Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 11-3-23

November 3, 2023 | 19 Cheshvan 5784

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Rose's Garden celebrates life

A tribute to Rose Mallinger at the JCC Page 2

Candlelighting 5:57 p.m. | Havdalah 6:56 p.m. | Vol. 66, No. 44 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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Community remembers, honors To mark five years since the victims of Oct. 27 synagogue shooting, young learners visit site of attack

LOCAL 'Pray for our hostages'

 Survivors and witnesses addressed those in attendance at the five-year commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Community rallies in support of innocents kidnapped by Hamas

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

Page 3

LOCAL Write-in candidate challenges council incumbent

David Knoll launches campaign for at-large seat Page 4

O

n an unseasonably warm, overcast October afternoon, surrounded by withered leaves and the heavy presence of police and security, community members gathered to commemorate the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

A crowd of hundreds, including survivors of the attack, family members of victims, local community leaders, politicians and interfaith supporters, gathered on Oct. 27 at Prospect Drive in Schenley Park to remember the 11 members of Congregation Dor Hadash, New Light Congregation and Tree of Life Congregation murdered while celebrating Shabbat five years ago.

Heavy in the air was the Hamas terrorist attack that took place 20 days earlier and left 1,400 dead and more than 230 hostages.

The immediacy of the Hamas-Israel war meant that, for some, it was difficult to separate their feelings.

Despite the challenges, Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, which organized the commemoration, said that it was important to take time from other concerns, if possible, to concentrate on the emotions of the day.

“One of the things about trauma is that it’s cumulative, and if we keep piling everything onto it, then it’s hard to heal anything. My encouragement,” she said, “is that in this space, let’s continue to heal the wound and then there’s going to be other spaces in our life to nurture other things, but to not do it all.”

After welcoming words by Feinstein, representatives from each of the 11 victim families lit candles in memory of their loved ones.

Tree of Life’s Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers offered a prayer for the souls of the departed, El Malei Rahamim, in a voice wrought with emotion and cracking as he read the names of the 11 murdered: Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger.

A familiar sight to those who attended previous commemorations, Tree of Life President Alan Hausman honored the first responders to the attack.

Representatives from the three congregations — Dan Leger (Dor Hadash), Barbara Caplan (New Light) and Irwin Harris (Tree of Life) orated the meditation “Every

 Middle schoolers from Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh collected trash en route to the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

S

chool was in session on Oct. 27. Bells rang and tests were administered, yet scores of western Pennsylvanian students stood outside the Tree of Life building.

Five years after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, middle schoolers, high schoolers and young adults paid their respects on the corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues.

Throughout Friday morning, buses stopped, children disembarked and members of Generation Z quietly ambled around the building’s perimeter.

More than 150 students from BaldwinWhitehall, Seneca Valley, Shaler Area, Northgate, Woodland Hills and Avonworth school districts visited the site of the most violent attack on Jews in U.S. history before walking to Chatham University to continue learning about antisemitism.

“It became clear that students wanted to come down here on the five-year anniversary, so we decided to plan an event,”

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Headlines Rose’s Garden dedicated by family and friends at Squirrel Hill JCC — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

M

aster gardener Lauren Mallinger likes getting her fingers dirty.

When the opportunity arose to beautify an outdoor space and honor her late mother-in-law, Mallinger dug in.

Standing beside a newly dedicated area at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, Mallinger pointed to annuals, perennials, pristine fencing and a dedicated plaque bearing the words “Rose’s Garden.”

Given by the Mallinger and Wedner families and friends, the garden is in memory of Rose Mallinger, one of 11 Jewish worshippers murdered during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Dedicated on Oct. 27, 2023, five years to the day of the heinous antisemitic 2018 attack, the garden is a way to remember “Rose’s beauty and how she gave such life to everybody,” said Brian Schreiber the JCC’s chief external affairs officer and special adviser to the CEO. “If you think about Jewish values, the idea of land, and cultivating land, and making things grow, the cycle of life is so real.”

Among her many JCC connections, Rose Mallinger often enjoyed lunch with fellow seniors at the center. In her memory, other adults as well as children can use this outdoor space “in a nice protected beautiful environment,” he added.

Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, credited volunteers from Repair the World Pittsburgh and the JCC’s Sherree Hall with enabling the project to flourish.

“The project is close to my heart because that family is close to my heart,” said Hall,

p Rose Mallinger's grandchildren unveil a plaque dedicated to their matriarch's memory.

Photo by Joshua Franzos

p A rock memorializes Rose Mallinger outside the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill.

Photo by Joshua Franzos

“It’s a beautiful thing to turn an empty space into a place of gathering, which is something that my grandmother loved to do.”

–HILARY SORIANO the JCC’s senior director of facilities and security.

Hall and Alan Mallinger, Rose’s son, worked together for nearly 25 years at the JCC. “When Lauren came to me and said, ‘I’d like to do something up here to honor Rose,’ I was all in,” Hall said.

Three years after the seeds for a memorial garden were planted, generations of family and friends stood nearby. Last Friday, as parents, cousins and friends watched, Rose Mallinger’s grandchildren uncovered a plaque bearing their matriarch’s name. The moment, like most family

gatherings, was captured by countless photographs.

Hilary Soriano said her grandmother would have thoroughly enjoyed the ceremony and setting.

“It’s a beautiful thing to turn an empty space into a place of gathering, which is something that my grandmother loved to do,” Soriano said. “She loved to be with other people. She loved to be social.”

Beautifying a place where generations can gather is how “my grandmother’s memory will live on,” Eric Mallinger told the Chronicle. “She was big in the JCC

community. We were big in it when we were younger. It’s nice there’s a space for everyone here, where everyone can come together. I think she would love that.”

Before Rose Mallinger’s grandchildren dispersed into a crowd of aunts, uncles, cousins, partners, parents, spouses and friends, the words at the bottom of the plaque were read aloud.

“If love alone could have spared you, you would have lived forever.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Advocates for hostages cry for their release on Squirrel Hill corner — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

O

ne week after 50 people silently demonstrated on the corner of Forbes and Murray avenues another 50 returned.

But instead of quietly calling attention to the brutal capture of an estimated 230 individuals — like they did the week before — community members spent Oct. 29 shouting, singing and thrusting photographs into the evening air. Taped to cardboard, printed on paper and emblazoned on banners were images of those taken hostage

by Hamas on Oct. 7.

One man, standing feet from the Squirrel Hill intersection, held a photograph of a toddler beneath the word “kidnapped.” To the man’s left, a child raised a sign reading “Pray for our hostages.”

Chants of “Bring them home” were met by blasted horns from passing drivers signaling agreement with the crowd.

“This will be the last one, hopefully,” organizer Merav Amos said of Sunday’s gathering. “Hopefully, everyone is going to be released and we won’t have to come here again.”

Coupling Amos’ optimism is her pragmatism. In the days before the demonstration, she feverishly rallied community members to stand together, leverage connections and call attention to a “humanitarian” crisis.

“We need to help these people,” she said. “They’re innocent and they were kidnapped from their homes. I don’t know in what world it’s acceptable that people could be abducted from their homes. Women? Children? Old people?

Just plain civilians? Imagine if it would have happened here. This is terrible and we should not tolerate this, no matter what.”

Alla Puchinsky held back tears while explaining the reason for attending the demonstration.

“My sister is in Ashdod. My cousin is in Ashkelon. I was in Israel many times.

What’s going on is absolutely unbelievable,” she said.

Puchinsky left Belarus for Pittsburgh in 1994. Her sister moved to Israel around the same time.

“We came from antisemitism,” she said.

“I have seven grandchildren. I can’t sleep.

Who knows how they can live in such a world?”

Margarita Lemkov stood beside Puchinsky and cited an Oct. 29 news report about an antisemitic crowd storming a tarmac in Dagestan, Russia. Hundreds of people entered the airport, circled a plane arriving from Israel and tried to overturn a police car, the Associated Press reported.

Over the weekend, members of a mob not only attacked the Russian airport and waved signs reading “We are against Jewish refugees,” but “besieged a hotel in search of Jewish guests,” according to The Guardian.

“Our hearts are broken,” Lemkov said.

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p From left: Merav Amos, Sen. John Fetterman and Amitai Bin-Nun hold a sign with pictures of hostages being held by Hamas.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

“People are saying thank you for the support, and it’s very nice, but I should never be thanked for doing the right thing. Every last member of Congress should have that out in front of their offices.”

– SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN Cher Kotovsky came to the corner of Forbes and Murray avenues to “support the state of Israel,” she said.

What’s occurring there now is “a no-win situation,” she continued. “I have no answers.

I just think people should put more signs outside of their home, in solidarity, and we should not be afraid.”

Kotovsky noted that yard signs demonstrating support for Israel were vandalized in Squirrel Hill last week.

“If signs are defiled, then we should put them up again,” she said.

Amos also mentioned the defaced markers and graffitied wall outside Pittsburgh Allderdice High School.

“I have a daughter that goes to Allderdice,” she said. “It’s hard. But we need to be strong about this. We need to make our point, and we need to explain that this issue, about the kidnapped people, is unacceptable.”

p Julie Paris, left, speaks to demonstrators on Oct. 29, 2023.

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Photo by Adam Reinherz

Amos said that remembering the estimated 230 people who were horrifically abducted strengthens the hostages’ families.

“They’re feeling very much alone,” she said.

Peacefully calling attention to an issue, while standing on a street corner, “also shows our local government here in Pennsylvania, and all the representatives, that this is something that is important and that they should help us,” she added.

Amitai Bin-Nun attended the group’s first gathering on Oct. 22.

Standing silently with others last week was a “really helpful way to be able to express my feelings, all of our feelings, that kidnapped children belong home, that kidnapped parents belong home, that kidnapped grandparents belong home,” he said.

Following the first demonstration, Bin-Nun reached out to Amos. He asked if he could spread the word to local congregations and political leaders. Amos agreed. Hours before the Oct. 29 meetup, congregations sent messages encouraging members to show up on the corner of Forbes and Murray.

Moments after the scheduled 5 p.m. start, Bin-Nun and Amos’ efforts were apparent. Julie Paris, a regional director of StandWithUs, addressed the crowd with a megaphone; Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel of the Aleph Institute wrapped tefillin on attendees. A Pittsburgh police officer stood guard.

The energetic crowd quieted to sing “Hatikvah” in unison.

Nearly an hour after the event began, most attendees had dispersed. Amos, Bin-Nun and several demonstrators remained.

A couple, en route to dinner, patiently stopped and showed support. Earlier in the week, the man had called national attention to the cause by displaying photographs of the hostages outside his office. Now, standing beside the event’s organizers while wearing his iconic hoodie and shorts, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman deflected praise.

“People are saying thank you for the support, and it’s very nice, but I should never be thanked for doing the right thing,” Fetterman told the Chronicle. “Every last member of Congress should have that out in front of their offices.”

Fetterman said he’s “met with the victims and their families” and that people should know about the “barbarism and the horror of what Hamas has done.”

“I am appalled that the U.N. cannot even issue a resolution to condemn Hamas, or even mention Hamas. Let’s be very clear,” he said. “It’s because of Hamas. Every last death is because of that evil.”

Between Squirrel Hill street corners and congressional offices in Washington D.C. is shared responsibility regarding the hostages, he said.

“We must bring every last one of them home.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Jewish Pittsburghers take action in response to Hamas’ terrorist attack — LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer

S

ounding like a disciple of Hillel, Dr. Allan Tissenbaum said his decision to go to Israel was made some time ago.

“It was made over many, many years of being a Zionist living in the U.S.,” he said. “We’ve got to stand up for ourselves because no one else is going to stand up for us. This is the way I stand up. I’m not going to carry a gun, because I can’t, but this is what I can do to help the cause.”

After the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack during which 1,400 people were murdered and more than 230 kidnapped, Tissenbaum, an orthopedic surgeon, called Scott Goldstein, the Emergency Volunteer’s Project representative in America, to say he was ready to leave for Israel.

EVP’s mission is to train and send doctors, nurses, paramedics, firefighters and other community members to volunteer in Israel when needed.

Tissenbaum joined the program several years ago and was one of the first doctors deployed to Israel after the Oct. 7 attack. When he arrived, the ground invasion hadn’t started and there wasn’t much to do. But the medical part of the journey is only part of the reason he, and the other doctors, made the journey.

“Being here, we’re helping the war in a spiritual way,” he said. “Ruach, spirit, we’re here for that. We’re here for everybody. We are all prepared for what we have to do.”

Emergency room physician Dr. Mark Doyal said that when he learned of the Hamas attack, he wasn’t sure what he could do to help.

Then he received an email from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Debbie Swartz. The organization’s board had approved $20,000 to help send volunteers through EVP to Israel and was looking for doctors interested in participating.

Doyal contacted Goldstein and was on his way to Israel a little more than a week after the attack.

As he boarded the plane, Doyal said he was filled with mixed emotions. As an ER doctor in both Shadyside and McKeesport, he

p Dr. Allan Tissenbaum (left) and Dr. Mark Doyal (second from left) traveled with other volunteers to Israel to help after the Hamas terrorist attack.

Photo provided by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

is used to seeing “very injured people.”

“That’s part of my professional rhythm,” he said. “Going into a war zone, that takes things to a different level, so there’s a mix of apprehension and anticipation.”

Part of the calculus of Doyal’s decision is that what’s happening in Israel could come “knocking on our door.”

“This has been this growing, for me, since 2015, that the world is progressively becoming a more dangerous place,” he said.

Not everyone, of course, can help with Israel’s medical needs, but there are other ways to volunteer.

Shaare Torah Rabbi Yitzi Genack said that several Jewish community members left Pittsburgh as soon as possible to help in Israel. The volunteers, he said, are doing everything from working in the IDF to serving as EMTs to driving ambulances.

Those volunteers, he explained, leave behind families that the community has coalesced behind, offering support.

As an example, Genack said, a woman whose husband is in Israel received a phone call from a concerned community member.

“They said, ‘Can I take out your garbage?’

