger said Kraft’s new campaign will not mention Israel or Zionism.

“Our approach is really focusing on what antisemitism looks like to the American Jewish community and how it impacts them,” he said. “We’re not really focused as much on what precedes it or what causes people to engage that way.” PJC

This story originally appeared in the Forward. To get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox, go to forward. com/newsletter-signup.

p Melvin Goldman in the late 1970s

Photo courtesy of Lee Goldman Kikel

p Melvin and his siblings in the mid1930s before the Nazis forced him into a Jewish ghetto and Auschwitz

Photo courtesy of Lee Goldman Kikel

An 1859 fight over how to make matzah has lessons about the threat of AI today

Guest Columnist

David Zvi Kalman

In the last few months the world has been dazzled by an astonishing sequence of AI systems capable of performing all kinds of difficult tasks — writing code, composing poetry, generating artwork, passing exams — with a level of competence that rivals or exceeds what humans can do. The existence of these AIs has prompted all manner of soul-searching about the nature of humanity. It has also made many people wonder which human tasks are about to be taken over by machines.

The capabilities of these AIs are new and revolutionary, but the story of machines taking over human jobs is not. In Jewish history the most important story of that transition has to do with matzah, and it’s a story that carries important lessons for the present day.

Starting 164 years ago, dozens of European rabbis engaged in a furious debate that would not be fully resolved until the beginning of the 20th century. Matzah, which for millennia had been made by human hands in accordance with the narrow constraints of Jewish law, could now be processed with a series of machines that promised huge savings of time and money. As town after town adopted these machines, opposition began to rise, until it exploded in 1859 with the publication of “An Alert for Israel,” a collection of letters from prestigious rabbis, who adamantly argued that for anyone interested in following the laws of Passover a matzah made with a machine was no better than a loaf of bread.

The arguments for this position were many, but all will sound familiar to anyone following the AI conversation. Like today, some objected to the machines just because they were new and different, but most had more specific concerns. First, there was the matter of lost jobs. In many parts of Europe matzah was made by the poorest members of society, who were given the job as a way to help them raise money before one of the most cost-intensive holidays of the year. Ceding this job to machines would take work from those who could least afford it. Beyond economics, there was concern that the machines just weren’t as reliable as people, especially given the rules around matzah-making outlined in Jewish law. What if bits of dough got trapped in the gears, quietly leavening for hours and unknowingly ruining whole batches of matzah in the process? What if the trays warmed the dough too fast? Without proper oversight, how could you trust your own food?

Finally, some objected to the loss of a literal human touch. Jewish law stated that matzah was supposed to be made by people who knew they were baking matzah. A machine, no matter how sophisticated, didn’t “know” anything. How could you eat matzah on Passover knowing that this most important food was made by a mindless machine?

The responses didn’t take long to arrive. “A Cancellation of the Alert,” a collection published the very same year, forcefully argued that machine matzah was perfectly fine — and possibly even better than the human product. No, inventions aren’t inherently bad. No, the machines wouldn’t harm the poor, because the machines made matzah less expensive for everyone. No, the machines weren’t prone to error — and they certainly weren’t more error-prone than lazy, careless humans. No, the machines didn’t

know what they were doing — but the people who built them did, and wasn’t that enough?

The machines eventually won, but then something happened that I don’t think either side anticipated. With Manischewitz’s machine matzahs claiming most of the American market by the early 20th century, it was now the handmade matzah makers who were on the back foot; it was they and not the machines who needed to demonstrate that they were up to the difficult task of preparing this food with the efficiency and reliability of the machines.

The result is more than a little tragic. Matzah is the Jewish food with the deepest origins of all — deeper than brisket, deeper than latkes, deeper even than challah — and yet it is the ritual food most likely to be picked up at the supermarket and least likely to be made at home. While there are still communities today that exclusively eat handmade matzah, even this job is now largely outsourced to just a few companies that resemble their machine-driven counterparts in scale. While teachers will sometimes demonstrate how to make matzah for educational purposes, across the religious spectrum the era of locally made matzah is over.

Despite the fact that it’s hard to imagine a simpler baked good — matzah is just flour and water, and it’s literally illegal to spend more than 18 minutes making it — its production is treated as though it is only slightly less complicated than constructing a jet engine, and people are worried about shortages as though matzah were a natural resource or an advanced microchip. The transition has been so complete that we barely remember there was a transition at all.

Did the rabbis pushing for machine matzah know this was going to happen?

The question of where to be buried

them, it’s the concept of “ kever avot ,” that family members are buried in close proximity to each other.

Guest Columnists

Rabbi Eli Seidman and Barry Rudel

Why do we choose to be buried in Jewish cemeteries? In a word: tradition.

We live and pray in community. We celebrate and mourn in community. No Jewish person is an “island unto him or herself.” Even in our final resting place, we should be together as a family, as a community.

Many people say that the only place they would consider being buried is in a Jewish cemetery or Jewish section. For

Many want the location to be one of intimacy, of recognizability. People care for family plots with reverence, knowing that the area they visit and support will be their own final resting place as well.

The purpose of burial is to conform to the verse “for dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return” (Gen. 3:19). In Hebrew, a cemetery is called “bet hayyim” (house or garden of life) or “bet olam” (house of eternity), and is traditionally considered a holy place that is even more sacred than a synagogue. The Talmudic saying “Jewish gravestones are fairer than royal palaces” reflects the care that should be given to Jewish graves and cemeteries. Showing proper respect for the dead is intrinsic to Jewish law — and this is important and comforting to all Jews.

Traditional Jews are buried only in Jewish cemeteries and ideally among family. Jewish custom considers it a matter of

great importance that only other Jews handle the body of a deceased Jew, move the casket, place it in the ground and fill in the grave. The traditions were (and are) striking, more for their variation than for their uniformity and differ from community to community. All are rooted in our operative principle of Kavod Ha’Met, honor for the deceased.

