Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 5-19-23

A new generation of Jewish spiritual leaders take their turn at Pittsburgh’s bimahs

Volunteers, Jewish professionals and mental health providers hailed as synagogue shooting trial enters fourth week

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

Generational change is taking place within many of Pittsburgh’s congregations. Several rabbis who shepherded the community for the last three decades recently retired and took with them some of the priorities of the 20th century.

A new generation of rabbis and cantors is now leading these congregations. Their pulpits reflect the contemporary challenges and opportunities in the Pittsburgh Jewish community.

Assimilation and contraction

While assimilation and interfaith marriage were often the clarion call that 20th-century Jewish spiritual leaders addressed, the 21st century is cueing other concerns, like shrinking affiliation and how to fully embrace the diversity reflected in the pews.

“Demographics have shifted pretty quickly,” Temple Sinai Rabbi Daniel Fellman noted. “Where the last generation got to ride a wave of growth, this generation is confronting contraction.”

Fellman joined the Squirrel Hill Reform congregation in 2021, succeeding Rabbi Jamie Gibson, who led Temple Sinai for more than 30 years. Fellman sees a need to identify core values and prioritize which ones should be preserved as

the Jewish community looks to the future.

“That becomes the driving force,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for creative thinking and looking at new ways of doing things. We must recognize that the path that got us here isn’t the one we can take forward.”

Rabbi Aaron Meyer was hired in 2019 to replace Rabbi Mark Mahler at Temple Emanuel of South Hills, who retired after nearly four decades with the congregation. Meyer became the senior rabbi less than a year before COVID-19 forced the temporary closure of all Jewish institutions in the city.

He said that assimilation should no longer be a concern.

“I think that there is no question that assimilation is part of the Jewish experience, and we would do well to quit arguing about whether it has happened, but to begin embracing the ways it is not only good for Jews who practice Judaism but, I would argue, good for Judaism itself,” Meyer said. “I think the next generation of Jewish spiritual leaders would be well advised to strike a better balance between serving Jewish tradition and serving the Jews who practice it.”

Rabbi Mark Goodman was hired last year as the associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom and has worked for the Conservative

Please see New Generation, page 10

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

With the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial entering its fourth week, Michele Rosenthal, whose brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal were among 11 worshippers killed on Oct. 27, 2018, wanted to thank those supporting the survivors and families of victims.

During a May 12 media briefing at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Rosenthal praised volunteers, Jewish professionals and neighbors. Rather than focusing on the “emotionally overwhelming” magnitude of the trial, she said she wanted to highlight the “solidarity and kindness that I have felt, not only from my friends, but even from complete strangers.”

 Michele Rosenthal, left, stands beside Maggie Feinstein during a May 12 press conference. Photo by Adam Reinherz

 Rabbi Daniel Fellman and Cantor David Reinwald lead services at Temple Sinai

Photo by John Schiller

Headlines

Federation shifts allocations strategy, focusing on community priorities and collaboration

— LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh officials announced that the umbrella organization will change its funding focus to “give more money to community priorities, emphasizing collaboration and focusing on impact measurement.”

The move reflects Federation’s desire to promote “collaboration and innovation” within the community, according to Adam Hertzman, the Federation’s director of marketing.

“There is so much potential in our community for organizations to work together, and we heard during our strategic planning process that what our stakeholders want most — and that includes Jewish agencies and synagogues — is for the Federation to help foster that collaboration,” he said.

After months of research, Federation unveiled a three-year strategic plan in September 2021. During its annual meeting, Federation CEO and President Jeffrey Finkelstein said the plan, which was created by various stakeholders, includes a new mission of cultivating resources, connecting people and collaborating across the community to “live and fulfill Jewish values.”

As articulated in the new mission, Federation’s updated allocation process will strengthen communal growth, Hertzman said.

Finkelstein agreed.

“As part of elevating our central role in bringing community partners together to solve complex problems, we heard from stakeholders that we also needed more money available to make meaningful change over time,” Finkelstein said. “Expanding these financial resources also needs to include tracking progress on community

priorities through a more data-driven approach.”

Hertzman said a recommitment to reviewing metrics will help the Federation identify and support various community segments: “If the priority is helping people in need, we should be able to define whether we helped people, how much we helped them and did it have an impact over the long term.”

As part of the changes, Federation’s board chair David Sufrin said he hopes to see the community’s Jewish agencies and synagogues collaborate. Measuring their success, Sufrin continued, “will be a key part of making progress on our community priorities.”

Changes to the funding process will begin during Federation’s 2023-2024 fiscal year and affect 2024-2025 allocations, according to Hertzman.

Along with Federation staff, volunteers and professionals representing Federation’s primary Jewish agencies will offer “input into what the first community priorities will be,” he said.

Hertzman cited the community’s three Jewish day schools, and affordability, as an example of what could be addressed as a community priority.

“We don’t have Jewish day schools because we think that the Jewish day schools themselves are a fundamental Jewish value. We have Jewish day schools because we think Jewish learning and Jewish education is a fundamental Jewish value,” he said. “The community priority isn’t necessarily to make day schools affordable. The community priority might be to improve Jewish education. It might be to engage more kids in Jewish life and Jewish learning. So is day school affordability a part of that? Perhaps, but the priority is more fundamental.”

At the core of identifying community priorities is a desire to recognize the importance of Federation’s eight main beneficiary agencies, which will now be called “core partners,” Finkelstein explained. Those eight agencies are: the Jewish Association on Aging; the Jewish Community Center of Greater

Pittsburgh; Jewish Family and Community Services; The Branch; Hillel-Jewish University Center; Community Day School; Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh; and Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh.

Along with its work with the Jewish Agency for Israel and JDC in Israel and overseas communities, Finkelstein said the Federation is eager to support organizations within greater Pittsburgh.

“I’m excited for the Federation to take a role at the forefront of strengthening Jewish life, supporting those in need in our community, and building a safer, more inclusive Pittsburgh,” he said.

The “ultimate takeaway,” Hertzman said, “is that there are opportunities to collaborate and make real progress on community priorities. Our hope is that this plan will contribute to making progress.” PJC

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

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 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Photo by Adam Reinherz

“If the priority is helping people in need, we should be able to define whether we helped people, how much we helped them and did it have an impact over the long term.”

−ADAM HERTZMAN

Federation’s first director of community security recalls

Oct. 27, 2018

— LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

Hired by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in January 2017 as its first director of community security, Brad Orsini — a former FBI agent — held security training at the Tree of Life building on Sept. 5, 2018, and discussed what he called “the worst-case scenario.”

Tragically, he said, “that came true.”

“I came from the crisis management world with the FBI — this was what I did for a living,” Orsini said. “I never thought I would have to use that particular set of knowledge, skill and ability with our community.”

Seven weeks later, on Saturday morning, Oct. 27, 2018, Orsini was informed of an active shooter situation at the Tree of Life building.

“My phone rang, and I got an alert through the city,” he said. “Then my phone started ringing off the hook.”

Orsini immediately got in his car and headed toward the synagogue.

“While I’m driving, I’m talking to [Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO] Jeff Finkelstein,” Orsini recalled. “I’m talking to people in other buildings that are locked down looking for information. I am calling Cmdr. [Daniel] Herman from Zone 4. I’m calling the FBI who are on their way. It was a series of calls to ascertain what is going on and the depth of how bad this is. I was just beginning to understand that we were going into a nightmare.”

Orsini arrived at the building shortly after the shooter surrendered. He urged several community leaders to go to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and set up a command post. He then met with several detectives and headed to the JCC himself.

By early afternoon, the JCC was designated as a family reunification and witness center, Orsini said, and organizations like the Salvation Army and John “Jack” Rozel, director of Resolve Crisis Service Centers of UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, were there to help.

The JCC was the right place to gather, Orisini said, because it was large, had conference rooms and classrooms, and a social hall — everything needed to build an effective command post for the community and first responders.

Orsini said it was difficult for him to see the pain in people’s faces and know that there was little he could do to help the investigation.

“It took every fiber of my being, after being in the FBI for 28½ years, to not just walk in and start working with law enforcement,” he said. “I knew my job was working with the community and to give necessary information to law enforcement.”

The security professional understood that he was responsible for getting information to the presidents of the

three congregations attacked — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha — and to get potential witnesses to the JCC, he said.

There was a sense of frustration that grew as families desperately tried to gather information about loved ones who may have been in the building, Orsini said. He worked with law enforcement and the medical examiner to start the process of death notifications.

“We were working with them to speed up that process, so people didn’t have to wait until Sunday to find out what they probably already knew deep in their heart,” he said. “That is the most horrific thing — to be walking around with that kind of information and not being able to share it.”

At the same time, Orsini worked to ensure the community would be ready Monday morning when schools and early learning centers would open, and morning minyans would convene.

“We had to reduce the anxiety for the community,” he said.

Once the FBI confirmed that the shooter was acting alone, Orsini coordinated a meeting with the FBI, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and Federation. The decision was made to provide armed security guards for all the Jewish organizations in and around the city. Federation announced that it would pay for that service.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Orsini said he first thought ahead in one-hour blocks, then 12-hour increments.

The first eight hours, he said, were “incredibly chaotic.” By the time the FBI issued a briefing Sunday morning, Orsini said there was no doubt that “law enforcement had an incredible handle on it.” That realization allowed community leaders to begin thinking about communal healing, he said.

It also gave Orsini space to begin

coordinating the community’s security needs for the vigil held 36 hours later at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum in Oakland. That effort included not only the Pittsburgh police but also the police departments of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. The security needs of the community continued to grow in the days that followed. First, security needed to be coordinated for the funerals of the 11 people killed in the massacre.

“We had to work with the families to understand their wishes, whether the funeral would be open or closed, whether it needed to be inside or outside — all the things we don’t typically have to think about for a funeral,” Orsini said. “We also had to think about the influx of wellmeaning people coming to pay their respects. We had to contend with four, five or 10 times the number of people that would be at a funeral.”

Orsini worked continually with law enforcement to ensure the Jewish community was safe during the shivas. His nights ended at 10 or 11 o’clock with a call to the Zone 4 police station making sure the Pittsburgh Police were aware of all of the activities occurring in the Jewish community — something that continued for weeks after the shooting.

Orsini’s work was often done in solitude, without others to lean on for support, he said. He eventually found some respite by talking with his now-wife Deana, a therapist, but Orsini said the emotional toll of the attack was challenging for him, especially because of his role with the community.

“It’s still difficult for me because my role in the community was to keep people safe and that day we lost 11 people,” he said. “That’s what I think about.”

Orsini said he tries to contextualize the events and finds solace in the kind words of survivors. He also recognizes the

importance of the training on Sept. 5 at the Tree of Life.

“Steve Weiss’ wife came up to me and said, ‘Steve got out. He followed the training.’ I half-heard it and then Steve came up to me and said, ‘I did it, Brad. I’m so glad you were here.’”

Weiss recounted the training and the incidents inside the synagogue later at a witness testimonial. Orsini said Steve’s words are used in security trainings he offers regularly.

“It’s one thing to hear ‘train, train, train,’ from law enforcement,” Orsini said. “It’s another to hear it from folks that were inside the building.”

Equally as important was the conversation Orsini had with Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers. Myers didn’t carry a cellphone on Shabbat, but began doing so at Orsini’s urging after the security training.

Myers was the first person to call 911 during the massacre.

Orsini was hired as senior national security adviser for the Secure Community Network with the Jewish Federations of North America about a year after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. The SCN works nationwide to keep Jews and Jewish institutions safe and secure.

Orsini recalled that just a few months before the attack, he was contemplating leaving his job in Pittsburgh at the end of 2018.

“I remember thinking, ‘OK, this community has been wonderful, I like working with this community but in December, I’m going to tell Jeff [Finkelstein] I’m going to leave because I’m moving to Arizona.’ That was my plan.”

He can’t imagine that scenario now.

“There’s no way I could have left,” he said. “I stayed with the community another year, and then realized I can’t leave the Jewish community. I have to do this for my own peace of mind and to help other communities. That’s why I’m still working. That’s why I’m still doing this.”

Orsini said he tries not to dwell on the tragedy of the day; instead, he focuses on the relationships, the sense of community and the small acts of kindness.

“When I got hired, Andrew Stewart was the head of the lay leader committee,” Orsini said. “He called me on Oct. 27, and said, ‘Brad, what can I do? I need to do something.’ I said, ‘Andrew my phone is dying, I can’t talk. I have to get my phone tethered to a wall.’ He said, ‘I’ll be right over.’ He brought me a long cord and charging block. The kindness of people like that I’ll never forget.” PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ 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.

 Brad Orsini, former Jewish Federation director of community security, prepares group before entering the Pervin Chapel at the Tree of Life building in November 2018.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Wounded Israeli veterans visit Pittsburgh, explore IsraelDiaspora relations

— LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Sta Writer

Mildly warm sunny days are unusual in Pittsburgh. So are chances to sit around a Point Breeze patio table with eight Israeli veterans, but for two weeks in May, community members enjoyed a similar experience, learned about the delegation and gave thought to the future of Israel-Diaspora relations.

Since May 7, two of the eight Israeli visitors have stayed with Sandy and Barbara Zell. The Point Breeze couple co-chair 412 Friends of Zahal, formerly known as American Friends of Israel War Disabled.

As part of their organizational commitment, the Zells annually visit the Jewish state, meet with veterans and invite groups to Pittsburgh. Their efforts continue a communal endeavor initiated more than 40 years ago by the late Sylvia Robinson.

