with 10 others in the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018, her granddaughter Amy Mallinger knew that she needed to tell the story of her loss.
“I wanted to keep my bubby’s spirit alive,” said Mallinger, 31, whose aunt Andrea Wedner, Rose’s daughter, was severely wounded in the mass shooting. “It was very healing, and I found that other survivors wanted to tell their stories, too.”
With that belief, Mallinger co-founded REACH (Remembering, Educating and Combating Hate), a speakers bureau of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, whose mission includes providing communities with resources of resilience and strength, and inspiring others to combat hate in all forms.
Since REACH’s launch, with the Partnership’s Ranisa Davidson, just over a year ago, Mallinger and other survivors have visited more than a dozen schools and organizations in western Pennsylvania and beyond, with more planned, including in Salt Lake City in November.
REACH volunteers discussed the growing impact of their work on a panel “Investing in Survivor Narrative: Building a Sustainable Speakers Platform” Oct. 21 at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit 2024 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Jodi Kart, 58, lost her father, Mel Wax, in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and regards
For the first year after her father was killed, "I tried to figure out how to honor his legacy, how to turn my pain into something purposeful,” Kart told the audience. "I knew I had a story to tell but I didn’t know how to make that happen.”
She has spoken at her son’s high school twice.
“One of the most powerful, and unexpected, things are the students’ reactions,” she said. “They approach us with insightful questions. They share their own traumas and ask how we heal.”
Kart’s message is that love and compassion will always triumph over hate. “If I can share my message and make one person a little kinder I will have succeeded,” she said.
Wedner said the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting story needs to be told, and people want to hear it.
“In my engagements, I emphasize actionable steps,” said Wedner, whose husband, Ron, joined her on stage. “We ask everyone to go forward with us…to go beyond the suffering.”
Wedner still grapples with the memory of how her mother died, and said being part of REACH is a way to honor her.
Following her presentation, Wedner recounted how students in the Northgate School District were eager to hug her and other presenters. “One girl had just lost her mother,” she said. “We console each other.”
By David Rullo | Senior Sta Writer
During an Oct. 9 meeting, the University of Pittsburgh’s Faculty Assembly addressed antisemitism on campus. Faculty Assembly President Robin Kear said the agenda item was a reaction to the recent physical attacks of Pitt students and other antisemitic events in the city, especially in Squirrel Hill, where many faculty members and students live.
“I have heard urgent calls for the security of our Jewish students during the month of October, especially,” she said. “I have heard urgent calls for increased attention to antisemitism efforts more broadly on campus, including administratively.”
An ad hoc committee on antisemitism will be formed in November to respond to antisemitic incidents affecting Jewish students, Kear added.
Addressing those in attendance in person and on Zoom, Ted Fritz, vice chancellor of public safety, said that his core mission is “to protect the faculty, staff and students” of the university, regardless of their beliefs, affiliations or views. Fritz stressed the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the university and its police department, urging people to report anything raising concern, “even if you’re not sure.”
Communication is important to the safety of everyone on campus, he said, noting that the university’s social media sites often have information posted about protests and other non-urgent items.
The university, Fritz said, has a campus climate assessment team, made up of people from many different schools and departments, tasked with gathering information about what is happening on campus and informing the public safety team about things for which they should be on the lookout.
Fritz said that the university also has a threat assessment team that considers
Lenda
Audrey Glickman (left), Andrea Wedner and Ron Wedner were panelists at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit on Oct. 21. Photo by Sally Maxson/Eradicate Hate Global Summit
Headlines
CDS data breach spurs digital review and recommitment to student safety
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Sta Writer
Adata breach at Community Day School is prompting a review of protocols and recommitment to student safety.
On Sept. 11, 2024, a staffer at the Jewish day school discovered the transfer of approximately 466 school-related files by a now former employee to their personal email account. The transfer occurred between May 23 and June 5 — shortly before the former employee was to be terminated. Included within the transfer were 133 files containing student-related content, including health information and classroom performance records related to nearly 100 current and former CDS families.
In accordance with Pennsylvania law, Casey Weiss, CDS’ head of school, informed parents and staff of the breach on Oct. 16. Hours later, she met with the Chronicle.
“There is nothing more important to me than the safety of the children in my care and the safety of all of our families, be it physical safety or the safety of studentprotected information,” Weiss said. “We will continue to act as an institution of integrity and transparency. The sacred duty of educating and protecting our students is our No. 1 priority.”
Weiss said she learned of the breach on Sept. 11.
At that time, an “immediate” investigation was launched, she said, resulting in cessation of external access to student materials. The school began a series of conversations with law enforcement and attorneys specializing in data breach cases. CDS additionally conducted a “root cause analysis” to understand both how the breach occurred and
“We are taking the appropriate course of action necessary to safeguard our kids, because there is nothing more important than the safety of our children.”
—CASEY WEISS
determine best practices moving forward.
“Several measures have been put in place, internally, to assure that something like this never occurs again,” Weiss said.
Following the breach, CDS hired FSA Consulting to upgrade the school’s computing infrastructure (FSA Consulting is owned by Evan Stein, the Chronicle’s board chair).
In addition to optimizing digital tools, a policy was shared with staff strictly forbidding the use of personal email accounts
to access or view school files. Parents of impacted minor dependents have been granted free access to cyber monitoring services for 12 months. The service, Weiss said, will search for parents’ and children’s personal data on the dark web and provide notifications if potentially identifiable information is found.
CDS is also providing families with fraud assistance through Cyberscout, a TransUnion company.
Based on the school’s investigation, “We
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have no reason to believe that anything fraudulent was done with this information, or that it was misused at any point,” Weiss said. “We also can confirm that this individual does not have access to any of the files transferred to their personal email.”
CDS welcomed Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, to the school Tuesday to speak with parents and staff.
News of the data breach can prompt feelings of disempowerment or anger, “which is normal and healthy,” Feinstein said. “The best thing to do is be in dialogue and community, and look for opportunities to enhance your knowledge.”
Weiss said she understands concerns regarding both the breach and timeline of events. “We take this very seriously and informed parents as quickly as
Before notifying parents and staff, CDS officials needed to determine the nature of the information compromised, who was affected and ensure compliance with state and federal requirements, she said.
Weiss encouraged parents and staff to reach out to her, Feinstein or CDS’s Board Chair Shiri Friedman with any questions.
Friedman said she is impressed by Weiss’ leadership as well as the fact that the school will continue working with law enforcement regarding the breach.
As for whether the school will pursue legal action against the former staffer, “All I can say at this point is that we are taking this very seriously,” Weiss said. “We are taking the appropriate course of action necessary to safeguard our kids, because there is nothing more important than the safety of our children.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. 5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217
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Headlines
Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle awarded $100,000 Press Forward grant
By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle will receive $100,000 over two years from Press Forward, a national coalition whose aim is strengthen local news.
The Chronicle is one of 205 media outlets across the country to be awarded a grant from the Press Forward foundation’s first open call for funding. The Chronicle is the only Jewish publication in the country to be awarded a Press Forward grant.
Two other media outlets in southwestern Pennsylvania received Press Forward grants: Nextpittsburgh and The Allegheny Front.
The Chronicle will receive $50,000 per year for the next two years to be used to better serve its audience.
Press Forward is “investing more than $500 million to strengthen local newsrooms, close longstanding gaps in journalism coverage, advance public policy that expands access to local news, and to scale the infrastructure the sector needs to thrive,” Press Forward officials said.
Press Forward Southwestern PA formed in early 2024 with the goal of unifying the local foundation community in support of journalism across southwestern Pennsylvania.
As a chapter of the national movement, Press Forward Southwestern PA convenes regional funders and stakeholders across 10 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania “to support local news that values collaboration, connection and community,” officials said.
The Center for Media Innovation at Point Park University convenes the chapter with The Benter Foundation; The Heinz Endowments; Henry L. Hillman Foundation; and The Pittsburgh Foundation, as well as other local foundation partners.
“Press Forward received more than 900
applications and from that group selected 205 recipients for $20 million in funding,” said Andrew Conte, managing director of the Center for Media Innovation. “We’re proud of our local grant recipients as they have shown a strong commitment to supporting local journalism in their own unique ways.”
Press Forward grant recipients had to meet the following criteria:
• Have an annual operating budget of less than $1 million.
• Be in operation since at least September 1, 2023.
• Show a commitment to editorial excellence, independence and transparency.
“We are thrilled and honored to have been recognized by Press Forward for the work we’re doing connecting our Jewish community,” said Evan H. Stein, the Chronicle’s board chair. “This grant validates the work the Chronicle staff and journalists do every day to provide compelling news, analysis and information to our readers. The philanthropic landscape in this post-pandemic economy has made fundraising more challenging than ever and we are grateful for these much needed funds to support our publication.”
The grant is “a strong recognition of the quality and the importance of what we do every day to keep the Pittsburgh Jewish community informed, engaged and connected with each other and with our other Jewish institutions,” said Jim Busis, the Chronicle’s publisher and CEO. “We thank Press Forward for recognizing the national crisis affecting all local news and for taking this first transformative step to help local news survive and thrive. We hope that this award will encourage our readers and supporters to strengthen their involvement with us.” PJC
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
From left: Senior Staff Writer David Rullo; Publisher and CEO Jim Busis; Editor Toby Tabachnick: former Sales Executive Phil Durler; Senior Staff Writer Adam Reinherz
Photo by Kim Rullo
Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon.
SUNDAY, OCT. 27
The 10.27 Healing Partnership invites the community to participate in volunteering events in honor of those who were killed on Oct. 27, 2018. There are opportunities for in-person and online participation, events that are nearby and others that are a bit of a drive, and experiences for those of all ages and abilities. Learn more and register at 1027healingpartnership.org/ volunteering-2024.