Just as the percentage of Jews who attend a seder is considerably greater than the percentage of those who affiliate with a congregation, the number of Jews choosing to be buried in a Jewish cemetery — even those Jews who are unaffiliated or not otherwise connected Jewishly — is high. For many Jews who only manifest their Judaism formally in this singular way, being buried in a Jewish cemetery still resonates throughout the generations. People wish to be with family ... or their families wish for their loved ones to be in “Jewish ground.”

For some, and especially here in Western Pennsylvania, the final trip home from

Almost certainly not. The economic impact of machine labor is relatively easy to predict, but the psychological and cultural effects are a lot harder. There was probably no way of knowing how machines would change the way we thought about matzah in the long run, but today it’s clear that automating this ancient task has changed our own relationship to Passover’s central food — and because the change has resulted in a lot of alienation from matzah production, I’m not so sure it was a change for the better. Making matzah locally could have been a way to feel connected to the ancient Israelites, who left Egypt so fast that they didn’t have time to make anything else. Instead of emulating this ad-hoc food, we optimized it for cost and efficiency, in the process turning matzah into just another specialty cracker on the grocery store shelf. Was it really worth it?

It’s probably a bit much to say that OpenAI is just a modern Manischewitz, but the parallels between the debate about machine-generated matzah and the present debate about machine-generated everything are useful for considering how short-term policy choices around AI won’t necessarily capture all of the technology’s long-term effects on how human beings want to spend their time. When we relinquish an activity to an AI for economic reasons, we may eventually come to believe that humans are no longer qualified to do the task at all.

Then as now we must balance our economic needs against our ideas about what kinds of activities make for a good and fulfilling life. PJC

David Zvi Kalman is the scholar in residence and director of new media at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America and the owner of Print-o-Craft Press. This first appeared on JTA.

Florida, or elsewhere in the Sunbelt, is to the family plot. We choose to be buried in a Jewish cemetery because that is where we are comfortable. Or given the costs of plots, perhaps where there was a plot already purchased? We find people are now researching their own plots online and visiting the cemeteries on their own, as opposed to the olden days of calling the cemetery chair or shul to request to be buried next to “Bubbe.”

Many of our customs go back thousands of years. Being a people steeped in history, these traditions are never more evident than at the cemeteries, our museums of memory. They speak to family connectedness, even as subsequent generations may not be as observant but still wish to be linked with the mishpocha eternally.

Tradition. PJC

Rabbi Eli Seidman is a friend to the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh. Barry Rudel is executive director of the JCBA.

Chronicle poll results: Four children of the Haggadah

Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Which of the four children in the Haggadah is most like you?” Of the 91 people who responded, 59% said “One who is wise”; 22% said “One who doesn’t know how to ask”; 14% said “One who is innocent”; and 5% said “One who is evil.” Comments were submitted by 14 people. A few follow.

All of them! Each one represents a part of our personality or the potential to become a part of our personality. Be wise and accept responsibility for your good stuff and not-so-good stuff.

I object to the “evil” label. There’s nothing wrong with challenging conventions and

Israel’s democracy in danger

is most like you?

not mindlessly accepting what you are told. I also think those children deserve more thoughtful answers than that suggested by the Haggadah.

I am wise because I am cognizant of what I know, do not know and still need to know. I understand when it is appropriate to listen, to engage and to inquire. I am wise because I have made myself a lifelong learner — a reader, patron of theater and Osher student.

I started as the one who doesn’t know how to ask, learned how to ask four questions, morphed into the evil one.

In the Haggadah we use, we note that everyone has a bit of each of these children

in them. No one is only wise or evil or innocent or silent.

I’m all of them. Each of us is all of them. That’s why they’re in the seder — so we can see different parts of ourselves.

I’m skeptical about religion in general. I would place myself in a fifth category: Who believes any of this actually occurred? PJC

Toby Tabachnick

Chronicle weekly poll question: Do you think the death penalty should be abolished? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle. org to respond. PJC

It would appear that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to save Israel is to do so by destroying it.

Netanyahu has engaged in a legal maneuver to insulate himself from ouster as he faces indictment and is attempting to neuter the Supreme Court in deference to his extremist right-wing coalition members.

He is serving to destabilize the country as we have seen in the hundreds of thousands of Israelis repeatedly taking to the streets to express their rage.

Israel’s Arab enemies are certainly licking their chops as they see a country disunited — torn apart by a would-be autocrat and his right-wing henchmen.

One of the hallmarks of our country’s indelible and lasting bond with Israel has been that it is the only democratic ally in the region. As that democracy is in danger of being shredded, relations with the United States and Israel’s donors are endangered.

Oren Spiegler Peters Township

Summer Lee seems unaware of history of Middle East conflict

Rep. Summer Lee and her woke colleagues seem to be unaware of the history of the conflict between Israel and the Arabs, now the Israel-Palestinian conflict (“Rep. Summer Lee signs letter urging shift in US policy toward Israel,” online, March 30; this issue, Page 1).

Instead of helping the Arabs of Palestine prepare for the self-rule proposed in the 1947 U.N. Partition Plan, Arab states chose to go to war. Although it didn’t prevent the emergence of the modern state of Israel in the Jews’ ancestral homeland, Arab-initiated violence saw Egypt grabbing Gaza and Jordan taking control of eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria (areas dubbed “The West Bank”).

These illegal occupations continued until 1967 when Jordan allied with Egypt and Syria in a war instigated with the open intention of destroying the Jewish state and annihilating her people. Israel prevailed in the Six-Day War, liberating land of historic and religious significance to Jews. Yet, in September 1967, Israel offered to withdraw from newly liberated land in exchange for recognition and peace. The Arab League rejected the offer. No Palestinian leader urged the Arab League to accept the deal so the Palestinians could build their state. Palestinian leaders have also rejected several Israeli and American proposals for ending the conflict.