As Robinson explained in a 1996 recording with the National Council of Jewish Women, after observing how Geneva, Switzerland — a city with 5,000 Jews — provided respite to 30 wounded Israeli veterans, she told her husband there was no reason Pittsburgh — a city, which boasted almost eight times as many Jews — couldn’t do the same.

Almost five decades after Robinson committed herself to welcoming wounded Israelis, community members have upheld the charge and worked with Beit Halochem, the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization, to greet, host and honor former soldiers. Doing so is deeply personal, Sandy Zell said: “It’s your duty as a Jew.” After everything these soldiers have endured, “there’s a need to get involved.”

Dror Yemini, 49, said. “You can really see the love and the care.”

spoke with the group, Yemini and the others encircled a large outdoor table for more than an hour. Bottled water and beers

circulated. Cigarettes were smoked. A bowl of chips was passed around. The veterans, who didn’t know each other before joining the Pittsburgh delegation, kibitzed. Word quickly spread that after the interview the group was headed to a nearby home for a steak dinner.

Yemini remembered meeting Zell months earlier in Israel.

“He talked to us and started to cry,” Yemini said. “That was the moment I understood this delegation and how people cared about us as soldiers, as Israelis and as Jews. We didn’t believe that far away there are people who care about us a lot.”

Recent trends have shaped Yemini and the other veterans’ beliefs.

Kingdom, Yigal Gittayi, 52, said: “This is the situation all over the world.”

Despite Pew’s findings, Zell said he couldn’t accept that younger generations have a waning affinity toward Israel.

“Your heritage is not just your past generation,” he said. “Your heritage is 5,000 years old.”

Barbara Zell, 66, acknowledged that younger people are often busy with work or family, but said she’s optimistic about the future.

“I think when their kids grow up, they will

But maintaining a bond between the Diaspora and Israel requires effort now, Sandy Zell said: “The work you put into it

Several of the vets said they tried to convey a sentiment of continuity and kinship during

While speaking with retired members of the U.S. military, the Israeli veterans recalled

“What we tried to explain was that this didn’t happen in Afghanistan — I was injured 15 minutes from my home,” Gittayi said.

During conversations with students at Community Day School and Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, the visitors described “what it means to be an Israeli soldier, not just for Israel but for the whole Jewish world,” Yemini said. “The students were very quiet in the beginning, but then their eyes opened. In the end, we felt like we did something.”

Part of the purpose of the delegation is correcting misconceptions, Jawad Harbawy said.

Harbawy, 50, is Druze. He and his father were both in the Israeli army, and his children are now serving.

This isn’t unique, Harbawy said. For many Druze, “the connection has been there for years.”

Druze joined Jewish forces during the 1948 War of Independence, Harbawy noted, and recalled a statement from Reuven Rivlin, Israel’s former president.

“The covenant between us and the Druze community is a covenant of life. We must ensure that we are always worthy of it, and not just during times of crises and war,” Rivlin said.

Sandy Zell said two weeks with the visitors offers countless inspiring moments, but the veterans are also here to relax and have a good time. Their itinerary includes bowling, laser tag, a pizza party, ax throwing, a trip to Niagara Falls and time to simply sit and chat with Pittsburghers.

“We want people to know that we love them, and we are very appreciative of the attention,” Dudi Levy, 47, said.

“Before joining this delegation I didn’t understand why people would want to host us,” Yemini said. “All we did was live our life, but here we saw how important we are.” PJC

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

 A delegation of Israeli veterans visits Millie's Homemade.

Photo courtesy of Barbara Zell

 Former Israeli soldiers join retired members of the U.S. military.

Photo courtesy of Barbara Zell

Tikkun Leil Shavuot offers a chance for communal learning, and cheesecake

it has to do with the fact that cheesecake is sweet, resembling the milk and honey offered in the Promised Land.

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

It turns out that cheesecake and Torah study are a winning combination.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot, a night of Jewish learning that takes place this year on May 25, is among the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s most popular events, according to Federation Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff. The night of study typically draws between 300-400 people to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh, Schiff said, has a broad range of rabbis, Jewish study experts and thoughtful Jewish thinkers available to teach at the annual program he shepherds.

This year, 24 community leaders will present 22 sessions spanning topics as varied as Mussa (a Jewish spiritual practice that gives instructions on how to live an ethical life), genetically modified designer babies, the Diaspora and the impact of Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik.

Schiff, who will present “Democracy in Judaism,” said that each topic is chosen by the speaker presenting it. And while he doesn’t direct the subjects taught, he does work to ensure that a broad variety of topics — and teachers representing as many Jewish movements as possible — are available in each of the three hours of classes offered.

“I’m anxious to balance each hour,” he said. “If you only show up for the 10 or 11 o’clock hour, I’m anxious that there are people across the spectrum and in different age groups, etc. in each hour.”

He also wants teachers new to town to get into the program as soon as possible.

person but truncated.

“We only had 15 sessions,” Schiff explained, “because people were just coming into the public again, so we had a smaller number of offerings. This year, we’re back full strength.”

There will be no virtual classes, Schiff said, because the event is held on Shavuot.

“It’s important to us at Federation that this be inclusive to everyone in the community, which means that in order for the entire Jewish spectrum to be able to participate we have to respect the halachic stipulations of the community, and that means no

It’s an open discussion as to why cheesecake has come to be associated with the holiday, although many believe

The program is the “epitome of the Pittsburgh Jewish community,” said Adam Hertzman, Federation’s director of marketing.

“With such a broad spectrum of participants by age, background, religion, observance and many other characteristics, Tikkun Leil Shavuot has come to represent the beautiful way Jewish Pittsburgh tries to include everyone in Jewish life, inspired by our Jewish values,” he said.

For Schiff, one of the things that makes Pittsburgh special is the sense of community across Jewish movements.

“The Pittsburgh community is really distinctive in the way we get along and cooperate together,” he said. “I think that the opportunity that Tikkun Leil Shavuot gives us to engage in the traditional practice of Torah Study is really very special.”

A complete list of presenters and topics is available at jewishpgh.org/ occasion/tikkun. PJC

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

“I’m definitely on the lookout for different people who might present,” Schiff said. “I’m always thinking about how we can offer the core, beloved teachers that are central to the community but also some new faces.”

This year is a return to form for the program, which made COVID-19 accommodations the last several years. In both 2020 and 2021, Federation and the JCC offered pre-Shavuot online learning opportunities. In 2022, the program was in

electronics. It also means no microphones,” he said.

Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. Jewish communities around the world honor the tradition by studying Jewish texts and participating in learning opportunities throughout the night. Federation and the JCC break up their program into three 50-minute blocks of learning beginning at 10 p.m.

Cheesecake and coffee are offered during the free event.

 “Glory of the wisdom and fear of God,” woodcut, 1860 ZU_09/DigitalVision Vectors

“With such a broad spectrum of participants by age, background, religion, observance and many other characteristics, Tikkun Leil Shavuot has come to represent the beautiful way Jewish Pittsburgh tries to include everyone in Jewish life, inspired by our Jewish values.”

−ADAM HERTZMAN

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.

SUNDAY, MAY 21

Join Classrooms Without Borders for a Talking Memory program marking the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. 2 p.m. cwbpgh.org/ event/talking-memory-program-marking-the-80thanniversary-of-the-warsaw-ghetto-uprising.

Join Camp Young Judaea Midwest for a summer kicko potluck and sweet treats. Registration is required by visiting tinyurl.com/summercyj. Submit your potluck items to tinyurl.com/potluckcyj. 5 p.m.

SUNDAYS, MAY 21, JUNE 11, 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 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.

SUNDAYS, MAY 21 – 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, MAY 21 – DEC. 17

Join a lay-led online Parshah 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 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/thejewish-text-puzzle.

Chabad of the South Hills presents its Women’s Spring Event with guest speaker Gwyn Riddle. Riddle will present “A Letter from 1926,” one woman’s incredible journey. There will also be a tablescaping demo. Fresh salad bar and desserts. 7 p.m. $25 before May 18; $30 after May 18. The event address will be given upon registration. chabadsh.com/spring.

MONDAYS, MAY 22 – DEC. 18

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

TUESDAY, MAY 23

Chabad of the South Hills presents a pre-Shavuot seniors luncheon and presentation focused on finding gratitude in everyday life by Pathways Wellness Program. 1 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com.

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.

TUESDAYS, MAY 23 – 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 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-a-fracturedworld/2023-02-2.

Join the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section for its annual spring event. An evening highlighting the future of reproductive justice in western Pennsylvania and nationwide. The featured speaker is Kelsey Leigh, abortion rights advocate and co-founder of Pittsburgh Abortion Doulas, a local patient support nonprofit. 6 p.m. Emerald City, 213 Smithfield Street, 15222. To purchase tickets, visit ncjwpgh.salsalabs.org/ springevent23/index.html.

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.

WEDNESDAYS, MAY 24 – DEC. 20

Join AgeWell for an intergenerational family dynamics discussion group. Whether you have family harmony or strife, these discussions are going to be thought-provoking 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 24 – 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, visitbethshalompgh.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.

THURSDAY, MAY 25

Join the Pittsburgh Jewish community for Tikkun Leil Shavuot, a night of in-person learning with well-known local rabbis and thinkers. No registration necessary. Free and open to the community. Cheesecake and co ee. Dietary laws observed. 10 p.m. JCC Squirrel Hill, Darlington Entrance. 5723 Darlington Road, 15217. jewishpgh.org/ occasion/tikkun.

FRIDAY, MAY 26

Hear the Ten Commandments and enjoy a dairy dinner and ice cream party with Chabad of Squirrel Hill at its Shavuot party. 5 p.m. Free. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com.

THURSDAY, 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.

SUNDAY, 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.

Join Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh at the Heinz History Center for “Beautiful Days in the Neighborhood; Yeshiva Schools at 80,” a celebration of eight decades of education. As the oldest Jewish day school in the city, we’re proud to have had such a presence in educating and nurturing the next generations of Jewish leaders. 6:30 p.m. $180 per individual, $360 per couple. Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, 1212 Smallman St. yeshivaschools.com/dinner.

MONDAY, 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.

MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, JUNE 12-JULY 12

The Jewish people has given the world a range of extraordinary gifts. Without Jews, these amazing contributions might not exist at all.

In the 10-part series, The Gift of the Jews, Rabbi Danny Schi will detail the most significant ten gifts that Jews have given to civilization and will explain their importance to humanity as a whole. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. $140. jewishpgh.org/event/the-gifts-of-the-jews/ 2023-06-12

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, JUNE 13-JUNE 27

In the lead-up to Tisha B’Av, Rabbi Danny Schi invites you to join him in a study of the Book of Lamentations and the powerful insights that it o ers. This new course explores the history and the context of a book that is filled with tribulations. What lessons can we learn today from Lamentations and from the destruction of Jewish sovereignty that took place so long ago? $70 Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. jewishpgh.org/event/the-book-oflamentations/2023-06-13.

MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, JULY 17-AUG. 2

There has never been an age in Jewish history without internal Jewish controversies. In the sixpart series Contemporary Jewish Controversies, Rabbi Danny Schi will lead robust discussions about significant Jewish controversies that echo across the contemporary Jewish landscape, including Zoom prayer, intermarried rabbis, the death penalty for acts of terror against Israelis and much more. $85. Mondays and Wednesdays. 9:30 a.m. jewishpgh.org/event/ contemporary-jewish-controversies/ 2023-07-17. 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 Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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

Pittsburgh couple helps consumers shop ‘lean and green’

By Justin Vellucci | Special the Chronicle

Russian ex-patriate Evgeny

Kostromskoy moved to the United States — specifically, Pittsburgh, where his brother previously immigrated — in 2009. But, it wasn’t until he started studying for his MBA at the University of Pittsburgh a few years later that he first experienced the American dream.

“I wanted to work in the corporate world,” said Kostromskoy, who lives near Regent Square. “But I got introduced to a lot of technology, to AI technology and to data sciences — and it completely changed my sense of where I wanted to be.”

After graduating in 2017, Kostromskoy — whose son, David, attends Community Day School — ventured out as a tech entrepreneur. After experimenting with a successful return-and-delivery service called PorchShip, he now is aggressively pursuing his latest venture: Clear Auction.

Clear Auction has a simple premise: Help Pittsburghers make lean, green decisions about their shopping habits. Kostromskoy, who has a background in supply chain work, buys liquidated items from national retailers like Costco and Macy’s, items destined for the landfill.

Instead of junking them, he sells them at his cleanly designed, online auction website, passing the savings — and the ability to shop as they choose — to customers, he said. Yes, bids start at $2 and it’s easy to get a plush animal for your child for $5. But dig deeper and get into the bidding, and you might find a $2,000 couch going in auction for $300.

“We try to bring the savings to the community,” Kostromskoy said, “to people who are struggling with inflation or layoffs.”

When someone wins an auction at Clear Auction, they have options, too. Kostromskoy is happy to deliver the goods directly to their home via the company’s truck or to ship them via UPS. Buyers also can pick up the items from Clear Auction’s warehouse, which is on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg.

Ekaterina Masulis, Kostromskoy’s wife, a Jew who emigrated from Russia to Pittsburgh, calls Evgeny “my genius” and refers to herself as “the biggest supporter.” She helps him select and list items, scan photos of the merchandise, anything to lend a hand.