Join the Pittsburgh Jewish community for an Oct. 27 Commemorative Ceremony 5:30 p.m. Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. 1027healingpartnership.org/ event/commemoration-ceremony-for-theoct-27th-2018-synagogue-shooting/.
MONDAYS, OCT. 28–DEC. 30
Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.
Join Temple Sinai for an evening of mahjong every Monday (except holidays). Whether you are just starting out or have years of experience, you are sure to enjoy the camaraderie and good times as you make new friends or cherish moments with longtime pals. All are welcome. Winners will be awarded Giant Eagle gift cards. All players should have their own 2024 mahjong cards. Contact Susan Cohen at susan_k_cohen@ yahoo.com if you have questions. $5. templesinaipgh.org.
WEDNESDAYS, OCT. 30–DEC. 18
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.
Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh. org/life-text.
SUNDAY, NOV. 3
Join Young Peoples Synagogue (Forbes and Denniston) for a Molly’s Trolley tour of Jewish Pittsburgh, led by Eric Lidji, director of Rauh
Jewish Archives. A light breakfast will be followed by the tour. $36 per person, capped at 30 guests. 9 a.m. breakfast; 10 a.m. tour. For information or reservations email Rebecca.spiegel1@ verizon.net.
SUNDAY, NOV. 10
As the Jewish community commemorates the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the November pogrom, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh presents Music in Theresienstadt: A Conversation with Anna Hájková. The event connects the outbreak of public anti-Jewish violence in Nazi Germany with the remarkable cultural production in the Theresienstadt ghetto. 5:30 p.m. Free. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. eventbrite.com/e/music-in-theresienstadt-aconversation-with-anna-ha.
SUNDAYS, NOV. 10–THURSDAY, NOV. 14
Congregation Beth Shalom will be hosting its first-ever Jewish Book Festival. The festival is presented by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, and Carolyn Slayton and Seth Glick. Support Jewish authors. More information to follow. 5915 Beacon Street.
WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 13–DEC. 18
Chabad of the South Hills presents “Nurturing Relationships,” a new six-week course with Rabbi Mendel Rosenblum. Learn Jewish wisdom for building deeper connections in all your relationships. 7:30 p.m. Bower Hill Road. chabadsh.com.
WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 20; DEC. 18
Join AgeWell for the Intergenerational Family Dynamics Discussion Group at JCC South Hills the third Wednesday of each month. Led by intergenerational specialist Audree Schall. The group is geared toward anyone who has children, grandchildren, a spouse, siblings or parents. Whether you have family harmony or strife, these discussions will be thought-provoking, with tools to help build strong relationships and family unity. Free. 12:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, NOV. 23
Tree of Life’s November Torah Studio is honored to host the Rev. Liddy Barlow. Rabbi Je rey Myers will join the Rev. Barlow for an interfaith Shabbat service and Torah discussion on Nov. 23 at 9:45 a.m. in Levy Hall at Rodef Shalom. 9:45 a.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. treeoflifepgh.org. PJC
Join the Chronicle Book Club!
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Nov. 3 discussion of “Target Tehran: How Israel Is Using Sabotage, Cyberwarfare, Assassination — and Secret Diplomacy — to Stop a Nuclear Iran and Create a New Middle East,” by Yonah Jeremy Bob and Ilan Evyatar.
“Target Tehran” was the Wall Street Journal’s Best Book of the Year (politics) and winner of the Jewish Book Council’s Natan Notable Book Prize.
“One of the most accurate and fascinating books so far” (Michael Bar-Zohar, coauthor of “Mossad”) about how Israel used sabotage, assassination, cyberwar — and diplomacy — to thwart Iran’s development of nuclear weapons and, in the process, begin to reshape the Middle East.
Your hosts
Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle
David Rullo, Chronicle senior staff writer
How it works
We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, Nov. 3, at 1 p.m.
What to do
Buy: “Target Tehran.” It is available at some area Barnes and Noble stores and from online retailers, including Amazon. It is also available through the Carnegie Library system.
Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle
Book Club” in the subject line. We will send you a Zoom link for the discussion meeting.
Bonus
Author Ilan Evyatar will be the keynote speaker at the Pittsburgh Jewish Book Festival, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. For more information about the Book Festival, go to bethshalompgh.org/ pjbf-november2024/.
Happy reading! PJC
Toby Tabachnick
Headlines
Eliana Light returns to Pittsburgh for a weekend of song and spirituality
By Deborah Weisberg
Singer/songwriter Eliana Light will perform a concert Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill as part of a full weekend of activities slated for Nov. 1 through 3.
The Durham, North Carolina-based musician and educator also will be the keynote speaker and will lead workshops at Yom Limmud (Day of Learning) for supplemental religious school educators Nov. 3 at Rodef Shalom Congregation.
Other events planned around Light’s visit include a Shabbat dinner and service at Rodef Shalom, a Saturday morning sermon at Beth Shalom and several programs at Community Day School.
Yom Limmud is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh-area Jewish educators.
“We’re really excited about the weekend,” said Marci Barnes, religious school director at Adat Shalom and co-chair of Yom Limmud. “We have a fantastic program for Sunday, and the concert Saturday will be a lot of fun for all ages, including the littlest kids.”
Adat Shalom and other schools use Light’s music-based curriculum, “Hebrew in Harmony,”
‘t’flllahsophy’ —how we have to move beyond the words of a prayer to its meaning.”
Once an aspiring rabbi, Light found her niche in using music as a tool for educating, building community and encouraging spirituality.
Her work is centered on translating prayer practice, liturgy and God concepts in ways that resonate with people of all ages.
Light has been writing songs since she was a child growing up in “a joyous Jewish home” in Memphis, the daughter of a Conservative rabbi
and a Jewish educator mother.
After high school, she spent a gap year in Israel and then attended Brandeis University, where she majored in sociology and minored in Jewish studies, theater and writing. She earned a master’s degree in experiential education from the Davidson School at the ewish Theological Seminary, all the while developing her musical ability.
Training at Hava Nashira in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, for a summer job as song leader at Camp Ramah in Conover, Wisconsin, was
“Song leader combined all of the things I loved — community building, prayer, spirituality and music,” she said. “I felt that this is what I am meant to be in life.”
hether she is keynoting a conference or performing a concert, Light engages her audience, getting them to join in song.
“When we sing together we can feel how powerful it is to be connected to each other,” she said. “It helps us to be present and open our hearts. It can be cathartic.”
Although she studied piano as a kid, she eventually switched to guitar and is largely self-taught.
“I never learned to read music, which drove my teachers crazy. I play by ear,” said Light, who used GarageBand software as a young adult to learn guitar chords.
Her music doesn’t reflect a particular
genre, but includes a variety of Jewish music traditions like Hassidic niggun as well as bluegrass, folk, soul, oldies and classic rock. “It’s all over the map,” she said. “On iTunes, there’s no category called Jewish music, so I’m classified as world music and gospel.”
Light has recorded four prayerful albums, including “Songs About God,” in which she explores her deeply personal relationship with the Divine; “Shelter Us in Place,” which evolved during the COVID lockdown as a mantra for finding centeredness in an uncertain time; and “Orah Hi,” which was recorded live at a synagogue in Atlanta.
Light holds sacred space and song as artist-in-residence at Beth-El Synagogue in Durham and with synagogues around the country; she was hosted by Temple Sinai last year. In December, she will offer workshops at Limmud Festival 2024 in Birmingham, England.
She also is the founder and head t’fillahsopher of The Light Lab, and co-hosts The Light Lab Podcast where she, fellow musician Rabbi Josh Warshawsky of Bexley, Ohio, and Cantor Ellen Dreskin of Westchester, New York, “play with prayer and hold our liturgy to the light,” Light said.
Her work as part of a core educator team at an annual Songleader Boot Camp in St. Louis, Missouri, draws rave reviews from Wolfe.
p Eliana Light Photo courtesy of Eliana Light
Headlines
The Colfax Plan
By Eric Lidji
H“Hedwig O. Pregler,” as someone recently corrected me.
If you went to Colfax Elementary School between the mid-1930s and the mid-1960s, you’ll remember Pregler as its legendary principal. You’ll likely also remember The Colfax Plan, also known as “The Workshop.” You might even have feelings about it.
The Workshop was an attempt to address a long-standing challenge in public school education: what to do with students who learn more easily than their peers.
Addressing this challenge was her life’s work. She wrote her dissertation on the issue and co-founded the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education to promote her ideas. She used her authority at Colfax to test an approach called “partial segregation.”
Pregler was born in the West End in 1903 and attended city schools. She graduated from the Pennsylvania College for Women in 1924 and began teaching in the Pittsburgh Public Schools system. She received a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1930 and was hired that same year at Taylor Allderdice High School.
the standards set for those who entered the high school as preparatory school for college,
tunities that once were his. The philosophy that made provisions for the lower group in the name of democracy discriminated against the gifted on the same basis.”
Pregler was dissatisfied with all the prevailing solutions. Keeping gifted kids with their normal classes led to “snobbishness.” But pulling them all into a separate “gifted” class made them “self-centered and disinterested in their classmates.” Skipping grades had social consequences, because gifted students were not necessarily more mature.
“Partial segregation” was a compromise. Students with an IQ above 130 or so remained with their usual class for homeroom, music, art and physical education but were set apart with “mental peers” for more academic subjects. There they would fasttrack the regular curriculum and then spend the remaining time on special projects.
The students held discussions on world events. They conducted science experiments. They learned new languages. They took trips to museums and cultural sites.