Following subsequent violence (wars, intifadas, terrorist attacks, missiles being fired at Israeli population centers), Israel signed the Oslo Accords in the mid-1990s, affording the Palestinians their first opportunity to live under the administration of leaders of their own choosing. Since 2007, all Palestinians in Gaza have been living under Hamas’ rule. About 95% of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria live under the rule of the Palestinian Authority.

Unfortunately, the elected leaders have betrayed their people’s trust, long overstaying their elected terms, enriching themselves by embezzling monies donated for their people’s benefit, and diverting humanitarian aid to efforts to delegitimize and destroy the nationstate of the Jews. The leaders have failed to develop the economies of areas under their

administration. Hamas endangers Palestinians by firing missiles at Israeli population centers from Gazan population centers. The PA incites Palestinians to attack and kill Jews, honoring and rewarding those who answer the call.

True supporters of a better life for the Palestinians should be urging Palestinian leaders to begin building the infrastructure required by a viable state and start preparing their people for peaceful co-existence with their Jewish neighbors. The Israeli businesses in the Israeliadministered portion of Judea and Samaria employ both Israeli and Palestinian workers and serve both Israeli and Palestinian consumers. They should be lauded as the first step toward two states for two peoples, a Palestinian state neighboring a Jewish state with members of minority groups having full civil rights in their country of residence.

Toby F. Block Atlanta, Georgia

Join the Chronicle Book Club!

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its April 16 discussion of “Koshersoul” by chef Michael W. Twitty. The memoir was named Jewish Book of Year for 2022 by the Jewish Book Council.

From the Jewish Book Council: “Twitty’s book is a record of lives lived and meals cooked. Through a combination of interviews, oral histories, personal anecdotes, recipes, history, and advice, he details the ways that Black and Jewish food traditions perceived to be disparate have overlapped, influenced, and mirrored one another throughout history. He writes of how diasporic living, migration, oppression, marginalization, and movement shapes food.”

Your hosts:

Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle

David Rullo, Chronicle staff writer

How and when:

We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, April 16, at noon.

What to do

Buy: “Koshersoul.” It is available at area Barnes & Noble stores and from online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Several copies are available through the Carnegie Library system.

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

Happy reading! PJC

Toby Tabachnick

Passover mina: A Sephardic matzah and meat pie

Life & Culture — FOOD —

By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

Mina is a common Passover food in Balkan and Turkish Jewish communities, yet it’s rarely known outside of Sephardic circles. It’s time to bring mina to the masses.

Nobody is hungry after a nice piece of mina, which has sautéed ground meat and onions mixed with potatoes and layered with matzah to create a crust. If you’re a fan of matzah pizza, you will love this meaty version — and you’ll find it very simple to make for a chol hamoed dinner. It’s very comforting and children especially like it.

I’ve made this with lamb and with ground beef, and both options hit a home run. The traditional version uses lamb and leeks, but you can’t go wrong with chopped meat and onions if that’s more to your taste.

The matzah pieces will fit perfectly into a square baking dish. This recipe makes 6 large pieces of mina.

Ingredients:

4 pieces of square matzah

2 pounds ground beef or ground lamb, browned

2 tablespoons oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced, or 2 cups of chopped leeks, washed and sliced thin

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced

½ cup of water, divided

3 eggs, divided

1.5 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano (or spice or herb of your choice)

1 large handful of chopped fresh parsley, about half a cup

1 lemon cut into wedges

Brown the meat, taking extra care to make the cooked pieces as small as possible. A friend recently recommended using a potato masher to achieve the best result, and it’s been a game-changer for me.

Once the meat is fully cooked, set aside to cool for a few minutes and then drain off the fat when it’s safe to handle. You can reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat to sauté the onions (or leeks), or you can start fresh with oil in a new pan.

Over medium-low heat, sauté the diced onions or leaks with 2 tablespoons of oil or beef fat until translucent, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir the diced potatoes into the pan and continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ¼ cup of the water to the mixture, and use a spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. The water will evaporate fairly quickly.

Add the salt and pepper and the other ¼ cup of water to the pan, mix, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low.

Simmer for 10 minutes. When the potatoes are soft enough to mash, turn off the heat and mash them with a potato masher, mixing them with the sautéed onion. The potatoes should be a little firm so that there are still some visible chunks of potato in the mixture.

Mix the browned meat into the potatoes until just combined, then mix in 2 whole eggs. The mixture can be warm when you mix in the eggs, but be sure it isn’t too hot or

the eggs will start to cook.

Mix in the chopped parsley and oregano (or herbs and spices) at the end. The parsley doesn’t add a lot of flavor, but it adds some nice color to the dish.

In a small bowl whisk 1 egg with a dash of oil and a pinch of salt and set aside.

Some people don’t use spice mixes on Passover because they can contain kitniyot or are not approved. I am Sephardic and I do use kitniyot. If you use spices, this is a great dish to get creative with. You can omit the oregano and season with cumin, baharat or a more Middle Eastern mix of your choice. This recipe also tastes amazing with dried or

fresh sage, which gives it a country French vibe. Start with 1 teaspoon of herbs or spices and add more to taste.

To build up the pie it’s really important to wet the matzah. Run each piece under water for 30 seconds on each side until the corners start to soften so that they are pliable. Matzah is pretty forgiving as long as it isn’t soaking wet. If you have a small tear, you can piece it back together and you won’t notice it after it’s baked.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a square baking dish.

Lay one full sheet of matzah across the bottom of the pan.