“He’s started a new way and a new life,” Masulis said. “He always thinks of things to help people. His ideas are about ways to make things easier for everyone.”

Masulis loves the United States. In Russia, her family kept their Judaism secret; they didn’t exchange gifts at Chanukah or

celebrate other Jewish holidays and they only told Ekaterina at age 15 that she was Jewish. Pittsburgh is dramatically different, she said.

“I’m so glad [we’re here],” Masulis said. “Now, I don’t need to hide. David and our family like to go to Chabad and celebrate holidays with the community — it’s so special.”

Lynda — who prefers not to use her last name — shops on Clear Auction every week, mostly buying toys and other items for her grandchildren.

“They were good deals,” the Bethel Park resident said. “It was just random stuff I thought the kids would like.”

Now, she’s hooked.

“I’ve bought porch chairs there,” she said. “They were new — and $50 or $60 apiece.”

Lynda likes the personal service Kostormskoy lends to the experience as well.

“It makes more sense to buy through them than to put [items] in a landfill,” she said. “There’s a lot of waste in the world. [Evgeny] is just the nicest person ever. They’re so nice and easy to work with, and so accommodating.” PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

MyFinal Chronicle Column

I have always had a strong connection to the Jewish community and to the Chronicle in particular. I went to Saturday school at Rodef Shalom with Jim Busis, the Chronicle’s publisher, and my mom, Barnetta Lange, wrote columns first for The Jewish Criterion, and later for The Jewish Chronicle

In 2017, my wife, Cindy, and I agreed that I should contribute a monthly column. I had important information to share with the community, and I also hoped I might pick up a client or two!

I can say wholeheartedly that it has been a pleasure and an honor to provide sound financial information to our community. I hope many of you have taken advantage of relevant advice and recommendations to improve your long-term retirement and estate planning.

To keep the conversation going with as many readers as are interested, allow me to make several parting offers:

1.If you want to keep abreast of our most current recommendations through email, please sign up for our free email newsletter at https://PayTaxesLater.com

2.If you prefer that we mail a printed copy of our free monthly newsletter to your home, please call Erin at 412-521-2732 and ask to be added to our mailing list. Alternately, you can email your requestto Requests@PayTaxesLater.com. Be sure to include your home address in your email

3. We are on the cusp of releasing our best book ever: Retire Securefor Professorsand TIAA Participants. Don’t let the title fool you. This book is extremely relevant for most IRA and retirement plan owners. If you join our launch team, we will send you a pre-publication digital copy now with the request

byJamesLange, CPA, Attorney

that, once the book is published, you buy an Amazon digital copy and post an honest review. It could be the most valuable $1.99you ever spent.To join our launch team, please go to https://PayTaxesLater.com/ProfessorBook

Our latest educational push has been helping parents who have a child with a disability structure and plan for their child’s long-term financial security. As you may know, our daughter, Erica, has faced multiple challenges over her young life. Cindy and I have worried about her future for years. Recently, her disability was diagnosed as dysautonomia. We now know she will never be able to support herself.

As devastating as the diagnosis was, it spurred us to action. I brought together a dream team to write a report that contains the best information available on protecting and providing for a child with a disability both before and after their parents are gone.

Our Special Advisory Report for Parents of a Child with a Disability: Three Critical Step to Protect Your Child’s Financial Security After You are Gone, is co-authored by Deborah L. McFadden and Julieanne Steinbacher, Esq, LLM.

Deborah was instrumental during the G.H.W. Bush administration in writing the Americans with Disabilities Act, and is the mother of Tatyana McFadden, one of the top Paralympic athletes in the world. Julieanne has a practice in Eastern PA serving the special needs of parents of children with disabilities.

A Highlights version of the report is on our website, https:// DisabledChildPlanning.com. From there you can request—for free—the detailed 55-page report. Please, if you or someone you

know is struggling with the worries that consumed Cindy and me, visit our website and request a copy of the report.

I firmly believe that acting on the information we o er could be critical for your financial security and happiness. But I’d like to end this column with a reprise of some non-financial advice from my first article for this paper. It is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received or given: buy experiences, rather than things.

Walter Weinstein, my 98-year-old father-in-law, hosts a family vacation every year and picks up the tab for the entire group consisting of children, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren. His generosity has taught us all some incredible life lessons memories last, family relationships sustain you, and the happiness that comes with experience outlasts any bit of stu you can buy.

Our daughter, Erica, has a true sense of kin that she would never have had without Walter’s family vacations. When my father-in-law passes, he will leave a little less money to his family, but he will have provided a priceless legacy.

I hope my advice over the years has helped your here-andnow, and your down-the-road

Again, please look at the di erent options I have listed here to stay in touch and to continue receiving our information free of charge. I look forward to hearing from you. Shalom,

James Lange, CPA/Attorney

 Evgeny Kostromskoy and Ekaterina Masulis Photo courtesy of Evgeny Kostromskoy

Headlines

PA lawmakers announce Black-Jewish caucus

— REGIONAL —

By Jarrad Sa ren | Contributing Writer

On May 1 inside the Capitol Media Center in Harrisburg, a group of Jewish and Black representatives walked onto the stage. They lined up in a row and stood behind the podium as their leaders, Rep. Jared Solomon and then-Rep. Jordan Harris, stepped forward to speak.

Solomon, who is Jewish and represents the 202nd district in Philadelphia County, and Harris, who is Black and represents the 186th district, also in Philadelphia County, were introducing the new Black-Jewish Caucus in the PA General Assembly. They pledged to build a relationship, work together to combat antisemitism and racism and collaborate on legislative issues.

But about 18 minutes into the press conference, the camera panned out over the audience in the room. It was mostly empty, save for four people sitting in chairs and two more standing with cameras. There was only one reporter in the room asking questions, and he led with the obvious one.

“We heard a lot about conversations. I’m just wondering in terms of what this caucus can do to back each other’s priorities,” he said.

“I think that legislative priorities, legis lative victories, begin with relationship building,” Solomon answered.

For now, as Solomon repeated afterward, that’s the goal.

“It’s reestablishing the importance of the relationship,” he said.

According to Solomon, the Black-Jewish alliance hit its high point during the Civil Rights Movement. But since then, it has not been the same “organized, coordinated, comprehensive, growing majority that builds relationships, handles issues and speaks authoritatively,” he said.

“What we need to do is make this relationship relevant to the new generation of Blacks and Jews in our communities,” Solomon explained. “Jordan and I want to model this type of behavior. We are friends.”

“Friendships are about give and take,” Harris added.

Solomon, Harris and 10 of their General Assembly colleagues — eight Black members and four Jewish members — attended the press conference and modeled the type of relationship-building they hope to spread. Rep. Ben Waxman, who represents the 182nd district, based in Center City, was one of the Jewish leaders present.

All 12 attendees, as Solomon joked during the press conference, are Democrats, though the invitation is open to Republicans to join. None of them could attend on May 1 due to scheduling conflicts, according to Solomon.

David Edman, the co-founder of Alliance

of Trust, a Philadelphia nonprofit that seeks to build relationships between the Jewish and Black communities, also attended and spoke.

Five years ago, Edman met Harris and told him about Congregation Temple Beth’El, a

Black synagogue in Philadelphia. Harris and Solomon then attended a Shabbat service there together.

“And that kind of planted the seeds,” Edman said.

But it remains unclear what those seeds

will sprout into as the caucus starts to meet. According to Solomon, relationship-building must lead to both groups standing up during instances of antisemitism or racism. After that, they can stand together on different pieces of legislation.

“What makes sense for us to do? Is it gun violence? Is it housing? I’m not sure,” Solomon said. “But both Jordan and I have a sense of how to get there.”

During the press conference, Waxman stepped forward and explained that in recent years Pennsylvania has increased security grant funding for nonprofits. The program has benefited both Jewish and Black institutions, and that’s one example of an issue on which the caucus could stand together.

Rep. Dan Frankel, whose district includes Squirrel Hill, also stepped forward to mention a package of bills, introduced at the end of April, that would update the state’s hate crimes statute to include protections for additional groups, like people with disabilities, and training for law enforcement officers, among other measures. Frankel and Napoleon Nelson, a Black representative who was at the press conference, introduced the package.

“I was there at the Tree of Life synagogue. I took a tour of the Tree of Life synagogue. I heard the stories. I saw the pain in the eyes of my colleagues who were with me who were of the Jewish faith,” Harris said. “I also know they see the pain in my eyes when we talk to mothers who are losing their sons and daughters in the streets of Philadelphia to gun violence.” PJC

Jarrad Saffren writes for the Jewish Exponent, where this first appeared.

Photo by House Democratic Photographers

 Rep. Dan Frankel stands to the left of Rep. Jordan Harris as he speaks at the press conference announcing the Black-Jewish Caucus Photo by House Democratic Photographers

“I took a tour of the Tree of Life synagogue. I heard the stories. I saw the pain in the eyes of my colleagues who were with me who were of the Jewish faith.”

−REP. JORDAN HARRIS

Headlines

US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides is resigning

Tom Nides, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, is resigning this summer at a time of unresolved tensions in the U.S.-Israel relationship he strove to uphold, JTA.org reported.

An administration official said that Nides would be gone by this summer. The report first appeared in Axios on May 9. Axios quoted Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying that Nides wanted to spend more time with his family.

“Tom has worked with characteristic energy and skill to further strengthen the special bond between the United States and Israel, and to advance U.S. diplomatic, economic and security interests,” Blinken told the online political news site. “We will all miss having him represent us in Israel, but I know he is looking forward to some well-deserved time with his family.”

Nides, a former executive at Morgan Stanley who was a senior State Department official in the Obama administration and who had deep Democratic Party ties, brought an easygoing sensibility to the role, especially to ties between Israel and the U.S. Jewish community.

Nides’ efforts to advance an impression of a conflict-free relationship were undercut by tensions stoked after the election last year of the most far-right government in Israel’s history, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Birthright sees 40% decrease in summer trips due to rising travel costs

Birthright Israel announced on May 8 that it will send 40% fewer young people to Israel in 2023 compared to last year, JNS.org reported.

The program, which is nearly 30 years old, pointed to increased inflation and travel costs for the drop.

This year, Birthright will bring 12,658 young Americans and Canadians on free, 10-day educational trips to Israel between mid-May and September. Last summer, that number was 18,358.

“The inflation that has hit much of the global economy and the rising costs of travel post-COVID have driven up Birthright Israel’s expenses,” Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said. “Without offsetting donations, thousands of applicants in the future will be denied the chance, as were thousands this summer, to experience a Birthright Israel trip. We feel terrible about that, but we had no choice.”

Birthright has a waiting list of 20,000 young Jews, he added.

El Al disciplines pilot who criticized judicial reform in flight

El Al will discipline a pilot who spoke out against the Israeli government’s proposed judicial reforms during an April 18 flight to New York, Hebrew media reported on May 7, JNS.org said.

The pilot, Doron Ginzburg, said over

Today in Israeli History

May 22, 1970 — 12 are killed in school bus ambush

the flight intercom system on Holocaust Remembrance Day that “things like Holocausts are potentially to be occurring in dictatorships, and we are fighting in Israel to remain a democratic country.”

Ginzburg’s punishment will include an official letter of reprimand from the company for expressing his opinion without authority. In addition, he will not be permitted to command a plane for a specified time, and thus won’t be able to make announcements during flights.

Israel’s national carrier came out against the pilot’s actions at the time he made them, saying, “The company condemns political statements of any kind by any of its employees as part of their work, and certainly not on its planes, which cannot be a platform for this type of activity.”

Netflix most popular streaming service in Israel

Netflix dominates the streaming service market in Israel, with 60% of residents using it, the Israeli Internet Association announced on May 7, according to The Jerusalem Post.

Disney+ was used by 10%, with other challengers like Apple TV, Amazon Prime and Discover Plus under 5%.

In terms of social media, YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook were all used by more than 90% of Israelis, with TikTok rising from 30% in 2022 to about 50% at the start of the year. Instagram was at 70%, Telegram at 54% and Twitter at 35%.

About 35% of Israelis connect to the

internet via optical fibers, while 27% use DSL technology and 21% use cable.

The most popular music service was Spotify, which was used by 35%, then Apple Music at 8%.

Survey: Europe wants more cooperation with Israel

A survey of 381 members of European parliaments found that an overwhelming majority (66%) consider their country’s relations with Israel as rather good or very good, JNS.org reported.

Three-quarters (77%) call for greater cooperation with Israel.

The survey, conducted by the European Leadership Network, a nonprofit that seeks to foster close relations between Europe and Israel, found that for most European politicians, historical responsibility toward Israel is the bedrock of good relations.

Members of parliaments from Germany (209), Sweden (31), France (22), Austria (18), Ireland (15), Latvia (14), the Czech Republic (14), Spain (10), the European Parliament (10), Norway (8), Denmark (8), Greece (6), the U.K. (5), Italy (5), Malta (3), Cyprus (2) and Finland (1) responded to the survey.

Defense and homeland security also were key issues, with 67% of the parliamentarians expressing interest in closer cooperation by NATO with Israel and greater European involvement in the Middle East. PJC

— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

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

May 19, 1966 — U.S. agrees to sell bombers to Israel

President Lyndon Johnson’s administration announces the first U.S. sale of warplanes to Israel. The A-4 Skyhawk light bomber enters service in Israel in 1968. Israel becomes the plane’s top export customer.

