t a recent meeting of the University of Pittsburgh’s Equity, Inclusion and AntiDiscrimination Advocacy Committee, Dr. Barton Branstetter spoke about some of the antisemitic acts that have occurred in the university’s School of Medicine since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel.
“Social media that were critically important to the pre-clinical students were bombarded with frankly antisemitic posts, including images of a bloody Star of David and the caption ‘Bad Religion,’” he recounted to meeting attendees.
The remarks came during an EIDAC meeting discussing the possible creation of an ad-hoc committee to investigate antisemitism on campus. Branstetter, a professor of radiology, otolaryngology and biomedical informatics, is in favor of the committee, and said that Pitt’s antisemitism problem reaches beyond its undergraduate program.
“I wanted this group to know that this problem transcends schools,” he said.
Branstetter told the Chronicle that antisemitic incidents occurred student-tostudent and haven’t involved the staff, professors or administrators.
The antisemitic social media posts, he
explained, occurred in a group chat the pre-clinical medical students use during the two years they’re primarily in an academic setting. The chat is supposed to be used to help students prepare for class, exchange homework notes and references. It is not a part of the curriculum and is not sponsored or facilitated by the university.
As such, he explained, there is no university oversight, but it has become an essential tool medical students use to communicate important educational topics with one another.
That chat was compromised shortly after Oct. 7.
“Two students started posting inflammatory messages,” Branstetter said. “Then there was this dog pile effect where people who don’t know much about the situation just want to seem supportive of the people who claim to be hurt, and it escalated.”
The posts became increasingly antisemitic, he said, until there were some that “indicated violent intent against all Jews.”
Branstetter said that while no individual was directly targeted or threatened, Jewish students felt unsafe.
“They were afraid,” he said.
While he understands the mob mentality
On Nov. 20, 19 Democratic senators voted in favor of three resolutions to block weapons shipments to Israel. The resolutions, which failed, were introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders and opposed by all Senate Republicans and most Democrats. The Biden administration, which has sent billions in military aid to Israel, also came out against the measures.
But, in an act of what might be called “tough love,” the resolutions to withhold weapons were supported by J Street, which bills itself as “the political home and voice for pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans.”
Nadav Tamir, J Street Israel’s executive director, said there’s a difference between supporting Israel’s defense and its offense in the current war. While J Street always supports the shipment of defensive weapons to Israel, it urged senators to vote for the resolutions to halt the provision of some offensive weapons to “send a message to Congress.”
“We believe the Netanyahu government
Lenda volorei ciendi non
quistium si de net voloritat
X
Nadav Tamir Photo courtesy of Nadav Tamir
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (left side of photo) and Scaife Hall (right side of photo) Photo by I, Piotrus, via Wikimedia Commons
Headlines
Immigrant family’s integration eased by local Jewish community
Ortiz said, while sitting in an office at JFCS. The Squirrel Hill-based organization is one of nearly 30 U.S.-based Jewish or secular service resettlement agencies that partner with HIAS. Allie Amoyoae, a communications specialist with JFCS, said the local organization is committed to helping foreign-born individuals and families, coming through the federal government’s resettlement program, find housing and support after arriving in Pittsburgh.
After landing in Pittsburgh, the family was taken to a hotel and began a monthslong integration process.
Erin Barr, director of youth services at JFCS, explained that when a family arrives in Pittsburgh she and her team ease the enrollment process by helping complete paperwork, including vaccination records, and other requirements.
“If necessary, we would help kids walk to their
English language skills.
While Barr and her team are focused on youth, other JFCS employees work with adults. Throughout the Squirrel Hill building, members of JFCS’ refugee and immigrant services and career services, as well as housing specialists and medical caseworkers, strive to meet clients’ basic needs.
“We sort of try to wrap ourselves around the family as a staff,” Barr said. “It’s a holistic
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approach to support the entire family and help them transition to life here in Pittsburgh.”
Jeff Herzog, a volunteer employment specialist, said he and his career services colleagues “shepherd” individuals through the employment process: “We help them find a job that matches their skill level.” The objective is securing a job that not only meets a client’s needs but yields self-sufficiency “within three months.”
Back in Venezuela, Aponte Ortiz was an accountant. After moving to Colombia he operated Ki Tov, a kosher bakery and restaurant specializing in cakes, pizzas and fish dishes. It was a successful venture, he said: “Thank God, we were always good. God was taking care of us.”
Before leaving Colombia, Aponte Ortiz sold the business. After arriving in Pittsburgh, JFCS volunteers reached out to Judah Cowen, president of Elegant Edge, a kosher catering company with dine-in options at Carnegie Mellon University, on Aponte Ortiz’s behalf.
“I work with JFCS quite often on employment matters for people who are relocating,” Cowen said. “When I met Yehoshua and saw that he’s in the community and that he’s eligible mashgiach, and had this experience from Colombia, I realized he’d be a good fit.”
As the mashgiach at Tahini, a CMU-based eatery owned by Elegant Edge, Aponte Ortiz ensures the establishment meets kosher standards by checking ingredients, overseeing staff practices and upholding relevant Jewish laws.
Aponte Ortiz dreams of owning his own restaurant again.
“There’s nothing compared to being self-employed, but thank God we are doing good,” he said.
Aponte Ortiz and his family moved here in search of a better future, he said, and that process has begun. Each day, he attends morning minyan at Congregation Shaare Torah before riding the bus to Oakland
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Members of the Aponte Ortiz family gather after arriving in Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of JFCS
After 50 years of law, attorney David Pollock
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
For attorney David Pollock there’s a certain karma to leaving work after 50 years. His Uncle Melvin retired from business after 50 years. Pollock’s father, a general practice physician in Altoona, retired after 50 years.
“It’s been 50 years of practicing law. I’m age 75. I can do so much more,” Pollock, a partner at Pollock Begg, said.
The family law practitioner is eyeing what’s ahead. Come Dec. 31 Pollock is retiring; none theless, he plans on completing a project with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Domestic Relations Procedural Rules Committee in the months that follow. At that point, he’ll continue several communal engagements.
Pollock’s transition to retirement began years ago.
“At the end of 2018 I said to my partners, ‘I don’t want to be the managing partner anymore. I don’t want to go to court anymore. It’s a younger person’s job,’” he said. “They’re long, long days, and long weeks and long months to get prepared to do a trial. You get prepared and then, my goodness, you’re trying the case, which means even though you’re only doing six hours in court, you’re putting in 12-hour days, not sleeping, or 14-hour days.”
things for a young lawyer.”
The goal is to figure out ways to resolve a situation “without litigation or making it worse,” he said. “Litigation is war.”
“Even in our most troubled times, you can count on David’s insight and loyalty.”
–BRIAN SCHREIBER
did it with his own practice. In 2001, after two of Pittsburgh’s biggest law firms eliminated their matrimonial law departments, Pollock partnered with attorneys Todd Begg, Daniel Glasser and Candice Komar to create a singu-
“David was the only one that sort of saw the future,” Glasser said. “We were relatively young. He had a vision for what this could become.”
Over the years, Pollock Begg expanded to 16 attorneys and became one of the largest family law firms in western Pennsylvania.
“Pollock Begg truly has grown into the family law powerhouse we envisioned when our original partners came together,” Begg said.
Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association Family Law Section.
A self-described “JCC kid,” Pollock grew up in Altoona before moving to Pittsburgh. A member of the JCC’s Masters Swim Group, Pollock has spent countless hours inside the Jewish Community Center — both in its pool and boardroom.
“I was the lay chair of Emma Kaufmann Camp, lay chair of Henry Kaufmann Family Park, of J&R, of aquatics. Eventually, I became assistant treasurer, and then treasurer of the JCC,” he said.
“David has been a consistent and trusted advisor over my tenure,” said Brian Schreiber, chief external affairs officer and special advisor to the CEO at the JCC. “He is a rational and pragmatic thinker, and a dedicated JCC member for many decades. Even in our most troubled times, you can count on David’s insight and loyalty.”
Post-retirement, Pollock will sing a familiar tune. Along with finding new ways to learn, the Temple Sinai member will keep swimming, keep cycling with his group, keep snow skiing and keep performing with the Temple Sinai Intergenerational Choir and the Rodef Shira Choir.
Pollock was done with the “young person’s undertaking.” For the past six years, he said, he’s wound down his litigation work, “but I also wound down my mind.”
“I work every single day. My practice and my clients are on my mind 24 hours a day. To just go cold turkey, it’s really unhealthy. It’s unfair to the clients, unfair to the law firm, but it’s really unhealthy for me,” he said. Pollock has a keen understanding of the mind and people’s needs. His mother was a social worker. His father routinely performed house calls.
“I think I was predisposed to take care of people, one on one, to be somewhat of a social worker,” he said. “That’s goofy to say, but I think it’s true.”
Pollock’s dedication to clients is “one of his best qualities as a lawyer,” Daniel Glasser, a partner at Pollock Begg, said. “If he has a client that he knows needs to be responded to on a daily basis, he does that. If he has a client that
“In family law, you have to be cognizant of the fact that this is the mother and dad — they’re going to be at their kids’ bar mitzvahs, their kids’ graduations, their kids’ weddings and births — all the simchas are going to be celebrated by the divorced father and the divorced mother, divorced husband or wife,” he said. “They’re so much a part of each of the families, so you try to take the puzzle pieces and figure it out in a way that you can reach some kind of amicable resolution, some kind of thing that won’t make it even worse for them down the road. If you’ve got people who just can’t function in that regard, or the facts of the case demand that things be litigated, then I’m not shy about it. I’ve spent my career doing it. I’ve done jury work, both federal and state work. I’m not shy about it, but the goal is so much different. The goal is, how do we reach some kind of resolution that is going to be something the parties want to fulfill.”
Pollock has long been committed to making things right and building a better future. He
The size and scope is a credit to Pollock’s vision, but so is the firm’s regard for community, Komar said. “David’s principles of service, excellence, tireless representation, tireless commitment to both the legal community and to instilling in us the obligation to give back into our charitable communities have been the foundation and the culture of our firm.”
That sense of zealousness for professional and personal undertakings is Pollock’s hallmark, she added.
Pollock’s other roles include chair of the family law sections of both the Allegheny County and Pennsylvania bar associations, editor-in-chief of Pennsylvania Family Lawyer for nearly a quarter century, treasurer of the Pennsylvania chapter of American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers for more than a decade and involvement in both the International Academy of Family Lawyers and American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. His service has resulted in numerous awards, including those from both the Pennsylvania
“I’m not a soloist or anything, and I’m not that strong — it’s just like swimming, where I’m not that strong — but I’ve been doing it for 30 to 40 years,” Pollock said.
Singing in shul breathes life into prayer and adds a personal element, he continued. “It makes services fun for me, but it makes services fun, I think, for everybody, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”
Komar said her longtime colleague’s “boundless energy” will certainly continue well into retirement.
Along with spending time with his wife, Rita, their children and grandchildren, Pollock said he’s looking forward to learning.
“I’m going to do Jewish education and adult education, anything where I don’t have to do any homework, to do any reading, and I don’t have to be graded,” he said with a laugh. “I want to sit back and absorb. And what I remember, I remember. And what I can talk about, I can talk about.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p David Pollock. Photo courtesy of Ideality Communications
Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon.
SUNDAY, DEC. 1
Temple Emanuel of South Hills hosts Azure’s 4th Annual Festive Families Concert. Celebrate all families and traditions with winter holiday favorites performed klezmer-style by the Pittsburgh-based band KleZlectic. Azure concerts are interactive, sensory-friendly and for all ages, abilities and behaviors. An instrument petting zoo follows the performance. Free. 2 p.m. 1250 Bower Hill Road, 15243. RSVP at autismpittsburgh.org/AzureEvents.
q SUNDAYS, DEC. 1–DEC. 18
Grades K-3, join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for Jewish Children’s Discovery Center and learn about some interesting sites and cities in Israel through creative art and baking activities. Children aged 0-2 enjoy a friendly meetup for moms and tots with Jewishthemed music, activities and sensory play. 10:30 a.m. $75/semester for grades K-3; $50 for ages 0-4; 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com/art.
SUNDAYS, DEC. 1–JULY, 20
Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for its Men’s Tefillin Club Services and tefillin are followed by a delicious breakfast and engaging discussions on current events. 8:30 a.m. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com.
MONDAYS, DEC. 2–JULY 27
Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.
Join Temple Sinai for an evening of mahjong every Monday (except holidays). Whether you are just starting out or have years of experience, you are sure to enjoy the camaraderie and good times as you make new friends or cherish moments with longtime pals. All are welcome. Winners will be awarded Giant Eagle gift cards. All players should have their own 2024 mahjong cards. Contact Susan Cohen at susan_k_cohen@yahoo. com if you have questions. $5. templesinaipgh.org.
WEDNESDAYS, DEC. 4-18
Chabad of the South Hills presents “Nurturing Relationships,” a new six-week course with Rabbi Mendel Rosenblum. Learn Jewish wisdom for building deeper connections in all your relationships. 7:30 p.m. Bower Hill Road. chabadsh.com.
WEDNESDAYS, DEC. 4–JULY 29
Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torah portion class on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link.
Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/life-text.
THURSDAY, DEC. 5
JFunds presents a free webinar hosted by Shay Port, CPA and financial coach. Learn practical money management steps to stay on track and accomplish your goals. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register visit JFundsPgh.org. JFunds partners o er grants, loans, scholarships and free financial coaching. 7 p.m. JFundsPgh.org.
SATURDAY, DEC. 7
Families with young children are invited to spend
The future of Israel and the Middle East with J Street Israel
Director Nadav Tamir
Nadav’s personal story, ranging from his IDF service to his Israeli civil service posts in Washington, D.C. and Boston, gives him unique insight into the American Jewish community, the impact of American Jewish lobbying on Israel, and, most importantly, the need for a pro-peace, pro-diplomacy political solution.
Thursday, December 5
Talk and questions: 7:00 - 8:30pm
JCC of Squirrel Hill, Levinson Hall 5738 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Shabbat morning with Rodef Shalom at its Shabbat with You. Drop in for a light breakfast, play date, sing-along with Cantor Toby and a Shabbat activity with Family Center Director Ellie Feibus. 9 a.m. $5 per family. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/shabbatwithyou.