She said, ‘I can take out my garbage.’ And they said, ‘No, if your husband is serving in a unit on the front line, we want to take your garbage down,’” Genack recalled.

Laurie Wasser Klitsner moved from Israel

to Pittsburgh with her husband Yisrael and four children a year ago for a fellowship with UPMC’s Vision Institute.

Klitsner’s husband is in the IDF, serving as part of the reserves. When the attack happened, he wasn’t immediately called up to serve but decided to return to Israel anyway.

She said that she’s proud and happy that her family has been able to contribute to the response, especially considering the rising wave of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, particularly since Israel responded to Hamas’ attack.

She’s been touched by the community’s support.

“There has been incredible support from the community — Orthodox, Conservative, not religious, affiliated but not practicing, everyone across the board,” she said. “We feel very supported.”

She noted a meal train that has been created for families with a parent in Israel, as well as playdates and babysitting.

“I find myself leaning in because it’s better not to be alone,” she said. “We are so grateful.”

Rabbi Oren Levy, an assistant principal at Hillel Academy, said that the support started with the community providing meals.

“You know, a hot meal on Shabbat, inviting them for Friday night dinner or Shabbat lunch,” he said. “Then it extended. A lot of people have been sending care packages.”

Others have taken kids to the park and

helped with homework, he said.

When the Hamas terrorist attack happened, he said, people were numb. After processing the information, they wanted to help.

“I think people needed to put something more into action,” he said. “Some people were called to the frontlines, and here in Pittsburgh we’ve been called up to help out.”

For others, a financial contribution made more sense.

One local community member who asked not to be identified said he heard that Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, which was attacked

by Hamas, was seeking donations.

He reached out to members of Poale Zedeck’s kiddush club, which raised $1,666 to be donated to a JGive page (jgive.com/new/ en/ils/donation-targets/110527/about) set up for the kibbutz in honor of two volunteers from Pittsburgh.

The amount raised, $1,666, “is the numerical values, the gematria, of the word l’chaim, or life, times the word tov, or good,” he explained.

Former Mt. Lebanon resident and graduate of Temple Emanuel’s Hebrew school Ezra Gershanok also wanted to find a way to help.

Gershanok is one of the founders of Ohana, a startup that assists landlords with subleasing apartments. When he heard that IDF soldiers were leaving the U.S. to serve in Israel, he set up a GoFundMe page (gofundme.com/f/ rent-relief-for-americanisraeli-reservists) to pay the rent of 20 Israelis for a month, many of whom are students and food service workers.

So far, the site has raised more than $18,000 of its $36,000 goal.

The fund, he said, helps fight the helplessness he feels.

“This feeling of Jewish continuity,” he said, “and making sure there’s a safe place for Jews to live forever is something I feel very strong about and you feel kind of powerless here in the United States, watching from the sidelines and posting on social media.”

Like other Jewish Pittsburghers, Gershanok has found a way to help from the States.

“This was an opportunity,” he said, “a way that I could feel useful.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Write-in candidate challenges Allegheny Council member whose social media posts seemed to celebrate Hamas — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

I

t’s too late for the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club to revoke its earlier primary endorsement of Bethany Hallam, but the club’s president, Karen Hochberg, will not vote for her in the general election next week.

Hallam, one of two at-large Allegheny County Council representatives, was endorsed by the club in a mailer distributed to voters in the spring before the primary election, Hochberg said. The club does not distribute a 4

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

mailer with endorsements in the fall.

While Hochberg said “there’s no mechanism in the club’s bylaws” to retract its endorsement, she and several other club members no longer support Hallam.

“I’m not going to vote for Bethany as I have in the past,” Hochberg said. “I think she’s reckless.”

That’s because on Oct. 7, in response to the barbaric attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians, Hallam reposted a poem on X (formerly Twitter) about breaking down walls and a celebratory video of the terrorists breaking down the security gate on their way to murder, rape and kidnap Israeli civilians, including children.

Other anti-Israel posts followed. At least one

has been removed.

Hallam is seeking her second term as an at-large council member. Sam DeMarco III, a Republican who has served on the council since 2015, and Hallam are the only two candidates on the ballot for the two at-large positions.

But last week, Squirrel Hill resident David Knoll launched his campaign as a write-in candidate, hoping to gain the support of Democrats who might otherwise have voted for Hallam.

“Jews in Allegheny County and worldwide understood immediately that responses like Hallam’s would make them unsafe wherever they lived, no matter their relationship to Israel, simply because they are Jewish,” Knoll

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said in a news release. “In the weeks since the war began, protestors who share Hallam’s support for Hamas have taken to the streets, threatening and committing violence against Jews and Jewish spaces. In my own neighborhood, incidents of antisemitic intimidation are increasing. And still Hallam has not backed away from her initial statements.”

Knoll said he never intended to run for political office, but he grew up listening to stories from his parents and grandparents “about what happens when bad leaders take power.”

“When I reflect on the stories my grandmother shared with me about how quickly Please see Candidate, page 21

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Headlines House overwhelmingly passes resolution condemning Hamas Oct. 7 massacres; Summer Lee one of 10 in opposition — LOCAL —

By Ron Kampeas | JTA and Toby Tabachnick | Editor

W

ASHINGTON — In its first action under its new speaker, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly condemned the deadly invasion of Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, which launched Israel’s current war against the terror group in Gaza.

“With the most cosponsors of any resolution ever, this measure sends a clear message across the globe: The U.S. stands with Israel,” Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee, said after the vote Wednesday, posting on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The resolution was approved 412-10, with another six members voting present, out of 435 congressional seats. A number of lawmakers were absent, and at least one seat remains empty pending a special election.

Rep. Summer Lee, who represents Squirrel Hill, was among the 10 lawmakers who voted against the resolution.

In addition to Lee, those voting against were Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, and nine Democrats: Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Jamaal Bowman of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri, Al Green of Texas, Andre Carson of Indiana and Delia Ramirez of Illinois. Most of the Democratic votes were from the Squad, a group of progressive lawmakers.

McCaul, working with his Democratic counterpart on the committee, New York’s Gregory Meeks, garnered 425 co-sponsors for the resolution, which declares that the House of Representatives “stands with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists” and “stands ready to assist Israel with emergency resupply and other security, diplomatic, and intelligence support.”

Among the co-sponsors, unusually, were party leaders, including Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic minority leader.

Meeks and McCaul, with the backing of the

p U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, on the left, hands the gavel to newly elected Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, after the House of Representatives held an election in the U.S. Capitol, on Oct. 25.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

American Israel Public Affairs Committee, first pressed for the resolution on Oct. 10, three days after Hamas’ invasion. Within a day they had garnered 390 co-sponsors, including progressives who have been harshly critical of Israel. But they were frustrated by the inability of Republicans to elect a speaker after a cadre of far-right lawmakers ousted Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who previously held the role. McCaul pledged to make the resolution the first thing the House passed under a new Speaker.

Mike Johnson, the Louisiana Republican who ended weeks of stalemate with his election as speaker just before the vote, said in his first remarks in the role that he was committed to Israel’s security.

“We have no better friend in the Middle East than the state of Israel,” he said. “Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state. The special relationship between the United States and Israel is unbreakable. Our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad and Israel has a right to defend itself under the international rules of war against the brutal terror unleashed on its citizens by Hamas.”

Jeffries, who participated in the ceremonial passing of the gavel to Johnson, also expressed support for Israel in his remarks.

Johnson said he would work with President Joe Biden to pass emergency defense assistance for Israel. Biden has asked for $10.4 billion,

which Republicans say they are amenable to; however, he has coupled it with a request for $60 billion in assistance for Ukraine as it continues to fend off Russia’s invasion, which is controversial among Republicans.

Five of the six co-sponsors who voted “present” were on the Democratic Party’s progressive left, which came under intense pressure from outside groups to refrain from backing a resolution that did not call for a ceasefire. They were Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Nydia Velázquez of New York, Greg Casar of Texas, and Chuy Garcia of Illinois. The sixth lawmaker voting “present” was Ayanna Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat who did not co-sponsor the resolution.

Summer Lee, while condemning “the violence Hamas unleashed in Israel, particularly the horrific kidnapping and killing of over a thousand innocent civilians and children,” said in a prepared statement that she could not support a resolution that “does not acknowledge the overwhelming loss of life and humanity of Palestinians which moves us further from — not closer to — a just and lasting peace. This is a critical mistake that falls short of what the world needs in this moment — which is why I voted ‘No.’” Lee is one of five representatives cosponsoring a resolution calling for a ceasefire.

“The only path to peace, the only path to

saving more innocent Palestinian and Israeli children and hostages is de-escalation,” Lee said in her prepared statement. “The people of Gaza need food, water, electricity and now basic health care. Innocent Israeli and American hostages need to be released. We need a Ceasefire NOW.” Democrats who voted in favor the bill strongly criticized their colleagues who rejected it.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said, “someone who votes against this I would think doesn’t have a soul,” Jewish Insider reported. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said that members who were unwilling to vote for the bill “are not worthy of serving in this body” and should “resign in disgrace.”

Bhavini Patel, an Edgewood councilperson who will be challenging Lee in the Democratic primary for the District 12 seat, said she would have voted in favor of the bill and criticized Lee for voting against it.

“Since October 7th, the Congresswoman’s statements have equivocated Hamas’ murdering, raping, and kidnapping of grandparents, children and so many innocent civilians,” Patel said in a prepared statement. “She has failed to show support after this massive loss of life by not listening to her constituents and not showing up for two large public solidarity events in the community.

“Congresswoman Lee also posted reactionary comments blaming Israel for bombing a hospital, when video and intelligence later showed the misfired rocket came from an armed militant group in Gaza. I agree with President Biden and the White House; there are not two sides in this battle between Hamas and Israel. To say so is wrong and disgraceful.”

Lee did not respond to a request for an interview.

Hamas killed more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, in its raids, wounded thousands of others and abducted more than 230. Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health ministry says that Israeli strikes have so far killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, including many children. How many of the Palestinian dead are terrorists and how many are civilians cannot currently be assessed. PJC

Squirrel Hill hit with antisemitic graffiti on eve of synagogue shooting commemoration — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

A

ntisemitic graffiti was found painted on a wall outside of Allderdice High School in Squirrel Hill the morning of Oct. 26, just one day before Pittsburghers would be commemorating five years since the antisemitic massacre at the Tree of Life building.

The defaced wall read: “Free Palestine from Pittsburgh to Gaza.”

Shawn Brokos, director of community security for the Jewish Federation of Greater PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Pittsburgh, received reports of the graffiti early Thursday morning.

“We immediately notified the school administrators as well as local police,” Brokos said.

Security personnel at other nearby Jewish institutions were also alerted.

“Fortunately, we received a prompt response from Allderdice,” Brokos said, and by 10 a.m. that morning, the graffiti was removed.

Police are investigating the matter.

Allderdice’s Principal James McCoy condemned the vandalism in a letter to parents.

“This morning, we discovered an offensive message in graffiti on the premises,” he wrote. “The message contained hurtful and divisive language that goes against

p Defaced yard sign in Squirrel Hill

Photo courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

the principles of respect, inclusivity, and kindness that we hold dear.

“We want to emphasize that we do not tolerate such behavior within our Pittsburgh

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Allderdice school community,” McCoy continued. “We take this matter very seriously, and we are working closely with law enforcement to ensure that appropriate action is taken.”

Several yard signs supporting Israel, displayed on private property in Squirrel Hill, also were found defaced last Thursday morning. Those incidents were reported to law enforcement as well, Brokos said.

She believes that the timing of the vandalism “was very strategic because of tomorrow being the five-year commemoration,” Brokos said on Oct. 26. “I think that the timing was very strategic, as were the locations.”

Please see Graffiti, page 11

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

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Headlines County executive candidate Sara Innamorato meets Jewish community at Federation forum — LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

S

ara Innamorato said she was “disheartened” and “appalled” by the statements and tweets of the Democratic Socialists of America following Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

Since the incursion, the leaders of the DSA have blamed Israel for Hamas’ actions and described Israel as an “apartheid state.”

“So, I had to put out a statement saying there’s no question that I stand with my Jewish neighbors,” Innamorato said. “I can’t understand the pain fully, but I want to and I want to be here as a friend to the Jewish community, a community that has lifted me up as a representative, a candidate and as a legislator.”

Innamorato, a candidate for Allegheny County executive, was speaking on Oct. 24 at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Coffee and Conversation forum.

The political hopeful told Laura Cherner, director of Federation’s Community Relations Council, that she was endorsed by the DSA in 2016, and again in 2018, around the Medicare for All initiative, and then on raising the minimum wage and economic justice issues that touched on race.

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NOVEMBER 3, 2023

p County executive candidate Sara Innamorato met with CRC Director Laura Cherner during a Coffee and Conversations forum Oct. 24.

Photo by David Rullo

By 2019, Innamorato said, she felt the DSA was no longer rooted in the day-to-day struggles of people and in creating a more equitable and inclusive world, so she left the organization.

Discussing the five-year commemoration of the attack at the Tree of Life building, Innamorato said that like many in the community, she thought the conclusion of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s trial would bring “light at the end of the tunnel.”

That was before Israel was forced to go to war with Hamas.

“I’ve heard from my friends in the Jewish community,” she said, “that it feels like a scar has been ripped back open.”

Innamorato said that, as county executive, she wouldn’t have a hand in making foreign policy but she would work to ensure everyone in the community feels heard, safe and has the necessary security to go about their lives.

“I can use the bully pulpit of the county executive office to make sure we are stamping out any inkling of hate that begins to manifest itself, whether it’s antisemitism or Islamophobia, and that we are using the full power of the county executive’s office to ensure we are recommitting ourselves to be an inclusive community for all, and that antisemitism has no place in our region, in any facet of our government or in our community,” she said.

Shifting focus to more general issues in the county, Innamorato said it was important to think about what public resources are being dedicated to ensure people have a high quality of life, which means investing in public transportation, infrastructure and schools, along with clean air and water.