Break the second piece into 4 horizontal pieces (break along the lines) and line the side of the pan with these 4 pieces. The side pieces may look a little uneven and they will stand a bit taller than the edge of the pan — you will need this extra bit of matzah when it’s time to finish the pie. Spoon half of the meat and potato mixture into the pan, gently pressing it down evenly and into the corners of the pan.

Add another layer of moistened matzah to the pan, then add the rest of the meat mixture, spreading it across the pan as you did with the first layer.

The best way to prepare the top layer is to wet the matzah and lay it across the top layer of meat. Work on one side at a time. Gently press down each side piece of matzah so that it lays underneath the top layer of matzah. The top layer just rests over the top and keeps the side pieces folded into place. This step seals the pie and creates a real crust that will stick together when baked.

Once all 4 sides are tucked underneath, brush the pie with the egg wash and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 F. You should see bubbling at the bottom of the dish when you take it out of the oven.

Allow it to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

You can gently cut squares with a sharp knife and serve right out of the pan. If you’re feeling adventurous, gently cut along all sides to loosen any baked-on pieces and turn the pie onto another platter for serving, then cut into pieces. It’s amazing how the matzah melts together to create a seamless crust, and this dish presents really well if you want to serve it at the table.

Serve this with a colorful salad to add some vibrancy to your plate. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice both lightens and brightens the dish.

I hope this is a recipe that becomes a part of your Passover tradition. Wishing you and your loved ones a Chag Kasher v’Sameach, a happy and kosher holiday.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

p Passover mina

Photos by Jessica Grann

SUNDAY, APR. 30, 2023

9:30 AM–12:30 PM

Schenley Oval Track, 1 Overlook Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Celebrate Israel’s 75 years of independence!

FUN FOR ALL! LOTS TO DO!

•Run, Walk or Roll on Schenley Oval

• 5 km race + 750 meter kids run

•Israeli-themed Arts and Crafts

•Israeli Line Dancing

•Photo Booth

•Bounce Houses and more!

REGISTER TODAY!

jewishpgh.org/event/run-walk-roll-for-israel-at-75

Yom HaZikaron

Israel’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror

MONDAY, APRIL 24 | 8-9:00 PM

JCC Katz Performing Arts Center 5738 Darlington Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Join

REGISTER TODAY

jewishpgh.org/event/yom-hazikaron

Life & Culture

Dolph Lundgren on visiting Israel, history and aging

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

As a lead-up to Passover, it is customary to gather, share instructive words and take lessons to heart. Rare is it that the person reflecting and offering insight days before the seder is a beloved action hero, European karate champion and former Fulbright scholar — but that’s what happened when Dolph Lundgren visited Pittsburgh three days before Passover.

Lundgren, who rose to fame after playing Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV,” was in town April 1-3 for Steel City Con, one of the nation’s largest comic conventions.

In between meeting with fans, signing boxing gloves and autographing packages containing plastic figurine lookalikes, the Swedish-born actor told the Chronicle about aging, visiting Israel and his love of history.

Lundgren was born in 1957 in Stockholm, Sweden. As a young man, he excelled in school and karate. He studied chemical engineering at Washington State University and Clemson University before receiving degrees from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and the University of Sydney, as well as a Fulbright scholarship to attend MIT.

Lundgren also was an accomplished athlete. Though he initially practiced judo, he switched to Gōjū-ryū, a style of karate, and later Kyokushin. Following several years of international competition, he became European champion in 1980-’81.

Thanks to his then-girlfriend, Grace Jones, Lundgren eventually turned his attention to acting. He told NPR that playing the laconic Soviet boxer Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV” changed his life, saying, “I went from a total nobody, basically, to Dolph Lundgren, movie star.”

Feature roles as He-Man in “Masters of the Universe,” Sergeant Andrew Scott in “Universal Soldier,” and Gunner Jensen in “The Expendables” showcased his talents to millions of cinephiles, but smaller roles and a love of karate brought him to Israel.

The first time he traveled to the Jewish state was for “Cover-Up,” a 1991-released movie with Louis Gossett Jr. Along with filming in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, there were several memorable moments on that trip, Lundgren recalled.

One morning, he and his trainer were running near the beach in Tel Aviv. As it turned out, Lundgren said, their route was right where the IDF had thwarted a seaborne terrorist attack one day earlier.

Reports from JTA indicated that members of the Palestine Liberation Front had entered Israel with the intent “to bombard the hotels with 107mm Katyusha rockets and 23mm cannon, and spray them with machine-gun fire.”

“We were pretty happy because I think they found the map with all the targets,” Lundgren said.

One of the targets was where he was staying, he added.

Lundgren didn’t engage with any IDF soldiers at that point, but he did later in Jerusalem.

A scene in the movie called for Lundgren to make his way through a parade of Easter celebrants. The crew, which relied on hidden cameras, followed Lundgren in the crowd.

“I was supposed to be staggering around, having gotten shot in the movie,” he said.

As the actor — made up to look bloodied — ambled through Jerusalem, he was apprehended by two young officers.

“They were armed, of course, and they stopped me, and were like, ‘Get on the ground,’ and they had their weapons out,” he said. “They weren’t sure what was going on. They hadn’t been told that there was a movie being shot.”

Members of the film crew and Lundgren’s security rapidly approached, explained the circumstances and deescalated the situation.

Lundgren was familiar with military personnel. Before receiving his chemical engineering degrees, he spent a year in the Swedish Marine Corps. Later engagements with Israelis, and visiting Masada, allowed him to consider his military service and upbringing, he said.

Lundren’s father served Sweden during World War II.

“Sweden was neutral, but he was in the army and they were on the Norwegian border,” he said.

As he got older, Lundgren understood why his father was “always reading about the Second World War and why he was so interested in it,” he said. “My parents grew up during the Second World War and that had such a huge

impact on our world.”