May 20, 2011 — B’nei Akiva founder Arieh Handler dies

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorists attack an Israeli school bus with a bazooka and small arms close to Lebanon, killing eight children and four adults. More than 20 others are wounded.

May 23, 1420 — Viennese decree attacks Jews

 B’nei Akiva youths from England visit Arieh Handler at his home in Jerusalem.

Jewish Chronicle photo

Arieh Handler dies in Jerusalem a week shy of his 96th birthday. He led religious aliyah after attending the 1935 Zionist Congress and helped found the B’nei Akiva youth movement before moving to Israel in 1948.

May 21, 1967 —Nasser

prepares for war

Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser mobilizes his military reserves and moves troops into the Sinai after booting out U.N. peacekeepers May 19 and closing the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping.

 Albert V of Austria, later king of Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia and Germany, was known as Albert the Magnanimous, but not for his treatment of Jews.

Archduke Albert V issues the Wiener Gesera (Viennese Decree), ordering all Austrian Jews to be imprisoned and their possessions to be confiscated, amid religious fanaticism sweeping the region.

May 24, 1895 — Artist Marcel Janco is born Marcel Janco, a multimedia artist and major influence on Israeli art after making aliyah in 1941, is born in Romania. He helps launch the Dada movement with costumes, sets and masks for the Cabaret Voltaire.

May 25, 1991 — Operation Solomon rescues Ethiopian Jews

Using brief permission from a new Ethiopian government, Operation Solomon flies more than 14,000 Jews to Israel in 36 hours, almost twice as many as during Operations Moses and Joshua in 1984 and 1985. PJC

Headlines

New Generation:

Continued from page 1

congregation in Squirrel Hill since 2021, when he assumed the role of interim director of Derekh and Youth Tefillah.

“Conservative synagogues are either getting smaller or closing,” Goodman said, adding that the challenges go beyond shrinking membership.

“We are producing a much smaller number of rabbis,” he said. “People don’t want to become Conservative rabbis from the two, three, four major seminaries worldwide.”

And while the national trend is one of contraction, Goodman said his focus is on individual relationships.

“I can only work as a rabbi one person at a time, one interaction at a time, one Shabbat at a time, one sermon at a time,” he said.

With those individual relationships come concern for the entirety of the Jewish people, he said, not simply for those who are part of the Conservative movement.

“I identify as a Conservative Jew. I’m really proud of it. I really love what my movement does,” he said before adding, “but I know it’s not for everyone. and I’m totally OK with that.”

Shaare Torah Rabbi Yitzi Genack has served the Orthodox congregation in Squirrel Hill for about nine months. Rather than worry about issues like the contraction of membership at various Jewish institutions, he instead focuses on engagement at all levels, he said.

“We’re trying to develop programs that increase people’s engagement in classes, shiurim and davening that are open to everyone,” he said. “They’re purposely set up to elevate the religious experience. No matter where you are, you can have the opportunity to grow in your Judaism, your Torah study and in your tefillah.”

Trial:

As the Jewish community assimilated into the greater American society, fears over interfaith marriage came to dominate the second half of the 20th century. That concern has abated among some non-Orthodox clergy.

The Jewish community, Fellman said, is broad and includes people born Jewish, people who choose Judaism and people who are Jewish-adjacent.

“Inclusion,” he said, “remains a core value.”

Fellman said that interfaith marriage isn’t the issue that it was a generation ago because the Jewish community has figured out how to integrate those choosing Judaism, either formally or informally.

“It’s just become part of us,” he said.

To be able to serve today’s Jewish community, Meyer said, means honoring a person’s whole self and the families who gave rise to their Jewish identity.

“Those families are more diverse than at any point in Judaism’s past,” he said. “I worry that to maintain an exclusivity from the pulpit would be to push away those that matter most.”

Meyer said that includes those participating in the lives of young people celebrating b’nai

It also includes “those who are casting their lot with the synagogue as their spiritual home, who share in the values of the synagogue if not yet that particularistic expression of theology,” Meyer said.

Sing a new song

Cantor Toby Glaser was recently hired by Rodef Shalom Congregation. He will begin serving the Reform Shadyside congregation on July 1. Until then, he is in his native Melbourne, Australia.

Glaser said that the trajectory of Jewish music in America was based on organs and choirs and remained fairly stagnant until the 1970s when Debbie Friedman’s folk styling based on guitar arrangements of traditional songs and melodies gained traction.

Reform congregations, he said, are now in a “post-modern era,” combing traditional Reform music with music coming out of Israel and new music found in world Jewry.

“We don’t have aversion to traditional chant music that some song leaders might, and we also embrace the song leader tradition,” Glaser said. “I think for myself there’s a new kind of

eclecticism in the way I approach Jewish music and planning services and really trying to have something for everyone.”

Glaser’s background is opera, but he plays a lot of percussion and uses a lot of drums to help create a modern sound, he said.

Kalix Jacobson, who uses the pronoun they, will join Temple Emanuel in July as the congregation’s new cantor. They were ordained in May at Hebrew Union College among a class that included the first three nonbinary or transgender cantors to be ordained in any denomination of Judaism.

Jacobson said that cantors of their generation are writing more original music to be used by the community.

“I’ll get a lot of suggestions — ‘I have this friend that has this piece, can you arrange it? Can I send it to you?’” Jacobson said. “We’re not just sticking to Klepper and Friedman and Isaacson. There are a lot more composers in the pool.”

Cantor David Reinwald joined Temple Sinai about a year ago. He views himself as “musically eclectic,” he said, and strives to be as contemporary as possible while still building on tradition.

“We’re not walking away from what got us here musically and the historical foundation,” he said. “I know there are a lot of new composers and colleagues of mine that are writing music that responds to liturgical changes in the way that we’re thinking about gender and about the divine and about language.” PJC

This is the first in a two-part series examining a generational change in the leadership of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community. The second part will delve deeper into issues of gender and identity and how the pandemic has influenced Judaism.

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

Continued from page 1

Since jury selection began on April 24, numerous individuals have donated and delivered food to the federal courthouse for survivors and family members.

“Being able to share lunch together and not worry about where to go or how much time we have away from the courtroom is so important and gives comfort to all of us,” Rosenthal said. “It is not just the food, but more importantly the love and care that has gone into providing it and getting it to us.”

Gregg Caliguiri, co-owner of Shady Grove, Walnut Grill, Blue Sky and Pizzaiolo Primo, told the Chronicle his restaurants have agreed to send free pizzas to the courthouse once a month, and will provide more food if asked.

“Michele has been a great friend for a long time, but it’s more important than that,” he said. “It’s showing our community the kind of support that we have for one another.”

Behind the donations is another message, though.

Some people try to intimidate and “spread fear,” Caliguiri said. “We won’t be intimidated.”

More powerful than any weapon, Caliguiri continued, is “unity, and that’s what Pittsburgh does better than anyone.”

Along with Caliguiri’s restaurants, Rosenthal thanked Bakersfield, The Eagle, Big Burrito, Candy Favorites, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Food for Thought, Giant Eagle, Mineo’s Pizza

and the Smallman Street Deli.

Restaurateurs and their staff, Jewish professionals — including Maggie Feinstein and Ranisa Davidson of the 10.27 Healing Partnership — and volunteers are putting in vast resources “to make this possible,” Rosenthal said. “I’m not comfortable talking about the trial right now, but I will share with you, sitting in the room with other family members and hearing the questions of ‘Where did this come from?’ ‘Who was so kind enough to do this?’ I don’t have the words to tell you how much this means to us.”

“There’s enough hate in our community,” she continued. “Let’s focus on the good and amplify those voices and those actions because that’s what my brothers would have wanted.”

Rosenthal was among several speakers who addressed the media during the news conference.

Shawn Brokos, Federation’s director of community security, described the organization’s

relationship with law enforcement, first responders and the community at large.

While maintaining the role of “liaison” between the community and local, national and federal authorities, Federation has adopted a “trauma-informed approach,” Brokos said.

For many people, the task of remaining “continually vigilant” and reporting suspicious activity or threats, is “an exhausting place to be,” she said. “That’s again why relationships with JFCS, the 10.27 Healing Partnership and mental health community are so important.”

JFCS and other local organizations have partnered to provide therapists in the courthouse during jury selection, said Jordan Golin, JFCS’ president and CEO.

This is the first time most of the people directly impacted by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting have been “face-to-face with the defendant,” he said. “We know that when the trial itself starts, the intensity is going to ratchet up. And especially once the guilt phase is over and the penalty phase begins, there will be much more intensity at that time as well.”

Counseling, support groups and other services offered by JFCS, the 10.27 Healing Partnership and UpStreet Pittsburgh are not only for those directly impacted by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Golin said: “People who may have had other experiences of trauma are finding that those past experiences are being activated and triggered by the trial.”

For that reason, anyone with “trauma symptoms” should reach out, he said.

As the community looks to bolster itself, it’s imperative to include Pittsburgh’s youth, he said.

When mass casualty events transpire there’s an impulse to serve adults, “but our young people, teenagers, young adults, are equally impacted,” Golin said.

Apart from the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, teenagers and young adults have dealt with the pandemic — which separated them from their peers during a critical developmental stage — and reports of constant violence.

Since 2018, there have been 163 school shootings, resulting in 112 deaths and 294 injuries, according to Education Week.

“The many, many, many school shootings have weighed heavily on our young people,” Golin said.

UpStreet Pittsburgh, JFCS’ virtual drop-in center has served more than 800 12- to 22-year-olds since launching in October 2020. Groundbreaking on a physical space offering face-to-face support began in December. Located at the former Forward Lanes, the site is scheduled to open in June. 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.

 JFCS' Jordan Golin shares mental health resources during a May 12 press conference. Photo by Adam Reinherz

 Kalix Jacobson will be joining Temple Emanuel of South Hills as its new cantor on July 1. Photo provided by Kalix Jacobson

 Toby Glaser will be leaving his native Australia for Rodef Shalom Congregation on July 1. Photo provided by Toby Glaser

1 year ago, a mass shooting in Buffalo brought our Jewish and Black communities together. What took so long?

Guest Columnist

Rabbi Alex LazarusKlein

The attack on the Tops Friendly Market on Buffalo’s Jefferson Avenue last May 14 shook Western New York to the core. In the span of less than 10 minutes, an 18-year-old wielding an AK-47 killed seven and injured three Black people.

The victims were teachers, caretakers, activists, new fathers, grandmothers, community leaders and all around good people. If not for the heroism of retired police officer Aaron Salter Jr., who lost his life in the attack, and the quick response of the Buffalo Police Department, the death toll could have been far higher.

For our Buffalo Jewish community, the attack was a call to action. In years past, the Jefferson Avenue corridor was the heart of the Jewish community. As Jews joined the white flight to the suburbs, it became a place where very few Jews ever frequented. The vigils held in the aftermath of the attack were the first time many Jews in our community had been back in the East Side of Buffalo in decades, if not more.

The gunman had specifically targeted the neighborhood, traveling three hours away from his home to “kill black people.” As the

national media emphasized over and over, Buffalo is the sixth most segregated city in the country.

their car doors whenever they happened to drive by my home. Sadly, the divide has only grown worse.

Jews of color, and its members are beginning to accept our role in the systemic racism that is pervasive in our society.

This has been a very bad year for us in Western New York. Beyond the mass shooting at Tops, we had the stabbing of Salman Rushdie at the Chautauqua Institution, two major blizzards that left more than 40 people dead and the near death of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin on the football field.

What does it mean that our white Jewish community is so removed from our Black and brown neighbors? A casual remark by a young Jewish parent a few weeks after the attack really struck home for me. He said the shooting at the school in Uvalde, Texas in June 2022 hit a lot closer to home than the shooting just down the road at Tops. As a parent of school age children he could relate to the suffering of the parents in Texas, not to the horror that occurred in Buffalo’s inner city. How could this be? Where did our community go wrong?

As the rabbinic consultant at our local Jewish Communal Relations Council, I take this disconnect very personally. I grew up in a predominantly Black part of West Philadelphia. Back in the 1980s, none of my classmates in my suburban Jewish day school would come to visit my house. They and their parents were afraid to come by, locking

Starting in 2017, our local Jewish federation has made a concerted effort to bridge this divide. We have held two missions to Israel, specifically geared to our local African-American leadership. We hired a racial justice coordinator, and are part of the initial cohort of the Jewish Federations of North America’s Jewish Equity and Diversity Initiative.

It has begun to make a difference. The Sunday after the May 14 attack, dozens of Jewish communal leaders showed up on the street outside Tops. Over the course of the past year, we have held racial healing circles, hosted museum tours of local Black artists, held a Freedom Seder and toured gardens on Buffalo’s predominately Black East Side. While we are very far from the shared society we aspire to, I can honestly say we are making strides toward closing the gap. Our community is much more open and accepting of

The one-year anniversary of the Tops attack will hit us hard, but it will not deter us from the work ahead. We, the Buffalo Jewish community, will be there in full force at the various events planned to mark the occasion, not as bystanders, but as upstanders. We are, after all, not only Jews, but Buffalonians.

As my friend, fellow recent traveler to Israel and poet laureate of Buffalo, Jillian Hanesworth, wrote in her poem “Choose Love”: “[W]hen evil tries to break us  / we choose to stand tall/ We’ll shout loud and live louder / until the walls of hate fall / because justice can’t be limited / so we choose it for all ... So, no matter what others say / no matter what they try to do / love, light, and each other / is what we will always choose.” PJC

Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein is rabbi of Congregation Shir Shalom of Buffalo in Williamsville, New York, and rabbinic consultant to the Buffalo Jewish Communal Relations Council. This piece first appeared on JTA.