The unemployment rate, she said, is low, but that means there is a shallow talent pool available to both small businesses and corporations. The focus, she said, should be not only

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on creating jobs but caring for companies that are already here.

Innamorato cited the new micro-nuclear reactors being built in Etna as an example of the type of development that makes sense for the area.

“We’re talking about creating carbon-free energy in a place like Etna. This is going to have a strong community benefit agreement attached to it,” she said, noting that there are federal and state dollars available to make these types of projects a reality.

The county, she said, should serve as a convening power in the region, bringing together area universities, workforce development agencies, labor unions, community stakeholders and private businesses to find opportunities.

Asked about infrastructure, Innamorato said the county needs to do a better job of investing in it, especially as climate change negatively affects its lifespan.

Applying a sustainability lens to infrastructure will be important, she noted, looking at things like bicyclist and pedestrian safety, especially in small communities and main streets.

The county executive hopeful spent time discussing the criminal justice system and issues at the Allegheny County Jail.

Please see Innamorato, page 8

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Calendar 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.

Philosophy. In this course, Rabbi Schiff will introduce the great Jewish philosophers of modernity and will make their important ideas understandable and relevant to today. $95. Zoom. jewishpgh.org/event/ modern-jewish-philosophy/2023-10-16.

 FRIDAY, NOV. 3 Rodef Shalom Congregation wants to spend Shabbat with you. Families with young children are invited to join Cantor Toby Glaser and Family Center Director Ellie Feibus for a pre-Shabbat playdate, services and dinner to celebrate Shabbat together. 4:30 p.m. $5 per family. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org.

 MONDAYS, NOV. 6 – DEC. 18 Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.

 SUNDAY, NOV. 5 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff for "Redeeming Captives: A Vexing Dilemma." The program is free on Zoom, from 10-11:30 a.m. Register at /jfedpgh.org/ federation-learning.

The Israel Heritage Room at the University of Pittsburgh presents its 2023 Heritage Room Lecture.

Dr. Hila Nehushtan will present “Paradoxical Bodies: Responsibility, Morality and Culture in Weight Loss Surgeries in Israel.” Co-sponsored with the Jewish Studies Program of the University of Pittsburgh.

4 p.m. in the English Heritage Room, 144 Cathedral of Learning.

Join Chabad of Greenfield for Unite for Israel, an evening of unity and Jewish pride, with the one and only Doron Kornbluth. 7 p.m. Suggested donation $18.

4315 Murray Ave. chabadofgreenfield.com/Israel.  SUNDAYS, NOV. 5 – DEC. 3 Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for its Men’s Tefillin Club. Enjoy bagels, lox and tefillin on the first Sunday of the month. 8:30 a.m. chabadpgh.com.  SUNDAYS, NOV. 5 – DEC. 17 Join a lay-led online parshah study group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. 8:30 p.m.

For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.  MONDAY, NOV. 6 Join Rodef Shalom for “Painter Ellis Silvette, My Grandfather,” a free lecture by David Heller about his grandfather’s portraits and their connection to the Pittsburgh Jewish community. 7 p.m. rodefshalom.org/silvette.  MONDAYS, NOV. 6 – DEC. 4 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff for Modern Jewish

 MONDAYS, NOV. 6 – MAY 13 H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff presents Torah 2. Understanding the Torah and what it asks of us is perhaps one of the most important things that a Jew can learn. In Torah 2, Schiff will explore the second half of Leviticus and all of Numbers and Deuteronomy. $225. Zoom. jewishpgh.org/event/torah-2-2/2023-10-09.  TUESDAYS, NOV. 7 – NOV. 14 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff for The Jewish Calendar.

Sometimes the holidays come “early” and sometimes the holidays come “late.” Why? In this series, Rabbi Schiff will explore the Jewish texts that gave rise to the Jewish calendar. How does the cycle of the Jewish year actually work, and what meaning does it offer to us? 9:30 a.m. Zoom. $55. jewishpgh.org/ series/the-jewish-calendar.  WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 8 --15 Join Classrooms Without Borders’ Jerusalem-based scholar, Avi Ben-Hur, for a weekly update on the situation in Israel. Avi’s expertise and extensive historical knowledge of the Arab-Israeli conflict will enable him to provide a particularly nuanced and insightful analysis on the complexities of the war.

As a long-time resident of Jerusalem, Avi is also experiencing the war on the home front and will offer a personal perspective on cultural and societal attitudes and reactions as the war continues. 2 p.m. https:// cwbpgh.org/event/israel-update-with-avi-ben-hur-10/.

understanding and personal growth. 7:30 p.m. Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com.  WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 8 – DEC. 27 Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m.

For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/life-text.

Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torah portion class on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link.  WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 8 – MAY 15 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh virtually presents two Melton courses back-to- back: “Ethics” and “Crossroads.” In “Ethics,” learn how Jewish teachings shed light on Jewish issues. “Crossroads” will present an emphasis on reclaiming the richness of Jewish history. 7 p.m. $300 for this 25-session series (book included). jewishpgh.org/series/melton-ethics-crossroads.  THURSDAY, NOV. 9 Join the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for “A Conversation with Holocaust Survivor Albert Farhy,” the first of the Elizabeth Sylvian Memorial Lectures, which address issues related to the Holocaust, including lessons still to be learned and implications for the 21st century. This program also marks the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht. 6 p.m.

Chatham University’s Eddy Theatre, Woodland Road, 15232. The recommended donation for this event is $10, but registration is free, and the cost should not be a barrier to attendance. hcofpgh.org/events.  SATURDAY, NOV. 11 Tree of Life presents the West Point Jewish Chapel Choir performing a special Veteran’s Day concert.

Following the concert, there will be a dessert reception and coffee bar. 7 p.m. Early bird admission $20 per person/$15 with valid student ID, available until Nov. 6. $25 at the door. Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave. treeoflifepgh.org/event/ westpointconcert.

 WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 8 – DEC. 6 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff for The God Class.

Schiff will discuss Jewish views of God and how they’ve developed through the ages. 9:30 a.m. $150. jewishpgh.org/event/the-god-class/2023-09-27.

 SUNDAY, NOV. 12 Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill and gather with teen girls from the neighborhood to bake desserts for Our Giving Kitchen at Treats by Teens. 3:30 p.m. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com.

Chabad of the South Hills presents a new six-week JLI course, “The World of Kabbalah – Revealing How Its Mystical Secrets Relate to You.” Discover the core mystical and spiritual teachings of Kabbalah and their relevance to everyday life. Learn to think like a Jewish mystic and gain powerful insights to fuel deeper self-

 TUESDAY, NOV. 14 Join The Jewish Spark/The Jewish Sisterhood for Flavors of the World supporting Israel. Savor international appetizers, Israeli wines and cuisine from Israel, India, Iraq, Cuba, Turkey, Greece, Japan, Korea and the Dominican Republic prepared

by Chef Kathy Mendelson Horne. 6:30 p.m. $70.

Riverside Event Center, 12 Washington Ave., Oakmont. thejewishspark.com/new-products-2/ sjs82dhdspknkb8w5u1f2a0azyiisv.

Join Temple Sinai for Songs of Hope with Cantor David Reinwald and author James Grymes, author of the book “Violins of Hope.” Several songs from the Holocaust will be performed by Reinwald, as well as on instruments from the Violins of Hope collection. Free and open to the public. 7 p.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/songsofhope23.html.  WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 Join AgeWell for an intergenerational family dynamics discussion group, led by intergenerational specialist/presenter and educator Audree Schall.

Third Wednesday of each month. Free. 12:30 p.m.

South Hills JCC.  THURSDAY, NOV. 16 Women are invited to bake festive fall challahs with Chabad of Squirrel Hill at Loaves of Gratitude. 7 p.m. $12. 1700 Beechwood Boulevard. chabadpgh.com.  FRIDAY, NOV. 17 Temple Sinai presents a Tot Shabbat with Cantor David Reinwald. Snacks and fun at 5 p.m. Service starts at 5:30 p.m. Complimentary kid-friendly dinner at 5:45 p.m. Ages 0-5. Contact Danie Oberman to register: 412-421-9715, ext. 121, or Danie@templesinaiPGH.org.  SATURDAY, NOV. 18 Join Chabad of the South Hills for C-Teen, Jr. for Jewish tweens grades 6-8, at Top Golf.

6:30 p.m. $15/Early Bird $10 until Nov. 12.

400 Presto-Sygan Road, 15017. For more information, contact Rabbi Levi Rosenblum, rabbilevi@chabadsh.com.chabadsh.com/.  SUNDAY, NOV. 19 Oh! What a Night! “The Clergy Boys” is a funny, heartwarming musical tribute about four good kids who went rogue and became cantors. Join Congregation Beth Shalom for strolling supper and cocktails before the show at 6 p.m. or just come at 7:30 p.m. for the show.

This is the congregation’s annual Come Together Gala fundraiser honoring Terry and Kenny Steinberg.

Tickets and info at bethshalompgh.org.  THURSDAY, NOV. 30 Chabad of Squirrel Hill presents A Celebration of Light, an evening of women’s song and stories exploring the gift of Chassidism. 7 p.m. $10.

1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. PJC

Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar

3473 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412.586.4347 | sentirestaurant.com Free off street parking after 6:00PM PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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NOVEMBER 3, 2023 7

Headlines Fighting Back: College students address antisemitism through self-defense classes — LOCAL —

By Dionna Dash | Special to the Chronicle

I

n the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, two Jewish students at the University of Pittsburgh are stepping up to fight back against antisemitism — literally.

As the war between Hamas and Israel continues, and anti-Israel rhetoric on campus rises, Ian Branstetter and Hannah Margolis, both members of Pitt’s Mixed Martial Arts Club, are leading beginner self-defense classes for Jewish students. They have held one session so far, with participants coming from both Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University, and will offer additional classes as interest rises.

“I remember first hearing the news and being pretty distraught,” said Branstetter, a senior at Pitt studying business information systems and marketing. “I knew this would affect the student community here.”

Margolis had a similar reaction.

“Like most other Jews, I was concerned and afraid of what was happening. I didn’t know how many people were hurt, what this meant for the future of Israel or where Israel could go from here,” Margolis, a junior who is also studying business information systems, noted.

Margolis heard these fears echoed by her peers, some of whom said they were feeling unsafe on campus since the start of the war.

Margolis, a vocal advocate for the mental and physical benefits of martial arts, suggested a self-defense class and received overwhelming support for the idea.

p Ian Branstetter (second from right) and members of Pitt’s MMA Club

Photo courtesy of Ian Branstetter

She enlisted Branstetter, president of Pitt’s MMA Club, to teach the class, as he previously taught basic self-defense to sorority groups at Pitt and children at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania.

“He’s such a great teacher,” Margolis said.

“I’ve learned so much from him, and I knew that he would be supportive of these other beginners.”

Branstetter started wrestling at the age of 6 and began studying a larger scope of martial arts, like kickboxing and jiujitsu, in high school. Margolis got her start a bit later, playing a variety of sports in high school but not seeking out martial arts until college.

Despite her delayed introduction to MMA, Margolis’ interest in self-defense started early.

“My shul would have an intro to Krav Maga class each year when I was in elementary school, and my dad would always take me,” she recounted. “It helped me understand how to be

aware of my surroundings and made me realize that I’m not helpless and I can protect myself.”

Aside from this sense of self-empowerment, Margolis finds multiple mental health benefits in the exercise.

“I’m a very anxious person, and it helps me alleviate some of that,” she said. “Being both Jewish and a woman, it can often be scary walking by myself, especially at night when it’s dark. Once I started doing MMA, I didn’t feel as defenseless.”

Branstetter and Margolis hosted their first self-defense class on Sunday, Oct. 22.

Participants learned the proper forms and stances for throwing punches and kicks, but the main focus of the class was de-escalation and the role body language plays in avoiding a physical confrontation.

“Body language is a secondary type of communication, and it says so much about whether you’re willing to fight or not,” Margolis

explained. “De-escalation should always be the first strategy. There are so many unknowns in a fight, and it’s best to not engage if possible.”

While neither Branstetter nor Margolis have experienced antisemitism directed specifically at them on campus, they agree that social media can make campus feel unsafe.

“Some posts I see from other students I follow have been more lenient towards Hamas’ actions than I would’ve hoped,” Branstetter said.

Margolis agreed, noting that social media often stirs up fear because it emboldens people to take sides and publicly share their opinions, potentially leading to threatening posts.

“There’s definitely a sense of paranoia generated by social media,” Margolis said.

“There have also been some articles published by the Pitt News where some of the rhetoric bordered on antisemitic.”

She hopes the self-defense classes will give students a renewed sense of security.

“I hope that people leave the class understanding that these situations are not likely to happen but feeling empowered to handle them if they do,” she said.

Branstetter said he was not expecting the students to have to use anything they learned during the class.

“I mostly want them to have a feeling of safety and confidence in themselves,” he said. “Hopefully, it can help them get their minds off of what’s happening in Israel, get some exercise and boost their confidence a bit.” PJC Dionna Dash is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia.

Senate passes resolution in honor of fifth commemoration of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting — LOCAL —

U

.S. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) announced on Thursday the unanimous Senate passage of a resolution recognizing the fifth commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, remembering the 11 Jewish worshippers who were murdered and the seven others, including five law enforcement officers, who were injured during the attack.

“Five years ago, our Nation witnessed a cowardly and horrific act of violence as

Innamorato: Continued from page 6

She said that it was important to have a jail that “ensures people are respected, that they are treated with dignity, that can actually deliver on public safety and not just churn people through a system that spits them out in a place where they are now more vulnerable and less connected and more traumatized. That’s not a recipe for success.”

When choosing future leaders at the jail, she said it was important to find people who are “community-oriented.”

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NOVEMBER 3, 2023

11 Jewish worshippers observing Shabbat morning services across three congregations — Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light — at a synagogue in Pittsburgh were tragically killed,” Casey said. “With this unanimously-passed resolution, we honor the memory of those taken from us that day and reaffirm in the strongest terms that hatred has no place in our Nation.”

