December 15, 2023 | 3 Tevet 5784
Candlelighting 4:36 p.m. | Havdalah 5:40 p.m. | Vol. 66, No. 50 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Spreading light in the suburbs
On Chanukah, Israeli survivors of Oct. 7 share stories of terror and bravery with Pittsburgh
A state-of-the-art menorah in Fox Chapel
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LOCAL Promoting a community of compassion
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Beyond politics: Sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas must be condemned, Jewish feminists say By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
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By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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Easy and decadent
Classic tiramisu LOCAL
Ofer Kissin and Rony Kissin were celebrating Simchat Torah with their children and grandchildren in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. “It was the first time I could gather all my family — all my four children and my grandsons — in five years. I was so excited that I made so many meals I didn’t have room on the table for plates,” Rony Kissin said. An alarm sounded in the kibbutz around 6 a.m., Ofer Kissin said. More than 10 terrorists, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News, breached two fences before blasting through a concrete wall surrounding the kibbutz. A security team battled the terrorists for hours, Ofer Kissin said. As fighting continued, the Kissins performed multiple duties. The first involved family: The Kissins’ daughter lives four houses away. Please see Survivors, page 10
Please see Women, page 11
Shani Teshuva, a survivor of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel, clutches an empty chair that symbolizes "every single one of the people that were kidnapped." Photo by Joshua Franzos
Pitt profs build bridges LOCAL
Warning: contains graphic descriptions of violence wo months after Hamas’ deadly incursion into Israel, National Council of Jewish Women helped organize a hearing at the United Nations to present testimony about the sexual violence suffered by Jewish women at the hands of the terrorists on Oct. 7. They shouldn’t have had to, Jewish feminists say. “We hosted the hearing that they (the UN) should have hosted weeks ago,” Sheila Katz, CEO of NCJW, told the Chronicle. “And we intentionally invited feminist organizations and partner organizations to be there to bear witness with us.” The Dec. 4 session, titled “Hear Our Voices,” was also sponsored by the Israel Mission to the UN and others. It was held in response to the deafening silence of feminist and other progressive organizations following reports that Hamas had brutalized Jewish women’s bodies as a tool of war. Feminist organizations, especially, should have issued unequivocal statements condemning the attacks and in support of Jewish women, Katz said. But that largely didn’t happen, and Jewish feminists both here and abroad are calling out the neglect and working to change the paradigm. “There were hints pretty early on that sexual violence was used on [Oct.7], with the
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Chanukah in the desert
Pittsburgh rabbi brings holiday cheer to soldiers in Kuwait Page 16
eated adjacent to an empty chair and one lit candle, four survivors of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel welcomed Chanukah by articulating harrowing narratives inside the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill. As hundreds of attendees silently listened to the survivors’ words, Hila Fakliro, Ofer Kissin, Rony Kissin and Shani Teshuva detailed the horrors they experienced two months ago on a day many now call “Black Shabbat.” For 40 minutes on Dec. 7, Fakliro, Teshuva and the Kissins took turns returning to Oct. 7. That morning, Fakliro was working as a bartender at the Re’im Music Festival. Around 6:30 a.m., Hamas terrorists began firing rockets. Fakliro said she and a co-worker sheltered in the bar, but their manager eventually directed them to run. They waited near the festival’s entrance. People raced toward her and shouted that terrorists were approaching. Fakliro heard gunfire. A police officer directed her and others toward Ofakim. She ran, stopped, made it to Moshav Patish, saw a video of Hamas terrorists attacking nearby and finally understood what was happening.
Over the day, and as a result of Hamas attacks, an estimated 1,200 Israelis were murdered and about 240 others were taken hostage.
Shattered holiday and survival in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom
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DECEMBER 15, 2023
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Appeal An essential institution Guest columnist Rabbi Seth Adelson
I
will never truly be a Pittsburgher, in the fullest sense of that identity. Having lived here for just under 8½ years, I have determined that to truly be a Pittsburgher, you must have grandparents who were born here. Alas. However, my family and I consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have landed in this land of steel, rivers and football. And all the more so to live in the heart of the most neighborly Jewish community we have ever encountered, interconnected across denominational, political and cultural lines. What makes our community so wonderful is that our Jewish institutions are strong: the synagogues, the JCC, the Federation, the social service organizations, the Jewish schools. You see, I’m an institutional kind of rabbi. I love organizations that bring people together. As our society’s trust in institutions continues to erode, my dread for the future grows; God forbid we should passively slide into an atomized world in which every individual is solely looking out for themselves. We need strong institutions that bring us support in times of need, comfort in times of grief, joy in life’s precious moments. We need ritual to frame our lives and our relationships in holiness, gathering spaces
for every purpose imaginable, education, and support and opportunities to celebrate together. And we also need a forum for our collective voices.
octogenarian who just passed away, yet whose life story is immediately compelling. I read about campus hijinks and visiting Israeli teens and theatrical productions and interesting local personalities of
I look forward to hearing the voices of others in the community — not just other pulpit rabbis, whose Shabbat-morning sermons I will never have the opportunity to hear, but all of us: all the Jews of greater Pittsburgh, whether they are true Pittsburghers or immigrants like me. One of the beautiful things about the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is that it brings together a multitude of voices which reflect the thriving nature of our community. I look forward to reading each week about the girl who is about to become bat mitzvah, upcoming holiday events and photos of children doing great things at Jewish schools. I am inspired by news about the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, or the two local professors, one Jewish and one Muslim, who are bringing people together to seek compassion. I suddenly regret not having known the
all sorts. Now, of course, the Jews are a fractious people; we have been inclined, at least since the Exodus from Egypt, to disagreement. Our words float heavenward buoyed by a torrent of rabbinic argument. The principle of a ma ḥ loqet leshem shamayim, a disagreement for the sake of Heaven, is enshrined upon the Jewish bookshelf. And yet those dissenting voices sit, occasionally uncomfortably, side-by-side in the opinion pages of the Chronicle, and sometimes spill onto the other pages as
well. And that fills my heart with nakhes because I know that the Jewish spirit of argument is alive and well in my community. The Chronicle is a long-standing institution of which we should be proud. It brings us together in both glorious harmony and discord, as any healthy community should be. As one who is Shabbat-observant, I am grateful that I can crack open the print edition on a lazy Saturday afternoon, enjoying the crinkly, tactile experience of paper, and during the rest of the week I am just as grateful for online updates. As a rabbi in this community, it is true that my name and my writing appear in the Chronicle from time to time and, of course, I appreciate the attention. But all the more so, I look forward to hearing the voices of others in the community — not just other pulpit rabbis, whose Shabbatmorning sermons I will never have the opportunity to hear, but all of us: all the Jews of greater Pittsburgh, whether they are true Pittsburghers or immigrants like me. The pages, printed or pixeled, of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle are an essential and varied platform for all of us, and in a time when local journalism is increasingly threatened, now is the time to support this dedicated community forum. PJC Rabbi Seth Adelson is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Shalom.
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Headlines Holocaust Center honors the Righteous Among the Neighbors — LOCAL —
“Ultimately, we want peace and unity and love. How do we get there?”
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
N
oah Schoen believes that it is important to highlight the work of non-Jews fighting antisemitism. Schoen is the community outreach associate with the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh and the co-creator of the Meanings of October 27th Oral History Project, housed at the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center. One of the things he learned while collecting stories for the project, Schoen said, is that many Pittsburghers care about antisemitism. “I believe that to dismantle antisemitism, we need the help of non-Jews,” Schoen said. “And we need to make visible the work that those non-Jews are doing.” It was while thinking of the Righteous Among the Nations — an honor created by Israel for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews from being exterminated in the Holocaust — that Schoen thought about highlighting the work of two dozen non-Jewish community members in Pittsburgh. Taking a cue from Israel’s program, he called the idea “Righteous Among the Neighbors.” Schoen credits Nick Haberman from the LIGHT Education Initiative with the next part of the project: having high school students write articles about the nominees, and to have some of those stories published by the Pittsburgh City Paper. “Nick believes in young people,” Schoen said. “He said, ‘How can students help?’ He went to Dawn [Davenport], who teaches journalism at Mt. Lebanon, who said ‘yes.’” Haberman said that he and Schoen often have conversations about dismantling antisemitism. “One of the ideas [Schoen] brought to this region is that it’s important for Jews to believe that antisemitism can end, and if they see examples of non-Jews stepping up to help dismantle antisemitism, then it creates a positive feedback loop,” Haberman said. Schoen’s concept, Haberman said, was to celebrate people who stepped up in the aftermath of Oct. 27 and to share some of the lesser-known stories. Davenport, a Mt. Lebanon High School English and journalism teacher and adviser to the school’s newspaper The Devil’s Advocate, said the experience was great. “I feel like my students were really well prepared to do this,” she said. Davenport, who is also an honoree, said that writing about something other than the latest high school basketball game or play was a different experience for the students. “I think the hardest part was realizing they were interviewing real people with real-life stories that mattered,” she said. “They were writing about somebody that
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DECEMBER 15, 2023
– JASIRI X
Righteous Among the Neighbors logo
really impacted the whole world and wanted to do it right. They were nervous about it, for sure.” The students need not have been nervous, according to those they interviewed. Shawn Brokos, the security director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, and one of the 24 people honored, said the story written about her by Sawyer Klasnick was “amazing.”
Image courtesy of LIGHT Education Initiative
“He managed to capture all of the key points,” she said. “I read it and thought, ‘Was this really written by a high school student?’ I even emailed him and said, ‘I hope you’re considering a future career writing in some capacity,’ because it was so well done.” Brokos said she was overwhelmed with gratitude when she learned that she was an honoree.