“I realized how close my life has been in the shadow of World War II,” he said. “I was born only 12 years after they dropped the A-bomb on Hiroshima. Twelve years ago from today would have been 2011. That’s nothing.”

In Israel, he “saw a lot of people in the army, kids coming out of nowhere, walking into a cafe with assault rifles, having a coffee and disappearing into the blackness again,” he said. “It was interesting.”

Since that initial trip nearly 30 years ago, Lundgren returned to Israel to film “The Last Warrior” and for different karate exercises. Those excursions, and an interest in history, are part of why he feels connected to the Jewish state, he explained.

“It’s a very interesting country and has such a mix of people from all over the world,” he said. “I kind of share that … I’m an immigrant. I am a Swede and I came to America.”

He also appreciates the Israeli way of life.

“There’s a special energy there; the people don’t sleep much,” he said. “They go out late at night and party, and it was kind of cool. It was kind of a highenergy place. I could relate to it.”

But history may be the biggest connector.

“I’m always studying that, and the military is quite a big part of Israeli history,” he said. “I’m interested in military matters, so I always read up on that and the different battles they’ve been in.”

Time also yields perspective, he said.

“As you get older, you get a little wiser. You get more relaxed and you’re more content with what you’ve accomplished in your life — you’re less looking at other people, trying to compete with other people.”

Aging — even for iconic action heroes — generates an awareness of life and its evanescence, he continued.

“Every day today is much more valuable to me than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “You realize your life isn’t going to last forever. Especially if you have good experiences, which I do have a lot, you want to take them to heart.” PJC

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

p Dolph Lundgren in Hollywood, California, on Dec. 12, 2018

Photo by Glenn Francis of PacificProDigital.com and Glenn.photos

p Actor Dolph Lundgren on “The Expendables” panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con in San Diego

Photo by Gage Skidmore

Life & Culture

Passover desserts

— FOOD —

By Keri White | Contributing Writer

Passover desserts often get a bad rap.

Many of us have unpleasant memories of dry-as-dust, dense cakes, flavorless sponge cakes, stewed fruit compote or jellies that simply did not taste good. But this doesn’t have to be the case!

Dozens of lovely Passover desserts conform to the no-hametz rule and are truly delicious. Chocolates, candies, flan, ice cream, sorbet, caramel, macaroons, candied nuts, dipped fruit — there are countless examples of tasty treats that do not require flour or leavening. And when all else fails, put a dollop of homemade whipped cream on anything, and it automatically tastes better and presents more elegantly.

Heat your oven to 350 F. Mix the flour and brown sugar. Add the butter, extracts and egg until well blended. Press it firmly into a tart or pie shell. Prick it with a fork to avoid ballooning up and/or line it with a piece of parchment or foil and place pie weights in the shell.

To fully bake, leave it in the oven for about 12-15 minutes; to partially bake it, remove it when the edges begin to brown, about 6 minutes; fill as desired and return to oven. If the edges begin to burn, cover them with foil.

Coconut tart crust

Makes 1 9-inch tart shell

This shell does not lend itself well to partially baking as well as the

It is best filled with things that do not require additional baking, such as

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consider chocolate fondue or a cup of molten drinking chocolate made with water or nut milk. The recipes below — an almond tart shell and a coconut tart shell — can be filled as you desire with fresh berries, coconut cream, chocolate ganache, jam, custard, etc.

coconut cream, chocolate ganache or mango purée. It can also be filled with fruit sorbet and frozen until served. Pineapple, coconut and lime are especially good with the coconut

• Own, reliable transportation. There is some errand work involved.

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partially baked and returned to the oven with filling that needs further baking (such as custard, fruit, key lime, etc.). See the directions below for the options.

2½ cups almond flour

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter or butter substitute, melted

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

Mix the crust ingredients until they are well blended. Press them firmly into a tart or pie pan. Chill for 30 minutes to set the crust.

Heat your oven to 350 F. Bake the crust until it is turning golden, about 15 minutes. Watch it carefully as the sweetened coconut can burn easily.

Cool and fill as desired. PJC

Keri White writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication where this first appeared.

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Torah Celebrations

Wedding Announcement

God’s impact

With seders under our belt, matzah in our stomachs and redemption on the way, I am always intrigued by the passage that we read on the intermediate Shabbat of Passover. You see that first Passover was so challenging for everyone. Having gone through the false promises of Pharaoh, the nine plagues that showed God’s might and finally that 10th plague when children would die, our ancestors celebrated Passover in haste even as they packed their meager belongings to start their journey toward a better tomorrow.

that I show.’ (Exodus 33:17-19)

Just when we think that God is going to reveal God’s self in this incredibly personal and visual way, just as we can imagine that Moses was ecstatic that no longer would he have to only know God as a voice in a bush but actually as a figure to be seen, did God pull the rug out from under Moses’ reality. “‘But,’ God said, ‘you cannot see My face, for man may not see Me and live.’ And the LORD said, ‘See, there is a place near Me. Station yourself on the rock and, as My Presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.’” (Exodus 33:20-23)

I’m wondering if any of us are like Moses.

And then, of course, after making it through the sea and coming to Mount Sinai, their eagerness to have God in their lives takes the better of them as they find themselves thrusting their wealth and their most beloved possessions into a cauldron so that an idol can appear from it. And they exclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron announced: “Tomorrow shall be a festival of the ETERNAL!” (Exodus 32:4-5) They so wanted to know God’s essence and to be in God’s presence that they immediately reverted to idolatry despite the fact that the Torah gifted them the commandment to not create idols — to know that God is with us in ephemeral and not physical ways.