Pregler called her program “The Workshop.” It was supposed to be a neutral term — no mention of “gifted” or “talented.” Her hope was to reduce jealousy. Did she succeed? Could she have?
In speaking with a few people who attended Colfax in those years, all seemed to have complex feelings about The Workshop. There was appreciation of its innovative program, as well as an awareness of a social cost to sorting children by mental capacity.
Pregler recognized this pitfall. “Just why exceptional mental ability is so often resented is a mystery,” she wrote. “We acclaim and rejoice with a personal pride when a neighborhood child is a musician, a singer, or an artist. It is only brains that we resent.”
There seems to have been some consternation in the mid-1940s about the fairness
great upheaval in the Pittsburgh public school system. Soon came teacher strikes, fights over integration, and statewide funding battles. The Workshop was discontinued in June 1972, a relic of a different sensibility.
Pregler could have conducted this experiment anywhere. Circumstance brought her to Squirrel Hill at exactly the era of the greatest Jewish presence in public schools.
According to figures from the Hebrew Institute, Squirrel Hill was home to 1,753 Jewish children in 1930, the year Pregler arrived at Allderdice. By 1958, the total had jumped to 3,841. The early years of that growth came from Jewish families moving into the neighborhood from other parts of the city. The later years were the Baby Boom.
I’ve abandoned a dozen drafts of a paragraph trying to articulate the significance of Pregler doing this work in a Jewish neighborhood after World War II. Each time I bump into some generality that confirms stereotypes but falls short of real research: that Jews are smart, that Jews are ambitious, that Jews are heavily invested in education. And so I readily admit: I cannot fully explain the relevance of the Workshop to local Jewish history. That it must have some relevance, though, seems undeniable. The hundreds of Jewish children who grew up in that part of Squirrel Hill in those years must have feelings about the school and its approach. So instead of guessing, I’ll just ask. If you attended Colfax during Pregler’s tenure, what did “The Workshop” mean to you? PJC
Eric Lidji is the director of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center and can be reached at rjarchives@heinzhistorycenter. org or 412-454-6406.
p Dr. Hedwig O. Pregler (seated) was honored by a group of her former students in 1995, including Marga Silberman Randall, M. (Fuss) Chisick, Sidney Rosen, “David,” Soralie (Levin) Goldfarb, Ellen (Baskind) Langue, Lois Gershuny, and Anita “Nicky” Gordon. Dr. Pregler died the following year. Photo courtesy of the Rauh Jewish Archives
Estate Planning
Estate planning: A will is just the beginning
Here’s the situation — you’ve worked hard to build wealth and hired an attorney to draft your estate documents. Everything is signed and filed, so your assets should transition smoothly to your heirs, right? Not quite.
Even with a will, a significant portion of your assets can be lost to fees, taxes or even fail to reach your beneficiaries as intended. Having a will is a good start, but it often isn’t enough to ensure your wishes are carried out.
A comprehensive estate plan involves more than just a will — proper titling of assets, navigating probate and potentially utilizing trusts to protect and control your wealth. In this article, we’ll review key aspects of estate planning that help ensure a smooth transition of assets when you pass.
A will isn’t enough
A will outlines how your assets will be distributed after your death, but by itself, it’s just a “suggestion” of your wishes. To become legally valid a will must go through probate — a legal process where a court reviews and validates the will. Until probate is complete, your will has no legal authority and assets can’t be transferred to beneficiaries.
Furthermore, probate can be timeconsuming, costly and is a public process.
Once your will is filed with the courts it becomes public domain and can be viewed by anyone, making your personal wishes public. And between the legal fees and court costs, both of which must be paid before any assets are distributed to your beneficiaries, the value of your estate can be negatively impacted.
To minimize these issues, we recommend structuring assets to bypass probate whenever possible. The first step in this process is coordinating asset titling with your will and/or trust.
Proper asset titling can help avoid probate
While a will is an important document,
• Elder Law
• Wills
• Powers of Attorney (POA)
• Long Term Care and Asset Protection Planning
• Guardianships
• Special Needs Trusts
• Probate and Estate Administration
• Living Wills
Carol Sikov Gross, Certi ed Elder Law Attorney Sikov and Love, P.A. 310 Grant Street, Suite 1110, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412-261-4202 • www.sikovandlove.com
email: csikovgross@sikovandlove.com
how your assets are titled can make or break the effectiveness of your estate plan. Properly titling your assets can not only help you avoid probate (and save on fees) but can also provide some level of asset protection during your lifetime.
Asset titling refers to the legal ownership structure of your assets, such as real estate, bank accounts or investments. For example, owning property as “joint tenants with rights of survivorship” means that when one owner passes away, the property automatically goes to the surviving owner without needing to go through probate. Similarly, designating beneficiaries on retirement accounts, investment accounts and life insurance policies ensures that these assets transfer directly to the intended party.
The way your assets are titled can also provide protection from creditors. Different ownership structures offer varying levels of protection, so it’s important to consult a financial adviser or attorney to ensure your assets are titled in a way that best suits your needs.
Trusts are powerful estate planning tools
Coordinating asset titling with your will can facilitate asset transfers after death, but utilizing trusts can be even more impactful. Trusts provide more control and protection over your assets than titling alone and ensure a discreet transfer to beneficiaries since they are not subject to probate.
There are two main types of trusts, revocable and irrevocable, and each serves a different purpose.
Revocable trusts (living trusts)
Revocable trusts, also known as living trusts, allow you to maintain control of your assets while you’re alive and then transfer them smoothly to your heirs upon your death. Assets in a revocable trust are titled in the name of the trust, which helps bypass probate, saving time and money.
Revocable trusts also offer significant flexibility to adjust while you’re still alive. You can change the terms of the trust, beneficiaries and even dissolve it entirely while you’re still alive.
However, revocable trusts don’t provide creditor protection or reduce your taxable estate. Since you retain control of the assets, they are still considered part of your estate making them subject to claims by creditors and potential estate taxes.
Irrevocable trusts
An irrevocable trust, as the name suggests, cannot be changed or revoked once established. The assets in an irrevocable trust are no longer legally owned by you, which offers two key benefits.
• First, the assets in an irrevocable trust are protected from creditors. Since you don’t legally own them anymore, they cannot be targeted in lawsuits or debt collections.
• Second, an irrevocable trust allows you to dictate how and when assets are distributed to beneficiaries, even long after you’re gone. For example, you might set conditions like requiring beneficiaries to reach a certain age before receiving their inheritance or limiting the use of funds for specific purposes.
While irrevocable trusts provide strong asset protection and control, they lack flexibility, making them best suited for those with a clear, long-term vision for their estate.
Taking the first step in estate planning
Estate planning can feel overwhelming, but taking the time to structure your assets properly will save your heirs time, money and stress. A will is a great starting point, but it’s only the beginning. Proper asset titling and the use of trusts will give you greater control over how your wealth is distributed and protected. Whether you’re aiming to avoid probate or protect your assets from creditors, the right strategy can make all the difference. PJC
Jonathan Dane is managing partner and chief investment officer of Defiant Capital Group, defiantcap.com. This commentary is provided for general information purposes only, should not be construed as investment, tax or legal advice, and does not constitute an attorney/client relationship.
Guest Columnist
Jonathan Dane
Estate Planning
Estate Planning 101: An Introduction
Estate planning is the process of making arrangements for how your assets and other personal matters will be handled when you are no longer able to make financial decisions. What documents you may or may not require depend on your particular circumstances, thus it is important to discuss your options with a qualified attorney.
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property to beneficiaries, all while acting in the best interests of everyone involved.
of designated beneficiaries. A trustee, who can be an individual or a corporate entity, manages and distributes the trust assets according to the terms set by the trustor, similar to the duties of an executor under a will.
Irrevocable trusts
Last will and testament
A will serves several important functions, primarily allowing a person to dictate how their property is distributed after their death. A will is what most individuals think of primarily when considering essential estate planning documents.
How a will helps you
A will is essential not only for expressing one’s wishes regarding asset distribution, but also for providing special considerations for minor children, or even beneficiaries with disabilities. For adult beneficiaries with disabilities, a will may help include special needs language to ensure ongoing care and support for disabled loved ones.
A will allows one to choose an executor — the individual responsible for executing the wishes as outlined in the will. The executor manages estate assets, pays off debts and distributes
Having a will provides one with the ability to control the distribution of their wealth and possessions, ensuring that their wishes are honored. A will can also help prevent potential disputes among family members and to streamline the probate process.
Power of attorney
A power of attorney is an essential legal document that designates another person, known as the agent, to make important decisions on behalf of an incapacitated person. This tool is especially important for managing financial and legal matters. The individual granting the power is referred to as the principal. Principals who are still capable of managing their affairs may revoke a POA at any time.
Trusts
Trusts can be powerful tools in estate planning but their utility varies based on individual circumstances. A trust is an arrangement where a person (the trustor, grantor or settlor) creates an entity to hold assets for the benefit
Irrevocable trusts are designed to protect and preserve assets for beneficiaries while relinquishing control over those assets. Once assets are transferred into an irrevocable trust, the trustor loses legal ownership and control over them. These trusts can offer significant tax benefits, potentially minimizing or eliminating inheritance and estate tax liabilities, as assets in the trust are not counted as part of the trustor’s estate. Irrevocable trusts can also shield assets from nursing home costs. Establishing an irrevocable trust requires careful consideration of goals and tax implications.