Five years on, the US embassy in Jerusalem remains the key to peace in the Middle East

Guest Columnist

David Friedman

On May 14, 2018 — exactly the same date and even the same hour that David Ben-Gurion announced Israel’s independence 70 years earlier — I presided over the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem, the eternal and undivided capital of the state of Israel. Apart from family milestones, it was the greatest day of my life, and an experience I will never forget. Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem was, of course, deeply meaningful to Israel’s citizens and all of world Jewry. It was a firm rejection of the false claim that Jerusalem could or should be divorced from Israel’s national identity. Even more important, it was the recognition by the leader of the free world that Jerusalem, indeed, represents the realization of thousands of years of fervent prayers by an ancient people to be restored to their national capital.

But moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem also said something more universal. It demonstrated that the United States would stand resolutely with its allies and would not cower in fear from threats of rogue nations or terrorists.

That message resonated throughout the world — from Moscow to Teheran to Pyongyang.

When historians study the reasons why there were no new wars anywhere in the world during the Trump administration, I believe that the signals sent by the United States in moving its embassy to Jerusalem will be among the key factors.

I have often been asked, “How were you so sure that moving the U.S. embassy would

sword against nation nor study war anymore.”

So widely known and accepted is this verse that it is carved into the wall across the street from the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

But Isaiah doesn’t just foresee peace on earth, he also explains how it is to be achieved. In the prior verses, he prophesied that the nations of the world will all come to Jerusalem to learn God’s ways and follow his paths. Upon

Isaiah predicted that the move would lead to peace. Isaiah was right! After we moved our embassy, Israel succeeded in normalizing relations with four Muslim countries — the Abraham Accords.

not lead to outbreaks of global violence?”

The answer is that I wasn’t sure. Although we studied the security issues extensively, no one could be sure that no terrorist would emerge anywhere on the planet. But I believed that we were on the side of history and doing God’s will, and that that would be enough to keep us safe. Indeed, the prophet Isaiah predicted many years ago that our actions would advance the cause of peace.

The paradigmatic biblical verse prophesying world peace is in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 2, verse 4: “Nation will not lift up

their arrival in Jerusalem, God will resolve their differences and then, and only then, “nation will not lift up sword against nation nor study wear anymore.”

How does a nation “come to Jerusalem?”

By moving its embassy to that holy city. Isaiah makes clear that the road to peace runs through Jerusalem. Perhaps that is why the name “Jerusalem” means “City of Peace.”

In May 2018, most of the world’s pundits predicted that moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem would cause endless wars and unresolvable conflicts. Some 2,800 years earlier,

Some have said that the Abraham Accords were achieved despite moving our embassy to Jerusalem. No, the Abraham Accords were signed because of the move. In moving our embassy, we ended the fantasy within parts of the Arab world that Israel might cease to exist or that the bond between Israel and America could be broken. We demonstrated that the United States will always stand with Israel but, at the same time, we signaled that the United States was prepared to stand as well with nations of good faith who are prepared to combat extremism and bring about a more stable and peaceful Middle East. Our message to moderate Sunni nations was as clear then as was Isaiah’s message in ancient times: The path to better relations with America runs through Jerusalem.

This is the formula for Middle East peace and it all began on May 14, 2018, with the opening of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem. PJC

David M. Friedman is the former U.S. ambassador to Israel. He served between 2017 and 2021. This piece, via JNS, was originally published by Israel Hayom.

The one-year anniversary of the Tops attack will hit us hard, but it will not deter us from the work ahead.

Indeed, the prophet Isaiah predicted many years ago that our actions would advance the cause of peace.

Chronicle poll results: Security during synagogue shooting trial

Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Are you concerned about community security during the synagogue shooting trial?” Of the 235 people who responded, 44% said “somewhat concerned”; 34% said “very concerned”; and 22% said “not concerned.” Comments were submitted by 51 people. A few follow.

I am still not feeling secure in a society where it has been so easy to access guns and spread antisemitic filth. The trial will bring the haters to the fore and I, for one, am deeply troubled by the situation.

I think the Jewish community always needs to be on guard for threats, but I don’t think the trial will increase the likelihood.

We live in a scary world. It takes very little to incite someone to commit an act of violence rooted in hatred. The synagogue

shooting trial is the perfect catalyst to cause someone to express anger in a dangerous way.

Clarification on bill cosponsored by Summer Lee

There is no way to prevent another terrorist action. None. Just look at the endless number of mass casualty shootings in our country. Just go about your lives and hope for the best. I believe the local, state and federal agencies are monitoring the threats and will act accordingly.

I’m always concerned, no more so now.

Actually, since the terrible events at Tree of Life, I’ve become much more concerned overall. I think the trial will make the haters even more vocal, but they are out there, and we are now much more aware of the fact that the U.S. isn’t the safe place we thought it was.

What will it take to get Congress to both ban assault weapons and then take action to retrieve all that are in society today? What will it take for Congress and American states to re-fund mental health and in-house

— LETTERS —

Regarding the Chronicle’s story, “Summer Lee cosponsors bill that would restrict aid to Israel” (May 12, 2023), we would like to clarify the facts about the recently reintroduced bill that Rep. Summer Lee supports. J Street — the pro-Israel organization that has publicly supported the pro-democracy protesters in Israel in their resistance to the extremist, far-right Netanyahu-led government — backs the bill. The bill does not cut or condition aid, but instead establishes end-use restrictions on the aid to ensure it is used for legitimate security purposes. Like all U.S. aid, our taxpayer money should be accounted for and should not be used in ways that undermine U.S. interests. With a far-right government in Israel threatening the country’s democratic norms and destroying the prospects of a two-state solution through annexation, it is more important than ever to have an honest and transparent accounting of how U.S. aid is spent in Israel, and ensure that the aid is not compromising U.S.-led peace efforts or human rights. This bill does just that.

Mark Fichman, chair J Street Pittsburgh Pittsburgh

Arlene Weiner Pittsburgh

Gun violence can be curbed with legislation

I am in complete agreement with the sentiments expressed by Dana Kellerman in her April 28 column, “Now is the Time for Sensible Gun Laws.”

The author relates many actions that can be inscribed in law which would infringe on no legitimate Second Amendment right.

The National Rifle Association has become a perversion of what it once was, now serving primarily as a mouthpiece for gun manufacturers who seek to establish a Second Amendment which, unlike all of the others, is subject to no limitations. When any action is taken to address our country’s epidemic level of gun violence, the NRA and its acolytes rev up their masses by spouting some version of “they are coming for your guns” nonsense.

No gun remedy will stop all deranged and venomous individuals from killing, but why in God’s name would we choose to continue making it easy for virtually anyone to acquire military-grade weapons designed to mow down human beings in rapid succession?

Some members of our faith have asserted that if only the Jews of Europe had been armed, the Holocaust would not have occurred. My paternal grandparents were murdered by the Nazis, but I do not believe for a second that they and others in their country of Austria would have been able to beat back the German onslaught if they had been in possession of guns.

My state Rep. Natalie Mihalek and state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, both Republicans of course, are proud to have been endorsed by the NRA. For many of us, such an endorsement would be a badge of dishonor and skepticism. I am skeptical that they can be won over, but if enough citizens placed public safety first, our elected officials would have to listen.

Has our community not suffered enough from the easy availability of lethal weapons?

Oren Spiegler Peters Township

facilities to help persons with mental trauma, etc.?

The tracking and surveillance of confirmed (armed and dangerous) white supremacists is still subpar.

I feel very comfortable with the surveillance of Shawn Brokos and her team to alert us. I won’t live in a state of worry. Of course, “if I see something, I’ll say something.”

It is naive to think that the shooter’s sympathizers won’t try to disrupt the process. We as a community need to be watchful. PJC

Compiled by Toby Tabachnick

Chronicle weekly poll question: Is COVID-19 still affecting your daily life? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC

Criticism of anti-Israel legislation cosponsored by Summer Lee

It is deeply disappointing that Congresswoman Summer Lee is cosponsoring legislation that would penalize Israel if its military detains Palestinian Arab minors who engage in terrorism (“Summer Lee cosponsors bill that would restrict aid to Israel,” May 12).

There have been numerous instances of Palestinian Arab teenagers carrying out terrorist attacks that were just as barbaric as those perpetrated by older terrorists. Anybody remember Ayyat al-Akras? In 2002, at age 17, she carried out a suicide bombing in a Jerusalem supermarket, murdering two shoppers — one was a teenage girl — and wounding 28 others. How about Aamer Alfar? He was just 16 in 2004, when he blew himself up in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, murdering three Israelis and injuring 32. According to Israeli army statistics for the period 2000-2003, there were 29 suicide attacks carried out by Palestinian Arabs under the age of 18 — not to mention 40 attempted suicide bombings and 22 shooting attacks by teenagers under 18.

Just a few weeks ago, a Palestinian Arab terrorist walked up to a car in Jerusalem and shot its driver and passenger, two unarmed Hasidic men, injuring them severely. Israeli security forces caught the terrorist in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Shechem (Nablus). He’s 15 years old.

In the American judicial system, juveniles who commit certain heinous crimes are tried as adults. Terrorism surely qualifies as a heinous crime, and its perpetrators deserve appropriate punishment, whether they happen to be younger than 18 or older. Israel should not be punished for following this sound American principle.

I hope the Chronicle’s readers weigh in against this bill with Rep. Lee’s office.

Stephen M. Flatow Long Branch, New Jersey

Jewish law prohibits imposition of the death penalty if it does not deter

Rabbi Danny Schiff’s article on the death penalty (“Judaism does not reject the death penalty, May 12) is full of important information and wisdom. It clearly shows that the Talmudic sages required many conditions to be satisfied before the death penalty could be imposed, and in so doing that the Talmudic system of justice was advanced beyond its time. One of the necessary conditions that the sages required was evidence that the death penalty deters. Nowadays, we know that the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent. In our country, states that still maintain the death penalty do not show any reduction in the number of murders per capita than those states that do not. For this and other reasons, capital punishment has been eliminated in most advanced countries.

Jacobo Bielak Pittsburgh

Life & Culture

Nana’s cheesecake

— FOOD —

By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

I’m going back to basics this Shavuot with my mother’s classic cheesecake recipe.

It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned cheesecake. There are a lot of different recipes floating around in my family, but this is the one that was made for special occasions.

There is never a bad time of year to eat cheesecake, but it’s an expectation for Shavuot. This has a beautifully dense yet creamy consistency that’s scented with lemon, and I can’t get enough of the graham cracker crust. It also has a sour cream layer on top which makes it look and taste divine.

You don’t need to be a talented baker to get a great result from this recipe — it’s easy to follow and has easy-to-find ingredients. I can’t bake this too often because we can’t stop eating it. There are three distinct steps in this recipe, which are outlined below.

Nana’s cheesecake

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

Graham cracker crust:

1 cup finely crushed graham crackers (1 sleeve of crackers makes 1 cup)

¼ cup melted butter. You can use salted butter. (If you have unsalted butter, add a small pinch of sea salt to the mixture.)

3 tablespoons sugar

⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

Cheesecake filling:

3 8-ounce bricks of full-fat cream cheese

¾ cup sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 eggs

Sour cream top layer:

1 cup (8 ounces) full-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

This recipe requires a 9-inch springform pan. It’s also imperative that all of the dairy is at room temperature. Room temperature doesn’t mean warm per se, but if the cream cheese is too cool to the touch it won’t mix correctly. I usually put all of the dairy products and the eggs on the counter 2 hours before I bake.

Prepare the crust first. You can hand crush the graham crackers by placing them in a large plastic food storage bag and going over them with a rolling pin. I throw them in the food processor. If there are any larger pieces left intact, crumble them with your fingers.

Place the crushed graham crackers in a small bowl, and mix in the melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. The cinnamon does something special for this cheesecake. It’s so light that you don’t really taste it, but the crust doesn’t taste as good if you

omit it. I think that the cinnamon plays well with the lemon.

Mix the ingredients — the consistency will be very light and almost sandy. You can make this ahead of time and leave it on the counter until you’re ready to bake.

Preheat your oven to 325 F and place the rack in the center of the oven.

Pour the graham cracker crumbs into the springform pan. Gently press the crumbs down with your hands, spreading them evenly across the bottom of the pan to create a crust.

Bake for 8-10 minutes and remove

from the oven.

While the crust is baking you can mix the cheesecake batter. Using either a whisk or a paddle attachment, add the cream cheese to the bowl and mix it on medium-low for 2 minutes, until smooth.

Add the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest, and mix for another minute before adding the eggs, one at a time. As soon as the yellow of the egg yolk looks mixed into the batter, it’s time to add the next egg.

Once blended, turn the speed up to medium and mix it for another minute.

Stop the mixer, scrape the bowl and mix it again on low speed for one more minute. You may see some small lumps even if it’s well mixed; they will bake into the cheesecake, so don’t worry about them.

Gently pour the batter over the graham cracker crust.

Reduce the heat of the oven to 300 F and bake for 55 minutes. Don’t open the oven door during this time.

I don’t use a water bath, or bain-marie, with springform pans; I don’t want to add the extra layers of tinfoil or plastic bags that are needed to prevent water from seeping into the cake pan. As an added precaution against cracking, you can place a large baking pan or wide pot with hot water onto the lower shelf of the oven. I often choose a pan that is larger than the springform pan in case there are unexpected leaks; that way, any mess falls into the water instead of all over my oven.