MONDAY, DEC. 9
Join Rabbi Jessica Locketz for Wise Aging: Growing into Wisdom, a nine-session series designed for Jewish adults 55 and older — anyone open to conversations about what it means not just to get older, but to age wisely. Free for members, $72 for nonmembers. Noon. 12 p.m. rodefshalom.org/wiseaging.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11
Wear your PJs and learn a latke about Hanukkah. Children ages 2-5 and their families are invited to join Rodef Shalom librarian Sam Siskind and Family Center Director Ellie Feibus for Hanukkah PJ Library in the Glick Children’s Library for an evening of Hanukkah stories, crafts, and food. 5:30 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/pj.
SUNDAY, DEC. 15
Chabad of the South Hills presents the CKids Chanukah Block Party, a totally epic indoor pre-Chanukah event for the whole family. Dreidel dash, curbside karaoke, kosher food truck fest, make your very own glowing Chanukah sculpture. 2 p.m. 1700 Bower Hill Road. chabadsh.com/blockparty.
MONDAY, DEC. 16
Join Rodef Shalom Congregation for the opening reception of the exhibit Secret Forest, featuring new sculptures by Jonathan Shapiro. This free exhibit is a program of the Music and More at Rodef Shalom series and will be on display in the Rodef Shalom Jewish
Museum through Feb. 28, 2025. 6 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/forest.
Women are invited to join Chabad of the South Hills for Shabbat an Island in Time, Welcoming and Escorting the Shabbat Queen. An evening of insight, song and favorite dishes. 7:30 p.m. $18. 1700 Bower Hill Road. chabadsh.com/ladies.
Hear from guest speaker Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center, as he presents A Stroll Through the Past: Stories from the Rodef Shalom Archives. Learn about interesting finds and stories from Rodef Shalom Congregation’s archives. 7:30 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/archives.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 18
Join Chabad of the South Hills for the Grand Chanukah Seniors Lunch, a festive holiday program featuring a delicious kosher lunch, hot latkes, ra es and prizes. Wheelchair accessible. Pre-registration strongly suggested. 1 p.m. $5 suggested donation. 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com.
FRIDAY, DEC. 20
Join Liron Lipinsky Salitrik, BBYO’s vice president of enrichment strategy, as part of Temple Ohav Shalom’s Rabbi & Friends Series. Lipinsky will present “The Kids are Alright.” 6 p.m. $10. Email jleicht@templeohavshalom. org for more information. templeohavshalom.org.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25
The Tree of Life Congregation will hold an outdoor lighting of the Chanukah menorah. The public is invited. 5 p.m. Corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues. treeoflifepgh.org. PJC
Join the Chronicle Book Club!
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Dec. 22 discussion of “Long Island Compromise,” by Taffy BrodesserAkner. From the Jewish Book Council, Evie Saphire-Bernstein:
“Five years after her wildly successful debut, ‘Fleishman Is in Trouble,’ Taffy Brodesser-Akner returns with an engrossing new novel, ‘Long Island Compromise.’
The book opens in 1980, when, thanks to the success of their polystyrene molds factory, the Fletchers lead a privileged life on Long Island. But after the head of the household, Carl, is kidnapped and held hostage for five days, no one in his family or community is the same. Carl’s three adult children — Nathan, Beamer, and Jenny — all deal with PTSD in different ways, and Carl’s mother and wife attempt to shield him from any further difficulties. While their intentions are good, the outcomes of their actions are unexpected and everlasting. ‘Long Island Compromise’ is about how one person’s actions can impact their family, and how their legacy — well deserved or not — will shape future generations."
Your hosts
Toby Tabachnick, Chronicle editor
RSVP by Nov 29 using QR code. For more information contact Aidan Jelinek at aidan@jstreet.org
David Rullo, Chronicle senior staff writer
How it works
We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, Dec. 22, at 1 p.m.
What to do
Buy: “Long Island Compromise.” It is available at some area Barnes and Noble stores and from online retailers, including Amazon. It is also available through the Carnegie Library system.
Email: Contact us at drullo@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
Headlines
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant based on allegations that they starved Palestinian civilians in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas, JTA reported.
The court on Nov. 21 also issued an arrest warrant against Mohammed Deif, the Hamas military chief whose death has been reported but is not confirmed.
The Hague-based court’s pre-trial chamber decided to issue the warrants based on a recommendation in May by its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan. The court said in a statement that it “found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant bear criminal responsibility for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.”
The court added, “There are reasonable grounds to believe that the lack of food, water, electricity and fuel, and specific medical supplies, created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, which resulted in the death of civilians, including children due to malnutrition and dehydration.”
In a statement, Netanyahu’s office called the prosecutions “antisemitic” and likened them to the Dreyfus affair, the late-19th-century prosecution of a French Jewish officer that was revealed to be an antisemitic plot. The
affair spurred the modern Zionist movement.
“There is no war more just” than the war Israel has conducted since Hamas launched the war on Oct. 7, 2023, when it massacred some 1,200 people in Israel, Netanyahu’s statement said. “The decision was made by a corrupt chief prosecutor trying to save his skin from serious sexual harassment allegations,” his statement said. Netanyahu was referring to an investigation of Khan on charges of sexual misconduct.
The Biden administration, which has provided Israel with military aid, has also criticized the warrants.
“Let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence — none — between Israel and Hamas,” President Joe Biden said in a statement in May, when Khan sought the warrants. “We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security.”
19 Senate Democrats back unsuccessful attempt to block weapons shipments to Israel
Nineteen Senate Democrats backed a failed attempt to block weapons shipments to Israel on Nov. 20, a sign of growing criticism of — and division over — Israel in the party, JTA reported.
The three resolutions that came before the Senate, each aiming to block different offensive U.S. weapons shipments to Israel, were put forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Sanders, who is Jewish, is seen as the unofficial leader of progressives in Congress and has been calling to stop military aid to Israel for months.
The resolutions were opposed by all Republicans as well as most Democrats in the Senate, including Pennsylvania Sens. Bob
Today in Israeli History
Dec. 2, 2001 — Bus bombing in Haifa kills 16
Casey and John Fetterman, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a pro-Israel stalwart who is Jewish. The Biden administration, which has sent billions in military aid to Israel, also came out against the measures.
Those who supported the resolutions said their votes were a way to register symbolic opposition to Israel’s conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza. J Street urged senators to vote for the resolutions for the same reason.
Those who opposed the measures said they supported Israel and did not want to block aid to an ally.
A resolution to block tank munitions was voted down 79-18; another aimed at mortar ammunition 78-19; and a resolution aimed at blocking guidance systems for bombs fell 80-17. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin voted present on all three. The votes represented around one-third of the Democratic conference in the Senate. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s number-two Democrat, voted in favor of all three.
The 19 senators who voted for at least one of the three resolutions included two Jews alongside Sanders: Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Jon Ossoff of Georgia. Ossoff’s support of two of the three measures was particularly notable because he represents a swing state with a sizable Jewish community that he is close to.
Man who attempted terror attack on Jewish New Yorkers in 2022 sentenced to 10 years in prison
A man who was arrested in Penn Station in 2022 while preparing to carry out a terror attack against Jewish New Yorkers was sentenced to 10 years in state prison on Nov. 20, NY Jewish Week reported.
Christopher Brown, 23, had traveled to New York City after posting antisemitic messages on social media. Brown was arrested at Penn Station on Nov. 18, 2022, along with Matthew Mahrer, with whom he had planned to carry out an attack and to whom he had paid $650 to buy a firearm in Pennsylvania.
After the arrest, police found a knife, a swastika armband and a ski mask in Brown’s backpack.
In September, Brown pleaded guilty to the charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree as a crime of terrorism. It is a Class B felony.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the sentence “a significant prison term” and added, “I know that the Jewish community in Manhattan is continuing to face rising antisemitism and violent threats, and I want everyone to know that we are using every tool possible in coordination with our law enforcement partners to keep them safe.”
The attack had been thwarted in part thanks to a tip from the Community Security Initiative, a local Jewish security agency. The group discovered threatening posts by Brown on Twitter, and brought that information to law enforcement.
On the platform, Brown had expressed intent to “shoot up a synagogue,” saying, “This time I’m really gonna do it,” court records and the district attorney’s office said.
Mitch Silber, the director of CSI, said Brown’s sentencing “underscores the critical importance of vigilance and collaboration in protecting our communities.”
PJC
— Compiled by Jarrad Saffren
Nov. 29, 1947 — U.N. approves partition
On a vote of 33-13 with 10 abstentions, the U.N. General Assembly passes Resolution 181, which calls for the partition of Palestine into separate Arab and Jewish states linked by an economic union.
Nov. 30, 2010 — Carmel Tunnels open in Haifa
Haifa’s Carmel Tunnels open to traffic after three years of construc tion costing $420 million. Drivers now can get from Carmel Beach in the west to the Check Post on the eastern side of Mount Carmel in eight minutes.
During a surge in Second Intifada violence, a Palestinian plumber from Nablus detonates an explosive device on a No. 16 Egged bus in Haifa, killing himself and 15 other passengers and injuring 35 others.
Dec. 3, 1969 — Findings of Jewish Quarter excavation are revealed Hebrew University archaeologist Nahman Avigad announces the results of his excavation of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, shedding light on nine stages of the city’s history.
Dec. 4, 2000 — Law bars discrimination in schools
The Knesset passes legislation proposed by Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who is also the education minister, to prevent discrimination against students based on ethnicity, socioeconomic status or political alignment.
Dec. 1, 1973 — David Ben-Gurion dies Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, dies at the Tel HaShomerSheba Medical Center in Tel Aviv at age 87 a few weeks after suffering a stroke. He is buried at Sde Boker beside his wife, Paula.
Dec. 5, 1897 — Mysticism scholar Gershom Scholem is born Gershom Scholem is born in Berlin to an assimilated Jewish family. A Zionist from a young age, he makes aliyah in 1923, teaches at Hebrew University and becomes the preeminent scholar of Jewish mysticism. PJC
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
p Gershom Scholem created the academic discipline of Jewish mysticism.
p The Carmel Tunnels, seen at the western entrance, operate on tolls.
By Hanay via Wikimedia Commons
Headlines
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Like many Jews, Deena Blumenfeld celebrated the High Holidays at a synagogue this year.
But unlike most, Blumenfeld’s holiday experience at Rodef Shalom Congregation marked the first time she was in a synagogue since high school.
For the last 40 years, Blumenfeld considered herself an agnostic and “non-Zionist.” Her journey has run the gambit: a daughter raised in a typical Reform 1980s-era family; an agnostic who was religiously curious about non-Jewish traditions; and finally, a 50-something Jewish woman re-embracing her faith and culture in the shadow of Oct. 7, 2023.
Growing up in a Philadelphia suburb, Blumenfeld and her family attended Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel next-door to the Conservative Beth Sholom. Her mother managed their congregation’s museum and Blumenfeld attended religious school.
“All of the seventh and eighth grade bar and bat mitzvah students were back and forth between the buildings all weekend,” she remembered.
Her school district, she said, was roughly 30% Jewish, which helped normalized her Jewish experience in a typical American suburb.
struggle with her rabbi while at religious
I said, ‘Rabbi, I don’t understand this. God kills bad people — Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah and the flood…God kills bad people and he saves good people. My mother’s not a bad person. Why is God killing my mom?’ The rabbi said to me, ‘We don’t always understand what God does.’ I looked at him and said, ‘But
lyst moment” and said she walked away from
She spent the next five years playing the role of an American Jewish daughter, albeit one that no longer believed in God, and shortly before her mother’s death, celebrated her bat mitzvah and began confirmation classes.
The classes, she said, provided more than religious instruction.
“We started talking about actual Jewish history,” she said. “It wasn’t simply when we were introduced to the Talmud. It was the history, the Babylonian exile and what happened to Jews over time. We talked about World War II and the pogroms.”
And the classes also covered the creation of the state of Israel.
Blumenfeld said one such lesson, taught by the same rabbi who was unable to adequately explain why bad things happen to good people, caused a second crisis of faith — a more personal and cultural crisis.
“I don’t know if this is what my 15-year-old brain heard the rabbi say or if this is what he actually said,” she recalled, “but he started talking about what happened to the Arabs, and he said something about how they left their homes and the Jews took over those homes. My head was like, ‘Did they just come in and take people’s homes? Is that what happened?’”
After class, Blumenfeld and a lifelong friend escaped to the library to process what they just
Please see Roots, page 17
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p Deena Blumenfeld (with pro-Israel Congressman Ritchie Torres of New York) has reembraced her Jewish faith since Oct. 7. Photo provided by Deena Blumenfeld
Headlines
Killing of Israeli rabbi in UAE could strengthen ties between Israel and Arab neighbors, experts say
By Ron Kampeas | JTA
WASHINGTON — The killing of an Israeli Chabad rabbi in the United Arab Emirates shocked many, and illustrated the dangers Jews face around the world.
But if the aim of the attack was to undermine the Abraham Accords between Israel, the UAE and other Arab nations, Middle East analysts say it could well have the opposite effect: making those ties even stronger.
“If anything, given the Emirati response, and given that I have not seen any Israeli indication that somehow the UAE didn’t take this seriously enough, it seems to be the opposite, that Israel deeply appreciated the UAE response,” said Michael Koplow, the chief policy officer at the Israel Policy Forum, referring to a UAE statement calling the killing of Rabbi Zvi Kogan an “attack on our values.”
“In many ways, it’s only going to lead to a stronger diplomatic relationship,” he said. Israel and the UAE are both still coping with the fallout from the killing of Kogan, 28, a Moldovan-Israeli emissary of the Chabad Hasidic movement who moved with his wife to Abu Dhabi in 2022, and whose body was discovered on Saturday. Authorities in the UAE on Monday arrested three Uzbek nationals suspected of involvement in his murder, which Israel has called an act of terror.
As authorities investigate who is responsible for Kogan’s death, political circles in Washington, D.C., Israel and the Gulf are asking a related question: What will this do to ties between Israel and the UAE?
The stakes of that question have become especially high in recent weeks. The two countries normalized relations in 2020, in what is known as the Abraham Accords, and their ties have proven resilient even as
Israel fights a brutal multi-front war against terror groups in Gaza and Lebanon. Now, President-elect Donald Trump, whose first administration brokered the accords, has vowed to expand them in his coming term beyond the four Arab states that have already signed on, including drawing in Saudi Arabia.
