Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 6/22/2018

P I T TS B U R G H

June 22, 2018 | 9 Tammuz 5778

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Candlelighting 8:36 p.m. | Havdalah 9:44 p.m. | Vol. 61, No. 25 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Johnstown’s Jewish history is America’s Jewish history

Don’t hesitate to report hate, Federation panel advises

CMU’s Simmons to head first AI major at a U.S. university

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

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Temple Sinai tour looks at small-town Jewish life.

open to the community at large and hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

More than 100 people from a diverse array of faith communities turned out to hear representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI discuss the laws that govern hate crimes and what to do when encountering hate speech. The symposium was moderated

by Brad Orsini, the Federation’s director of Jewish Community Security.

“We are encouraging the community to report this behavior when they witness signs of hate, whether verbal, graffiti or on some online platform,” said Orsini. “It is important to be aware and report signs of hatred, as they can sometimes evolve into a hate crime.”

In 2016, there were 6,063 hate crime incidents involving 7,509 victims in the United States, according to an FBI report. Almost 60 percent of those victims were targeted because of their race or ethnicity, about 20 percent were victimized because of their religion and about 17 percent were targeted because of their sexual orientation.

Orsini has held his post with the Federation for about a year and a half, he said, and in

igital assistants like Alexa and Siri may be ubiquitous, and self-driving Ubers are no longer surprising on the streets of Pittsburgh, but the field of artificial intelligence is actually in its infancy, according to Reid Simmons, a research professor of robotics and computer science at Carnegie Mellon University.

CMU will be doing its part to advance the discipline and be a dominant player in AI research with its fall launch of the first AI undergraduate degree to be offered at an American university. Simmons, a longtime member of Beth El Congregation of the South Hills and the author of the cooking blog “A to Z: Keeping it Kosher,” has been tapped to direct the new program.

The time was right for CMU to develop an AI major, according to Simmons.

“This is a convergence of interest of industry and a maturation of AI techniques and concepts,” he said. “There’s enough now that we understand to be able to teach it in a rigorous way — to get to the basic understanding of what the techniques do and why they do them, and the basic scientific underpinnings of the field.”

There is a “real burst in interest from industry, and government now, too,” Simmons said. “This administration is very high on artificial intelligence.”

That interest, he said, relates to a host of AI applications including defense, cybersecurity, job training and surveillance.

That the nation’s first undergraduate degree for AI will be established at CMU is fitting, considering that the university in Oakland has been a leader in AI since the 1950s, when its researchers, Herbert Simon and Allen Newell, were among the first pioneers in the field.

Please see Hate, page 15

Please see Simmons, page 15

Page 2 LOCAL ‘Birthright’ for college heads

 Brad Orsini, the Federation’s director of Jewish Community Security

Officials from CMU and Pitt travel to Israel with Chabad House on Campus-Pittsburgh.

Page 3 LOCAL Ladies shine light on addiction

Lunchtime session focuses on Allegheny County’s opioid crisis.

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$1.50

By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer

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ast fall, a white supremacist named Hardy Lloyd, who recently had been released from federal prison on probation, resumed his old habits by spreading vitriolic racist and anti-Semitic literature around Squirrel Hill. He also was caught on video giving a Nazi salute and yelling “white power” at a protest in Mt. Lebanon.

While those particular acts are not actionable hate crimes under the law, Lloyd nevertheless is now back in prison for other deeds that constituted violations of his probation, thanks to the diligence of citizens reporting his activities to the appropriate authorities.

After hearing about what Lloyd was doing, and where he was doing it, local law enforcement and the FBI began to track him and caught him in violation of several conditions of his supervision. That is why it is essential for citizens to report any questionable act of hate and not to make their own determination of whether offensive graffiti, literature or spoken words are violations of the law.

That was the chief message conveyed at a “Civil Rights Symposium on Hate Crimes” at Rodef Shalom Congregation on June 13,

File photo

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Gun violence getting worse

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Headlines In Johnstown’s Jewish community, relics of a past age loom large never returning. A 1,800-strong community of Jews has dwindled to just 90.

Yet hope is not absent. Because of the affluence of the Jewish community, there remains a synagogue, Beth Sholom, with a full-time rabbi and numerous educational opportunities for its members.

Replete with two sanctuaries, a ballroom, two bowling alleys, and an abundance of stainedglass windows, the building could easily serve a community two or three times the size of Johnstown’s. Yet the congregation rarely reaches a minyan except on the High Holidays, said congregation president Lawrence Rosenberg.

“I’d give up a little bit more money for a couple more Jews,” he quipped.

Nonetheless, Rosenberg said the congregation sits on a substantial endowment due to the relative wealth of its past congregants.

And they have attempted to put the money to good use. According to Rosenberg, the congregation sponsors biannual trips to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., for Jewish and non-Jewish members of the community.

In addition, Rosenberg said he has an open offer to any congregation member who would like to travel to Israel: a $2,500 stipend.

“I’ve never heard of another synagogue who would do something like that,” he said.

A rich supply of relics across the city reflects Jews’ long history in the region and their influence on business, politics and daily life. Alongside the surrounding community, they have prospered — coinciding with the rise of the iron and steel industries — and endured tragedy, losing 24 members in the 1889 flood that killed 2,200 Johnstown residents in total.

— LOCAL —

By Jonah Berger | Chronicle Intern

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he archetypal small-town Jewish experience in the United States is Western Pennsylvania,” said Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives.

Indeed, despite comprising only 1-2 percent of the nation’s Jewish population, the region contained roughly 10 percent of the nation’s small-town Jewish communities, or those between 100 and 1,000 Jewish residents, in the early 20th century, according to historian Lee Shai Weissbach.

Due to a confluence of factors from geographic to financial small-town Jewish communities sprouted up around Pittsburgh, and flourished.

“Pioneering Jews came in numbers, coinciding with the immigration of Polish and Russian Jews to America,” noted Barry Rudel, development director of Temple Sinai, one of 40 people to take a tour last week of Johnstown, one of those small-town communities. Over time, many of these communities began to disappear.

Johnstown, a former industrial hub known by many as the victim of a devastating 1889 flood, exemplifies these trends. What was once a thriving municipality of over 67,000 — in the 1920s — has become a depressed post-industrial community of 20,000, nearly 40 percent of whom live below the poverty line.

The trend in the Jewish community has tracked the population exodus of the region as a whole, with high school graduates heading off to college or in search of employment in bigger metropolitan centers, and

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EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Evan Indianer, Chairman Andrew Schaer, Vice Chairman Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary Jonathan Bernstein, Treasurer David Ainsman, Immediate Past Chairman Gail Childs, Elizabeth F. Collura, Milton Eisner, Malke Steinfeld Frank, Tracy Gross, Richard J. Kitay, Catia Kossovsky, Andi Perelman, David Rush, Charles Saul GENERAL COUNSEL Stuart R. Kaplan, Esq.

2 JUNE 22, 2018

p The main sanctuary at Beth Sholom Congregation in Johnstown

pStained-glass windows are in abundance at Beth Sholom Congregation in Johnstown.

Photos by Jonah Berger

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Please see Johnstown, page 20

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Headlines Mission to Israel illuminates administrators’ understanding — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

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dministrators from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh joined Rabbi Shmuel and Sara Weinstein of the Chabad House on Campus-Pittsburgh last month for a mission to Israel.

The weeklong May 23-31 trip facilitated multiple objectives, said Shmuel Weinstein, the Chabad House’s director. Specifically, traveling there allowed academic leadership to “see Israel for themselves and not have to rely on what the media says, or even what we say, to meet people in fields or technologies that might lead to some collaboration,” and “to meet their alumni in Israel and be able to talk to them, not just about reconnecting in general but to understand why they would move to Israel after graduating.”

With stops at Masada, Yad Vashem and the Western Wall, and opportunities to engage in daily dialogue with natives, the Birthright-like trip enabled participants to increase their familiarity of both historical and contemporary life abroad, the rabbi said.

“One thing we wanted to make sure was that the administrators could get a nice introduction to Israel and get a basic feel for the people,” added Sara Weinstein.

p Pitt and CMU alumni gather for a group photo.

p Participants of the Chabad House on Campus-Pittsburgh trip to israel walk Photos by Nechama Design through the Arab shuk.

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Joining the Weinsteins were Scott Mory, CMU’s vice president for university advancement, Kathy Humphrey, Pitt’s senior vice chancellor for engagement and secretary of the board of trustees, and Kenyon Bonner, Pitt’s vice provost and dean of students.

According to the administrators, none of whom had previously visited the Jewish state, the trip was an opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.

Visiting Israel was “an opportunity to step outside of the U.S. and have an experience that would broaden my perspective on the world, immerse myself in a different culture, a different country, a different history, and learn more about a place other than the U.S.,” said Bonner.

“What the trip provided for us was to be what we hope our students are: to always become lifelong learners,” added Humphrey.

“Before going, my understanding of Israel was through what I read and heard in the media, what other people had said to me.

That was really the sum total of my real understanding of that country, and I don’t think I am much different from most people who haven’t been there,” For Mory, “seeing the country firsthand it definitely for me increased my own understanding of current issues relating to Israel, and has put me in a position where I can feel Please see Mission, page 20

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JUNE 22, 2018 3

Headlines Violence prevention activists try to treat the ‘disease’ of gun violence — LOCAL —

By Jonah Berger | Chronicle Intern

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s local violence prevention leaders trickled into Repair the World’s Broad Street facility Monday evening, many appeared despondent.

