Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 4-28-23

LOCAL

LOCAL

Chronicle to receive Service to

Lenda volorei ciendi non re nus

Day one of the synagogue shooting trial: Judge Colville begins questioning of potential jurors

Looking ahead, Tree of Life ends one chapter and begins another

to its readership and community

Et odictiumqui andae amusam quistium si de net voloritat

LOCAL

LOCAL

Page 5

Page X

Expanding horizons while helping others

Ovit, ommodi remos ero

Local teens visit Israel with a purpose, thanks to Classrooms Without Borders

Fodictiumqui aut entis andae asimuss

LOCAL

LOCAL

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

Page 7

Page X

Choosing nonviolence as the path to peace

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

Eight floors above Grant Street, inside the Joseph F. Weis Jr. U.S. Courthouse, the deliverance of justice began in the case involving the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. Day one of the trial featured the questioning of potential jurors about the death penalty, their experiences with law enforcement and anticipated hardships if selected for service.

to avoid discussing the case or the defendant with others.

The judge removed his robe, descended from the bench and sat at a desk between attorneys from both parties.

Standing before community members, survivors and loved ones of those killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Tree of Life Congregation’s Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said “l’hitraot” (goodbye for now) to a beloved space at a ceremony outside the Tree of Life building in Squirrel Hill on April 23.

Palestinian former resistance fighter finds another way forward

Lenda nus dolorum re pro mi, cuptati ntibus.

Page 8

Page X

Dressed in a black robe and seated on the bench beside an eagle-topped American flag in Courtroom 8C, U.S. District Judge Robert Colville welcomed seven prospective jurors.

Jury service is among the “highest and most important duties of the U.S.,” Colville said. “The integrity of this process depends on your truthfulness.”

Colville outlined three phases of what could be a “four-month” trial process. Jury selection is expected to take several weeks.

Before dismissing prospective jurors to an adjacent room, Colville instructed the group

Individual jurors were asked to reenter the courtroom. Colville stood, extended his hand and greeted each prospective juror before sharing a copy of the individual’s juror questionnaire, a multipage document — completed weeks earlier — with prompts detailing a prospective juror’s views and potential conflicts.

Both Colville and the prospective juror then sat.

Colville reminded each juror that despite the awkwardness involved, the intent was to have a general and pleasant, but “serious,” conversation. In doing so, Colville continued, the court and attorneys could determine a prospective juror’s views on the death penalty and ability to dutifully serve in this case.

Please

After 71 years of daily religious services — and countless weddings, circumcisions and b’nei mitzvot — significant portions of the structure will be demolished and built again.

Myers signaled the transition, and the end of a congregational chapter, by referencing various biblical usages of “etz chayim” (tree of life).

“It’s an interesting phrase,” he said. There is a tree of life mentioned in the Garden of Eden. In Proverbs, the words are used to describe wisdom. The Torah — “the source of what makes us Jewish” — is also referred to as a “tree of life,” Myers said.

Since its 1864 founding, the congregation has called itself “Etz Chayim,” Myers said, and, like a tree’s manifold leaves, so are the “innumerable joyous celebrations” that have occurred there.

Please see Tree of Life, page 10

p Alan Hausman, president of the Tree of Life congregation, and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers embrace after the Tree of Life Congregation’s “L’hitraot Ceremony” on April 23.

Photo by Alexandra Wimley/Union Progress

p Members of the media stand outside of the federal courthouse on Grant Street, on Monday, April 24, ahead of the start of the federal death penalty trial for the man accused of killing 11 worshippers from three congregations at the Tree of Life synagogue building in 2018.

Photo by Alexandra Wimley/Union Progress

Headlines

Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle/Pittsburgh Union Progress partner to cover the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial

— LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

Andrew Goldstein | Contributing Writer

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is teaming with the Pittsburgh Union Progress to enhance each publication’s coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial.

The unique partnership will provide shared content and allow for pooled resources between the two publications.

The Pittsburgh Union Progress is the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, covering the labor dispute and other important community news, according to its website. Those workers have been on strike for six months. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is a multimedia news organization serving the southwestern Pennsylvania Jewish community.

Included as part of the Union Progress’ team are a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and photographer who reported on the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, as well as a reporter who covered the courts for the daily newspaper.

Toby Tabachnick, the editor of the Chronicle, said the partnership will be mutually beneficial for the news outlets because it provides them both with an increase in resources and an amalgamation of knowledge and experience.

Importantly, she said, that combination will help to better serve readers.

“We’re bringing different perspectives from our different publications, different levels of expertise, different types of expertise, and combining them into stories that we’re doing together and stories that we’re doing separately,”

she said. “I think we’ll be able to provide our community with a wide range of very serious, sensitive and important reporting.”

Both the Chronicle and the Union Progress recognize that they have a duty to be a voice for their communities.

While the Union Progress brings hard news and courtroom experience to the partnership, the Chronicle has connections and sources in Pittsburgh’s Jewish community unlike any other media outlet in the city.

“Because we’re so ingrained in the community, we have very deep relationships with so many members of the community who were directly affected by the massacre: the victims, the families, the survivors, and also the institutions in the Jewish community that are affected by this event,” Tabachnick said.

Bob Batz Jr., a feature writer and editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is serving as the interim editor of the Union Progress.

He said he was approached with the idea of collaborating with the Chronicle in February and said yes almost immediately.

“There was nothing about it that didn’t sound great,” Batz said. “I’ve used the term before and I’ll use it again: This is really a dream team for covering this story.”

The writers working at Union Progress, which is online-only, didn’t foresee that they would still be publishing six months after the start of the strike, Batz said, but they feel it is important to continue serving their community while the strike continues.

That commitment extends to covering the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial.

“I liked the idea of sharing the work with two small teams,” Batz said, “but more than that, I’m thinking of it in terms of this groundbreaking cooperation rather than a competing thing, which I think is the coolest part about this.”

Torsten Ove is leading trial coverage for the Union Progress. He said he appreciates teaming with the Chronicle, especially since the PUP reporters are working for free while the strike lingers.

“Having the partnership is helpful, and it will mean reaching a wider audience because we’re sharing the stories in both our publications,” he said. “Any kind of wider audience for PUP is good for us. And I think it will help [the Chronicle] as well to get the nuts-and-bolts stories out there about the trial. So I think it’s kind of a win-win for us.”

Adam Reinherz, a staff writer for the Chronicle, said that the partnership will bolster the commitment that the journalists already have.

“We are privileged to have a tremendous responsibility to our readers and to the community at large, and we don’t take that lightly,” Reinherz said. “We didn’t take that lightly on Oct. 26, we didn’t take that lightly on Oct. 27 and we certainly haven’t taken it lightly in the days since.

“We are going to approach this in the best way that we can, building on the great legacy that the Chronicle has, and certainly relying on the incredible work that the [Pittsburgh Union Progress journalists] have done from day one.” PJC

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

Andrew Goldstein writes for the Pittsburgh Union Progress. This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial by the Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Union Progress in a collaboration supported by funding from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Main phone number: 412-687-1000

Subscriptions: 410-902-2300, ext. 1

SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@pittsburghjewishchronicle. org

410-902-2300, ext. 1

TO ADVERTISE advertising@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

724-713-8874

EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Evan H. Stein, Board Chair

Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary

Evan Indianer, Immediate Past Chair

Gail Childs, Dan Droz, Malke Steinfeld

Frank, Seth Glick, Tammy Hepps, Cátia Kossovsky, David Rush, Charles Saul

GENERAL COUNSEL

Stuart R. Kaplan, Esq.

Jim Busis, CEO and Publisher 412-228-4690 jbusis@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

EDITORIAL

Toby Tabachnick, Editor 412-228-4577 ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Andy Gotlieb, Contributing Editor

Adam Reinherz, Staff Writer 412-687-1000 areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

David Rullo, Staff Writer 412-687-1047 drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

ADVERTISING

Phil Durler, Senior Sales Associate 724-713-8874 pdurler@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

PRODUCTION

Jeni Mann Tough Production Manager

Carl Weigel

Art/Production Coordinator Subscriptions subscriptions@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 410-902-2300, ext. 1

Published every Friday by the Pittsburgh Jewish Publication and Education Foundation 5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Phone: 412-687-1000

POSTMASTER:

Send address change to PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE, 5915 BEACON ST., 5TH FLOOR PITTSBURGH, PA 15217

(PERIODICAL RATE POSTAGE PAID AT PITTSBURGH, PA AND AT ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES)

USPS 582-740

Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle become the property of this publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such items.

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle does not endorse the goods or services advertised or covered in its pages and makes no representation to the kashrut of food products and services in said advertising or articles. The publisher is not liable for damages if, for any reason whatsoever, he fails to publish an advertisement or for any error in an advertisement. Acceptance of advertisers and of ad copy is subject to the publisher’s approval. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is not responsible if ads violate applicable laws and the advertiser will indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle from all claims made by governmental agencies and consumers for any reason based on ads appearing in the PittsburghJewish Chronicle

p Torsten Ove of the Pittsburgh Union Progress and the Chronicle’s Adam Reinherz confer on coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial. Photo by Toby Tabachnick

State legislators unveil new anti-hate crime bills

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

On the same day that jury selec tion began in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial, state Rep. Dan Frankel, Sen. Jay Costa (both D-Allegheny) and state Rep. Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery) unveiled new antihate crime legislation at the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.

The four bills unveiled at the Stronger Than Hate news conference and rally on the Capitol steps in Harrisburg, and sponsored by Frankel, Costa and Nelson, are meant to modernize laws in the commonwealth to address hate crimes and ethnic intimida tion, provide state-supported training for police to identify and react to hate crimes, punish hate crime perpetrators by requiring them to learn about the groups they targeted and require schools and post-secondary institutions to offer online and anonymous hate crime reporting options for students and employees.

The bills are HB 1027: “Stand Together Against Ethnic Intimidation”; HB 1024: “Give Police the Tools they Need”; HB 1025: “Educate to Rehabilitate”; and HB 1026: “Give Colleges and Schools the Tools They Need.”

Frankel opened the press conference by referencing the Oct. 27, 2018, synagogue shooting, noting that loved ones of those killed in the attack were in attendance. The affected families, the congregations and Squirrel Hill would never be the same, he said.

“When Jews are attacked in Pittsburgh for their faith, a Chinese American shop owner in Allentown gets scared and closes up shop, a transgender teenager in Philadelphia decides not to attend an LGBTQ+ prom, an Islamic teacher in Erie chooses not to share with students why he fasts on Ramadan, an administrator at a school for the visually impaired considers fewer trips out of the city — when people are attacked or threatened or harassed for who they are, how they look or who they love, individuals in every community start to wonder, ‘Is someone going to hurt me?’” he said.

“Pennsylvania,” Frankel continued, “cannot address the growing danger of hate crimes with 40-year-old laws.”

Costa said the bills were about defending everyone’s rights to gather in prayer wherever they want, love whoever they want, look how they choose and live life the way they decide.

The senator added that the commonwealth has helped to provide enhanced security since Oct. 27, 2018, but that it isn’t enough to address the needs.

“We have to provide the tools to our lawmakers and have laws on the books that allow us the opportunity to be able to enforce those freedoms,” Costa said. “That’s what these measures are talking about.”

Nelson began his address to the crowd by recalling the oft-quoted words of Benjamin Franklin: “Those who give up essential

liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

“I very much respect and revere Ben Franklin but, as we say in our community, his privilege is showing just a bit,” Nelson said.

There is no such thing as temporary safety when hate crimes go unreported and unchecked, he added.

Co-chair of the House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, Benham represents District 36, which includes many of Pittsburgh’s southern communities that abut the South Hills suburbs.

Benham noted that she is both a queer woman and an openly autistic person.

“The expansion of protections to include LGBTQ+ and disabled people is critically

“While there is so much we can’t change,” she said, “through our words, presence, relationships, collaboration and our actions, we defy hate and antisemitism and show how we are ‘stronger than hate.’”

The fact that “Stand Together Against Ethnic Intimidation” is numbered HB 1027 was intentional. Frankel said it’s one way to memorialize what happened on Oct. 27,

McKeesport native Lt. Gov. Austin Davis invoked many of the same sentiments, saying that everyone in the commonwealth deserves to feel safe in their community, no matter how they look or worship.

“That feeling of safety has been shattered for so many Pennsylvanians, for our Jewish and Muslim and Sikh brothers and sisters, for our LGBTQ folks, for Black and brown Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth,” he said.

The Shapiro/Davis administration, he said, is committed to keeping Pennsylvanians safe.

“It’s time to get to work, pass this hate crime legislation and get it to the governor’s desk,” he concluded.

Rep. Joanna McClinton (D-Delaware and Philadelphia counties), the speaker of the House of Representatives, said that while there is a long way to go, she is encouraged to know that the four bills introduced were beginning to move through the House.

Of particular note was Rep. Jessica Benham’s (D-South Side) remarks.

important now,” she said.

Frankel told the Chronicle that the legislation, for the first time, protects the LGBTQ+ community. Andrew Goretsky from the Philadelphia office of the Anti-Defamation League, ARC Pennsylvania’s Elise Westcott, Majid Alsayegh and Thomas Tropp from the Philadelphia Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, and Navtej Grewal from the Sikh Coalition also addressed those in attendance.

Each of the three congregations attacked on Oct. 27 — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life — sent representatives to the press conference, including Debi and Don Salvin, Peg Durachko, Sharyn and Leigh Stein, Dana Kellerman, Stephen Weiss and Suzanne Schreiber. Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Security Director Shawn Brokos also attended.

Cindy Goodman-Leib of Pittsburgh attended the conference. She said that legislation is key to ensuring a safer future and HB 1027 and the hate crimes package offer much-needed tools.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

2018, while paying respect to the families of the victims and the survivors.

He said he’s confident that if the bill can get to the Senate floor it will pass with bipartisan votes.

“We just need some Republican leaders, who control the agenda, to agree to run these bills,” he said. “I think I’m guardedly optimistic about that.”