“Five years ago, a shooter entered the Tree of Life synagogue and murdered eleven worshippers in a hateful, disgusting, and antisemitic attack. We will never forget this hateful act, the victims who were injured or

killed, and its impact on the Jewish community in Pittsburgh and nation-wide,” Fetterman said.

The resolution honors the memory of the victims of the antisemitic attack at the synagogue home to the Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light congregations; honors the first responders and those who continue to provide care for the survivors and their families, as well as the law enforcement agencies and federal prosecutors who worked to bring the perpetrator to justice; expresses solidarity with the Pittsburgh Jewish community and those affected by the massacre; condemns rising antisemitism in all its forms; and reaffirms the

commitment of the United States to protect the right to freely exercise religious beliefs, according to a news release from Casey’s office.

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, who represents Squirrel Hill, also introduced a resolution honoring the memory of the victims of the synagogue shooting and pledging to fight all forms of antisemitism and bigotry.

The resolution was signed by 63 members of the House, and all eight Democratic members of the Pennsylvania Congressional delegation, including Pittsburgh-area U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

“We want to leverage the conversations that are already happening in the community and invite them to the table,” she said.

The county jail, she said, is not a good place to work right now, with forced overtime and staffing issues. She also said that better mental health resources are needed.

Asked about property taxes, Innamorato said that she wanted a system that was predictable, modern and transparent.

“We do need to address the disparities and inequities and inherent unfairness in our current system,” she said, “and that can be achieved through a property-free assessment.”

That goal can be accomplished, Innamorato said, by bringing together experts from the academic space to work on this issue.

She also said it was important to find ways to keep people in their homes. As an example, she cited a long-term owner-occupant program, which helps to freeze or address property bills.

Nonprofit organizations also play a role, she said, noting that in other counties there are PILOTS (payments in lieu of taxes) that are paid by entities like UPMC, Allegheny Health Network, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University — or “the big five,” as she called them.

“They have a lot of property that’s taxexempt,” she said.

Innamorato called governing “a team sport.”

“It’s about partnerships,” she said. “It’s about communication and access to our government. I’ve had the experience of working in the private sector, working in the nonprofit sector, owning my own business, being a state representative. That diversity and experience lends itself to being a good, elected official and really being able to bring those experiences to the county executive office.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronice.org.

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Headlines — WORLD — At Brandeis, resolution to condemn Hamas fails student senate

Brandeis’ student government voted down a resolution on Oct. 22 condemning Hamas and calling on the terror group to release all of its hostages, JTA.org reported.

Only six members of the university’s Student Union Senate voted in favor of the resolution, while 10 voted against and five abstained, according to a representative who was present at the vote.

“It’s absolutely infuriating,” said Stephen Gaughan, a Jewish sophomore who resigned from his position in the student government over the vote. “The word that comes to mind most is outrage.”

“I feel personally, and I know there are others who agree with me, that this vote was something of a complete evisceration of the Student Union’s legitimacy as our representative body because the people on campus are very angry about this, the people on campus are generally united on this,” he said.

Located just west of Boston, Brandeis was founded in 1948 by the Jewish community and is named after Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish justice to serve on the Supreme Court. Jewish students make up about a third of undergraduates, giving Brandeis one of the highest

concentrations of Jewish students at any college in the country.

The university’s president, Ronald Liebowitz, issued a statement the day of Hamas’ attack against Israel expressing concern for students and staff with Israeli friends and relatives and, unlike some other college leaders, offering fullthroated support for the country.

our communities, especially our Jewish community, which is currently experiencing a rise in antisemitism, including acts of violence.”

Haller said an employee was suspended with pay while the department investigates the incident and added that his staff did not fully review the video before it was shown, “exposing a failure in our process.”

Michigan State University: ‘Deeply sorry’ for showing Hitler on screen at football game

No indication of hate crime in murder of Detroit synagogue president, police say

Michigan State University apologized after an image of Adolf Hitler was displayed on the school’s video board at its football game against the University of Michigan on Oct. 21, JTA.org reported.

The photo was shown during a pregame trivia quiz at Spartan Stadium that came from the YouTube page The Quiz Channel. The question asked where Hitler was born.

“I am deeply sorry for the offensive image we displayed on the Spartan Stadium video boards Saturday night,” the university’s athletic director Alan Haller said in a statement the next day. “I apologize for the pain it has caused our community. Ultimately, it is my responsibility to make sure all those who interact with Spartan Athletics feel safe, valued and respected. The image was harmful to

40 Pittsburgh Jewish clergy pen open letter to Rep. Summer Lee

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— LOCAL —

ozens of local rabbis and cantors, from every stream of Judaism, signed an open letter to Rep. Summer Lee “concerning her continuing inability to support Israel in its war against Hamas,” Rabbi Daniel Fellman of Temple Sinai said. “Rep. Lee continues to deliver troubling statements instead

of helping Israel with the horrific attack of Oct. 7.”

“Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists, and we need a representative in Congress who will recognize this fact and support Israel in its war against terror,” he added.

Lee did not respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment as of press time.

The letter follows.

An open letter to Representative Summer Lee We, the undersigned rabbis and cantors of Pittsburgh, are joined in expressing our frustration and anger over the ongoing actions of our congresswoman, Representative Summer Lee (PA-12).

Rep. Lee is one of only 10 members of Congress who voted against a House Resolution expressing America’s solidarity with the State of Israel and the Israeli people in the aftermath of the October 7th wave of Hamas terror.

Worse yet, she is one of only 17 members of the House supporting a grotesque resolution which does not mention Hamas terrorism, denies Israel the right to defend itself by calling Rabbi Aaron Meyer Rabbi Emily Meyer Rabbi Alex Greenbaum Rabbi Amy Greenbaum Rabbi Jonathan Perlman Rabbi Seth Adelson Rabbi Daniel Fellman Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman Rabbi Howard Stein Rabbi Jamie Gibson Rabbi Mark Mahler Rabbi Barbara Symons Rabbi Andy Shugerman Rabbi Kara Tav

for an immediate ceasefire while Hamas still holds more than 200 hostages, and asserts a false equivalence between victims of savage terrorist butchery and the tragic deaths of those Palestinians whom Hamas uses as human shields while Israel exercises its responsibility to defend its citizens.

We call on Rep. Lee to exercise better leadership and join her colleagues in upholding the moral obligation for Israel to protect its citizens against Hamas, reflecting our nation’s strong and unwavering stance against terrorism. We welcome the opportunity to speak with Rep. Lee.

Rabbi Sharyn Henry Rabbi Aaron Bisno Rabbi Eli Seidman Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers Rabbi Daniel Yolkut Rabbi Eliezer Shusterman Rabbi Yitzi Genack Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld Rabbi Yisroel Altein Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum Rabbi Mendy Rosenblum Rabbi Moshe Meir Vogel Rabbi Chezky Rosenfeld Rabbi Henoch Rosenfeld

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Rabbi Yitzy Goldwasser Rabbi Nissan Zaetz Rabbi Zalman Raskin Rabbi Zalman Gurevitch Rabbi Jessica Locketz Rabbi Ron Symons Rabbi Sara Rae Perman Rabbi Doris Dyen Cantor Barbara Barnett Cantor Stefanie Greene Cantor Kalix Jacobson Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer

Police in Detroit said on Oct. 22 that they had found no indication of a hate crime in their investigation of the murder of Samantha Woll, a prominent and beloved local Jewish leader found stabbed to death outside her home the previous day, JTA.org reported.

The police did not offer any additional details about their investigation, which has so far not resulted in an arrest. The police issued the statement just hours after Woll’s family and friends mourned her at a funeral held at her childhood synagogue in the city’s suburbs.

“No evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism,” Detroit Police Chief James White said in the statement.

Some public figures immediately linked Woll’s murder to the conflict. But local Jewish groups urged caution about jumping to conclusions regarding a possible motive for the murder. The Detroit Jewish Federation said that it was in touch with multiple law enforcement agencies and municipal offices, and assured local Jews that there were “no specific or credible threats to our community at this time.”

Popular kids video game Roblox has become gathering space for pro-Palestinian protests

Israel’s Ministry of National Security is urging parents to report any pro-Palestinian harassment their children experience on the video game platform Roblox, JTA.org reported.

As Israel’s war with Hamas enters its fourth week, rallies and protests in support of both Israelis and Palestinians have been held everywhere from the White House to college campuses to the streets of Europe.

Roblox is different because it has more than 65 million daily active users — around 45% of whom are 12 years old or younger — and users can interact across international borders as they create and explore virtual settings. The platform has been home to several proPalestinian gatherings, and the Israeli ministry is warning that game characters brandishing Saudi and Palestinian flags have been attacking players who identify as Israeli.

A video of Roblox rally, which was shared on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, has been viewed more than 24 million times.

The Israeli ministry said it had been in touch with Roblox and had been told that reporting inappropriate or harassing content was essential to getting it removed. PJC — Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

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Headlines Tree of Life: Continued from page 1

Minute Someone Leaves the World,” before Rabbi Amy Bardack, rabbi of Dor Hadash, recited Mi Sheberach and Gordie Felt, former president of the Families of Flight 93, offered perspectives on healing.

Unique to this year’s ceremony was the addition of the Violins of Hope. The Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra and the Clarion Quartet both featured the Holocaust-era instruments in pieces they performed.

The value of relationships was highlighted through a poem read by Rabbi Ron Symons of the JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness and Rev. Liddy Barlow of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania.

Survivors and witnesses of the attack — Carol Black, Rabbi Doris Dyen, Andrea Wedner, Dan Leger, Audrey Glickman, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, Deane Root and Tree of Life custodian Augie Siriano — offered a piece titled “Give Us Strength,” followed by a “Prayer for our Country” led by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey.

Reflecting on the commemoration, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Jeff Finkelstein said that as he walked along Prospect Avenue on his way to the ceremony, he passed the trees planted in memory of those murdered, which serve as a reminder of more than the attack.

“Their lives are gone, but their memory lives on, and this community remains so strong,” he said.

Brian Schreiber, the JCC’s chief external affairs officer and special adviser to the CEO, said that for the families, the loss will always be there, but that the sentencing of the shooter

p First responders to the attack were honored during the five-year commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Photo by David Rullo

provided the finality of one part of the journey.

He echoed the words of Finkelstein about the community’s strength.

“I think that being active, being in the community and remembering why we’re here, I think we feel incredibly strong together,” he said.

And, in a time of increasing antisemitic incidents, Schreiber said it’s important to remember a lesson taught by the attack.

“The events of five years ago were a call to action about being situationally aware,” he said. “Stay very, very vigilant and, if you see something, say something.”

Bill Peduto, Pittsburgh’s mayor at the time of the attack, said that people need to lean on each

Learners:

“It is critical to keep moving on in humanity, learning about our history and being supportive.”

Continued from page 1

Nick Haberman, a teacher at Shaler Area High School and the director of the Light Education Initiative, told the Chronicle.

Friday’s day-long program included stopping at Tree of Life, watching the “Repairing the World” documentary at Chatham then touring the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.

Dave Gerrich, a teacher at Seneca Valley, said young people need to see the Squirrel Hill synagogue and learn what happened inside its sacred space.

“It is critical,” he said, “to keep moving on in humanity, learning about our history and being supportive.”

Casey Weiss, an assistant principal at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, spent Friday bringing dozens of middle schoolers to the site.

“We decided to take a walk from school up to Tree of Life and to collect as much trash as possible,” she said.

Beautifying the neighborhood involved two tasks, she continued. After retrieving litter en route, students from the Jewish day school stood outside the shuttered synagogue and recited Psalms.

The crowd outside Tree of Life on Friday included other community members as well. Sharon Ryave Brody, president of Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., came with her sons and employees to the corner in Squirrel Hill.

Marking what happened there five years ago 10

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

other during this five-year commemoration.

“Trauma brings back trauma,” he said.

“Pittsburgh proved that it could be resilient and that we could look beyond lines of religion and race and any other way we tend to separate ourselves. I think with what’s happening in the world, we need to look at Pittsburgh as an example.”

Fitzgerald said Oct. 27, 2018, was the darkest day of his years in service and that it was important for people to reflect, remember and pray for those lost.

“I think coming together to remember the 11 victims and their families,” he said, “is something that Pittsburgh should continue to do.”

State Sen. Devlin Robinson said he attended

– DAVE GERRICH p Seneca Valley teacher Dave Gerrich stands outside the Tree of Life building as students arrive at the Squirrel Hill synagogue on Oct. 27.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

is “more important now than ever,” she said.

“Right now, it’s a scary time to be Jewish in America, and I think it is important to get in touch with this and never forget the violence that we’ve had to go through in the past,” Josh Brody said.

“Especially as time goes on, we have to make sure that it’s important to remember those who we’ve lost and those who continue to fight in the community and represent the Jewish world,” Ben Brody said.

Several students visiting the site had “never been to the city,” Haberman said. “Many of them have never spent time in Squirrel Hill.”

Bringing students to the corner, and having them walk a small portion of the neighborhood, gave them insight into not just the

shooting, “but about life before 10/27 and what has happened in the last five years,” he said.

One day before the students’ arrival, several pro-Israel yard signs were defaced in Squirrel Hill.

Outside a house near Blue Slide Park and Community Day School, a sign declaring “We Stand with Israel” was painted over in red with a giant “NO.” On the yellow brick wall surrounding Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, “FREE PALESTINE PGH→GAZA” was spray-painted in black.

Haberman said that neither the vandalism nor war in Israel would be addressed during Friday’s visit to Pittsburgh’s historically Jewish neighborhood.

“Today is the first day for many of the students that we’re opening the door into antisemitism in general,” he said. “Some of these kids have not learned about antisemitism in the Holocaust; they’ve not learned about it

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

the commemoration because people are still hurting, the memory of the attack is still very powerful and he wants to support those in need.

“Anytime there’s a tragedy in our community, I want to be here,” he said.

Gainey said that he can’t imagine what the Pittsburgh Jewish community has gone through, not only because of the attack but also during the prolonged period of the trial and the anxiety that accompanies a death penalty court case.