The news of Pittsburgh rapper Jimmy Wopo’s condition had reached these individuals even before it had reached many of Wopo’s friends and family, let alone been reported in the media. Wopo, 21, had been critically injured in a drive-by shooting in the Hill District, the very neighborhood he often highlighted in his rap verses. He later succumbed to his wounds.

Yet one also sensed a feeling of stubborn resignation on the part of these community activists and school administrators, who clearly had been inured to this type of tragedy. Despite the efforts of these leaders and others around the region, Allegheny County saw 110 homicides in 2017, up from 105 in 2016.

The event, billed as a gun violence community roundtable, nonetheless went on.

Organizers from three local groups — the Violence Prevention Initiative, 3E Now and the Black Political Empowerment Project — led discussions focusing on different aspects of the gun violence epidemic in Pittsburgh and around the country, addressing potential root causes and proposing steps to stem such violence.

Richard Garland, director of VPI, repeatedly used an analogy to stress the urgency of the issue: gun violence, he said, is similar to a “disease.”

“We are interrupting the transmission of disease,” Garland said. “We are treating the disease” by “making a warm hand-off to the services that someone might need in order to help cure the disease.

“The third thing that we are really, really trying to do by our outreach efforts is change community norms,” he added.

Garland also pointed to the displacement of vulnerable individuals due to gentrification as a factor in many of the recent homicides in the city and its surrounding towns.

“Many of the shootings and many of the homicides, there’s a lot of different people that talk about, ‘Well, I’ve never seen this guy before, he just moved in the

neighborhood,’” Garland noted.

“Many of these [city residents] are being displaced and they’re moving to the county,” he added. “And a lot of people from the county are moving to the city.”

At the roundtable led by BPEP chairman and CEO Tim Stevens, participants discussed the relationships between police and the communities they serve. Stevens said his organization has sought to take the fight directly to politicians by sending them letters demanding change, meeting them in their offices and mobilizing the African-American vote.

In 1997, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police was the first in the nation to implement a consent decree with the Department of Justice to address patterns of civil rights violations. In the years after, Stevens said he and other groups have worked with city police chiefs to implement sensitivity and implicit bias training.

Yet he insisted that much work remained to be done, including in ensuring that policemen live in or near the neighborhoods where they serve.

Sara Tyberg, an education justice fellow at Repair the World who organized the event,

said gun violence is a “complex” problem that can fester due to long-term neglect of certain communities and a lack of opportunity.

“I think a lot of people are too quick to blame communities themselves when incidents of gun violence occur, without really looking at the structures that are in place that allow violence incidents to happen,” Tyberg said.

For some violence prevention activists, there seemed to be a sense that Monday’s tragedy could have been averted, that a man on the cusp of breaking out of the chain of violence couldn’t quite make it out in time.

Michael Logan, a life skills outreach coordinator at a local nonprofit, said he spoke with Wopo’s mother last Wednesday about possibly meeting with her son to “talk about the things that were going on” in his life that could be threatening his safety.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wopo was “about to sign a contract that would have taken him out of Pittsburgh.”

Ultimately, though, it was too little too late. PJC Jonah Berger can be reached at jberger@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Event showcases history of Jewish theater in Pittsburgh — LOCAL —

By Jonah Berger | Chronicle Intern

T

heater enthusiasts gathered Sunday at the Senator John Heinz History Center to explore the history of Jewish involvement in Pittsburgh theater as one of the city’s iconic playhouses relocates to an upgraded space.

The Pittsburgh Playhouse, once a pillar of a thriving theater scene, will close its doors to its Oakland facility and open a $53 million state-of-the-art theater complex downtown, ushering in a new era in the Playhouse’s storied history. The move has been in the works for over a decade.

The Playhouse — now associated with the performing arts program at Point Park University — was at one time a burgeoning independent theater organization that symbolized the accessibility of theater to the masses. While downtown theaters were mostly the domain of elites, the Playhouse comprised one of multiple civic theaters around Pittsburgh that catered to a middle-class audience.

At a time when a Jewish middle class in Pittsburgh was beginning to emerge, the Playhouse — though not expressly a Jewish institution — was in many ways associated with the Jewish community. A large proportion of its patrons, actors, founders, critics and subject material was Jewish.

It started in 1933, when a summer reper-

4 JUNE 22, 2018

tory group, which included aspiring Jewish As local legend goes, Rauh financed the actor Helen Wayne, formed the Pitts- reorganization of the Civic Playhouse in burgh Civic Playhouse in order to create a an attempt to coax Wayne, whom he was permanent theater courting, to stay in Pittscompany. It soon burgh instead of pursuing received mucha career on Broadway. As to needed financial why others stayed, Eric Lidji, help from Richard S. director of the Rauh Jewish Rauh, who restrucHistory Program & Archives tured the organizaexpressed uncertainty. tion into a nonprofit “That’s the perpetual quescalled the Pittsburgh tion,” Lidji said. “People who Playhouse. Rauh love Pittsburgh love it for a and Helen Wayne — specific reason and it’s not who became Helen something that you can necesWayne Rauh — were sarily replicate in another married in 1935. city, even if the opportunities Despite the modest are better there.” facility, relatively But the Playhouse’s small crowds and finances began to unravel low budget, the in the 1960s. PartnerPlayhouse’s produc- p An advertisement for ships with the American tions starred top-tier the Lando Theatre, one of Conser vator y Theater actors, gaining the multiple theater companies and Carnegie Mellon attention of local in the early 20th century that University, as well as a fundcatered to the Pittsburgh theater critics. raising campaign led by Jewish community.

“I’ll always believe Photo by Jonah Berger Pittsburgh Ballet co-founder that Nat Elbaum was Loti Falk Gaffney, only one of the most talented actors I’ve ever temporarily staved off financial collapse. watched perform,” wrote Pittsburgh PostFinally, in 1968, Point Park College Gazette columnist Joe Browne in 1980, agreed to take over the Playhouse’s operareferring to the longtime Jewish actor who tions, preventing the Playhouse’s name from starred in numerous Playhouse productions. facing obscurity but ending the organizaMany of the Playhouse’s lead actors tion’s independence. undoubtedly passed up more lucrative The declining fortunes of the Playhouse careers in New York City or Hollywood. were most likely caused by decreased PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

demand for theater among Jews and other city residents, according to Lidji, forcing the remaining organizations to compete for a smaller population of theatergoers.

“In the Pittsburgh Playhouse’s heyday in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, you had a Jewish middle class that was becoming larger and stronger,” Lidji said. “There was more time to go to the theater, there was more interest in it.”

Although the Playhouse became the nucleus of the Jewish theater scene in Pittsburgh in the mid-20th century, overshadowing many of the other small theater companies formed during the so-called “Little Theatre Movement,” these smaller organizations — some of which explicitly catered to Jews — left a celebrated legacy, helping to paint a picture of an insular yet cosmopolitan Jewish community.

The Lando Theatre, for example, produced plays in Yiddish, a relic of a past age in which Eastern European Jewish immigrants flocked to Pittsburgh and other Midwestern cities in search of jobs, yet at the same time sought to retain their cultural identity.

In time, the Jewish theater scene adapted to meet the needs of the surrounding community.

As the Hill District — once a hub for Jewish life in Pittsburgh — became more diverse in the 1940s, the still sizeable Jewish community helped to support one of the first racially integrated theater organizations in the city, the Curtaineers. PJC Jonah Berger can be reached at jberger@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Ladies Who Lunch address the opioid epidemic in Allegheny County over the past three years, according to data from OverdoseFreePA. In 2014, there were 306 reported overdose deaths. That number

By Lauren Rosenblatt | Digital Content Manager rose to 737 in 2017. The majority of those overdose deaths were linked to ddressing a crowd of about fentanyl, heroin or cocaine.

40 local Jewish women, At the same time, awareness Ashley Potts talked about about Naloxone, a drug that can her struggle with heroin — how help reverse the effects of an overit led to her running away from dose, has also increased, Wilson home as a teenager, how she lost said. Of the approximately 120 contact with her family and evenpolice departments in Allegheny tually became homeless, how she County, at least 100 now carry was charged with 100 felonies and Naloxone, compared to fewer than how she feared she wouldn’t live 50 three years ago. to see her 21st birthday.

“People are seeking and they are “I was a prisoner of my own getting help,” Wilson said, adding self and I didn’t know how to get that she doesn’t want anyone to out,” Potts said. get overly optimistic. “We have a Now in long-term recovery, lot of work to do.”

Potts is a licensed social worker Wilson said the Health Departwith the Allegheny Health ment is focusing efforts on Network and works with a team increasing access to Naloxone of physicians, nurses and psychiand sterile syringes and increasing atrists to help people struggling awareness about medical-aided with addiction. When she talks treatments for addiction. to others about her own story p Charlene Tissenbaum, the moderator of the discussion, addresses the crowd while panelists Davis, who noted that POWER and her work, she said she likes Abby Wilson, deputy director for public policy for the Allegheny County Health Department, started in 1991, said that while to remind them that everybody is Ashley Potts, a licensed social worker with the Allegheny Health Network, and Rosa Davis, the some things have changed about executive director of POWER, listen on. somebody to somebody. the opioid epidemic over the “We are all equal in my eyes,” she years, like the age and race of said. “No one raises their hand and people who are affected, many says, ‘I want to be a heroin addict.’ things have stayed the same. For There is always more to the story.” example, trauma and genetics In order to shine a brighter light are still the two biggest predicon that message in the Pittsburgh tors of addiction.