Frankel told the Chronicle that having the families at the press conference was moving.

“The families have a range of emotions and a range of ways they are trying to cope with the trial that in many ways retraumatizes them and our entire community,” he said. “For some, I think it’s helpful to say, ‘Here’s something that we can do and something that addresses what caused that vicious, antisemitic attack.’” PJC

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

p State Rep. Dan Frankel unveils the new anti-hate crime bills in Harrisburg on April 24. Screenshot by David Rullo

“It’s time to get to work, pass this hate crime legislation and get it to the governor’s desk.”

− LT. GOV. AUSTIN DAVIS

In Recognition and In Memory

As we grow let us not forget those that laid the foundation for the JCBA.

Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your elders, and they will tell you. −Deuteronomy 32:7

Sidney Deutsch

Some of our current and former board members have served for twenty or thirty years. And they are to be commended for their sustained support. Yet no one served the JCBA longer than Sidney Deutsch. He was the conscience of Pittsburgh’s Jewish cemetery community for 52 years.

Born on the Hill, he graduated from Pitt in 1954 with a degree in accounting. is Air Force veteran’s early professional career included posts at both Jewish Federations in Pittsburgh and in Kansas City. Always committed to Jewish communal service, he added a 1965 graduate degree in social work from his alma mater. Sidney helped to found the rst Orthodox Jewish day school in Kansas City.

Back in Pittsburgh, and by day operating his Tarentum recycling plant, Sidney Deutsch’s evenings were taken up with rst his large family, the “Deutsch Clan” and then the many organizations and shuls in which he was involved. Poale Zedeck, Young People’s, Shaare Torah, Hillel Academy, and the Kollel all bene tted from his passion for Jewish prayer and Jewish learning.

Involved with the Hebrew Burial Association of Pittsburgh, Sidney, along with others oversaw the free burial cemeteries in Shaler. He encouraged the Federation to involve itself, and in 1992 the JCBA was created. Passing away in 2022 at the age of 88, and buried at Poale Zedeck Memorial Park, Honorary Board Member Sidney Deutsch lived long enough to see his early vision realized…a strong and vital Jewish cemetery organization prepared to meet the unique challenges that the region’s many cemeteries present.

Louis Zeiden

When a customer died and his family couldn't a ord to buy him a new suit for his funeral, Louis Zeiden did not hesitate. It was in this charitable way that he was raised. Born in Pittsburgh, Lou owned and operated Zeiden’s, a menswear store in Beaver Falls for over twenty years. He was a leader within Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. Lou was the longstanding President of Agudath Achim Synagogue and assisted in building the JCC in the Beaver Valley. Upon retirement in 1988, Lou returned to Pittsburgh and immersed himself in the Jewish community. It might be easier to list the organizations that Lou wasn’t involved with as he was most caring, and had impact on many boards.

It was Lou Zeiden who arranged to have the JCBA, with the then United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh restore the abandoned and vandalized Steinfeld Cemetery in New Brighton. Along with Bill Stark, Lou saw a need, jumped in, and oversaw the 1997 restoration. Lou also put his stamp, as cemetery chair on an early restoration of B’nai Israel’s Cemetery in Penn Hills.

Louis Zeiden stayed active into his 90’s passing away in 2012. He was a valued JCBA Board Member and is remembered for thoughtful and sage-like advice, dispensed in his gentlemanly and courteous manner. He is buried in B’nai Israel Cemetery.

David Rosenbloom

David Rosenbloom was a born leader. Pittsburgh native and Taylor Allderdice 1964 grad, this mensch’s name was a calling card within the Lion’s Club, Congregation Beth Shalom, the tennis community, the Pennsylvania Optometric Association, and the many other places that he made his mark. Beloved by patients, and a mentor to young optometrists, Dr. Rosenbloom stayed involved with the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, his alma mater. Perhaps his greatest contribution as a volunteer was as the outstanding leader and President of the JCBA. It was during his tenure that the Association rst expanded beyond overseeing four cemeteries. Dr. David Rosenbloom’s credibility, along with other early leaders, allowed for the 2009-10 successful transfer of six additional cemeteries to the JCBA, some abandoned. He put the Association on solid footing, and reached out to independent cemeteries to o er our services.

Sadly, David, during his Presidency, passed away in 2013. Buried in Beth Shalom Cemetery, Dr. David Rosenbloom is remembered for the early expansion of the JCBA, and for attracting others through his winning personality to join him in strengthening the Association.

Jonathan Schachter

ere was nothing that Jonathan Schachter didn’t or wouldn’t do for the JCBA. Recruited by David Rosenbloom onto the Board, Jonathan would go on to serve the Association for twenty years. A Philadelphia native, he had come to Pittsburgh to attend Pitt…and never went home. Learned and knowledgeable, Jonathan Schachter had much to contribute to any Jewish organization. He was a key founding leader within the New Community Chevra, and added much to Beth Shalom over many years. Jonathan also served area congregations and conducted High Holy Day services, most notably in Latrobe. But it was within the JCBA that Jonathan Schachter will be most remembered. Assuming the Presidency when David Rosenbloom passed away in 2013 Jonathan’s steady hand steered the Association. When the JCBA needed to make a change professionally, this very able and skilled volunteer stepped in, provided the kind of professional leadership as the Executive Director necessary to sustain con dence in the cemetery association. During the more recent re-envisioning, and as the Association has grown to 41 cemeteries, it was Jonathan’s systems, tireless e orts, and guidance, and his valued service as the Administrator that made the JCBA’s growth manageable and successful. Jonathan Schachter passed away in 2022, and is buried in Beth Shalom Cemetery. In tribute to the many people he touched, the graveside funeral may have been the largest gathering of area cemetery leaders, and those involved with end of life issues, in Pittsburgh’s history.

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

Chronicle to receive Service to Journalism Award from Press Club

of Western PA

— LOCAL —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania will present one of its two 2023 Service to Journalism awards to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle at an awards dinner on May 30. The other service award is going to the Diocese of Erie.

Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, western Pennsylvania’s premier Jewish publication.

“The newspaper is to be commended on reaching this milestone and its service to its readership and community, which stretches far beyond our city’s borders and southwestern Pennsylvania,” a statement from the press club read.

“The history of the newspaper is deep and rich, with predecessor publications ‘The Jewish Criterion,’ founded in 1895, and the ‘American Jewish Outlook,’ founded in 1934, laying the foundation for its current award-winning work,” the statement continued. “The news, feature and opinion articles and multimedia work the staff has crafted has strengthened not only the Jewish community but also connected its readers, providing them with important information that enriches their lives.”

Helen Fallon is the president of the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, a professor emeritus of journalism at Point Park University and a journalist with the Pittsburgh Union Progress, the publication of the striking workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

She said an executive committee of Press Club journalists helped select this year’s Service to Journalism Award winners. The

award honors an individual or group that has made outstanding contributions to journalism in Western Pennsylvania.

“I’ve always been impressed that these community-based newspapers have endured,” Fallon said. “The Jewish Chronicle has a rich history of serving its community and beyond.”

“We just make sure excellence in journalism is recognized and celebrated,” she added.

Previous Service to Journalism Award recipients include Pittsburgh print and broadcast reporters, journalism educators, the WQED Multimedia and Frank Bolden Urban Journalism Workshop, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, Trib Total Media publisher Jennifer Bertetto, and others.

The honorees will be celebrated during the Golden Quills dinner on Tuesday, May 30, at the Rivers Casino.

Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle publisher Jim Busis said his organization is “thrilled and honored to be selected for this year’s Service to Journalism Award.”

“It’s a welcome recognition of not only the value that we provide every day to the Pittsburgh Jewish community but also of the role that we play in the broader Pittsburgh news media and the entire Pittsburgh community,” Busis said. “Of course, this acknowledgment reflects not only the hard work and skills of the current staff and board but also all the staff and board members who have contributed so much to the Chronicle over the last 60 years.”

The Press Club of Western Pennsylvania is a nonprofit membership organization of journalists and other communications professionals from a 29-county area of western Pennsylvania, plus areas of Ohio and West Virginia. PJC

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

p Chronicle staff, from left: Staff Writer David Rullo, CEO and Publisher Jim Busis, Editor Toby Tabachnick, Senior Sales Associate Phil Durler and Staff Writer Adam Reinherz

Photo by Kim Rullo

Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon.

FRIDAY, APRIL 28 – SUNDAY, APRIL 30

The JFilm Festival, running from April 20-30, showcases 24 Jewish-themed, independent feature films from around the world. Exclusive Film Schmooze discussions about some of the films will be featured. For more information, visit FilmPittsburgh.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 29

Rodef Shalom Congregation, Temple Sinai, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether and Spirit of Galilee Association present “Spirit of the Galilee: Multicultural and Interreligious Dialogue in Israel and Beyond with Rabbi Or Zohar,” a discussion, music and Havdalah with Rabbi Or Zohar. Rabbi Zohar will discuss his work toward advancing pluralism, mutual understanding and cooperation between various denominations, religions and cultures of the Misgav region and beyond.

6 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/galilee.

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.

The 10 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-a-jewish-perspective.

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.

SUNDAYS, APRIL 30 – 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 30 – 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.

MONDAY, MAY 1 – 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.

MONDAYS, MAY 1 – 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.

MONDAYS, MAY 1 – 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, MAY 1 – DEC. 18

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

TUESDAY, MAY 2

Join Repair the World Pittsburgh and the 10.27 Healing Partnership for Chai, Chai V’Kayam, a series of community garden service-learning projects focused on sustaining ourselves, our communities and the Earth through di cult times. As the 10.27 synagogue shooting trial approaches, we hope that these programs serve as an opportunity to come together for healing and collective action. 5:30 p.m. For more information, including events and locations, visit 1027healingpartnership.org/series/chai-chai-vkayamvolunteering-series.

Temple Sinai invites you to join them on Zoom to discuss author Debby Applegate’s “Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age” at 6 p.m. Free. Register for the Zoom link at templesinaipgh.org/programs-events.

TUESDAYS, MAY 2, 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/israeli-literatureas-a-window-to-israeli-society/2023-02-07.

TUESDAYS, MAY 2 – 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.

Join Women of Temple Sinai for Yoga at Temple Sinai, a relaxing class taught by certified yoga teacher Bre Kernick. All levels welcome. No experience required. Ages 16 and older. 7 p.m. $15 a session. templesinaipgh. org/programs-events.

WEDNESDAYS, MAY 3 – MAY 24

In the 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-afractured-world/2023-02-2.

Registration is 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, MAY 3 – 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.

WEDNESDAYS, MAY 3 – 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.

WEDNESDAYS, MAY 3 – 24

Chabad of the South Hills presents the new JLI course “Jewpernatural: Signs, spirits and superstition in Jewish belief.” The course probes the Talmud, Jewish philosophy and Kabbalah to provide Jewish perspectives and guidance to help understand mysterious topics like the meaning of dreams; the existence of angels, demons, and extraterrestrials; and the power of the evil eye. 7:30 p.m. Chabad of the South Hills. chabadsh.com.

THURSDAY, MAY 4

Temple Emanuel of the South Hills presents author and health care advocate Je Weinberg, president of Caregiver Champion. Weinberg will discuss how the health care systems work and don’t work, and how to advocate for yourself within those healthcare systems. The talk is based on his book “The Emperor Needs New Clothes or Why the Caring Disappeared from Health Care.” Snacks will be provided and books will be available for purchase. RSVP to smangan@

templeemanuelpgh.org. 7 p.m. 1250 Bower Hill Road. templeemanuelpgh.org/event/guest-speaker-jeweinberg-author-and-healthcare-advocate.

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.

SUNDAYS, MAY 7, JUNE 4

Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh for an exciting Partnership2Gether online film club that brings together people from di erent Jewish communities for thought-provoking discussion based on di erent films. 1 p.m. jewishpgh.org/events/category/ partnership2gether.

MONDAY, MAY 8

Celebrate Israel’s 75th with Temple Sinai. Author and journalist Andrew Lawler will be on site to discuss his book “Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World’s Most Contested City” about the secret world under Jerusalem. 7 p.m. Free. templesinaipgh.org/ programs-events.

MONDAY, MAY 15, JUNE 12

Join the Women of Temple Sinai for Make ‘n’ Eat Monday Nights — A Year of Spices. The instructor will lead students in making a meal so everyone can eat together and taste the featured spice. 6 p.m. $15. templesinaipgh.org/event/ spicecooking.html.

THURSDAY, MAY 18

Classrooms Without Borders presents a post-film discussion of “Air Born” with Liat Eini-Netzer and Avi Ben-Hur. 3 p.m. eventbrite.com/e/post-film-discussionair-born-tickets-566782861797.

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-jewish-poetry-reading-series.

SUNDAYS, MAY 21, JUNE 11 AND SEPT. 10

Join Congregation Beth Shalom 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/InterfaithProgram-2023.

TUESDAY, MAY 23

Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for “A Taste of Shabbat,” a women’s evening of food, fun, and learning, featuring a cheesecake demo. 7 p.m. $15 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com/cheesecake. PJC

Doing ‘good for others’: Classrooms Without Borders takes high school students on service mission to Israel

Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

Ten area teens returned from Israel with a greater appreciation for family, food and democracy. The high school students, who attend Shady Side Academy, Sewickley Academy and Winchester Thurston, participated in a Classrooms Without Borders service mission to the Jewish state.

Between March 18 and 30, the students spent six days at the Children’s Village in Karmiel assisting underprivileged Israeli youth and observing the dynamics within large adoptive families.

Sophia Shapira, 16, said she was taken aback by both the care provided and the selflessness exhibited within the village.

“When I went there and saw what these adults were doing for foster kids, it was amazing,” Shapira said.

More than 200 children, resettled from unsafe environments by the Israeli government, live in the village. Each child, ranging in age from 3 to 18, lives with a married couple and several other biologically unrelated children in a home as a family.

“It was just amazing to see,” Shapira said. “In the village, there was a synagogue, a school, a

playground and a candy store. The village was giving these kids a chance to have a life.”