His former aides say that that ambition has not been hindered — and could even be accelerated — as a result of the weekend’s tragedy.
Jason Greenblatt, the former Trump administration envoy to the Middle East, said he was in the UAE when the murder was reported and he encountered nothing but outrage — a sign, he said, that warm feelings are persisting between the countries even as Israel faces protest and opposition across the Middle East and beyond due to the war in Gaza.
“Everyone I met, Emiratis and other nationalities, including other Arab nationalities, were angry about what happened,” Greenblatt, who travels frequently to the region, said in a text to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
He added that the Abraham Accords were secure, and that the attack reflected the ability of the perpetrators “to penetrate even extremely secure cities” such as Dubai, where Kogan was last seen.
“To those tying the tragic, cold-blooded murder of Rabbi Kogan to the Abraham Accords and suggesting that the Abraham Accords will now weaken or fail, I strongly disagree,” he said. “The Emiratis abhor this kind of behavior. Of course it’s true that at this moment it may be uncomfortable to be openly Jewish or Israeli. That’s natural given what happened. But not because of Emiratis or the countless other nationalities that live in and thrive in the UAE.”
The UAE is an authoritarian state with strict limits on press freedom and protest, and the message the Emirati government has
Jared Kushner, fourth from right, poses for a group photo with the ambassadors from Israel and the UAE and others at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, Sept. 14, 2021. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who led the Abraham Accords negotiations, pledged $1 million to Chabad in UAE this week.
Photo by Ron Kampeas
VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is proud to present the Volunteers of the Year for 2024. Their stories are incredibly inspirational. We hope you enjoy reading about the wonderful work these volunteers perform in our community.
Adat Shalom Synagogue
Adat Shalom is proud to honor Marc and Marjorie Schermer as our Volunteers of the Year. Founding members of Adat Shalom, Marc and Marjie are passionately engaged in many aspects of Adat Shalom life including the ritual, facility, and mitzvah committees. These devoted Shabbat attendees often lead services together on Friday nights and Marc leads Sunday minyans. During the High Holidays, Marc blows the shofar beautifully while Marjie helps assign all aliyot and service parts. With the mitzvah committee, Marjie prepares comfort meals and bakes hamantaschen. Previously Adat Shalom representatives to our local interfaith initiative, Roots of Faith, Sharpsburg, Marjie is now chair of the board of that organization. Adat Shalom is blessed with this dedicated volunteer couple!
Beth El Congregation of the
Diane Yarnot works quietly behind the scenes at Beth El Congregation in meaningful ways. With a caring voice, she reaches out to members in need through the acts of the loving kindness committee. She polishes silver before the High Holidays and also keeps the jewelry in Sisterhood’s Judaica Shop sparkling. Diane ensures that we have a minyan every evening and leads the Prayer for the State of Israel in Hebrew. She also provides tech support for A Space for Hope & Healing on Zoom with Rabbi Amy. Beth El is strengthened by the gift of Diane’s time and talent that she willingly shares.
Beth Hamedrash HagodolBeth Jacob Congregation
honor of his uncle Manny Glantz, who introduced him to the shul. Currently, Richard serves on the board and actively volunteers in the kitchen and helps with the breakfasts every Sunday. We are proud to submit him for Volunteer of the Year.
Beth Samuel Jewish Center
Susie Hill is Beth Samuel Jewish Center’s Volunteer of the Year. Every Sunday morning for the past 40 years, the most important people at Beth Samuel Jewish Center — our children, generation after generation — have been made to feel that our synagogue is a place where they belong. Every one of them knows that Susie will always light up to see them coming through the door and welcome them back with a big hug. Our goal is to build a Jewish space where our community holds one another so secure and so precious that we never forget how it felt. Susie embodies that, and we celebrate her service!
The Branch (JRS)
Richard Apter credits his Jewish identity, importance of community-building and sense of tzedekah to his mother, Arlene Apter. She championed Jewish learning and ritual practice throughout his childhood and bar mitzvah at Beth Shalom. This anchored his Jewish identity, which has continued throughout his lifetime. Richard is a longtime member who has volunteered for many activities for the shul over the years. His membership and volunteering are in
The Branch proudly recognizes Berg Vayonis cated advocate for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Cindy helped found and continues to co-chair the Family Forum, a joint program of The Branch, The Friendship Circle and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. She works to educate families of adult children with disabilities, providing resources for long-term planning, housing and meaningful daily activities. Cindy’s dedication stems from her experience as caregiver to her daughter, Lexi. A board member of The Branch, Cindy is committed to helping parents navigate the complexities of caring for an adult child with disabilities while building a supportive community for those facing similar challenges.
Chabad of Monroeville
many ways. On behalf of Chabad of Monroeville we thank you for being a beacon of light and kindness. We are truly grateful and are fortunate to have someone of Robin’s caliber in our community.
Chabad on Campus – Pitt
As a director of the executive board, Steve Mitnick has been instrumental in helping Chabad on Campus–Pitt deal with a fast-growing budget and increased physical demands on a daily basis. He was also involved with the acquisition of a new building in the heart of Oakland for Jewish students at the University of Pittsburgh and surrounding campuses. Steve is always ready and his “can-do“ attitude accomplishes the impossible. Chabad on Campus–Pitt is extremely grateful for Steve’s friendship and
Robin Sloan’s volun teer work at Chabad is infused with passion, creativity and commit ment to every project she undertakes, consis tently going above and beyond to make a meaningful impact. Whether it’s event organizing, assisting with programs, or behind-the-scenes support, her efforts have assisted Chabad and the community in so
Andrew Neft has been a cornerstone of Chabad of the South Hills for over 20 years, driven by his deep passion for Judaism. He is the inspiration behind our weekly BLT (bagels, lox and tefillin), which he faithfully helps prepare each week. Andrew also plays a key role in our men’s club and actively supports Chabad’s many initiatives. We are proud to choose Andrew as our Volunteer of the Year.
instrumental in fostering Jewish identity and connection. Danielle initiated and has led the monthly New Moon Circle for over a year, sharing wisdom and inspiration that highlight Jewish femininity. Her dedication continues to inspire and strengthen our vibrant community.
Classrooms Without Borders
Barbara Krause is Classrooms Without Borders’ Volunteer of the Year because of her unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions. She brings her sharp intellect to every project, including multiple thorough reviews of our annual impact report. Barbara’s generosity shines as she graciously hosts events in her home, creating a welcoming atmosphere for our community. Her wise counsel is always available, offering thoughtful guidance whenever needed. “Barbara is a true friend to Classrooms,” commented Dr. Zipora Gur, the organization’s founder. “We are able to do the work of opening minds and hearts because of her expertise and thoughtfulness.” Thank you, Barbara, and mazel tov!
Volunteer of the Year. Chabad of Squirrel Hil is in the final stages of ur renovations and capital campaign. Using his years of experience in business and community adership, Don has been a vital source of advice and leadership, oth in the campaign and renovations.
Chabad Young Professionals
Danielle Feldman , Chabad Young Professionals’ Volunteer of the Year, has been a cornerstone of the community. She has contributed her creativity to programming and has been
Ruth and Scott ’s passion and tireless efforts have shown through their nine years as chairs of the CDS Grandparents Association. Their leadership in fostering engagement and supporting CDS’ mission is unparalleled and has profoundly enriched our community. By creating a legacy of connection, generosity and active involvement, they have set an inspiring example for future generations. Ruth and Scott’s contributions will have a lasting impact on our community’s spirit and growth.
Congregation Bet Tikvah
Elaine Rybski , Congregation Bet Tikvah’s treasurer and membership coordinator, is our administrative backbone. For the past two years, Congregation Bet Tikvah has been in a period of transition. During this time, Elaine has attended every single meeting and event we have put on. We could not have done it without
Marc and Marjorie Schermer
Cindy Berg Vayonis
Robin Sloan
Steve Mitnick
Andrew Neft
Don Linzer
Danielle Feldman
Barbara Krause
Ruth and Scott Apter
Elaine Rybski
Diane Yarnot
Richard Apter
Susie Hill
her help. She consistently has good ideas and encourages the other core group of volunteers to work for what’s best for our congregation. We are incredibly grateful for all the time and energy she dedicates to our community.
Congregation
Beth Shalom
Debby Firestone and her husband, Nate, have been members of Beth Shalom for 50 years. They celebrated many lifecycle events at the shul while raising their three children. At Beth Shalom, Debby participated in the youth commission, Purim carnival, holiday packages for college students, challah, soup and hamantaschen fundraising, volunteer brunch and
Book of Remembrance. She served on the gardening and nominating committees, and as Sisterhood president. After several years on the executive committee, Debby served as Beth Shalom’s president for four years, which coincided with the Oct. 27, 2018, Pittsburgh synagogue shooting as well as the pandemic. She currently serves on the development committee as she maintains a strong commitment to the strength of the shul. Beth Shalom’s community is grateful for Debby’s tireless efforts and congratulates her for being our Volunteer of the Year.
Dor Hadash
Longtime volunteer Beth Silver exemplifies the values of Dor Hadash, Pittsburgh’s Reconstructionist Congregation. Beth is co-chair of our Inclusion Committee, which ensures that we are welcoming and
accessible to people of diverse ages and sexual, gender or racial identities, who are disabled, or of interfaith families. She is also an integral member of our ritual and membership committees. Beth coordinates ushers for services and volunteers at Torah study and the High Holidays. She offers support to the refugee resettlement committee which sponsors a refugee family each year, and to the Dor Hadash religious school. Beth embodies the notion of tikkun olam and Dor Hadash is delighted to recognize her invaluable contributions.
Clayton Hirsh has been involved with The Friendship Circle since he was a young member. Now, as an adult, Clayton serves as a board member and president of the FC alumni council, where he engages graduated
Friendship Circle adults to stay involved in advocating for a more inclusive community. In his two years as council president, Clayton has planned events like happy hours and educational panels and recruited numerous young adults to the alumni network. The friendships he formed as a teen at FC continue to this day, showing Clayton’s lifelong commitment to The Friendship Circle and disability inclusion.
Hebrew Free Loan Association of Pittsburgh
Hebrew Free Loan Association of Pittsburgh is excited to recognize board of director and treasurer Debra Leff as our Volunteer of the Year. As a previous loan cosigner, auditor of a national nonprofit union, and small
BETH SAMUEL JEWISH CENTER, AMBRIDGE
Debby Firestone
Clayton Hirsh
Beth Silver
Debra Leff
Alison Brown Karabin, of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, speaking at Seneca Valley High School
Photo courtesy of Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh
business owner, Deb brings a down-toearth, no-nonsense and caring approach to meeting with applicants, chairing the audit committee and strategizing with the executive committee. Deb is often the first to volunteer help and recently organized HFL’s Latkes for Loans at her beloved Zano’s Pub House, raising awareness and money, as well as preparing pounds of latkes. HFL is grateful to Deb for her commitment to our mission.
Hillel Academy
Yitzchak Cohen grad uated Hillel Academy in 2010 and returned to Pittsburgh six years ago to work in the software industry. For the past three years Yitzhak has given back to Hillel Academy by teaching an elective coding course in our high school. His course is a student favorite and is an integral part of our STEM program. Yitzy is dedicated to our students and our school and we are grateful for all that he has done. We are truly proud to call him an alum.
contribute to the Board of Governors meet ings as an emeritus trustee. The Roskies will be sorely missed when they move out of state to be closer to family.
Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh
Alison Brown Karabin has shared the story of her grandmother Elizabeth Brown (z”l), who survived the camps and a death march, with hundreds of students and adults over the years as a volunteer in our Generations speakers bureau. In doing so, she brings a personal account of a Holocaust survivor with a Pittsburgh connection, making their lessons about this important topic even more tangible to people in our area. In addition, Alison assists at events and has served on our advisory board since 2019, helping new Generations speakers refine and finesse their presentations.
him, a ppreciating his kindness and mpany as much as the meals he brings. Deeply voted to supporting our community’s seniors, Hugh feels a responsibility to ensure they’re fed, regardless of inclement weather or car troubles. His generosity and selflessness are undeniable, but as Hugh puts it, his desire to give back is simply “in my DNA.”
Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh is proud to honor Rabbi Elimelech as the JCC Volunteer of the Year.
an officer, Jimmy is an integral member of the executive and development committees, where his efforts and outreach have greatly contributed to the JCBA’s funding and growth. We thank you, Jimmy.
Jewish Family and Community Services
Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center
always count on Ralph to attend and actively
For over a decade, shared his time and love of community as a Jewish Assistance Fund volunteer. With boundless energy and dedication, Paul has helped to increase economic security in the western Pennsylvania Jewish community, one person at a time. Paul has been an engaged, caring and dedicated grantor and board member. We counted on him as we helped the community navigate financial challenges and provide financial help with no repayment every week throughout
is a dedicated volunteer who delivers meals to homebound seniors through the Jewish Association on Aging’s Mollie’s Meals program, a mitzvah he’s done for 30 years with various community organizations. Everyone on this soon-to-be nonagenarian’s delivery route looks forward to seeing
Rabbi Seidman has been volunteering with AgeWell at the JCC since June 2022, and previously volunteered with AgeWell to pack lunches that were being delivered to isolated seniors during the pandemic, bringing his upbeat demeanor and sharing his favorite playlist to liven the workroom.
Rabbi Seidman continues to be a linchpin of our volunteer team, giving his time almost every Friday serving lunch to older adults in the J Cafe congregate meal program.
Rabbi Seidman’s efforts help ensure that our vulnerable seniors receive much needed nutrition and social interaction, and that those who adhere to the laws of kashrut have a place to come and to feel welcome
Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh
James P. Wagner , a valued volunteer to the many organizations he is associated with, is vice president of the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh. Jimmy played a key role in the planning and development of what is now the JCBA. In addition to being
Maya West volunteers with JFCS Refugee & Immigrant Services. She has proven that no task is too big or too small for her, helping with paperwork, organization and direct services. Maya welcomes refugees by setting up hotels and homes and helping them access essential documents and appointments when they first arrive. Her efforts have significantly expanded the capacity of refugee and immigrant services by addressing various needs as they arise. Maya is passionate about her work at JFCS and deeply values the supportive environment and staff.