Jewish community, the National To illustrate the point that Council for Jewish Women, the addiction can happen to anybody, Jewish Women’s Foundation Davis told the crowd the story and Women’s Philanthropy of of how she met a woman who the Jewish Federation of Greater was born on the same day in the Pittsburgh hosted a June 11 panel same year at the same hospital discussion at Temple Sinai on the where she was born. They met at opioid epidemic in Allegheny an event for POWER. The woman County. Potts spoke alongside Abby was there seeking help.

Wilson, director of public policy “I just can’t imagine that one for the Allegheny County Health [of those two babies] would grow Department, and Rosa Davis, execup to struggle with addiction and utive director of the Pennsylvania one would be executive director of Organization for Women in Early a program she would turn to for Recovery (POWER). help,” Davis said.

The discussion was part of the “Make no mistake that addicLadies Who Lunch series, which p tion has always affected everyone,” Abby Wilson, deputy director for public policy for the Allegheny County Health Department, hosts three events each year for Ashley Potts, a licensed social worker with the Allegheny Health Network, and Rosa Davis, the she continued. “This is not about women to network and learn executive director of POWER spoke on a panel at the Ladies Who Lunch: Opioid Epidemic event. poor judgment. This is not about

Photos by Lauren Rosenblatt about timely and relevant issues willpower. … This is an illness.” in the Pittsburgh area.

Each of the presenters said that moving The organizers chose the most recent topic forward, the best thing the ladies at the after receiving several requests at past lunches event could do was work to reduce the to discuss the opioid epidemic. Despite those stigma surrounding addiction by watching requests, they felt the topic was still taboo in the language they use to talk about addiction the Jewish community. and the way they treat people in recovery, as “When we hear a story like Ashley’s, we well as staying informed about new research think ‘Oh, that’s not our story,’” said Charlene and treatments.

Tissenbaum, moderator for the panel. “The For Greenwald Cohen, the panel was just Jewish community needs to know that addicthe start of the conversation. She hoped it tion and recovery is very much part of our would lead people to start “chipping away at community too.” the stigma” and to recognize that “there is — ROSA DAVIS Judy Greenwald Cohen, executive director something all of us can do.” PJC of the Jewish Women’s Foundation and Lauren Rosenblatt can be reached at one of the women who planned the panel, lrosenblatt@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. said the Jewish community’s focus on

— LOCAL —

A

“excellence” could make it harder to talk about the presence of something such as addiction in our own families and communities. “We set the bar so high so when you see these

kinds of issues they go against the ‘norm’ of what Jewish people should aspire to.”

In Allegheny County, the number of overdose deaths has increased significantly

“ This is not about poor judgment.

This is not about willpower. …

”

This is an illness.

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JUNE 22, 2018 5

Calendar variety of topics; prizes will be awarded.

The cost is $15 per person, which includes food from Smallman Street Deli and one soft drink. Beer and additional soft drinks will be available for purchase. RSVP by Tuesday, June 19 at jessicar@templedavid.org or call the office at 412-372-1200. q SUNDAY, JULY 1

q SUNDAY, JULY 15 Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will offer Queens of the Forest at Raccoon Creek State Park, for women from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Take the day off for a hiking adventure with local American and Israeli women. There is a $25 charge. The trail will be for moderately fit hikers. Snacks, water, lunch and transportation from the Community Day School parking lot (6424 Forward Ave.) to Raccoon Creek State Park will be provided. Dietary laws observed. Contact Emily Bernstein at ebernstein@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5247 or visit jfedpgh.org/queens-of-the-forest for more information or to register. >> Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Submissions will also 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 TUESDAYS TO JUNE 26 The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh is hosting the workshop Better Choices, Better Health six consecutive Tuesdays, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in room 202.

The workshop is free. Participants will actively be a part of brainstorming on key

q MONDAY, JULY 2

New Light Men’s Club and Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church will have a bus and walking tour of Pittsburgh’s Hill District with tour guides from the Hill House and the Heinz History Center. Highlights include Freedom Corner, The Lyceum, August

Beth El Congregation will host its monthly First Mondays program with Rabbi Alex Greenbaum from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Please see Calendar, page 7

topics. Contact Amy Gold at 412-697-3528 for more information and to register. q EVERY WEDNESDAY Beth El Congregation of the South Hills at 1900 Cochran Road hosts a NarAnon and an NA meeting every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Enter in the school/office entrance. Contact Karen at 412-563-3395 for more information. q SATURDAY, JUNE 23 Temple David in Monroeville will hold Trivia Night at 7 p.m. Questions will cover a wide

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q WEDNESDAY, JULY 18 The Men’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will present an evening of Pittsburgh baseball history with a Clemente Museum tour at 6 p.m. and then stroll over to Maggie’s Farm at 7:30 p.m. for some local spirits and highspirited conversation. There is a $35 per person charge for the museum tour and social hour (limit 25) and a $15 per person charge for only the Maggie’s Farm Rum social hour.

Dietary laws observed; kosher hors d’oeuvres provided along with a cash bar. Contact Joel Schwarz, development associate, at 412-992-5218 or jschwarz@jfedpgh.org for more information. Visit jfedpgh.org/roberto-and-maggie to register.

This week in Israeli history June 26, 1944 — U.S. Republican convention supports Jewish State in Palestine

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

June 22, 1939 — Ada Yonath is born

Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Ada Yonath is born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Jerusalem, then part of the British Mandate of Palestine.

June 23, 2011 — Orna Barbivai becomes first female IDF major general

Brigadier General Orna Barbivai is promoted to the rank of major general, becoming the highest-ranking female officer in the history of the IDF.

June 24, 2007 — Israel baseball league plays its first game

The Modi’in Miracle defeats the Petach Tikvah Pioneers 9-1 in the inaugural game of the Israel Baseball League (IBL). The game is played before a crowd of more than 3,000 at Yarkon Field in Petach Tikvah.

June 25, 2005 — Gilad Shalit is captured Phil Durler Senior Sales Associate pdurler@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 724-713-8874 6 JUNE 22, 2018

Wilson’s Family House, The Crawford (Jazz) Grill, Kether Torah Congregation, Hebrew Institute, Logan Street, “Jew Town” and guest speakers. The tour will begin at 1:30 and end at 4 p.m. There is a $15 charge. Visit newlightcongregation.org/hill-walkingtour.html for more information and to purchase tickets.

IDF soldier Gilad Shalit is captured by a group of Palestinian militants and is held hostage for over five years before being exchanged for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

At the 1944 Republican Party National Convention, New York Senator Thomas Dewey’s strong support for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine captures the attention of Zionists in Palestine and, more notably, American Jewry.

June 27, 1967 — Israel annexes East Jerusalem after June 1967 war

Following Israel’s victory and subsequent acquisition of Jordan’s territory along the West Bank of the Jordan River in the war, the Israeli government annexes roughly 70 square kilometers of land next to West Jerusalem.

June 28, 1919 — Republic of Poland minorities treaty is signed

During the Paris Peace Conference, one of the major initiatives undertaken by the Allies is recognition of minority rights in European states. While addressing the rights of minorities in general, the Polish Treaty specifically mentions Jewish cultural and civil liberties. PJC

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Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 6 featuring guest Todd DePastino, historian and executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club. He will be presenting Women in World War II. Visit bethelcong.org for more information. There is a $6 charge. Call 412561-1168 to make a reservation. q TUESDAY, JULY 3 Chabad of the South Hills will hold a senior carnival at noon with a picnic-style lunch, games and presentation by Home Instead on “Five tips to avoid hospitalization.� There is a $5 suggested donation; the building is wheelchair accessible. Call 412-278-2658 to register. q MONDAY-FRIDAY JULY 16-20

q TUESDAY, JULY 10

The Holocaust and the 21st Century: 2018 Summer Teachers’ Institute is a weeklong seminar that addresses a variety of topics to help educators gain the knowledge to teach about the Holocaust more effectively.

Experts from around the country share the latest research and tools with participating educators. This year’s topics are: America’s Response to the Holocaust; International Perspectives on Remembrance; AntiSemitism and White Supremacy; Multimedia Survivor Testimony; Working with Families of Survivors; and Propaganda and Media Literacy. The cost to attend is $200. Visit hcofpgh.org/summerinstitute2018 for more information. PJC

Pittsburgh 10 + Friends, an Art for a Cause Exhibit of new work by the Pittsburgh 10+ artists and guest will open and run through Friday, Sept. 21 at the Berger Gallery in the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Robinson Building, 5738 Darlington Road, Squirrel Hill. The exhibit is free and open to the community during regular JCC summer hours. An opening/artists’ reception, free and open to the community, will be held Thursday, July 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. A series of four Artist/Gallery talks and demonstrations, each one featuring participating artists, will begin at 1:15 p.m. on each Wednesday beginning July 25 and running through September 12. A full schedule will be available at the opening. The exhibit includes 14 professional artists with extensive exhibition experience. The works are contemporary in character and run the gamut from abstract expressionism to realism, and represent painting, photography, fiber, mixed media and more. Participating artists are: Pittsburgh 10+ member artists Zivi Aviraz, Robert Bowden, Lila Hirsch Brody, Eva Lu Damianos, Sylvester Damianos, Kathy DePasse, Joel Kranich, Mark Panza, Phiris (Kathy) Sickels, David Sparks, Susan Sparks, Dirk VandenBerg, Francine VandenBerg, David Watts and special guest artist Kara Snyder. All works presented by the artists are original new works and for sale. A percentage of all sales will go to the JCC to support the Zola Hirsch Special Needs Fund. These artists have known each other and worked together for the past 10 years, in some cases longer. Some of the artists are, or have been students of Lila Hirsch Brody in her classes at the JCC. Contact Sybil Lieberman, 412-697-3514 or slieberman@jccpgh.org or Susan Sparks at 724-575-0210 or suzi.sparks@gmail.com for more information.