And where was Moses during that time? Of course, he was on the mountain in the actual presence of God. But he, too, was not satisfied with just knowing about God; he insisted that God must reveal God’s self. Our teacher Moses stated it as an ultimatum. “And he said to God, ‘Unless You go in the lead, do not make us leave this place. For how shall it be known that Your people have gained Your favor unless You go with us, so that we may be distinguished, Your people and I, from every people on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:15)

Can you believe it? The God, who is intangible, agreed to this condition. Moses was about to see God. ... “And the ETERNAL said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing that you have asked; for you have truly gained My favor and I have singled you out by name.’ Moses said, ‘Oh, let me behold Your Presence!’ And God answered, ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name ETERNAL, and the grace that I grant and the compassion

At times of personal challenge, we want to see God’s face in the midst of our journey. I know that I want to. But then I realize that is just sometimes not possible. Reading the 19th-century German Chattam Sofer, I take a little bit of comfort:

A period of time can only be understood once we are able to view the entire context of an event. In the same way, we are only able to comprehend God’s ways and recognize how God works in retrospect. ... But at the time that the event itself is happening, our understanding is unable to grasp God’s doing. Instead, we are simply astonished and mystified. This is the real meaning of: “You will see My back...”

There are times when I want to see God through the “windshield of my car,” aware that God is in front of me, guiding me and helping me journey down the road of life. However, this passage from Torah, which comes in the midst of our redemption journey through the desert, reminds us that no matter how much we imagine that the journey to the promised land was one full of faith, one in which God was in the windshield of our ancestors, that all too often in life we can only see God in the rear-view mirror.

The Israelites at the bottom of the mountain and Moses at the top all wanted to have God in front of them. The Israelites made the mistake of forcing the issue with an idol and paid severely for it. Moses accepted the best he could get, seeing God’s back, understanding God’s impact when all is said and done. If it was good enough for Moses, it must be good enough for us. PJC

Rabbi Ron Symons is the senior director of Jewish Life and the director of the Center for Loving Kindness at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Clergy Association.

Rabbi Ron Symons Pesach III | Exodus 33:12 – 34:32; Numbers 28:19 – 25

Audrey Glickman and Marty Dorfman cheerfully announce the marriage of their George Dorfman to Jessie Casper , daughter of Sue and Rob Casper, in a beautiful ceremony on March 26 in Massachusetts. PJC

At times of personal challenge, we want to see God’s face in the midst of our journey. I know that I want to.

LINDNER: Norman H. Lindner, age 76, on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. Son of the late Saul Lindner and late Marion Lindner Caplan. Beloved father of Brian (Meghan) Lindner and Scott (Leiha) Lindner, all of Pittsburgh, and the late Justin David Lindner of Kissimmee, Florida. Beloved brother of Barbara “Peppy” Lindner. Pap-Pap to Maximus, Mackenzie, Beckett and Hadley. Norm worked for his family business, Linco Drug Company, which then became Liberty Candy Company. In his final years he worked for Sunoco. Services and interment private. Contributions may be made to Temple Sinai, 5505 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

WETHERELL: Mary Aleta Wetherell, 76, of The New Riverview Apartments, Squirrel Hill, died Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in her home. She was born Dec. 1, 1946, in Oakland, California, the daughter of Hugh and Florence Fohrman Conn. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Monongahela. Mary was employed as a dietary supervisor for the Methodist Home in Mt. Lebanon and Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. After years of working as a dietary supervisor, she decided to become a truck driver. She worked for Arnold Logistics in Carlisle until she retired. She enjoyed decorative painting, cross stitching and reading. Mary also loved cats. She is survived by her two daughters, Wendy Yohe of Finleyville and Mary (Michael) Grove of Bethel Park; two grandchildren, Jillian Yohe and Ryan Grove. She also leaves behind her beloved feline friend, Snickers. She had many dear Jewish friends. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Terry Conn. Arrangements were entrusted to the Frye Funeral Home, Inc. Memorial contributions may be made to the Washington Area Humane Society, PO Box 66, Eighty Four, PA 15330. Expressions of sympathy may be made to the family at fryefuneralhome.com. PJC

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

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Mark & Jane Mendlow Samuel Mendlow

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James Gannes

Edward M Goldston

Ruth Haber

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Amy R Kamin

Linda Levine

Mrs Alvin Mundel

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the Development department at 412.586.3264 or development@jaapgh.org for more information. THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —

Sunday April 9: Harry Ellanovitz, Jennie Friedman, Bertha Kaiser, Philip K Landau, Dr. Edwin Sheldon

Protas, Hannah R Rubino , William Taper, Norman Weinberg, Helen Ja e Wolk

Monday April 10: Fannie Ackerman, Harry Birnbaum, Julius H Cohen, Ben Fleischer, Anne M Flitman, Lillian H Goldfield, Edward L Gordon, Rachel Haltman, Sidney Lawrence, Jack Lundy, Fannie Pollock, Herman Aaron Rosenblum, Jacob Rubenstein, Matilda S Strauss, Rose Tick, Bessie Rebecca Traub

Tuesday April 11: Isaac Abramovitz, Sarah Balkman, Merle N Berger, David D Bernstein, Helen Lorinczi

Braunstein, Philip Golden, Beatrice Hollander, Harry Kornstein, Harry Melnick, Edna Gertrude Rothman Richman, Tillie Pechersky Serbin, Joseph Sherwin, Andrew H Spitz, Saul Stein, Harry Stevenson, Pearl Wishnovitz, Albert Abraham Wolk

Wednesday April 12: Nellie Baker, Solomon Balfer, Jennie Bergstein, Joseph Cook, Sophie Glick, Philip Goldberg, Rev Solomon Horwitz, Jennie Ruttenberg Joseph, Leona Kaminsky, Fanny Kaufman, Esther Kohn, Frank Le , Alex G Levison, Regina Margolis, Max Neiman, Ruth Paris, Diann Taxay, Mollie Wikes