“I can’t do anything about what’s happening in the Middle East but pray,” he said. “But I can be here for the local Jewish community. I know what they’ve been through. We should pray for peace, something we can only do if we come together as a community. We have to love everybody. My job is to keep the city safe.

I want it to be the safest city in the country.

I don’t want another Tree of Life or another ethnic group to ever go through this situation.”

While keeping the community safe is a priority, so, too, is remembering the attack, said Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center.

“These commemorations are a present event intended for the people who live through or are contemporaneous to an event,” he said. “It’s a way of holding space.”

Michele Rosenthal, sister of Cecil and David Rosenthal, said it means a lot that the community turns out every year.

“The community has been so supportive since October 2018,” she said. “They have been steadfast in their support and the families truly appreciate it.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. before the Holocaust. They didn’t learn about it between the Holocaust and Tree of Life.

And they certainly haven’t studied the contemporary Middle East. We know that we’re not going to explain everything in an hour.”

The goal with students in grades 7-12, is creating age-appropriate conversations, providing resources and developing lesson plans to engender greater understanding, Haberman explained.

“We’re hoping that we can open doors,” he said. “For some of these kids, this is the first time that they have learned about Tree of Life. Some of them were 7 years old when it happened.”

“What we’re seeing is the next generation learning at the right moment in time,” Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, said while standing outside the Tree of Life building.

“A lot of the students we see here were too young to understand in 2018 what was going on,” she continued. “I think they are old enough now to know that they are part of that legacy and that they carry it forward.”

As children and young adults reflected, prayed and picked up garbage throughout Oct. 27, Feinstein shared her optimism.

“I think it’s really hopeful for our future,” she said. “I think that these kids will find [a] voice in ways that I could never figure out how to do, and I believe that they will make changes that are very important.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Graffiti: Continued from page 5

Federation officials noted in a prepared statement that “these incidents come on the heels of a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that killed more than 1400. The location and nature of the vandalism suggests that the criminals were targeting Jewish areas, with the goal of blaming Jews for the actions of a foreign government — a typical antisemitic trope.

“For a Jewish community still healing from the worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history in 2018 and now retraumatized by the worst single act of terrorism against Jews since the Holocaust, these acts of vandalism are particularly despicable,” the statement continued.

“Vandalism targeting Jews is criminal hate speech, pure and simple. We condemn hate speech of any form, which has no place anywhere in Pittsburgh.”

The Anti-Defamation League denounced the vandalism while noting it was part of a “troubling trend we’re seeing around the country.”

“Antisemitic incidents, including rhetoric that delegitimizes Israel’s right to exist, has gone up dramatically in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel by Hamas,” said Kelly Fishman, ADL regional director. “That community members might feel attacked and threatened for standing with Israel as it defends itself is all the more disturbing as we mark the

p Part of defaced wall outside Allderdice High School on Oct. 26 p Rabbi Yitzi Goldwasser of Chabad of Greenfield meets with Photo courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Allderdice students at dismissal on Oct. 26

Photo courtesy of Rabbi Yitzi Goldwasser

fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue.”

Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey both took to social media to condemn the vandalism and stress support for Jewish constituents.

In response to the graffiti at Allderdice, Fetterman posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) showing a wall plastered with posters of those who were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, and wrote: “This is reprehensible. The only thing that belongs on a wall right now is this.”

“I just got off the phone with Dr. McCoy of Allderdice High School and Rabbi Myers from the Tree of Life to check in and offer my support,” Casey posted. “This is a painful week for the Squirrel Hill neighborhood and the

Summerset neighborhood vandalized with antisemitic graffiti

entire Jewish community in Pittsburgh. I stand with them, now and always.”

Chabad of Greenfield’s Rabbi Yitzi Goldwasser found another way to respond to the vandalism after being contacted by several worried parents of teens at Allderdice.

“The Lubavitcher Rebbe taught us that we don’t fight darkness — we just add light and the darkness goes away,” Goldwasser said. “I reached out to Judah Cowen to order some pizza from Elegant Edge (Catering Company).

He right away said he would sponsor the entire order. We came to Allderdice by dismissal to spread light. We were there with tefillin, a charity box and Shabbat candles, offering everyone to do a mitzvah for Israel.”

Goldwasser told the students that “never has it been the right choice to hide our Jewish identity or shy away,” he said. “It never turned out well. Rather, we have to stand strong and proud as the Jewish nation. Keep on doing good, spread goodness and kindness in the world, and it will push away the darkness.”

“Light will win over darkness, good will win over evil, every single time,” the rabbi said.

Brokos commended the community for reporting the vandalism and stressed the importance of continuing to do so as situations arise. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

ZOA Urges Everyone to Vote on Tuesday The ZIONIST ORGANIZATION of AMERICA: PITTSBURGH urges voters to keep in mind the character and values of the candidates when voting.

“EMPATHY FOR ISRAEL MATTERS”

p Antisemitic graffiti in Shelburne Park

— LOCAL —

T

he Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh received multiple reports of antisemitic graffiti in and around Shelburne Park in the Summerset neighborhood on the morning of Oct. 31.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Photo courtesy of Julie Paris

Tires were slashed in that area as well.

As of press time, police were on the scene and were providing additional patrols in the area.

For an updated report, go to pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org. PJC

In addition, the Board of ZOA-PGH implores all voters to be mindful that our political/government officials should be qualified to help discourage and deter hatred, violence, antisemitism, and threats to our community and law-abiding citizens.

“ZIONISM IS A BADGE OF HONOR”

— Toby Tabachnick PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

11

Opinion Shock at the Oct. 7 catastrophe gives way to horror and fury at global immorality Guest Columnist David Horovitz

M

ore than three weeks after that blackest Shabbat in our Israeli history, we remain, unsurprisingly, a nation deep in shock.

Shocked at the unrestrained murderous savagery that thousands of our neighbors unleashed upon us — the hysterical exultation with which they ripped away 1,400 lives in ways many of us still will not bring ourselves to watch.

Shocked that we allowed it to happen — that we were so devastatingly complacent, misguided, delusional; so convinced that everything they were showing and telling us about how they were going to murder us was untrue. That our political leaders so misjudged and underestimated the depth of their hatred, and their capacity to turn it into action. That our military chiefs were so unconscionably unconcerned, so distracted.

Shocked at ourselves, too, in any and every field — emphatically including journalism — where a greater capacity to look

our enemies in the eye, and internalize what they had in mind for us, might, just might, have helped shift the national mindset toward thwarting this unprecedented catastrophe.

But the shock is also expanding, now, to horror, disappointment and fury at the shift outside Israel — from brief, initial empathy for all those whose lives were shot and burned and butchered away, for their bereft and broken families and for the innocent snatched away into Hamas’s underground hellholes, to a rising global effort to deprive us of the right to ensure it will not happen again. A rising global effort propelled by Israel-haters and antisemites, assisted by falsehoods and misrepresentations everywhere from TikTok to supposedly responsible media, and inflated by fools, to try to halt our military response, or limit and undermine it. Basically, to tell us that what happened on Oct. 7, if it happened, was terrible, but we need to get over it. Subverting “Never Again,” and telling us instead, well, yes, Almost Certainly Again.

We watch, from the midst of a war imposed upon us in the most monstrous circumstances, at the growing refusal abroad to maintain any kind of intellectual honesty and morality about what happened and is happening — to distinguish between victims and aggressors, to

understand that Israelis were massacred in our homes by members of an Islamist death cult and that if the killers are not prevented from doing so, they will be back, stronger and more inhumane. And that if noncombatant Gazans have been dragged into the bloodshed, that is despite the IDF seeking to minimize the harm to civilians and because Hamas is abusing them to try to survive — abusing them as “human shields” in the schools, mosques, hospitals and homes of Gaza, human shields for insistent inhumanity. (Hundreds of the killers fled from massacring Israelis to safety beneath Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, the IDF Spokesman said on Friday.)

As I have written before, Israel is fighting not in retaliation or out of revenge, but in order to ensure that Gaza’s terror-government, which seized power after Israel withdrew from the Strip in 2005, cannot survive to repeat its barbarism; to deter our other more powerful enemies; and to restore Israelis’ faith that we can live here in something close to safety.

Our shock is spreading, too, to include fears for the well-being of those overseas who stand up for Israel and for Israel’s obligation to protect its people in the face of those who aim to wipe us out. Thunderstruck by the soaring hostility to Jews evidenced online, at anti-Israel

protests, on university campuses and beyond, we worry for Jews worldwide, their own security undermined in a conflict resonating globally, in which defenders of Israel are being denounced and deterred.

And, finally, the shock at where we find ourselves is moving to encompass heart-stopping concern for our uniformed relatives and friends who fought so valiantly when belatedly alerted to the disaster that was unfolding in the south on Oct. 7, and who are now entering Gaza in growing numbers to try to defang Hamas. We fear for their safety as they move to tackle these exultant killers in their lairs.

Even now, after everything that happened on Oct. 7, we worry that our soldiers, and their commanders, may still underestimate the depths to which our enemies will sink, the methods they will employ, the fresh horrors they will seek to unleash, in their unstinting, obsessive effort to take Israeli and Jewish lives.

And still, amid the widening shock and horror and anger and worry, we know that we must prevail. Facing an enemy that glories in death, the people and nation of Israel insist on life. PJC

Crow and the Civil Rights Movement. I saw the lynching trees and the hoses, the torches, the white robes and the prison cells. I walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and imagined what it would be like to sing and pray and lock arms while being beaten and trampled, only because I wanted the right to vote ... and was Black. But nothing affected me more than the hatred and violence directed toward children and toward adults while their children watched. How do you spit on a little girl as she, with hope and innocence, walks into school — as she walks with more dignity than those five times her age?

A question that gnawed at me throughout our journeys in Poland and Alabama was how can so many people behave in such incomprehensible ways. How can masses of “normal” people perpetrate and/or look the other way from the infliction of the worst torture on people who had done nothing to them? How can people tear children from their mother’s arms, murder them, whip them, experiment on them, subjugate them, rape them, torture them, beat them, starve them, own and sell them like a piece of furniture? What made so many humans capable of monstrous, satanic inhumanity?

The only “explanation” I can find is the precursor of years of systematic propaganda and indoctrination. The Jews were sub-human, society-destroying vermin who were responsible for every problem in post-World War I Europe. To save the good people of Europe, the Jews had to go. To give the pure children a chance at life, the blood-suckers needed to be eliminated.

The African slaves were inferior. Bringing them, in chains, to America was doing them a favor. They were uncivilized animals and putting a roof over their heads and introducing them to Christianity was saving their lives and

their souls. Not only was enslaving and subjugating human beings going to propel the new nation’s economy, it was service to God. Dehumanization is the fuel of atrocity.

Making people seem deserving of righteous punishment is the oil of every machine of persecution in the history of humankind.

Seeing the innocent as those who have wronged you is the magic of cruelty. The most successful barbarity makes the perpetrator the saint.

I believe that dehumanization is absolute, not able to be described in relative terms. I don’t believe that we can say one is more dehumanized than another. But, the dehumanization of children, in their innocence and purity, strikes me as most heinous.

Watching people righteously tear down posters of missing Israeli children, laughing while drawing big noses and fangs on pictures of the charred bodies of babies, legitimizing and butwhatabouting the decapitation of toddlers, justifying forcing children to watch the violation and torture of their siblings, parents and grandparents, leads me to just one conclusion: Jews have again been scapegoated and dehumanized to the point that the torture and murder of Jewish children has become legitimate and just.

The passionate protesters are no worse than the icy silent. The ones who chase Jewish children and elderly down the street and the ones who refuse to call a Jewish friend or to try to learn more about what is happening are one and the same. At best, they are too afraid of the horde of Jew-haters panting at their back. At worst, they are calmly and coolly, even condescendingly and all-knowingly, propelling the fury and the maniacal throngs. The quiet ones are often the ones who gaslight and manipulate by insisting that criticism of Israel is not

antisemitism. Is it OK with you if we think we see antisemitism when we see people marching with the Nazi flag and signs that proclaim the need to clean up the world by getting rid of the Jews? What about when they scream, “Murder the Jews?”

We, my beloved Jewish community, have once again found ourselves within reach of the blood-thirsty wolf of hate and blame. Of so much loathing that the torture of our infants is legitimized, not to mention the gang rape of our beautiful young peace activists and burning alive of our elderly protectors of stories and traditions. Once again, we are victims of indescribable horror, perpetrated by Hamas and celebrated by university administrations, faculty and staff. The crimes against us are carried out by terrorist groups and ignored or excused by Western nonprofits whose existence is to give voice to the vulnerable. The good people, the ones who dedicate their lives to fighting injustice have been brainwashed by the propaganda and have yet again succumbed to the dehumanization of the other, required to commit atrocity. It seems that the inability to resist the need to demonize others is fundamental of the human condition.

To non-Jews who have reached out to your Jewish friends (and family), we are so grateful.

You are the righteous ones who will always be on the correct side of history. You, coming in every denomination, status and affiliation are the courageous and just. You have resisted the desire to hush your own fears by scapegoating and distorting. Thank you and may God bless you. PJC

David Horovitz is the founding editor of The Times of Israel, where this first appeared.

Humanity Guest Columnist Cheryl Moore

I

n my lifetime, I have seen and experienced a great deal of hatred and violence — some of it because I was born into deep discord and some of it because I, as a social justice warrior, put myself in the middle of it. Yet, the massacre at Tree of Life building, a few blocks from my home, rocked me to my core. The murder of the frail and vulnerable, many of whom I had known since early childhood, as they, in their safe place, celebrated Shabbat and community, knocked me down and pinned me to the ground.

Two months after the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting, I took my adult sons to Berlin and Krakow, driven to squeeze myself deeper into the world of the crimes that hatred allows human beings to perpetrate on one another. I had been to Dachau and to Terezin, but never to the heart of the beast, Auschwitz-Birkenau.