Honorees Laura Ellsworth and Mark Nordenberg at the 2021 Eradicate Hate Global Summit Photo by Josh Franzos
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“It’s very meaningful to be thought of in that capacity,” she said. The security director is among several honorees familiar to many in the Jewish community, but others are less well-known. “Most people know Laura Ellsworth and Mark Nordenberg,” Schoen said, referencing the creators of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, “but how many people know about Sister Gemma Del Duca? How many people know about Mark Pudlowski?” Pudlowski used his own money to restore a Jewish cemetery on Rippel Road in White Oak, while Del Duca founded the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University. Megan Tuñón is another name that might be unfamiliar to some. Tuñón is the vice president of the Etna Borough Municipal Council and the founder of the Etna Community organization. In January 2022, she organized a yard sign campaign in response to a resident who displayed a swastika flag outside of his home. She also brought together various communal elements, including residents, politicians and organizations, for a Zoom conversation about inclusivity. Tuñón hopes the award will inspire others to respond to hate in their communities. The award, she said, is “icing on the cake,” for a communal group effort of which she is the spokesperson. Tuñón was impressed with Madeline Zerega, the student who interviewed her. “She just seemed so mature,” Tuñón said. “She asked really insightful questions. It was easy to talk to her. She was great. I emailed her after the article came out and told her what a wonderful job she did.” Other honorees include Emmai Alaquiva, Rev. Liddy Barlow, Megan Cook, Catlyn Dipasquale and Kimberly Piekarski, Meg Frank, Natalie Hall, Marian Lien, Angelica Miskanin, Lulu Orr, Daniel Shaner, Julianne Slogick and Dawn Davenport, Tim Smith, Khara Timsina and Scott Vensel. Wasi Mohamed, the executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting — which Please see Righteous, page 5
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Headlines Righteous: Continued from page 4
offered support to the Jewish community after the attack — is also honored. He now serves as Rep. Summer Lee’s chief of staff. Mohamed did not respond to the Chronicle’s request for an interview. Also honored is Jasiri X, the founder of 1HoodMedia. The civil rights activist was a member of the Nation of Islam and, in 2014, visited the Palestinian territories and recorded the song “Checkpoint” about what he saw as the harassment of the Palestinian people at military checkpoints. His views have evolved, he said. He is no longer involved with the Nation of Islam. As for “Checkpoint,” he said he wrote the song based on what he saw during his time in the Palestinian territories, and that his point of view had come from a “Black civil rights lens.” At the time, he didn’t see the situation from the perspective of Jews who had experienced violence, were
traumatized and were forced to leave their homelands. Jasiri X said he’s still learning some of the history of the Jewish people and the impact of certain language. He didn’t understand what “From the river to the sea” meant to the Jewish community, for example, until a woman explained it to him. Following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, Jasiri X began working with the Jewish community to fight antisemitism. He appeared on a panel organized by former Pittsburgh Steeler Zach Banner to talk about hate and hosted interfaith seders on both Passover and Ramadan. “Ultimately, we want peace and unity and love,” he said. “How do we get there?” He called being named one of the Righteous Among the Neighbors “an honor.” “Jasiri has really modeled what it means to be a learner on the issue of antisemitism,” Schoen said. “He consistently seeks out more information, listens with curiosity to Jewish people’s experiences, and shares what he learns with others from his platform as a
p Shawn Brokos, security director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, is one of the honorees Photo by James Uncapher
respected local leader.” Haberman hopes people see how easy it is to make a “positive impact in
your community.” “It’s sometimes difficult to make the right choice, but we’re trying to show there are a lot of people who made that difficult choice at a time when the city was in a tremendous amount of pain and what that led to in different communities and classrooms and churches and mosques. It’s led to hope,” he said. Schoen said it’s important that non-Jews stand alongside the Jewish community. “This is our way of honoring people who are helping, showing gratitude for that and inviting others to act in their image,” he said. More information about the honorees, as well as the stories written by Mt. Lebanon High School students and photos by Brian Cohen, can be found on the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh’s website. A ceremony honoring the Righteous Among the Neighbors will take place on Jan. 17 at the South Hills Jewish Community Center. Those wanting to attend can register at bit.ly/RighteousNeighbors. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Fox Chapel menorah shines with community support — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
A
simple invitation has led to a lot of light in the suburbs. Months ago, Fox Chapel Police Chief Michael Stevens reached out to Shternie Rosenfeld of The Jewish Spark about supporting the local Jewish community. Stevens suggested placing a menorah next to the holiday tree outside the Fox Chapel Borough Building. The aim, he told the Chronicle, was to prioritize community. Rosenfeld happily agreed, she said, and partnered with community members to acquire a giant LED “state-of the-art menorah.” O’Hara Township resident Amy Jaffe Mason helped fundraise for the menorah’s purchase. After seeing it aglow, Mason was beaming. “It’s very exciting that the borough has this menorah,” she said. “I went to the gym today and the menorah is the talk of the town; everyone is commenting on how the menorah is changing colors, and how beautiful it looks next to the borough’s Christmas tree with the lights.” Chanukah began Dec. 7, but Fox Chapel residents got a preview of the menorah’s
p New menorah in Fox Chapel highlights community Photo courtesy of Dana Rofey
power earlier: On the evening of Dec. 6, the menorah’s base was illuminated during Light Up Fox Chapel, a communitywide program. O’Hara Township resident Dana Rofey said the event clearly indicated the borough’s embrace of its Jewish community. “All of us who are part of the Pittsburgh Jewish community have long known that the city is supportive, but the suburbs have not always had the same sense,” she said. “Fox Chapel always had a small Jewish
Fox Chapel resident and Jewish Spark President Marc Rice said he’s looking forward to lighting the public menorah, especially given the rise in antisemitism. community — I could probably name all of my Jewish classmates growing up without thinking too hard — but now that there’s The Jewish Spark and Adat Shalom and non-Jewish police officers reaching out, it’s so meaningful,” she said. With Chanukah well underway, the new menorah is providing a bright reminder of community. That message will be cast again on Dec. 13 when the public is invited to a grand menorah lighting outside the Fox Chapel
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Borough Building at 5:30 p.m. for a free event with doughnuts, latkes, hot drinks and live music. Fox Chapel resident and Jewish Spark President Marc Rice said he’s looking forward to lighting the public menorah, especially given the rise in antisemitism. In the two weeks following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack of Israel, the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism noted a nearly 400% increase in “preliminary antisemitic incidents reported year over-year.” “Hopefully a little light will dissipate the darkness,” Rice said. “We are facing so much darkness in the world but to have a place like Fox Chapel Borough have a beautiful LED menorah lit up during their Light Up night, and then to bring the community together on Wednesday to light together feels very special,” Rosenfeld said. “It feels like a warm Chanukah gift to stand in such a public place with the support of the Fox Chapel community at large.” Stevens said he is happy to remind residents about the importance of inclusion. “I think it’s important to reach out to community any time,” he said. “Especially now, with the war going on, they need our support and we’re here to support them.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Calendar Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13 Enjoy an hour of nourishment for the mind, body and soul and explore words of wisdom for the month of Tevet at Chabad of Squirrel Hill’s Ladies Lunch and Learn. $18. Noon. chabadpgh.com.
and “Crossroads.” In “Ethics,” learn how Jewish teachings shed light on Jewish issues. “Crossroads” will present an emphasis on reclaiming the richness of Jewish history. 7 p.m. $300 for this 25-session series (book included). jewishpgh.org/series/ melton-ethics-crossroads. q SUNDAY, DEC. 17 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh presents Advanced Community Active Threat Training, a four-part course that will address: the mind of the active shooter, predator versus prey, situational awareness and survival mindset, basic self-defense techniques, weapons awareness and disarming techniques. Reality-based training. 2 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. jewishpgh.org/event/advanced-catt.
Classrooms Without Borders scholar Avi Ben-Hur presents an update on Israel with analysis into the war as it unfolds. 2 p.m. cwbpgh.org/event/ israel-update-with-avi-ben-hur-12/?mc_ cid=3e7160b202&mc_eid=300cbb162. Women are invited to join Chabad of Squirrel Hill on Zoom for a Rosh Chodesh gathering and to hear words of wisdom on the month of Tevet. 7:30 p.m. chabadpgh.com. q WEDNESDAYS, DEC. 13 – JAN. 17 Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/life-text. Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torah portion class on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link. q WEDNESDAYS, DEC. 13 – MAY 15 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh virtually presents two Melton courses back-to-back: “Ethics”
Tree of Life Congregation and Calvary Episcopal Church invite you to attend a Christmas pageant and Chanukah party. Come see the live Christmas pageant followed by the Chanukah party in the parish hall. 11 a.m. 315 Shady Ave. treeoflifepgh.org. q SUNDAYS, DEC. 17 – JAN. 7 Join a lay-led online parshah study group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAYS, DEC. 18 – JAN. 15 Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.
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q MONDAYS, DEC. 18 – MAY 13 H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff presents Torah 2. Understanding the Torah and what it asks of us is perhaps one of the most important things that a Jew can learn. In Torah 2, Schiff will explore the second half of Leviticus and all of Numbers and Deuteronomy. 9:30 a.m. $225. Zoom. jewishpgh.org/event/torah-2-2/2023-10-09. q WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20 Join the Squirrel Hill AARP for its holiday meeting and party. There will be bingo with prizes, a Sarris gift basket and special refreshments in addition to the meeting. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, Falk Library. For more information contact President Marcia Kramer at 412-656-5803. q WEDNESDAYS, DEC. 20 — DEC. 18, 2024 Join AgeWell for the Intergenerational Family Dynamics Discussion Group at JCC South Hills every third Wednesday of each month. Led by intergenerational specialist/presenter and educator Audree Schall, the group is geared toward anyone who has children, grandchildren, a spouse, siblings or parents. Whether you have family harmony or strife, these discussions will be thought-provoking and provide tools to help build family unity. Free. 12:30 p.m. 345 Kane Blvd. q SUNDAY, DEC. 24 Join Shaare Torah and Poale Zedeck for United in Laughter, an evening of chdut and comedy to support United Hatzalah, featuring international Jewish comedy sensation Eli Lebowicz. $72. 5:30 p.m. Shaare Torah social hall, 2319 Murray Ave. shaaretorah.net/event/comedy2023.
q TUESDAY, DEC. 29 Israeli politics is at the center of many critical Jewish conversations. But how does the Israeli political system really work? In the Israeli Political System, Rabbi Danny Schiff will describe how the Knesset functions, how elections are handled, and how the courts, the laws and the demographics make Israel so politically unusual. Noon. $55. jewishpgh.org/series/ the-israeli-political-system. q SUNDAYS, JAN. 7 – JAN. 28 Chabad of Pittsburgh presents the Jewish Children’s Discovery Center. Girls and boys grades 3-5 will practice cake-decorating skills while learning about the holy temple and what its beautiful golden vessels can teach us today. Girls and boys grades K-2 will create and decorate a wooden mitzvah house while learning about the holy temple and the values it represents. Girls and boys ages 3 and 4 will touch, taste, hear and feel their way through a journey of Jewish values and traditions. With weekly storytelling, crafts, music and games, this class is sure to get out all the morning wiggles. Grades K-5: $60/4-week session; ages 3-4: $30/4-week session, $10/class. Noon. chabadpgh.com. q THURSDAYS, JAN. 11 — FEB. 8 Bring your lunch and join Cantor Toby Glaser for Lunch Time Liturgy to look at the prayers of Kabbalat Shabbat, the opening psalms and prayers of the Shabbat evening service. $54. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/lunch. PJC
Join the Chronicle Book Club!
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he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Dec. 17 discussion of Senior Staff Writer David Rullo’s new book, “Gen X Pittsburgh: The Beehive and the ’90s Scene.” The discussion will take place in person at noon at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill. A Zoom link will also be available. About the book: “Beginning in the early 1990s, Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood began to transform from the post-industrial morass it had been suffering for the last few decades. Artists began to rent empty apartments, what were once shot-and-a-beer bars became hip dive bars and entrepreneurs found inexpensive real estate to follow their visions. It was in this landscape that the Beehive Coffeehouse began to attract a new '90s alternative crowd. The South Side Beehive ... was where the night often began, and weekends ended.” Come meet the author and hear more about this thoroughly engaging story.
Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line to register. Specify if you will be attending in person or would like to participate online. Registration closes on Dec. 14. Happy reading! PJC — Toby Tabachnick
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Headlines Pitt promotes community of compassion, invites others to follow “It’s easy to gather when we’re celebrating, but I think it is even more important for us to gather when we’re struggling, when people are hurting or uncertain.” – ADAM LEIBOVICH
p Pitt colleagues and friends Abdesalam Soudi and Jennifer Murtazashvili promote compassion and trust during a Dec. 5 event on campus. Photo by Adam Reinherz
— LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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niversity of Pittsburgh professors — one Muslim, one Jewish — modeled compassionate and respectful behavior to influence students, colleagues and community members. Seated beside one another in Pitt’s University Club on Dec. 5, Abdesalam Soudi and Jennifer Murtazashvili articulated their joint responsibility to create a campus environment driven by “shared humanity.” The Dec. 5 program, which came nearly two months after the start of the IsraelHamas war, was intended to counter polarizing events at universities nationwide, organizers explained. “We’ve seen what’s happened on so many of our campuses across this country,” Murtazashvili said. “We can disagree about things. We should disagree about things — if we didn’t we wouldn’t be fulfilling the purpose of this university. We have a calling to disagree with each other. But what we can’t do is dehumanize each other. We have to have compassion.” Both physical and verbally acrimonious attacks at universities have garnered national attention for months. On Nov. 7, the U.S. Department of Education described a “nationwide rise in reports of hate crimes and harassment, including an alarming rise in disturbing antisemitic incidents and threats to Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab and Palestinian students.” Weeks later, a poll from the ADL and Hillel International reported that 73% of Jewish students on college campuses in the U.S. have witnessed or experienced antisemitism since the start of the school year. At Pitt, the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion has heard from students, faculty and staff, “anecdotally and via reports to the Pitt Concern Connection,
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about a rise in Islamophobic and antisemitic remarks,” according to an Oct. 25 email to the Pitt community from Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Clyde Wilson Pickett. Carla Panzella, Pitt’s associate vice provost and dean of students, addressed the reports during the program. “The tragedies in Gaza and Israel have been some of the most difficult ones for universities to navigate because many people have very different responses,” Panzella said. “And our own emotional response can make it difficult to be empathetic to others who are feeling differently.” Despite the challenges, she added, Soudi and Murtazashvili exemplify what it means to “practice compassion for each other during a difficult time, and to practice seeing how our community members are suffering and committed together to alleviate that suffering.” Soudi teaches linguistics at Pitt and described himself as “an African, Arab, Muslim immigrant living in southwestern Pennsylvania post-9/11,” who despite facing “various forms of discrimination,” loves raising his children in this “wonderful city.” Murtazashvili, a professor at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public & International Affairs and founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets, said the program was necessitated by her Squirrel Hill upbringing, bat mitzvah at Tree of Life Congregation and the 2018 synagogue shooting. “I don’t want to lose this community,” she said. “I lost that sense of safety that I had at Tree of Life, but I don’t want to lose all of you.” Throughout the afternoon, attendees discussed compassion, empathy and fear. Emiola Oriola, Pitt’s inaugural director for the Office of Inclusion & Belonging, said working at an academic institution fosters an insatiable quest for knowledge, but instead of offering quick responses, educators should exhibit humility. Having compassion means “slow