Jewish Federation of Greater
Ellen Teri Kaplan Goldstein is the Federation’s Gerald S. Ostrow Volunteer of the Year. ET’s efforts at the Federation focus on the important job of fundraising. She has served in virtually every campaign leadership role including campaign chair in 2022 and 2023. During her tenure as campaign chair, ET personally secured nearly 100 individual contributions to the annual community campaign. Today, she continues to take an active fundraising role. ET is a longtime member of the board of directors and served as an officer. She is also a former member of the planning and funding committee. Pittsburgh is incredibly lucky to have a volunteer like ET. We deeply appreciate the time, energy and enthusiasm she brings to the Federation.
Alison Brown Karabin Photo courtesy of The Branch
Hugh Casper
Rabbi Elimelech Seidman
James P. Wagner
Maya West
Ellen Teri Kaplan Goldstein
Yitzchak Cohen
Ralph Roskies
Volunteers: Continued from page 10
Jewish Healthcare Foundation
and loyalty he learned from Fred. Over the past three decades, Bill has served on numerous JHF committees and has always been an indefatigable advocate for the health needs of children, youth and families. In 2024, Bill served as the chair of JHF’s communications committee, a member of the executive committee and as a board member of Health Careers Futures. The foundation is incredibly grateful for Bill’s dedication and insightful contributions in 2024.
Jewish National Fund
Charlene and Allan Tissenbaum have become invaluable supporters and advocates for Jewish National Fund-USA. Despite enduring a rocket attack from Iran during their April 14 Volunteer Mission, they continued with enthusiasm and found profound meaning in their experience. Charlene joined Women for Israel as a Chai member shortly afterward
and plans to volunteer at ADI NegevNahalat Eran early next year. Their dedication extends to Allan’s mother, a Holocaust survivor, who they brought on the mission. This spring, they are set to host a JNF-USA parlor meeting, further demonstrating their commitment to supporting Israel and the Jewish community.
Kesher Pittsburgh
Kesher Pittsburgh is proud to nominate
Volunteer of the Year. Ari and his family are pillars of our community, consistently going above and beyond — arriving early to set up, staying late to wrap cords and warmly welcoming new faces. Ari is always willing to do more for Kesher, whether that be coordinating security, contributing to the leadership team, managing volunteers or even hosting gatherings. Our community is deeply blessed and grateful for Ari’s unwavering support, kindness, generosity and thoughtful guidance.
Congregation Beth Shalom honors its member
Lubavitch Center
Rabbi Dovie Saul is an “unsung hero” of Lubavitch Center. For years he has led the boys’ junior minyan on Shabbos morning, making a positive difference in many boys’ lives. He is a role model, who influences by his demeanor and acts of kindness. If asked, he helps wherever needed; but normally, he sees a need and just fills it without being asked. Lubavitch Center is blessed with young volunteers such as Rabbi Dovie, who does much but
Debby Firestone Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle Volunteer of the Year!
or delivering meals to those in need, Daniel’s reliability and enthusiasm inspire everyone around him. His unwavering
plifies the spirit of volunteering and helping those less fortunate that drives Our Giving Kitchen. As secretary of the board, Daniel plays a key leadership role, contributing his time and expertise to strengthen our organization. Beyond his board responsibilities, Daniel, together with his family, is a hands-on volunteer who is always ready to help wherever he’s needed. Whether it’s preparing, packing
JCBA Volunteer of The Year
volunteer to many organizations, is Vice-President of the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh. Jimmy played a key role in the planning and development of what is now the JCBA. In addition to being an Officer, Jimmy is an integral member of the Executive and Development committees where his efforts and outreach have greatly contributed to the JCBA’s funding and growth. We thank you, Jimmy.
Ari Rapport
Evan Stein
Allan and Charlene Tissenbaum
Rabbi Dovie Saul
Daniel Wein
Bill Isler
Volunteers:
Continued from page 11
central role in fostering a community of caring for all our congregants. From greeting members and organizing welcoming programs to writing birthday cards, Tony’s warmth and kindness have touched every corner of our community. He also serves as a member of our board of trustees and co-chair of our member engagement committee. We are deeply grateful for Tony’s dedication and passion for helping others and supporting meaningful and lasting connections within our community.
StandWithUs
Marjorie Manne is an exceptional
events, meetings, vigils and rallies. Marjorie has traveled to conferences, met with elected officials, and spearheaded efforts to oppose anti-Israel resolutions and BDS legislation. Her passion, commitment and tireless drive are rooted in a deep sense of responsibility to both the Jewish community and the state of Israel. In the past year alone, Marjorie has hosted StandWithUs events in her home, served on the committee for the inaugural StandWithUs community reception, supported our legal and campus initiatives, and helped recruit and lead volunteers through grassroots activism. StandWithUs is deeply grateful for Marjorie’s unwavering support of our mission to fight antisemitism and promote education about Israel.
Temple Emanuel of South Hills
Temple Emanuel of South Hills proudly recognizes Julie Lutz as our Volunteer of the Year. A Torah Center and ECDC parent, Julie is always willing to lend a hand to our educational programs and step in to help with a fundraiser, bookkeeping task or classroom need. This past year, the Temple Emanuel gardening team was thrilled when Julie offered to help with an additional volunteer task: spearheading the planting, watering and
harvesting in our community garden to benefit South Hills Interfaith Movement. She also pressure-washed our outdoor spaces, including our outdoor courtyard where we host Shabbat services on occasion during the summer months. We are so thankful she is part of our community and proud to honor her with this recognition.
Temple Ohav Shalom
Lydi Poller a dedicated member of Temple Ohav Shalom since 1976. She consistently has been an active member of numerous committees, including education, social action, rabbi search, building and landscaping committees. She was also a teacher for the Sunday school and has cooked for countless events. Lydi is most known as the pioneer of TOS’ library. She worked to secure space (in both the former building and current site) and has cataloged and repaired countless books for the library, which has been a valuable resource for members for over 40 years.
Temple Sinai
and valuable. He understands the interconnection and importance of all aspects of synagogue culture and never underestimates the significance of the details. Philip’s broadbased contributions include philanthropy strategies, RACP award support, connecting new members to job opportunities, membership tactics, budgeting and cemetery planning, advising on the means of building a vital endowment and much more. Philip donates endless hours as a stabilizing resource to be sure that the Temple Sinai community will flourish and thrive decades into the future.
The Tree of Life
Philip Lehman’s dedication to the Temple Sinai mission is diverse, never-ending
Jeffrey Letwin is a deeply engaged volunteer whose early and consistent dedication to rebuilding The Tree of Life has been foundational to our progress to date. In addition to his work securing and maintaining several key partnerships for our organization, he has been very involved as
Volunteers, page 14
Philip Lehman
Lydi Poller
Tony RichardsonEckes
Jeffrey Letwin
Volunteers:
Continued from page 13
a volunteer for numerous committees over the years. Currently he serves as a member of our board of directors and our developm ent committee; previously he served as chair of the steering committee, co-chair of the groundbreaking committee, member of the campaign cabinet, member of the interim governance committee and member of the architectural steering
had his bar mitzvah there, and in high school built a new children’s library at the synagogue with his mom. Zac has run Tree of Life’s Young Jewish Community, which has held 43 events engaging over 140 unique young adults since February 2023. He also led the 2024 Synagogue Nomination Committee.
Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh
Tree of Life Congregation
Zachary Sikov , son of Paul and Ellen Goldstein Sikov, is a fifth-generation Pittsburgher whose family has attended Tree of Life Congregation for over 60 years. Zac grew up going to Tree of Life Sunday school,
Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh is honored to nominate Theresa Firtell Volunteer of the Year. Her dedication and countless hours of service have made a meaningful impact on our school community.
From organizing the call center for the Here to Stay Charidy campaign to chairing the back-to-school event committee, Theresa’s leadership shines through. She supports the school through the parent association, coordinates Purim baskets, participates in the coffee and conversation mentorship
Happy Thanksgiving
Ira Frank
Dafna Shimshi
Theresa Firtell
Stafeeva/ Adobe Stock
Zachary Sikov
Headlines
Antisemitism:
Continued from page 1
that often occurs on social media — people “like” posts because they see others “liking” a post — Jewish students saw the majority of their classmates agreeing with “threatening and flagrantly antisemitic” posts.
When the posts were brought to the attention of the medical school’s administration, Branstetter said, the administration recommended that Jewish students leave the group. That would have undermined their education, Branstetter noted.
The administration next created an official forum which it facilitated. Many of the Jewish students moved to the new group but most of the class did not.
Another concerning incident occurred at the medical students’ “pinning ceremony” — which celebrates students completing the academic part of their study and moving to the clinical portion. During the ceremony, one of the senior medical students grabbed an open microphone and went on an “antisemitic tirade, implying that you can’t be a real doctor if you support Israel,” Branstetter said. “It was horrific and nobody stopped it.”
Many in the room, he said, looked uncomfortably at the Jewish students.
Branstetter understands that the shock of the moment may have prevented immediate intervention, but he is disappointed with the administration’s silence following the outburst
Continued from page 1
continuing this war without a plan for the day after, without any attempt to release the hostages, with the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza — I believe the administration and Congress should show a signal to Netanyahu that the American support is not a blank check,” Tamir said, speaking on Zoom from his home outside Tel Aviv. “Soldiers are being killed, hostages are still there. So the U.S. has to tell Israel the aid is for Israel’s security. What you are doing now is not Israel’s security and definitely not in America’s interest.”
Tamir, a former Israeli consul general to New England and adviser to former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, will be at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill on Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. to discuss “The Future of Israel and the Middle East.”
Tamir, who worked in Peres’ office during the days of the Oslo Accords, said his role with J Street, “is the exact right place for me as someone who knows American politics, who understands diplomacy, the peace process, keeping Israel a democracy.”
He began working with the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1993. His first position abroad was in Washington, D.C., where he “learned a lot about American politics and American exceptionalism and diplomacy,” he said, and was “very impressed by the mainstream Jewish organizations, their clout, their impact.”
But his perceptions later changed while in the U.S. as a Wexner Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government in 2004, when he got to know the Boston community and came to realize “the organizations that I was very impressed with are very disconnected from so many Jews who felt that they didn’t leave any space for anyone who had criticism, and that they demanded the only
— which the senior posted on his Instagram page. An appropriate reaction, Branstetter said, would have been an email from the administration apologizing for what happened.
While he understands the university’s respect for free speech, the administration nonetheless should have publicly rebuked the outburst, Branstetter said.
A third-year Jewish medical student, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution by the administration and fellow students, said the chat group — which had never been home to political discourse — became uncomfortable for Jewish students almost immediately after Oct. 7.
“People have been very, very vocal,” the student said. “It started as pro-Palestine and quickly turned to anti-Israel. The words being used are very aggressive. They throw ‘genocide’ and ‘Zionism’ around in a very negative context.”
The comments, the student said, have left no room for conversation or nuance.
“If you’re not pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, you’re a bad person,” they said.
The student deleted the app, which led to a sort of isolation from information and community.
“I don’t get information about upcoming lunch talks or actual news that’s important to the school,” the student said.
Because Jewish students attend classes with the people creating the posts, the only option to maintain a healthy learning environment is to ignore the posts, the student said.
When Jewish students spoke out and the administration created the university-facilitated
way to love and support Israel is to agree with the Israeli government — which was easy in the early days of the state but became harder and harder with the right-wing governments and lack of peace process.”
Mainstream Jewish organizations, he said, “made it impossible for American administrations to really try to work hard on achieving a two-state solution because any politician who spoke about the Palestinian state or Palestinian rights was suicidal — they would go after him or her.”
Tamir describes himself as a Zionist who believes that “a Palestinian state is absolutely necessary.”
“And if we won’t end occupation,” he added, “the occupation will end us.”
Tamir’s criticism of the Israeli government landed him in hot water in 2009, while he was serving as consul general in Boston.
The Obama administration had just come into power “and I was very frustrated by the way the Netanyahu government dealt with the Obama administration,” Tamir said. “So I wrote a long memo criticizing that policy, which was supposed to be internal but it got leaked to the press, and that created a lot of issues in the Israeli media and in the Boston media. In the Boston media, it was more like ‘the consul general spoke truth to power,’ but the government in Israel saw it very differently.”
Tamir was, in fact, called back to Israel where he was reprimanded for the memo and he apologized, according to multiple media reports. He went back to Boston and completed his term of office.
J Street was founded just two years earlier, and was beginning to gain steam.
“I thought, ‘Wow, this is exactly what we need: a political home for American Jews who care about Israel, who care about peace and care about democracy,’” Tamir said.
While he “was skeptical that this organization
forum, the Jewish students were demonized, the student said. “People were like, ‘The Jewish students did this. They’re trying to take away our free speech."
The pinning ceremony, they added, was egregious as well. Several students wore keffiyehs.
The student believes the outburst by the senior medical student was preplanned, given that it was recorded and posted to social media.
“There should have been no place for that at our white coat ceremony,” they said. “It’s not the place for that and the school did nothing about it. They said, ‘It’s his right, free speech.’”
The anti-Israel events at the medical school came at the same time that students and outside agitators were setting up protests and encampments at the university. The Jewish student said it’s been tough to endure.
“I got called a lot of names. Someone called me racist,” they said. “I couldn’t focus because I could tell there were people talking negatively about me behind my back. It was clear when I entered a space, because we all used to take exams together. People would look at me with disgust and disdain.”
The student said the stress caused them to uncharacteristically flunk a test. They contacted the school and said they were taking a few personal days. The school was sympathetic. Still, they said, “it was impossible to be in that environment.”
The end result was more isolation.
“I stopped studying at school. We had a big exam in April, and as soon as they gave us time
could become a player,” he kept in touch with J Street leaders, and eventually was offered the position of executive director of J Street Israel.
“I feel very happy that I could work in a place that really serves my values,” he said, “even though it is very hard times for anyone who believes in those values, both in the U.S. and in Israel these days.”
While a two-state solution is disfavored by a majority of both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians, Tamir thinks it is the only path to peace. In an October Gallup poll, only 17% of Jewish Israelis supported the creation of an independent Palestinian state, and only 28% of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem supported it.
Tamir thinks the poll results are misleading.