I’ve been giving myself some grace when cheesecakes crack. I make the same recipe consistently and have been doing so for decades. I think that weather has a lot to do with the outcome. Sometimes they crack and sometimes they don’t. If it cracks, let it go. Embrace it and fill it with a special sauce like a berry coulis or fresh berries, chocolate sauce, etc.

The last step is to mix the sour cream, vanilla and sugar in a small bowl by hand. The top of the cheesecake has this beautiful, creamy layer, and it won’t sweat like some cheesecakes can. Remove the cheesecake from the oven immediately when the timer goes off.

Using a rubber spatula, pour the sour cream mixture over the cheesecake and gently spread it across the top.

Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

I have had good results taking this cheesecake immediately out of the oven to cool on my stovetop, but out of precaution I usually let cheesecakes cool in the oven for at least half an hour. If you do this, turn the oven off, open the oven door and leave it in a cracked position. You can let the cheesecake cool completely in the oven, or you can take it out after half an hour and let it rest on your counter.

Once it’s cool, run a sharp knife around the edges and release the spring on the pan. I prefer to leave the springform sides around the cake while refrigerating to support it and protect it from anything that may fall onto it. I place a dinner plate over the pan and refrigerate overnight. Avoid plastic wrap at this point; it will ruin the finish.

It is essential to let this rest overnight. You put in effort and you want to have the best result. Wishing you an inspiring holiday of Shavuot. We should all feel connected to God — learning Torah — and to our communities. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC

Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

 Nana’s cheesecake Photos by Jessica Grann

This has a beautifully dense yet creamy consistency that’s scented with lemon, and I can’t get enough of the graham cracker crust.

Life & Culture

‘Hilarious and heartbreaking’ musical ‘Falsettos’ to open at New Hazlett Theater

— THEATER —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

Aplay about the crises of a complicated, modern-day Jewish family is making its way to Pittsburgh.

Front Porch Theatricals, a Pittsburghbased theater company, announced the first show of its 2023 season: “Falsettos,” the second musical from William Finn and James Lapine. The show is directed by Rob James, and Deana Muro is back as music director with Ashley Harmon as choreographer.

“Hilarious, heartbreaking and utterly unique, ‘Falsettos’ is a contemporary, groundbreaking, Tony-award winning musical,” producer Nancy Zionts said in a prepared statement. “‘Falsettos’ is about family, relationships, bar mitzvahs and baseball, and spans from the early ’80s through the early days of the AIDS crisis.”

“Following in the footsteps of other Front Porch Theatricals musicals,” she added, “this show will make you laugh and maybe cry as it takes a poignant look at the infinite possibilities that make up a modern family.”

Jenna Kantor, who moved from New York City to Pittsburgh’s Bon Air neighborhood two years ago, said playing Trina in “Falsettos” is “like a dream role.” This is her Pittsburgh stage debut.

“I’m basically a Jewish woman trying to hold it together,” laughed Kantor, who is Jewish. “Every single part is incredible. And the songs are beautifully written.”

Kantor works by day in physical therapy for performers and recently returned to the theater for a production of “Mama Mia!” outside Pittsburgh. She’s excited about “Falsettos.”

“Front Porch Theatricals is such a wonderfully run theater, and it’s also a friendly community,” she said. “Everybody wants everybody else to do well — it’s a really ideal performing situation to be in.”

“At its heart, ‘Falsettos’ is about family and love — my character, Marvin, wants it all!” said Chad Elder of Point Breeze, who first starred in a Front Porch Theatrical production during his turn in “Grey Gardens” in 2018.

“[Marvin] wants to preserve his perfect nuclear family with his wife and son,” Elder added. “But he’s coming to terms with being gay and wants the perfect relationship with his new lover, too. It’s a lot to ask of the people in his life, which sets off an emotional

roller coaster that is hilarious, heartfelt, heartbreaking.”

“Falsettos” premiered on Broadway in 1992 and was nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning for Best Book and Best Original Score. The musical was revived on Broadway in 2016 starring Mt. Lebanon native Christian Borle and Andrew Rannells.

James, the director, has directed shows for Stage 62 in Carnegie and worked in multiple roles for Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera for roughly 30 years. This is his first time directing a Front Porch Theatrical production.

“[The cast] is working their butts off,” said James, who grew up and lives in Crafton. “I know it sounds hokey, but what a privilege it’s been — I can’t think of a better job.”

James said the play “is not rooted in being Jewish. I think it’s a story about a Jewish family. That’s an important distinction.”

James is not Jewish, but he says the play seems to get the details right. For example, he joked, the play’s first number centers around four Jews kvetching.

“You know what kind of night you’re in for,” he laughed.

“Falsettos” will be staged on May 19, 20 and 24–28 at The New Hazlett Theater on Pittsburgh’s North Side. PJC

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

“Hilarious, heartbreaking and utterly unique, ‘Falsettos’ is a contemporary, groundbreaking, Tony-award winning musical.”

−NANCY ZIONTS, PRODUCER

From left: Chad Elder, Jenna Kantor and Justin Borak

Photo by Deana Muro

 From left: Chad Elder and Sal Bucci

Photo by Deana Muro

Life & Culture

Neurodivergent fashion designer-to-the-stars wears his Jewish identity on his sleeve

— FASHION —

By Cathryn J. Prince | The Times of Israel

What was only supposed to be a side project soon took over his world. Back in 2012, Akiva Alpert was living in Los Angeles, trying to break into the film industry. He saw that Urban Outfitters had launched a line of T-shirts emblazoned with what resembled the yellow Star of David the Nazis forced Jews to wear. Disgusted, Alpert countered with his own T-shirts featuring strong Judaic symbols and Hebrew lettering — spawning Akiva Stripe, his first of many clothing labels.

In no time, the label boasted more than 10,000 followers on a very young Instagram and his career was launched.

Now, more than a decade later, the 34-year-old is a fashion designer whose clients include Billie Eilish and Justin Bieber. Increasingly, he’s also a contemporary artist and he just debuted his first large-scale piece in Mexico City.

And while Alpert’s aesthetic is decidedly streetwear, he says a deep-rooted sense of Judaism informs his designs. It’s a sensibility that took shape while coming of age in Albany, Georgia, as only one of 200 Jews in a city of 69,000.

“There was no one else like me there. None of my friends were Jewish, and I faced overt antisemitism from teachers and friends’ parents alike. When you’re young, there is nothing worse than being singled out like that. It was a very debilitating feeling,” Alpert said in a Zoom interview from his home in Los Angeles.

Yet, rather than keep him down, he said the experience helped strengthen his Jewish identity — one he describes as a little bit hardcore, a little bit metal and a whole lot spiritual.

By the time he matriculated at Georgia State University — where he joined the historically Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi — he was deep into the study of Kabbalah and had stopped using his first name, Cameron, in favor of his middle name, Akiva.

“It’s a way of paying homage. In my opinion, Akiva was probably one of the most metal human beings that ever existed; and an intellectual who was incredibly committed to his ideals and principles,” Alpert said. “They say that when the Romans killed him he was laughing in their faces the entire time. It’s the most metal thing I’ve ever heard, and honestly, I feel very connected to that.”

Rabbi Akiva was a major figure in the Mishnah, who was executed by the Romans after the Bar Kochba revolt.

“I realized you can assimilate or you can learn more,” Alpert said.

Although he never formally studied design or art, he scrutinized the work of fashion designers like Rick Owens and contemporary artists like Daniel Arsham. But it is Virgil Abloh, the late artistic director of

Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection, whom he considers his icon.

“He bridged streetwear into high fashion. He showed you could be creative without boundaries,” Alpert said.

Alpert’s style has been described as

death-metal and hardcore-inspired graphic tees, hoodies and oversized casual wear in high-octane colorways.

“Both are incredibly kind and talented artists, and I am happy to have had the opportunity to make conceptual pieces for

a purely chemical reaction in the body, and ask viewers to consider whether love alone can sustain someone. Alpert described the piece as his “most epic work to date.”

“Being that I am neurodivergent, I always tend to interpret love and relationships in

blending hardcore metal, 2000s nostalgia, and high fashion with bold color, oversized T-shirts, French-terry zip hoodies and sweatpants.

Over the years, he has collaborated with designers like Ed Hardy and singer-songwriters such as Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, Eilish and Bieber.

Working with Eilish’s stylist was simply “amazing,” Alpert said. “I have always admired Billie’s music as well as her personal style. I designed a number of pieces for her including a bespoke oversized T-shirt adorned with thousands of Swarovski crystals, conceptually in the dark-Y2k aesthetic I love.”

Likewise, when it came to designing exclusive tour pieces for Bieber, he worked with the singer’s stylist to make pieces that would wear well during a concert, but also pop in photoshoots. The result was several

them,” he said of Eilish and Bieber. Alpert, who leads a peripatetic life, said he feels most at home living in a hotel or an Airbnb.

“It’s tough for me to sit still. I’m the most energized when I’m listening to music, walking and looking and listening,” Alpert said.

And yet it was during the pandemic when the world stood still that Alpert found the inspiration to pivot away from fashion.

“Better Chemicals” was the first project out of Alpert’s new art studio Elioud, named for the part-angel hybrid race mentioned in the Book of Enoch.

Vacuum-sealed and framed in metal, a 1:1 replica of his body is crisscrossed with hoses. The hoses contain a blue liquid representing oxytocin, which is sometimes referred to as the “love hormone.” As Alpert described it, the piece is trying to both show love as

a hyper-logical way, so I thought this was a really cool metaphor for explaining that take on love and my hypothetical inability to reciprocate,” he said.

He added that he also wanted to “articulate the effects of love of the human body; eventually resulting in the complete degradation of the physical form, and human psyche; the notion that love kills slowly.”

Because the work went on display in Mexico City earlier this month, Alpert celebrated the first night of Passover at Merkava, his favorite Israeli restaurant there.

Looking ahead, Alpert said he’s excited to bring newer tools like artificial intelligence and blockchain technology into his work, whether it’s art or fashion.

“I believe in pushing forward as hard as you can, in trying something new,” Alpert said. “I think fully embracing these will allow me to explore a new realm of creativity.” PJC

 Fashion designer and artist Akiva Alpert Courtesy photo via The Times of Israel

“I believe in pushing forward as hard as you can, in trying something new. I think fully embracing these will allow me to explore a new realm of creativity.”

−AKIVA ALPERT

Life & Culture

The Dominican Republic was a haven for Jews fleeing the Nazis. A museum project could tell that story.

—

By Dan Fellner | JTA

WORLD —

SOSUA, Dominican Republic — Sitting inside a small wood-frame shul just around the corner from Playa Alicia, where tourists sip rum punch while watching catamarans glide by, Joe Benjamin recounted one of the most uplifting but often forgotten stories of Jewish survival during the Holocaust.

“I was bar mitzvahed right here,” he said, pointing to a podium at the front of the sanctuary in La Sinagoga de Sosua. It was built in the early 1940s to meet the spiritual needs of about 750 German and Austrian Jews.

At the time, the Dominican Republic was the only country in the world that offered asylum to large numbers of Jewish refugees, earning the moniker “tropical Zion.”

Benjamin, 82, is president of the Jewish community of Sosua and one of only four surviving second-generation Jews remaining in this touristy beach town on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. His parents were part of the unconventional colony of Jewish immigrants who established an agricultural settlement between 1940-47 on an abandoned banana plantation overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

“When I talk about that, I get goosebumps,” Benjamin said. “This is a distinction that the Dominican Republic has. It was the only country that opened its doors to Jews.”

At the 1938 Evian Conference in France, attended by representatives of 32 countries to address the problem of German and Austrian Jewish refugees wanting to flee Nazi persecution, the Dominican Republic announced it would accept up to 100,000 Jewish refugees. About 5,000 visas were issued but fewer than 1,000 Jews ultimately were able to reach the country, which is located on the same island as Haiti, about 800 miles southeast of Miami.

Benjamin was born in 1941 in Shanghai, the only other place besides the Dominican Republic that accepted large numbers of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Shanghai, then a divided city not under the control of a single government, did not require a visa to enter. About 20,000 Jewish refugees immigrated there, including Benjamin’s parents, who fled Nazi Germany in 1939.

In 1947, with a civil war raging in China, Benjamin’s father realized the country “was getting a little difficult” and looked for another place to raise his two children.

“I think my father read it in a newspaper – there was a Jewish refugee colony in the Dominican Republic,” he says. “My father had no idea where that was, but he said, ‘I’m going there.’”

Benjamin’s family took a ship from China to San Francisco, a train to Miami, and then flew into Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic’s capital city. At that time, the city was officially called Ciudad Trujillo after the country’s dictator, Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo, who ruled the Dominican Republic from 1930 until his assassination in 1961.

Historians suggest the Dominican

dictator’s motives in accepting large numbers of Jewish refugees at a time when so many other countries — including the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom — turned their backs were fueled more by opportunism than altruism. It’s believed that Trujillo wanted to improve his reputation on the world stage following the 1937 massacre of an estimated 20,000 Black Haitians by Dominican troops. Furthermore, Trujillo liked the idea of allowing a crop of mostly educated immigrants who would “whiten” the country’s population.