ourselves down and really place ourselves in other people’s situations, perspectives and emotions, allow things to unfold without having snap reactions and snap judgments,” he said. Still, what happens when someone says, “They hate you, or not even that they hate you but that they want to kill you? Where does compassion come in?” one participant asked. “This question gets to the heart of why we have social science, it gets to the heart of why we do so much of what we do,” Murtazashvili replied. “Evil is not going away. Evil is part of our world and is part of our lives.” Considering Nazi Germany, and recognizing that those atrocities were not committed by only one person, is helpful. “People got swept up in ideas. People got swept up in ideology. People got swept up in emotion. People got swept up in blame, scapegoating, rather than looking at themselves in the mirror,” Murtazashvili said. “It didn’t have to be like that.” While she acknowledged that hatred will not disappear, “how we deal with it, how we confront it, how our neighbors
confront that hatred, how we see each other, is so important.” For students, faculty and staff, the optimal tactic is simply standing together as “the Pitt community,” Adam Leibovich, dean of Pitt’s Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and College of General Studies, said. “It’s easy to gather when we’re celebrating,” he continued, “but I think it is even more important for us to gather when we’re struggling, when people are hurting or uncertain.” There are obvious challenges to coalescence, given the ease of judging others based on accents, origins or characteristics; still, the remedy to present ills was articulated 80 years ago by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Soudi said. Included in Saint-Exupéry’s “The Little Prince” are the words: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eyes.” That’s the key, Soudi said: “You have to invest in people. You need to know them. Discover that treasure, that hidden treasure. That’s the point.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Carla Panzella, Pitt’s associate vice provost and dean of students, asks attendees to “practice seeing how our community members are suffering.” Photo by Adam Reinherz
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Headlines J Street to stick by Bowman, other endorsees despite split on Gaza — NATIONAL — By Gabby Deutch | Jewish Insider
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ince the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, the progressive Israel advocacy organization J Street has resisted calls for a ceasefire, even as some leftwing members of Congress who are close to the group have demanded Israel end its war against Hamas. Some of J Street PAC’s endorsees have gone even further — including Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. But J Street said last week it will not reevaluate its endorsements, even as some of the candidates it supports diverge sharply from the organization, which continues to support Israel’s military campaign against Hamas. “We’re now in December of 2023, so we’re more than halfway through, essentially, the [election] cycle. We probably will not change our endorsements in mid-cycle,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami told Jewish Insider in a phone interview on Thursday. “The kinds of things that are being said and done now will probably have an impact on our reevaluation of people for the 2026 cycle.” Bowman, who has traveled to Israel and the West Bank with J Street, joined a pro-ceasefire protest in front of the White House in November, during the week-long period when there was a truce in fighting. “We are against genocide. We are against ethnic cleansing,” Bowman said. “We have all read about genocides. We have all read about mass murders. I cannot believe I am living through one. And I cannot believe I am living through one and the U.S. government is condoning it and being complicit.” Ben-Ami said Bowman’s speech “certainly crossed the line in terms of the types of language that we use,” but it would not cause the group to reassess its endorsement of Bowman in his 2024 reelection campaign. Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced a primary challenge to Bowman on Wednesday; he is expected to receive significant support from donors aligned with AIPAC. “The bottom line is that our endorsements of all of our current candidates still hold. They are based on alignment, not on every single word that everybody says and every single issue and every single vote but broad commitment to political resolution of this conflict that results in a Jewish and democratic and secure Israel,” Ben-Ami said. “He’s still within our parameters for endorsement.” People have continued to make contributions to Bowman through J Street PAC’s online portal, but “we haven’t made any plans” to offer Bowman support from the group’s Super PAC, said Ben-Ami. Among J Street’s endorsees are other members of Congress who have sharply criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Andre Carson (D-IN) 8
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p Jeremy Ben-Ami, President of J Street, speaking at the J Street National Conference Photo by Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
and Summer Lee (D-PA) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Since Oct. 7, J Street has found itself at odds with some of its progressive allies, many of whom have called for a ceasefire for weeks and slammed Israel’s military campaign. J Street, meanwhile,
(D-MD), Dick Durbin, (D-IL), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI). For years, J Street has inched close to supporting conditions on American aid to Israel, but they have avoided using that language. The amendment would require the U.S. to obtain assurances from countries receiving
Since Oct. 7, J Street has found itself at odds with some of its progressive allies, many of whom have called for a cease-fire for weeks and slammed Israel’s military campaign. has supported Israel’s right to defend itself from Hamas while also questioning whether the Israel Defense Forces could do more to protect Palestinian civilians. The group’s endorsees have offered a wide range of responses and policy actions vis-a-vis Israel and Gaza, but Ben-Ami said that’s not J Street’s fault. “I don’t think there’s any lack of clear guidance from J Street. We just don’t agree, and they go ahead and do their own thing,” Ben-Ami said. “These are elected officials. They’re grown people.” The organization plans to mount a lobbying campaign in favor of an amendment to President Joe Biden’s supplemental aid package that would condition aid to Israel and other U.S. allies receiving American military assistance. “We support that amendment 100%,” Ben-Ami said of the amendment, which was sponsored by Sens. Chris Van Hollen
weapons to “cooperate fully” with U.S. and U.S.-backed humanitarian aid efforts before they can receive aid, although the administration can waive this provision. “That’s saying you can have this $14 billion, but you have to use it in a manner that is consistent with our laws and with international law, and there has to be accountability for how you’re using it. That’s not a condition on giving them money,” said Ben-Ami, even though it would condition the provision of aid upon Israel offering the U.S. the assurances required in the amendment. “That is a restriction or an oversight of the use of the money and we support that 100%.” The group might also “go further in supporting other requirements in such a supplemental bill,” said Ben-Ami, “for instance, getting a presidential certification that Israel is, in fact, committed to pursuing a political resolution of the conflict.” Despite Washington’s strong support for
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a two-state solution, Israeli officials have not committed to the postwar vision laid out by the U.S. J Street released a lengthy policy letter on Thursday laying out the group’s thinking on the war in Gaza. The title of the document was dire: “Moment of truth for Israel’s government: Either heed Biden administration’s limits or lose U.S. support for military operation.” Its key question: “What happens if the Netanyahu government continues to ignore the admonitions and guardrails that J Street, the Biden administration and many Americans – Jewish and not – support?” The answer, according to J Street, is that the Biden administration should stop supporting Israel’s war effort. Not by cutting off aid, or calling for a ceasefire, or making any policy changes — just by signaling a lack of support. But despite the group’s significant number of endorsees within the Democratic caucus on Capitol Hill, it didn’t outline any policy actions beyond recommending the use of sterner language. “You sort of come to the same point where there will be a phone call from the president to the prime minister saying, You’re out of runway,” said Ben-Ami. “When does that come? What I think we’re saying is the length of the runway is going to be directly related to the manner in which Israel pursues this military campaign.” But what happens at the end of this theoretical runway? “The policy right now of the United States is to support what Israel is doing, and we would be saying, at that point, that the time has come for the United States to say it can’t support what Israel is doing,” Ben-Ami explained. Still, he clarified that this is different from making calls for a cease-fire the backbone of U.S. policy, and he noted that Israel might still see reason to continue the war. “Israel has to make Israel’s choices. Israel will move forward and do what it does. The question is, Does the United States — and does J Street — stand behind Israel and say, We support what you are doing?” Ben-Ami asked. “We can’t tell Israel to stop, but we can say we don’t support this any longer.” He declined to say whether he has discussed this idea with the White House or the State Department, neither of which has expressed any intention of ending American support for Israel’s war in Gaza. J Street supports Biden’s approach thus far; their frustration is that, according to Ben-Ami, Israel is not heeding the warnings of the Biden administration, even though White House officials have said they believe Israel has been “receptive” to U.S. messaging about minimizing civilian casualties. “There’s some receptivity,” Ben-Ami acknowledged. “What we’re saying is they really need to do more and much closer to 100% of what’s being asked, more than just a percent.” PJC This article first appeared on Jewish Insider. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines — WORLD — Jewish groups team up to advocate for Israel, push for ‘accurate’ war coverage
Five major Jewish organizations have teamed up to maintain American support for Israel and fill what they say is a gap in coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, JTA.org reported. “The 10/7 Project,” named for the day Hamas launched the war with a deadly invasion from the Gaza Strip, has as backers the American Jewish Committee, which initiated the project; the American Israel Public Affairs Committee; the Jewish Federations of North America; the Anti-Defamation League; and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. “The 10/7 Project is designed to promote continued U.S. bipartisan support for Israel by working to ensure more complete and accurate information about the Israel-Hamas war in real time for policymakers and the American public,” the statement released on Dec. 5 said. The announcement was spurred, organizers said, by the mass turnout last month at a pro-Israel rally in Washington. Pro-Israel groups have grappled with how to keep the atrocities Hamas terrorists committed on Oct. 7 in the spotlight while media attention turns to the devastation Israeli counterstrikes have since caused in Gaza, and as a growing number of Democrats are calling for a cease-fire.
False bomb threat hits Buenos Aires Jewish center where 85 died in 1994 bombing
The AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, the site of a 1994 bombing that killed 85 people, was hit with a bomb threat on Dec. 6, JTA.org reported. Law enforcement searched the premises and determined that the threat was a false alarm. The building’s operations continued normally during the search, according to the Buenos Aires Herald. Emails on Dec. 6 from two different users threatened to bomb the AMIA building, as well as DAIA, an umbrella organization representing Argentina’s Jewish community. One of the emails said, “Death to the Zionist Jews,” local media reported. The bomb threat at the Buenos Aires Jewish community building comes as Jewish institutions around the world face an escalation of violence and bomb threats. In New York alone, 15 synagogues were hit with false bomb threats on Dec. 1, and a Jewish school in Toronto was evacuated last month for a false bomb threat. Multiple Jewish institutions in the Seattle area were sent suspicious packages filled with white powder, which were determined by law enforcement to be non-hazardous. The Nov. 6 bomb threat is not the first against AMIA since the Israel-Hamas war began. On Oct. 19, the building received a bomb threat by email that local police found to be a false alarm.
Today in Israeli History — ISRAEL — Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Dec. 15, 2016 — Trump picks Friedman as ambassador
President-elect Donald Trump announces that he will nominate New York bankruptcy lawyer David Friedman, who advised the campaign on Israel policy, to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel.
Dec. 16, 1922 — Modern Hebrew advocate BenYehuda dies
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, often considered the father of modern Hebrew, dies of p Eliezer Ben-Yehuda tuberculosis at 64 is remembered as in Jerusalem. He the father of modern founded the Va’ad Hebrew, although ha-Lashon, the the language never forerunner of the stopped being used for religious and non- Academy of Hebrew Language, in 1890. religious purposes.
Dec. 17, 1993 — Rabbi urges soldiers not to remove settlements
Shlomo Goren, the first head of the IDF’s Military Rabbinate and the Ashkenazi chief rabbi from 1973 to 1983, calls for soldiers to disobey orders to remove Jewish settlers from the West Bank, Gaza Strip or Golan Heights. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Dec. 18, 1947 — Trans pioneer Gila Goldstein is born
Gila Goldstein, among the first Israelis to p Gila Goldstein have sex reassignment appears in Alon surgery, is born in Weinstock’s 2010 Turin, Italy. The family documentary about her, “That’s immigrates to Israel, Gila, That’s Me.” and Goldstein begins identifying as a girl by 1960. She becomes a leading LGBT activist.
Dec. 19, 1903 — Nordau survives assassination attempt
Max Nordau, who co-founded the World Zionist Organization, escapes unharmed when a would-be assassin, angry over the Uganda Plan, fires two shots at close range during a Chanukah party in Paris.
Dec. 20, 1976 — Rabin’s first government collapses
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s Labor-led coalition falls apart as he fires two members of the National Religious Party from his Cabinet and sees a third resign. Without NRP’s 10 Knesset members, Rabin lacks a majority.
Dec. 21, 1973 — Peace conference begins in Geneva
A Middle East peace conference opens in Geneva under the auspices of the United States and the Soviet Union. Syria skips the event because Israel refuses to recognize the PLO. The conference ends Dec. 29. PJC
House passes resolution equating antisemitism with anti-Zionism, despite many abstentions
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a nonbinding resolution on Dec. 5 saying that anti-Zionism is antisemitism with support from all but one Republican and a substantial minority of Democrats, JTA.org reported. The resolution was introduced by the two Jewish Republicans in the House, Max Miller of Ohio and David Kustoff of Tennessee. It was notable for the number of Jewish Democrats who voted “present,” effectively abstaining, in part because they did not agree with the resolution’s contention that all forms of anti-Zionism were antisemitic. The resolution passed 311 to 14, with 92 members voting “present,” among them eight of the 24 Jewish Democrats in the House. Democrats voting in favor numbered 95. Of the 14 who opposed, 13 were Democrats, most associated with the “Squad,” a small grouping of far-left progressives. Rep. Summer Lee, who represents Pennsylvania’s 12th district — which includes Squirrel Hill — voted against the resolution. Rep. Chris Deluzio, who represents Pennsylvania’s 17th district, voted in favor of the resolution. “Whereas, since the massacre of innocent Israelis by Hamas, an Iranbacked terrorist organization, on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents of harassment,
vandalism, and assault in the United States have spiked 388 percent over the same period last year, according to reports from the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism,” the resolution says.
German state of Saxony-Anhalt requires citizenship applicants to sign statement supporting Israel
Recognizing Israel’s right to exist is now mandatory for those who want to become German citizens in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt, JTA.org reported. Applicants living in the state will have to confirm in writing “that they recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn any efforts directed against the existence of the State of Israel.” Saxony-Anhalt’s interior minister, Tamara Zieschang, a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party, said on Dec. 54 that the rule went into effect at the end of November. The new state law is fueled by concerns over antisemitism, which has spiked across Germany and the rest of Western Europe following the Hamas attacks on Israel. In its decree, reportedly shared internally at the end of November, SaxonyAnhalt also requires naturalization agents to be on the lookout for antisemitic and anti-democratic attitudes among applicants. PJC — Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
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Headlines
p From left: Ofer Kisin, Rony Kisin, Hila Fakliro and Shani Teshuva, survivors of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel, speak during a Chanukah candle lighting ceremony at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill on Dec. 7. Photo by Adam Reinherz
Survivors: Continued from page 1
The grandkids were hungry, Ofer Kissin said, “so I called the head of the emergency team in our kibbutz and told him people are shooting outside the door, and I’m taking a basket of food to my daughter’s house.” Kissin was instructed not to go; the grandfather dismissed the directive, ran to his daughter’s house, deposited the food and ran back amid the gunfire, he said. Shortly thereafter, he and Rony — the Kissins are medics — packed up emergency equipment and headed toward the fighting. “I was running first, and she was running after me,” Ofer Kissin said. “The A Team is on one side and the terrorists are on the other side.” The Kissins entered a house and began treating someone who was “badly injured.” All the while, fighting raged nearby, the couple said. Nearly seven hours after Hamas entered Kerem Shalom, members of the Israel Defense Forces finally arrived. “There was a lot of luck that day,” Ofer Kissin said. “We are here to tell the story but we are lucky to be here. It was not obvious.”