“I believe the majority of Israelis are confused,” he said. “When you explain that [a two-state solution] is part of a regional choreography of an alliance of Israel with the entire Arab Sunni countries, led by the U.S., and that is the best way to get security and to actually confront Iran and its proxies, Israelis are absolutely responding to that. So it depends on how you ask the question and what’s the framing.”
Palestinian leaders have rejected multiple proposals for a two-state solution through the years including the Oslo Accords and the Trump administration’s “Deal of the Century.”
Those plans were rejected, Tamir said, because they did not offer the Palestinians “a real solution that respected their basic needs.”
Also, he added, there were many mistakes made along the way. In Oslo, for example, the assumption that an agreement could be made with the Palestinians “without a regional component was naïve.”
“The Palestinians on their own cannot make the decision about Jerusalem, about refugees — they cannot provide the security,” he said. “But now that the regional situation is so much more ripe and our entire neighbors
to study, I left the state. I was like, I’m out, I’m done. It’s been hard,” they said.
In a written statement to the Chronicle, a spokesperson for Pitt said that the university “unequivocally condemns antisemitism,” citing two recent examples: A forum on combatting antisemitism held for students, faculty and staff on Oct. 29, and a training session for faculty and staff on Dec. 5, meant to deepen their understanding of the roots of antisemitism and equip the university community to respond effectively to bias incidents.
“While individual student conduct matters are not addressed publicly, all reports of bias incidents are taken seriously, thoroughly investigated, and appropriate steps are taken to foster an environment where every member of the Pitt community feels welcomed, safe and respected,” Pitt’s statement read.
The statement concluded by affirming the university’s commitment to upholding free speech and helping students learn how to constructively engage with others on difficult topics. More information, it said, can be found at freespeech.pitt.edu.
The Jewish medical school student said they appreciate the university’s attempts to condemn antisemitism. They attended the October session and found it worthwhile.
Still, “This isn’t what I signed up for,” they said. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
would like to actually normalize relations with Israel if it includes a Palestinian state, that’s a different ball game.”
The Palestinian component of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is critical, he said, and might be “one of the things that Biden and Trump could agree on.”
“What maybe Trump has that Biden did not have is the willingness and the ability to pressure Netanyahu,” Tamir explained. “And that’s why I can see a situation where Trump could be more effective in implementing the Biden Doctrine than Biden was, because Biden was not able to treat Netanyahu as a superpower needs to treat an ally.”
Intervention by the international community is imperative if there is to be peace, Tamir stressed. And while the Palestinian rallying cry of “From the river to the sea” is loud, he said it does not represent the views of most Palestinians.
“There are extremists on both sides: Hamas on the Palestinian side, and even some members of our government who believe ‘From the river to the sea’ for their own side,” he said. “Both are wrong. Both are not representing the majority of Israelis and Palestinians. But for Israelis and Palestinians to believe again in the two-state solution, you need an action from the international community, and especially from the U.S., because Israelis are now in big trauma and big fear from the other, and blind to the suffering of the other side — both Israelis who don’t understand the suffering in Gaza and Palestinians who don’t believe the stories of Oct. 7. So we really need help from our friends in the West and this is why I feel J Street is needed more than ever in order to work with American politicians in Congress and in the administration to bring leadership that will allow that.” PJC
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Tamir:
Headlines
Immigrants:
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for work. Aponte Ortiz’s daughters walk to school at Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh.
The seventh grader is often met by volunteer Eddie Shaw, a Squirrel Hill resident who taught Spanish at Community Day School, Hillel Academy and West Liberty Classical Academy for 20 years.
An array of apps and translation services help the Aponte Ortizes communicate with non-Spanish speakers. Shaw fills in the gaps.
“I’m an observant Jew and they are observant Jews,” he said. “They call me ‘Don
Roots:
Continued from page 6
heard. It was, she said, the start of her identity as a “non-Zionist.”
Blumenfeld was troubled by what she learned but stressed she wasn’t anti-Zionist; she understood the need for a Jewish state. Instead, she said, the lesson caused her to grapple with how Israel conducted its affairs and made her realize that she didn’t agree with all the Israeli government had done.
That wasn’t enough to motivate her to take to the streets in protest, but, combined with her atheism, it left her feeling untethered.
“I didn’t have words for it,” she said, “but I was like, ‘Am I Jewish? What does being Jewish mean to me?’”
In the end, it meant that Blumenfeld would become a religious studies major in college, learning about religions other than Judaism.
“For me, the conflict in my head was this mishmash of faith and community, the social side of being Jewish, the ethics side of being Jewish, and then there’s the history and politics and trying to figure out where my beliefs fit,” she said.
Even if she didn’t take to the streets carrying signs and shouting anti-Israel slogans, she
Rabbi:
Continued from page 7
projected since the discovery of Kogan’s body has been anger and indignation at his killers.
“Zvi Kogan’s murder was more than a crime in the UAE — it was a crime against the UAE. It was an attack on our homeland, on our values and on our vision,” wrote Yousef Al Oitaba, the UAE ambassador to the United States, in a series of tweets on Sunday. “In the UAE, we welcome everyone. We embrace peaceful coexistence. We reject extremism and fanaticism of every kind. We honor Zvi Kogan’s memory by recommitting ourselves to these values.”
Motti Seligson, the director of media for Chabad, told JTA that Chabad, too, was determined to emerge stronger in the UAE following the killing.
Kogan was one of seven emissaries in the country, and Seligson said Chabad would build a center in the UAE in Kogan’s memory. Donations have already begun to come in: Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who led the Abraham Accords negotiations, pledged $1 million to Chabad in UAE, and soon his brother Josh followed up with a pledge for a matching amount. A fund for Kogan’s widow has so far raised more than $750,000.
Eduardo,’ but I’m not their savior.”
“Don” is a Spanish honorific roughly translating to “Lord.”
Shaw said he’s just one of several people in a “great community” aiding the family’s integration.
Aponte Ortiz said he and his family are “grateful for everything.”
“We feel welcome,” he said. “The attention that’s been paid to my wife and my
Aponte Ortiz and his family moved here in search of a better future, he said, and that process has begun.
“I’d be a fool not to help them,” he said. “How are they going to create a community if they are not part of one?”
did create some uncomfortable family gettogethers, often arguing with Zionist family members. She also raised her son and daughter without organized religion.
Her son, she said, is a staunch atheist, even receiving a scholarship from an atheist organization for an essay he wrote. Her daughter identifies as culturally Jewish but doesn’t practice the religion.
Blumenfeld said that during their childhood she felt an occasional pang of regret over missed family life cycle events and the traditions that go along with them — like choosing a dress for what would have been her daughter’s bat mitzvah. Outside of a family wedding or funeral, though, Blumenfeld was a happy non-Zionist, an atheist of Jewish descent for most of her adult life.
Then Hamas launched its Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
Blumenfeld said she felt a visceral reaction similar to what she experienced after Al-Qaeda’s Sept.11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center.
“It was fear, but it was more than fear,” she said. “It was the adrenaline of motivation.”
She felt the attack physically, in her bones and through her DNA, she said.
“It was epigenetics, because we’ve gone through so many massacres and so much trauma and the murder of Jews and the pogroms
“When we’re faced with adversity, we strengthen; when we’re faced with darkness it just means there’s more light to bear,” Seligson said in an interview.
The Biden administration said it was already working closely with the Israeli and UAE authorities to bring those responsible for Kogan’s death to justice. It reinforced the message that the attack was uncharacteristic of the welcome the Emirates had extended to Israelis, who began traveling to the country in large numbers following the Abraham Accords.
“This was a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. It was an assault as well on UAE and its rejection of violent extremism across the board,” said a statement from
daughters is unique, and it’s really good. We’ve been invited places even though people don’t know us. It’s amazing.”
Before exiting the JFCS building and heading to work, the yarmulke-clad Aponte
and everything else over the centuries.”
Slowly, Blumenfeld began to reintegrate Judaism into her life.
“I started lighting Shabbat candles because I didn’t know what else to do,” she said. “I started reading. I read ‘Exodus’ again.”
She also started wearing a Star of David, and eventually put a pro-Israel sign and Israeli flags outside her home.
Ironically, Blumenfeld — who spent most of her life not supporting the Israeli government or its prime minister and arguing with family members over the treatment of Arabs inside of Israel — had her house vandalized in April shortly after she put up the flags.
A Nazi slogan was painted on the sidewalk in front of her house.
It wasn’t the only difficult experience she’s had since she re-embraced Judaism.
The same friend with whom she once hid in the library to discuss what they saw as Israel’s historic wrongs no longer speaks to her, the result of an argument about her friend’s social media posts, including one egregious cartoon that was credited to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“It was very hard because she and I were friends for 45 years,” Blumenfeld said.
She also has endured people advising her that if she didn’t wear her Star of David or hang
Sean Savett, a spokesman for the National Security Council.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his opening remarks Sunday to the weekly Cabinet meeting, also sounded determined to nurture and strengthen the relationship with the UAE.
“I greatly appreciate the cooperation of the UAE in investigating the murder,” he said. “We will strengthen the ties between us in the face of attempts by the axis of evil to harm the relationship of peace between us. We will strengthen them and we will work to expand regional stability.”
Authorities have not yet determined whether an organization or country is behind the attack. Rich Goldberg, a National Security Council Middle East staffer during Trump’s first term, said the killing had the hallmarks of those seeking to undermine the normalization deal, which also encompassed Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.
He said the perpetrators may have also hoped “to scare the Emirates and the Saudis that there is some sort of penetration of Islamic terrorism that can somehow blow back on their regimes.”
Matthew Levitt, a counterterrorism expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the attack, whoever was behind it, was a sign of weakness — an indication
Ortiz flashed a smile. He spoke again of his family’s future and said his wife is due to deliver their first son at the end of the month.
“I have a lot of things to be grateful about,” he said. “We as Jewish people, the first thing is that we need to grateful with God, but also with all the people around us. I consider that we are one same community. We are part of one same thing. I think we need to be grateful. And I know that I say that a lot because I really am. I am really grateful.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
flags then she wouldn’t experience a backlash. That argument doesn’t make much sense to Blumenfeld.
“If a woman is wearing a short skirt and gets raped, we don’t say she deserved it,” she said. “I didn’t deserve it because I put out an Israeli flag.”
This fall, Blumenfeld attended Rosh Hashanah services at Rodef Shalom Congregation.
“It was a mix of familiarity and comfort, but also feeling a bit like an outsider because I had never been to Rodef for anything,” she said.
The feeling of being an outsider quickly faded as Blumenfeld encountered a coworker, and Jewish geography took hold when she learned the coworker is a daughter of her cousin’s rabbi.
For Blumenfeld, it’s the familiarity and comfort that provides a sense of security, if not answers to all the complicated questions with which she still struggles.
“There’s only one or two degrees of separation because we’re all Jews,” she said. “We are all related in some way because there’s so few of us. Every Jew knows every other Jew in some way.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
that the perpetrators could not reach Israeli officials or hard targets.
“If this is the most they can do, it’s the softest possible target there is, a civilian who really stands out,” he said, referring to how Chabad officials wear visibly Jewish garb in public. “It’s not a government official, it’s not a ballistic missile barrage.”
Goldberg said if anything, the murder should spur the expansion of the Abraham Accords as a sign that attacks like these are ineffectual.
“This is a moment where if you don’t respond in that way, if you pull back from normalization, if you say that Islamic terrorism to sabotage normalization will succeed, then you will see more terrorism,” Goldberg said.
The IPF’s Koplow said one immediate effect could be the diminishment of travel between Israel and the UAE. Currently, there are six or seven flights between the countries a day, a notable exception to other airlines which have stopped flying to Israel while it wages a war on multiple fronts against enemies who fire barrages of missiles.
“If you have fewer Israelis going to the UAE because of security concerns, and that’s obviously an aspect of the relationship that is an important one, that’s going to suffer,” said Koplow. PJC
p Since the United Arab Emirates made peace with Israel four years ago, Dubai has become an increasingly popular travel destination for Jews. Photo courtesy of Envato
The International Criminal Court wants to arrest Netanyahu. Its own legitimacy is on the line.
The International Criminal Court has made history by issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — the first such action, ever, against the heads of a true democracy.
And although the warrants have long been anticipated, after being requested by a prosecutor months ago, the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity sent shockwaves through Israel. They will restrict Netanyahu’s ability to travel, especially in Europe, and also set the ICC on a collision course with President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, in what could prove to be a watershed test of the court’s power.
For Israelis, even critics of Netanyahu, the decision is certain to inflame suspicions that the world’s international bodies are irredeemably biased against them. Israel and its defenders have already regularly objected to the United Nations’ human rights watchdog groups’ undeniably obsessive and disproportionate focus on Israel. Now, the warrants — plus the fact that no Western leaders were ever indicted over the civilian damage inflicted during the brutal war on terror, which left countless thousands of civilians dead — are sure to make that conspiratorial, defensive outlook worse.
And for the ICC, the decision to issue the warrants risks imperiling its international standing. During his first term, Trump imposed sanctions on the court over its investigation of
war crimes in Afghanistan, banning its officials from entering the United States, and freezing some of its financial assets. And while these measures were lifted by President Joe Biden, he nevertheless criticized the ICC for targeting Netanyahu, arguing that doing so equated a democratic state with a terrorist organization.
What this means: The ICC is betting that it can emerge from a showdown over its legitimacy with the U.S. with its authority intact.
In a reflection of what is to come, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, responding to the warrants, argued that the ICC has no authority in Israel or the U.S., as neither country formally recognizes it. “In the absence of leadership from the White House, Congress is reviewing all options, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed,” Johnson said in a statement. “If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next.”
Legislation passed by the House earlier this year gives the president authority to impose sweeping sanctions on ICC member states that arrest U.S. allies — authority that Trump is all but certain to use if Senate Republicans further the legislation. Trump’s stance on the ICC has consistently been hostile; he dislikes institutions of global governance in general, and prefers the preservation of countries’ sovereign rights.
But U.S. opposition to ICC jurisdiction has long been a bipartisan issue; it will be difficult for the court’s stateside defenders to claim that any measures taken against it are the outlying gesture of a new isolationist president.