“He was a cruel dictator,” Benjamin said of Trujillo. “But it’s not for me to judge. Because for us, he saved our lives. If you’re drowning and someone throws you a rope, you hold on to it. You don’t start asking his motive. You just hold on.”

In 1947, Benjamin was among the last group of Jewish refugees to arrive in Sosua, one of about 10 families known by the other colonists as the “Shanghai group.” The Sosua settlement was run by an organization called the Dominican Republic Settlement Association (DORSA) that was funded by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in New York.

“DORSA would give you 10 cows, a mule, a horse and a cart,” said Benjamin. “My father by profession was a cabinet-maker. He thought he was going to do that here. But there was no market for that. So he dedicated himself to farming.”

Benjamin said conditions in Sosua were “primitive” and a difficult transition for many settlers who had been city-dwellers in Europe. Still, he spoke fondly of a childhood in which he was relatively insulated from the horrors that befell so many other Jewish children his age.

“We had enough to eat,” he says. “We enjoyed the beach. And I went to a Jewish school.”

The school, originally called Escuela Cristobal Colon, opened in 1940 in a barracks and was attended by Jewish children as well as the children of Dominican farm workers. The school still exists and is now called the

Colegio Luis Hess, named after Luis Hess, one of the Jewish settlers. Hess taught at the school for 33 years and lived in Sosua until his death in 2010 at the age of 101.

While the children attended school, men worked on farms and women cooked dinner for their families, who ate communal style. Beds were lined with mosquito netting to prevent malaria. As men greatly outnumbered women — Trujillo did not allow single Jewish women to enter the country — intermarriage was common.

Over time, the agriculture venture failed and DORSA instead decided to promote a beef and dairy cooperative, Productos Sosua, which ultimately proved successful.

After finishing high school, Benjamin moved to Pittsburgh to attend college (he’s an engineer who once built and flew his own airplane), got married and started a family. After 17 years in the United States, he decided in 1976 to return to the Dominican Republic, where he became an executive with Productos Sosua. He worked there until he retired in 2004, when the firm was sold to a Mexican company.

“All my life I talked about Sosua as my home,” he said. “I like it here. Everybody knows me.”

Today, Sosua is vastly changed from the sleepy town in which Benjamin was raised. In 1979, an international airport opened in Puerto Plata, just a 15-minute drive to the west. Sosua morphed into a congested tourist destination known for its golden-sand beaches and water sports. It also became a hub of the Dominican sex tourism industry.

Most of Sosua’s Jewish population immigrated to the United States by the early 1980s. Benjamin estimates that only 30-40 Jews remain in Sosua, most of whom are not religiously observant. As a result, the synagogue hasn’t been able to financially sustain a permanent rabbi for more than 20 years. Services are held only on the high holidays, when a rabbi is flown in from Miami.

Benjamin says a group of seven Jews chips in about $2,500 a month to pay for security and other operating expenses.

“It’s very hard to get the Jews here to pay,” he said. “When we bring in the rabbi, we try to charge something. But we don’t get any people if we charge.”

Next to the synagogue is a small museum called the Museo Judio de Sosua, which offers a window into the town’s Jewish roots. Five years ago, the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo donated $80,000 to the museum to preserve and digitize its archives. However, the museum, which is badly in need of repairs, has been closed for the past year.  Benjamin has been in discussions with the Dominican government in hopes it will soon finance a major renovation of the museum that would include an exhibition hall big enough to accommodate 100 people for events. Benjamin says he is optimistic the project, which has a price tag approaching $1 million, will be greenlighted by the government.

“They are very positive about it because it could become a tourist attraction,” he says, noting that Puerto Plata and nearby Amber Cove have become popular port-stops on Caribbean cruises originating in Florida. “If it comes to fruition, it will be in the next year. Because if they don’t do it by then, the government changes. And the next government never continues what the previous government started.”

Otherwise, there are only a few remnants of Jewish life in Sosua for visitors to see. In Parque Mirador overlooking the Atlantic, there is a white cement-block star of David, built to honor the Jewish refugees. About 70 Jews, including Benjamin’s parents, are buried in a Jewish cemetery about a five-minute drive south of the synagogue. The main street connecting Sosua with Puerto Plata has a street mural depicting the town’s history that features a large star of David right above a scuba-diver. And two of the most prominent streets in Sosua — Dr. Rosen and David Stern — still bear the names of two of the colony’s Jewish founders.

There had been an exhibition about Sosua’s Jewish colony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York but it closed several years ago. All the more reason, Benjamin says, that the Sosua museum reopens as soon as possible so that the story of the Jews who found a Caribbean cocoon to ride out the Holocaust isn’t forgotten.

“Look at what’s happening in the world — there is a rise in antisemitism,” he said. “It’s very important that our history is documented. It will also be a place where Dominican schoolchildren can come and learn about Judaism.”

With the museum closed, the only place in the area to see photos of the Jewish settlers on public display is the departure lounge in Puerto Plata’s airport. Next to a Dominican band serenading travelers with meringue music, there is a display of pictures showing the colonists riding horses, tilling the fields, attending school and praying in La Sinagoga.

“When they came here, the Jews found no antisemitism at all in this country,” said Benjamin. “They were as free as anybody. They had a wonderful life.” PJC

 A Star of David overlooks the Atlantic Ocean on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. The park was built to honor the Jewish refugees who settled in Sosua in the 1940s. Photo by Dan Fellner

Celebrations

Bar Mitzvah

Levi Mayer Amster, son of Megan and Josh Amster, and brother of Jacob and Hannah Amster, will become a bar mitzvah at Adat Shalom during Shabbat morning services on Saturday, May 20, 2023. Levi is a seventh-grade student at Dorseyville Middle School. He plays soccer. His proud grandparents are Alan and Anne Amster, Lois and Gary Kijowski, and Paul Revak.

Entering the wilderness

the last three-plus years, during a deadly pandemic and increasing weather extremes, our families, our communities — our whole world — have been wandering in a wilderness. We are living bamidbar!

This week we begin the fourth book of Torah. In English, it is “Numbers,” referring to the complex censustaking that dominates the first several chapters of the book. In Hebrew, it is called “Bamidbar,” meaning “In the wilderness.” As with all five books of Torah, its first parashah shares the same title as the book: “Bamidbar.”

Summer Isabella Franco will be called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on May 20, 2023, at 10 a.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Summer is the daughter of Jessica Ellel and John Franco. She is a seventh grader at Community Day School in Squirrel Hill. She also attends Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, where she specializes in ballet and jazz. She has performed in “The Nutcracker” at the Benedum since second grade and has played such roles as a toy soldier, a mouse, a child in the party scene and a sheep. Inspired by her Torah portion on the census and her interest in equality and social justice, she developed a 10-video series counting down to Election Day filled with voter information. The videos were designed to encourage voter turnout and were posted on her parents’ Facebook and Instagram accounts, receiving over 800 views in the week leading up to the 2022 election. Summer is considering careers in teaching and journalism. PJC

The book of Numbers picks up the story where Exodus ended: The Israelites are camped at Mt Sinai. They have renewed their covenant with God; built the Mishkan, God’s portable home; ordained Aaron and the other priests who are to serve; and have welcomed the Holy Presence, in the form of a guiding cloud, into its new dwelling.

How do we find our way? The Israelites had the cloud Presence to guide them through their wilderness. What can guide us through ours? In “Bewilderments,” her mind-opening discussion of the Book of Numbers, Torah scholar Avivah Zornberg points to the cryptic Midrashic statement: “Ein midbar ela dibbur” (“Wilderness is nothing but utterance”) (Shemot Rabbah 2:5). Building on this, Zornberg suggests interpreting the word bamidbar as “b’midaber” ( “in, while, or with speaking”).

The very first words of the parashah are “Vayidaber YHVH el Moshe ...” / “God spoke to Moses ...” The entire parashah is one long set of instructions spoken to Moses by God:

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As Parshat Bamidbar opens, we learn that the Israelites are preparing to set out toward the land of Canaan. They will journey through Midbar Sinai: the Wilderness of Sinai. Because they may face many obstacles, they must be ready to overcome them. They take a census of all able-bodied men among the people, and a census of the priests who will serve and protect the sacred Mishkan.

The Israelites know that the Midbar Sinai will be a place of physical danger, where nothing is familiar and there are no markers. What they don’t yet realize is that a midbar is also a place of spiritual uncertainty, where one can lose track of space and time; it is a confused state of mind, in which faith and trust are tested. The Israelites will experience both during their journey. In the Bible, those divisions lead to anger and rebellion, challenging the authority of the leaders, Moses and Aaron, and endangering the very existence of the Israelite people.

In our own day, too, people are no longer sure whether they can believe what leaders are telling them. We have seen deep distrust of our leaders lead to an insurrection that challenged the structure of our society. For

Chai

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how to organize the Israelites for the journey, how to record each census and who should be included, and what responsibilities each person will have on the march, according to their skills and abilities. God speaks, and Moses and Aaron listen carefully — and act.

Perhaps our own path forward lies in speaking with — and really listening to — each other. Sometimes we are the speaker, the one in charge, giving information or instructing others; other times we are the active listener, offering advice or being given a task to carry out. Depending on circumstances, our responsibilities can change, too: acting for our own safety or health, or to protect others; trying to achieve a personal goal, or working with others to achieve a collective goal.

As we travel on together through our midbar, what do you feel called to do? With whom might you speak to help us move forward? Where are you most needed? PJC

Rabbi Doris J. Dyen is the spiritual leader for the independent Makom HaLev community. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Clergy Association.

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

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

Chai

Chai

Chai

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

For home delivery, call 410.902.2300, ext. 1.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2300, ext. 1.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2300, ext. 1.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2300, ext. 1.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2300, ext.

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

For home delivery, call 410.902.2300, ext. 1.

For home delivery, call 410.902.2300, ext. 1.

Rabbi Doris J. Dyen Parshat Bamidbar Numbers 1:1 – 4:20

Perhaps our own path forward lies in speaking with — and really listening to — each other.

Obituaries

EHRENWERTH: Justin Ehrenwerth, an internationally recognized expert on coastal policy known for leading the Louisiana-based Water Institute, died on May 11 at his home in New Orleans. Appointed the second president of the Water Institute in 2017, Justin committed himself to protecting the Gulf and waterways across the country, and also advising government officials in Singapore, the Netherlands and France — as well as by more local moments delivering soup when employees feel ill, or calling his elderly relatives to check on them. He was above all a devoted family man and true mensch. His greatest love was his family, especially his wife, Dana, and his two young sons, Charles and Louis. This extreme closeness included his father, David Ehrenwerth, and step-mother, Judith Ehrenwerth, as well as his sister Lindsey and her husband Everett and their three children with whom he spoke constantly. Justin also always held dear his late mother, Kandy Reidbord Ehrenwerth, who was killed in a car accident when he was 13. Justin Reid Ehrenwerth was born Sept. 5, 1978, in Pittsburgh. He attended Shady Side Academy where he graduated at the top of his class, was president of the student body and captain of the tennis team. Justin attended Colby College in Maine, where he competed for the Colby Woodsmen, throwing double-headed axes at targets from 15 feet. He became the national champion of the United Stated and Canada. It’s also where he met his future wife, Dana, on the first day of school. He graduated summa cum laude in 2001, while serving as president of the student body. He next traveled overseas to attend Brasenose College at Oxford University. At Oxford he joined the boxing team and studied PPE (philosophy, politics and economy) where he obtained a master’s degree. He returned stateside to attend law school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he developed a passion for civil rights law and public interest. Following his accomplishments on the national political campaigns of John Kerry and Barack Obama, he became a member of Barack Obama’s White House legal team. He subsequently was appointed the inaugural executive director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. The council was created in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and charged with distributing billions of dollars in penalties to restore the Gulf Coast’s economy. He then took on leadership at the Water Institute. He recently received the Baton Rouge Foundation’s annual award for excellence in nonprofit management. “Justin’s passing touches so many people who knew him well and respected his intellect and boundless enthusiasm for his work,” said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. “He embodied the essence of what service to one’s state, community and neighbors is all about and made a powerful and positive impact on Louisiana and the entire Gulf coast. His presence and his work will be sorely missed.” Justin was very happy to have New Orleans be his second home, religiously attending Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, while joining the board of Touro Synagogue as well as the board of the Anti-Defamation League, where he was an active voice on the civil rights committee. He loved walks with his boys on the levee near his house discovering batture encampments and sharing his love of jazz with Charles and Louis. He read avidly works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Salter, and never turned down adventure — traveling to Bhutan, Morocco and across Europe. He often pushed off in a kayak to explore Louisiana, taking solo trips on the local bayous. A black-and-white photo of Ernest Hemingway continues to rest on the mantle of his study, alongside an article about his late mother, who was a litigator and activist. Ehrenwerth was a virtuoso on the harmonica, often traveling with a number of the shined instruments in various keys, and rooted passionately for his Steelers. (Last year he hosted a group from New Orleans when the Saints football team visited Pittsburgh.) Before arriving in New Orleans, Ehrenwerth served as assistant counsel to President Barack Obama, where he took the lead on Deepwater Horizon litigation for the White House working with the Department of Justice. He also served as a member of the Oversight and Litigation group representing the White House in congressional investigations and advising federal agencies on oversight matters. Prior to joining the White House, Ehrenwerth served in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of General Counsel and subsequently as chief of staff to the deputy secretary and acting secretary of commerce. He received NOAA’s Award for Excellence for work in response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2023. A private burial will be held in Pittsburgh and a memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 4, at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill. A prior memorial service will be held in New Orleans. Donations can be made to the Anti-Defamation League, where Justin was a committed board member. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