Revocable living trusts
Revocable living trusts allow the trustor to maintain control over their assets during their lifetime. The trustor can revoke or modify the trust at any time while they are alive, allowing for flexibility in managing their estate. The trustor can act as the trustee during their lifetime, designating a successor trustee to manage the trust upon their death. In Pennsylvania, revocable living trusts can help avoid probate administration processes, making the advantages appealing for most individuals.
Special needs trusts
A special needs trust (or supplemental needs trust) is a valuable tool for providing
for individuals with disabilities without jeopardizing their eligibility for public benefits like Supplemental Security Income. Individuals with special needs often rely on public assistance programs that have strict income and resource limits. Funds in a special needs trust are not counted as assets for SSI purposes, allowing beneficiaries to maintain their benefits. The trustee manages these funds, ensuring they are used appropriately without displacing basic benefits.
Conclusion
Irrevocable trusts, revocable trusts and special needs trusts provide essential mechanisms for effective estate planning. They allow for thoughtful management of assets while ensuring that beneficiaries receive the support they need without compromising their eligibility for public benefits or financial management during their formative years. In addition to wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and advance health care directives, there are other critical components to consider in your estate plan, particularly beneficiary designations and direct transfer assets. What tools are right for you depend on a variety of factors, best discussed with a qualified estate planning attorney. PJC
Kelton Burgess has two decades of experience as an estate planning and probate lawyer. He serves as an appointed member of the ACBA Probate and Trust Law Section Council and is a member of the PBA Real Property and Trust Law Section. keltonburgess.com
To arrange for a no-obligation consultation with attorney Ryan L. Dansak, call 724-744-7878. We may also be reached by email at lawoffice@mddclawoffice.com.
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No one can predict the future. That is why it is always best to be prepared for any situation. The Law Of ces of Kelton M. Burgess can help you make plans that will serve the best interests of your family. Kelton Burgess has helped countless clients in the Greater Pittsburgh area create lasting estate plans to protect their estate assets and to help ensure their children and loved ones are properly provided for.
Let our team help you, we will give you the peace of mind you need.
Miriam Adelson donates $100M to Trump campaign, making good on reported promise
Miriam Adelson has delivered on a pledge she reportedly made at the start of the general election season, donating $100 million to a campaign committee supporting the candidacy of Donald Trump, according to disclosures filed Oct. 15 with the Federal Election Commission and reported by JTA.
The money was distributed to Adelson’s super PAC, Preserve America, which she had seeded earlier this year with $5 million, in a series of installments: $25 million a month in July, August and September and an additional $20 million at the end of September.
A major funder of pro-Israel politics and a prolific donor to Jewish causes, Adelson, 79, is carrying on a legacy she built with her late husband, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. The Adelson family has long been one of the largest sources of campaign money for Republican candidates and has backed Trump during each of the last three general elections. Now, the widow is wielding an estimated net worth of $35 billion on her own.
Though seen as more deliberate in her decision-making, she has not meaningfully departed from her late husband’s politics.
Her contribution was the largest in
an array of new big money disclosures last week, eclipsing the $75 million contributed by Elon Musk, the world’s richest person and head of Tesla and SpaceX, to his own pro-Trump super PAC.
Former KKK leader David Duke endorses Jill Stein for president
David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, endorsed Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who is Jewish, on his radio show Oct. 15, JTA reported.
Duke, long one of the country’s highestprofile white supremacists and antisemites, has repeatedly sought political office while spreading conspiracy theories about Jews. In his endorsement of Stein, he said that she was the candidate with the strongest stance against “Jewish power” because she opposed Israel’s military campaign.
“Although Dr. Stein and I obviously have our differences on important issues, she’s the only candidate who speaks clearly against the war in the Middle East and Ukraine,” Duke said on his radio show.
“By opposing Jewish supremacy in Israel and Jewish mass murder in Israel, and the policies of the American government in these insane wars and the Ukrainian war there, she’s actually doing something which is harming this Jewish power.”
Duke is an unlikely supporter of Stein, who in addition to being Jewish is a
Today in Israeli History
Oct. 28, 1910 — First kibbutz is established
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Oct. 25, 1895 — Levi Eshkol is born Levi Eshkol, Israel’s prime minister during the Six-Day War, is born near Kyiv. He becomes involved with Zionist youth groups in high school and makes aliyah in 1914. He also serves as finance and defense minister.
Oct. 26, 1994 — Israel, Jordan sign treaty
More than 4,500 people, including President Bill Clinton, witness Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian King Hussein sign a peace treaty at the Wadi Araba border crossing between Eilat and Aqaba.
Oct. 27, 1978
— Begin, Sadat
win Nobel Prize
Forty-one days after signing the Camp
David Accords, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat are declared winners of the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize, handed out Dec. 10.
The Hadera Commune arrives at Umm Juni along the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and forms the first kibbutz, or collective agricultural community, D egania Alef (based on dagan, “grain”), on leased JNF land.
Hadera Commune are shown in 1910 before settling Degania Alef.
Oct. 29, 1956 — Arabs are massacred at Kfar Kassem
Israeli troops kill 48 Israeli Arabs returning from their fields at dusk in Kfar Kassem, where an IDF colonel has illegally made the curfew earlier without warning in response to the start of the Sinai war that day.
Oct. 30, 1991 — Madrid peace conference begins
The Soviet Union and the United States convene a three-day Middle East peace conference in Madrid that includes all Arab states contiguous to Israel, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza.
Oct. 31, 1917 — Australians capture Beersheba
Supported by three British divisions, the Australian 4th Light Horse Brigade surprises the Turkish defenders and captures Beersheba in a single day, breaking the Ottoman defensive line near Gaza. PJC
far-left candidate. Duke, a fixture of the far right, previously endorsed Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020.
On his show, Duke claimed that Trump had since lost his support due to a “fullthroated subservience to Israel and to the Jewish lobby in the United States” and “on a global level.”
Lufthansa ordered to pay $4M penalty for denying boarding to 128 Jewish passengers in 2022
The U.S. Department of Transportation has ordered the German airline Lufthansa to pay a $4 million fine for a 2022 incident in which 128 Jewish passengers were denied boarding, JTA reported.
The incident, which occurred in May 2022, affected passengers wearing traditionally Orthodox Jewish clothing who were traveling from New York City through Frankfurt to Budapest. In response to a few passengers’ alleged misbehavior partly related to mask compliance, Lufthansa employees reportedly treated the 128 Jewish passengers as one single group, though many of the passengers did not know each other, nor were they traveling together. Airline employees prohibited them from boarding their flight to Budapest.
The incident generated outrage from the Jewish community and captured the attention of leading antisemitism watchdogs, including Deborah Lipstadt, the United States’ special envoy to
monitor and combat antisemitism, who told NBC News that she found the Lufthansa incident “unbelievable.”
“[When] I first heard it, I said, ‘Oh, this must be wrong,” Lipstadt said at the time. “Someone must be misreporting this.’ And then of course, it turned out to be precisely right — and worse than we even thought.”
Later that year, the American Jewish Committee signed a memorandum of understanding with Lufthansa, announcing that Lufthansa would adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism and that the AJC would train airline employees on how to identify and respond to antisemitism. In July 2022, Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter said the company would hire someone to fill a senior management position “for the prevention of discrimination and antisemitism.”
The airline also agreed to pay each affected passenger $20,000 from the airline in November 2022, plus a reimbursement of $1,000.
The new penalty, which followed an investigation into more than 40 discrimination complaints from Jewish passengers aboard the flight, is the largest amount ever issued in the United States against an airline over civil rights violations, the federal transportation department said in a statement Oct. 15. PJC
Compiled by Jarrad Saffren
Headlines
“It gives us energy to keep going, to keep my mother’s memory alive and to do ‘good’ in the world. Seeing our strength gives people hope.”
Wedner’s brother Alan Mallinger begins his presentations by showing a 40-minute version of the documentary film “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life,” and then addresses his audience.
“Meeting us makes it real,” he said. “Some kids impacted by hate and bullying will want to talk with us after the program about how to deal with it.”
Maggie Feinstein, executive director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, moderated the panel.
Families of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims want to tell their stories, just as Holocaust survivors do, she said. “They want to turn overwhelming feelings of ‘never again’ into action.”
Studies indicate that hearing Holocaust survivors speak can inspire a greater sense of civic responsibility in the listener, Feinstein said. “They see themselves as responsible for being part of the change.”
A record increase in antisemitic incidents has heightened a feeling of vulnerability within the Jewish community and an urgency to address it, she said.
Continued from page 1 Pitt:
Following the panel discussion, Feinstein summed up REACH’s impacts.
“For family members who share their stories there is the belief that people care about an experience that was so painful and difficult for them, and that, as a result, they will do something to prevent bullying and hate,” she said.
It has helped make teachers more comfortable with taking on issues of modern-day antisemitism than before, and students are able to feel connected with people of different faiths and neighborhoods, Feinstein said. “They can relate what they are hearing to what is happening in their own lives.”
Students at a school in South Fayette Township, for example, were motivated to
organize an Eradicate Hate club, Feinstein said.
Amy Mallinger said REACH tries to go to schools where exposure to Jews may be minimal.
The reaction is often one of “Jews are just like us,” she said. “I have a grandmother. You have a grandmother.”
Students will relate what they are hearing to struggles they may be having, like being bullied over LBGTQ issues, she said.
Speakers veer away from politics.
Not all Pittsburgh synagogue shooting survivors are involved with REACH, and there’s no pressure for them to participate, Feinstein said.
Those who become speakers can receive help with polishing their public speaking skills
established presentation guidelines and works with schools in preparation for presenter visits.
But survivors are “the experts in their own stories,” said panelist Davidson. “And we know from our work with trauma that sharing personal stories can be healing.”