Minutes afford miracles in Kibbutz Zikim
Most Saturday mornings, Shani Teshuva leaves Kibbutz Zikim between 6 and 6:30 a.m. to bike near the beach, she said. On Oct. 7, she woke up, noticed it wasn’t as hot as the week before and decided to stay home a little longer. “I gave myself an extra 10 minutes and those extra 10 minutes are the reason that I am here alive,” she said. At 6:29 a.m., rockets began firing. Given the kibbutz’s location (about 500 meters from Gaza), “we have eight seconds to get to shelter,” Teshuva said. Along with her husband and two children, ages 14 and 12, the family feverishly descended downstairs and entered their safe room. She and her husband noticed an open window. “We laid on the floor covering our children,” Teshuva said. During a period of 10
DECEMBER 15, 2023
calm, “we got up, closed the iron window, we shut the door tight and we stayed in the safe room.” Teshuva heard gunfire but didn’t recognize the sound.
p Community members applaud during a Dec. 7 program at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. Photo by Joshua Franzos
house to house, under fire, and let people know that they’re not allowed to leave the house or kibbutz because there were terrorists all around.” “Only later did we learn how many
“We won’t stop until everybody’s home. Let’s keep that in our hearts and in our prayers every single day.” – SHANI TESHUVA “We are familiar with the army’s, from training,” she said. “And we are used to rockets. It’s unbelievable to say, but we can handle rockets.” The sound of unfamiliar shooting increased. There was a battle 30 feet from Teshuva’s home, she said: The head of the kibbutz received a call from the head of security in the area, saying, “There are terrorists coming in through the ocean, from land and from the air.” That message gave the kibbutz’s response team two minutes, but the team wasn’t comprised of young soldiers, Teshuva said. “These are people that have families.” The response team, which consisted of individuals aged 25-70, spread out and noticed an army truck approaching the kibbutz’s fence. “The response team thought it was the army coming to help us,” she said. “But as people jumped out of the car, one of them jumped with an RPG, and that’s the second they realized these are terrorists. These are Hamas terrorists.” Fighting lasted nearly three hours, she continued. Terrorists tried entering the kibbutz “in total over 10 times.” Teshuva remained in the safe room with her children until 10 p.m. Her husband left, however, first to extinguish a fire after a rocket hit a nearby car, and next after he was called to the kibbutz headquarters. A cyberattack prevented the use of phones, so her husband’s mission “was to run from
miracles we had that day in Zikim,” Teshuva said. “We have family and friends that were killed, slaughtered, raped in all the communities, all throughout the Gaza envelope. We’re one big community and you know each other, everywhere. “Each and every one of us that’s here alive, we had our own individual miracle and our communities had miracles that kept us alive.”
Be a witness and a storyteller
Weeks before the Dec. 7 event, Jason Kunzman, the JCC’s president and CEO, returned from a mission to Israel. After learning that the JCC Association of North America and Ministry of Diaspora Affairs were sending survivors of the Oct. 7 attack abroad to tell their stories, Kunzman knew that Pittsburgh needed to be among the 20 cities selected, he told the Chronicle. “I could not be more proud of having had the opportunity to host something like this — not only as a means for those stories to be shared, but to lift up our community in the way that we continue to explicitly demonstrate our support for Israel,” he said. Brian Schreiber, the JCC’s chief external affairs officer and special adviser to the CEO, said the event presented a good opportunity to learn from one another. “We can learn from them to be the storytellers — to continue to be witnesses of what happened to people that survived Oct. 7; we can be in community with them. And they can learn from us what it means to have a
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supportive community in the Diaspora that cares about their well-being.” Throughout most of the program, hundreds of attendees sat quietly in the JCC. Moments before the event’s conclusion, however, Teshuva clutched the empty chair beside her and said it represents “every single one of the people that were kidnapped.” “We won’t stop until everybody’s home,” she continued. “Let’s keep that in our hearts and in our prayers every single day.” Teshuva’s statement was met with thunderous applause.
Keep the light going
Along with participating in the program, which was hosted by the JCC and Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the visiting Israelis participated in several other public and private events in Pittsburgh. Along with joining a press conference at the Federation’s office on Friday morning, Fakliro, Teshuva and the Kissins met with Pittsburgh’s Israeli community that afternoon. Hours before ascending the stage in the JCC to light a candle for the first night of Chanukah, the four Israelis met privately with survivors and family members of those murdered in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Following the event, Marty Gaynor and Dan Leger, Talmud study partners and survivors of the synagogue shooting, stressed the importance of standing beside the Israelis to publicly celebrate the Festival of Lights. “I’m just grateful that we had the opportunity to be here with them, and to show them support and solidarity,” Gaynor said. “Finding ways to connect and show kindness are so important, and this gave us that opportunity.” “Rony [Kissin] said that what we need to do now is bring light into the world,” Leger said. “Being together with people who have been through a horrific experience, and were not crushed by it, is really life-affirming.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines Women: Continued from page 1
question of whether it was a case here and there, or whether it was pervasive,” Katz said. “In the weeks since, it has become very clear that rape was used as a tool of war, that sexual assault was premeditated and a part of the plan of the day. And as this evidence has come forward in particularly clear ways, because it’s important to believe women always — as witnesses started saying what they saw — it’s just been so critical that the world as a whole, feminist organizations included, speak out and say something that we can for sure agree on, which is that rape should never be used as a tool of war, ever.” It took UN Women eight weeks after the Hamas attack to issue a statement condemning the sexual violence and, when one was finally published, it was widely criticized as “generic.” Katz did not mince words when identifying the “one common denominator” regarding the lack of response to the brutalization of Jewish women: Antisemitism. “There are other complexities as well,” she explained. “Organizations that are domestic that focus on assault in any way, shape or form tend not to comment on what they consider a global political issue. We also heard from people that they were scared to comment on Israel generally, that they know it’s heated, that they worried about backlash, that they felt that they had to comment on the full war. “But what I can say at the end of the day,” Katz continued, “particularly in the conversations I’ve had, is that anytime hate happens, anytime a terrorist attack happens, anytime sexual violence happens, those are the right times to call it out. And we must. When we don’t call out rape, particularly when it’s used as a tool of war, we normalize it to become a tool of war. And not just that — we normalize sexual assault generally and broadly.” At the U.N. session, the descriptions of the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists included and went beyond rape. Simcha Greiniman, a first responder who collected victims’ remains from the sites of attacks, testified about finding a woman’s body, naked from the waist down, leaning over a bed. A live grenade was hidden in the hand of her corpse. Genital mutilation was prevalent among the bodies he recovered. “Nails and different objects” were found in one woman’s genitals. Another person’s body was so badly damaged “we couldn’t even identify if it’s a man or a woman,” Greiniman said. Several female soldiers had been “shot in the crotch, intimate parts, vagina, or shot in the breast. This seemed to be systematic genital mutilation of a group of victims,” Shari Mendes, an architect who prepares bodies for burial, testified.
Progressive funders weigh in — but not on behalf of Israeli women
Last month, an open letter initiated by 28 funders — including the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, the Black Feminist Fund, the Fund for Global Human Rights and the Global Fund for Women — and signed by scores of others, called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, highlighting the plight of Gazans.
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p NCJW CEO Sheila Katz speaks at the "Hear Our Voices" session at the U.N.
Photo by Perry Bindelglass
“We call for the US and European governments to stop enabling war crimes through unconditional military support, and for Israel to end its collective punishment of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents,” the letter reads. “We also take seriously our responsibility to address the root causes of what we see unfolding today — the decades of systematic violence, military occupation and displacement that all Palestinians, especially in Gaza, have experienced at the hands of the Israeli government.” While mentioning that 1,200 Israelis were killed in the opening paragraph, the letter is silent as to the well-documented incidents of sexual assault and mutilation of Jews at the hands of Hamas. Judy Cohen, executive director of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh, which provides grants addressing the needs of women and girls in both the Jewish and broader community, said she, and many of her colleagues from across the country, are “really concerned” because those who signed the letter “are not operating from a feminist perspective of open dialogue, and reaching out and conversation.” The JWF, which is part of the national Jewish Women’s Funding Network, will work with colleagues to try to rectify that. “What we’re trying to do is take the politics out of it,” Cohen said. “We all have feelings about what is happening in Gaza. We cannot be human without having feelings about the death of civilians and the horrors that we’re hearing. However, that does not take away from Hamas being a terrorist organization and the atrocities that they committed, and the silence at a national level of feminist organizations and lack of support that we’re all feeling.” Cohen noted “how deeply embedded the anti-Israel and somewhat antisemitic overtones are in the far-left, which some of our feminist partners are subscribing to,” and acknowledged that “it’s not going to be resolved overnight.” “But we believe in dialogue and conversation and education,” she said, “and that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re not going to be arguing or confronting. We are really approaching this with feminist values: collaboration, openness, dialogue, community, spirit of community. We feel there’s been a lack of that framework.” Following the Dec. 4 hearing, national NCJW circulated a video of the UN testimony
to its partner organizations, encouraging them to share it with their network and those groups that have yet to condemn the sexual violence of Oct. 7. “Continuing to create visibility and continuing to step into the challenging moment of calling our feminist organizations to the table continues to remain important,” Marissa Fogel, executive director of NCJW Pittsburgh, said. While NCJW’s Pittsburgh section received “statements of deep grief and solidarity with the pain that the Jewish community, and especially the Pittsburgh Jewish community, is experiencing, right now,” from some of its social justice partners, Fogel said, raising awareness and condemning sexual violence globally is essential. “I think when we provide visibility into the disproportionate ways in which women’s bodies are used, whether it’s in the violence of war, or as tools for political power, we see the connection points around how these instances really continue to galvanize us to dig in our heels to fight for the rights of women here, whether it’s in our city, our state or across the country.” Fogel will co-create a series called “Courageous Conversations,” to help NCJW sections navigate challenging conversations and “to have the tools that they need to continue to move forward as it relates to deepening understanding, calling our partners in and bringing them closer in an effort to empower the volunteers and the staff and all of those advocates who work in those sections to feel confident as they move forward with partnerships.”
A view from Israel
Hamutal Gouri is a self-described “feminist, anti-occupation, peace activist.” Since Oct. 7, the Israeli has published articles calling out the silence of feminists in response to Hamas’ use of sexual violence as a tool of war. That silence has led to “a sad understanding that one’s moral compass, in terms of what is humanly acceptable and what is humanly completely unacceptable, is subjected to one’s political stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Gouri said. “And that is a very sad thought.” Things are different on the ground in Israel, she said.
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“In Israel, Arab feminist organizations published a statement that condemns these heinous crimes unequivocally, and also saying our feminism is indivisible,” Gouri said. “It’s not a question of where we stand on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.” Other feminists around the world, though, “have failed bitterly,” she said. In some cases, their stance on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict “is a justified criticism of policies and actions of the Israeli government,” Gouri said, adding that she agrees with some of those criticisms. But in other cases, positions on the conflict are a result of “a super simplistic, over-simplified, and sometimes a lack of knowledge.” She cited the common trope among progressives that Israel is a “white colonizer” — when Jews and Palestinians have shared the land for centuries, and when 50% of Jews in Israel are people of color — as an example. Those spewing these simplistic views, she said, are guilty of “intellectual laziness, moral laziness, or moral failure.” Gouri said she was particularly disappointed with some of the signatories to the funders’ letter calling for a ceasefire. “Our organizations that we thought were our partners, that we had shared goals, or at least we expected them as feminist funders and organizations to be sensitive and to share moral indignation in the face of the brutal attacks of Oct. 7, regardless of where they stand on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said. “Our expectation of feminist funders and organizations is that we believe women and that rape is never OK. It’s never OK.”