ELINOFF: Stacey Rose Elinoff, beloved daughter, sister, niece, and life partner, unexpectedly passed away on May 7, 2023, at the age of 26. Her death has shocked and saddened all who knew and loved her. Lover of dogs, the arts, sports and social justice, Stacey lived a life of enthusiasm until her untimely death. She had dogs throughout her life, the latest one a furry, black and amber German Shepherd named Apollo. She loved listening to classic rock and always had a song playing on her phone. Like her father, Billy, she was a film buff and liked nothing better than watching old and new films while relaxing in bed. A true Pittsburgher, she was passionate about the Steelers and Penguins. Stacey was an ardent pro-choice feminist, supported the rights of transgender people and was distressed about racial violence. She met her long-time boyfriend, John Strasbaugh, through a mutual friend, and they were inseparable. Their favorite activities together included going out to the Melting Pot, sipping martinis and eating fondue. Stacey was a kind-hearted and sensitive person who was devoted to her family. Her parents had health problems, and she helped care for them. Even as a small child, Stacey changed her mother’s bandages, helped with meals and cuddled with her to cheer her up. Stacey was born on July 18, 1996, and lived her whole life in Squirrel Hill. She attended Community Day School and Taylor Allderdice High School. Stacey leaves behind her

Please see Obituaries, page 20

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Sunday May 21: Ruth W Braude, Lillian L Halpern, Jennie R Jacobson, Herman Lee Krouse, David Lou , Louis Mandell, Frances Simon, Dolores M Stein, Dora Stein

Monday May 22: Bessie Averbach, Saul Caplan, Helen Unger Casar, Frances Fink, Louis Aaron Gernstat, Milton M Goldstone, Sidney Harris, Mollie Greenberg Kalson, Esther Leipzig, en H Liepack, Saul Linder, Adele Lundy, Kathryn Friedlander Miller, Dora Weiss Nach, Joseph Price, Pearl R Regenstein, Benjamin Saunders, Bessie Srulson, Saul Waxler

Tuesday May 23: Fay Caplan, Lee Chajson, Myra Freeman, Robert Glasser, Tillie Helfant, Maurice Kramer, Elaine A Lefkowitz, Sam Moldovan, Jacob S Rush, Dora Fineberg Smith, Morris B Weiss, Lilyan Wiesenthal

Wednesday May 24: Ida Borovetz, Rose C Cody, Samuel William Corn, Louis L Edelman, David Eisenberg, Bessie Finkelstein, Eva Gold, Marsha Goldman, Lena Herr, Rose Gordon Labowitz, Sylvia A Livingston, Frank L Mandell, Julius Nydes, Jo Anne Persons, Hyman Roth, Milton M Ruttenberg, Harry Siegman, Leonard Silverblatt, Harry F Skirboll, Manuel Solomon, Yetta Spodek, Hedwig Stern, Jerome Supowitz, Abraham Swadow

Thursday May 25: Sylvan Arnold Alpern, Dr Abraham L Barbrow, Nathan Friedlander, Ben B Goldberg, Israel Haltman, David Hartstein, Moses L Hurwick, Saul S Hurwick, Adolph Katz, Sara Lisker, Minnie Mervis, Samuel A Meyer, Abraham I Miller, Morris Podolsky, Irene Scherb, Helen G Solomon, Mollie R Whiteman

Friday May 26: William Barron, Dr Samuel R Cohen, Helen Danovitz Berenfield, John Jacob Elling, David Glasser, Sam Gold, Rebecca Kaufman, Jeannette Klein, Sylvia Rita Lipkind Podolsky, Edna F. Sachs, Bella Schlosser, William Schlosser, Samuel Serbin, Erma A . Weinthal

Saturday May 27: Rosa Lee Minzenberg Berry, Alfred Bornstein, Louis Cohen, Leah Hansell Freedman, Howell J Friedlander, David Gould, Rashel Katkisky, Hannah Miller, Robert Moldovan, Dora Schultz, Nathan Shapiro, Daniel Shussett, Paul Stein, Dora Sussman, William F Weiss

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mother Paula Epstein Elinoff, her brother Brian Elinoff, and her life partner John Strasbaugh. She is predeceased by her father, William (Billy) Hyman Elinoff, and grandparents, Sidney and Annabelle Epstein and Saul and Yetta Elinoff. She is also survived by her aunts Lois (Ira) Rubin and Sara (Peter) Acker and cousins Beth Rubin (Dave Wish), Joel (Nilmini) Rubin and Sophie Acker. Graveside service and interment were held at New Light Cemetery. Donations in her memory may be made to Animal Friends, 562 Camp Horne Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, or Friendship Circle, 1922 Murray Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

Philip (Phil) B. Gefsky passed away on Friday, May 12, 2023, at 86 years old. He is survived by his wife, Sondra Gefsky, son Adam Gefsky, daughter Lisa Gefsky Looman (Jason), grandsons Jacob and Nathan Looman, sisters Frances Gefsky Rice, Anatilie Gefsky Seewald and Sorlee Gefsky Chetlin (Martin), and nieces and nephews. He is the son of late Rae and Meyer B. “Buck” Gefsky. Phil was an educator for 60 years, teaching most of those years in the Mt. Lebanon School District. Phil received his undergraduate degree in health and educa tion from Slippery Rock University, and his master’s degree in health and education from University of Pittsburgh. Early in his career, he served as an adjunct professor at Penn State University for graduate level courses in education. In addition to teaching, he was a tennis and hockey coach, local cable TV sports personality, athlete of many sports, and community volunteer and organizer. Phil was involved in hockey at many levels, most notably as a semi-pro player and as coach of several championship hockey teams at both Mt. Lebanon High School and the University of Pittsburgh. He operated youth and adult hockey clinics for 20-plus years at Schenley Park Ice Skating Rink. Phil also coached high school tennis championship teams at Mt. Lebanon and Chartiers Valley high schools. He was especially proud of the number of years that he served as a Special Olympics coach and volunteer. The Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (JSHOF) of Western PA awarded Phil the Ziggy Kahn Memorial Award for his continuous involvement in the local sports community. He was a passionate member of the JSHOF board, serving in multiple board roles and as president. Phil was a sports enthusiast and known around the ‘Burgh as “Pittsburgh Phil.” If you ever listened to sports radio in Pittsburgh, there’s a good chance you heard his voice over the airwaves. Phil was known for his positive, optimistic personality and as a lover of people and life. He made everyone that crossed his path feel special. He loved his family

deeply and was a wonderful father, grandpa, husband, brother, uncle, cousin and friend to those lucky enough to know him. Being a longtime educator, he impacted thousands of students’ lives, and thoroughly enjoyed teaching and coaching as evidenced by the longevity in his field. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends. Services were held at Temple Emanuel of South Hills. Interment Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, Temple Emanuel section. In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution fund has been established to honor Phil’s memory. The funds will be used at Mt. Lebanon school for a playground buddy bench and/or other school items to honor his memory. Contributions can be made via the Philip Gefsky GoFundMe memorial at (gofund.me/eb44922c). Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

JACKSON: Tamara Jackson (née Levine), 86, passed away in March 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She leaves behind her beloved husband of 55 years, Malcolm, her sister, Patricia Markley (Fort Collins, Colorado) her brother, Michael Levine (Loveland, Colorado), her daughter Jennifer Mersereau, son-in-law Adam Mersereau and two grandchildren, Lucy and Sadie (Chapel Hill, North Carolina). Close relatives include Adam’s parents, Martha and Russell Mersereau, and Beverly Levine. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews. Tamara grew up in Pittsburgh and taught French for many years at Taylor Allderdice and Brashear high schools. She enjoyed tennis, skiing in Colorado, reading and travel, especially on cruise ships. Her favorite places were China and Peru. She was the daughter of Belle and Hyman Levine. A Celebration of Life will be held in June and her burial will be private. Contributions in her memory can be sent to the SECU Hospice Home of the UNC Health in

LEFF: Ruth G. Leff, on Friday, May 12, 2023. Beloved wife of 63 years of the late Fred Leff. Daughter of the late Harry and Pauline Davis. Loving mother of Connie Leff and Edward (Candy) Leff. Loving Grandma of Amanda Ritchie (Andrew) and Lindsey Leff. Sister of the late Henry Davis, the late Benjamin Davis and the late Saul Davis. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Ruth was a great cook and baker. Everyone enjoyed her homemade challah. Ruth loved playing mahjong with her friends. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment at Pliskover Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry,  5743 Bartlett St., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com PJC

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Jasonasmith@howardhanna.com

Carynrosenthal@howardhanna.com

5501 Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh PA 15232

Shadyside Office | 412-361-4000

GREENFIELD - OPEN SUNDAY 12-2

758 Melbourne St

First Time O ered! 4 Bedroom 2 bath home with central air. E xtra storage on first and very convenient location.

SHADYSIDE • $624,000

206 N. Woodland Road

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 - $290,000 - PENDING

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

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.

In its bat mitzvah year, Sefaria executive reflects on the online Jewish library’s ubiquity

words, 3.3 million intertextual links and nearly 450,000 source sheets.

By Bradley Martin | JNS

It started as an online digital copy of the Hebrew Bible. Today, Sefaria has thousands of biblical and rabbinic texts, which 700,000 people access monthly, according to Sara Wolkenfeld, the nonprofit’s chief learning officer.

Sefaria traces its origins to 2011, when author Joshua Foer and Brett Lockspeiser, formerly of Google, developed its initial concept. As Sefaria celebrates its “bat mitzvah” year and looks ahead to its “bar mitzvah,” Wolkenfeld told JNS that “Sefaria is everywhere.”

“We have several people in California, one person in Berlin and a few in Israel,” said Wolkenfeld, who lives in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood.

Before joining Sefaria in 2013, when it incorporated as a nonprofit, Wolkenfeld and her husband, Rabbi David Wolkenfeld of Chicago’s Modern Orthodox synagogue

Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel, co-directed the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus at Princeton University for five years.

Following a lecture she delivered on May 2 at a Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning conference in Chicago, she told JNS that during the 2009-’10 school year, a Princeton student asked her a question about Jewish views of the afterlife.

She organized a course on the matter focused on primary sources and, while teaching

the class at the Princeton Hillel, she decided that there had to be a way to make Jewish texts more accessible to the public.

“These were extremely smart young people,” she said of the students. “But the problem was they could not access the physical texts themselves because they weren’t fluent enough in Hebrew.”

Lockspeiser and Foer approached her in 2013, and she agreed to join. “Sefaria existed as an idea,” she said of the concept at the time.

Wolkenfeld came aboard as director of education, focusing on outreach to Jewish

educators, whom she and the co-founders assumed would be Sefaria’s earliest adopters. She also identified Jewish religious texts to add to the site and secured the permissions necessary to republish the texts that weren’t already in the public domain.

Her responsibilities later broadened to include helping learners of all levels.

In 2013, an average of about 3,000 people visited the site, which had 9.3 million words, monthly. In 2023, monthly visitors climbed to nearly 675,000, and as of March, Sefaria’s library has 322 million words — nearly 76.5 million translated

‘Being used and expanded upon’ Wolkenfeld has found it fulfilling to see how much Sefaria has grown.

“It is incredible to see the adoption of Sefaria throughout the Jewish world. Almost everywhere I go, I see how much it is being used and also expanded upon,” she said.

Sefaria plans to continue expanding its library, while emphasizing accessibility to Jewish texts that speaks to users’ unique needs and questions.

This year, Sefaria debuted a “Wordby-Word” writing project, which will support the Jewish textual research of a cohort of up to 20 Jewish women who are preparing manuscripts for publication.

Another recent development is that Sefaria’s database directly links to the National Library of Israel’s RAMBI repository of articles on Jewish subjects.

Sefaria has also added three kabbalistic works — all connected to the central Aramaic Kabbalistic text “Zohar” — to its holdings: a Hebrew translation of “Zohar,” a 20th-century commentary on the work by Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag (known as the Baal Ha-Sulam) and an 18th-century “Zohar” commentary by Moroccan kabbalist Rabbi Shalom Buzaglo.

“In the years to come,” said Wolkenfeld, “we are very excited to experiment with new products of Torah learning in the digital age.” PJC

 “It is incredible to see the adoption of Sefaria throughout the Jewish world. Almost everywhere I go, I see how much it is being used and also expanded upon,” says Sara Wolkenfeld. Courtesy photo via JNS

Community

Marching toward Shavuot

Days remain until celebrants recall receiving the Torah by staying up late to study and eat cheesecake. Nearly two weeks before Shavuot, students

Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh marked Lag

trip enabled friends to enjoy fast rides, good fun and a great day together.

Focused on the past

University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library welcomed The Forward’s archivist Chana Pollack and CEO and Publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen for a conversation with Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center, and Rachel Kranson, the

Appreciating teachers

In honor of teacher appreciation week, the Pittsburgh Pirates donated tickets to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

from

Photos courtesy of Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh visited Kennywood. The annual amusement park

 Roller coaster riders have a need for speed.

 A rainy day can’t dampen this fun. Photos courtesy of Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh

 The May 10 conversation served as an introduction to “Pressed: Images from the Jewish Daily Forward.” Photo courtesy of Rachel Kranson

 Educators from the JCC’s Squirrel Hill and South Hills branches enjoy a Buccos game.

Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

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