Sharyn Stein, whose husband, Daniel, was killed during the shooting, told the audience that “it has taken me about six years to find my voice and the strength to speak up about the most horrific and traumatic event of my life.”
“I’m Danny’s voice now,” she said. PJC
Deborah Weisberg is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
eel unsafe,” Bonneau said.
that “could involve or be dangerous to our community members.”
“We are working with federal, local and state partners all the time,” he said. “I know that sounds trite, but we actually do that. We are working very closely with local partners such as the city police intel section and CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) police.”
Holly Lamb, University of Pittsburgh Police Department chief, discussed various general security programs available to students, such as self-defense classes, a citizen police academy and the Walking Escort program, which provides escorts from both the Hillman Library and William Pitt Union.
After Fritz and Lamb spoke, Kear opened the floor to questions.
Jennifer Murtazashvili, a Jewish professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, said that Jewish students are experiencing a “shocking” level of violence “unprecedented on our campus.”
She asked why Pitt had become such a magnet for violence.
Lamb said she wasn’t sure the school had become a magnet but that the police department was trying to respond.
“I do understand,” Lamb said. “There have been two incidents — terrible — but we are out there trying. We’re trying to get our message out, to communicate.”
The question prompted Jewish faculty member Carey Balaban to disagree with Murtazashvili, saying that he, too, wasn’t
Continued from page 1 Light:
Continued from page 5
“Two of my teachers went to boot camp and adore Eliana,” Wolfe said. “When people get to know her she is so warm and kind — a wonderful person.”
Light’s Pittsburgh concert will be family-
convinced the university was a magnet for antisemitism.
“Some of us remember facing this kind of stuff on an individual basis growing up,” he said. “You just sort of fought it out.”
Balaban said the university must remain vigilant but added that people are “hypersensitive” and might be overreporting incidents.
The threat level, Balaban said, is no worse than it has been for the last 50 or 60 years.
Faculty member Chris Bonneau seemingly took issue with Balaban’s statements, saying that he has been surprised by the number of texts and messages he’s received from students who have found the recent physical attacks, as well as some of the other incidents on and around campus, distressing.
“When you see fellow students and faculty and staff chanting slogans that are antisemitic, that seem to be increasing in intensity, when you have student groups call for a ‘Week of Rage,’ I don’t think it’s hyperbolic that these students
oriented. “There will definitely be contemplative moments,” she said, “but it will be high energy and joyous.”
Even when she is not traveling the country teaching and concertizing, music is intrinsic to Light’s life.
So, too, is dance because moving to music, she said, “connects and opens us to the moment.”
Nor is it unreasonable to say the temperature is high, both in the country and on the campus, he added.
“As a faculty assembly,” Bonneau said, “we need to do whatever we can to make these folks feel safe and that includes, if the rules are violated, we need to go through the Student Conduct Code.”
A Jewish faculty member born and raised in Israel, who only identified himself as Eitan, asked what tools are available to address words that can turn into violence.
Lamb reiterated that the most important tool is communication.
“Demonstrations are not a problem,” she said, “as long as they’re not violent.”
Pitt police officers recently completed hate crimes training, Fritz said, noting that the department works closely with the district attorney’s office and the FBI.
Murtazashvili said that she doesn’t believe overreporting is taking place.
“We’re seeing students injured in violent attacks that require medical attention,” she said. “This has led to an environment where many of the Jewish students I’ve spoken to are hiding their identity.”
The students, she said, feel excluded and alone.
“I’m worried we’ve reached a tipping point on campus,” Murtazashvili said.
Faculty member Nancy Glynn said she’s received messages from concerned parents and students.
The recent “Banquet for Gaza,” held on Yom Kippur, she said, caused students and their parents psychological suffering.
One of her favorite activities is guiding an early morning dance party through the themes of the Jewish morning-prayer service at the Sarah P. Duke Garden at Duke University.
Her life’s work, she said, fills her with gratitude and awe.
“There’s always one moment during artist in residency when I can’t believe this is my job
“I think we may have a retention issue here at the university with how people are perceiving what’s going on,” she said. “I’m really concerned about that.”
Speaking of the Week of Rage, faculty member Kristin Kanthak said, “I am absolutely certain that there are students involved…who don’t understand how scary it is for Jews to see a document about a Week of Rage.”
The Faculty Assembly, she said, should speak out louder against events like that in the future.
Following the meeting, Kear told the Chronicle that the assembly was working to ensure its processes are clear and responsive to students, faculty and staff concerns about antisemitism on campus.
“Antisemitism is being taken very seriously,” she said.
Daniel Marcus, executive director and CEO of Hillel JUC, was glad to see antisemitism discussed at the meeting.
“The critical subject has to be addressed in all university forums,” he said, “to ensure that the needs and concerns of the faculty, staff and students are being attended to in a real and practical way.”
Chabad at Pitt Rabbi Shmuli Rothstein said that the university is trying to do a good job but there is “a disconnect” at times.
Rothstein said he is concerned prospective students may decide not to enroll at Pitt because of antisemitism.
“I want Jewish students to come here,” he said. “I want this to be the place they call home.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
and I feel really lucky. It takes a lot of trust for a community to bring somebody in for a weekend. I don’t take that for granted,” she said. “I hope that I am able to bring light and love and spirit to individuals and to uplift the community.” PJC
Deborah Weisberg is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
p Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh
Photo by Crazypaco at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
p Meryl Ainsman, executive director of The Philip Chosky Charitable and Educational Foundation introduces panelists (left to right) Maggie Feinstein, executive director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership; Amy Mallinger, co-founder of REACH; Nick Haberman, coordinator of civic engagement and anti-hate education at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit; and Ranisa Davidson, co-founder of REACH.
Photo by Deobrah Weisberg
p Jodi Kart, whose father, Mel Wax, was murdered on Oct. 27, 2018, speaks at the summit.
Photo by Sally Maxson/Eradicate Hate Global Summit
In memory of the 11
We were heartbroken to learn earlier this month that the memorial outside Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, honoring the lives of the 11 Jews murdered in the Tree of Life building, was vandalized and that the plaque listing their names was stolen.
The memorial was a gift from the high school’s 2018-19 boys’ basketball team and was inscribed with the words: “As long as we live, they too will live; for they are now a part of us as we remember them.”
The memorial paid tribute to cherished community members Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Dan Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger.
We are grateful that Allderdice officials have promised to replace the plaque before Oct. 27, the date we mark six years since an antisemitic gunman attacked three congregations, turning our Jewish community’s world upside down.
But we are distressed that Pittsburgh, which claimed to be “stronger than hate” back then, is still grappling with antisemitism. Since Oct. 7, 2023, there have been more than 200 antisemitic incidents here, many fueled by venom for Israel.
We have no information on the identity or motivation of the vandal who desecrated the Allderdice memorial. But with so much anti-Israel rhetoric proliferating throughout
our city, including from some of our local politicians, we are not surprised it happened — even though the memorial for the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims had nothing to do with the Jewish state.
Jewish student in Oakland while shouting “Free Palestine! F--- Jews!” it’s clear that the purported pro-Palestinian sentiment is merely a pretext.
No one should not buy into that pretext.
On this sixth commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, we remember those who were killed for no reason other than being Jewish. We pray for the continued healing of those who they left behind and of the broader Pittsburgh Jewish community.
When the antisemitic gunman burst into the Tree of Life building and murdered 11 Jewish worshippers, he didn’t care whose lives he was extinguishing, just that they were Jewish lives. He was inspired by the antisemitic Great Replacement Theory (a conspiracy theory that Jews are bringing immigrants into the country to ultimately replace white people) — one of several modern-day justifications for hating Jews.
There are others, like the anti-Zionist blood libel that Jews are genocidal colonialists which, since Oct. 7, 2023, has ostensibly motivated hundreds of hate crimes throughout the United States.
But when six men physically attack a
Dara Horn, who wrote “People Love Dead Jews,” a collection of insightful essays on antisemitism, had something to say on the topic. She told the Australian Jewish News:
“ There’s this stupid thing that we in the Diaspora are asked to do where we have to publicly announce at all turns that criticism of Israel is not antisemitic. When you’re throwing eggs at a synagogue, that’s not criticism of Israel. When you’re shutting down a train station, that’s not criticism of Israel. When you’re spray painting Jewish communal buildings, that’s not criticism of Israel. When you’re spouting blood libel, that’s not criticism of Israel. And it
doesn’t really matter if you use the word Zionist or Israel instead of Jew while you’re spouting blood libel.
“There’s criticism of Israel, which looks like a conversation about government policies, and then there’s antisemitism, w hich looks like people throwing bottles at your head, and it’s really not that hard to tell the difference,” Horn continued. “If somebody is yelling ‘Free Palestine’ while they’re throwing a bottle at your head, t hat doesn’t magically make it criticism of Israel.”
We fear that Jew hatred is becoming normalized in Pittsburgh. Earlier this week, a local anti-Israel group on Instagram shockingly condemned the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, which was conceived to fight all forms of hate in the wake of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. The problem? The conference was hosting “Zionist,” i.e., Jewish speakers.
The removal of the Allderdice memorial plaque is despicable, regardless of who is responsible and their motivation. It is akin to the smashing of Jewish headstones. And it is antisemitic.
On this sixth commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, we remember those who were killed for no reason other than being Jewish. We pray for the continued healing of those who they left behind and of the broader Pittsburgh Jewish community. And we call on our elected representatives to act with moral clarity to end the scrouge of antisemitism. What better way to honor the memory of our martyrs. PJC
Funds from Pittsburgh are literally saving lives in Israel
Guest Columnist
Kim Salzman
As a resident of Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether region in Israel, during the past few weeks I have witnessed firsthand, on multiple occasions, the impact that the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Israel Emergency Fund is having in northern Israel.