There, I bore witness to the cattle cars and the train tracks, the gas chambers and the ovens, the selection platforms and the medical experiment barracks, the vastness. But nothing gutted me more than the piles of children’s shoes. How do you slaughter the tiny beings who occupied those shoes?

A few weeks after returning to Pittsburgh, I felt driven to go beyond hatred of Jews. So, we again traveled and spent five days, including MLK weekend in Alabama, including Selma, Montgomery, Birmingham and Tuskegee. I had been to plantations and slave markets in South Carolina, but never to the heart of Jim 12

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Cheryl Moore is a Squirrel Hill-based mother, women’s health nurse, activist and Zionist.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Opinion Chronicle poll results: Israel’s goal in war against Hamas

L

ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “What do you think should be Israel’s primary goal in this war with Hamas?”

Of the 291 people who responded, 63% said, “Destroy Hamas as an effective organization like the U.S. and its allies attempted to do with Al-Qaida and ISIS, and then develop a political solution for temporary governance of Gaza by someone other than Israel”; 15% said, “Obtain the release of all the hostages and then achieve a ceasefire without any further conditions”; 13% said, “Destroy Hamas and then have Israel occupy Gaza for the foreseeable future”; 3% said, “Achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible without conditions”; 1% said, “Degrade the military capabilities of Hamas as has been done in previous flare-ups and then achieve a ceasefire without significant changes”; and 4% responded, “Other/no opinion.”

Comments were submitted by 74 people.

A few follow.

No ceasefire until the fire has been extinguished. Also, Israel should immediately annex a portion of Gaza. There must be consequences for the Hamas invasion.

I wish that Hamas would be obliterated; however, the hostages are top priority.

First victory. Then peace.

Two peoples insisting on hegemonic supremacy over one physical place, the one because of centuries of murderous antisemitism seeking a refuge, the other opposed, displaced and humiliated daily. Theocracies, whether Jewish or Islamic or Christian, must always lead to authoritarian methods to remain in power.

The only solution is truly accurate information, removal of old politicians on both sides and allowing young people to create a new world.

The Palestinians deserve to live safe, peaceful lives — ones not controlled by Hamas. Israelis and Palestinians need to put aside their differences and celebrate their similarities.

Take Gaza back. The experiment from 2005 failed miserably, and it’s been a bastion of terror-mongering by Hamas since.

Obtain, with the help of other nations, the release of all hostages; neutralize Hamas militarily but minimize civilian losses. Look ahead to a two-state solution, the only long-term viability, in my opinion.

Turn world opinion against Hamas — no matter what else it accomplishes.

Although I believe Hamas must be destroyed, I’m not convinced that a military incursion is the best way to do it. It will result in further carnage, and Israel has already been demoralized by the loss of life in the south. Adding many, many more military funerals would be a disaster.

I believe we have to be more clever. If you ask the military for a solution, you will get a military solution. This is a challenge for think tanks and strategists.

The evil Hamas, Iran and its minions have put Israel and the Western world on notice that it aims to destroy them. To the extent that the IDF can spare innocent lives, they should.

However, keep in mind that the Western Allies, in an attempt to eradicate Hitler, unfortunately caused much collateral damage. The media must every day tell the world what these evil despots have done to their own people. Why aren’t the Palestinian people screaming at Hamas to “let our people go? PJC

I believe they should destroy Hamas and get their hostages back at the same time.

Probably impossible, but I hope with all my heart they can accomplish this. It is impossible to be so close to an entity whose only goal is to destroy Israel. If they don’t eliminate that goal, then Oct 7 will be repeated again and often.

Arrange for a prisoner exchange. Hostages for an equal number of Palestinians in Israeli jails.

— Compiled by Toby Tabachnick

Chronicle weekly poll question: Should universities prohibit student demonstrations supporting Hamas?

Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC

— LETTERS — Pittsburgh boy feeds IDF troops on Lebanese border

It’s hard to believe that in April 21 issue of the Chronicle, we read the tantalizing article, “A hungry heart’s journey to the land of milk and honey” by Brandon Blumenfeld. He wrote, “We ate and danced at Elias Hospitality, a farm resort owned and operated by Pittsburgh native and larger than life personality Jed ‘Gadi’ Elias, who made Aliyah in the 1970s as a child with his family.”

Fast forward to Oct. 7, when the world caved in above around Israel — we all know what happened. Shock ensued in the country with soldiers on the borders caught on a peaceful holiday Sabbath and reserve groups hurrying to their units. Gadi Elias knew what the conditions would be in the military bases: Troops would need food, supplies and basics. Gadi also knew that all of his groups from the U.S. would be canceled and immediately went into motion. He gathered family, friends and volunteers in Yesod Hamala (where he lives). They collected basics, supplies, clothing, towels, toiletries to send to the border units. They started cooking and preparing hot meals for the troops in the north. Not for one moment have they faltered, working in compassion and unity, all ages, all sexes, the good people of Yesod Hamala.

It’s another day in Israel. Gadi and his team of volunteers continue to feed the troops in the north. He thanks all who have helped including Richard Rattner, Stuart Rattner, Mickey Rattner and Sylvia Elias for their most generous and direct support.

Carol Hoffman Tel Aviv, Israel

Does J Street still support Summer Lee?

In recent months, the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle has published several articles, letters to the editor and columns highlighting J Streets’ pro-Israel, pro-peace positions and its support for Rep. Summer Lee. Rep. Lee has demonstrated her dislike for Israel by voting against several House resolutions in support of Israel, including one that stated Israel is not a racist or apartheid country. After the vote on that resolution — only a handful of members of Congress voted against it — J Street maintained its support for Rep. Lee and held a fundraiser on her behalf.

Last week, in response to the horrific Oct. 7 barbaric slaughter of Jews by Gazan terrorists, the U.S. House voted 412-10 in favor of a resolution to show support for Israel and condemn Hamas.

Rep. Lee, who represents the largest Jewish community in Southwest Pennsylvania, voted along with a fringe minority against the resolution.

One has to wonder if J Street still maintains its support for someone who does not represent the interests of a large number of her constituents, many of whom have friends and family in Israel.

Many have dual citizenship and some are now serving in the IDF. Lee’s position is not for Israel, and it is not for peace. She has crossed a line of extremism and questionable moral judgment, and she does not deserve the support of the community.

Where does J Street stand on supporting her now? I look forward to their explanation in a letter, article or column in the Chronicle.

Rocky Wice Squirrel Hill

A Progressive’s response to the Regressives

I am writing in response to the letter by Ms. Annette Kolski-Andreaco, whose recently printed letter in your paper dripped with scorn and hatred for Summer Lee, J Street, and what she scornfully calls “progressives” (“So-called progressives’ reveal themselves,” Oct. 27).

I am not here to speak for Rep. Lee or J Street, who have their own spokespeople. But I proudly wear the label of “progressive.”

I am heartsick at the attack on Israel, on the murders of civilians that happened on Oct. 7 and in the past, by the taking and ongoing holding of the hostages, and by the threat to the very existence of the Jewish state of Israel, a lovely land I’ve been to and hope to go to again. Israel is a special place, a homeland for Jews who are strangers in strange lands everywhere else, as the recent rise in antisemitic events have shown us.

I don’t defend Hamas for one second; they are a terrorist organization, and they should be eradicated. “From the river to the sea” is, indeed, a call for the extermination of the state of Israel, and of all the Jews there. We are in agreement there.

The antisemitism in the world is very real. I’ve studied it, I’ve experienced it, and I’ve acted, and continue to act, against it.

But — and here’s where Ms. Kolski-Andreaco’s vitriol fails to convince — I don’t also advocate the actions that the right-wing politicians and settlers in Israel have taken. I don’t think that bulldozing the homes of terrorists, to further punish their families, is moral.

I don’t think that the building of Jewish Israeli towns in the West Bank furthers peace. I don’t think that the destruction of everything in Gaza is humane, moral or in keeping with Jewish values. If Hamas is debased and immoral enough to use its own citizens as human shields, we must find a way — not debased, not immoral, not “well, they’re a regrettable side effect of what Hamas has asked for” — a Jewish, upright, moral way to handle the conundrum. We are Jews. We solve problems the right and humane way.

To be clear, I don’t think that Israel, in any sense of the word, brought this on itself, or deserved it, or any retributive nonsense. Hamas has always — always — worked against Israel.

The kindest, most humane policies in the world wouldn’t have convinced Hamas to let Jews live in peace.

But have we tried? Are we really doing the kindest, most humane policies possible in regard to the Palestinians? I challenge Ms. Kolski-Andreaco to say that we are. Her hatred and anger will not save the hostages, will not offer humanity and respect to moderate Palestinians, or change the bitter world we now face.

I stand with Israel, now and always, and I stand with Judaism and its values of humanity and decency.

Naomi Weisberg Siegel Pittsburgh

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NOVEMBER 3, 2023

13

Life & Culture David Rullo’s ‘Beehive’ book captures the zeitgeist of the ‘90s — BOOKS —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

W

ithin a year after Pittsburgh-bred writer David Rullo moved into the dorms at Point Park College as a freshman, The Beehive was born.

Ushered into existence in February 1991, the South Side establishment opened in the shadows of shuttering steel mills as a roundthe-clock coffeehouse, serving up then-exotic concoctions like cappuccino and iced mochas when most Pittsburghers still were chugging 50-cent coffees from Dunkin’ Donuts. It became a staple of the neighborhood, running well into the 21st century, and was a linchpin of the artistic-minded residents replacing the shot-and-a-beer steelworker dives there with more colorful, eclectic fare.

“The Beehive was so important to the cultural scene of the city in the 1990s, and it flew under the radar for a lot of people,” said Rullo, a Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle senior staff writer who grew up in North Versailles and today lives in Dormont with his wife, Kim, and their son, Jackson.

The era of The Beehive unfolded before cellphones, before the internet. Even then, the venue, which went on to host live music, serve alcohol and become a de-facto art gallery, harkened to another time, belonging more to Greenwich Village’s 1950s Beat scene than post-industrial Pittsburgh.

And pinball — there was lots and lots of pinball.

“We started going there right away,” said Rullo. “Not only was it one of the only places to go, but we were musicians and writers and

p Book cover

p David Rullo

painters. And that’s where you ended up.”

Arcadia Press released Rullo’s new book on The Beehive’s lore, “Gen X Pittsburgh: The Beehive and the ‘90s Scene,” on Oct. 30.

A celebration of the book’s publication was scheduled for Nov. 1 with a party at the Tiki Lounge on East Carson Street. Performers included Pittsburgh Gen X icon Liz Berlin of Rusted Root and Mr. Smalls fame; members of Circus Apocalypse, which debuted at The Beehive; and Bingo Quixote, whose lead singer was the venue’s art curator.

Rullo doesn’t remember the first time he walked into The Beehive. But his depictions of the place are vivid and bizarrely real, as if you’re sitting next to the author with an Italian

soda as a heavy cloud of cigarette smoke — this is before the city’s smoking bans — lingered above the nightly crowd.

“It was packed from the get-go,” Rullo said.

“It was sort of like a nexus of people gathering.”

(A second Beehive location opened on Forbes Avenue in Oakland years later. It didn’t have the staying power of its East Carson Street cousin.)

But The Beehive was more than a cool hangout. The frequency of your attendance — at one point, Rullo was going there at least four times a week — was a cultural calling card.

“It became sort of a beacon for artists and the strange kids,” Rullo laughed. “Someone told me, ‘The blue-haired old ladies were afraid of the pink-haired kids moving into the neighborhood.’”

They soon found there was little reason to worry. Many of the artist types who frequented The Beehive took a gentle kind of ownership of their newfound community, Rullo said.

As the bars started to get more and more crowded and the neighborhood got a little rough around the edges, one loosely defined group — which went by the Teddy Rooseveltreferencing name “Bull Moose Collective” — started a nightly, post-closing-time “march” to ensure women felt safe walking home.

“There really was a sense of ‘This is our space,’” Rullo said, “’and it’s our job to keep it safe.’”

Other businesses sprouted up, as well.

Nearby on East Carson, the clothing store Slacker opened. Across the street came Groovy, which dabbled in vintage toys.

“There were constantly new businesses opening that were catering to this ‘alternative’ crowd,” Rullo said.

The block became peppered with art galleries and independent-minded retailers.

A Chinese food vendor set up alongside the street. Everything had “a grunge or industrial tint to the lens,” Rullo said.

The Beehive might not have flourished in the age of the iPhone. It was “the sort of place where you met everybody and you figured out your plans,” Rullo said. Text messaging would have negated the need to convene there.

It also became a South Side staple.

Rullo — and many, many others — frequently would start the night there, after

Join the Chronicle Book Club!

T

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Nov. 5 discussion of “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,” by James McBride. From The New York Times: “The book is a murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel. The story opens in 1972, with the discovery of a skeleton buried in a well in Pottstown, Pa. The identity of the corpse is unknown but the few clues found (a belt buckle, a pendant and a mezuza) lead authorities to question the only Jewish man remaining from the town’s formerly vibrant Jewish community.

However, instead of a simple whodunit, the novel leaves the bones behind and swings back to the 1920s and ’30s, to Chicken Hill, the neighborhood in Pottstown where Jewish, Black and immigrant folks make their homes. It’s a community of people bonded together by the links of love and duty, and it’s here that McBride’s epic tale truly begins.”

Your Hosts:

Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle David Rullo, Chronicle senior staff writer

How and When:

We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, Nov. 5, at noon.

What To Do

Buy: “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.” It is available at area Barnes & Noble stores and from online retailers, 14

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is also available through the Carnegie Library system.

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

Happy reading! PJC

—Toby Tabachnick

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Photo by Kim Rullo

a day of working in Pittsburgh’s radio market or studying part-time at Point Park.

At 10 p.m. most nights, he’d head to Pete’s Wild Life — “a horrible, horrible, horrible singles club” — for the $1 mixed drinks that ran ‘til midnight. (One, dubbed “Red Death,” was concocted from six different boozes. Rullo said it tasted like Kool-Aid.) At midnight, he and his clan would head to Upstage, where 25-cent drafts were served ‘til 2 a.m.