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JUNE 22, 2018 7

Calendar Calendar: Continued from page 6 featuring guest Todd DePastino, historian and executive director of the Veterans Breakfast Club. He will be presenting Women in World War II. Visit bethelcong.org for more information. There is a $6 charge. Call 412561-1168 to make a reservation. q TUESDAY, JULY 3 Chabad of the South Hills will hold a senior carnival at noon with a picnic-style lunch, games and presentation by Home Instead on “Five tips to avoid hospitalization.� There is a $5 suggested donation; the building is wheelchair accessible. Call 412-278-2658 to register. q MONDAY-FRIDAY JULY 16-20

q TUESDAY, JULY 10

The Holocaust and the 21st Century: 2018 Summer Teachers’ Institute is a weeklong seminar that addresses a variety of topics to help educators gain the knowledge to teach about the Holocaust more effectively.

Experts from around the country share the latest research and tools with participating educators. This year’s topics are: America’s Response to the Holocaust; International Perspectives on Remembrance; AntiSemitism and White Supremacy; Multimedia Survivor Testimony; Working with Families of Survivors; and Propaganda and Media Literacy. The cost to attend is $200. Visit hcofpgh.org/summerinstitute2018 for more information. PJC

Pittsburgh 10 + Friends, an Art for a Cause Exhibit of new work by the Pittsburgh 10+ artists and guest will open and run through Friday, Sept. 21 at the Berger Gallery in the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Robinson Building, 5738 Darlington Road, Squirrel Hill. The exhibit is free and open to the community during regular JCC summer hours. An opening/artists’ reception, free and open to the community, will be held Thursday, July 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. A series of four Artist/Gallery talks and demonstrations, each one featuring participating artists, will begin at 1:15 p.m. on each Wednesday beginning July 25 and running through September 12. A full schedule will be available at the opening. The exhibit includes 14 professional artists with extensive exhibition experience. The works are contemporary in character and run the gamut from abstract expressionism to realism, and represent painting, photography, fiber, mixed media and more. Participating artists are: Pittsburgh 10+ member artists Zivi Aviraz, Robert Bowden, Lila Hirsch Brody, Eva Lu Damianos, Sylvester Damianos, Kathy DePasse, Joel Kranich, Mark Panza, Phiris (Kathy) Sickels, David Sparks, Susan Sparks, Dirk VandenBerg, Francine VandenBerg, David Watts and special guest artist Kara Snyder. All works presented by the artists are original new works and for sale. A percentage of all sales will go to the JCC to support the Zola Hirsch Special Needs Fund. These artists have known each other and worked together for the past 10 years, in some cases longer. Some of the artists are, or have been students of Lila Hirsch Brody in her classes at the JCC. Contact Sybil Lieberman, 412-697-3514 or slieberman@jccpgh.org or Susan Sparks at 724-575-0210 or suzi.sparks@gmail.com for more information.

Murray Avenue Kosher

Name: Home Instead Senior Care Width: 5.0415 in Depth: 6.75 in Color: Black Ad Number: 10038702

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Candle Lighting Time Friday, June 22, 2018 • 8:36 p.m.

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Whether you are looking for someone to help an aging parent a few hours a week or need more comprehensive assistance, Home Instead can help.

Home Instead CAREGivers can provide a variety of services. Some include:

2

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412.646.1257

TUESDAY DINNER SPECIAL

LB

BATAMPTE PICKLES (HALF SOUR OR GARLIC) $ 29

32 OZ JAR

8

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Support Services Each Home Instead Senior CareÂŽ JVERGLMWI SJ½GI MW MRHITIRHIRXP] S[RIH ERH STIVEXIH ÂŒ ,SQI -RWXIEH -RG

Home Fried Potatoes

$22.99

Please note: We will be closing at 4 p.m. on July 4th.

Sloppy Joe’s

SPRING VALLEY EGG ROLLS OR FRANKS & BLANKETS $ 49

QT U

• Respite Care

STORE HOURS

Sun. - Wed. • 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Thurs. • 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

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43.99

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$17.99

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1 Kugel • 2 Pints Salad • 2 Mini Challahs

Serves 4

$

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Bucket of Chicken

London Broil

SM

• Hospice Care

69

2 Roasted Chickens 1 Qt. Chicken Soup 4 Matzo Balls

Potato Salad • Cole Slaw

Chicken Legs $

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Ground Turkey

EMPIRE TURKEY PASTRAMI $ 75

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SOVA HOT DOG OR HAMBURGER ROLLS $ 39

2

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ANGEL HAIR PASTA $ 99

4

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CHOPPED HERRING SALAD $ 75

9

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We Prepare Trays for All Occasions UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF VAAD OF PITTSBURGH

MEHADRIN PLAIN YOGURT $ 49 . 2 LB

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JUNE 22, 2018 7

Headlines In Holland, a former jihadist reaches out to Jews for forgiveness — WORLD —

By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA

A

MSTERDAM — Jews were never far from the mind of Jason Walters when he was still a key member of the Netherlands’ deadliest network of jihadist terrorists.

Even after Dutch security forces arrested Walters in 2004 for throwing a hand grenade at police during a counterterrorist raid on his hiding place, he believed that “the outcome of the trial will be determined in Tel Aviv.”

That belief was the result of an “extreme susceptibility to conspiracy theories,” said Walters in a recent interview.

It was that susceptibility that led Walters, still a teenager, to join the deadly Hofstad Group that in 2004 killed Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh.

Now Walters is 33 and a recent university graduate. He says he became de-radicalized in prison, where he served eight years before his release in 2013.

“As a Salafi jihadist, anti-Semitism is wrapped up in your entire worldview,” he said.

Which is why Walters chose to speak out for the first time to Esther Voet, the editorin-chief of Holland’s NIW Jewish weekly, in an unusual interview that also featured an apology to Dutch Jews and other victims, and his advocacy of Israel’s right to exist within secure borders.

Ahead of the 15th anniversary of the Hofstad group’s exposure, Walters is one of two individuals with ties to that network who are giving others hope in the fight against radical Islam by reaching out to Jewish audiences and warning other Muslims against radicalization.

Soumaya Sahla, a Muslim woman who spent nine months in jail in connection with the Hofstad Group, broke her silence last year. Sahla, 34, had traveled with the CIDI pro-Israel lobby group to Jerusalem for a seminar on the Holocaust.

“When a Jewish man can’t wear a kippah on the street” but Muslims can wear traditional garb, “then something’s wrong,” she said last year during a Chanukah party in Utrecht.

Walters’ interview made waves in the Netherlands because, unlike Sahla, he was convicted of carrying out an armed attack and planning to assassinate high-profile anti-Islam politicians, including Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilders and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Major Dutch newspapers such as Elsevier and Algemeen Dagblad covered the NIW interview, as well as Belgian media.

Part of the interview’s significance is attached to the “national trauma” that the Netherlands experienced following van Gogh’s murder by another member of the Hofstad Group in 2004. Van Gogh, who angered Dutch Muslims with his film criticizing the treatment of women in Islam, was shot and stabbed as he cycled to work in Amsterdam on Nov. 2, 2004. Bart Olmer, a former intelligence services correspondent for the Telegraaf daily, said that the Hofstad group “changed the reality in this country.”

In addition to Walters, Sahla and

8 JUNE 22, 2018

Mohammed Bouyeri, van Gogh’s killer, another 21 people were arrested in connection with the group, whose name refers to The Hague, its main area of operations. It was reported to be the first, largest and deadliest jihadist cell in Dutch history. Its discovery prompted an unprecedented tightening of security and counterterrorism efforts in a country whose leaders for decades had bicycled to work without bodyguards. It also triggered an explosion of anti-Muslim senti-

“It began by studying the Koran day and night. As an extremist, that worldview is everything. You’re not even a person anymore, you become dazed,” Walters told Voet, during the interview at her home in Amsterdam.

“You believe you experience miracles. Religion defines you: You’re no longer entitled to your own opinion and feelings. If they contradict religion, you need to adjust.”

Hating Jews was an important part of Walters’ identity, he said.

p People commemorate the 2004 murder of Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam on the attack’s fifth anniversary.

Photo by Steven Lek/Wikimedia Commons

p Visitors view a memorial for the slain Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ment that has defined much of the country’s politics until today.

Walters’ involvement in the cell was particularly shocking to many in Holland because, unlike many others in the cell, he did not come from a radical Muslim environment. Born to a Dutch-born woman and an American soldier serving in the Netherlands, he converted to Islam at the age of 13 with his brother, Jermaine — who in 2015 died in Syria while fighting with other jihadists.

The brothers became interested in Islam following the 9/11 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York, Walters said.

Moroccan extremists took the two brothers under their wings and radicalized them, according to the prosecution in Walters’ trial.

By 2003, when the brothers were both older than 18, they were part of the Hofstad group, a local network of terrorists with weapons and hit-lists and extensive connections to international Sunni terrorist groups.