Emma Di Domenico, 15, described the welcomeness she felt from both the children and their parents.

“Even though I was a stranger, the family referred to me as part of their family and encouraged me to come back whenever I want,” she said.

Classrooms Without Borders founder and

Executive Director Tsipy Gur said Shapira and Di Domenico’s reactions — as well as those of the other students — reflect the service mission’s purpose.

“Trips like this are helping kids get out of their bubble and do something good for others and for klal yisrael (the Jewish people),” Gur said.

Kate Lukaszewicz, a civics teacher at Sewickley Academy, chaperoned

alongside Gur and described the experience as “student-centered.”

Although considerable portions of the visit were spent building relationships within the village, there were opportunities to learn about history and democracy, she said.

Months before boarding a plane, the Pittsburghers studied Israeli culture, Jewish

Louisa & Jimmy Rudolph

Debbie & Lloyd Myers

The Karp Family Foundation

Rita & Andy Rabin

p Max McCarran of Shady Side Academy with four boys from his host family at the Children's Village Photo courtesy of Kate Lukaszewicz

Palestinian peace activist Ali Abu Awwad speaks at JCC

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

Ali Abu Awwad’s life could have turned out very differently.

His mother, Fatma, was a Palestine Liberation Organization regional leader and worked closely with Yasser Arafat. Abu Awwad witnessed her arrest by Israeli security forces and joined in the first intifada.

“I was not born peacefully,” Abu Awwad recounted on Wednesday, April 19, to the nearly 50 in attendance at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. The peace activist’s talk was sponsored by J Street Pittsburgh and Congregation Dor Hadash.

Abu Awwad first saw his mother arrested in 1982 when he was 10, he said.

“When she was arrested again in 1987, when the first intifada started, and I saw her beat up in front of my eyes by Israeli officers and security officers — that was the end because I felt it’s not about the land or identity, it’s personal,” he said.

The arrest of his mother, combined with everyday injustices and life under what he called “military occupation,” turned Abu Awwad into a rock-throwing 15-year-old who was eventually arrested for his work as a leader in the resistance movement.

His approach to the conflict changed while imprisoned at the same time as his mother. While incarcerated, he spent much of his time

interacting with other Palestinian political pris

to visit his mother, something that is supposed to be allowed every three months. After three years of asking, he and his mother went on a hunger strike for 17 days.

Abu Awwad eventually won the right to see his mother, but he gained more than a mere visit. He asked himself why, after all of the violent clashes with Israel, he was able to accomplish a goal simply by not eating. That realization, he said, started another journey of education which, after his release from prison thanks to the Oslo Accords, led to the founding of the Taghyeer Palestinian National Nonviolence Movement and the Abu Awwad International Nonviolence Center in Palestine.

Abu Awwad also continued to work in the Palestinian Authority, bringing with him his

Despite delivering his freedom, the Oslo Accords and the peace process that followed were bound to fail, Abu Awwad said, because of conditions on the ground.

“There are parties who are willing to keep this conflict going,” he said. “They don’t want to see peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. We are good material for their politics.”

After the start of a new intifada in 2000, Abu Awwad, fed up with the corruption he saw, resigned from the Palestinian Authority.

The former resistance fighter said he concluded that: “We don’t need political parties because we’re not a country, we’re not a government.”

Instead, he said, Palestinians should be under one umbrella without the baggage of different ideologies.

Amid these political realizations, Abu Awwad was shot by an Israeli settler. While recovering in Saudi Arabia, his brother Youssef was killed by an Israeli soldier, he said.

Youssef’s death caused Abu Awwad to grapple with some strong emotions. On the one hand, he was angered by what occurred and wrestled with the idea of revenge but knew violence wasn’t the answer. On the other hand, Israeli soldiers still occupied the streets where he lived.

This is not the phantasia of reconciliation. This is not spirituality and healing and yoga,” he said. He called for a commitment from Palestinians to stop acting like victims and as if they are in a suffering competition with Israelis and the Jewish people.

Instead, he said, Palestinians should build a new construct for themselves.

“We need to frame ourselves in a new model, a model that will provide dignity and responsibility,” he said.

Taghyeer’s work includes cleaning trash from the streets, composting, gardening and home farming.

The organization developed a grove of trees in the South Hebron Hills and grew to include regional groups, including a women-led coalition of teachers, young professionals, veteran political activists and social workers, according to the group’s website.

“Nonviolence,” Abu Awwad said during his nearly hour-long talk, “is the art of humanity.”

Rabbi Jamie Gibson visited the Nonviolence Center in 2015, 2018 and 2019 during some of his 34 trips to Israel and came to hear Abu Awwad speak last week. Gibson said when he visited the center, both a Jew — who was not necessarily from the left — and a Palestinian, shared their views of the conflict.

“Both sharing the tales, challenges and struggles of coexistence and shared respect for each other’s claim upon the land or, as Ali put it the other night, how we belong to the land, the land does not belong to us,” he told the Chronicle.

Gibson said that while in the short term things look pretty bad, the long term holds promise.

“[Abu Awwad] said this directly: Long-term change is built by minorities, not majorities, and by committed individuals who are committed to the ideals that motivate them and the people that follow them,” Gibson said.

J Street Pittsburgh Chair Mark Fichman said the organization co-sponsored the talk because Abu Awwad is an “eloquent, deeply committed advocate for an exclusively nonviolent path to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.”

Crafting strategies that allow you to keep more of your assets during your lifetime;

Exploring the many payment options for disability and longterm care services;

Designing instruments that protect your assets from Medicaid spend-down requirements;

Ensuring that your affairs will be handled the way you want if you experience a serious injury or illness; and

Administering your estate to ensure proper distribution of your assets while minimizing any taxes owed.

We help families understand the strategies, the bene ts, and the risks involved with elder law, disability law and estate planning.

Michael H. Marks, Esq.

“How can I hear the Hebrew language anymore?” he asked. “How can I go back to Palestine from Saudi Arabia? How can I prevent myself from doing anything that will harm my son? What can I tell my brother’s kids? I was totally broken.”

It was after a Jewish Orthodox Israeli father reached out to Abu Awwad’s mother, saying he represented a group that wanted to learn about Fatma’s activism and their family’s loss, that his life changed, he said.

Soon Abu Awwad and his mother were sharing a new message both at home and abroad — one of non-violence. Fatma spoke to a United Nations delegation and Abu Awwad talked at high schools, universities and even the Knesset.

In 2013, he developed the Palestinian Karama Nonviolence Center in the West Bank, and in 2014 he co-founded Roots, a Palestinian-Israeli initiative promoting understanding, nonviolence and transformation.

Abu Awwad next concluded that nonviolence should be used to transform Palestinian society, rather than relying on Israel as a partner. He recruited community leaders who spent time in prison and were seen as stalwarts uncorrupted by the Palestinian Authority to help spread the message of nonviolence.

“This is not a nonprofit acting as a nonprofit.

Abu Awwad, Fichman said, has pursued nonviolence for many years and was active in The Parents Circle, which engages in dialogue with Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in the conflict.

Fichman referenced Abu Awwad’s acknowledgment that both Israeli Jews and Palestinians “belong to the land.”

“We think Pittsburgh and the Jewish community here would appreciate the chance to hear his lived experience and the lessons he has taken from them,” Fichman said. “My impression from the audience reaction is they received his views very positively.”

In an interview following his talk, Abu Awwad said his vision for a solution to the conflict includes two undivided states.

“I believe in my people more than the government,” Abu Awwad said. “Most of the people are not engaged directly with the conflict. They just want to live with dignity.”

“The problem is not Judaism,” he continued. “The problem is not the Palestinian national identity. The problem is how do we belong to the land, and how do we practice the relationship? That’s the problem.” PJC

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

p Ali Abu Awwad addresses a Pittsburgh audience on April 19.

Photo by David Rullo

UK’s Liberal and Reform movements merge as Progressive Judaism

In a major development for British Jewry, the United Kingdom’s Liberal and Reform Jewish movements are joining to create a unified Progressive Judaism movement after working separately for more than 120 years, JTA.org reported. The historic project, a culmination of decades of discussions and rapprochement, is to be led by the Reform movement’s newlyappointed CEO, Rabbi Josh Levy — who is leaving his role as principal rabbi of Alyth (or the North Western Reform Synagogue) in London — and Liberal Judaism CEO Rabbi Charley Baginsky.

The union was made possible in part by the decision of the U.K. Reform movement in 2015 to accept patrilineal Jews — or Jews with a Jewish father but not a Jewish mother — as full members of communities. That American model is embraced by the Liberal movement, but most European Reform organizations require patrilineal Jews to convert to become full members of their communities.

Paul Langsford, co-chair of the Reform movement, assured members of both groups that “no one will be asked to change their synagogue name, their Reform identity or change their prayerbook.” The London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research reported that, as of 2021, there were 271,327 self-identified Jews living in England and Wales, up from 259,927 in 2001. They make up 0.46% of the total population of both countries.

Mayhem at JFNA conference in Israel

A panel at a major American Jewish conference in Tel Aviv descended into pandemonium as protesters in the audience shouted down a leading far-right politician, JTA reported.

Panelists also sniped at each other over the government’s controversial attempt to overhaul Israel’s judiciary and its threat to tighten immigration rules.

Security personnel forcibly ejected multiple protesters from the event, which took an unplanned five-minute break to calm the tensions in the room. It was the first reprimand of protesters at a conference whose organizers had made clear they expected them and supported any that did not interfere with the proceedings.

“We wanted very much to include anyone who wanted to be here, to learn and to be part of the conversation. It’s unfortunate it was disrupted so we couldn’t engage in the kind of learning we had hoped for,” Jewish Federations of North America board chair Julie Platt said after the interrupted panel. “It was more than we expected.”

The drama at the event surrounded Simcha Rothman, an Orthodox lawmaker who is one of the architects of, and a vocal advocate for, the government’s proposal to sap power from the Supreme Court. Protests against him on Monday began before his speaking engagement and followed him throughout his remarks.

Credit Suisse impeding probe into Nazi bank accounts, US lawmakers say

The Senate Budget Committee accused Credit Suisse of impeding an investigation into former accounts at the bank that were held by Nazis,

Today in Israeli History

May 1, 1943 — Bermuda conference is no help for Jews

including many who fled to South American countries after World War II, JTA reported.

On April 18, the committee released two reports, one by an independent ombudsman the bank hired to oversee the investigation and one by a forensic research team. The bank fired the ombudsman, American lawyer Neil Barofsky, in November, months into his investigation.

“Credit Suisse’s decision to stop its review midstream has left many questions unanswered, including questions about the thoroughness of its prior investigative efforts, the extent to which it served Nazi interests and the bank’s role in servicing Nazis fleeing justice after the war,” Barofsky wrote in his findings, according to reports.

Jewish organizations have long claimed that in addition to playing a key role in financially supporting Nazi Germany, Credit Suisse held onto money looted from Jews long after the war. In 1999, the Swiss bank paid Jewish groups and Holocaust survivors a settlement of $1.25 billion in restitution for withholding money from Jews who had tried to withdraw their funds.

Russian-Jewish dissident sentenced to 25 years in prison for treason

A Russian-Jewish dissident whose case has attracted support from human rights groups and prominent Jewish activists was sentenced to 25 years in prison for treason on April 17, JTA.org reported. Vladimir Kara-Murza, 41, received the harshest sentence given to a critic of the Kremlin in the 14 months since Russia first invaded Ukraine. The charges were issued roughly a year after Kara-Murza accused Russia of committing war crimes in Ukraine during a speech

to the Arizona state legislature. The charges included discrediting the Russian military and spreading “knowingly false information” about its actions in Ukraine.

Kara-Murza’s sentence came after years of tensions between him and Putin’s government that culminated in his urging for the West to impose sanctions on Russia as punishment for its war in Ukraine. He has been poisoned twice and has blamed the Kremlin for both instances, while the government has denied its involvement.

When Kara-Murza heard the sentence, his lawyer told the BBC, he took it as a sign of the effectiveness of his criticism. “My self-esteem even rose,” the lawyer quoted Kara-Murza as saying. “I realized I’d been doing everything right.”

Shake Shack coming to Israel in 2024

Shake Shack, the American fast-casual restaurant chain famous for its burgers and milkshakes, is heading to Israel. JTA.org reported.

The chain announced on April 19 on social media that a location will open next year in Tel Aviv. Over the next decade, the company announced, it plans to open 15 locations across Israel.

In keeping with its international strategy — Shake Shack has 120 international locations, in addition to 240 in the United States — the company says it will “collaborate with local purveyors and producers to create a one-of-a-kind Shack experience unique for the Israeli community.”

Shake Shack did not offer details about its local products. The company also did not respond to a request for comment about whether any of its offerings in Israel would be kosher. PJC

— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

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

April 28, 1918 — AJC weakly endorses Balfour Declaration

Six months after the Balfour Declaration, the British government’s backing of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, the American Jewish Committee offers its lackluster support.

April 29, 1979 — Prisoners of Zion arrive in Israel

Five recently released Soviet Jewish prisoners arrive at Ben Gurion Airport. They were convicted in 1970 of hijacking a plane to escape the Soviet Union. They catalyze the movement to free Soviet Jewry.

April 30, 2012

— Netanyahu’s father dies

Historian and Revisionist Zionist leader Benzion

A communiqué issued after a 12-day Allied refugee conference in Bermuda fails to announce any specific steps to help Jews facing extermination by the Nazis. Britain does not open Jewish immigration to Palestine.

May 2, 1860 — Theodor Herzl is born

Theodor Herzl is born in Pest, Hungary. A lawyer and writer, he is so shaken by the French antisemitism around the spy case against Alfred Dreyfus that he writes “The Jewish State” in 1896 and convenes the First Zionist Congress in 1897.

May 3, 1898 — Golda Meir is born

Israel’s only female prime minister, Golda Meir, is born in Kyiv, Ukraine. She immigrates in 1906 to the United States and in 1921 to Palestine, where she becomes active in labor politics.