Since Israel’s brilliant pager attacks on Hezbollah nearly three weeks ago, many Israelis in the north have been staying close to their homes so that they can make it in time to a bomb shelter in case of rocket fire. In parts of Misgav, including where I live, we have 60 seconds to make it to our bomb shelter; but in other parts of Misgav, which are further north and in Karmiel, residents have only 30 seconds. As one can imagine, it’s hard to stay cooped up inside your home all the time, so we find ways to go outdoors to get some fresh air and move our bodies despite the situation. At our village, Manof, we have a bomb shelter right next to the tennis court and a playground, so when we leave our house, we usually go there.
My son, Gal, is a competitive mountain biker, and is expected to keep training despite
the situation. A week-and-a-half ago, he went out to ride his bike within our village. My husband and I discussed it ahead of time — if there was a siren, he would be able to ride his bike fast enough to reach one of the bomb shelters throughout Manof.
Fifteen minutes after he left the house, a
I
son was riding his bike at the time.
We are beyond grateful that he is OK, but it was a traumatic event and we’re going to have to help him work through his feelings and fears in coming days and weeks.
For those readers who participated in Federation’s 2022 Mega Mission, the cliff is
have known for over a year that Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund is literally saving lives on the ground in Karmiel and Misgav, and throughout Israel, but this is the first time that I experienced it so close to home.
siren sounded. We went into our bomb shelter and immediately called our son. He told us he was safe inside a bomb shelter but that he was certain that a rocket had landed nearby because he heard an unusually loud explosion. Ten minutes after the siren (we need to stay in the bomb shelter for 10 minutes after a siren in case of shrapnel), I picked him up from the bomb shelter, and then minutes later our security officer sent a message to our village letting us know that a rocket of 122 millimeters (which is relatively small, but still deadly) landed on Manof’s cliff, less than 150 feet away from where my
where we had our second Mega Event dinner while in Karmiel and Misgav.
After the scene was clear, we went to check it out. We learned that a family from Manof was on the cliff at the time of the rocket fire. They managed to go inside one of the bomb shelters located on the cliff — a bomb shelter that Pittsburgh’s Federation helped fund through its Israel Emergency Fund. That bomb shelter literally saved their lives.
The rocket fire also caused several fires in the forest nearby, and we watched as firefighters flew planes low to the ground to extinguish the fires. Our Federation’s Israel
Emergency Fund helped both the Karmiel municipality and the Misgav Regional Council create firebreak lines to prevent wildfires from spreading in case of rocket fire. Thanks to our Federation’s support, the fires didn’t spread and didn’t endanger anyone in villages nearby.
Later that same week, I visited Moreshet, another village in Misgav, to meet with multiple families whose homes were badly damaged as a result of Hezbollah rocket fire last month. On Sept. 22 at 6:20 a.m., Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets toward the area, and unfortunately the Iron Dome failed to intercept several of them. Two rockets landed in residential neighborhoods in Moreshet — one landed between two homes, sending the cars parked on the street flying into the air, and the second landed in the middle of the street, creating a huge hole in the street and shattering the windows of all the homes in the area.
In total, 15 homes were damaged, some worse than the others, but miraculously no one was injured as they all managed to get into their homes’ bomb shelters when the sirens sounded.
While there, I met with the residents, most of whom were in their late 70s or early 80s, who told me how their homes were on fire and how they were rescued by the local security team that arrived within minutes of the rocket
Please see Salzman, page 17
Chronicle poll results: Sleeping in a sukkah
Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Have you ever slept in a sukkah?”
Of the 208 people who responded, 92% said no and 8% said yes. Comments were submitted by 31 people. A few follow.
It’s really fun with the kids. Put down a mattress and pile on the blankets and pillows. Have a party!
Dozed off, yes. But slept overnight? No, it’s too chilly and rainy for that in Pittsburgh.
I can’t remember.
Salzman:
Continued from page 16
fire. They had to leave their homes still in their pajamas, and now have to go through the long process of renovating their homes while they live in temporary housing nearby.
Within days of the attack, all these families received immediate cash assistance from the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Victims of Terror Fund, which is funded by the Pittsburgh
J Street endorses Harris
Federation’s core allocation to the Jewish Agency and by our Israel Emergency Fund. They were immensely grateful for the support. More than the money itself, they shared that it was a reminder that they aren’t alone in this difficult time — that their Jewish brothers and sisters across the ocean are thinking of them.
Moreshet is a small religious village, and since Oct. 7, it has lost three soldiers in the war against Hamas and Hezbollah. The rocket attack on Sept. 22 was another heavy blow to a
No, but now, at age 72, I’d love to.
Many times as a young child, 8-15, although I did not call any of them a “sukkah.” I called them tents, awnings, lean-tos, etc. Mine were made from anything handy out in the forests, which was normally branches and leaves. I never had money for a manufactured tent.
Too cold for me. I like to eat meals out there. But Pittsburgh’s climate isn’t the best.
No, because I have enough trouble being alert and well-rested after sleeping in my own comfy bed with my perfect mattress, earplugs, blindfold, silk sheets and sound machine!
village already suffering, but the residents are resilient and they will get up and continue to live their lives in defiance of the terrorists who tried to destroy them. I visited them to offer comfort and to tell them that the Pittsburgh Jewish community stands by their side, but I left feeling that they uplifted me as much as I uplifted them.
I have known for over a year that Federation’s Israel Emergency Fund is literally saving lives on the ground in Karmiel and Misgav, and
Awaiting an invitation! I’ll bring the smores. It’s not Chabad minhag to sleep in a sukkah.
In Pittsburgh it’s either too cold or there are too many yellowjackets. Wish I did; maybe it’s not too late. PJC
Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Chronicle weekly poll question: Which presidential candidate is better for Israel? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC
throughout Israel, but this is the first time that I experienced it so close to home. The connection between Pittsburgh and Karmiel and Misgav has run deep for over 30 years. Karmiel and Misgav feel that their brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh have their back in the most literal sense of the word. PJC
Kim Salzman is the director of Israel and Overseas Operations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
The Oct. 11 issue of the Chronicle has two interesting, contrasting opinion pieces: Rabbi Jamie Gibson’s, urging that we vote for Kamala Harris as an expression of our Jewish values, and Abby Schachter’s, urging that we vote for Donald Trump to keep ourselves safe and support Israel.
National J Street has endorsed Kamala Harris for President. J Street Pittsburgh heartily seconds this endorsement.
First, we cannot emphasize enough, as Rabbi Gibson points out, the Biden-Harris administration has supported Israel very strongly and continues to do so.
Second, it’s an illusion that Donald Trump will keep us safe. He has aligned himself with J.D. Vance and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and with Christian nationalists. He has consorted with out-and-out antisemites. John Bolton, who was his national security advisor, said, “In no arena of American affairs has the Trump aberration been more destructive than in national security. His short attention span (except on matters of personal advantage) renders coherent foreign policy almost unattainable.”
Vance might easily become president, given Trump’s age and the possibility that he is experiencing or will experience cognitive decline. Vance appeared in Monroeville with Lance Wallnau, a self-described “apostle” who is a leader of the “Seven Mountain Mandate,” which says Christians are called to dominate seven key areas of society: government, family, religion, arts and entertainment, media, education and business. Vance has espoused “replacement theory” (the idea that immigrants are being encouraged to replace the right kind of people in our population — it’s originally a French idea). In 2023 Kennedy mused that the COVID-19 virus might have been developed to target Caucasians and Black people: “The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese.” Do we need this?
As Rabbi Gibson points out, Trump recently put a target on our backs — and not for the first time. The Pittsburgh synagogue murders were committed by a man who was whipped up by the then-president’s constant decrying of a “caravan” of migrants from the south headed toward our border and who found that a refugee Shabbat was planned in the building. Finally, Trump cannot be relied on to continue any course except possibly self-dealing. Did he build the wall? Did Mexico pay for it? Did he produce something better than Obamacare? On Sept. 26, the New York Times published statements from 91 people who served in Trump’s administration or businesses —and even family members. Cumulatively they paint a picture of a man who has difficulty focusing, is easily manipulated and who thinks only of his own interests.
For all these reasons and more, we urge a vote for Harris. We don’t have to lose our soul, our nefesh Yehudi, to preserve Israel.
Mark Fichman, Orly Aridor, Meir Aridor, Nancy Bernstein, Edward J. Feinstein, Josh Fleitman, Malke Frank, Aidan Jelinek, Dennis Jett, Gil Schneider, Arlene Weiner, Fred Zuhlke and Ronnie Cook Zuhlke J Street Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania ‘deserves better representation’ than Casey
Bob Casey Jr. is a legacy politician. He was elected to the Senate years ago on the strength of his father’s reputation. Bob Casey Sr. was a powerful politician: governor, state senator and a passionately anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment advocate.
Bob Casey Jr. has shown little passion. He consistently votes the party line. In the past term, he has voted the Biden/Harris agenda 98.5% of the time. That bland record has stood him well, but that was before Oct. 7.
The Hamas attack and its aftermath of rising antisemitism in Pennsylvania and elsewhere requires more than blind acquiescence from our elected leaders.
In the Chronicle’s article, (“Sen. Bob Casey stresses support for Israel during ‘Coffee and Conversations,’” Oct. 11), we learn that Casey endorsed Rep. Summer Lee, an antisemitic, anti-Zionist member of “the Squad.” When asked if he would withdraw his endorsement in light of Lee’s Oct. 7 anniversary statement, in which she blamed Israel for the brutal Hamas attack, Casey said: “I realize some want me to get involved in other races. I’ve got a race for the United States Senate and I’m concentrating on earning the vote of our people.”