Increased pressure from the U.S. could lead ICC member states to refuse to enforce its rulings, as has happened in the past, including in Mongolia’s recent decision not to detain Vladimir Putin despite ICC charges, and South
Oddly specific gratitude
My wife doesn’t really love my hat. Not the black hat I wear on Shabbos; she’s OK with that. It’s the turkey hat I wear on Thanksgiving. She’s not a fan. The issue is that I love Thanksgiving. I love the food. I love being together with the family. I love doing the fully American thing with turkey and cranberry sauce and stuffing — we’re all in, from cornbread to pumpkin pie. But I understand that most of the people in my neck of the shtetl don’t do that because the people who started Thanksgiving weren’t giving thanks exclusively to the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and so some residue of un-Jewishness remains. But, um, yeah. I like pie.
The one thing I’m not grateful for on Thanksgiving is the extremely uninteresting items my family is grateful for. Grateful for family? Boring. For being together? Lame. I think we can do better than that. When our sages instituted the reciting of a blessing before we eat, they gave us a section
of law to help decide which specific blessing is appropriate. And while for our purposes you need not be concerned about the giant controversy in our family regarding the blessing on malawach or fish sticks (please don’t get me started on fish sticks!), what you do need to know is that they guided us toward making specific brachot on specific categories of food because thanks is more meaningful when it’s specific. And it’s with that in mind I offer this reflection on extremely specific things I’m grateful for.
You know how when you’re on your 30th-anniversary vacation in Panama and the tour guide points out a statue of General Thomas Herrera sitting on a horse and the horse has one foot lifted in the air and the guide asks if anyone knows why the foot is up and you finally have a chance say it means the general was wounded in battle and died as a result of that wound, which surprises the guide, impresses the other people on the tour, and embarrasses your wife that your brain is filled with mostly useless information, but you’re happy this little random knowledge nugget was finally useful?
I’m grateful for that.
I used to be grateful for the part of being a zaydie where the little kids are so happy to see you and they smile big smiles and argue over
Africa’s refusal to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide. These precedents highlight the court’s limited ability to enforce its mandates, especially when targeting powerful leaders or controversial cases.
The court’s simultaneous charges against the almost certainly deceased Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif are likely, in part, an attempt to counter claims of bias, and help member states resist pressure to refuse to honor the warrants against Israeli leaders. It will be a long battle.
In Israel, too, political leaders reacted with fury. The Prime Minister’s Office called the charges — which focus on allegations that Netanyahu and Gallant deliberately blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza during the current war, causing mass starvation — “absurd” in a statement that likened them to “a modern Dreyfus trial.” Further, the statement claimed the decision stemmed from ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s attempts to “save his skin from serious charges against him for sexual harassment” — Khan is under investigation on claims, which he denies, that he harassed a junior staff member over a yearlong period — and “biased judges motivated by antisemitic hatred of Israel.”
Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf echoed these sentiments, declaring the decision was “simply antisemitism, always antisemitism.” And President Isaac Herzog, who hails from the opposition to Netanyahu, condemned the ICC’s move as “a dark day for justice.” Herzog accused the court of siding with “terror and evil over democracy and freedom” and of becoming “a human shield for Hamas’ crimes against humanity.”
But even while Israel may preach resistance, the warrants will have an immediate and severe impact on Netanyahu, particularly
who gets to sit next to you at the Shabbos table because that’s just the best. But you know the part where the grandkids enjoy sitting together at a kiddie table and then the cousins all get up and go play and you can see that they are growing up to be good friends that, you know, like each other, and then they come running back to the table for Bubbie’s dessert or because they want more parsha questions so they can get candy and that’s somehow an even better best?
I’m grateful for that.
You know how when you’re responsible for around 50 high school seniors in Poland and Israel, and the parents are super tense, and because there is a war going on they are a little super tenser than usual, even for Jewish parents, but each day you send the parents messages on WhatsApp, and sometimes they make the parents smile and sometimes they make them cry, and rarely but occasionally they make them want to sing Bon Jovi songs, and then when you come back, luckily with all the kids you left with and everyone is safe and happy, and then the parents are really grateful for all the messages you sent, and one father is so choked up that he can’t even say anything, he just hugs you?
I’m grateful for that.
And you know when you come home from
when it comes to diplomatic travel.
The 125 ICC member states, including all European Union countries, are obligated to arrest suspects if they enter their territory. This leaves Netanyahu with limited options for international engagement, and could hinder his ability to conduct state business abroad. Even flight through ICC member airspace poses potential risks. Gallant, whom Netanyahu recently fired from his war cabinet, faces similar restrictions.
How to handle these very real consequences? Israel could theoretically challenge the charges by conducting its own investigation, which might compel the court to defer. Another option is for the United Nations Security Council to freeze the case, although this would require agreement from all five permanent members — an unlikely scenario given geopolitical divisions.
In the end, it is a waiting game to see how member states will react — and whether the court has made an unsuccessful gamble to assert its power in an unfriendly international environment. From altitude, one might say that this historic moment underscores the tensions between international justice and national sovereignty, and highlights the delicate balance the ICC must maintain to remain a credible arbiter of global accountability. But many Israelis will simply conclude that they are a nation that dwells alone. PJC
Dan Perry is the former chief editor of The Associated Press in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the former chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem, and the author of two books about Israel. Follow his newsletter “Ask Questions Later” at danperry.substack.com. This story was originally published on the Forward.
shul Friday night and it was freezing outside and your glasses fog up when you come in because your house is warm and it smells like your wife’s amazing challah, and your teenage daughter fell asleep on the couch reading but she comes to the table the first time you ask (which could totally happen) and the Shabbos table is a really ordinary piece of some beautiful infinity?
And also, warm chocolate chip cookies. I’m grateful for that too.
I’m fully aware that Thanksgiving Day is not something that’s really part of the zeitgeist of my neighborhood. Either because its first adherents weren’t Jewish and so it was a not-Jewish holiday when it began and therefore it still has not-Jewish holiday vibes, or because, by adding something to our calendar that isn’t explicitly from the Torah it means that we are not wholly Torah Jews. Whatever the reason, Thanksgiving isn’t really part of the mainstream in my world. But I love Thanksgiving and I have the hat to prove it.
PJC
Rabbi Mordechai Soskil has been teaching Torah for more than 25 years. He is the associate principal of the High School at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School. This story was first published on The Times of Israel.
Guest Columnist
Dan Perry
Guest Columnist
Rabbi Mordechai Soskil
Chronicle poll results: Favorite Thanksgiving side dish
Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish?” Of the 228 people who responded, 47% said stuffing; 20% said sweet potatoes or sweet potato casserole; 10% said mashed potatoes; 10% said cranberries or cranberry sauce; 3% said green beans or green bean casserole; and 10% said “something else.” Comments were submitted by 24 people. A few follow.
The Thanksgiving menu is sacred in our family.
If I could check it all I would. When I’m invited out for Thanksgiving, I bring a part of the meal. I wait a few days then cook a whole additional meal. I love all the foods and love how the house smells while it’s cooking. And of course the leftovers!
In tribute to Sen. Bob Casey
This week, 19 years ago, I had the privilege of traveling with then state Treasurer Bob Casey and his wife to Israel.
I was honored to come aboard the election campaign in its formative days, not realizing my time working with the senator would last eight wonderful years.
During that time, we traveled together to and through all 67 counties. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, Casey and I would visit counties with more livestock than Jewish residents. As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, we visited countless functions not just in the Jewish community — simchas, parlor meetings, funerals and shivas — but also eye-opening visits with many diverse communities with heritage from around our globe.
One of my first assignments in 2005 was working with diverse leaders of the Jewish community to design the most informative and memorable Israel itinerary for the future senator. I picked the days preceding Thanksgiving as the most opportune time to leave the campaign trail.
Little did I know how impactful that four-day trip would be.
I learned the transformative power of visiting the Galilee with someone who
attended parochial school, Holy Cross and Catholic University Law School.
This emotion was compounded by accompanying the dad of four young daughters to a kindergarten comprised of the children of Ethiopian immigrants.
I wrote a summary memo somewhere over the Atlantic and shared it post-Thanksgiving with not only the Caseys, but also the rest of
I always make my mother’s recipe for
Stuffing and mashed potatoes.
I like the contrast of a fresh corn and tomato salad to all of the heavy sides.
We are vegetarians so we love all of the side dishes.
My favorite is stuffing, but all the sides are wonderful!
I must add sweet potato casserole and spoon bread to my choices. Giant Eagle Market District makes phenomenal sides. There’s also a seasoned mushroom side that is amazing.
I never liked the way the sweet potatoes were cooked to taste sweeter than the dessert.
I found a recipe for scalloped potatoes that included sweet and white potatoes. It hits all the right notes for being sweet, savory, creamy and delicious!
I only like homemade cranberry sauce. Not too sweet.
I love stuffing the way I make it and the way my mother made it. Also fresh cranberry sauce, but I could only vote for one. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! PJC
— Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Chronicle weekly poll question: Will you, or did you, shop on Black Friday? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle. org to respond. PJC
Jewish community as the sophisticated data modeling and microtargeting led to a barrage of negativity. Lost in the blast text messages, 30 second ads, robocalls and social media misinformation is that the candidates are actual human beings with emotion and innate attributes.
This past month, we read about the kindness and hospitality that defined Abraham,
The hate fueled venom and violence that has engulfed our politics, our campuses and big city streets cannot be the story of our time.
the campaign team. It ended with the immortal wisdom of King Solomon in Psalm 137: “If I forget Jerusalem, may I lose my right hand.”
The cobblestoned alleyways of the Old City touched the future senator so much that for years he often repeated the vision of the Prophet Zechariah as we all yearn for a lasting peace: “The old men and women will sit in streets of Jerusalem…and the streets will be filled with boys and girls playing.”
At the end of this historic campaign season, the Jewish community and the broader Pennsylvania electorate are exhausted and divided. Thanksgiving table conversations will inevitably turn back to partisan politics and, in too many instances, grow heated.
Passions have been inflamed across the
J Street shows its true self J Street claims to be pro-Israel and its supporters often defend J Street’s positions in letters and columns published by the Chronicle. As Israel is literally fighting for survival in a multifront war against well-armed Iranian proxies bent on destroying Israel, J Street supported Sen. Bernie Sanders’ resolutions to block weapons from the U.S. urgently needed to fight this war (“Progressive Jewish groups back Senate resolutions against arms sales to Israel,” Nov. 20, online). By taking this position, J Street openly joined anti-Israel groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. It is time for J Street to stop claiming it supports Israel as it openly aligns with groups that show little regard for Israel’s security and survival.
Rocky Wice Squirrel Hill
our forefather. Tradition teaches that these attributes stemmed from Abraham’s humility and self-effacement.
Because of Sen. Robert Patrick Casey, a proud Irish American, I took it upon myself on those road trips crisscrossing the commonwealth to read William Butler Yeats and other Irish writers.
When traveling with him, I would often smile and think to myself this is what Yeats meant when he wrote, “There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t yet met.”
In Judaism, the attribute of innate decency and consistent kindness is referred to as derech eretz. The literal translation for this public exhibition of kindness is “the way of the land.” In a Washington and a body politic
where kindness is an endangered species, Sen. Casey has exhibited derech eretz time and again. It is in his DNA.
I would see this weekly during engagements with everyday Pennsylvanians — workers on the late-night shift at a Sheetz or Wawa, doormen in the lobbies of the premier buildings on Grant Street in Pittsburgh or the wait staff at elegant galas.
The hate-fueled venom and violence that has engulfed our politics, our campuses and big city streets cannot be the story of our time.
Evil acts of hate from the hard left and the extreme right cannot be part of the fabric of our country as we approach our 250th birthday.
Crushing antisemitism is an American issue that we all have a responsibility to address. Sen. Casey has led on this and I am confident his voice will not diminish as a private citizen.
I am reminded of the sage advice of another Irishman, Seamus Heaney: “Even if the hopes you started out with are dashed, hope has to be maintained.” This campaign certainly did not end the way Sen. Casey had hoped, but I am hopeful his uniquely humble, selfeffacing and kind voice will not retreat from the public square. PJC
Ari Mittleman resides in Pikesville, Maryland. He is a native of Allentown and is the author of “Paths of the Righteous” by Gefen Publishing. He worked with Sen. Bob Casey in a variety of senior advisory capacities starting in 2005.
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Stuffing is No. 1, but a very close second is corn casserole.
cranberry mold.
Columnist Ari Mittleman
Mulled apple cider and immunity tea
By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle
If you read my column regularly, you may notice that I repeat the same ingredients at certain times of the year. This is simply because I publish what I’m actually eating at that time, and I prefer to use produce that is available fresh at the farmers market. When I cook this way, I am much more in touch with nature. The produce tastes much better when it’s in season. It’s fresher and the flavors are much more intense. Apples shipped from South America have no fragrance; apples that are locally grown smell like beautiful perfume. I get excited each week when a different fruit or vegetable appears and I can make my favorite recipes that I’ve been waiting for all year.
Hot mulled apple cider brings back many childhood memories, and as I age I find myself more nostalgic and wanting to connect to them. I grew up in suburban Detroit and there was this gem of a place called the Franklin Cider Mill close to my
home. We went every year to this historic cider mill to get cider and fresh, hot cake doughnuts with sugar that were a little slice of heaven.
My husband grew up on Long Island, and although I was raised in the Midwest and he was raised on the East Coast, our childhoods mirror one another’s in more ways than not. He has the same memories of autumn, apple cider and fresh doughnuts with sugar — except his memories were of the Jericho Cider Mill in Oyster Bay. We both enjoy autumn more than any other season. We like to be outside watching our Earth prepare for winter hibernation. After a long walk out in the cold it’s nice to come into the house and enjoy a hot drink.
When I was young my mom would put a pot of hot cider on the stove to mull with orange slices and spices. For holidays she made a large batch in the crockpot, a tradition that I continue and serve during Sukkot if the weather is on the cold side; I repeat it for Thanksgiving, New Year’s and for as long as the cider is fresh and available.
This recipe uses 1 quart of cider, which makes a small batch that serves four people,
but you can multiply this easily and prepare a full gallon if you’re expecting a crowd. The adults can opt for a shot of spiced rum in each mug if they choose, but the cider is perfect for all ages as is. This can simmer all day so it’s available to serve whenever you are ready.