May 4, 1947 — Irgun blasts prisoners

out of Acre

p Benzion Netanyahu’s Revisionist Zionism is considered a major influence on his son Benjamin, the longest-serving prime minister in Israel’s history.

By Avi Ohayon, Israeli Government

Netanyahu, the father of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Entebbe hero Yonatan Netanyahu, dies at home in Jerusalem at age 102.

p A British wanted poster provides details on the Jews who escaped from the Acre prison on May 4, 1947.

The Irgun carries out a complex operation to break 30 of its men and 11 Lehi members out of the British prison at Acre. Six of the 41 are killed; eight are recaptured. In the chaos, 182 Arabs escape. PJC

Headlines

Trial:

Continued from page 1

“In the eyes of the law, [the defendant] is as innocent as anyone else, as innocent as me,” Colville said. “Can you determine an outcome based solely on the evidence?”

Several prospective jurors signaled an ability to do so. Some openly questioned their likelihood of neutrality.

“I don’t know how much more heinous it could be,” one prospective juror said of the 11 worshippers shot and killed at the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018.

Colville reiterated there were “no right or wrong answers” to his questions and that he and the attorneys present were simply trying to determine potential jurors’ views.

At times, Matthew Rubenstein, an attorney

Tree of Life:

Continued from page 1

“We are grateful to God for the thousands of blessings that have passed through these doors,” he said.

But the synagogue’s doors have remained mostly closed since a gunman murdered 11 people during Shabbat services on Oct. 27, 2018, and seriously wounded six others, including four first responders.

Myers, a survivor of the shooting, recalled the events of 4½ years ago.

“We cannot, we must not, permit one day out of 25,993 days to define us, nor outweigh all the good, for we have been shown more than we can recall,” he said.

Despite being one day among thousands, Oct. 27, 2018, is a critical piece of the congregation’s history. The l’hitraot ceremony was deliberately scheduled to occur less than 24 hours before the start of the trial against the accused Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, Myers said.

“The next chapter opens tomorrow,” he said, “so we needed to close that chapter today.”

Helping symbolize the shift were songs and responsive readings.

Alan Hausman, Tree of Life’s president, recited a verse from Alden Solovy’s acrostic poem titled “Tree of Life.”

“Oh, Rock of Israel, Forget not the Jews of Pittsburgh,” Hausman read.

Myers asked attendees to place memorial

Classrooms:

for the defendant, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Soo Song asked prospective jurors about prior experiences, attitudes regarding the death penalty and whether it was possible to determine an outcome in this case based on the testimony and evidence presented.

The questioning of each prospective juror occurred in a largely empty room. Apart from Colville, those present included officers of the court, attorneys and the defendant, Robert Bowers.

Dressed in black slacks, a light blue shirt and gray crew neck sweater, the middle-aged man with thinning hair spent the day without publicly speaking. At times, he drank from a white foam cup, shuffled papers, took notes and chatted with public defender Michael Novara.

Seated behind several empty benches in the back of the vacuous courtroom were survivors

stones beside the building for collection and later integration into the new structure. The rabbi then undertook a final act. He asked Cantor Laura Berman to sing a popular Hebrew folk song while he and Hausman approached the building’s exterior doors facing Shady Avenue.

With a screwdriver in his left hand, the rabbi raised his right hand to his mouth. He kissed his fingers and pressed them against the mezuzah.

Berman and attendees continued singing “Shalom Chaverim,” a song whose few lyrics describe an elusive meeting between friends. “Shalom” — one of the folk song’s three words — means hello, goodbye and peace.

When used to say goodbye, shalom has a “finality,” Myers said. “We are not saying shalom.”

The rabbi pried the protective cover and handwritten Hebrew scroll from the doorpost.

“It will be cleaned, stored and reaffixed,” he said. Berman kept singing.

Rose Gerson, a Tree of Life congregant, cried.

“You never know how you’re going to react,” Gerson said of seeing the mezuzah’s removal.

“It just brings you back to a place you don’t want to be,” congregant Ann Levin said. “I know it’s going to be a new building and a beautiful building, but the reason we’re here is just so painful.”

Lukaszewicz said the demonstration was not only “civil and passionate” but educational.

Continued from page 7

holidays and traditional foods with Bar Zeevi and Einav Mayer, two Shinshinim (young Israeli ambassadors). During the Rodef Shalom Congregation-based sessions, the Israelis even taught the students a few Hebrew words for conversation abroad.

Milagros De Jong, 15, said that her nervousness about language barriers didn’t preclude meaningful and natural interactions with children in the village.

“Even though they spoke Hebrew and I spoke English, we played UNO and Jenga. These are universal things we can all understand,” she said.

In Tel Aviv, the students encountered protestors, who — like thousands of Israelis during the past four months — voiced opposition to the Israeli government’s proposed judicial overhaul.

“I thought it was a good model for students to see how citizens across the globe might use their voice for change,” she said.

Similarly instructive was the March 27 labor strike, Lukaszewicz said.

In response to government actions, members of the Histadrut umbrella group, which represents more than 700,000 workers in health, transit, banking and other sectors, went on strike.

The strike resulted in the closure of Masada, and although the students were unable to visit the historic site, learning about the attitudes and actions of Israelis was valuable, according to the educator.

“This was a moment for students to realize that other countries engage in general strikes, whereas in the U.S. it is more tied to a particular industry,” Lukaszewicz said. Additionally, the strikers are people who “feel so strongly

of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting as well as descendants and loved ones of those lost.

Before day one of jury selection was officially called to order at 8:54 a.m. the small group congregated outside the courtroom. Three (Daniel Leger, Deane Root and Rabbi Doris Dyen) wore yarmulkes. As the morning session stretched on, the Jewish group silently sat in the last two benches and listened to Colville and attorneys raise hypotheticals about murder, religious animus, childhood trauma, the defendant’s mental health and potential jurors’ willingness to remain impartial.

Nearly five hours passed between Colville’s initial greeting and his directive to break for lunch. In the interim, members of the media shared two reserved seats in the courtroom. Press representatives were asked to determine who would occupy each space. Local

and national reporters decided the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle should have one seat during the initial session of day one.

Before reporters were permitted to enter the courtroom, the public was asked to line up, raise their arms and submit to a light search. The ornate doors to the courtroom opened. The first to enter was Daniel Leger, one of two survivors among the 13 congregants who were shot. PJC

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

This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Union Progress in a collaboration supported by funding from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

p Attendees raise their hands in response to Rabbi Jeffrey Myers asking, “How many of you attended a joyous event at Tree of Life?” during the Tree of Life Congregation’s “L’hitraot Ceremony” on April 23. Photo by Alexandra Wimley/Union Progress

Past President Suzanne Schreiber acknowledged the difficulty of seeing an iconic Jewish symbol removed from a shuttered house of worship but encouraged congregants to look ahead.

“It does mark the closing of one chapter, but I can’t wait to read the rest of the book because the rest of the book hasn’t been written yet,” she said.

Thirty minutes after the ceremony’s conclusion, Gerson, a member of Tree of Life for nearly 20 years, remained on site. She ambled up the steps from the Zittrain Gardens and stood near the corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues. With her back to the building, she told the Chronicle

about government policies in Israel that with conviction in their hearts they chose not to work in order to make a point.”

The situation in Israel presents countless teachable moments, Gur said: “These students are the future generation, and we need to inform them about the country.”

Max McCarran, 17, said he has wanted to visit Israel since learning about the country from a Sunday school teacher at Temple Ohav Shalom.

Thanks to Gur, and a presentation she made at Shady Side Academy about the service mission, he realized he finally had a chance to see the country and help others there.

Whether it was learning about Roman connections to the Rosh HaNikra grottoes and the area’s continued role within military conflicts, or viewing ancient water tunnels in Jerusalem, so much of the past was brought alive, the student said.

her eyes are fixated on the days to come.

“Today is done. Tomorrow the next ugly chapter begins,” she said. “The trial starts tomorrow morning, but we will get through it because you can’t let them win.” PJC

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

This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Union Progress in a collaboration supported by funding from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

But there was one space that particularly altered McCarran’s understanding of history.

During a tour of the Ghetto Fighters’ House Museum, McCarran and the other teen travelers — five of the students were Jewish, five were not — discovered the story of Antek Zukerman and other resistance fighters who joined the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943.

For McCarran, the Western Galilee-based museum was a welcome alternative to previous lessons about the Holocaust.

“In Sunday school, we focused on death and the horrible things the Nazis did. This showed the resistance,” he said.

Whether it was hearing tales of bravery at the Ghetto Fighters’ House or spending time with children in the village, McCarran said the trip made him “a lot more grateful for what I have.” PJC

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

Now is the time for sensible gun laws

Guest Columnist

Dana Kellerman

The trial of the perpetrator of the Oct. 27, 2018, gun massacre at the Pittsburgh synagogue where Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life congregations prayed began on Monday. Armed with an assault weapon and motivated by antisemitic hatred, he killed 11 Jewish worshipers and injured six of our neighbors, including four first responders. He changed the lives of nine families and three congregations irrevocably.

In response, our community has fortified its communal spaces with armed guards and technology. Communities across the nation have turned their schools into armed fortresses. Despite these efforts people are still murdered in Walmarts and banks, at nightclubs, movie theaters, nail salons, outdoor concerts and gyms. And they still die in schools — in Uvalde and St. Louis, Charlottesville and Nashville. According to the Gun Violence Archive, since the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, there have been 134 gun mass murders where four or more people have been killed. There have been 2523 mass shootings

where four or more people have been either shot or killed — more than one mass shooting for every single day that has elapsed. And mass shootings comprise only a tiny percentage of gun deaths.

We will not be safe until we solve the problem of virtually unfettered access to guns. This will require a comprehensive package of legislation that, while respecting the Second Amendment, also recognizes the right of citizens to be safe from the epidemic of gun violence ravaging our nation. Americans already agree on this. We know that more guns and weaker gun laws mean more death and shattered lives. Recent polls have shown that overwhelming majorities of us, including Republicans, Democrats and independents, support universal background checks (88% support, Morning Consult + Politico poll, 2022); red flag laws to temporarily remove weapons from persons judged, through due process, to be a danger to themselves or others (77% support, APM poll, 2019); safe storage laws to prevent unintentional and school shootings (80% support, APM poll, 2019); raising the age to purchase any gun from 18 to 21 (74% support, Quinnipiac poll, 2022); and mandatory reporting of lost and stolen guns to halt the flow of illegal guns into communities. A small majority of Republicans even support a ban on high-capacity magazines (Morning Consult poll, 2022).

We know that stricter firearms laws result

Finding no redemption in Poland

Guest Columnist

Allan Tissenbaum

Irecently spent about two weeks in Poland. The visit was twofold: I competed in the World Masters Track and Field Championships in Toruń, and it was very important to me as a Jew who has lived with the Holocaust and its consequences to visit the country.

My maternal grandparents, Albert and Hedda De Jonge, both were murdered — one in Auschwitz, the other in Sorbibor. I felt that by competing in Poland I would feel some sense of redemption. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

It did feel nice to compete well, but my overwhelming sense everywhere we went was one of great loss and grief. While there are traces of the Jewish community and valiant attempts to rebuild and re-energize, the truth is there is very little Jewish life in Poland.

In Warsaw, we went to the only surviving Jewish synagogue not destroyed by the Nazis. It only survived because the Nazis used it as a stable for their horses. Shabbat services were meaningful, but the community is very small. We were led through part of the service by Cantor Yaakov Lemmer, who has one of the greatest voices I have ever heard, and there are valiant efforts by people like Rabbi Michael Schudrich to keep the community alive and help it grow.

We spent the next five days in the beautiful town of Toruń, where I competed in the 60-meter dash. Once the competition was over, we returned to Warsaw and had a guide take us

through the Jewish sites that remain there.

Warsaw was almost destroyed in World War II, but much of it has been rebuilt. The city was home to more than 350,000 Jews. The number of Jews there today is small.

in less gun violence and fewer gun deaths. A 2023 study by Everytown Research & Policy found that states with the strongest gun laws have the lowest rates of gun deaths. Red flag laws decrease intimate partner gun homicides; and there is evidence that universal background checks decrease firearm homicides, according to a Rand study this year. Safe storage laws reduce gun suicides, homicides and assaults and unintentional shootings and firearms injuries among youths.

Only three groups oppose these commonsense solutions: gun manufacturers, the fringe leadership of the NRA, and related “gun rights” groups and legislators. The motivation for gun manufacturers to oppose stricter gun laws is simple: money.

The NRA serves as the lobbying arm of the gun industry. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the NRA began as a non-partisan organization that supported reasonable gun regulations. Since 1971, it has evolved into a hard-line organization with substantial industry funding that opposes virtually all stricter gun laws and supports almost exclusively Republican candidates. The NRA enforces its will through its rating system for politicians (F to A+) and through its twin arms, the NRA Political Victory Fund and the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. By supporting primary challengers to

Republican legislators who are not “pro-gun” enough, the NRA has made opposing any sort of gun regulation part of the Republican orthodoxy. In our Congress and state Senate, legislators are leveraging their positions as committee chairs and in leadership to subvert the will of their constituents by refusing to advance lifesaving legislation. Recently retired legislators of both parties have told me that this is because legislators don’t want to lose their next election. Legislators of both parties know that most voters support better gun laws. Many of them believe that gun laws would work. But Republican legislators also know they will face a primary challenge from a well-funded, NRA- backed opponent if they don’t toe the party line.

The current situation is unacceptable. We should not have to live like this and we certainly shouldn’t have to die like this so that politicians can keep their jobs. Congressional Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Pennsylvania Senate Pro Tempore Kim Ward, and Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lisa Baker must hear our voices. If they do not, the carnage will continue until we, the survivors, vote them out. PJC

Dana Kellerman is policy director of Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence and a member of Congregation Dor Hadash.

and providing other services. The JCC appears to be the center of Jewish life in Krakow. It’s doing a great job in outreach and making a serious attempt to grow the community and educate all about historic and present Jewish life.