His statement reveals him to be just another party hack.
I guess some will say, “Well he co-sponsored the ‘Antisemitism Awareness Act’” and he hopes to get the bill voted on “before the end of the year.” Really. That act was passed by the House in March. Schumer won’t bring the bill to the floor for a vote, and after 17 years in the Senate, Bob Casey Jr. should know the ins and outs of the legislative process.
We Jews, as well as all voters in Pennsylvania, deserve better representation in the Senate than that provided by Bob Casey Jr.
Georgia Atkin Pittsburgh
Life & Culture
Daikon radish and cucumber salad
By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle
Ienjoy making simple salads as a way to add fresh vegetables to my table. This recipe combines one of my favorite cucumber salads with fresh, spicy daikon radish and red onion. The dressing is as simple as it gets: vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, a small amount of sugar to soften the sharpness of the fresh onion and a bit of dill for added flavor.
I love the flavor of daikon radishes and I run to get them when they’re in season, but you absolutely can use regular radishes if that is what you have on hand.
Ingredients:
2 cups daikon radish, thinly sliced
2 cups English cucumber, thinly sliced
½ a red onion, peeled and thinly sliced, about ½ cup
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
A pinch of black pepper
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill or 1 teaspoon dried
Fresh dill to garnish, optional
Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Thinly slice half of a red onion and add the slices to the bowl, mixing the onions well with the vinegar and spices.
Allow the onions to soak for 10-15 minutes, stirring the mixture occasionally.
I use a vegetable brush to wash the skins of the radish well; I prefer to leave the skin on the radish because of the vibrant color.
Thinly slice (meaning a few millimeters
thick) the cucumber and radish; don’t slice these on a mandoline or they won’t keep their crunch for long.
Add the dill and the oil to the onions and mix well.
Put the cucumber and radish slices in a medium-sized bowl, then pour the oil and vinegar onions over the vegetables, turning them a few times with a spoon to get the vegetables well coated.
Garnish with fresh dill if desired.
Serve immediately.
Cover leftovers well with plastic wrap and refrigerate. This salad will stay fresh for about 2 days after making it; just keep in mind that the red and purple skins from the radish may bleed into the vinaigrette and
lose their color when stored.
This salad complements a lot of main dishes; alternatively, it can have a Japanese flair if you replace white vinegar with rice vinegar and use red pepper flakes instead of black pepper. When I make it this way I
also add about a tablespoon of sesame oil for flavor — just omit the dill. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC
Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
p Daikon radish and cucumber salad
Photo by Jessica Grann
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Celebrations
Bat Mitzvah
Malena Regina May Friedman will become a bat mitzvah at Rodef Shalom Congregation on Oct. 26, 2024. Malena is a seventh grader at Winchester Thurston Middle School where she plays field hockey for the middle school team. She enjoys drawing, sewing and playing with her two cats. Malena plays the piano and the tuba with enthusiasm. She has chosen to raise funds for the Nahuat Cuna Project in El Salvador, which is an organization aimed at preserving the indigenous language of the Pipil people in El Salvador. She chose this organization after visiting her mother’s home country of El Salvador and learning just how few people there still speak the Nahuat language. She would love to one day study in Paris, France, just like her papa.
Torah
Repairing the world, beginning with action
There’s a line from “Fiddler on the Roof” that I can’t get out of my mind: “It may sound like I’m complaining,” Tevye casually says to God, “but I’m not. After all, with Your help, I’m starving to death.”
How does one begin to repair it when the problems of our times seem so vast?
This past April, following Oct. 7, my daughter came home from Israel for Passover. Anticipating her visit and the tender condition she would surely be in, our seder leader asked her to prepare something to contribute, if she wished. My husband and I did not know about this idea until we heard her voice rise from her place at the seder table.
Yael Daniella Perlman and Matthew Benjamin Max Shapiro were married on Aug. 29, 2024, at Bet Am Shalom in Scarsdale, New York. The father of the bride, Rabbi Jonathan Perlman of New Light Congregation officiated, alongside Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Kehillat Jeshurun in New York. Yael is the daughter of Rabbi Jonathan and Dr. Beth Kissileff Perlman of Squirrel Hill, and granddaughter of Dr. Harry and Karen Kissileff of Teaneck, New Jersey, and the late Dr. Lawrence and Marla Perlman, who resided in Shadyside. Matt is the son of David and Shirley Shapiro of Montreal, Canada, and grandson of Lois and Bill Shubert of Montreal, and Kati and the late Adolf Egett of Montreal. The couple met at Brandeis University, from which they both graduated with high honors, and they are making their home in Jerusalem where Yael has an internship with the Joint Distribution Committee and Matt will be studying for a master’s degree in conflict resolution at the
The Jewish people are not starving, I know. But honestly, the sentiment still works. The times we are living in are dark, sad and frightening; each day we desperately forage for signs of hope so we may begin healing. In fact, a Pew study from March 2024 found that an astounding 83% of Americans feel sad when they hear about the war in Israel and 37% of Americans feel afraid when they hear about it.
This week’s Torah portion, Beresheit, refers to the world before creation as tohu vavohu — “… being unformed and void, with darkness over the surface of the deep, and a wind from God sweeping over the water.” The creation story is about creating order out of that primordial chaos. And I think we might be there again. So, as we read the Torah this week, here are some things to keep in mind:
One of the fundamental ideas in Judaism is imago dei, which is Latin for “image of God.”
This idea that each of us is created in God’s image is a theological term applied uniquely to humans, and denotes a symbolic relationship between God and humanity, the notion that humans mirror God’s divinity. We learn that people are holy because God is holy.
This concept follows throughout the rabbinic ordinances and laws we call mitzvot/ commandments; we are commanded to behave in holy ways — to care for the stranger for example, because God cared for the People of Israel when they were leaving Egypt, or to visit the sick because God visited Abraham after his circumcision. Each of these are ways to be holy by imitating God. God’s creation of the world out of tohu vavohu is no exception to this rule. As God creates, so do we.
God’s creative process has three steps that we see throughout the creation story:
1) The Imagination. To create something, there must be something to create. In our parsha it sounds like this: “And God said, let there be…”
2) The Will. A desire to bring something to action, and the execution of it — the work of making the idea happen. In our parsha it sounds like this: “...and there was…”
3) The Recognition. And finally, we acknowledge that our work is done. In our parsha it sounds like this: “…and God saw that it was good.”
Through creating the natural world, God models for us that when we create, it is holy. So where does that leave us when our present-day world is so terribly broken?
Reading with a toneless voice and trembling hands, Ella eloquently shared what the past six months had been like for her. She shared stories of sadness and anxiety, fear and confusion, perseverance and persistence. Since she had not been called up to reserve duty, and her semester at the university was being repeatedly pushed back, she decided to work. “The best way to contribute was to do something,” she said plainly.
There were multiple lists of volunteer positions that needed to be filled throughout the state: meals to cook and uniforms to launder, therapists and dentists whose skills were in high demand, and displaced people from the south filling hotels that needed systems put in place. She has strong logistical skills so she signed up to work at a nearby hotel. Throughout the following few months she became “the queen of the lobby.” She organized rooms of sorted donations — packages of diapers, clothes and toy umbrella strollers — she stood witness to children melting down, made game rooms and arranged volunteer yoga teachers for the mothers. There were no young men, she told us. There were boys and elderly men, but the hotel was predominantly filled with traumatized and disoriented women and children.
Ella wrote dispatches from the field about her time at The Leonardo to process all she was doing and seeing, describing the wide, watery eyes of barefoot children in pajamas who came from the south in the dark of night after being unsuspectingly yanked out of their beds in the heat of summer, and the red, dry hands of their mothers. When Ella finished talking, everyone was silent. (Have you ever heard a silent seder table?)
Like in our parsha, we begin with action. We imagine what this broken world might need (like logistical support at a hotel full of lost souls), we use our will to make it happen (like standing witness, organizing donations, making yoga classes) and we recognize that our work is good (by sharing at the seder table or writing dispatches from the field). After all, as The Rav Nachman of Breslov famously said, “If you believe that breaking is possible, then you believe fixing is possible.” PJC
Rabbi Kara Tav is a Pittsburgh-based educator, chaplain and counselor. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Clergy Association.