Speaking out to make a difference
The testimony presented at “Hear Our Voices” was picked up by many mainstream media outlets, including CNN, NPR, The New York Times and The Guardian. And a few feminist organizations, notably Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Freedom for All, issued statements condemning Hamas’ sexual violence after hearing accounts from the witnesses at the UN. NCJW’s Katz was buoyed by this reaction and said she expects more to come in the weeks ahead. Still, the immense effort it took to break the silence was disheartening for Jewish feminists. “We shouldn’t have to tell people who claim to be our allies that calling out rape when it’s used as a weapon of war in Israel is bad,” Katz said. “We should not have to do that. We should not have to put on a special session of the United Nations. We should not have to do any of that.” It’s imperative to keep calling out the violence, Katz said. “At this point, particularly in light of sharing the testimony that we did on [Dec. 4], no one can say any more that this didn’t happen,” Katz said. “At the end of the day, rape is rape,” she continued. “You’re either against it or you’re not. And you are either against antisemitism or you are not. These things are actually simple. There is no excuse for not calling out rape. There is no excuse for not being able to have empathy for Israeli women as they are killed.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. DECEMBER 15, 2023
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Opinion When Hamas is dismantled, a second war looms Guest Columnist David Horovitz
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amas on Sunday revived its threat that none of the hostages it is holding will leave Gaza alive unless and until all of its demands are met. Those demands include an end to the war, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all Palestinian security prisoners, including those captured on and since Oct. 7. Put another way, the price of the hostages’ freedom is for Hamas to live to carry out more and worse massacres — as it has said it fully intends to do — with the additional involvement of all of its currently jailed murderers. This intolerable price runs up against the intolerable situation of the hostages, some of whom are known to be in immediate life-threatening peril, and whose families are understandably demanding that the government prioritize freeing the hostages over the other declared goal of the war, destroying Hamas. This is the internal Israel breach that Hamas, well aware of widespread Israeli lack of faith in the political leadership, is predictably and nauseatingly seeking to widen. Set against that is the seemingly inexorable progress of the IDF’s ground offensive, gradually taking control of Hamas strongholds in northern Gaza and deepening its operations in Hamas’ southern stronghold, Khan Younis. The ground operation is taking an unbearable toll of soldiers’ lives, and soldiers’ lives are being put on the line, too, in relentless, high-risk efforts to secure the release of the hostages, as National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi has indicated. But there is no quick fix for either of the war’s key declared aims — bringing home all the hostages and taking apart Hamas. The terrorist-government spent 16 years subverting all available resources to build an army capable of invading Israel and perpetrating the horrors of
Oct. 7, and capable of exacting a terrible toll in any Israeli attempt to tackle it inside Gaza. Hamas’ Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, who spoke to some now-released hostages and may well be keeping others in close proximity for his own protection, is said in some unverifiable reports to have fled Gaza City southward to Khan Younis in a humanitarian convoy. In Hanegbi’s assessment, Sinwar will want to fight to the end. If he can be killed, “and that is the plan,” said Hanegbi, his successors may be inclined to avoid the same fate, advancing both the end of the war and the return of the hostages.
life, and on the other a rapacious Islamist death cult that has lost all humanity and incites its followers to exult in killing and barbarism. Hanegbi also has indicated that war would not end with the destruction of Hamas. Israel, he said, would then have to tackle Hezbollah, across the northern border in Lebanon, where a deadly mini-war has been raging for the past two months. As Israel’s political and military leadership has acknowledged, the bereaved communities of the western Negev cannot return to try to rebuild their lives until the threat of more
After Oct. 7, [Tzachi Hanegbi] said, “Israel cannot tolerate this threat any longer.” The IDF credibly insists that it has “the upper hand” in the war overall, and in most every direct battle, but it also stresses the pernicious sophistication of the Hamas war machine, the devilish complexity of Hamas’ underground spiderweb, and the difficulty of fighting gunmen who melt away among Gaza’s civilians. Some senior military officials speak of needing close to two more months of intensive fighting at minimum to dismantle Hamas; others think it will take considerably longer. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated on Sunday that it is for Israel, and nobody else, to determine when the threat posed by Hamas is removed, and the U.S. stood crucially with Israel last Friday in vetoing the UN Security Council’s bid to meet Hamas’ demand for an immediate end to the war. At the same time, Blinken and the Biden administration believe Hamas can be defanged with less death and devastation for Gazans. The longer the fighting, the greater the inevitable friction between Israel and its vital ally. The military now estimates that some 7,000 Hamas gunmen have been killed. The IDF toll on Monday topped 100 and is rising. There is no relevance in attempting to make comparisons between such statistics of war, to calculate what constitutes victory or defeat on their basis. For on the one side is a nation fighting for its
Oct. 7s is definitively defused. And the tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from northern border towns and communities cannot return, either, until the danger of Hezbollah crossing the border to carry out mass slaughter has also been eliminated. While Hamas duped a willfully blind Israeli security and political establishment into thinking its heart was not implacably set on Jew-killing, Hezbollah has made no secret in recent years of its plans to breach the northern border and take control of the Galilee. Yet just as Israel allowed Hamas to drill in plain sight and even plant explosives at the border in the lead-up to Oct. 7, Israel has allowed Hezbollah to make a mockery of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. That resolution, which ended the 2006 war sparked by a deadly Hezbollah cross-border attack, barred Hassan Nasrallah’s terrorist army from any military presence south of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of the border. Instead, Hezbollah has been encamped right up against the border, with its Radwan commando forces poised, as Hamas’ Nukhba terrorists were, to breach Israel’s defenses. Israel’s current war to eliminate Hamas has come “17 years too late,” said Hanegbi on Saturday night, reconfirming that he, too, was among the herd who insistently ignored the
blood-red capital letters on the wall. “Today, Israel realizes that it has to be done, even at a heavy price, because the alternative will be far more costly,” he said. And so, too, he continued, as regards Hezbollah: “We can no longer accept that [Hezbollah’s] Radwan force sits on the border… We can no longer accept that Resolution 1701 is not implemented … If Hezbollah agrees to change things via diplomacy, very good. But I don’t assess it will.” And therefore, said Hanegbi, once Hamas was dealt with, Israel would have to act to ensure that residents of the north are no longer “displaced in their land, and to guarantee for them that the situation in the north has changed.” So potent is the belatedly recognized threat posed by Hezbollah, that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wanted to fight in the north before tackling Hamas after Oct. 7; he considered it such a priority, that he was prepared to put aside for the moment the vital task of eliminating the Gaza terror-government that massacred 1,200 people in southern Israel that day, amid the most unbearable atrocities, inflicting the most murderous assault on Jews since the Holocaust. Hanegbi has made plain that the looming war with Hezbollah was not a case of belatedly realizing an imperative to defang Hezbollah’s missile threat, which dwarfs Hamas’ capabilities and which could spell colossal damage throughout Israel in the event of war. Several countries have missiles pointed at Israel, including Iran, Syria and Iraq, he noted dryly, “and Israel doesn’t invade Iran, Syria and Iraq.” The fear regarding Hezbollah’s Radwan force is that “within minutes” it could cross the border and begin a rampage of murderous slaughter in northern communities, like Hamas did in the south on Oct. 7. After Oct. 7, he said, “Israel cannot tolerate this threat any longer.” After Oct. 7, indeed, everything has changed for Israel — within, without, and on every front. PJC David Horovitz is the founding editor of The Times of Israel, where this first appeared.
Calls for a premature ceasefire are ‘immoral and counterproductive’ Guest Columnist Julie Paris
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ore than two months have passed since thousands of Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel by land, air and sea in a heavily coordinated terror attack, murdering more than 1200 Israelis, committing unspeakable acts of brutality against thousands of men, women and children, and kidnapping an estimated 240 hostages into Gaza. Israel was forced to enter a war that it never wanted in a fight for its survival and a race against time to rescue the hostages. This war is horrific and devastating on both sides, but the fault lies squarely with Hamas. Israel has made its goals clear: rescue the hostages and eliminate Hamas, whose founding charter calls for the ethnic cleansing of Jews “from the river to
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DECEMBER 15, 2023
the sea,” and who oppresses its own citizens to retain power and control in Gaza. As the Israel Defense Forces fights a battle like no other in history, with Hamas terrorists embedding themselves and their weapons within civilian areas like UN schools, hospitals and homes, the IDF has also made Herculean attempts to protect the lives of Palestinian civilians, who have spent decades as victims of this brutal terrorist regime. The IDF is also coordinating vital humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza, which sadly is often hijacked by Hamas. At their own peril, Palestinian citizens are also speaking out against Hamas about their dire living conditions because of Hamas leaders’ blatant disregard for their lives. Israeli forces have already rooted out thousands of Hamas operatives and will continue to do so until Hamas has been eliminated and is no longer a threat to Israeli civilians and its own people. With Israel at war, we have seen a new battle taking shape in our community with violent
protests against Israel, a dramatic rise of antisemitic incidents and calls for an immediate ceasefire. These ceasefire calls, led locally by Rep. Summer Lee and echoed nationally by anti-Israel groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow, are reckless, dangerous and naive. The reality is that an immediate ceasefire would only benefit Hamas, leaving a genocidal terrorist organization in control, and continue placing Israelis and Palestinians in harm’s way. It would make it impossible for the more than 100,000 Israelis living along the Gaza border to rebuild their homes and their communities without the fear of another attack. Don’t forget there was a “permanent” ceasefire on Oct. 6, which was negotiated after Hamas fired thousands of rockets into Israel in May of 2021. That was one of more than a half-dozen ceasefires since 2006 that were negotiated with Hamas, all of which ended when Hamas decided to attack Israel, leaving an untenable situation for Israel to allow to continue.
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While we can all support attempts to bring about a lasting peace in the region, we cannot support a ceasefire that allows Hamas to stay in power and get away with brutally massacring, raping and kidnapping civilians from Israel and other countries, which they have promised to do over and over and over again until Israel is destroyed. Israelis cannot continue to live alongside an Iran-backed terrorist government that has spent decades terrorizing Israeli communities and has shot more than 11,000 missiles into Israeli civilian areas since Oct. 7 alone. A call for an immediate ceasefire will only embolden Hamas and allow its terrorist reign to continue. Leaders across the political spectrum, including President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and our own Sen. John Fetterman, understand this, and have recognized that there can be no justice or peace until Hamas releases all hostages and is removed from power in Gaza. On Dec. 8, the U.S. Please see Paris, page 13
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Opinion Chronicle poll results: Chanukah parties
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ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Are you planning to attend a Chanukah party or other type of Chanukahrelated event?” Of the 253 people who responded, 78% said yes, 15% said no, and 7% said they weren’t sure. Comments were submitted by 47 people. A few follow.
We recently moved and are actually throwing a big Chanukah party for all our new neighbors, none of whom are Jewish. Everyone is very excited to attend, and I received lots of appreciative feedback from guests who clicked on the link explaining Chanukah’s history and customs which I put at the bottom of the invitation.
Are you planning to attend a Chanukah party or other type of Chanukahrelated event?
15% No
7% Not sure
I have not been invited to any parties yet, but I have ugly/funky/oongahpatshkied Chanukah sweaters that I have to wear somewhere ... so I may have to throw a fete at my home! I’m throwing a Chanukah brunch. There’s an extra need for some light and joy during this difficult time for Jews and Israel. Given the current war, it behooves all Jews to gather together to celebrate the Maccabees’ victory.
78% Yes
I live at Concordia of the South Hills. Beth El Sisterhood had a Chanukah party for us. Very sweet. It’s wonderful to be remembered!
A joyous time to celebrate at home with friends and at parties with friends. It’s not “Christmas lite,” and it’s not one of the Shalosh Regalim, nor is it Purim, so I’ll just stay home and enjoy the lights.
I am not a party person. I am content to stay home, bask in the light of the candles and contemplate the meaning of the holiday.
I will be celebrating Chanukah with Congregation Dor Hadash’s 60th anniversary party.
Paris:
and Gaza can recover and build a better future. Also on Dec. 8, pushing back against a recent report claiming widespread support for a ceasefire within the Jewish community, hundreds of rabbis of all denominations signed an open letter blasting this report and arguing that a large majority of the Jewish community is united in rejecting this claim and supports Israel’s mission of eradicating Hamas’ leadership and a return of all hostages. For the sake of all civilians in the region, this war should end as quickly as possible. There will
eventually be a ceasefire once Israel achieves its military goals. However, demands for a premature ceasefire that would leave Hamas in power are immoral and counterproductive, and only serve to continue the oppression and violence in Gaza. I hope and pray for the time when Israel will live at peace with all its neighbors. In the meantime, the only way to end Hamas’ terrorism and Israel’s response is to let Israel achieve its goal of eliminating Hamas’ ability to attack Israel and hold Gazan civilians under its evil
Continued from page 12
bravely stood with Israel at the UN by vetoing a dangerous UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. As Secretary of State Blinken has said, Hamas has choices too. Pressure must be placed on them and their allies in Qatar, Turkey, Iran and elsewhere in the region, to surrender so that the people of Israel
We’re attending Chabad and the Friendship Circle parties! My 6- and 8-year-old kids are very excited! My partner and I sit at the table and watch the candles burn down: no screens, no phones, no music allowed. We just talk and think about the holiday and what we mean to each other. We’re too old and tired to do it but maybe just a few potato latkes to tide us over. PJC — Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Chronicle weekly poll question: Was the resignation of
University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill warranted following her testimony to Congress? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC rule, something President Biden and the large majority of Congress understands. I also hope we will all continue to stand with Israel in a fight for survival, for freedom, for liberal values, and for the return of every single hostage being held inside Gaza. PJC Julie Paris is the Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs, an international nonprofit and nonpartisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism.