We were then marched to the women’s barracks; I know that my grandmother died in one of those barracks.

We arrived at the camps at 8 a.m. It was rainy, cold and windy, and we were out in the open, but none of us complained. It was simple to imagine being in a similar place 80 years earlier with only thin, poorly-made pajamas for cover, ill-fitting or no footwear and suffering from malnutrition. Most of the prisoners received less than 200 calories per day. They had no real hope for any improvement in their living conditions — with the exception of death.

We visited the site of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; there is little physical evidence of the uprising or of the Jewish ghetto that housed up to 450,000 Jews during the war. Almost every Jew who lived there was murdered in a death camp. We saw the famous remnants of the Bunker Mila 18. Most of the land where the Ghetto stood has been plowed over, and new residences were built on top of this mass grave. There is a small piece of the Ghetto wall that survives with a small memorial that is very difficult to find.

We next went to a museum of Polish Jewish history, which leads to the path the Jews were forced to march along toward the cattle cars that took them to the gas chambers. It is believed that 300,000 Jews met their end after this march.

Krakow was next. It is a gorgeous, vibrant city that, at one point, had a thriving Jewish community. The Jewish community is growing there, and a lot of work is being done through a very impressive JCC, which has greatly helped Ukrainian refugees, feeding and clothing them,

We went to the Galicia museum, which had a lot of information about Jewish life in Poland pre-and post-WWII. The following day we spent at Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was the extermination facility where more than 1 million Jews were murdered. Many of the prisoners were tortured before execution, beaten physically, sexually abused, experimented upon and forced to perform unthinkable acts prior to their deaths.

We walked along the ruins of the camp, but some parts were still intact. Most of the barracks that housed the prisoners, along with the gas chambers and crematoriums, were destroyed by the Nazis as they fled the advancing Russian troops. The selection platform where life or death was decided for millions was still intact. It was here that German officers determined who would be marched directly to the gas chambers and who would be made to do slave labor.

For me, this was an out-of-body experience. I was standing in the exact place my grandparents stood 80 years ago before they were killed.

The timing of our trip was not lost on us. We were there during Passover — one of the many historic times the Jewish people had to overcome slavery and attempts at mass extermination. Given the current unprecedented rise in antisemitism, this should give us all pause to stop and reflect.

Leaving Auschwitz, I felt like I was leaving part of my past — but at the same time, I felt much more connected to this part of my history. What happened to the Jewish people and all others who suffered at the hands of the Nazis is unthinkable. We can never let anything like this happen again.

Before I went to Poland, I thought that I would find some personal redemption by competing as a Jew and hopefully coming away with a medal. But the biggest sentiment I felt after being in Poland was the sense of such great loss — 3 million Jews lost their lives there, and there can really never be any redemption PJC

What happened to the Jewish people and all others who su ered at the hands of the Nazis is unthinkable. We can never let anything like this happen again.

Dr. Allan Tissenbaum is an orthopedic surgeon and multiple time world champion athlete, most recently in Toruń 2023. He lives in Mt. Lebanon.

Chronicle poll results: Curbing hateful speech on social media

Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Should the government do more to regulate hateful speech on social media?” Of the 207 people who responded, 75% said yes; 15% said no; and 10% said they weren’t sure. Comments were submitted by 53 people. A few follow.

Free speech. What is so hard to understand?

Who decides? Everyone is offended by something said or in print. That’s the price we pay, not very great, for living in a society that protects free speech. If we ban offensive speech coming from the right, does it end there? Or from the left? It’s more important to protect all, even that which may offend — otherwise it’s purely arbitrary and decided by the whims of others.

I don’t trust whoever’s currently in charge to decide what content is OK or bad. Some

years that could be the alt-right, others the woke left, and neither should have that authority. Content that violates laws (like fraud or libel) should be removed under those existing laws. For the rest, we should

Summer Lee’s Chronicle snub a symptom of our ‘poisoned culture’

Much as I respect Sara Stock Mayo’s artistry as a cantorial soloist and compassion as a chaplain, I am saddened by her arguments in favor of Rep. Summer Lee’s continued snubbing of the Jewish community’s newspaper of record (“Summer Lee has good reason not to speak to the Chronicle,” April 21).

The Chronicle appears to be committed to airing all sides of issues, as witnessed by its publication of Ms. Mayo’s op-ed. By insisting on explicating and holding Ms. Lee to account for her positions, it is only doing its job. The inability to dialogue with others — including those with whom we may disagree — is one of the symptoms of our poisoned civic culture.

When Donald Trump refused to answer questions from CNN and tried to decertify its correspondents, people were properly disgusted by his combination of bullying and cowardice. How is Summer Lee’s dodging of accountability to those she represents any different?

Lou Weiss Pittsburgh

Summer Lee’s failure to speak to the Chronicle confirms her indi erence

Bravo for your much-needed challenge to Rep. Summer Lee to break her silent treatment toward her Jewish constituents (“It’s well past time for Rep. Summer Lee to speak with the Chronicle,” April 14). Her correct response would be to take up that challenge. Her failure to do so only confirms an already demonstrated indifference, or even hostility, to its vital concerns.

An even larger challenge could also be directed at the likely large number of Pittsburgharea Jews, who, despite numerous pre-election warning signals, nonetheless voted for her.

The American Jewish community is facing an increasingly parlous political environment. Jewish political influence is rapidly waning. Many stalwart legislative friends are either retiring or are being primaried and are being replaced by “Squad”-type political enemies who not only agitate assiduously against American support for Israel, but actively promote a vision of America no longer congenial to the inherent interests of American Jews. Jews need to seriously consider for whom, and for what, they are voting — but never blindly for any now falsely advertised political label.

Richard D. Wilkins

Syracuse, New York Mayo’s op-ed ‘insulting’

I just read the piece in support of anti-Israel Congresswoman Summer Lee by Sara Stock Mayo. No article written by a Jew can whitewash Lee’s feelings about the Jewish state, nor her actions in Congress, which to date prove she is a just another Israel-bashing Squad member.

And how insulting is it for Ms. Mayo to suggest that Jews complain about Lee because she’s Black and not because of content?

Summer Lee deserves criticism when it comes to Israel because of her record. Period.

Paula

Joffe

West Berlin, New Jersey

accept some personal responsibility in our reading choices.

Hate websites should be blocked and shut down by the federal government.

The government already sticks its nose in where it doesn’t belong. If you don’t like the tweets, go hang out with different birds! Be adult, not childish, and make your own decisions. Waiting for Big Brother to decide for you is akin to courting disaster.

First of all, the U. S. Constitution forbids this. Secondly, we’ve reached a point where even benign comments are now considered hate speech by some people. There is no reasonably intelligent way to monitor and control hate speech.

Until they do, there will be no change for the good. It will only get worse.

Social media outlets should police their own platforms, but this is not

something the government should be involved with.

Yes, but it’s hard to do when elected officials are some of the biggest spreaders of the vitriol.

Not sure how they would do that. Perhaps programs could be set to block and eliminate accounts entering specific words/phrases. Many people have become entirely too brave and comfortable making statements anonymously they wouldn’t have the nerve to make if they were easily identified. PJC

Toby Tabachnick

Chronicle weekly poll question: How do you feel about Israel on its 75th anniversary? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC

Join the Chronicle Book Club for a chat with Rabbi Danny Schiff

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its June 11 discussion of “Judaism in a Digital Age” by Rabbi Danny Schiff. From Amazon.com: “What is the next chapter in Judaism’s story, the next step in its journey? The dramatic changes of recent decades invite us to explore what role Judaism is to play in this new era. As the digital future becomes the present, Danny Schiff makes the case that the period known as ‘modernity’ has come to an end. Noting the declining strength of Conservative and Reform Judaism, the largest U.S. Jewish movements of modernity, he argues for new iterations of Judaism to arise in response to the myriad of weighty questions that now confront us about what it means to be human.”

Your Hosts:

Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle

David Rullo, Chronicle staff writer

How and When: We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, June 11, at noon.

What To Do

Buy: “Judaism in a Digital Age.” It is available from online retailers including

Website address: pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

412-521-0154

Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

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

Life & Culture

— MUSIC — Mandy Patinkin brings ‘Being Alive’ to the Pittsburgh stage

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

After the pandemic, Mandy Patinkin was looking for something that brought joy to people.

“I said, I need something really happy. I need something that makes me feel good. I want the audience to feel good,” he remembered.

The result is his newest show: “Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Being Alive.”

A Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor, Patinkin has carved out a career creating memorable roles on the stage, screen and television. He has also recorded more than a handful of CDs and regularly performs before a live audience.

The Pittsburgh CLO will bring Patinkin’s show to Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse on May 4. It’s billed as a marriage of many of Patinkin’s favorite Broadway and classic American tunes, along with selections from several of his recordings.

The show, he said, creates a narrative that might not be obvious but is one people will enjoy.

“We went through tons of stuff. I said, ‘Oh, let’s start with this. I like this,’ and then I follow with a song that is not a literal response, but it has a figurative flow,” he said. “I try to tell a story that you couldn’t really explain if you had to but, at the end of the day, the story is these are the things I want to think about and talk about and share, and what I need to hear. I’m just a regular Joe, so if I need to hear it, maybe you do, too.“

Patinkin will be accompanied by Adam Ben-David on piano. The singer said he finds that pairing with only one instrument makes the performance more intimate and focused. In fact, he said he’s turned down orchestra gigs because it requires a performer to spend most of the day rehearsing for what will happen that night.

because the day is different, the moment is different, the world is different, the audience is different. That’s what makes this my favorite thing to do.”

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Part-Time/Permanent | $20–$22 per hour

The Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association (JCBA) is growing and is seeking an Administrative Assistant who wants to work flexible hours and remotely. We are seeking candidates with general office knowledge and experience. Bookkeeping skills are strongly preferred.

Qualified candidates will have:

• Proficient Microsoft Office experience, creating letters,documents, and spreadsheets, etc.

• At least 3-5 years of general office experience and customer service skills.

• Excellent organization and communication skills.

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

• QuickBooks experience a plus.

Responsibilities and duties include, but are not limited, to:

• Accounts Payables/Receivables

• Organizing, filing, and some phone work

• Special projects

• General assistance of Executive Director and Operations Manager as needed

To learn more about the JCBA and its important and meaningful work, visit www.jcbapgh.org Please respond by sending your resume to: JCBAPGH@gmail.com, or mail to:

Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association

Administrative Assistant

P.O. Box 81863 Pittsburgh, PA 15217

In addition to performing classics by Randy Newman, Stephen Sondheim, Harry Chapin and Rufus Wainwright, Patinkin also writes songs — but he doesn’t put himself in the same league as composers like Paul Simon and Irving Berlin.

“I have the privilege of being a mailman for these geniuses,” he said.

His passion for music made up for his lack of interest in school. It was through his synagogue, though, that Patinkin first performed as part of the boys choir. He enjoyed the attention and found something powerful in the voices.

“The bottom line is, I was in the synagogue and I heard the choir singing and the cantor singing and the congregation singing. I heard the old men cry and the cantor cry in his voice. That’s what I was looking for,” he said.

It was in high school, while singing in choir, that he was first exposed to Black gospel music.

“It rocked,” he said, recalling the words of his friend and composer William Finn who told him gospel music is the greatest music ever created.

Singing, he said, is addictive.

“It’s like anything — whether it’s chocolate or sex or love or beauty or the sunset or sunrise — you want more of it. Your brain goes, ‘Oh, that’s good, let’s do that again.’ That was what it was like when I was a little boy who heard music and wanted more,” he said.

And while the rush of performing took hold as a child, so, too, did Patinkin’s

Jewish identity, which he said informs everything he does.

Performing and Judaism began coexisting early for Patinkin. When he was 15, the Jewish overnight camp he was attending staged “Fiddler on the Roof” in Hebrew.

“I cut a deal. I said, ‘Look, let me play Tevye, and I’ll do it in Hebrew. I’ll learn it all and be able to improvise. Just don’t make me go to classes in the morning.’ And they said ‘OK.’”

Theater, and by extension music, was an escape for Patinkin, who is dyslexic and learns his lines by reciting them rather than through traditional memorization. He said he knew while still in high school that performing pointed the way to his future, recalling a classmate who could explain base 10 in math.

“I knew he was going one way and I was going the other,” Patinkin said. “I found theater and music and thought, ‘this is pretty good,’” he said.

Pittsburgh CLO Executive Director Mark Fleischer said the organization is proud to partner with the Pittsburgh Playhouse “to present one of the most brilliant performers of our time.”

“Part of our mission at the Pittsburgh CLO is to bring this caliber of talent to the Pittsburgh community and, as a fan myself, couldn’t be more excited to have the star of Sondheim’s ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ singing right here in our hometown,” he said.

For his part, in his deadpan way, Patinkin urges Pittsburghers to attend the show.

“I promise your readers, if they have nothing to do, just come on down,” he said. “I promise I will do everything I can for us all to have a good time because that’s all I want and, if you’re not having a good time, feel free to leave.”

Tickets for “Being Alive” can be purchased at pittsburghclo.org. PJC

pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@

p Mandy Patinkin

Photo by Joan Marcus

“It’s di erent every night because the day is di erent, the moment is di erent, the world is di erent, the audience is di erent. That’s what makes this my favorite thing to do.”

−MANDY PATINKIN

Life & Culture

Moroccan fish balls with pepper sauce

By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

This recipe for Moroccan fish balls blew my mind when I first tried it a decade ago. I never imagined using gefilte fish in savory cooking. We’ve all had traditional Ashkenazi-style fish. Some of us boil it or bake it, and I’ve also had it pan-fried.

I was eating Shabbat dinner at the home of a Sephardic family from Tangier, and my hosts served these amazing spicy fish balls. It was such a good fusion of European and North African Jewish cooking.

The fish is made into small balls like matzah balls and cooked in the sauce so it’s really flavorful. I like recipes that serve several purposes, so if you’re not a fan of gefilte fish you can make this sauce and serve it with salmon or another mild white fish. If you use fish fillets, this recipe can work as a fish course or as a main meal if served over rice.