“The dogma is: The Jews refused Mohammed’s message, they’re intrinsically bad, cursed,” Walters added. Islamic verses describe how “Jews are messengers of the devil.” Israel’s existence served as proof of the nearing of the day of reckoning because “they had assembled in one place in the Middle East to be annihilated,” he said.

“You demonize everything Jewish as the source of everything evil,” Walters said.

With time on his hands, Walters, who spent much of his prison term in isolation, began studying Western sciences with the intention of proving they were all rooted in the Koran, he said. But exposure to empirical thinking caused Walters’ religious conviction to “crumble,” he said.

Walters told Voet that he suddenly noticed how he believed simultaneously in three contradictory theories about the Holocaust: That it was a hoax to justify Israel’s creation, that it was real but justified, and that it was

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real and unjustified, exemplifying the evilness of Christian societies.

Walters recently completed his master’s degree on Islamist radicalization of the prestigious Leiden University.

Amid rising levels of anti-Semitic violence in the Netherlands, “I began feeling increasingly guilty,” Walters said.

“I had been very unfair and I want to set it right,” he said of his decision to reach out to Voet for his first interview. “I need to make up for being on the absolutely wrong side. It became a major issue to me, in relation to Jews and Israelis.”

He also apologized to the four officers who were wounded in the explosion he caused by throwing a hand grenade at them in 2004.

“It’s something I have to live with,” he told NIW. The “pitfall of anti-Semitism, where I once fell, is becoming mainstream,” he added. “The same stereotypes are back. There’s no more balance in the debate about Jews or Israel.”

In the NIW interview, Walters went on to defend Israel.

“When the religious source for my anti-Semitism fell away, I began a reorientation,” he said. Looking at the map of Israel, “I began to think what would I do if I were an Israeli.” Walters attributes Israel’s control of disputed land to the Middle East’s instability. And he called Israel’s treatment of Palestinians “restrained” in comparison to Arab rulers who butchered them en masse.

Israel “does make mistakes,” he said. But “of course it chooses to have power” in view of how “history has proven that Jews need their own homeland, because no one else will protect them.”

Walters declined to have his picture appear in the NIW paper, explaining he wanted his exposure to “be a gradual thing.”

But as Islamist extremism continues to claim victims across Western Europe, Walters also said he feels increasingly compelled to oppose it publicly.

“I hoped to have a boring job, perhaps as a professor of philosophy,” he said. “But I’m realizing that we have a problem of Muslim extremism.” At his age, “I’m thinking about starting a family and what kind of society I want my children to live in.”

Although he has become a poster child for de-radicalization, Walters says he has little faith in its likelihood for most followers of the hateful ideologies to which he used to subscribe. De-radicalization is no clinical procedure, he said.

“It’s about an existential choice,” he said.

Getting radicalized Muslims to abandon their doctrines is about as likely as getting hardened left-wing voters to support the far-right, he explained.

“There is no painless solution,” Walters opined. “We may be nearing very inconvenient choices, like redefining freedom of religion and reconsidering how equipped the constitution leaves us to tackle this problem.”

While Walters says he has “no answers” to these sobering questions, he added that he does feel compelled to act to fix the issue. “I have a responsibility, I’ve seen both sides of the problem,” he said. PJC

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines — WORLD — From JTA reports

Orthodox Union joins Jewish communal letter opposing family separations The Orthodox Union joined an open letter signed by 26 other Jewish organizations opposing separation of migrants’ families at the border.

The decision to sign the letter on June 15 came two days after the O.U., an umbrella Orthodox group, hosted Attorney General Jeff Sessions at its annual conference in Washington, D.C., where he spoke to a friendly crowd about protecting religious liberty for houses of worship, and other matters. In May, Sessions’ department instituted a policy to separate migrant families after they cross the U.S. border illegally.

O.U. officials were assailed on social media and in a petition organized by the liberal rabbinic human rights group T’ruah for feting Sessions, and replied that they had brought up the immigration issue with him privately. On Thursday, June 14, one day after hosting Sessions, the Orthodox Union released a statement criticizing the Trump separation policy.

Under the policy implemented in recent months, every illegal migrant who crosses the United States border is prosecuted and detained. Because children cannot be prosecuted with adults, they are reclassified as unac-

companied minors and taken away, either to mass children’s shelters or foster homes.

Critics of the policy say forcibly separating parents and children is traumatizing and draconian. Sessions says it’s a necessary measure to enforce border security.

“This policy undermines the values of our nation and jeopardizes the safety and wellbeing of thousands of people,” the Jewish open letter says. “As Jews, we understand the plight of being an immigrant fleeing violence and oppression. We believe that the United States is a nation of immigrants and how we treat the stranger reflects on the moral values and ideals of this nation.”

The letter signed by 26 national Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Council for Public Affairs and HIAS, urges the administration “to immediately rescind the ‘zero tolerance’ policy and uphold the values of family unity and justice on which our nation was built.”

Among the signers of the letter are the leading organizations of the Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist movements. The addition of the O.U. means that top representative bodies of all four major American Jewish denominations have come out against the policy. It is rare that the O.U., which generally takes conservative political positions, agrees with the other three movements on a matter of domestic government policy.

Religious groups across the spectrum, Jewish and not, have opposed the policy, and the O.U. is among the most recent conser-

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

vative religious organizations to oppose it. It has been criticized in recent days by the Southern Baptist Convention, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Rev. Franklin Graham, the late Billy Graham’s son.

In first, a Spanish state calls for ‘suspending’ relations with Israel Navarre became the first state in Spain to call on the central government to break relations with Israel.

The motion voted on last month in Navarre, in northern Spain, received the support of all the parties represented in parliament except the center-right Popular Party, the ACOM pro-Israel advocacy organization wrote in a statement June 15.

The motion passed on May 21 calls on Spain to suspend its ties with Israel “until that country ceases its policy of criminal repression of the Palestinian population.”

Another clause in the draft motion called on the central government to “support any initiative promoted by the international BDS campaign.” However, this clause did not receive the support of a majority of lawmakers and was not included in the final draft. Notwithstanding, following the vote the Spanish branch of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel included Navarre in its list of organizations supporting the boycott.

Navarre is one of 17 autonomous communities — states with their own parliaments — that together make up quasi-federal Spain.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Catalonia’s parliament last year declared independence from Spain, though Madrid declined to recognize the declaration.

Navarre has a substantial Basque population and a strong separatist movement.

The motion went on to condemn Israel for “murdering” dozens of Palestinians in May — a reference to those killed by Israeli forces during Hamas-organized riots along the Gaza border that featured hundreds of firebombs and attempts to breach the security fence into Israel. Of 61 people killed in the riots on May 14, 50 were Hamas members, according to one senior member of that organization.

Sweden, Ireland and several other European Union countries criticized Israel’s use of deadly force but reaffirmed their support for its right to defend itself. The United States said the violence was solely Hamas’ fault.

The Navarre motion does not mention Hamas, violence along the border nor Israel’s right to defend itself. ACOM condemned it as discriminatory.

In recent years, ACOM actions have led to the scrapping, annulment or suspension of 24 motions to boycott Israel by Spanish municipalities. Courts throughout the kingdom have declared such motions discriminatory and unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, the City Council of Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city, passed a motion declaring a boycott of Israel and Valencia an “Israeli apartheid-free zone.”

Several dozen municipalities have endorsed BDS in Spain but none of its states had until the vote in Navarre. PJC

JUNE 22, 2018 9

Life & Culture Several stories told at ‘Van Gogh, Monet, Degas’ exhibition — ART —

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

D

espite a dearth of religious iconography or works from Jewish painters, the current exhibition at the Frick Art Museum has streaks of Judaic relevance.

“Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection of French Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts” is an intimate assemblage representing the Romantic through Post-Impressionist periods. Among the nearly 70 pieces included are Vincent van Gogh’s “The Wheat Field behind St. Paul’s Hospital, St. Rémy” (1889), Claude Monet’s “Poppy Field At Giverny” (1885) and Edgar Degas’ “At the Milliner” (ca. 1882-1885).

Those works, as well as a prominently placed bronze cast of Degas’ “The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer,” provide visitors a chance to closely encounter canonical masterpieces. Less apparent, but equally significant, is the Jewish story told by the exhibition, explained Jill Joshowitz, a Pittsburgh native and New York University doctoral student specializing in Jewish art.

Whether it is Eugene Boudin’s “Beach Scene at Deauville” (1865), Edouard Manet’s “On the Beach, Boulogne-sur-Mer” (1868) or Gustave Caillebotte’s “A Man Docking His Skiff ” (1878) each piece and its focus on “leisure” narrates a history lesson.

Following the French Revolution of 1789, “at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, Jews were emancipated and incorporated into the body politic,” explained Joshowitz.

As the Jews’ previous “semi-autonomous” state gave way to social integration, industrialization was concurrently on the rise. Collectively, a public transformation was underway.

By capturing “ordinary people” at play or landscapes and foliage, the Impressionists, in contradistinction to their artistic predecessors, were “very much grappling with modernity,” with their creations reflecting a rapidly changing reality, mirroring the Jewish experience, said Joshowitz.

Although visitors to the exhibition may deem images of sandscapes mundane, the pieces themselves were actually “revolutionary,” she added. “People going to the beach — that’s very modern. It’s not really something you see in Renaissance art; that’s not a thing. The Impressionists were very interested in capturing modern life, so even though it seems so traditional it was actually radical.”

Praise for the exhibition was echoed by Chantal Belman, art conservator for Fine Art Conservation Services/Carnegie Museum of Art, who said, “The show is small and intimate but impressive.”