Then, it was almost always back to The Beehive.

Around 1996, Rullo started to pare back on his South Side agenda. He had been hired, at age 24, to work full-time at KQV and his shift each day started at 7 a.m. sharp.

“Seven a.m. doesn’t line up very well with drinking all night and spending a lot of time in a coffee shop,” he said.

The place closed in 2019 or so. Rullo frequented the venue regularly in its last months. Though his earlier experience at The Beehive stretched the better part of a decade, his new book only took him about a year and change to write, though he interviewed more than 80 people for the tome.

Scott Kramer, who co-owned The Beehive with Steven Zumoff, said Rullo’s book is “pretty exciting.”

“A lot of people were involved with making The Beehive what it was, being regular customers there,” said Kramer, who lives in Squirrel Hill and is working to launch an Amazon store.

Kramer has his own stories.

“When I opened The Beehive, I didn’t drink coffee,” he laughed. “We taste-tested, though — we tried the coffee!”

Though born in 1964 — does that make him a Baby Boomer? — Kramer said he may identify more with a later generation.

And that seems to fit the narrative Rullo has crafted.

“Those were the days where I was out partying every night,” Kramer said. “I probably more associate myself with that crew, the Gen X crowd.” PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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Dear Community, During good times and bad, the JCC’s core mission is to be a home and town square for all. A solid foundation allows us to maintain the JCC as a vital asset in our community. This is done with the help of critical funds raised from you.

Your support enables the JCC to embrace new ideas, advance Jewish values and provide services and programs for everyone.

This year at Big Night, we honor Brian Schreiber, who embodies leadership for our community with humility and commitment.

Our ambitious goal is an endowment fund to sustain scholarship assistance in perpetuity.

The Big Night celebration is our way of saying thank you for supporting the JCC. Give your annual gift to Big Night ‘24 today.

Your Big Night Co-chairs, Nancy and Woody Ostrow Lori and Jimmy Ruttenberg Dory and David Levine

Make your gift today

bit.ly/bignight24

To pledge your gift, please reach out to Fara Marcus, JCC Chief Development and Marketing Officer fmarcus@jccpgh.org • 412-339-5413

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

15

Life & Culture Time for comfort food: Potato bourekas — FOOD —

By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

I

t felt like a good time to bring comfort to my people with food — and I’ve yet to meet a person who can refuse Israeli potato bourekas.

The flaky pastry and creamy potato filling are perfect for Shabbat and parties. And this recipe is pretty simple. I use store-bought puff pastry to save time.

You can use these instructions to make any kind of boureka by changing the filling. Once you have the basics down, you can get really creative with the flavors. Eggplant and cheese are amazing choices.

This recipe makes 24 pieces. It only takes a few extra minutes to whip up 24 as opposed to 12, so it will save time in the long run to make a bigger batch. I often bake 12 and freeze 12 unbaked bourekas to pull out on a busy day.

Israeli potato bourekas

Ingredients: 2 packages (about 2 pounds) of puff pastry 2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes 1 medium onion, diced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon Osem chicken consommé 1 teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon black pepper 2 large eggs, divided Sesame seeds to garnish, optional

p Potato bourekas

Place the puff pastry on the counter to thaw, which takes about an hour. The pastry should be cool to the touch but not warm; it can be difficult to work with if it gets too warm.

Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes.

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan covered with two inches of water and put them on the stove to boil, which takes 20-25 minutes.

Check them with a fork — if the fork goes through the potato chunk easily, drain the potatoes in a colander or mesh strainer.

While the potatoes are cooking, dice a medium onion and sauté it in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. You don’t need to fully caramelize the diced onions; just sauté them until they are soft and translucent (you may have some dark brown pieces mixed in), about 10-15 minutes.

When the potatoes are cooked and drained, put them back into the cooking pot and add

the Osem consommé, salt, pepper and onions.

Mash with a potato masher and check the flavor. The pastry has little flavor on its own, so it’s important that the filling is flavorful and on the salty side. Be careful when adding extra salt, though, because the Osem consommé is salty.

Set the potato mixture aside to cool.

Stir it every few minutes to help the steam release more quickly.

Once you turn the potatoes over and don’t see any steam rise from the pot, mix in one of the eggs.

Whisk the second egg in a separate bowl and reserve it to use an egg wash on the bourekas.

Preheat the oven to 375 F and place the rack in the upper third position.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Lay the puff pastry onto a cutting board.

Use a pizza cutter to cut the pastry into evenly

sized squares. The brand of pastry that I use comes rectangular and allows for 12, 5-inch squares per sheet.

Scoop about 2 tablespoons of the potato filling into the center of each square. I use a cookie scoop so that each square gets the same amount of filling.

Fold the square from one corner to the other, creating a triangle. Seal the edges with your fingers or with a fork and place onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Once the baking sheet is full of bourekas, spaced about two inches apart, brush them with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

To freeze a portion of the batch, place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet after forming, but do not brush them with egg.

Slide the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze it flat for an hour.

After the bourekas are frozen, take them from the baking sheet and pop them in a zipper storage bag. The bourekas can be stored in the freezer for up to three months.

To bake, thaw them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once they are fully thawed, wash them with egg and bake according to the original instructions.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

B”H

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17

Celebrations

Torah

B’nai Mitzvah

Goodness will always prevail Idan Feinberg is the son of Ayelet and Adam Feinberg, brother of Sivon Feinberg and grandson of Dorit and Gilad Tal and Ed and Linda Feinberg. Idan is in the seventh grade and attends Community Day School. He loves to swim on the Sailfish swim team and enjoys hiking and biking, playing tennis, piano, reading, and is an avid gamer. He also loves spending time with family and friends. Idan will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Nov. 4, 2023 at Congregation Beth Shalom.

Cyril “Leo” Warner-Fricke, son of Dan Warner and Erika Fricke, will become a b’mitzvah at Rodef Shalom Congregation on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Leo attends Pittsburgh Sci-Tech. His hobbies include fancy cooking and trading card games like Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh. He enjoys textual analysis of all things, from Talmud to Marvel movies, and has a particular penchant for stories with deep lore.

Active in the Boy Scouts, he does regular service work at a local food shelter and is planning to grow that work in his b’mitzvah service project. PJC

OH WHAT A NIGHT!

“COME TOGETHER 2023” PRESENTS

THE CLERGY BOYS A funny heartwarming musical tribute about four good kids who went rogue and became cantors.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19 AT 7:30PM

Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon Street Tickets and info at: BethShalomPgh.org Consider joining our honorary chairs, Terry & Kenny Steinberg, before the show at 6:00PM for Strolling Supper & Cocktails.

Kosher supervision under the VAAD Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh. Proceeds benefit Congregation Beth Shalom.

18

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Rabbi Elchonon Friedman Parshat Vayeira Genesis 18:1 – 22:24

I

n this week’s Torah portion, we read the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. G-d sends angels to destroy their five towns because the sins and evil there have become untenable. But G-d gives Abraham an opportunity to intervene. Abraham argues, “How can you kill the innocent together with the wicked?!” And G-d responds, “There are no innocents.”

G-d agrees to save all the inhabitants — including the wicked — if there are just 10 innocent people to be found in all the cities of Sodom. But G-d says that even 10 don’t exist.

Later in the story, while Lot was escaping the destruction, he requested that the angels save one of the five towns. The angels acquiesced and saved the town of Tzo’ar, in the merit of just three innocent people: Lot and his two daughters.

— an entire community can be saved and changed in that merit.

Today’s world is no Sodom or Gomorrah.

The majority of our world decries and rejects evil. We have evolved and continue to evolve for the better. Yet, pockets of hate and evil still exist. And sometimes they rear their ugly head and break through our barriers of goodness and safety.

But our response must be clear. Even one individual who stands for the rejection of evil and the embracing of goodness has the strength and power to transform our world for the better.

Every one of us should strive to see the potential good in each individual, just as Abraham did so many years ago. But we need those individuals to take one step, one small step on behalf of mankind, to reject evil.

We all know the history of the world and of the Jewish people: Evil does not last, and ultimately self-destructs. Goodness will always prevail and become a place of strength and refuge.

Every one of us should strive to see the potential good in each individual, just as Abraham did so many years ago. But we need those individuals to take one step, one small step on behalf of mankind, to reject evil.

Lot chose to live in Sodom and did not previously leave, meaning that the Sodomite lifestyle wasn’t abhorrent to him. So, can we truly consider him innocent? How do we measure innocence?

We can see, from the very criteria used by the angels to determine whom they should save and whom not to save, how to measure innocence: The deciding factor was simply that Lot wanted to leave! Lot’s sons-in-law and married daughters did not want to leave, while his two other daughters did. Just the very act of wanting to leave a place of evil results in the individual deserving to be saved, and — even more

In every generation, some try to find their refuge in a new idea or fad — a new social norm or world order. But the safest place for the Jew has never changed: It’s with his or her people and in our Torah and mitzvot.

No one in the entire world has a safe home like the Jewish people, so let’s stay in each other’s embrace.

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

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Obituaries CAPLAN: Paula Caplan, on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023. Beloved wife of the late Paul Caplan. Loving mother of Jason (Dawn) and Noah (Becky). Daughter of the late John and late Eleanor Polechko. Sister of Katie, Missy, Kelly and Marilyn. Also two grandchildren: Paige Kacey and Leighton Avery. Also survived by several nieces and nephews. Graveside service and interment were held at Temple Sinai Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, LLS-Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, P.O. Box 22488, New York, NY 10087-2488. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com HONIGSBERG: Charles Honigsberg, on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. Loving husband of the late Marilyn Honigsberg. Beloved father of Michael (Daniel) Honigsberg (Montinez) and the late David Honigsberg. Father-in-law of Alexandra Honigsberg. Brother of the late Eleanor Meislin. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel.

Interment New Light Cemetery. Contributions may be made to New Light Congregation, 5915 Beacon St., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com SCHULHOF: Ronna (Roni) Jo Cantor Schulhof passed away peacefully on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Pittsburgh.

Roni was born July 24, 1945, to Beatrice and Harry Cantor. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Jay Schulhof; children Scott (Julie) Schulhof, Melissa (Adam) Rosenberg and Keith (Michal) Schulhof; and grandchildren Lilly, Justin, Brooke, Maya, Ari and Lev. She is also survived by two brothers: Owen Cantor and Richard Cantor. Following her graduation from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1967 Roni received her bachelor’s in fine arts at Carnegie Institute of Technology/Carnegie Mellon University.

She also received a master’s in educational communication from University of Pittsburgh. Roni was an accomplished artist in printmaking, oil painting, watercolor, calligraphy, embroidery and needlepoint, and was a lifelong member of the Embroiderers’ Guild of Pittsburgh. She exhibited her work at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and designed covers for The Jewish Chronicle. Roni taught art for four years in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and in later years was involved in art education in preschools. She was also president of the Hoover Elementary School PTA. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment in the Beth El section of the Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. Donations can be made to: Allegheny Health Network, Office of Development, 4818 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224 (supportahn.org/ and choose Hospice & Palliative Care Fund) or Beth El Congregation of the South Hills, 1900 Cochran Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15220 (bethelcong.org/payment.php and choose Helene Weinstein Fund). schugar.com PJC

Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following:

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Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J . Jay Eger Howard S . Berger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Selma Berger Colleen Carver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Esther Carver David & Judith Clovsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Irving Clovsky Christine Dobrushin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edward Dobrushin The Goldberg Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold Roth Marlene Goldstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Schwartz Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Linda Goldston Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Leebov Lynne Gottesman & Debra Ritt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lena Wesoky Joan Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nathan Israel Susan Neuwirth Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seymour A . Herron, D .D .S .

Jan & Edward Korenman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Bilder Tari Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mildred Hahn Theodore Pinsker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sarah Schwarz Simma & Lawrence Robbins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ruben Nadler Sharon Snider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nettie Touber Iris Amper Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norman Amper Roberta E . Weinberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mel Weinberg Roberta E . Weinberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Weinberg Edris Weis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martha Weis

Contact the Development department at 412-586-2690 or development@jaapgh.org for more information.

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —

Sunday November 5: Dr . Max A . Antis, Frank Cohen, Rose Feigenbaum, Bernard Aaron Feldman, William L . Fogel, Rose Glick, Blanche Moskowitz Gould, Saul Kopelson, Rachel Lazarus, Celia Meyers, Harold L . Roth, Sarah Safier, Theodore Sokoler, David Volkin, Lena Wesoky Monday November 6: Robert Scott Ackerman, Emery J . Feldman, Linda Goldston, Nathan Israel, Paul Kimball, Morris B . Kirschenbaum, Mary Mannheimer, Saul I . Perilman, Rosalyn Serrins, Mitchell Shulman, Rose Stern, Paul Emanuel Tauberg, Samuel Viess, Clara Weiner, Martha Weis, Louis Zweig Tuesday November 7: Bernard Berkovitz, Dorothy M . Brill, James Cohen, Sidney H . Eger, Ephraim Farber, Howard Joseph Green, Charlotte R . Greenfield, Julius Gusky, Samuel Hackman, Max Hoffman, Mike Leebov, Albert S . Mar, Edward Witt Wednesday November 8: Meyer R . Bochner, Elliot Borofsky, J . Jay Eger, Annie Chotiner Ellovich, Olga Engel, Mildred Flanick, Mildred Hahn, Morris Bernard Marcus, Freda Miller, Richard S . Rosenfeld, Sarah Schwartz Rudick, Milton E . Steinfeld, Abraham Stevenson Thursday November 9: Mayme Altman, Selma Berger, Esther L . Carver, Sally Chudacoff, Eva Dizenfeld, Jack A . Eckert, Max Feinberg, Stanley Glasser, Max Horovitz, Louis A . Levin, Julia Moses, Helene Mueller, Bernard Samuels, Sam Seminofsky Friday November 10: Doris Libby Bennett, Joseph Bilder, Max Cohen, Herman A . Donofsky, Leah Firestone, Phillip Friedman, Morris Glassman, Betty Grayer, Jennie Iskowich, Harry Jacobs, Bertha Klein, Leon Morris, Polina Novak, Meyer Seiavitch, Irwin Sidler, Fannie G . Skirboll, Sidney Stein, Sam Stern, Sam Stone, Marvin Tachna, Joseph Thompson, Mildred Weinberger, Milton Zakowitz Saturday November 11: Bessie Lottie Azen, Sylvia Braun, Harry Cukerbaum, Anne Firestone, Julia Goldstein, Louis Greenberg, Zelda Gutmacher, Isaac Klein, William Levy, Joseph Lustig, Jacob S .