I took the liberty to use the spices that I prefer, so this may be a little different from other traditional recipes. I particularly enjoy the addition of saffron because it elevates the flavor of the dish.

This is the perfect recipe to make when you’re bored with your regular fish recipes. I love that it’s full of vegetables and is an easy way to get an extra serving in for the day. I use a piece of challah to mop up any extra sauce on my plate — you don’t want to let any go to waste.

The flavoring of this dish is more about the exotic spices than the heat. If you really like spicy food, feel free to add more pepper.

Moroccan fish balls with pepper sauce

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the sauce:

2 pounds of Roma tomatoes, skins removed, or 1 large can diced tomatoes and 2 cups of tomato sauce

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ cup olive oil

1 large onion, sliced or diced

2 cups sliced bell pepper; I use orange and yellow for color

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 cloves garlic

4 cups water

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons salt

1½ tablespoons Ras al Hanout (Moroccan spice)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cayenne or Aleppo pepper

A pinch of sa ron

½ cup chopped parsley or cilantro (or a mix of both), plus more to garnish

Optional: 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

For the gefilte fish:

1 large loaf frozen gefilte fish

¼ cup matzah meal

1 egg whisked

2 cloves fresh minced garlic

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon turmeric

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley or cilantro

¼ cup and 2 teaspoons of olive oil, divided

I thaw the fish in the refrigerator overnight and prepare it before I make the sauce.

I used to buy unsweetened fish for this recipe since it’s a savory dish, but you can use sweet fish as well.

bath (a bowl of water with a few cups of ice cubes in it) and bring a saucepan of water to boil. Drop the whole, raw tomatoes into the boiling water. After about 2 or 3 minutes the skin will start to peel and the tomatoes will crack. This happens one by one; as they split, remove them with a slotted spoon and immerse them into the ice bath. Let them cool in the water for 15 minutes. This is an important step in making any tomato sauce because the skin of the tomatoes will peel right off. Start peeling the skin from the crack and gently pull it to remove it from each tomato.

Slice each peeled tomato lengthwise and, using a sharp knife or spoon, scoop the seeds out and discard.

Chop the tomatoes. You should have about

at once. Stir the spices into the oil and sauté them for about a minute or until fragrant.

Add the 4 cloves of minced garlic to the oil and cook for another minute before mixing the entire pot well to combine the spice mixture into the tomatoes.

Add the tomato paste and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

Stir the onion and peppers back into the pot with 4 cups of water, ¼ cup of lemon juice and ½ cup of freshly chopped parsley or cilantro. Many Moroccan recipes use both cilantro and parsley together. If you wish to add chickpeas, do so at this time.

Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The water will reduce and you

Take the completely thawed fish out of the paper and put it in a mixing bowl. Thawed gefilte fish can be sticky, so you may want to use a rubber spatula to scrape any excess off the paper.

Using a spatula, mix the matzah meal, oil, egg, parsley or cilantro and the spices. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before cooking. The resting time helps the matzah meal soften, which will give you fluffier fish balls.

When it’s time to cook the fish, roll it into small balls as if you were making matzah balls. It helps if your hands are slightly wet when forming the fish because the mixture is sticky. They cook best when they are the size of a golf ball. The fish will be cooked in the sauce, which gives both the fish and the sauce a much richer flavor.

You can use either fresh or canned tomatoes for the sauce. I’m a fan of shortcuts, so I often cook with canned tomatoes, but if you have the time, use fresh tomatoes — you won’t be sorry.

If using fresh tomatoes, prepare an ice

2 cups of chopped tomatoes. When tomatoes are in season and cheap, I often do this step with 15 pounds of tomatoes at a time and freeze them for later use in soup or for marinara sauce. If you’re using canned tomatoes you can omit this step, but keep the tips that I shared with you in mind for other recipes.

Warm ¼ cup of olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or enameled cast iron pot over medium heat. Add the onions, stirring occasionally, and let them cook for 10 minutes. Add the chopped peppers and carrots, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to another bowl, leaving as much leftover cooking oil in the pot as possible. Add the tomatoes (fresh or canned) to the remaining oil and sauté over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. I make a little well with the tomatoes, moving them to the sides and leaving a bare spot in the center of the pan.

If the cooking oil is totally soaked up, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the center of the pot and pour all the spices into the oil

will have a rich, chunky sauce chock-full of peppers and flavor.

The sauce may look a little oily and seem like it has a bit more liquid than a pasta sauce — this is good for cooking the fish appropriately. If the sauce seems too thick or dry, add another half cup of water before adding the fish.

Bring the sauce to a soft boil over medium heat before adding the fish.

Using a spoon, gently add the fish balls to the pot, placing them as deeply as possible into the sauce.

Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer and cook for 25 minutes.

If you prefer to use fresh fish fillets, add them to the top of the sauce, cover the pot and simmer for the same amount of time.

Salt to taste. Serve 2 or 3 fish balls (or a fillet of salmon or white fish) with a nice scoop of pepper sauce per plate. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

p Moroccan fish balls with pepper sauce

Photo by Jessica Grann p The fish balls should be the size of a golf ball.

Photo by Jessica Grann

If you’re not a fan of gefilte fish you can make this sauce and serve it with salmon or another mild white fish.

Jewish Pitt prof, horror scholar, receives Guggenheim Fellowship

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

Adam Lowenstein is used to nightmares, but a recent announcement was a dream.

On April 5, Lowenstein, a professor of film and media studies at the University of Pittsburgh and director of its horror studies working group, was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Lowenstein was one of 171 “exceptional individuals chosen from a rigorous application and peer review process out of almost 2,500 applicants,” according to the board of trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. The awards were made based on “prior achievement and exceptional promise.”

“It’s an incredible honor to be included with such a stellar group of scholars and artists that are the Guggenheim Fellows,” Lowenstein told the Chronicle.

After decades of research and teaching, the award is particularly meaningful, he continued.

“As someone who has worked in what has emerged now as a discipline in its own right, which is horror studies, you can imagine that it has not always been the easiest case to make — to colleagues, to foundations, to entities that have authority — that horror matters,” he said.

Lowenstein said he’s faced a “sort of prejudice” throughout his career stemming from a belief by some that “horror is popular, but horror can’t really mean much of anything.” Becoming a Guggenheim Fellow “goes a long way towards saying, ‘No, horror does matter and it is worth thinking about, and there are reasons, good compelling important reasons, to write and research and teach it.’”

Fellowship support — awards typically range between $30,000 and $45,000, Forbes reported — will enable Lowenstein to focus on his next book, “The Jewish Horror Film: Taboo and Redemption.”

The subject builds on recent work, he explained.

Last year, Columbia University Press published Lowenstein’s “Horror Film and Otherness.”

Though that text addressed general questions of horror’s relation to social difference, “one of those areas of social difference that really moved me powerfully, and seemed like it called out for more serious and expansive treatment, was Jewish otherness,” he said. “It really felt like the two chapters in ‘Horror Film and Otherness’ were just not enough to deal with something that felt much more broad and complicated to deal with.”

The aim of Lowenstein’s newest book, he said, is to “really explore the question of what is a Jewish horror film? What does it mean when we think about a Jewish horror film in a particular way? And especially what does it mean when we sort of expand the notion of Jewish horror to include things that we may not have initially thought belonged in that sort of case?”

Jewish folklore lovers know the Golem and Dybbuk are familiar figures, but Lowenstein believes other areas and individuals — including filmmakers Stanley Kubrick and Steven Spielberg — deserve attention.

Kubrick had a lifelong ambition to make a Holocaust movie but never did. Similarly, although Spielberg made “Schindler’s List,” if one reviews his career “through the lens of Jewish horror, I think we see a lot of darker things that people who think of him solely as the man who brought us ‘ET’ would miss,” Lowenstein said.

Exploring these topics feels “exciting and challenging and daunting,” the professor said. “I feel like it will necessitate a reckoning not just with the subject matter but with my own life, my own family, my own history.”

Lowenstein was born in Israel but raised in New York. His connection to horror, he said, is “inescapably and inexorably” tied to his Jewish experience.

“As I reflect back on it, and I look back on where I’ve been and where I am now, I can see that the Jewishness and the horror have always been inextricable, and that for me to understand who I am as a Jew, and to understand who I am as a scholar of horror studies, is actually part and parcel of the same question, not two separate questions,” he said.

Edward Hirsch, president of the Guggenheim Foundation and a 1985 Fellow in Poetry cited Ralph Waldo Emerson in a statement, saying, “fullness in life comes from following our calling.” Lowenstein and the 170 other Fellows have “followed their calling to enhance all of our lives, to provide greater human knowledge and deeper understanding. We’re lucky to look to them to bring us into the future.”

Lowenstein said he’s eager to embrace his place as a Guggenheim Fellow but, like a character in a horror flick, isn’t sure what’s waiting behind the door: “To me this is at least as much about finding out who I am, where I come from and how I got here, as it is about finding out what Jewish horror means.” PJC

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

3-month 4.85

6-month 4.90

1-year 4.95

Leah Laurent Financial Advisor

1133 S Braddock Ave 2nd Floor Entrance On Sanders St Pittsburgh, PA 15218 412-242-1075

per insured depository institution, for each account ownership category. Please visit www.fdic.gov or contact your financial advisor for additional information. Subject to availability and price change. CD values are subject to interest rate risk such that when interest rates rise, the prices of CDs can decrease. If CDs are sold prior to maturity, the investor can lose principal value. FDIC insurance does not cover losses in market value. Early withdrawal may not be permitted. Yields quoted are net of all commissions. CDs require the distribution of interest and do not allow interest to compound. CDs offered through Edward Jones are issued by banks and thrifts nationwide. All CDs sold by Edward Jones are registered with the Depository Trust Corp. (DTC).

Lowenstein and the 170 other Fellows have “followed their calling to enhance all of our lives, to provide greater human knowledge and deeper understanding. We’re lucky to look to them to bring us into the future.”

EDWARD HIRSCH

p Adam Lowenstein

Photo courtesy of Adam Lowenstein

Torah Celebrations

Birth

Leni Morris Denic-Roberts, son of Drew Roberts and Hristina Denic-Roberts of Silver Spring, Maryland, was born on March 9, 2023. Leni is the grandson of Jodi Roberts and Reid Roberts and Theresa Greco of Pittsburgh, and Miroslav and the late Mira Denic of Nis, Serbia. He is the great-grandson of Judith Rudoy and the late Israel Rudoy, and Arlene Roberts and the late Arnold Roberts of Pittsburgh.

Engagement

Juliet and Jonathan Krassenstein of Bradford Woods, Pennsylvania, are delighted to announce the engagement and coming marriage of their son, Joshua Elias to Jordan Elizabeth Inman. Jordan is the daughter of Mark and Andrea Inman of Columbus, Ohio. Josh and Jordan met as undergraduates at The Ohio State University and currently reside in Regent Square. Josh is a senior business analytics consultant at PNC Financial Services, where Jordan is a project administrator. An October wedding is planned in Columbus, Ohio.

Wedding

Marsha and Randy Boswell of Churchill joyously announce the marriage of Marsha’s son, Andrew Kilmer, to Shari Gomez Raygoza, daughter of Rogelia Raygoza Ramos. Andrew is the son of the late Marvin Kilmer, and his maternal grandparents were Gloria and Daniel Miner, formerly of Squirrel Hill. The couple resides in Chicago, Illinois.

ChatGPT and a question of Jewish love

especially our fellow Jews, and loving the Jewish people should deepen our connection to God and His commandments.”

Sunday,

Enjoy

Sunday: Noon to 8p

Monday to Thursday: 11a to 9p

Friday: 11a to 10p (music till midnight)

T“hou shalt love thy fellow as thyself (Leviticus 19:18). Rabbi Akiva said: ‘This is a fundamental principle of the Torah.’” (Rashi)

Earlier this week, at the end of morning prayers, one of my congregants read the following quote from a book called “HaYom Yom.” (“HaYom Yom” was compiled by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson OBM, from sayings of his predecessor and father-in-law, the previous Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson OBM.)

“Chassidim asked the Alter Rebbe: ‘Which is the superior avoda (service of G-d), love of G-d or love of Israel?’ He replied: ‘Both love of G-d and love of Israel are equally engraved in every Jew’s neshama, ruach, and nefesh (three levels of the soul). Scripture is explicit: “I have loved you, says the L-rd.” It follows that love of Israel is superior — for you love whom your beloved loves.’”

To explore the topic, and for some personal entertainment, I posed the above question to our new friend ChatGPT, to see its prowess in the fundamentals of Judaism. My question was simple and the response flowed immediately: Q: Which is the superior love, love of G-d or love of Israel?

ChatGPT: As an AI language model, I don’t have personal beliefs or values, but I can provide an objective answer based on religious and philosophical teachings.

In Jewish tradition, love of God and love of Israel are both important and interconnected. The commandment to love God is central to Judaism, and it is considered the foundation of all other commandments. This love is expressed through the performance of mitzvot (commandments) and the study of Torah. Love of Israel, on the other hand, refers to the love of the Jewish people as a whole, and it is also an essential component of Judaism. However, it’s not a question of one being superior to the other. Love of God and love of Israel are interdependent, and they reinforce one another. In fact, the Talmud teaches that “He who loves the people of Israel is beloved by God” (Talmud Brachot 6b). Similarly, the medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides wrote that “Love of God and love of humanity are one and the same” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 2:10). Therefore, it’s not a matter of choosing between the two, but rather striving to cultivate both loves in our hearts and actions. Loving God should lead us to love our fellow human beings,

I was immediately impressed by this thoughtful answer, but questioned the quote of Maimonides that the “Love of God and love of humanity are one and the same.” So I checked the reference given in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah and found no such quote. Maimonides does say that G-d and all his creations are One and G-d knows all creation as He knows Himself, but he does not speak about the love of G-d and humanity at all.

At this point, I started questioning the Talmudic source as well and, lo and behold, there is no teaching in Berachot 6B that “He who loves the people of Israel is beloved by God.”