— LETTERS — 10/27 victim-family ‘disappointed’ with proposed memorial design
Ever since the initial stages of the reveal to the Memorialization Working Group (MWG) of the proposed 10/27 memorial design and theme, I and my family have been adamantly opposed to its dull and lackluster form of memorialization to my parents and the nine other victims of 10/27. I would even go so far as to call it an “embarrassment” to their memories (“10/27 memorial to be built on unity, not unanimity,” Dec. 8). This proposed “memorial” is a major disappointment on many levels. This minimalistic design does nothing to evoke inspirational feelings nor independent reflection of the event, does not promote personal thought, and lacks visual appeal and draw. The proposed design has no relationship or tie-in to 10/27 and what occurred, nor to antisemitism. Furthermore, nobody — especially into the future — is going to care one iota about what my parents (or any of the nine other victims) liked to do in their lives, e.g., cook, garden, travel, etc., as will be inscribed into the individual focal point “books of life” kiosks. The only ones who will care are their own family members alive today. By the time a visitor gets to the fourth kiosk, they will be totally bored with what they are reading in those “books of life.” People don’t travel to a memorial to be schooled regarding someone’s “likes.” People go to be inspired and to have an opportunity for unfettered personal reflection and thought based upon the design. This current design promotes neither. My opinion of the proposed memorial is not meant in any manner as a reflection on Studio Libeskind for this minimalistic design and shallow concept. Studio Libeskind has shown the MWG several examples of wonderful and appropriate memorials it has designed in other locations throughout the world. The studio was surely directed by Tree of Life, Inc. with a specific budget to work within. Where does the blame lie for such a minimalistic and inappropriate memorial design? As a member of the MWG — which is composed of victim-family members as well as congregational representatives — I, on several occasions throughout the brainstorming process, frequently requested that other designs from other artists be solicited by the MWG. This type of design-decision process has been utilized in many venues throughout the country that have experienced similar tragedies. Unfortunately, this option was not supported and pursued by the MWG. When it became apparent to me that Studio Libeskind was the preferred designer, I requested more than one design/ theme/concept from them. Again, my request for overall alternate designs/themes/concepts was not supported by the MWG. There were only some minor design enhancements offered to the already-established theme of the “books of life.” To me, this “memorial” is a total embarrassment and insult to the lives and memories of our loved ones. Marc Simon Washington, Pennsylvania PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Feckless college presidents
So, the three presidents of “prestigious” universities would not act on their students’ calls for genocide of Jews — unless violence comes from those calls? (“Harvard, MIT and Penn presidents grilled on antisemitism at congressional hearing,” Dec. 6, online). No surprise here. Colleges are a hotbed for extreme ideology, and Harvard, University of Pennsylvania and MIT are no exception. Someone should ask Harvard President Claudine Gay, or Penn’s now-former President Liz Magill, or MIT President Sally Kornbluth if they would act on students chanting for the deaths of Black people, or any other minority group, before any physical acts of violence occur. They indicated they would not do that for Jewish students. Someone should ask these women why they are allowing their students to essentially advocate for rape, murder and torture. How would they feel if they were Hamas’ victims? And these three presidents are just the public face of academia. Many more college presidents feel the same way or are condoning this behavior. They are weak, feckless and do not wish to take on their students or faculty. There are easy solutions to this problem. First of all, eliminate all government funding to pay for college education. This will force these schools to make some hard decisions. Our tax dollars will no longer support hate speech against Jews or anyone else. Second, abolish tenure so that professors are accountable for what and how they teach. Third, there should be a 50% tax on all overseas donations to these schools. This will hinder hostile regimes from making large donations. Finally Jewish alum should cut off donations to these schools. Jewish parents should be looking at schools that are safe for their children to attend — mostly Jewish colleges and universities. We as Jews need to be proud, courageous, stand up for ourselves and “do more Jewish.” Andrew Neft Upper St. Clair
Editor’s note: Following backlash after last week’s congressional hearing on antisemitism, Claudine Gay released a statement saying that calls for violence against Jews, or any other religious or ethnic group, have no place at Harvard. Liz Magill also released a statement saying a that a call for the genocide of Jewish people would be considered harassment or intimidation at Penn. As of press time, Sally Kornbluth had not released a statement on her testimony. We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 500 words and may be edited for length and clarity; they cannot be returned. Send letters to: letters@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org or Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, 5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence, we cannot reply to every letter.
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DECEMBER 15, 2023
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Life & Culture Easy, classic tiramisu you don’t want to purchase a large bottle, the mini-size bottles hold more than enough for this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 package of ladyfingers (I suggest buying two packages in case you have a mishap) 1½ cups whipping cream 1 8-ounce container of mascarpone cheese ⅓ cup powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 12 ounces (1½ cups) of espresso or very strong black coffee 3 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur or brandy Cocoa powder for dusting
p Tiramisu
Photo by Jessica Grann
— FOOD — By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle
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iramisu is a light yet luxurious dessert that was on my list of “special and complicated” things to try one day. That is until I started looking at recipes for it and realized this is incredibly simple to whip up — literally, the whipped cream takes 5
minutes to make and the entire dessert takes 10 minutes to put together. Who doesn’t love a no-bake dessert? It’s practically foolproof if you follow my instructions on how to handle the ladyfingers — and if you happen to botch a portion, you can cover it with cream and cocoa and nobody will ever see it. The ingredients are easy to find at most grocery stores. Tiramisu does use a small amount of chocolate liqueur or brandy. If
Place the mascarpone cheese container on the counter an hour before preparation to allow it to come to room temperature. Mascarpone cheese is like a fine ricotta cheese, but when it’s cold, the texture is closer to whipped cream cheese and is too difficult to fold into the whipped cream mixture. Most recipes call for cold espresso. I don’t have an espresso machine and I was not about to run out to a coffee shop to buy some. If you use high-quality strong coffee at home, set aside 12 ounces to cool. I used Starbucks Via instant coffee. Two packets measure 1 tablespoon of instant coffee. I mixed the instant coffee with boiling water and I was very happy with the flavor. If you have it on hand, you could use espresso powder, which is often sold in baking aisles. Don’t use regular instant coffee because it won’t have the same intense flavor. You can use either a stand mixer or a hand-held mixer to make the whipped cream, although a stand mixer does the job faster. If you have room, put your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 20 minutes before prepping. This helps the cream whip up and retain its texture, especially if the temperature in your kitchen is on the warm side. Add the heavy whipping cream to the mixing bowl mix it on medium-low for a minute, then add the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Once the sugar is incorporated, turn
the mixer to medium-high and whip for a few minutes or until the mixture is dense and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low and add the teaspoon of vanilla. Mix for 10 seconds and turn off the mixer. Fold in the mascarpone cheese by hand. Use a small dish with squared-off corners to prepare the dessert — either an 8-inch-by8-inch square or a smaller rectangular dish, which can be made from any material. Pour the cold coffee mixture into a shallow bowl and add 3 tablespoons of liqueur or brandy, then mix it quickly with a fork. Quickly dip each ladyfinger into the coffee and immediately place it into the dish. The first time that I made this, I thought that I was savvy and saving time and put 4 ladyfingers into the coffee. They immediately dissolved and left a mess. I learned the hard way that dipping one at a time means one at a time. Arrange a flat layer of soaked ladyfingers (half of the package) across the bottom of the pan. If there are any holes, fill them in with extra pieces, even if you have to arrange them in a different direction. Dot the ladyfingers with about half of the whipped cream mixture and gently spread it around with a spatula. Dip and arrange the remaining ladyfingers into the coffee, and cover the second layer with the remaining whipped cream. Dust with cocoa powder, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours. Keep refrigerated until time to serve. It’s best to let this rest overnight so that the taste of the alcohol can tone down a bit. When you take the plastic wrap off, you may have a few spots where it adhered to the cream. If that happens, dust it again with a bit more cocoa powder to hide those spots. This recipe makes 8 large pieces or 12 smaller pieces. It’s light in texture so you won’t feel overfull if you follow dinner with this dessert. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
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DECEMBER 15, 2023 15
Life & Culture Local rabbi/mohel brings holiday lights to the desert — WORLD — By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
R
abbi Elisar Admon is clearly not one who believes snow is an important element in the celebration of Chanukah. The Pittsburgh rabbi and mohel is an Army captain and reservist serving as a member of the 80th Training Command Center’s Chaplain Corps. in Richmond, Virginia. Since Nov. 28, the rabbi has been in Kuwait on a special mission to help men and women stationed at Camp Arifjan celebrate Chanukah. Although he’s been in the Middle East during the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas, Admon said his deployment has nothing to do with the war that started on Oct. 7 when the terrorist group invaded Israel. In fact, he signed up to be a part of the mission more than a year ago. “I went because we have three major rabbinical missions they were looking for rabbis to go to in Iraq, Kuwait or Poland or Germany on the High Holidays, Passover and Chanukah,” Admon said. “I decided to go for Chanukah.” Serving on what Admon calls a “joint base,”
p Rabbi Elisar Admon stands with a sign welcoming Chanukah at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. Photo provided by Elisar Admon
the rabbi is helping men and women from all branches of the military celebrate Chanukah, including those from other nations. “Last night, we had a big Chanukah party with 30-some people,” Admon said. “A lot of them were non-Jewish who wanted to see what it was all about.” The festivities included a dreidel competition, holiday meal and menorah lighting.
There was a traditional Chanukah meal on the first night of the holiday, and several non-Jewish chaplains on the base attended. Friday night’s celebration included observing Shabbat, and Saturday’s featured a Havdalah ceremony. As a rabbi helping troops celebrate a holiday, Admon wears many hats — for the Chanukah dinner he made latkes and doughnuts. It also means answering questions from the curious, which he did for the non-Jewish participants. Unlike most of the other clergy serving on the base who are on a nine-month rotation, Admon’s time will end shortly after Chanukah concludes. He said that, for many of the soldiers, this is a difficult time to be away from home and family. He offers counseling when needed and creates programming. “It’s a very emotional time,” Admon said. “It’s very different than being in the States, let’s put it that way.” And while the rabbi is in Kuwait, he’s also helping with some other duties, as well. Admon said that when he arrived in
Kuwait, one of the soldiers tasked with keeping the Jewish community on the base organized approached him and asked what could be done with their old prayer books. “I told him we could bury them,” Admon said. Unlike in the United States, where congregations typically bury their sacred texts in cemeteries or on the grounds of their synagogue, burying the books in Kuwait required extra preparation. A spot was located on the desert, on the base, which wouldn’t later be used for other purposes or construction. When the burial of the books was completed, a flag was planted to denote the area so that rabbis could bury old books there in the future. The ceremony, Admon said, drew a crowd. “Other chaplains from different faiths came to see it because they never saw something like that,” he said. “It was like something that was not part of my religious support plan but when I came here, I realized this needs to be done.” Supporting Admon is another Pittsburgh native, Staff Sgt. Christopher Lewis. He serves as a religious affairs specialist with the 316 Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). Lewis, who isn’t Jewish — or, as Admon jokes, isn’t Jewish yet — has worked with Jewish missions since 2015 in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Romania. He said he helps to set up missions for the High Holidays and Chanukah. He said that more than 100 service members have participated in the Chanukah celebrations this year. “We’ve had services with Jewish and non-Jewish service members wanting to come and experience the festive time,” he said. Admon said those he’s met and had the privilege to celebrate Chanukah with have been special. “The people here are amazing, and it’s wonderful to be able to help,” he said. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Rabbi Elisar Admon buried sacred texts while in Kuwait.