Thursday April 13: Sadie Gelb Braunstein, Max Fischman, A Morris Ginsburg, Edith Glosser, Celia Greenberg, Bruce Herron, Abraham Horowitz, Hannah Kamin, Isador Klein, Samuel Klein, Abraham Jacob Kwall, Bernard David Levine, Mattie Goldie Levine, Michael Li , Rose H Lowy, David Myers, Max Pretter, Nettie Rosenthal, Dr Zanvel Sigal, Myer Solomon, I Weinbaum

Friday April 14: Marvin Adams, Lillian Ethel Brown, Samuel Feldman, Anna Goldman, Sidney M Levine, Florence Rosenfeld Myers, Lillian Rogo , Sylvia Rosenfeld, Jennie R Rush, Jacob Sadwick, Solomon Stalinsky, Edith G Steiner

Saturday April 15: Sarah Alpern, Benjamin Americus, Alter L Baker, Morris Benjamin, Morris Bergstein, Sherry Hilda Berkowitz, Sadye Burnkrant, Arthur R Cohen, Robert M Colnes, Myer Farber, Louis Freedman, Abraham Goldberg, Ida Cohen Hahn, Pfc Lee Robert Katz, Benjamin Paul Krause, Harry Levine, Fannie Mayer, Sadie Nadler, Sol Niderberg, Edward J Pearlstein, Anita Closky Rothman, Ida K Samuels, Dorothy Z Sandson, Julius Schwartz, Freda Ferber Thorpe, Emma Winer

CHANGE OF NAME David J. Slesnick, Esq., 310 Grant Street, # 1220 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-471-4882 • djslesnick@yahoo.com

IN the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: No. 0023-001876

In re petition of for change of name to John Joseph Emes, Jr. Jack Joseph Emes

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the ling of said petition and xed the 17th day of April, 2023, at 9:30 a.m., as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

e Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh (JCBA) welcomes inquiries about the purchase of burial plots in JCBA cemeteries. JCBA is committed to the proper care and maintenance of sacred grounds, and is devoted to the stewardship of Jewish cemeteries.

Plots are available in the following JCBA cemeteries:

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Anshe Lubovitz

Beth Abraham

B’nai Israel – Steubenville

Holy Society – Hopwood/ Uniontown

Johnstown Jewish Cemeteries

Kether Torah

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Shaare Torah

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Temple Israel Memorial Park –New Castle

Tifereth Israel – New Castle

Tiphereth Israel – Shaler

Torath Chaim – Hampton

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For more information about JCBA cemeteries, to volunteer, to purchase plots, to read our complete histories and/or to make a contribution, please visit our website at www.JCBApgh.org, email us at jcbapgh@gmail.com, or call the JCBA o ice at 412-553-6469.

JCBA’s expanded vision is made possible by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Foundation

Obituaries

Seymour Stein, Jewish music mogul who discovered Madonna and The Ramones, dies at 80

By Gabe Friedman | JTA

Seymour Stein, one of the most influential music executives of the 20th century, who throughout his career frequently referred to his Jewish Brooklynite roots, died at 80 on Sunday at his home in Los Angeles.

The cause was an unspecified form of cancer, according to reports.

Stein, born Seymour Steinbigle in 1942 and raised near Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, signed artists to his Sire record label ranging from pop superstars like Madonna to punk rockers like The Ramones to New Wave pioneers like the Talking Heads. He also helped found the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the early 1980s and was inducted with a lifetime achievement award in 2005.

As he details in his 2018 autobiography, Stein’s father became closer to Orthodox Judaism in his 30s and 40s, regularly bringing his family to a nearby synagogue, where he was a vice president. Stein wrote that his father stopped by the synagogue at 6 a.m. before working in Manhattan’s Garment District and then again after work on his way home every day.

He described the Jews of 1940s Brooklyn in detail in “Siren Song: My Life in Music”:

“We had every flavor of Ashkenazim — Russian, Polish, Baltic, Romanian, Austrian, Hungarian, German, and Czech Jews, including about fifty thousand survivors from the concentration camps. We had lost tribes you didn’t even know existed — Syrian, Iraqi, Persian, Yemeni, Ethiopian, even some Sephardic Jews whose family trees had curled through Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and South America. ... [E]ach Jewish community was distinct, often with its own native food and language.”

In 1966, Stein — who shortened his last name on advice from an early mentor, the Jewish executive Syd Nathan — co-founded Sire Records, which would go on to sign and promote artists from a range of burgeoning genres in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s: British indie rockers like The Smiths and The Cure, electronic innovator Aphex Twin, the rapper Ice-T.

“He knows all the lyrics to every song you’ve ever heard,” said Chrissie Hynde, the famed leader of The Pretenders, another Sire band.

Along the way, Stein wrote and mentioned in interviews how he found camaraderie with other Jewish executives and stars, after having grown up in an era when Jews were implicitly banned from some professions in the United

States but found a haven in the entertainment industry. In his autobiography, for instance, he calls Lou Reed and New Wave electro-rocker Alan Vega fellow Brooklyn Jews.

“It’s amazing now that so many doctors and lawyers are Jewish,” he said in a 2013 interview with Tablet magazine. “Jews in America weren’t allowed in those professions 120 years ago. Music is something Jews were good at and they could do. All immigrants into America tried their hand at show-business.”

Stein signed Madonna from his hospital bed, where he was recovering from an open-heart surgery in 1982. She would release three top-ofthe-charts albums with Sire before creating her own imprint in 1992.

In 1975, his wife, Linda, encouraged him to look into The Ramones, a group of scrappy punks in ripped jeans from Queens (two of whom were Jewish). She would co-manage the band for a time before becoming a real estate agent.