Wanting to know where ChatGPT gets its sources from, I Googled both statements, but no Torah sources were listed; rather the first page of the Google results were all Christian sources.

“Kedoshim’’ means to be holy and that our learning, love of G-d and love of our fellow Jew should be through mediums of holiness!

Not only is the AI incorrect in assuming that love of G-d and of Israel is equal and neither is superior to the other, its sources and ideas might not be based in holiness and Torah at all. ChatGPT thinks that love of G-d is considered the foundation of Judaism, but we all know that Rabbi Akiva and Hillel both said that the entire Torah is about love of a fellow Jew.

Love of our fellow Jew, as quoted above from “HaYom Yom,” is greater than the love of G-d. Furthermore the holiness that we experience as Jews is to be found in the holy Torah and in the teachings of other human beings who have become holy through the Torah they’ve learned and the mitzvot they’ve done.

ChatGPT and AI might be the best collective perspective of world understanding but Torah is a holy perspective that transcends the worldly outlook. Only a holy human being, like the Alter Rebbe, who transformed darkness into light and bitter into sweet, can appreciate that love of man is greater than the love of G-d.

Soon AI will recognize this truth because the entire world will see this as well. This is our mission — to stay true to the holiness of the Torah and our human sages who have been our guiding light throughout history. We need to transform the collective world understanding to a knowledge of G-d that fills the world as water fills the sea. Where our entire world will be a dwelling place for G-d and will be perfectly holy! PJC

Rabbi Elchonon Friedman is the spiritual leader of Bnai Emunoh Chabad. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.

Friday, May 5th and Sunday, May 7th 9am–2pm

Congregation B’Nai Abraham 519 N. Main Street Butler, PA 16001

Rabbi Elchonon Friedman Parshat Achrei Mot-Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1 – 20:27

located on the corner of S. Dithridge

and Forbes Ave., across from The Carnegie Museum.

Obituaries

DOBKIN: Beatrice Dobkin/Baskin/Schneirov, of Pittsburgh, passed away on Saturday, April 22, 2023, of natural causes. Beloved wife of the late David Dobkin. Loving mother of Amy Manela (Stewart Manela), Fran Baskin (Corinne Petrich), and Stewart Baskin (Lori Baskin). Sister of the late Laurence Schneirov (Shirley Schneirov), grandmother of Jessica Litwack, Jeremy Manela, Scott Manela, Aubrey Baskin and Alex Baskin. Great-grandmother of Lev, Shama, Yovel, Amani, Ruby, Silas and Thelton. Beatrice (or Bea as she was known) was 95, and a blessing to all that knew her. Bea lived a life of grace, class and dignity, and will be remembered for her unwavering character and uncommon wisdom. Born Beatrice Schneirov to parents Nellie and Israel in Pittsburgh, Bea attended the University of Pittsburgh where she met and then married Bernie Baskin, with whom she had and raised her three children, twins Amy and Fran, and Stew. Later in life, Bea met and married David Dobkin of Pittsburgh, who became the love of her life and with whom she will be laid to rest, and then moved to Florida where they spent over 25 wonderful years together as active adults well into their 90s. Bea loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and as matriarch of the family proudly cherished the mantle of Nanny with which she was ordained from the moment of her first grandchild’s birth, and became Nanny for the rest of her life. Nanny’s greatest joy was to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and they adored their Nanny. Beatrice’s was a life well lived, filled with love, joy and accomplishment. Her legacy will continue to inspire all of us who shared in the gifts of her love, courage and indomitable spirit. Mom/Nanny/Bea, you will be with us always. We love you. As Corinne coined years ago in a great photo calendar she made for all of us, “Thank you for being Bea.” Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Avenue, Shadyside on Sunday, April 30, at 11 a.m. Visitation 10:30 a.m.–11 a.m. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Pearlstone Retreat Center, 5425 Mt. Gilead Road, Reisterstown, Maryland 21136 or a Pet Animal Rescue of your choice. schugar.com

FEINBERG: Rhoda Feinberg (née Morris) died peacefully on Sunday, April 16 in Yuma, Arizona, at the age of 93. Rhoda was the eldest daughter of Ralph and Adeline Morris. She graduated from Peabody High, and then met the love of her life, Irwin (Shykie) Feinberg. Everyone agreed Shykie was the most handsome of men and Rhoda fell in love with him immediately. They were married in 1951. Their sons Stanford and Dale soon joined the family. Rhoda and Shykie moved to Eastmont and became active in the Jewish community. They were founding members of the Parkway Jewish Center. Rhoda also worked in PJC’s nursery school, taught and later became the principal of its Sunday school. During that time she also sold World Book Encyclopedias. Rhoda was not a star salesperson for World Book because she often dissuaded people from making a purchase when she felt they could not afford it. In 1974, Rhoda went back to school for a degree as a surgical technician. She graduated first in her class and gave the commencement speech. She loved working in the operating room and was a much beloved co-worker. Whether working with children or in the hospital or elsewhere, it was important to Rhoda to do her best. Rhoda also enjoyed the many Shabbat dinners and holidays she spent with her family. She enjoyed watching her sons graduate from college and medical school, marry and start their own families. Rhoda enjoyed traveling and especially loved her trips to Israel, twice with her sister and once with Shykie and her brothers-in-law and their wives. Rhoda was predeceased by her loving husband, Irwin Feinberg who died September 30, 2015, and by her parents, Ralph and Adeline Morris. She is survived by her sister Elayne Morris Saltzman, her two sons and their wives, Dr. Stanford Feinberg and Dr. Linda Brown, and Dr. Dale and Julie Feinberg; cherished grandchildren, Danielle Feinberg (Dr. Marc Kunes), David Feinberg, Dr. Al Feinberg,  Kameran Gordon, Brant Gordon (Ruth), and John Cope (Anne); and five wonderful great-grandchildren, Reese Feinberg, Beau Davis, Mori Gordon, and Ava and Julia Cope. She is also survived by her many nieces and nephews all who appreciated the individual attention she always gave them. She made them all feel special. As Rhoda would end every conversation with “Shalom,” we now say to her memory: Shalom. In lieu of flowers contributions in Rhoda’s memory may be sent to the Franklin David Saltzman Memorial Fund,  Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 2000 Technology Dr FL 1, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-3112. Services were held at Beth Abraham Cemetery. Professional services trusted to D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory, Ltd., Lawrenceville. dalessandroltd.com

LEBOWITZ: Joyce Ruth Lebowitz, age 90, of White Oak, passed away on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. Born on March 11, 1933, in McKeesport, she was the beloved wife of the late Milton L. Lebowitz. They were married for 50 years and built an absolutely beautiful life together. They went on to

have three children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who were the center of her world.  She may have been a tiny woman, but to her those who loved her, she always stood 10 feet tall. Joyce was truly a pillar of the community in both McKeesport and White Oak. She was a Democratic Committee woman and spent many years as the first lady of White Oak, while her husband Milton served as the community’s mayor from 1998 to 2003. During this time, Milton tragically passed and Joyce dutifully stepped into the role to finish Milton’s term as mayor. She was an active participant in the annual White Oak Community Day, where her favorite task was handing out popcorn to all those who attended. She was a dedicated volunteer at McKeesport Hospital and the local food bank. In her later years, she also organized many social events for the residents of The Oaks in White Oak. Joyce was also a proud member of the local Jewish community. She was a member of the Gemilas Chesed Synagogue, a lifetime member of the Gemilas Chesed Sisterhood, and a lifetime member of Hadassah, and in 2010, she was invited to give an oral history of her family for the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. She was extremely proud of the family she built with Milton and loved spending time around them. She is survived by her three children, Kim Lebowitz, Devorah (Dennis) Willaman, and Todd (Mary) Lebowitz; her grandchildren, Josh (Samantha) Lebowitz, Jenna (Aaron) Goodman, Rachel (Adam) Rodkin, Joe Lebowitz, Brooke (Robert) Marsch, Morgan Willaman and Brittany Lebowitz; 11 great-grandchildren, Shayna, Yisroel, Laya, Tehilla, Tziporah, Yechezkel, Ayda, Yosef, Abel, Beau and Chance; her sister Maxine (Sylvan) Lang; and many nieces and nephews. She spent as much time around her family as she could, even when that meant being in the kitchen for days ahead of time to cook a big holiday dinner, taking her grandchildren on field trips to the park, the dollar store, to Dairy Queen for ice cream, and eventually even helping to plan and decorate for their bridal showers and weddings. In addition to spending time with her family, Joyce always loved to be dancing and playing games with those she loved and she had a wonderful circle of lifelong friends by her side. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Gertrude Weinberg Rosner, and her in-laws, Sam and Devorah Feintuck Lebowitz. Should friends desire, memorial contributions in Joyce’s honor may be sent to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, 0 Woodland Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Graveside services were held on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at New Gemilas Chesed Cemetery and officiated by Rabbi Mendy Schapiro. Arrangements were handled by Strifflers of White Oak Cremation and Mortuary Services, Inc., 1100 Lincoln Way, White Oak, PA 15131 (Sue Striffler Galaski, supervisor, 412-678-6177). To share a memory or condolence, please visit strifflerfuneralhomes.com

LOVE: Ruth G. Love passed away in Squirrel Hill on Friday, April 21, 2023. She was the wife of the late Howard R. Love; Mother of Ken (Barbara) of Phoenix, Arizona, and Jim and Harold (Nancy) of Pittsburgh. Daughter of the late Harry and Anna Gomberg. Sister of the late Paul, Clarence and Bernard Gomberg. Sister-in-law of Geraldine Gomberg. Adoring grandmother of Hannah (Kasra Shokat) Love and Ben Ferleger (Katie Bupp). Great-grandmother of Rudy Love. Also survived by many loving nieces, nephews and friends. Ruth grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School. She moved to New Castle after marrying Howard Love in 1950. They were married for 35 years until Howard’s passing in 1985. In the mid-1950s she and Howard opened two clothing stores in New Castle: Love’s Youth Center and Love’s Boy’s World (which became The Drawbridge in The Towne Mall). She and Howard loved to travel and to spend time with their children and large extended family. Ruth had a varied career including working for the Selective Service during the Korean conflict, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, and as the executive secretary at Lawrence County MH/MR from the late 1960s until her retirement in 1996. Ruth then moved back to Pittsburgh where she became an active member of Temple Sinai and pursued many interests, especially taking classes at Osher and attending musical and theater performances. She traveled the world with Howard and, later, with her many friends including her late sisterin-law, Reva Rack, and her dear, late friend, Shirley Tegethoff. The family is deeply grateful to Ruth’s caregiver, Vernetta Howard, and the caregivers and staff at Weinberg Village, AHAVA Memory Care Residence and Sivitz Hospice. Services were held at R. Cunningham Family Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. Interment at Temple Israel Memorial Park, Sunrise Drive, New Castle, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Jewish Association on Aging in Pittsburgh. Online condolences can be left and viewed by visiting cunninghamfh.com.

Please see Obituaries, page 20

D’Alessandro Funeral Home and Crematory Ltd.

“Always A Higher Standard”

Dustin A. D’Alessandro, Supervisor • Daniel T. D’Alessandro, Funeral Director 4522 Butler St. • Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (412) 682-6500 • www.dalessandroltd.com

RISE Licensed Jewish Funeral Director

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

Sheila Cook Fine

Sandra Press Kearns

Obituaries

Joseph Cook

Hilda Press

Sandra Press Kearns Sanford Press

Randy Malt

Toby Perilman

Renee Malt Hart

Soloman Stalinsky

Deborah Rogal ............................................................. Barbara Rogal

Martin, Andrea & Helene Sattler

Stephanie & Nicole Zinman

Leo Sattler

Elva Hendel Perrin

Contact the Development department at 412.586.3264 or development@jaapgh.org for more information.

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —

Sunday April 30: Stanley Friedlander, Isadore Gerber, Ida Ginsburg, Penina Reva Goldberg, John J Klein, Sam Klein, Samuel Mermelstein, Hymen Oawster, Rachel Racusin, Marcus Schwartz, Fay L Sidler, Rita W Silverman, Milton Snyder, Esther Supowitz

Monday May 1: Isaac Adler, Paul Beerman, Pearle G Conn, Fred Gluck, Michael

N. Lutsky, Rose Mannison, Max Neustein, Fannie Rapoport, Morris Rosenberg, Dr Herman A Saron, Albert Schwartz, Florence Simon, George Simon, Philip Sugerman, Jay Weinthal, Norman Leonard Weissman

Tuesday May 2: Hilda Parker Cohen, William Feivelson, Max Geltner, Lena Gescheidt, Samuel Goldblum, M.D., Albert Lawrence Jacobs, Grace Lebovitz, Samuel H Miller, Elva Hendel Perrin, Mary Evelovitz Rom, Andrea Sue Ruben Serber, Florence Specter, Morris Stern, Cecelia Tepper, Louis E. Walk, Bernard Weiss, Maurice Wilner

Wednesday May 3: Jeanne Gettleman Cooper, Isadore Cousin, Louis Diamond, Regina Friedman, Bennie M Granowitz, Sam Greenberger, Isadore Gutkind, Solis Horwitz, Hyman Kramer, Anna Finestone Levit, Renee Malt Hart, Samuel Monheim, Louise Plotkin, Leonard J. Singer, Jewel Weiss

Thursday May 4: Larry Abelson, Rosella Lillian Barovsky, Rita Marcus Faberman, Paul M Fierst, Fannie Glick, Sarah Viola Heller, Saul I Heller, Anne Marks, Samuel Mendlow, Ruth Nusin, Harry Sandson, Dr. Joseph R. Simon, Benjamin Weinberg

Friday May 5: Joseph Harry Berger, Jacob Brody, Greta Glasser, Lewis E Hainick, Frances Shiner Miller, Nathan Neiman, Abraham Pincus, James Henry Podolny, Bella Ratowsky, Philip Rogers, Manuel Wilner