Miller, Gertrude R . Nachman, Ruben Nadler, Miriam S . Nydes, Max Perr, Philip Rubenstein, Shana Sergie, Ida Sussman, Nettie Touber, Rose Wolovitz

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With the increasing costs of long-term care, having the help of a legal professional when planning for your family’s future can help you make better decisions that can result in keeping more of your money.

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

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Headlines Bikur Cholim runs bone marrow registry drive — LOCAL —

R

abbi Yitzi Genack knows the importance of a bone marrow transplant.

Genack, the rabbi of Congregation Shaare Torah, donated bone marrow approximately 12 years ago.

“It was very, very exciting,” he said. “An unbelievable opportunity.”

It’s relatively easy, he said, and he encourages others to step up if they can.

“You’ll go to the hospital for one day, you’ll watch three movies, and they’ll send you home,” Genack said.

Bikur Cholim of Pittsburgh and Gift of Life will give Pittsburghers the chance to be a donor by signing up for the bone marrow registry on Nov. 5 at the Squirrel Hill JCC’s Palm Court between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Genack, who registered to become a donor when he was 18, wasn’t called to donate until he was 29. The wait isn’t uncommon.

“It takes that long to find a match,” he said.

The transplants are used to treat several diseases including leukemias, severe aplastic anemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma, immune deficiency disorders and some solid-tumor cancers.

Registration requires a cheek swab.

Later, if you are a potential match, you will be asked to donate blood and have a physical exam. The organization is most interested in those between the ages of 18 and 35. Donors between the ages of 36 and 60 can still join the registry but will need to cover the $60 cost for the test.

Rebecca Gruener, subcommittee chair of the drive, said she realizes that local community members are focused on the war in Israel, but that people shouldn’t push off joining the registry, noting there’s a concept in Judaism of not delaying a mitzvah.

“This is an opportunity to potentially save someone’s life,” she said. “You never know if someone at a bone marrow drive will be a match for someone who may not be well enough to wait if the drive were moved. At a time when the Jewish nation has been afflicted with such darkness, it is important to seize the moment to shine a light with mitzvahs as soon as the opportunity presents itself.”

No pre-registration is required. More information about joining the registry can be found at giftoflife.org. PJC — David Rullo

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Headlines Candidate: Continued from page 4

her peaceful life in Germany progressed to hateful persecution and eventual escape with her four-year-old son, my father, I remember that my family knows all too well that the government can change from a protective shield to a hurtful weapon overnight,” Knoll continued. “My family history strengthens my resolve to protect my community from being represented by somebody who so little cares for our safety.”

Knoll describes himself as “a community activist who is constantly trying to make Allegheny County a better place.” He has served on boards of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Hillel Academy and several congregations. He’s volunteered for several other organizations, both Jewish and secular. He is married and has three teenage children.

“Sympathizing with terrorists overseas is bringing the hate right home to us here in Pittsburgh,” Knoll said. “My son’s friend was harassed on the street. My neighbors’ lawn signs and our neighborhood high school were defaced with antisemitic graffiti. This is not our Pittsburgh. Work done for years to bring together diverse communities has been undermined by fear.”

While garnering the 80,000 votes needed to win the seat is a steep challenge for a write-in

 Write-in candidate David Knoll and his family Photo courtesy of David Knoll

 A repost on X (formerly Twitter) by Bethany Hallum, Oct. 7 Screenshot

candidate, Knoll already has many supporters eager to cast their ballot for him on Nov. 7.

“David, in my mind, has what it takes to be a successful civic leader, even if this current campaign is only about making a statement,” said Joshua Friedman, a Squirrel Hill resident and a member of Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish political organization. “Bethany Hallam, who I once held in high regard for her work reforming Allegheny County Jail, has put the local Jewish population in danger by fanning the flames of a conflict over which she has no political influence. She is alienating some members of the Jewish community who have steadfastly worked towards common goals like reforming ACJ.” Attorney George Heym, an advocate for a variety of progressive causes, said he publicly

supported Hallam in 2021. He is now appalled by her anti-Israel social media posts, which he described as “just blatantly celebrating horrific terrorist acts.”

Heym said that people tried to reach out to Hallam “behind the scenes” to explain how damaging her posts were, but she “went double down with radio silence.”

Squirrel Hill resident and Knoll supporter Rebecca Elhassid condemned Hallam’s “normalization of terrorism.”

The video and words Hallam posted “celebrating Hamas following the attack are dangerous for Jews and for all believers in women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and democracy,” Elhassid said. “I did not intend to support David [Knoll] in this race any more than he intended to run, but as Jews and as humans I

believe we have a duty to stand up to the rising tide of antisemitism, which is compounded when an elected official like Bethany Hallam celebrates Hamas in the public forum. We are already seeing this translate into antisemitic incidents here in Pittsburgh and all over the world. We must stand up to it as individuals and through our government.”

Referencing Hallam’s social media posts, Hochberg said, “there’s a price for that behavior. My goal was to send a message by not voting for her, but now I’m hearing there’s a candidate that is stepping up. I’m going to write him in.”

The Chronicle emailed Hallam requesting comments in response to Knoll’s campaign.

She wrote: “Conservative ‘Democrats’ have been searching for — and outright creating — reasons to launch a campaign against me and try to weaken the broader progressive push in Allegheny County. This allegation (which verges on slander) is just the latest example of this effort and could not be further from the truth: I support an immediate cessation of the ongoing harm being done to all innocent civilians, regardless of their ethnicity, religion or nationality; a peaceful, just, and durable end to the violence; and, at a minimum, even during wartime, a strict adherence to the rule of international humanitarian law. If Mr. Kroll doesn’t agree with that, then I’d agree with him that we don’t share the same values.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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NOVEMBER 3, 2023 21

PAID POLITICAL AD

A JEWISH COMMUNITY ENDORSEMENT OF SARA INNAMORATO FOR ALLEGHENY COUNTY EXECUTIVE Sara Innamorato is the best choice for Allegheny County Executive. She has served our region with dedication and honor as a State Representative and has proven herself as an admirable leader. This election is one of the most important we have ever seen for the region and we have the chance to elect a leader committed to our values and our future.

Sara has always supported our Jewish community and in the past few weeks, as the Jewish world has been in crisis, Sara has been present to support our community and has shown herself to espouse many of the values that we share.

Sara shares our commitment to equality and justice and will ensure that those values are embedded into the culture of Allegheny County government at every level. Sara knows that building a better world starts in our backyards and that each one of us has a responsibility to do our part. Her vision to build a “County for All” exemplifies these values by empowering those who have been left behind and ensuring that everyone in Allegheny County has an opportunity to be seen, heard, and valued in the decision-making process going forward.

Sara Innamorato embodies Chesed and has devoted her life to helping others. Her personal experience with housing insecurity and her father’s struggle with addiction have instilled in her an unyielding need to protect the most vulnerable and serve our community. She is the only one in this race with the experience to compassionately help our neighbors experiencing homelessness, revitalize neglected neighborhoods, and provide care for those struggling with addiction.

The County Executive is the swing vote on our board of elections and oversees the Elections Division within county government. In this critical moment, we oppose all attempts to undermine, cast doubt on the legitimacy of, or override the results of our free and fair elections. Sara Innamorato will always protect our right to vote and ensure safe, secure elections.

Finally, Sara has shown that she will forcefully and unequivocally condemn antisemitism wherever and whenever it occurs.

Sara will continue to reinforce that hate has no place in Allegheny County.

Sara Innamorato is the right person to lead us as our next County Executive, and we hope you join us in supporting her on November 7.

Rachel and Tom Akiva Debbey Altman-Diamant Orly Aridor Jay Aronson and Tamara Dubowitz Valerie Bacharach Carolyn Ban Wendy Bennett Nancy Bernstein Robin J. Bernstein Susan Blackman Jacqueline Braslawsce Josh Breslau and Liz Miller Betsy and Marc Brown Lisa Brush Debra Caplan Elicia Cinque Patricia Cluss Brian Cohen Henry Cohen Lisa and Rip Correnti Jules Coulson Kipp Dawson Aviva Diamond Greer Donley and Zeke Rediker Rebecca Elhassid Paul Eiss Rebecca Weiss Endler Rich Engel Peter and Laura Ennis Judith Esman Ruth Fauman-Fichman Michele Feingold Karen Feinstein Mark Fichman Alan Finkelstein Richard "Rick" Finkelstein Jordan Fischbach

Gary S. Fischer Margaret Fischer Andi and Baruch Fischhoff Anna Fisher Barbara Fisher Ian Fishman Valerie Fleisher Mindy Fleishman Ben Forstate Rep. Dan Frankel Julie Freeman Irv Freeman Joshua Friedman Michal Friedman Lissa Geiger-Shulman Bryan Ghingold Keren Gilboa Andrea Kline Glickman Emily and Rich Goldberg Nanci Goldberg Reid Goldberg David Goldstein Richard Gottlieb Dr. Daniel Gup Max and Robin Hammer Jamie Harris Jeff Herman Monica Hertzman Jodi Hirsh Karen Hochberg Harry Hochheiser Tom Hoffman Andrew Horowitz Laura Horowitz Becca Hurowitz Andi Irwin Gregg Kander and Anna Hollis Ken Karsh

John J. Katz Haliel Selig Chris Miller Mitch Kates Naomi Weisberg Siegel Todd Miller Jeremy Kazzaz Yael Silk Adam Mordouch Rich Keitel Fred Sims Scott Morgenstern Dr. Dana Kellerman Allison Stein Dr. Nathaniel Myers Terry Kennedy Lauren and Hope Anne Nathan Richard Stern Elinor Nathanson Erika Gold Kestenberg Mandy Kivowitz-Delfaver Edie Naveh Sharon Stern Jacob Naveh Terri Klein George Stewart Avigail Oren Carey Knapp Saul Straussman Lisa Osachy Josh Knauer Deborah Stueber David and Rebecca Knoll Lazar Palnick David Sufrin Marilyn Patete Peter Kogan Lisa Tannenbaum Alix Paul Erika Kreisman Becca and Scott Tobe Marta Pelusi Sue Berman Kress and Judy Tobe Herky Pollock Doug Kress Stephen Tobe Helena Powell Rachel Kudrick Greg and Sydne Unatin Jo Recht Michelle Landau Shirl Unatin David and Diane Lassman Dafna Rehavia Kellee Van Aken Bram Reichbaum Simon Felipe Leiderman Sam Wasserman Philip L. Lehman Jonathan Weinkle Eric Rickin Katy Rank Lev Matt Weiss Ben Rickin-Marks Lara Putnam Maya Weiss Abby Rickin-Marks Barry Rankin Howard Wein and Elisabeth Roark Cliff and Rosanne Levine Susan Bailes Rick Rogow Paul and Susan Lieber Rich Weinberg Danny and Shani Rosen Mary Litman Marla and Rachel Rosenfeld Ian Lipsky Michael Werner Carol Rosenthal Sanford and Susan Littwin Tracy Royston Judy Wertheimer Sara London Eve Wider Meira Russ and Jane Louik Emily Willner Nahum Shalman Alison Wolfson Aviva Selekman Lubowsky David Salgarolo Michelle Wirth Rep. Abigail Salisbury Ilyssa Manspeizer Lynda Wrenn Diane Samuels Melissa Jo Marks Carolyn and Frank Schwarz Eileen Yacknin Sheila May-Stein Alison Yazer Alisha Schweiger Jonathan Mayo and Steven Zelicoff Mallary Swartz Sara Stock Mayo Evan and Tracy Segal Louise Mayo Nancy Zionts Ken and Sara Segel Debbie Levy McKenney Ronnie Cook Zuhlke

PAID FOR BY Friends of Sara 22

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

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Community Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence

Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence and partners hosted “In Memoriam: 5 Years Out, Telling Our Stories for Stronger Gun Legislation” in recognition of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. The Oct. 26 event was co-hosted by the Clergy Council of Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence, CeaseFirePA, Moms Demand Action and the South Hills Gun Sense Alliance.

p Dana Kellerman, policy director for Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence, addresses the media.

p Eleven empty chairs with unworn prayer shawls memorialize the 11 Jewish worshippers murdered during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Photos by Caiollin Ertel

Save the best for last

Bring them home

p From left: Elisheva Sunshine, Yehudis Kanal, Kayla Weinberg, Tahara Reinherz, Sima Reinherz, Hannah Goldwasser and Hannah Swedarsky Photo by Adam Reinherz

p Look.

Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh’s cross country team completed its season at the PIAA District 7 WPIAL Championships on Oct. 26. While competing in the 1A Girls 5000 Meter Run at White Oak Park, Hillel’s team posted a season’s best time of 24:29. In a field of 19 regional teams, Hillel finished 11.

Posters bearing the photos of individuals taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 were placed on a wall at the University of Pittsburgh.

Photo courtesy of Howard Rieger

Fall photos are a favorite

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh held Fall Fest in the South Hills. The celebration enabled members to enjoy a festive day of pumpkin painting, dancing and crafting.

p Gourd vibes

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p Orange you glad it’s fall.

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Photos courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

23

KOSHER MEATS

• All-natural poultry — whole chickens, breasts, wings and more • All-natural, corn-fed beef — steaks, roasts, ground beef and more • Variety of deli meats and franks Available at select Giant Eagle stores.

Visit gianteagle.com for location information.

Empire Kosher Fresh Bone-In Split Chicken Breasts

5

49 lb.

Price effective Thursday, November 2 through Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Available at 24

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

and

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