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Photo provided by Elisar Admon
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Life & Culture — WORLD — By Jacob Gurvis | JTA
T
he Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany hosted its seventh annual International Holocaust Survivors Night event Monday with a slate of Jewish celebrities, communal leaders and heads of state — many of whom drew connections between Holocaust memory, the ongoing war in Israel and subsequent rise of antisemitism around the world. The event, tied to the fifth night of Chanukah, was streamed online and co-hosted by TV news anchors Katy Tur and Tony Dokoupil. It featured appearances from several Jewish Hollywood stars, including Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Rob Reiner, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jason Alexander and Mayim Bialik. Broadway legend Barry Manilow and the cast of his play “Harmony” performed, as did the Jewish a cappella group Six13. Crystal was one of many speakers who invoked the themes of light and darkness, echoing the many events Jewish communities across the United States are holding during a Chanukah holiday that coincides with the war in Israel. “This year has more significance than others, perhaps, because the seeds of antisemitism are growing around us once again,”
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Crystal said in his remarks. “But as we light these candles, you are a symbol of hope and perseverance and courage and that is what we all need again during these difficult days.” The lineup also included Israeli President Isaac Herzog, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and current and former cabinet officials from Germany, Austria and Israel. A number of Holocaust envoys, survivors and educators also spoke, as did leaders from many Jewish organizations in the U.S. and around the world. The event concluded with a candle lighting at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. “Our hearts connect around the world tonight
in these darkest moments of winter, in an hour of deep grief and longing we come together with our precious survivors, to recall that our light still shines,” Herzog said. “It is indeed a dark moment. We have all been jolted into a terrible new reality, where the worst moments for our people have come into our present once again.” Since he became the German chancellor, Scholz has been a vocal supporter of Israel and sought to combat antisemitism, especially in his country, where one watchdog found that antisemitism had surged over 300% since Oct. 7. “I try to imagine how much the images from Israel, how much antisemitic hatred on the
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internet and on the streets around the world must be hitting you of all people right in the heart,” Scholz said in German. “This idea pains me a lot. You have experienced immeasurable horror and suffering. You have fought for your lives with unimaginable strength. We will ensure that the crime against humanity of the Shoah committed by Germans will never be forgotten.” On Sunday, thousands rallied against antisemitism in Berlin. And after a German synagogue was hit with two Molotov cocktails in October, Scholz responded by saying that “antisemitism has no place in Germany.” Leon Weintraub, who survived Auschwitz, spoke at Monday’s event and shared his experience being in Israel on Oct. 7. “On Oct. 7, I woke up from the sirens in the center of Tel Aviv. All at once, I was again in September 1939 when the Nazis invaded Poland,” he said. “A terrible feeling, a shiver, a feeling of dread to be again in a war. We celebrate Chanukah now, the festival of lights. I hope that the light will also bring the people enlightenment. That people will rethink and look at us people of Jewish descent as normal, equal human beings, and not as some kind of ‘other.’” The Claims Conference, which negotiates and distributes reparations for Holocaust survivors and their families, earlier this year had secured a record $1.4 billion aid package for the estimated 240,000 remaining Holocaust survivors around the world. PJC
DECEMBER 15, 2023 17
Celebrations
Torah
Bat Mitzvah
Heed your dreams Madeline Danya Feinman is the daughter of Matthew and Sharon Feinman, sister of Lillian, Levi and Asher Feinman, and granddaughter of Alan and Sandra Hammer, and Larry and Sheryl Feinman. A seventh grader at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) Middle and High School, she spends her time as a tenor vocalist and member of the Science Olympiad. As an avid reader, she can be found most afternoons reading and checking out multiple books at the library. Maddie spends her summers at her second home and favorite place in the world, Emma Kaufmann Camp in West Virginia. Madeline Danya Feinman was called to the Torah as a bat mitzvah on Nov. 18, 2023, at her grandparents’ shul, Congregation B’nai Israel, in St. Petersburg, Florida. PJC
KenIMarryYouHOL23_6.qxp_Layout 1 10/16/23
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Rabbi Barbara Symons Parshat Miketz Genesis 41:1 – 44:17
I
was hoping that Sigmund Freud’s birthday — and therefore his bar mitzvah — coincided with this week’s Torah portion, but it doesn’t. (He was born on May 6, 1856.) What a d’var Torah that would have been! As the founder of psychotherapy, he would have had a field day with both the Torah portion and haftarah portion, even as a young man. By the time of this week’s Torah portion, Joseph has already dreamed his dreams — sun, moon, stars and stalks of wheat — all signifying that he would rule over his siblings and parents. Now it is Pharaoh’s turn. He dreams first of cows and then of corn, both portending of years of 5:40 PM plenty Pag followed by years of scarcity, which only Joseph, a lowly servant in jail, could interpret for Egypt’s powerful ruler.
rather than have it slaughtered. Through his ingenious test, he determines her to be the real mother. Case solved. Both the Torah and haftarah portion begin with a ruler waking up from their dream. Had we read what preceded, we would have seen that in his dream, Solomon had requested and received divine wisdom to judge the nation (I Kings 3:9). What do you do after a powerful dream? Do you think about it? Try to forget it? Tell someone? What did Pharaoh do? He summoned an interpreter. What did King Solomon do? He went to Jerusalem, stood before the Ark of the Covenant, sacrificed burnt offerings and offerings of well-being, and then made a banquet for all his courtiers. He certainly was productive! But let’s look closely: He moved himself to a place of shalem, wholeness, and specifically to the spot housing the Ten Commandments. He reached out to God, whom he served through
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What do you do after a powerful dream? Do you think about it? Try to forget it? Tell someone?
The haftarah portion — the section from Prophets connected to this week’s Torah portion — begins with King Solomon also awakening after a dream. After centering himself, he gets back to work. What comes RANKED ONE OF THE KNOT’S TOP OFFICIANTS next is well known: Two women show up with a single baby, each having just given birth and each claiming this baby is their own, since one of their babies had KenIMarryYouHOL23_6.qxp_Layout 1 10/16/23 5:40 PM Pagdied and the mother switched her dead baby for the living one. The king creates what has become known as a “Solomonic” test to figure out who Choosing the right officiant is an is the real mother. He makes the important decision. Your ceremony shocking declaration that the baby should should be as unique and personal as be cut in half — with half given you and your partner. Combining a RANKED ONE OF THE KNOT’S to each mother — which leads one personal touch with a feeling of TOP OFFICIANTS warmth and wit, your friends and woman to be ready to give the baby up family will gain a deeper appreciation of what a wonderful couple you are.
offerings, and the people who served him through a banquet. And then he got to work. Whether dreams are uplifting or upsetting, let us hear our subconscious voice speaking. Once we center ourselves as did Solomon, we can choose to dismiss the contents or delve into them, both reactions of wisdom and discernment. Given that dreams were one way that Prophets heard God’s voice (Numbers 12:6), let us not dismiss the importance of dreams. PJC Rabbi Barbara AB Symons is the rabbi of Temple David. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Clergy Association.
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Obituaries RICHMAN: Stephen Ian Richman, renowned attorney and dedicated supporter of the arts from Washington, Pennsylvania, and Miami Beach, Florida, passed away on Dec. 5, 2023, from heart failure. The son of Ben H. Richman and Bessie Wilner Richman, Stephen was born on March 26, 1933. Stephen attended Mercersburg Academy, received a B.S. degree in political science from Northwestern University and a J.D. degree from the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania. Stephen practiced law in Washington for over 50 years, and was a partner at Greenlee, Richman, Derrico & Posa. Throughout his time he was able to make a lasting impact on the law, enacting real change for the lives of others. He argued and won before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court the case that made adopted children equal to natural born children for inheritance purposes. Eventually, his area of expertise became employer liability claims, where he represented prominent clients such as Bethlehem Steel, Jessop Steel and Consolidation Coal. He authored articles published in law reviews dealing with cases of occupational disease and co-authored the U.S. Department of Labor’s report to the Congress on the Federal Black Lung Law. He advocated for procedural reforms of the worker’s compensation legal system that were adopted by the American Bar Association. In addition to his devotion to the law, Stephen made ample time to experience and savor life at its fullest. A man of tremendous curiosity and adventure, Stephen derived great pleasure from, as he put it, “the company of beautiful and brainy women and of intellectual and articulate men.” He could be found in any city in the world, martini in hand, patronizing jazz clubs, cocktail lounges and dive bars alike. Stephen was a student of political theory and philosophy, and an avid reader of literature, especially biographies and political and military history, along with the novels of Philip Roth and John Updike. He and his late wife Audrey (Gefsky) traveled the globe extensively to all but the polar continents, including a trek in the Himalayan Mountains. Throughout every journey, he acquired works of art from local artisans, amazing memories, and forged wonderful and diverse friendships. Stephen was active and generous in his communities, serving as director of Three Rivers Bank and Trust, trustee of Washington Mall, director of Pittsburgh Opera, member of Washington Jazz Society, officer of Beth Israel Congregation (Washington), director of United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh, and executive committeeman and director of NAACP (Washington) where to his end he constantly and vigorously opposed racism, antisemitism and all forms of bigotry. Stephen was pre-deceased by his beloved wife of 43 years, Audrey M Gefsky, and son James Richman. Stephen is survived by his beloved daughter Susan Richman and her husband Mark Friedman; his grandchildren Nicholas and Chloe; a brother John; and legions of devoted friends and admirers including his former spouse Barbara K. Abraham and dear friends Shirley Levinson and Liz Collins. A memorial service was held Thursday, Dec. 7, at Temple Beth Israel Synagogue. RUDOV: David K. Rudov, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. He was born in 1956 in Fort Lee, Virginia, the first child of Dr. Melvin Rudov and Elaine Keller. He spent his early years moving around the country with their growing family — adding brothers Cornell and Teddy — until they all settled in their parents’ hometown of Pittsburgh in 1969. It was the city that he would proudly call home for the rest of his life. David, alongside Cornell, became a bar mitzvah at Tree of Life Synagogue in 1970. He graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1974 and went off to college at Wittenberg University. He finished in 1978 with a degree in political science and another fraternity in the brothers of Phi Kappa Psi, memories he would cherish for the next 45 years. Three years later, he graduated from Capital University Law School, returned to Pittsburgh, and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar. David spent more than 30 years practicing at Rudov & Stein, then opened Rudov Law in 2016. He was a respected and admired attorney in the Pittsburgh legal community and an active member of the bankruptcy bar. He was deemed a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer from 2008-2024 and listed with the Best Lawyers of Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2019. He will be remembered by his children, Daniel, Lindsey (Dylan), and Roxanne Rudov, and their mother, Hollie Bernstein Machen; by his brothers, Cornell (Susan) and Ted (Lynne); by his aunt, Sheila Golding, and by his family and friends, as they remember those who have passed before him: his parents, Mel, Jeanne and Elaine; his former wife and children’s stepmother, Jane Jaffe Rudov. David loved his career, musicals, comedy, beach vacations, bike rides, boating shenanigans, ski trips and (re)building homes where you could host friends and family. We will try to honor him with kindness and empathy, adventure and curiosity, virtue and work ethic, and a love of our communities. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Homewood Cemetery. For those interested in making a donation in David’s honor, his children recommend RiverLife, a local nonprofit dedicated to the community-focused redevelopment of Pittsburgh’s riverfronts (riverlifepgh.org/), or the Allegheny County Bar Foundation (acbf.org/) which provides legal aid, scholarships and charity to the area. schugar.com PJC
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Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte June Ruthrauff Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rhea Landau Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Landau Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louis Landau Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phillip Landau Suzanne Falk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caroline Falk Frani & Milo Averbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anita S . Middleman Joel & Gail Broida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Helen Broida Susan Schwartz Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Braunstein Susan Schwartz Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr . Donald Schwartz Susan Schwartz Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Howard Bernard Schwartz Sherwin E . Glasser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Goldhammer The Goldberg Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Mustin Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Izzy Brown Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lepke Brown Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne B . Goldston Lynne Gottesman & Debra Ritt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Fred Gottesman Ruth Haber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Daniel Haber G . Samuels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Miller Sharon Knapp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joberta Goldman Cathey Massey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abe Mullen Shelley & Howard Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sylvia S . Cramer Richard, Mindy, & Logan Stadler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Milton Henry Platt David & Susan Rosenberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Edward Rosenberg Ellen Sadowsky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joberta Kreimer Karen K . Shapiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Esther Levy Shapiro Freda Spiegel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ethel Greenberg Edris C . Weis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Harry Tannenbaum
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Sunday December 17: Anna Arnowitz, Freda Blumenfeld, Dora Cole, Anna Sanes Cukerbaum, Esther Davis, Caroline Falk, Theodore Gold, Abe Goldstein, Josephine Levine Gottlieb, Ada Hilsenrath, Anna Hinkes, Harry Kellman, Harry Klatman, Josiah Drotman Lazar, Harry Levinson, Samuel Mandelblatt, Abe Mullen, Sadie Segal, Jennie Shaffer, Tillie Simon, Louis B . Supowitz, Jeffrey S . Weiss, William Zeidenstein Monday December 18: Berul Amstey, Fannie Berner, Florence G . Davidson, Joseph Goldhammer, Ethel J . Greenberg, Helene Tumpson Horewitz, Albert Marcus, David Miller, Edwin L . Miller, Fannie Pecarsky, Fannie Robinson, Maida Rothaus, Esther Levy Shapiro, Meyer M . Snyder, Matthew Teplitz, Ida Sack Tobias, David Weinberger, Morris Wolf Tuesday December 19: Bess B . Aberman, Abraham Boodman, Henry E . Green, Esther Ruth Karpo, Joberta Kreimer Goldman, David Labowitz, Reuben B . Lando, Charlotte Love, Anna Miller, Laura Roth Miller, Jerome Myers, Samuel Roth, Samuel Shaffer, Edward H . Talenfeld Wednesday December 20: Mollie Gilberd, Ida L . Gusky, Israel Herring, Eva Katz, Rose Levine, Lib H . Levy, Stanley Myles Perilman, Milton Henry Platt, Elsie Wintner Rosenberg, Celia Siff, M . Alan Slone, Minnie Stein Thursday December 21: Izzy Brown, Lepke Brown, Florence Burechson, Linda Elmaleh, Joseph L . Friedman, Anne B . Goldston, Harry Gordon, Fred Gottesman, Freda Halpert Gross, Irvin Grossman, William M . Kahanowitz, Bessie Levine, Joseph A . Mervis, Bessie Recht, Max Selkovits, Joseph Sigal, Harold Sylvan Soltman Friday December 22: Herbert Burechson, Nelson Carl Cotlov, Sylvia S . Cramer, Lena Diznoff, Fanny R . Goldstein, Jerome S . Goldstein, Jonathan Daniel Haber, Louis S . Klee, Seymour Kramer, Leah Krauss Lenchner, Simon Linton, Anita Middleman, Nathan A . Pearlman, Abe Robin, Esther Rothman, Anna Ruben, Edward F . Stein, Estelle Strauss, Eleanor Lee Swartz, Harry Tannenbaum, Rose Weinberger Saturday December 23: Minerva Aschkenas, Rose Fruhlinger Berger, Joseph M . Cohen, Avrom Dobkin, Miriam L . Gallow, Harry Green, Max Greenberg, Rose Kalser, Harry Kaufman, Benjamin Knina, Edgar Landerman, Louis Levin, Jack I . Mallinger, Esther Marks, Helen Rosenbloom, Louis Silverblatt, Florence Silverman
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DECEMBER 15, 2023
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Life & Culture ‘A flame of faith that endures’: Biden’s Chanukah party centers on the Oct. 7 massacre — NATIONAL — By Ron Kampeas | JTA
W
ASHINGTON — President Joe Biden had a menorah custommade from a White House beam, but it was another menorah from thousands of miles away that elicited the most powerful reaction at the annual White House Chanukkah party Monday night. Partygoers making their way up to the mansion’s residence, where the celebration took place, passed a landing where a smaller menorah was on display, one recovered from the rubble of a home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the villages targeted in Hamas’ terror attack on Israel two months ago. “This menorah miraculously survived the October 7th massacre against the people of Israel,” said a framed plaque with the White House insignia. The grief of the Oct. 7 massacre, and the determination to prevent its recurrence, permeated the festivities Monday night, where Biden welcomed more than 800 guests — the White House’s largest party of the season. “From the Maccabees defeating one of history’s most powerful empires, and oil lasting eight days – it’s as a miracle all by
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p President Joe Biden, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue in New York City host a Chanukah reception in the East Room of the White House on Dec. 11. Photo by Bonnie Cash/Pool/Getty Images
itself, a flame of faith that endures from tragedy to persecution, to survival and to hope,” Biden said. “Most of you know someone directly or indirectly, a family friend who was stolen from you or wounded
or traumatized, called up for reserve duty after this last attack in Israel.” Biden stood in the East Room before the main menorah, which was introduced last year by first lady Jill Biden as the first permanent White House menorah. It was fashioned by resident carpenters from wood left over from a previous renovation to symbolize the permanence of the U.S. Jewish community. But the focus at this event was Israel and its meaning to Jews as a bulwark against persecution. “As I said after the attack, my commitment to the safety of Jewish people, the security of Israel, its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is unshakable,” Biden said. “Folks, were there no Israel there wouldn’t be a Jew in the world who was safe.” The crowd applauded and cheered. A minute later, Biden committed to backing one of Israel’s goals in the war, the eradication of Hamas, implicitly rejecting growing calls from the left, including from some in his party, for a ceasefire. “We will continue to provide military assistance to Israel until they get rid of Hamas,” he said to more cheers. Biden alluded to the failure of human rights groups to immediately condemn sexual violence that took place in the Oct. 7 attack. “Let me be clear, Hamas using rape, sexual violence and terrorism and torture of Israeli women and girls was appalling and unforgivable,” Biden said. “When I was there, I saw some of the photographs, it was beyond” — Biden paused — “just beyond comprehension.” Biden addressed the shock of many Jews after the attack, compounded by the isolation many felt when they did not hear condemnations from the left. He thanked Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Jewish Democratic Senate majority leader from New York, for his recent speech in the Senate excoriating many in his own party for playing down the significance of the massacre.