Saturday May 6: Anna Blitz, Ruth Pearlman Browarsky, Ruth Coltin, Jacob Gould, Martha Stern Green, Samuel C Levy, Ferne Meadowcroft, Isadore Irwin Scha er, Ruth Solomon, Shirley Solomon, Louis Wilder

MILLER: Maxine E. Miller peacefully passed away on April 22, 2023, due to Alzheimer’s Disease. She grew up in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She went to Penn State where she met her husband of 66 years. She was wife of the late Morton (Mort) I Miller; daughter of the late Goldye and Bill Enelow; sister of the late Mike Enelow; mother of Karen (Ira) Schwartz and Leslie Shutzberg and mother-in-law of Neil Shutzberg; grandmother to Candice (Eric) Bronack, Brooke (Matt) Kolibas, Glenna Shutzberg and Marty Shutzberg; great-grandmother to Holden and Charlie Bronack; aunt of nieces and one nephew. Maxine volunteered for many years at Montefiore Hospital, pushing the gift cart from room to room. She loved playing mah jongg, knitting and reading. Later in life she took up bridge. Many thanks to her caregiver, Jen Siess, who has been by her side. Graveside service and interment were be held at Homewood Cemetery. Contributions can be made in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Attn: Leslie Dunn, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Montefiore, Four West, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 or adrc.pitt.edu/volunteer/donate/. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

ROSENBERG: Jerome M. Rosenberg, age 89, on Saturday, April 22, 2023. Beloved husband of 60 years to Barbara Rosenberg; father of Seema (the late Mark Pollack, the late Stephen Gross) Pollack Gross (Peter Post) and Howard (Kim) Rosenberg; son of the late Louis, late Ida and late Sarah Rosenberg; grandfather of Sam and Max Pollack, Alex, Adam and AJ Rosenberg; brother of Paul (Shereen) Rosenberg and the late Dolly Rubenstein; brother-in-law of Lenny (Carole) Rubenstein; uncle of Reid (Emma) Rosenberg, Jed Rosenberg, Cindy (Andy) Lewis, Lynne (Steven) Weiss; great-uncle of Simon, Elise, Allie (Harrison), Lexie and Jessica. As a young man, Jerry began working in the grocery business with his father, Louis Rosenberg, who founded Community Supermarket in Penn Hills in 1927, and developed a passion for the grocery business which would remain lifelong. After graduating from Penn State, Jerry returned to the family business, which he led for much of his life along with his brother Paul and son Howard. In 1983 the family business expanded with the opening of one of the first Giant Eagle franchise stores in Oakmont, and in 1991 an additional Giant Eagle franchise in Verona. In the early 2000s, the business expanded further with Community Supermarket locations opening in Fox Chapel, Lower Burrell and Natrona Heights. In 2003, the family business was a recipient of the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business Western Pennsylvania Family Business of the Year Award. The business today, led by Jerry’s son Howard, consists of the Giant Eagle in Verona and Community Supermarket locations in Penn Hills, Lower Burrell and Natrona Heights. He was also on the board for Peoples Bank of Unity (now S&T Bank). While Jerry retired from day-to-day business operations a decade ago, he never lost his passion for the business and was often seen in the Community Supermarket stores into his late 80s visiting with employees and customers. Jerry enjoyed watching sports with family and was a big Pittsburgh and Penn State sports fan. Jerry was an excellent ping pong player and loved golfing, especially with his grandchildren. He was a longtime member of Temple Sinai, Concordia Club, Green Oaks Country Club, Westmoreland Country Club and Boca West Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida. Jerry was a philanthropic supporter of a number of local charities including the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Family and Community Services and Friendship Circle. The family would like to thank all the caregivers from Jewish Family and Community Services and nurses from Presbyterian Senior Care Home Health for their unwavering support. Donations can be made to Friendship Circle, 1922 Murray Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217; Jewish Family and Community Services, 5743 Bartlett St, Pittsburgh, PA 15217; or Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 2000 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. schugar.com

STEELE: Marcy Ann Steele, on Monday, April 17, 2023. Daughter of the late Ruth and Allen Steele. Sister of the late Eric (Ricky) Steele. Also survived by loving relatives and special friends Kieth Ann, Darlene, Rochelle. Graveside service and interment were held on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 11 a.m. at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, 575 Lincoln Avenue, Bellevue, PA 15202, and the Lymphatic Education and Research Network, 99 Wall Street, #5440, New York, NY 10005. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

NOTICE OF HEARING

IN RE: PETITION OF TEMPLE HADAR ISRAEL, A PENNSYLVANIA NON-PROFIT CORPORATION

TO APPROVE A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE; Case No. 48-2023 in the Orphan’s Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Notice is hereby given that the Court has set a hearing on the Petition of Temple Hadar Israel to approve a Fundamental Change in the form of the transfer of ownership and management of its cemeteries and the transfer of certain assets to the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh. e hearing will be held in the Orphans’ Court Division, Court of Common Pleas of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, 430 Court Street, New Castle, Pennsylvania on June 9, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom No. 4 before the Honorable David H. Acker. Any interested person is invited to attend. Information may be obtained from Leo M. Stepanian II, Esq., Stepanian & Menchyk, LLP, 222 South Main Street, Butler, Pennsylvania 16001, phone (724)285-1717; Attorney for Petitioner.

Chai News for people who know we don’t mean spiced tea.

Chai News for people who know we don’t mean spiced tea.

Chai News for people who know we don’t mean spiced tea.

Chai

Chai News for people who know we don’t mean spiced tea.

Every Friday in the and all the time online @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Every Friday in the and all the time online @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Every Friday in the and all the time online @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Every Friday in the and all the time online @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2308.

Every Friday in the and all the time online @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2308.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2308.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2308.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2308.

SUPOWITZ: Leroy Supowitz, age 94, died on April 18, 2023. He was the devoted husband of Elaine Love Supowitz for 67 years, until her death less than two years ago. He is survived by his children, Janet Supowitz, Carole (Jerry) Katz, Paul (Marcy Nord) Supowitz; grandchildren, Glenn Diana (Steve) Sherman, Ted and Ben Katz, and Will and Juliet Supowitz; great-grandchildren, Rafi and Lev Sherman; and by his sister, Marion Brooks. Preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Florence (Morris) Supowitz. Leroy was a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School and the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. He served with, and was honorably discharged from, the First Cavalry Division in Korea and Hokaido, Japan. While serving during the war, he heard there was an opening for a bassoonist in the Army band, and (having had some clarinet and sax experience) taught himself how to play the bassoon, enabling him to tour with the band. Upon his return from service, he entered the family business, S&S Shoe Stores, where he served as president. Anyone who grew up in the ’60s or ’70s in one of western Pennsylvania’s steel towns likely bought shoes at S&S. He worked six days a week in the business, but Sundays were for time with his children spent walking their beloved dog, Abby, in the park, going bowling, or attending a sporting event. Once his children got older, he became an avid bike rider. He then worked as a stockbroker before retiring in 2007. Leroy loved gadgets and even invented a dog-training device that he patented. He passed his love of dogs onto all three of his children, and treasured their dogs as his own. He enjoyed playing cards, especially playing cribbage with his children, and in his weekly poker game. Leroy’s family is beyond grateful to Sybil Eugene, caregiver to both Leroy and Elaine. Graveside service and interment were held at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to Hebrew Free Loan (P.O. Box 452, Homestead, PA 15120, (hflapgh.org) or Jewish Family and Community Services (5743 Bartlett Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, jfcspgh.networkforgood.com/projects/80254-general-jfcs). Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com PJC

Real Estate

FifthandWilkins Spacious

SHADYSIDE • $624,000

206 N. Woodland Road

Smith-Rosenthal Team

Jason A. Smith & Caryn Rosenthal

Jason: 412-969-2930 | Caryn: 412-389-1695

Jasonasmith@howardhanna.com

Carynrosenthal@howardhanna.com

North Woodland Road Townhome. Unique custom built sophisticated 4 levels. Lower Level has a great wine cellar, storage, int garage, and a side room which could be an office. First floor has a great room kitchen, dining and living area, plus 1/2 bath. This room leads to an unbelievable courtyard and luscious grounds with a sprinkler system. Next level- large room with a whimsical full bath. Top level has a great master area, with master bath and laundry, Smashing steel and glass staircase, dramatic lighting. Terrific acrhitectural details.

OAKLAND - $300,000

Dithridge House

New listing. 2 bedroom 2 bath on the 11th floor with a closed in balcony with a great view. Balcony can be used year round.Building has many amenities. Guest Room, Party Room, Meeting Room, Pool, Guest Suites, Meeting Room, Outdoor Guest Parking, Valet Parking etc.

LAWRENCEVILLE - $620,000 - MOTIVATED SELLERS - PENDING

721 53rd Street

Sherri Mayer, Realtor Squirrel Hill Office

C: 412-760-0412

O: 412-421-9121x225

sherrimayer@howardhanna.com

HowardHanna.com

A stunning Lawrenceville home o ers 4 levels of luxurious finishes and unparalleled city views. The dazzling hardwood floors and an open-concept layout make living and entertaining easy. The kitchen is a chef’s paradise with stainless steel appliances, Glacier White Quartz countertops, a large island with seating, and crisp white kitchen cabinets elevated with a pop of color from the handmade backsplash tiles and mosaic inlays. Three spacious bedrooms, 3.5 contemporary-styled baths, and thoughtful storage throughout. The top-floor bonus room features French doors to a private balcony with exceptional vistas of downtown and beyond. Enjoy the convenience of dedicated 2-car garage parking equipped with an EV charging outlet. Convenient to public transportation, the Universities, Hospitals, High-Tech corridors, restaurants and shopping. LERTA Tax Abatement.

Kosher certification got its start 100 years ago — in Pittsburgh

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

Frank Butler, the grandfather of Squirrel Hill-based Magisterial District Judge Dan Butler, was a Ukrainian man drafted into the Russian army to fight in the Russo-Japanese War around 1905.

After he deserted the army and fled Europe, the Kyiv native settled in Squirrel Hill — in the house where five generations of Butlers have since lived — and, as an observant Jew, entered the world of regulating kosher food.

A mashgiach, or Jew who supervises the status of kosher foods, working on foods produced by the H.J. Heinz Co. in Pittsburgh, Frank Butler helped develop the national Orthodox Union’s familiar logo — a “U” in a circle — in 1923, exactly 100 years ago.

“It was an obvious idea to create a national entity that would supervise kosher foods — at the time, there was nothing like that,” Dan Butler told the Chronicle. “And, as the Jewish community expanded around the country, they realized they needed unified standards.”

“We have deep roots in Pittsburgh, particularly in the Orthodox institutions,” Butler added. “The things my grandfather did and said are still things we teach our children. I got it all from my parents, who got it with their mother’s milk.”

The Orthodox Union has grown immensely in its 100-year history — today it certifies the products of 7,000 companies and 14,000 facilities in all 50 U.S. states and 105 countries, said Rabbi Moshe Elefant, its chief operating officer and executive rabbinic coordinator.

“We’ve been certifying food around the country and around the world,” Elefant said.

The Orthodox Union, though it is based in New York City, started its history with a single account in Pittsburgh, that of the H.J. Heinz Co.

“Heinz was the first major Orthodox Union account,” Elefant said. “Heinz was the first packaged food that was OU-certified.”

Packaged items certified kosher for Heinz in the 1920s included, famously, its baked beans, as well as lesser-known items like its chili sauce.

Kraft Heinz, the parent company of H.J. Heinz Co., did not respond to multiple calls and emails seeking comment.

Heinz first displayed the OU symbol on its goods around 1927, according to Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History

Program & Archives at the Sen. John Heinz History Center.

Heinz was “all about cleanliness and safety” in the 1920s, packaging its horseradish in clear bottles so people could see the ingredients, Lidji said. Before that, people relied on fresh, locally made and purchased foods.

“When you start to get packaged foods, it just got hard to know what the ingredients were,” Lidji said. “And the OU started to work and talk about ways to address this.”

There also were economic benefits to the

drive to certify packaged goods as kosher, Lidji said. A huge immigration wave crested in the United States around 1924, and many companies, like Heinz, were looking for ways to gain the trust — and dollars — of that population.

“This was the largest this immigrant market was and companies wanted to target it,” he said. “Heinz just did it in an innovative way.” PJC

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

p Rabbi Baruch Poupko and Heinz mashgiach Frank Butler inspect a vat at the Heinz plant in 1951. Images courtesy of the Rauh Jewish Archives

p Heinz started using the OU symbol in 1927.

Community

Dor Hadash installed Rabbi Amy Bardack on April 23. The ceremony featured songs, speeches and well wishes for the Reconstructionist congregation’s new spiritual leader.

Pass it along

Diller Pittsburgh teens assembled 318 bags for donation to Ronald McDonald House. The volunteer activity was part of J-Serve, a national program of BBYO and Repair the World. J-Serve is administered locally by Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and BBYO Keystone Mountain Region.

Let’s look ahead

Rabbi Debbie Pine, campus support director for Hillel International, was the featured speaker

Bubbe Bingo is back

Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh hosted Bubbe Bingo Brunch, an opportunity to raise funds for the Federation’s Community Campaign. The April 23 program was held at the WBU Event Venue. Sam Kline and Alex Goodstein served as event chairs.

p Rabbi Amy Bardack addresses attendees during the installation ceremony. p Rabbi Doris Dyen leads celebrants in song.

Photos by Norton L. Gusky

p Sharing notes, promoting values

p Working together one bag at a time

Photos courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

p From left: Rabbi Debbie Pine and Marcia Levaur Photo courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation p From left: Alora Chateaux, Sam Kline, Kierra Darshell and Alex Goodstein

Photo by Joshua Franzos

KOSHER MEATS

•All-natural poultry — whole chickens, breasts, wings and more

•All-natural, corn-fed beef — steaks, roasts, ground beef and more

•Variety of deli meats and franks

Available at select Giant Eagle stores. Visit gianteagle.com for location information.

Empire Kosher Fresh Bone-In Split Chicken Breasts

54 9 lb.

Price effective Thursday, April 27through Wednesday, May3, 2023

and