Mulled apple cider
Ingredients:
1 quart (4 cups) apple cider
Half of a large orange, sliced into 4 slices with the rind
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a mediumsized saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
As soon as the cider is at a soft boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 1 hour. You can keep this on the stove at the lowest heat setting for a few hours.
Sometimes I make it in the morning and rewarm it later when I’m ready to serve it. If using a crock pot — which also can be used for a small batch — bring the mixture to a gentle boil on the high heat setting, then reduce the heat to warm.
Don’t serve this until it has mulled for at least an hour, but it can stay in the crockpot on the warm setting for several hours.
The cinnamon sticks and orange slices add most of the flavor to the cider. The cloves are optional. If you don’t care for cloves or would have to make a special run to the store for them, they can be omitted.
Extra cider can be stored in a sealed container for up to one week in the refrigerator; remove the orange slices and cinnamon sticks before storing.
Here’s an additional recipe for immunity tea, which is made in a similar way to the cider. I sip on this all winter hoping to avoid a cold, and it’s the perfect thing if you are already feeling under the weather.
This is not actually a tea; it’s just water, fresh ginger, fresh rosemary and fresh lemon
slices simmered together. It’s refreshing and palate cleansing, and it clears away that icky feeling that’s in your mouth when you’re not well. The lemon gives you a nice dose of vitamin C, the ginger boosts immunity and can help settle an upset stomach, and the rosemary is refreshing and energizing.
You can also add honey, which is perfect for soothing a sore throat.
The difference between this recipe and the cider is the immunity tea can’t be simmered for hours because the lemon will start to turn and the flavor won’t be so appealing.
The rosemary and ginger are not overwhelming and you can store extra in the refrigerator to warm up mug by mug as needed.
Immunity tea
Ingredients:
6 cups water
1 peeled 2- or 3-inch chunk of fresh ginger 2 6-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary 1 medium lemon, sliced, ends discarded
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat and cook for 10 minutes before reducing the heat to low.
Cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and steep for another 10-15 minutes.
Remove the lemon from the pot to avoid it from turning dark and changing the flavor. You can leave the ginger and rosemary sprigs in the tea.
Ladle this into your mug and add up to 1 tablespoon of honey, if desired.
Store any extra in a sealed jar in the fridge and warm up as needed.
This keeps well for 3-4 days.
I hope these hot drinks bring warmth and health to your fall and winter season. Enjoy them and bless your hands! PJC
Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
p Mulled apple cider
Photo by Jessica Grann p Immunity tea
Photo by Jessica Grann
Life & Culture
By Deborah Danan | JTA
TEL AVIV — With no formal training but with all the aplomb of a seasoned chef, Sharona Dahan serves up plate after plate of Moroccan fish — a dish rooted in her family’s culinary traditions — in the bustling open kitchen of Café Asif in central Tel Aviv.
As a mother of six, Dahan is no stranger to preparing large Shabbat meals in her Sderot home, but until now had never cooked on a restaurant scale. Still, the challenge — like the rocket siren that had sounded in the coastal city earlier in the day — did little to faze her.
Dahan was invited to cook for customers at the cafe, part of the Asif Culinary Institute of Israel, after taking part in the Open Kitchen Project, an initiative matching displaced Israelis with host kitchens.
For 10 months following the Oct. 7 Hamas-led terror attack, Dahan, like tens of thousands of others evacuated from Israel’s embattled border areas, lived in a Tel Aviv hotel. Though the hotel was upscale with food to match, she confessed to being tired of it.
“All I wanted was to cook a simple omelet, just the way I like it,” she said. Through the project, hosts opened their kitchens, enabling evacuees to prepare meals that carried personal and cultural significance. According to Asif’s director of content, Matan Choufan, who also offered up his home kitchen for Dahan to cook in, the project allowed evacuees to reclaim a sense of normalcy, dignity and identity through the comfort of familiar foods.
“It amazes me how much the kitchen is a key ingredient in creating a sense of security,” he said.
After she was done cooking in his kitchen, Choufan tried to prevent Dahan from washing the dishes. “She turned me away, telling me, ‘For months, I haven’t washed dishes, let me do this.’”
Dahan’s story, along with others, is featured in an exhibition at Asif and curated by Choufan called “The Open Kitchen: Memories From a Home Left Behind.”
The exhibition, which runs until April 2025, explores the emotional significance of home for Israelis directly impacted by Oct. 7 through personal stories, photographs and culinary artifacts. One exhibit, called “Objects,” showcases kitchen utensils and other items that at first appear unremarkable. Taken from evacuated homes, they serve as tangible links to personal histories and traditions, according to the exhibit’s
curator, Yifat-Sarah Pearl.
A researcher who explores the intersection of food, art and cultural identity, Pearl said the ability of food to preserve memory makes it a “conduit for dealing with trauma.”
The objects on display function as “transitional objects,” she said, much like a blanket or stuffed animal does for a child, offering psychological comfort during periods of stress or transition.
“We sought out objects connected to food and the kitchen that provoke memories of the entire home, to ease the separation from that home,” Pearl said.
The display includes a pair of oven gloves from a family evacuated from Rosh Hanikra. After moving between various apartments and hotels, they eventually settled in a friend’s home in Jerusalem, bringing the gloves with them. Per family tradition, one member of the family would don them before calling the rest to Friday night dinner.
Some of the objects have darker stories behind them: a cookie tin from the burned home in Nir Oz of multidisciplinary artist Chaim Peri, who was taken hostage and later murdered in Gaza; the chocolate molds of chocolatier Dvir Karp, who was murdered in the same kibbutz on Oct. 7; a jar of pickles from Kibbutz Reim, made a day before the attack and left in the refrigerator for many months.
“These trivial items transformed into symbols of time, and of what was before,” Pearl said.
Pearl credited a jachnun pot with “saving” a family in Be’eri. Yochi Alon brought the jachnun, Yemenite bread baked overnight, into the safe room, keeping her four grandchildren fed and distracted. After being rescued from the safe room more than 30 hours later, the family was evacuated to a hotel near the Dead Sea. Alon brought the jachnun pot with her and later taught her granddaughter how to prepare the dish, fulfilling a promise she had made during their time in the safe room.
Beyond culinary utensils and prepared dishes, upstairs Asif pays homage to the raw materials of food prep with a rooftop farm. The urban agricultural space, overlooked by Tel Aviv’s high-rises, is home to another Oct. 7-related project, “The Soil Will Grow Again” — a nod to the “we will dance again” refrain that emerged as a tribute to those killed at the Nova festival.
Among the crops are potatoes grown by Yarden Tzemach from Kibbutz Be’eri, one of the first residents to return to the kibbutz after the attack, with the aim of reviving its devastated farmlands. Lemongrass was planted as a tribute to the Thai farmworkers of the southern Meshek Havivian farm, who chose to stay in Israel after the Hamas
attack even as tens of thousands returned to Thailand at the urging of their government. Michal Havivian, who runs the farm with her husband Boaz, said the prospect of operating the farm without the Thai workers was like “running a hospital without doctors.” Alongside the lemongrass is another garden bed with edible trees, planted in memory of Canadian-Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver, who was killed on Oct. 7. Silver was a founder of Project Wadi Attir, which merges Bedouin traditions with sustainable agricultural technology and which cultivated a first-of-its-kind edible forest in the Negev. Back downstairs at the cafe, with the lunch-hour rush winding down, Dahan is preparing for the journey back to Sderot. While she welcomed returning home in August, she now found herself missing the vibrancy of Tel Aviv, noting that Sderot — scarred by nearly two decades of Hamas rocket fire — often felt desolate. When a rocket siren sounded in Tel Aviv earlier that day, Dahan had called the restaurant to confirm her shift was still on and was reassured it was.
“I fell in love with life here,” she said. “Tel Aviv really is a bubble, but in a good way. People here know how to live. Just look how many people are out, who would even imagine there had been a rocket siren earlier?” PJC
— ISRAEL —
p Sharona Dahan cooks at Asif in Tel Aviv, in a rare respite from takeout nearly a year after being evacuated from her home in Sderot, October 2024.
Photo by Deborah Danan
Celebrations
Bat Mitzvah
Eleanor Wren Putnam Wible, daughter of Lara Putnam and the late Douglas Wible, will become a bat mitzvah at Congregation Dor Hadash on Sat, Nov. 30. Eleanor is an eighth grader at the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies. Eleanor enjoys musical theater and travel. For her bat mitzvah project, she is volunteering her time with Jewish Family and Community Services refugee youth program. PJC
Torah
Is personality fixed?
When meeting with b-mitzvah families, I often explore the question “Why 13?” We look together at various texts from our tradition about age 13 and how they shed light on the meaning of b-mitzvah. One of the sources comes from this week’s parashah, Genesis 25:27: “When the youths grew up, Esau became a man who knows the hunt, a man of the field, and Jacob was a simple man, dwelling in tents.” Rashi elaborates: “While they were children, their deeds were not distinguishable from each other, and each one’s nature could not be determined. Once they became 13, however, one went to the house of study and the other to idolatry.”
with deception.” (27:35) The one who was “simple” at age 13 has become the opposite. Similarly, Esau’s nature departs from the initial characterization. Esau is described as “a man who knows the hunt,” which 13th-century French rabbi Hizkuni interprets as “being skilled in deception, for one cannot hunt for a beast without trickery.” And yet Esau becomes not a deceiver, but a victim of master manipulation by his twin. Indeed the language that Esau uses is simple and direct: “He (Jacob) took my birthright and now he has taken my blessing.” The conniving one is Jacob, not Esau.
Psychologists used to believe that personalities were fixed throughout adulthood. But over the past 30 years, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have demonstrated that personality traits evolve substantially throughout the adult lifespan. In a meta-analysis of more than 90 studies, researchers
Psychologists used to believe that personalities were fixed throughout adulthood. But over the past 30 years, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have demonstrated that personality traits evolve substantially throughout the adult lifespan.
Business & Professional Directory
In other words, by age 13, the twins’ essential natures became apparent. Their personalities were solidified. I like to ask the 12-year-olds if they think their personalities are established by this age. Do they believe their essential nature will always be what it is now?
pinpointed ages 20-40 as the time when changes in personality occur most often. Interestingly, the Torah specifies that the twins were 40 years old shortly before Jacob deceived Isaac. (26:34)
It is striking to me how the rigid description of Jacob’s and Esau’s personalities is undermined in the parashah itself and the Biblical commentators’ glosses. Let’s look at each twin on his own, starting with Jacob, called a “simple man.” Rashi interprets it this way: “One who is not good at deceiving is called simple.” As the story unfolds, Jacob becomes fairly expert at just that — deception. Luring Esau into selling his birthright and tricking Isaac into blessing him with the firstborn blessing are two key instances of Jacob’s skillful cunning. Once he realizes what Jacob did, Isaac says plainly to Esau: “Your brother came
Our essential natures are not immutable. While certain personality traits come to light as we enter adolescence, we continue to evolve. Circumstances and experiences may call upon us to develop new strengths and habits which in turn shape who we are. A personality that seems to solidify at age 13 does not determine who we will be for the rest of our lives. I, for one, am thankful for that. PJC
Rabbi Amy Bardack is the rabbi of Congregation Dor Hadash. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Clergy Association.