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“I also recognize your hurt from the silence and the fear for your safety,” he said. “There’s a surge of antisemitism in the United States of America and around the world. It’s sickening. I know we see it across our communities in schools and colleges on social media. They surface painful scars from millennia.” CNN reported that families of U.S. citizens still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza asked to be invited to the event but were turned down. The White House declined to comment. Lighting the menorah on the fifth night of Chanukah was Doug Emhoff, the Jewish second gentleman, and four White House staffers who were descended from Holocaust survivors. Biden met before the ceremony with five Holocaust survivors. He told the crowd that when his children and grandchildren come of age, he flies them to Germany to tour the Dachau concentration camp. “I want them to see, I want them to spend the day there and see, you can’t pretend you don’t know: silence is complicity,” he said. The plaque in front of the Kfar Aza menorah echoed Biden’s speech. “It is a reminder of the flame of faith that endures from tragedy and persecution, and is a symbol of the Jewish people’s eternal spirit of resilience and hope that continues to shine its light on the world,” it read. Across from the Kfar Aza menorah, a military band played Jewish music throughout the evening. In another corner of the entrance hall, the U.S. Air Force Jewish Cadet Choir performed. “This song is dedicated to the hostages,” the choirmaster said as people made their way upstairs. The chorus launched into “Acheinu,” a Jewish prayer for those in harm’s way, to a melody by the Canadian songwriter Abie Rotenberg. “Our brethren, all of Israel, subject to sorrow and to captivity, caught between the land and the sea,” they sang in Hebrew. PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
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DECEMBER 15, 2023 21
Life & Culture Hate or just a crime? Either way, Jewish restaurants are finding support after vandalism — NATIONAL — By Jackie Hajdenberg | JTA
O
n a Saturday in late November, vandals smashed the front entrance of Pita Grill, a kosher restaurant in New York’s Upper East Side, and stole e-bikes in front of the restaurant. Law enforcement quickly concluded that it was not a hate crime, but a standard robbery. The restaurant was closed for Shabbat at the time of the break-in. But rumors quickly swirled that the Middle Eastern eatery was the target of an antisemitic attack. Prominent Jewish influencers shared videos of the attack on social media and asked followers to support the restaurant. Many showed up. “We never know people’s motives and if their intention was, ‘Oh, this is a kosher restaurant, there’s a scooter there, I’m gonna take advantage and hurt them and this is a good target,’” Elan Kornblum, creator of the 98,000-member Facebook group Great Kosher Restaurant Foodies, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “We’re kind of walking around thinking that people are out to get us and if there’s a crime that it must be antisemitic,” he added. “We’re all on edge.” Pita Grill, which did not respond to JTA requests for comment, is one of a series of kosher restaurants nationwide that have seen outpourings of public support in the wake of vandalism or break-ins since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered a spike in antisemitic incidents around the world. Law enforcement has concluded that some of these incidents were hate crimes, while others were not. Still others are under investigation. Some of the incidents are clearly antisemitic in nature. A string of restaurant attacks has drawn widespread attention over the past two months. 2nd Avenue Deli, a kosher restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was vandalized with a swastika in late October. Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles was also vandalized with a swastika, launching a hate crime investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department. Last week, pro-Palestinian protesters in Philadelphia accused a falafel restaurant of “genocide.” Other attacks have fallen in a vast gray area where the question of antisemitism may be in the eye of the beholder. Caffe Aronne, also on the Upper East Side, saw a bump in business after reports that baristas quit en masse over the war — though what actually took place appears to be murkier. And a kosher pizza restaurant in Skokie, Illinois, was tagged with a symbol that included a swastika in it; law enforcement later contended that it was not a hate crime because it was a gang symbol belonging to the Maniac Latin Disciples, a street gang from Chicago founded in the 1960s by someone named Albert “King Hitler” Hernandez. The restaurant did not return JTA calls for comment. At Sushi Tokyo, a kosher eatery in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, a vandal 22
DECEMBER 15, 2023
p Pita Grill, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, was attacked in late November. Police do not believe it was a hate crime.
Image from Twitter/X, via JTA
threw a chair past a waiter wearing a kippah and smashed a window of an outdoor dining shed. The incident is still under investigation, but one patron of the restaurant said she felt a climate of fear there. “I noticed everyone is in caps, hiding their yarmulkes, which people would not normally do,” said Adie Horowitz, who went to Sushi Tokyo with a friend following the vandalism in order to show support. Rachel Sass, an analyst at the ADL Center on Extremism, explained that Jews’ personal experience of antisemitism doesn’t always match up with what law enforcement concludes. Even if an incident isn’t a hate crime, she suggested, it may feel like a hate crime. “We’re trying to see and hear and represent the feelings of our constituency, which we consider to be the entire Jewish community in the United States,” she said. “We try to really hear and reflect and validate these feelings that people have, even if that sometimes is a different conclusion than law enforcement comes to.” In some cases, restaurateurs say police have prematurely dismissed evidence of antisemitism. In early November, Taste of Tel Aviv in Houston was hit by what police called a burglary that did not look like a hate crime. “Based on the preliminary investigation and evidence review, it appears that this incident was not motivated by hate,” said a Nov. 7 statement by Houston Police. “It is believed to be the work of a lone individual who was burglarizing the business and trying to steal anything of value before fleeing the scene.” But the owners do believe hate was at play. During the weeks leading up to the
break-in, the restaurant had prominently displayed an Israeli flag, and owner Pamela Baylis told local press that she had also received a bomb threat. Baylis, who is not Jewish and co-owns the restaurant with Gabi Algrably, who is, told JTA she does not believe the incident was solely a burglary. She said the perpetrator destroyed prayer books and stole kippahs, tefillin and ceramics made by local children featuring Stars of David. He also urinated in the restaurant, she said. “The man threw $578 on the floor. He took no money with him. He left all the cash behind. All he did was destroy religious items,” she said. “He took the stuff that the guys wrap around their arms and put on their head.” The burglary investigation is ongoing and the local Jewish federation told JTA it is in communication with the Houston Police Department and is advocating for the police to continue investigating all options — including hate crimes. The Houston Police Department did not respond to JTA’s requests for updates on the case. “We have no criticism of HPD, we just want to make sure that they are doing all that they can to investigate possible hateful incidents,” a spokesperson for the federation said. Taste of Tel Aviv has also had a slew of negative reviews on its Facebook page, a tactic several Jewish and Israeli restaurants have been facing since Oct. 7. On Google Maps, all three Falafel Yoni locations across the border in Montréal have close to a five-star average rating. But starting about five weeks ago, they began receiving an onslaught of one-star reviews — about 20
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of them within one or two days — co-owner Yoni Amir said. At least one of those reviews — which have since been deleted by Google after they were reported — combined a critique of the “tasteless” food with an accusation that the restaurant was passing off Palestinian cuisine as Israeli. “Did you know it’s a palestinian dish or you are going to appropriate it just like everything else?” the review said. The falafel restaurant — along with a pizza restaurant Amir owns — has also been put on multiple online boycott lists together with other Jewish- and Israeli-owned restaurants in the area. (A similar list exists of “Zionist restaurants” in New York City that was compiled into a Google Map, which was then removed from the app.) Vandals have also placed stickers and posters on Falafel Yoni, charging its owners with genocide. “The only reason my restaurants are being targeted are because A, I was born in Israel and because B, I’m Jewish,” Amir told JTA. “There’s no other reason — there’s nothing from a political stance or anything like that — that separates my restaurants from a neighboring restaurant who isn’t being targeted for the posters.” Sass said that when looking at the landscape of attacks on restaurants, she tries to be “fact-based” in her assessment. But she added that sifting through which attacks are clear-cut antisemitism and which are not can be challenging when people’s emotions and perceptions are at play. “People’s experience of antisemitism can be very subjective,” she said. “It’s important for people to feel validated when they’re experiencing this harm.” PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Community Chanukah with the governor
Celebrate Shabanukkah
p Gov. Josh Shapiro, center, joins some of the many members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community and Israeli survivors of terror who came to the Dec. 9 celebration.
p Local photographer and volunteer Caleb Labelle, left, stands next to raffle winner Elisha Serotta and Joe Franckiewicz. Photo courtesy of Jason Edelstein
After sharing insights on the horrors of Oct. 7, Israeli survivors of terror Hila Fakliro, Ofer Kissin, Rony Kissin and Shani Teshuva traveled to Harrisburg to meet Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The Dec. 9 gathering at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence featured a Chanukah celebration complete with candle lighting, kosher food and song.
Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
Repair the World Pittsburgh celebrated Chanukah and Shabbat with a Shabanukkah fundraiser party. The Dec. 8 event featured raffle prizes, jelly doughnut shots and latkes with lots of toppings.
Taking a stand in Squirrel Hill
Community members gathered on the corner of Darlington Road and Murray Avenue to demand the release of an estimated 140 hostages still under Hamas control. Since Oct. 7, community members have organized near-weekly meetups in Squirrel Hill. The focus of the Dec. 10 vigil was the women and children who remain captives of Hamas.
p Beverly Block speaks during the Dec. 10 vigil.
p Councilperson Barb Warwick, Helleny Dvir and Mika Dvir
Photos courtesy of David Dvir
Celebrating with the senator
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was honored by Chabad of Greenfield at its Chanukah Festival on Dec. 10. Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Fetterman has repeatedly supported Israel’s right to defend itself and called for the return of hostages taken by Hamas. During the Dec. 10 event, Fetterman was given a dog tag with the words “Bring Them Home” by Rabbi Eliezer Shusterman.
p Sen. John Fetterman and a lot of rabbis
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p Chani Shusterman, Sen. John Fetterman and Rabbi Eliezer Shusterman
Photos courtesy of Chani Shusterman
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
DECEMBER 15, 2023
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