Stein, who later came out as gay, wrote that “the roles were a little confused” in his marriage and that he felt pressured to hide his attraction to men in part because of his traditional Jewish upbringing. “Just because I may have been gay didn’t mean I wasn’t Jewish,” he wrote. He and Linda had two children but eventually divorced.

In the Tablet interview, Stein mentioned that he stayed observant, though not Orthodox, throughout his life. He visited Israel several times and worked with Israeli pop star Ofra Haza on multiple albums. In the 1990s, he visited the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman, Ukraine, a small town where thousands of Orthodox Jews gather each year on Rosh Hashanah.

“I feel a strong attachment to Nachman’s teachings,” he said.

Linda Stein was murdered by her assistant in 2007, and their daughter Samantha died in 2013 from brain cancer. Stein is survived by their other daughter Mandy, a sister and three grandchildren. PJC

p Seymour Stein with David Byrne and Madonna in 1996 KMazur/WireImage/Getty Images

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Life & Culture

It’s a date: Netflix’s ‘Jewish Matchmaking’ debuts May 3

By Jackie Hajdenberg | JTA

Amatchmaker who says she has successfully paired 200 Jewish couples is the star of “Jewish Matchmaking,” a Netflix series that is set to start streaming May 3.

Netflix announced the series, a spinoff of its wildly successful “Indian Matchmaking” show, nearly a year ago. Now, new details that the streaming giant released on Thursday reveal that it will take place in both the United States and Israel, and will feature people from a variety of Jewish backgrounds.

Their guide will be Aleeza Ben Shalom, an Orthodox Jewish dating coach with a decade of experience who was based in the Philadelphia area and moved to Israel two years ago.

“Finding your person is the hardest thing to do in the entire world,” Ben Shalom says in the show’s trailer, which dropped Thursday. “And that’s where I come in.”

Netflix is keeping most details about the show secret until closer to the launch date, but the trailer shows one man who is part of the process — “I don’t want to have to explain to her why ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ is funny,” he explains, after being asked why he is looking for a matchmaker — and several women. Multiple cast members posted about their involvement on social media on Thursday, including comedian and disability activist Pamela Rae Schuller and Miamibased marketing executive Dani Bergman.

Formal matchmaking is common in the haredi Orthodox world, where many couples pair off through a formal and speedy process that has been depicted in shows such as “Shtisel,” which also streams on Netflix.

Other Jews date and marry on their own, and a slew of dating services and apps have catered to matching Jews with each other.

“In today’s world of modern love, we are used to turning to technology to find love,”

Ben Shalom told E! News. “We download apps and we upload profiles. We swipe left or swipe right. And yet, somehow finding ‘the one’ has never been harder.”

“Jewish Matchmaking” will run for eight 30-minute episodes, featuring a diverse set of couplings, from Orthodox singles who observe the rules of negiah — the prohibition on touching before marriage — to Reform and secular U.S. Jews who, data show, are statistically likely to marry people who are not Jewish.

The show — whose title is translated into Hebrew as “Modern Matchmaking” — is modeled on “Indian Matchmaking,” now entering its third season, which also focuses on a professional matchmaker and people looking for love. While the show has been popular with audiences, it has also drawn criticism for reinforcing religious and caste segregation; no couples from its first season remain together.

Ben Shalom, who says she grew up secular and later became more traditionally observant, works exclusively with Jewish singles. This week, she launched a podcast called “The Yentas” with two other Jewish matchmakers affiliated with Tribe12, a Philadelphia organization serving Jewish young adults that includes a matchmaking service.

“We know it can carry a negative gossipy connotation,” they say in the first episode about the name of their show. “Maybe you saw ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ where the word is associated with being a busybody, somebody who wants to make matches but doesn’t have your best interest at heart. We are not that. We are love professionals.” PJC

p “Jewish Matchmaking” follows Jewish singles in the U.S. and Israel as they search for their soulmates with the help of a Jewish matchmaker. Photo courtesy of Netflix

“In today’s world of modern love, we are used to turning to technology to find love.”

–ALEEZA BEN SHALOM

Community

‘Lilly Anti-Klan Riot’ remembered

On April 5, 1924, local citizens forcibly prevented an armed contingent of 400 hooded Ku Klux Klan members from entering the borough of Lilly, in Cambria County, and terrorizing the immigrant population. Almost a century later, Lilly commemorated the “Lilly Anti-Klan Riot.” The April 2 commemoration was held at the Lilly Community Center/Library and included panels on “A Vote is a Fire Escape – the Untold Story of How Women took the Vote,” “The Struggle of Women and African Americans in the Workplace” and “The Attack by the KKK on the Community of Lilly.”

Early childhood students at Community Day School created a “Plague Gallery.” The works allowed students opportunities for expression and deeper understanding of the

Mock seder, real fun

Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Center for Loving Kindness hosted an interfaith and multicultural Passover gathering. Speakers included Pittsburgh Mayor Ed

p Howard Scott and Harriet Ellenerger, officers of the Pennsylvania Labor History Society, examine the historical marker erected on the site where the residents of Lilly repelled the KKK.

p From left: Josiah Gilliam, Sherree Goldstein, Mayor Ed Gainey, Rabbi Ron Symons and Sara Stock Mayo Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

p Historians Joseph Szalanski and Melvin Fees, along with Nick Molnar, former president of United Mine Workers District 2, discuss how the residents of Lilly fought back against the Klan in 1924 as part of the Pennsylvania Labor History Society and Battle of Homestead Foundation’s annual statewide meeting. Photos by Tammy Hepps

Passover story.

p “You shall speak to your children on that day.”

p Where are the frogs? Photos courtesy of Community Day School

p The group raised more than $600 to help support Just Harvest and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Photo courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation

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