Amy Bardack
Obituaries
JOSEPH: Annabelle S. Joseph, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Beloved wife of the late Jay N. Joseph. Beloved mother of Leslie (Fred) Bonci and the late Louis M. Joseph. Sister of the late Marcia Grodin and late Herb (late Roslyn) Sachs. Nanny of Gregory (Jackie) Bonci and Cary (Maria) Bonci. Greatnanny of Joshua, Mya and Benjamin Bonci. Aunt of Andy Schechter, Henry (Gail) Schechter, Amy (Larry) Alfred, Kate (Adam) Lauzar, Heidi (Rick) Maletsky, John (Naomi) Grodin and the late Glenn Grodin. Mrs. Joseph started her teaching career in the Head Start Program. She was a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University in music education. She completed her doctoral work at Duquesne University. She was a concert pianist. She taught Eurhythmics. She lectured around the world and made frequent trips internationally to do workshops. She co-directed along with Marta Sanchez the Dalcroze Eurhythmics at CMU. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Tree of Life Memorial Park. Contributions may be made in memory of Annabelle Joseph to Dalcroze Training Memorial Fund, Carnegie Mellon University, School of Music, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. schugar.com
MALLINGER: Nancy S. Mallinger passed away Nov. 21, 2024, at the age of 75. She is survived by her two children, Robert (Sarita) Mallinger and Rachel (Michael) McVeagh, and her three loving grandchildren, Ryan and Avery Mallinger and Noah McVeagh, to whom she was the best “Gumma” ever. In addition to her children and grandchildren, she is survived by her brother, C. Paul (Nancy) Scott, MD, of Pittsburgh. She was predeceased by her husband of 50 years, Michael I. Mallinger, MD, and her parents, Albert and Edith (Engelberg) Schwartz. Nancy devoted herself to her family, and, with courage, Nancy found her footing. A loyal friend and expert gift-giver, she enjoyed playing canasta, happy hours with her family, and a great pair of shoes. She will be forever missed by all who knew and loved her. Services were held at Ralph Schugar. Interment Homewood Cemetery. Contributions can be made to Jewish Association On Aging, 200 JHF Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15217, or Jewish Family and Community Services of Pittsburgh, 5743 Bartlett Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. schugar.com
MELAMED: Cynthia “Cindy” Melamed, 73, of Boynton Beach, Florida passed away on Nov. 20, 2024, after an unexpected illness with complications. Cindy was born in Pittsburgh on Feb. 19, 1951, the only child of Fred and Ann Weinstein Wilder. She graduated from Pittsburgh Taylor Allderdice High School where she had many friends and enjoyed the on-going reunions. She went on to graduate from Penn State University and received her MSW from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. She worked as both a social worker and nursing home administrator in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Harrisburg. Cindy had a wonderful marriage of 18 years to Bruce Melamed until his death in 2014. Independent, head strong and resourceful, she moved to the Sunshine State with her dog Annie in 2020 and established herself in a new community, making new friends, volunteering and enjoying the weather. Cindy was a deeply caring and loyal friend. So many people experienced her love and kindness. Humorous and sometimes irreverent, Cindy could always be counted on to show up and offer advice with no punches pulled. Although many of us are now saddened, we will always cherish Cindy and her memory will be a blessing to all who loved her. Burial at Homewood Cemetery, S. Dallas Avenue, Nov. 26 at 11 a.m. Memorial Service will be held on Jan. 19, 2025, at 2 p.m. at Holy Family Institute. Memorial contributions in Cindy’s name can be sent to Holy Family Institute, 8235 Ohio River
Phyllis
Contact the Development department at 412-586-2690 or development@jaapgh.org for more information. THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —
Sunday December 1: Esther Berschling, Saul Cabin, Hyman Goldenson, Raymond E Gusky, David Pudles, Ida Radbord, David G Tarshis
Monday December 2: Carol Lee Anatole, Nathan Bliman, Rebecca Needelman Bodek, Sadie Chotiner, Benjamin M Cohen, Hyman Daly, Rebecca Friedman, Isaac Glick, Dr Henry Goldstein, Selma Goldstein, David Gross, Hyman H Kimel, Alfred Malt, Alvin Marks, Max Schwimer, Elmer Solomon, Dora B Whiteman
Tuesday December 3: Sam Birnkrant, Sara Chotiner, Goldie Fishman, Herbert Alvin Haase, Benjamin Himmel, Abraham Korsunsky, Louise Lebby, Adeline Levitt, Isaac Lieb, Mary N Lustig, Annie Mermelstein, Ida Nusin, Fred Nussbaum, Noah Saxen, Raymond Irwin Sloan, Sherwin Smalley, Arthur Speizer
Wednesday December 4: Miriam Abramovitz, Martin Bass, Bernard Israel Bernstein, William Finkel, Samson Finn, Hermina Gropper, Lillian Karp Grossman, Goldie Handelsman, Celia Harris, Anna Miller, Harriet M Nicholson, Harry Seiavitch, Sarah Silberblatt, Goldie W Stein, Irving Troffkin, Sylvia S Vinocur, Molly Weiss
Thursday December 5: Irving Broverman, Abraham J Caplan, Sam A Caplan, Dr Samuel Cirota, Louis Daniels, Harry Gomberg, Bernard J Grinberg, Isadore Kurfeerst, Esther Cohen Lubovsky, Dorothy Miller, Leah Rosen, Rae F Schwartz, Sara Schwartz, George Stern
Friday December 6: Hyman Balis, Bessie Glantz Bauman, Martin A Berezin, Norman Black, Charlie Brown, Dr Frederick Carlton, Joseph Chernovitz, Abe M Cohen, Esther Eisman, Carle Joseph Enelow, Yetta Gerson, Selma Jeremias Kostova, Abe Kotovsky, Susan Lippard, David Isadore Mandelblatt, Seymour H Miller, Irving Nixon, Anna E Reubin, Sidney Rosenfeld, Fannie Katzman Rubenstein, Walter Sigel, William Weinberg, Florence Bella Wolf
Saturday December 7: Hannah R Adler, Shirley Ankin, Minnie Berkovitz, Wilfred Irwin Berman, Bernard Caplan, Harriet Friedlander, David Glick, Gerald Goldberg, Mildred Levinson, Sadie Levy, Celia Maglin Lupovitz, Samuel Margolis, Louis Rapport, William Rosenbloom, Charles Saltsburg, Thelma Sapir, Freda Schwartz, Samuel F Shaeffer, Michael Supowitz, Elizabeth Kramer Swartz, Solomon Weinstein, Robert H Wolf, Leo Arthur Zober
It’s Important To Pre-Plan.
The Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh (JCBA) welcomes inquiries about the purchase of burial plots in JCBA cemeteries.
Plan Now – Save Later
The Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh (JCBA) welcomes inquiries about the purchase of burial plots in JCBA cemeteries.
Notice of Price Increase
JCBA is committed to the proper care and maintenance of sacred grounds, and is devoted to the stewardship of Jewish cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania.
JCBA is committed to the proper care and maintenance of sacred grounds, and is devoted to the stewardship of Jewish cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania.
Plots are available in the following JCBA cemeteries:
JCBA is committed to the proper care and maintenance of sacred grounds, and is devoted to the stewardship of Jewish cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania.
Plots are available in the following JCBA cemeteries:
Obituaries
Obituaries:
Continued from page 23
Agudath Achim – Beaver Falls
Agudath Achim – Beaver Falls
Machsikei Hadas
Machsikei HaDas
Plots are available in the following JCBA cemeteries:
Boulevard, Pittsburgh,15202; or Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg. 2986 N. 2nd St., 3rd Floor, Harrisburg Pennsylvania, 17110, Att: Group Home Operations. Professional services by D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory Ltd., Lawrenceville. dalessandroltd.com
Agudath Achim – Hampton
Agudath Achim – Hampton
Anshe Lubovitz
Anshe Lubovitz
Agudath Achim – Beaver Falls
Beth Abraham
Agudath Achim – Hampton
Beth Abraham
Beth Jacob – West Mifflin
Anshe Lubovitz
B’nai Israel- Steubenville
B’nai Israel – Steubenville
Beth Abraham
Holy Society – Uniontown
Holy Society – Uniontown
B’nai Israel- Steubenville
Johnstown Jewish Cemeteries
Johnstown Jewish Cemeteries
Kether Torah
Holy Society – Uniontown
Kether Torah
Johnstown Jewish Cemeteries
Kether Torah
New Castle Jewish Cemeteries
New Castle Jewish Cemeteries
Poale Zedeck Memorial Park
Machsikei Hadas
Poale Zedeck Memorial Park
Rodef Shalom
New Castle Jewish Cemeteries
Rodef Shalom
Shaare Torah
Poale Zedeck Memorial Park
Shaare Torah
Tiphereth Israel - Shaler
Rodef Shalom
Torath Chaim
Shaare Torah
Tiphereth Israel - Shaler
Torath Chaim
Tree of Life Memorial Park
Tiphereth Israel - Shaler
Workmen’s Circle #45
Torath Chaim
Workmen’s Circle #45
Workmen’s Circle #45
We anticipate plot and burial fees at all JCBA cemeteries to increase in 2025.
Plot Prices & Burial Fees will increase 1-1-25. Plan NOW to secure current pricing and significant savings.
We anticipate plot and burial fees at all JCBA cemeteries to increase in 2025.
For more information please visit our website at www.jcbapgh.org, email us at office@jcbapgh.org or call the JCBA at 412-553-6469.
For more information please visit our website at www.jcbapgh.org, email us a or call the JCBA at 412-553-6469.
For more information please visit our website at www.jcbapgh.org, email us a or call the JCBA at 412-553-6469.
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For more information about JCBA cemeteries, to volunteer, to read our complete histories and/or to make a contribution,
For more information about JCBA cemeteries, to volunteer, to read our complete histories and/or to make a contribution,
“Don’t be afraid to stand for what you believe in, even if that means standing alone.”
WODNICKI: Gena Wodnicki, 95, of Pittsburgh, passed away on Nov. 24, 2024 in Miami, Florida, with her family close by. She had been battling with her health for a few years, and her family is at peace knowing her struggle has come to an end. Gena was born in Havana to Isaac and Maria Gurwitz on July 17, 1929. She graduated with a degree in accounting from the University of Havana and met her husband, Moises, during those years. They wed and shortly after immigrated to Chicago. Gena and Moises then moved to Pittsburgh where Gena remained a resident for almost 70 years. She had two children, Rick and Ruth, and supported her husband in life for many decades until he passed in 1992. She was a ferocious reader, lifelong learner, music lover, and avid movie watcher. She was described by many as wise, strong, and her personal favorite, “cool.” She enjoyed the symphony, traveling, and sharing knowledge through deep conversation or handwritten letters. Gena is survived by her children, Rick (Susan) and Ruth (Bill Statler), and her grandchildren, Michael (Maia Piñeiro) and Daniel (McKenzie Yael). She was preceded in death by her husband, Moises, in 1992, and her sister, Elena (David) Weck, in 2012. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Tree of Life Memorial Park. The family would like to thank their friends, family and Rabbi Pearlson for their ongoing support. In lieu of flowers, the Wodnicki family respectfully requests contributions in Gena’s memory be made to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (donate2.app/pittsburgh-symphony/give-today). schugar.com PJC
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Companies, job seekers and students coalesce at Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
Pittsburghers expanded their minds by making the world a bit smaller. Through presentations and conver sations inside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, more than 4,000 people observed advancements in automation, arti ficial intelligence and other rapidly evolving technologies as part of Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day on Nov. 20.
About 130 exhibitors participated in the event, administered by Pittsburgh Robotics Network, touting the region’s contributions and connections to innovation.
Standing beside one of several hundred tables at the convention center, Arielle Kaye told passersby about a lightweight 3-D printed prosthetic arm: “It’s called a PJ Prosthesis because after you get home and get into your comfy clothes or PJs you just throw on your PJ Prosthesis.”
Created by Tikkun Olam Makers, the Israeli-made device allows users to swap out “end units” for specific needs. One piece lets someone easily strum a guitar. Another extension is for playing the violin. Each attachment is a result of “individual needs,” Kaye said. The beauty of TOM is that it fosters a collaborative process between users and innovators to create affordable solutions predicated on “human-centered design.”
Kaye, a graduate student at New York University and TOM’s university program manager, joined Discovery Day in an effort to promote curiosity and simplicity.
“So much of this is so affordable,” she said.
The PJ Prosthesis costs about $60. A fully functioning prosthetic arm sets buyers back about 1,000 times more.
“If you open your mind, there are so many different solutions for the challenges that people are dealing with,” Kaye said. Participating in this event was a chance to encourage people to “use innovation and creative thinking to solve unmet needs in our global communities.”
Andrew Rabin spoke with several Israeli entrepreneurs and local tech professionals near TOM’s table. Rabin is the founder and chair of 412x972, an organization that creates “profitable” ties between companies in Pittsburgh and Israel.
“Rising tide lifts all boats,” Rabin told the Chronicle. “Allowing Israeli companies to come into the Pittsburgh community, and allowing Pittsburgh companies to have a seamless pathway into the Israeli community, builds bridges which are more important than ever right now.”
Generating economic development is 412x972’s goal, but there’s also the need to create goodwill, Rabin said. “It’s business. We’re trying to sort of solve problems and help everyone mutually from an economic
benefit, politics and issues aside. Life goes on and if we strengthen those connections it helps us all.”
Rich Fitzgerald, executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and former Allegheny County executive, said he was pleased to see a number of Israeli companies at Discovery Day.
“We in western Pennsylvania, particularly Pittsburgh, have had a longstanding connection with our friends in Israel going back decades,” he said. “Obviously now with some of the situations that are happening, it’s I think in many ways strengthened that bond, so anything we can continue to do to tie together our cultural, our economic, all the various things we do, is important.”
Whether from Israel or elsewhere, companies come to Pittsburgh to access the region’s insights, Jennifer Apicella, Pittsburgh Robotics Network’s executive director, explained.
“Our globally recognized expertise with innovation positions us as a key partner for businesses around the world seeking cutting-edge automation solutions and business expansion opportunities,” she said. “From forging strategic collaborations to exporting transformative technologies, Pittsburgh is driving the global economy forward.”
Chana Rose Hochman attended Discovery Day after hearing about the conference from Gal Inbar, 412x972’s executive director.
Hochman, a former Beersheba resident with expertise in avionics and aerospace engineering, spoke with several company representatives at the event.
“I’m looking for work, so if anyone needs a technical project manager, I’m here,” she told the Chronicle.
Hochman described Discovery Day as a valuable resource for job seekers, employers and potential business partners.
“I’m learning about companies I didn’t even know about,” she said. “There’s just so much. It’s really cool. I feel like I’m in a candy store.”
As drones buzzed overhead and busloads of students passed from table to table, entrepreneurs and innovators mingled. Roboticists showed off their creations. One team asked this reporter to control a spider-looking device with a remote control. Another team touted its creation’s ability to safely lift pallets while detecting nearby people, thus preventing injury. Throughout the day, representatives of local universities and global corporations clamored for attention.
“What there are in this industry are a lot of job opportunities,” Fitzgerald said. “You don’t have to be a software engineering doctorate from CMU to get a job. You could come right out of high school, come out of community college, have skills, maybe a little bit of experience in construction, manufacturing, or hospitality and warehousing, and you’ll find some opportunities here.”
Shai Eisen spent Discovery Day speaking with potential partners about his Israelibased company, Korra.
“We’re all about unleashing industrial knowledge,” the CEO told the Chronicle.
Among entities that have existed for decades a problem often exists, Eisen explained: Institutional knowledge is likely compiled in paper documents, manuals and procedures.
“It’s all over the place,” he said. “We built an AI engine that is able to read all that content.”
Attending Discovery Day allowed Eisen to hear about other companies’ “pain points and needs,” he continued. “I’ve learned there’s a huge potential in Pittsburgh.”
Inbar of 412x972 said Discovery Day demonstrates the possibility of partnership.
Companies come together for specific projects, but “methodologies and concepts trickle both ways,” he said.
Pittsburghers learn from Israelis, Israelis learn from Pittsburghers, and technology advances.
“Cross-pollination is a magical thing,” he said. “There’s so much value to be created.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Arielle Kaye, right, speaks to students during Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
p Gal Inbar stands near the 412x972 booth on Nov. 20.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
Jewish heritage off campus
Hillel JUC students cheered on the Pittsburgh Penguins during Jewish Heritage Night at
Who did a mitzvah?
Chabad House on Campus welcomed students for a mezuzah making event.
Investing in educators
Classrooms Without Borders Day School Collaboration met to address antisemitism thanks
All together now
Insights on antisemitism
Community Day School welcomed Classrooms Without Borders Visiting Scholar Avi Ben-Hur for a discussion with eighth graders
Community members met to plan Big Night Olympics 2025. The annual Big Night event, scheduled for March 1, raises funds for the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s programs and scholarships.
Showing strength
PPG Paints Arena.
p
Photo courtesy of Hillel JUC
Photo courtesy of Classrooms Without Borders
An artistic adventure brought together members of Parkway Jewish Center’s Sisterhood.
p Parkway Jewish Center’s Sisterhood lifts a hand.
Photo courtesy of Rick Sternberg
p A sign of the Olympic spirit
Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