Catching both Belman and Joshowitz’s interest were three paintings by Camille Pissarro: “Landscape, St. Thomas” (1856), “Coconut Palms by the Sea, St. Thomas” (1856) and “The ‘Royal Palace’ at the Hermitage, Pontoise” (1879).

Grouped together, the St. Thomas paintings are two of Pissarro’s “earliest known oil paintings” and “display a degree of sophistication unusual for early-career efforts. Both 10 JUNE 22, 2018

p “The Wheat Field behind St. Paul’s Hospital, St. Rémy” (1889)

Painting by Vincent van Gogh

p “At the Milliner” (ca. 1882-1885)

Painting by Edgar Degas

feature strong asymmetrical compositions anchored by paired coconut palm trees,” noted Museum materials.

Conversely, “The ‘Royal Palace’ at the Hermitage, Pontoise,” offers a wholly alternative scene where two largely unrecognizable characters — a woman and a small child — are standing along a path beset by leafless trees.

“I would suggest the audience take a minute when they go home after seeing the Frick show to look up Pissarro and see how similar and different his works are,” said Belman, who added that the painter was a “prominent and influential impressionist artist often called ‘the father’ or ‘the Impressionist.’”

His biography is another possible entry point for those seeking Jewish themes within the exhibition, said Joshowitz. Born Abraham Jacob Camille Pissarro on the island of St. Thomas in the Caribbean, “Pissarro’s father, Frederick, came to the island to deal with the affairs of his deceased uncle and ended up marrying his widow, Rachel. This led to the Pissarro family being ostracized by the St. Thomas community because Rachel was technically Frederick’s aunt.” Although Pissarro was of Sephardic Jewish descent, he “moved to France as an adult, and doesn’t seem to have had much of a Jewish identity.”

But Pissarro’s background, like that of the other artists featured within the exhibition, was of little interest to those who collected the works, explained Sarah Hall, chief curator and director of collections at the Frick Pittsburgh.

The nearly 70 works on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts stem from a collection originally built by Paul and Rachel Mellon.

“The exhibition itself looks at the works as reflections of the Mellons’ collecting interests — and the Mellons were famously unconcerned with the biographies of the artists or the surrounding social/political history,” said Hall. “Their collecting was based entirely on very personal responses to individual works of art, and they would reject some of their favorite painters if the specific work didn’t connect with them.”

According to a press release from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Paul Mellon and his second wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon, began collecting 19th-century French art in the 1940s.

As in the ’40s, the time is ripe for a new appreciation of the collection, said Joshowitz.

“Van Gogh, Monet, Degas” is a “celebration of modernity as we know it. People should look more closely at things we take for granted. For these artists it was visionary and radical, and what seems so familiar to us was new and exciting.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

p “A Man Docking His Skiff” (1878)

The exhibit can be viewed at the Frick Art Museum through July 8. Museum hours are Tuesday-Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Closed Mondays.

Members, Free; Adult non-members, $15 Senior/Student, $13; Youth 6–16, $8; Youth 5 and under free. PJC Painting by Gustave Caillebotte

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The Federation What’s new with Israel and Overseas?

Federation’s Israel and Overseas Department is committed to ensuring that community members have a personal connection to Israel and a shared sense of Jewish peoplehood, both locally and globally.

Federation is also committed to addressing the social service needs of impoverished Jews around the world. Through the Federated system, the Israel and Overseas Department provides core funding to two international organizations: the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. This year, as part of the department’s effort to increase community members’ connection to Israel, Israel and Overseas has brought a new volunteering initiative to Pittsburgh: the Shinshinim Program.

The Shinshinim Program

Through the generous support of a local, private family foundation and in partnership with JAFI, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will be bringing two pre-army 18-year-old Israelis to Pittsburgh for a year of service beginning August 2018. The international Shinshinim program (derived from “shnat sherut” in Hebrew that translates to “a year of service” in English) offers a unique and effective way to deeply connect and engage Pittsburghers with Israel through informal education and relationship-building.

Here in Pittsburgh, the Shinshinim will expose the local community to Israeli society and culture through informal educational activities while establishing meaningful personal relationships with members of the community; this in turn will deepen American Jews’ connection to Israel while giving young Israelis a chance to connect to pluralistic Jewish communities outside Israel.

Meet the Shinshinim!

Hadar Maravent • She grew up in Karmiel, part of Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether (P2G) region.

• In high school, she majored in social sciences, to learn about human behavior, and about different cultures and societies.

• She participated in the Diller Teen Fellows program.

• She was a junior counselor in her youth movement.

• She loves traveling around Israel.

Shani Turel, Shinshinim Coordinator Shani grew up in Misgav, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s P2G region, in Har Chalutz. She is fluent in Hebrew and came to Pittsburgh in 2005 through the Spirit of Israel delegation.

She is trained as an educator and taught in a unique and multi-denominational Jewish kindergarten class in Tel Aviv. Shani will supervise the two Shinshinin: Raz Levin and Hadar Maravent.

April Joint Visit to Israel

This past April, the Partnership2Gether (P2G) Steering Committee and the Israel and Overseas Funding Committee traveled to Israel, where they met on different opportunities with the Federation’s Volunteer Mission in Israel.

Together, the group visited HaShomer HaChadash, a national organization aimed at addressing the issue of agricultural theft in the Negev and Galilee while reconnecting Jews to the land of Israel; the Jewish Agency-run Karmiel Absorption Center for new olim (immigrants) from the Former Soviet Union; the dedication ceremony for the archeological garden funded by P2G; and Krembo Wings, a youth movement for special needs children and their mainstream peers. They also met with a group of young adults living in Karmiel and Misgav who are being cultivated as leaders for P2G.

During the site visits, Federation staff and volunteers visited, among others, the following organizations and left feeling so inspired by their work decided to support: HaShomer HaChadash: A national organization established in 2007 aimed at addressing the issue of agricultural theft. This organization brings volunteers from Israel and the Diaspora to lend a hand to the farmers, showing a presence on the land and deterring thieves, while strengthening the volunteers’ connection to the land of Israel through educational programming.

JobKatif: In partnership with Hebrew University, the program consists of a preparatory year and four years of academic studies in nursing for Ethiopian-Israelis. The program assists Ethiopian-Israelis in gaining entry to and successfully completing nursing school and in finding employment in the field thereafter.

Jordan River Village: Sending children with special needs from Karmiel and Misgav to a year-round camp, for children with special needs, near the Kinneret.

ERAN: Funding volunteer training in Karmiel for a 24/7 telephone hotline for persons contemplating suicide or under mental distress.

Tsofen: An organization aimed at increasing participation of Arab-Israelis in the hi-tech field.

To learn more about the Shinshinim Program, or if you are interested in hosting a Shinshin in your home, contact Shani Turel at sturel@jfedpgh.org or 412.320.1935.

Raz Levin • He grew up in Rosh Ha’ayin, which is a small city near Tel Aviv.

• He attended Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade (JLGB) summer camp in London and traveled to Lithuania as a young ambassador for the State of Israel.

• One of his favorite sports is tricking, which is a dynamic sport that combines kicks and gymnastics.

• He recently competed in “Israel’s Got Talent” on Israeli national television.

• He loves that Israel includes many cultures.

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JUNE 22, 2018 11

Name: Jewish Federation of Greater Pi Width: 10.25 in Depth: 13.75 in Color: Black Ad Number: 10043522

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JEWISH FEDERATION OF

The Jewish Federation’s Community Campaign supports nine beneficiary agencies that help people in need around Pittsburgh, but your generosity goes much further through the Federation’s expert planning, programming and collaboration with other community benefit organizations. Read more below about some of the many ways that donor dollars helped in the 20172018 year.

Jewish Early Childhood Education (JECE)

IMPACT

Good Deeds Day

IMPACT

Through excellence in Jewish early childhood education, reach more families raising Jewish children and strengthen their experience of Jewish living and learning

HOW IS THIS GOAL MET? The Jewish Federation offered focused support and resources in marketing, customer service and enrollment conversion to increase Jewish enrollment and customer service at each of the nine JECE centers. The Federation’s Jewish Life and Learning experts conducted a “mystery shopper study” and retained an internationally recognized specialist on marketing child care services in order to provide necessary professional development. Early childhood education centers receive written reports highlighting both existing strengths in the enrollment conversion and customer service process as well as areas where there is opportunity for improvement, a targeted professional development course and a strategic marketing plan.

Bring volunteer opportunities to Jewish Pittsburghers, enhance relationships with organizations city-wide—both Jewish and non-Jewish—and highlight the Jewish Federation’s impact.

HOW IS THIS GOAL MET? Good Deeds Day is an international day of service developed and coordinated by the Israeli non-governmental organization Ruach Tova. Our first year participating, the Jewish Federation’s Volunteer Center offered five sites where volunteers worked on five different large-scale projects, each of which reflected a Jewish value. Partnerships with city officials, neighborhood associations, religious institutions, and nonprofit organizations enabled Good Deeds Day to expand citywide to 53 sites.