Rabbi Kara Tav Parshat Beresheit Genesis 1:1 – 6:8
Rabbi Walter Jacob passed away at his home in Pittsburgh on Oct. 20, 2024, at the age of 94. Dr. Jacob was born on March 13, 1930, in Augsburg, Germany, the 17th generation of a 400-year rabbinical dynasty. His ther, Ernest Israel Jacob (1899‒1974), was district rabbi of Augsburg and was deported to Dachau concentration camp for several months after Kristallnacht in 1938. His grandfather, Benno Jacob (1862‒1945), was considered one of the great biblical commentators of liberal Judaism. With the help of merican relatives, his family (Walter, his father Ernest, mother Annette Loewenberg Jacob, and brother Herbert) was able to flee Nazi Germany to London in 1939 and immigrated to the USA the following year. In 1943, the family settled in Missouri. Walter received his B.A. from Drury College (1950); was ordained a rabbi and received a Master of Hebrew Letters (1955) and a doctorate (1961) from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. Beginning in 1955, and with the exception of two years (1955-57) serving as an Air Force chaplain in the Philippines, Dr. Jacob spent his entire, lengthy rabbinate at the storied Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh (founded in 1856), where he progressed from assistant to associate to senior rabbi (succeeding the legendary Solomon B. Freehof in 1966 and for the next 30 years), and finally (until his death) to rabbi emeritus and senior scholar. To all his constituencies at home, nationally, and internationally (especially in Germany) Rabbi Jacob was recognized for his rare combination of intellect, compassion and pastoral care. His lengthy tenure at Rodef Shalom provided him the opportunity to serve multiple generations (as many as five) of the same families. His dry sense of humor and the twinkle in his eye invited both congregants and colleagues to turn to him for guidance, support and inspiration. All too rare in today’s polarized world, he embraced others even as they had different perspectives from his own. Rabbi Jacob’s influence was felt far beyond Pittsburgh. From 1992 to 1994, he served as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and from 1990 to 1994 as vice president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, the largest Jewish organization worldwide. He was also an overseer of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, chairman of the Publications Committee of Hebrew Union College Press (1976-1999) and chairman of the Associated American Jewish Museums. Throughout his life, Dr. Jacob sought to combine tradition and renewal. He was particularly committed to making halakhah (Jewish law) relevant for Reform Jews. From 1967-1990, he chaired the Responsa Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, helping to shape the future of the Reform movement in the U.S. and beyond. In 1991, he co-founded and became the first chairman of the Solomon Freehof Institute of Progressive Halakhah. He edited three volumes of Reform responsa, a small fraction of the total of 43 books and over 1,200 learned essays, sermons and articles, which he authored. Also important to Rabbi Jacob was interfaith work. Through his book, “Christianity Through Jewish Eyes,” and as an adjunct professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary from 1968 to 1974, he became a prominent voice in Jewish-Christian dialogue. From 1981 to 1985, he was president of the Religious Education Association of America. He formed close relationships with Pittsburgh’s Catholic bishops and other religious leaders. In 1958, Walter Jacob married Hamburg-born Irene Gitta Loewenthal, who also had several rabbis among her ancestors. For the next 54 years, until Irene’s death in 2012, the two were inseparable. The couple had three children — Claire Helene, Kenneth Gabriel and Daniel Benjamin — all of whom predeceased their parents. Dr. Jacob is survived by nieces and nephews from the United States, Israel and elsewhere. Rodef Shalom’s Biblical Botanical Garden, designed by Irene, opened in 1986, and enthusiastically cultivated by the Jacobs and many volunteers, is the largest of its kind in North America. Dr. Jacob shared his wife’s passion for horticulture and, following her death, he worked tirelessly to ensure that the garden endures as a loving and living memorial to Irene. Also shared by the Jacobs was a love of classical music, art, live theater, the outdoors and travel. On one trip, Walter, lacking any rodeo experience, fell off an ostrich, but recovered sufficiently to lead High Holy Days services while sporting a cast. Much of the last third of Rabbi Jacob’s life was devoted to helping rebuild postwar German Jewry. On a visit to that country in 1996, he realized that there was not a single rabbinical seminary for the rapidly growing Jewish community. This was the impetus for him to found in 1999 the Abraham Geiger College at the University of Potsdam. Its first three “made in Germany” rabbis were ordained in 2006 and they have been followed by dozens of other graduates. Although he felt a deep bond with all those who had lost family members in the Holocaust, Dr. Jacob always believed that more was needed than grief and mourning. On the 75th anniversary of the start of WWII in 2014, he said: “We are realists — memories haunt us, just like the horrors of our time — but we will never be pessimists. Even on this day of dark memories, we look to a bright future.” The following year, when German Chancellor Angela Merkel accepted the Abraham Geiger Prize from him in 2015, she emphasized “what a great gift it is that there is once again a diverse and rich Jewish life in Germany.” Walter Jacob was recognized for his achievements in too many ways to mention them all: honorary doctorates from Hebrew Union College and Drury College; an honorary professorship from the State of Brandenburg; Commander of the Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II; the Israel Jacobson Prize from the Union of Progressive Jews in Germany in 2003; naming of the Abraham Geiger College
Contact the Development department at 412-586-2690 or development@jaapgh.org for more information. THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —
Sunday October 27: Isadore E Binstock, Jack Citron, Mary Levinson Cohen, Sarah Silverblatt Epstein, Edward L Klein, Esther Rogow Landau, Louise Comins Waxler, Dr Alfred L Weiss, Samuel J Wise
Monday October 28: E Louis Braunstein, Harry Cooperman, Dorothy Harris, Barney Holtzman, Sidney H Lefkowitz, Lazor Lewis, Ida Linder, David S Palkovitz, Rachel Povartzik, Celia Rakusin, Milton L Rosenbaum, Florence Shrager, Rita Jo Skirble, Harry S Smizik, Seymour Spiegel, William Stern
Tuesday October 29: Joseph Adler, Shirley Barr, Jean Singer Caplan, Saul Eisner, Louis Friedman, Sam Goldberg, Yitzchok Moshe Issac Goldstein, Jack Greenberg, Sadye R Kantor, Charles Leefer, Louis Levy, Violet C Miller, Alexander Reich, Flora May Shadden, Bertha Ethel Shamberg, Andrew H Shapiro, Adolph Weinberger, Esther H Winkler, Ada Marie Wolfe
Wednesday October 30: William Abrams, Mary Astrov, Peter Davidson, Edward A Feinert, Abraham Hansell, Sylvia B Karpo, Allen W Lebovitz, Harry D Linder, I Edward Plesset, Jesse Rogers, Sara Sadie Sobel, Anna Sokol, Dr Daniel Solomon, Fannie Stein, Mary Stoller, Harry Ulanoff, Donald Eli Witkin, Rose Zasloff
Thursday October 31: Jack Caplan, Morris Chamovitz, Isaiah Cooper, Laurel B Devon, Rose K Freed, Harry Freedman, Pauline J Isaacs, Sarah Jacobson, Rose Bigman Kalmanowitz, Dr Paul Kaplan, Anna Klee, Ethel I Krauss, Ida Magdovitz Krouse, Jacob Joseph Kurtz, Milton Lehman, Dr Leonard M Monheim, Samuel Rosenfeld, Emanuel Rosenthal, Edith F Simon, Joseph Weintraub, I Leroy (Lee) Yahr
Friday November 1: Betty Ainsman, Harry Barash, Bernard M Bennett, Ruth Mermelstein Cramer, Rhoda Fisher Jonas, Freda Leff, Jacob Levenson, Lillian B Martin, Charles Monheim, Traci Michele Perilman, Sadie Schnitzer
Saturday November 2: Fagie Cohen, Oser Cohen, Robert Cohen, Edward Dobrushin, I Louis Eckhouse, Morris Freeman, Israel Gershon, Dorothy Goldstone, Marlene Harris, Albert Hendel, Jacob Katz, Louis A Livingston, David Miller, Eugene Moskovitz, Morris Pechersky, Peter Pink, Sarah Ruth Saul Rosenberg, Berde S Ruttenberg, Sarah Sable, Myer Skirboll, Louis Stern, Rose Wyatt, Bertha Cooper Young, Henry L Zacks
“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.”
Obituaries
Obituaries:
& Lisa Oleinick
Continued from page 23
in Potsdam as the “Walter Jacob Building”; honorary membership in the Liberal Rabbinical Association of Germany; the Grand Cross of the Order of the Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; and the Pursuer of Peace Award from his own Rodef Shalom Congregation. Dr. Jacob’s 2018 biographer, Eric Lidji, characterized Walter as a leader who achieved great things with humility and patience. The rabbi himself once said that he wanted to “create and think of a Jewish world that links us to the past but is ready to embrace a future that we cannot yet imagine.” For all his efforts to create a better world, Rabbi Jacob has earned the right to eternal rest. May his memory be for a blessing. Services were held at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Interment West View Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden, 4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com
LEVINE: Sheldon A. “Shelly” Levine, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. Beloved husband for 66 years of Roslyn “Roz” Jacobs Levine; loving father of Cindy (Miles) Watkins, Barry Levine, Cheryl “Cheri” Mongelluzzo, and dog daughter, Elizabeth. Brother of Carol Klein, Barry Levine and the late Morris “Morry” Levine. Proud “Poppy” of Erica (Justin) Grieco, Sara Watkins (fiancé Tony Schillace) and Daniel Mongelluzzo (fiancée Cassie Cerchiaro). Also survived by nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Shelly, a longtime Pittsburgh resident, was an avid sports enthusiast and owner of Negley Auto Mart. He loved his family, worshipped his grandchildren and his fur puppy. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Ahavath Achim Cemetery, Kennedy Township. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, PO Box 96011, Washington, DC 20090-6011. schugar.com PJC
www.kaminrealty.kamin.com 5125 Fifth Ave. 2 & 3 Bedrooms Corner of Fifth and Wilkins Spacious 1500-2250 square feet ”Finest in Shadyside”
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Community
Community champions
The 16th annual Celebrating Champions Dinner and Auction honored individuals and organizations working to improve lives in Western Pennsylvania. Held at the Westin Pittsburgh, the Oct. 17 event was co-hosted by UPMC Senior Services and UPMC Western Behavioral Health.
p Champion.
Photo courtesy of Karen Oosterhous
Sunday funday
Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh hosted a comedy magic show from Sugar and Spice on Oct. 6.
p In a comedy magic show every punchline is a surprise.
Photo courtesy of Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh
Splish splash
Local swimmers test the waters at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.
p It’s fun to float.
Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
Friday night lights Chabad House on Campus hosted students for a Friday night Shabbat meal.
p
Photo courtesy of Chabad House on Campus
An apple a day Community Day School hosted an apple picking event for families at Simmons Farm.