Diversity and Inclusion

“Alternative Spring Break” Mission to Israel

IMPACT Make Southwestern Pennsylvania a more diverse community that is welcoming to people of all backgrounds

HOW IS THIS GOAL MET? The Jewish Federation’s Community Relations Council (CRC) improved cross-cultural relations and social justice through numerous programs, including an LGBTQIA+ advisory committee to help the Jewish Federation create a more inclusive culture; Jewish participation in the EQT Equality March; chairing the Civil Rights and Community Services Committee on Pittsburgh’s Welcoming Pittsburgh Steering Committee; and organizing an anti-discrimination panel in collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League for South Hills teachers and school administrators. Volunteers with CRC advocated for disability rights and legislation in Washington, D.C., this year. The Jewish Federation also partnered with Vibrant Pittsburgh to provide seed funding to 11 diverse community organizations to build “friends and allies” in other religious and ethnic communities.

12 JUNE 22, 2018

COMMUNIT

IMPACT Promote a pro-Israel environment on campus

MEET MARIAN Marian Lien is the executive director of the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, one of the recipients of a Vibrant Pittsburgh grant from the Jewish Federation. The grant enabled students at Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Minadeo K-5 to learn about different career opportunities and to learn about diverse cultures this year. Lien reports that the Jewish Federation has become instrumental in the coalition’s relationship with the Jewish community. “The Jewish population here have been leaders in thinking about how to have civic engagement become a common part of the way we lead our lives. That has changed the way the coalition leads, shaping the neighborhood,” she says.

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HOW IS THIS GOAL MET? The Jewish Federation’s CRC trains students from diverse backgrounds to be “campus ambassadors” who will advocate on campus for Israel. Campus ambassadors are students who proactively engage other Jewish and non-Jewish students in programming and conversations about Israel. Key to the Campus Ambassadors Program is a week-long mission to Israel, which includes visits with experts and Israeli citizens who have experienced military and cultural conflict firsthand. The CRC follows up in coordination with the Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center.

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F GREATER PITTSBURGH

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TY IMPACT

Teen Learning & Engagement

IMPACT Increase the number of teens involved in meaningful Jewish learning and experiences by creating Jewish teen engagement programs and activities

HOW IS THIS GOAL MET? The Jewish Federation provides funding and partnership for teen programs, including J Line Jewish experience and Hebrew learning opportunities; Diller Teen Fellows, the premier Jewish teen leadership experience connecting Pittsburgh and Israeli teens; Goldston Teen Philanthropy teen tzedakah circle for kids ages 12 and 13; Rosh Chodesh/Shevet Achim Jewish support and learning circles; J Serve, an international day of Jewish teen service; a late-night Shavuot Jewish learning for teens, in parallel with the Community Tikkun Leil Shavuot; and many more. The Jewish Federation partners with the JCC Teen Division of the Department of Jewish Life, which serves as a hub and convener for providers of informal teen education in Greater Pittsburgh.

Partnership 2Gether

IMPACT Connect American Jews to Israel to increase their sense of Jewish identity and peoplehood; create bridges between Pittsburgh and Israel

HOW IS THIS GOAL MET? Partnership2Gether in Pittsburgh pairs the Pittsburgh Jewish community with the city of Karmiel and the adjoining region of Misgav, in Israel, allowing Jews in the paired regions to participate in cultural, educational and social exchanges. Each year the Jewish Federation, in affiliation with the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), facilitates Pittsburgh’s Partnership2Gether connection to Karmiel/Misgav through many programs and activities.

ISRAEL ENGAGEMENT BY THE NUMBERS

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Diller Teen Fellows

Parents of Diller alumni who participated in 6 educational sessions about Jewish identity and parenting Jewish teens

AgeWell Pittsburgh

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Israelis including 15 campers who attended Emma Kaufmann Camp accompanied by 2 madrichim (guides)

87

Israelis visited Pittsburgh as part of 7 delegations or programs and were hosted by 50 Pittsburgh families

IMPACT _MEET MOLLIE Mollie Serbin is a rising sophomore at Carnegie Mellon University, majoring in international relations. She joined the mission to Israel to learn more about ways to promote Israel at CMU. “The alternative spring break was an incredible way to learn about current and historical events surrounding Israel firsthand. The trip has since inspired me to hold a greater stake in the conflict and has also pushed me to become more active in learning about and participating in movements surrounding Israel and the Middle East,” she says.

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Improve the quality of life for Pittsburgh’s older adults and their caregivers

HOW IS THE GOAL MET? AgeWell Pittsburgh is a collaboration of three agencies that benefit from Jewish Federation support: Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish Family and Community Services, and Jewish Association on Aging. The Jewish Federation facilitates the collaboration, which aims to coordinate care across these agencies for seniors who may have difficulty accessing services on their own, lack connections to providers and/or be physically and socially isolated. AgeWell Pittsburgh developed its own proprietary Protective Factor™ screening tool to identify needs and monitor seniors’ safety and has recently partnered with Giant Eagle Pharmacy to expand its HomeMeds medicationreconciliation program.

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MEET EARL Earl Parker lives at the Jewish Federation-supported Riverview Towers and enjoys AgeWell Pittsburgh services, including the AgeWell Chorus, a seniors’ singing group. AgeWell Pittsburgh enables Earl to stay healthy and to get out and socialize. “I’ve always been involved in the Jewish community and wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” he says.

JUNE 22, 2018 13

SPONSORED CONTENT

The Federation Jewish Pittsburgh gets geared up for the future Ways You Can Support the Future of Jewish Pittsburgh Will or Trust

You can create a charitable bequest in your will that designates to charity a specific dollar amount or a portion of your estate. You may use a charitable bequest to establish a fund within the Jewish Community Foundation to enable you to help ensure the future well-being of the Jewish community.

Retirement Plan Assets (IRA, 401(k), pension, etc.)

You can use retirement plan assets to create or to add to an endowment fund in the Jewish Community Foundation. Contributing your retirement plan assets—including corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, Keogh plans, 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs)—is often tax efficient, as it may save both income and estate taxes.

Life Insurance Policy Photo: Joshua Franzos

Giving is about to change. Jewish communities all over the world are growing, and the days of simply putting coins in the pushke are long gone. To keep up with growth for the future, Jewish organizations are working hard to think about their financial security. That is why the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is helping local Jewish organizations build endowments through legacy giving, ensuring long-term security that benefits the entire community.

For the last five years, in almost 50 Jewish communities across the country, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF) has been working to help Jewish institutions prepare for the future. Now, here in Pittsburgh, the Jewish Community Foundation has partnered with HGF to launch LIFE & LEGACY™. This multi-year, community-wide legacy giving program is creating a shared goal for the Pittsburgh Jewish community.

As a part of the collaboration, the Jewish Community Foundation will, in turn, partner with 14 local organizations as a part of the program, which provides coaching, training and incentive grants to ensure that legacy giving becomes integrated in the philanthropic culture of the community.

“The benefit of [us participating] is that it allows Beth El Congregation of the South Hills the professional education needed to help ensure our future success,” said Steve Hecht, the congregation’s executive director. “Through the training offered, long overdue conversations with our congregants bring us closer as a congregational family with our shared values so congregants may feel good about their legacy becoming part of our long-term sustainability, with us and the broader community.”

As a participant in LIFE & LEGACY’s cohort, the Jewish Community Foundation will receive a grant from HGF with matching funds of approximately $100,000 each year to provide participating local organizations with the opportunity to receive unrestricted incentive grants based on meeting legacy commitment benchmarks.

14 JUNE 22, 2018

Cathy Samuels, senior director of development and communications at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh (JCC), noted how exciting this opportunity will be for Jewish Pittsburgh.

She said, “The JCC of Greater Pittsburgh is very energized about the LIFE & LEGACY program that the community has undertaken. The training from the Grinspoon Foundation is top-notch, and this training and donor development work will ensure the future of the JCC and the community at large.”

Participating organizations include:

You can purchase life insurance with the Jewish Community Foundation as the beneficiary. Life insurance can be used to fund a charitable gift to the Foundation, permitting you to make a substantial legacy gift for a relatively modest outlay.

Cash

You can give cash or stock to create an endowment in the Jewish Community Foundation. Endowments provide a permanent source of income for the Jewish cause you care about most. Creating an endowment during your lifetime may provide an immediate tax benefit in the year the endowment is funded.

• Beth El Congregation of the South Hills • Community Day School • Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh • Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh • Jewish Association on Aging • Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh • Jewish Family and Community Services • Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh • Jewish Residential Services • National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section • Rodef Shalom Congregation • Temple Emanuel of South Hills • Temple Sinai Community members are encouraged to create an endowment at one or more Jewish organizations around Pittsburgh. This can be in the form of a will or trust, assets from a retirement plan such as an IRA or 401(k), a life insurance policy or a cash gift. The first step to help secure the future of Jewish institutions in Pittsburgh is to sit down with a representative and complete a letter of intent.

Contact Jan Barkley to start building your legacy today or for more information.

Please remember these Jewish organizations with a gift in your will, trust, retirement account or life insurance policy.

For more information about the Grinspoon LIFE & LEGACY program,

contact Jan Barkley, Life & Legacy coordinator 412.697.6656 | jbarkley@jfedpgh.org

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LifeLegacyPGH.org

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Headlines Hate: Continued from page 1

that time, he has seen in Pittsburgh incidents of swastikas drawn on buildings, the display of Nazi flags, and hate literature aimed at both the African American and Jewish communities. When evaluating whether an act is a hate crime, the perpetrator’s intent and capability

to do harm are paramount, he said.

Orsini and his panelists distinguished between hate crimes and hate speech — which is a constitutionally protected right guaranteed by the First Amendment. But the First Amendment does not protect “true threats,” said Greg Heeb, a special agent of the FBI. Hate crimes are defined as being motivated by an offender’s bias against a race,

“ There are occasions when a threat itself can be considered a hate crime, when it puts the recipient in fear

”

of bodily harm.

— GREG HEEB

religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, and includes crimes against property, Heeb said.

“There are occasions when a threat itself can be considered a hate crime, when it puts the recipient in fear of bodily harm,” he explained.

Still, the difference between hate crimes and hate incidents is not always clear.

“One of the most challenging parts of my job is assessment as to whether something is a hate incident or a hate crime,” Heeb continued.

“We don’t always have definitive answers,” admitted Matt Trosan, an FBI supervisory intelligence analyst. “The definition of the law is not ideal. But the good news is we want you to report everything, whether it’s a hate crime, or a hate incident or if you’re not sure. We connect the dots, but if we don’t have the dots to connect, we can’t do it.”

Those in attendance were urged to report incidents in a timely fashion.

“You have to report these incidents when they occur, so law enforcement can make the determination,” stressed U.S. Attorney Eric

Olshan. “The quicker you can get that information to law enforcement, the quicker they can figure it out.”

Orsini recounted the 2009 case of a cross burning in Indiana County, perpetrated by three young men, and considered at first by most residents of the town to be “a prank.”

The FBI quickly learned the identities of the perpetrators, so the case was not a “whodunnit,” but a “why did they do it?” according to Orsini.

Once the FBI learned that the cross burning was motivated by racial bias against a particular African American, and that the perpetrators had been practicing burning crosses beforehand, the case could be prosecuted as a federal hate crime, and the offenders imprisoned.

“That’s why it’s so important to report this stuff,” Orsini said.

Hate incidents and crimes can be reported to Orsini at 412-992-5229 or borsini@ jfedpgh.org. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Simmons:

“ It’s interesting that we don’t have

Continued from page 1

The current pervasiveness of AI technology indicates its staying power, said Simmons, and signaled that it would be prudent for the university to offer its computer science students a major in that field.

“In the ’80s, there was a big AI rush and for various reasons it petered out,” he noted.

“People used to call it the ‘AI winter.’ And I think one of the reasons why [CMU] may have been a bit hesitant to jump in is because you want to be sure that this is not just a flash in the pan. You don’t want graduates coming out of the program with nowhere to go.”

CMU administrators are now certain that its AI students will not face that problem, and they anticipate a high demand for graduates with the major, according to Simmons.

“We did a little bit of a market survey before we committed to the program,” he said. “We contacted some of the major companies, and the response was basically unanimous that they would hire however many graduates we produced. The real question is, ‘Are we going to produce enough?’”

The AI undergraduate enrollment initially will be limited to about 30 to 35 new students each year. In its fall 2018 semester, a limited number of second- and third-year students who have already taken a substantial number of relevant courses will be allowed to apply to join the new AI degree program as well.

AI technology is poised to effect significant societal changes, Simmons said, but he thinks radical shifts are still a couple decades away.

“I think 10 years is probably too short a time frame for AI to have a radical impact,” he said. “But I think 10 years will be the start of a boon in self-driving cars, and we will probably see technology that assists drivers, like automatic breaking and lane-keeping and automated parking. I think in 10 years that will become more prevalent.”

A larger societal change, he said, may be

an AI department, but we have a lot of AI expertise throughout the school, and we are all coming together and coordinating our efforts to put

”

this new program together.

— REID SIMMONS

p Reid Simmons will direct the new artificial intelligence major at Carnegie Mellon University.

Photo provided by Reid Simmons

coming in the offerings of the auto industry, with manufacturers moving from sales to a service industry in which they provide ride-sharing with autonomic vehicles, obviating the need for most individuals to own their own cars.

Home assistants, like Amazon’s Echo and Google Home, will be more prevalent in the coming years, helping consumers schedule appointments and order things online, Simmons predicted.

The new technology also will be used to improve education, he said.

“I think there is going to be a boon in cognitive assistance for training and re-training,” Simmons explained. “People often learn new skills through apprenticeship. The human apprentice can’t be there all the time, but you could have a voice in your ear that helps you with food preparation, for instance. And there may also be assistance for people with minor cognitive impairments, reminding them to turn off the stove or how to get from place to place.”

While Simmons is optimistic that the field of AI will help make the world a better place, there are naysayers. Among the most prom-

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inent is Elon Musk, who for years has been warning about the potential dangers of AI, including in a new documentary called “Do You Trust This Computer?” Musk claims that a form of AI called “superintelligence” could create an “immortal dictator from which we can never escape.” His opinions on the perils posed by AI went viral following a speech he delivered in 2014 at M.I.T. in which he suggested that AI was probably humanity’s “biggest existential threat.”

As part of CMU’s AI major, though, students will be required to take an ethics course, and Simmons aims to infuse the science courses with ethics education as well.

“Almost any technology can be used for good or for ill, and even if you are not intending it to be used in inappropriate ways, it’s very easy to fall into that trap where we don’t really pay attention to it and things happen,” he said. It is “very important to us” to ensure that the next generation of AI scientists are versed in ethics and social responsibility.

Artificial intelligence specialists “have never been more important, in shorter supply or in greater demand by employers,”

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Andrew Moore, dean of the School of Computer Science, said in a statement.

“Carnegie Mellon has an unmatched depth of expertise in AI, making us uniquely qualified to address this need for graduates who understand how the power of AI can be leveraged to help people.”

One unique aspect of the new program, Simmons said, is the fusion of courses from multiple departments in the School of Computer Science, most prominently Machine Learning, the Robotics Institute and the Language Technologies Institute.

“It’s interesting that we don’t have an AI department, but we have a lot of AI expertise throughout the school, and we are all coming together and coordinating our efforts to put this new program together,” Simmons said.

“What’s important to us is not just to teach the kids the fundamentals of the area so that not only can they utilize AI techniques, but they can understand why they are using them, and more importantly, to develop the techniques of the future.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

JUNE 22, 2018 15

Opinion The purpose of a newspaper — EDITORIAL —

L

ast week, award-winning editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers announced that he had been fired from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after a tenure of 25 years.

Conflict between the cartoonist and the Post-Gazette leadership had been brewing for weeks, with its new editorial director, Keith Burris, refusing to publish several of Rogers’ cartoons, many of which were critical of President Trump.

In a statement following his firing, Rogers charged that “the Post-Gazette’s leadership has veered away from core journalistic values that embrace diverse opinions and public discourse on important issues.” In the Post-Gazette’s own coverage of the firing of Rogers, Burris claimed that he did not “suppress” Rogers’ cartoons, but that Rogers was unwilling to “collaborate” with him about his work and ideas; Burris acknowl-

edged that he is “more conservative” than past editorial page editors.

Rogers’ firing from the Post-Gazette comes on the heels of last month’s firing of another longtime Pittsburgh journalist — Charlie Deitch — editor of The Pittsburgh City Paper.

Deitch told news outlets that he was fired in response to his critical coverage of conservative state lawmaker Daryl Metcalfe. The publishers of the paper denied Deitch was fired because of his coverage of Metcalfe.

We admittedly do not have enough facts to definitively determine why either Rogers or Deitch was fired. But America’s current tense partisan atmosphere, serving as the backdrop for the squelching of these two journalistic voices, brings us to consider the role of a newspaper.

Ideally, we believe, a newspaper should be a source for truth in its coverage of events and leaders, as well as a place where community members can be exposed to an array of opinions — some reinforcing their

own, and others challenging their views and perspectives. In our current divisive political climate, offering readers a range of opinions is needed now more than ever.

A 2014 Pew survey showed that the American public is becoming more and more ideologically consistent. While in 2004 only about 10 percent of Americans were either uniformly liberal or conservative, in just 10 years that number doubled; and as ideological consistency has increased, so has partisanship.

Our own experience has shown that some readers become offended when they read an opinion piece in the Chronicle that does not align with their own political leanings or religious perspectives. In any given week, we can receive feedback from some readers accusing the paper of being too “left-wing,” while other readers, commenting on the very same edition, charge us with being allied with the “right.”

We are sensitive to the diverse nature of our community and are committed to run news and opinions reflective of our community as a

whole, in all its multiple dimensions including political viewpoints and religious affiliation.

In our news coverage, the Chronicle aims to be factual, objective and neutral, not slanting news coverage in any political or religious direction. In the opinion section, the Chronicle publishes a wide variety of viewpoints on a wide variety of issues, ranging from pretty far left to pretty far right, again reflecting the diversity of the Pittsburgh Jewish community. When possible, we run opposing views on an issue.

We also encourage readers to join the discussion by writing letters to the editor or op-eds in response to content that we publish.

In this day and age of extreme partisanship, we believe that it is our mission to print pieces that will inform, engender respectful dialogue and educate on the wide variety of issues that are important to Jewish Pittsburgh. You may not agree with everything we print, but we do hope you will keep an open mind and keep reading. PJC

The road to LGBT acceptance in Israel was bumpy — I should know Guest Columnist Jonathan Danilowitz

T

el Aviv has been decked out in rainbow flags for weeks. Suddenly, it seems, every restaurant, coffee shop and store is super “gay friendly.”

The city’s Pride Parade is traditionally held on the second Friday of June. Fifteen years ago, estimates were that 9,000 people attended the event. This year there were a quarter of a million. About 40,000 tourists came to Israel especially to participate in and enjoy the range of activities before and after Friday’s spectacle. The Tel Aviv municipality budgeted 3 million shekels (nearly $1 million) to make sure that the events, and especially this 20th successive parade, went off smoothly, safely and securely.

The statistics tell a story of acceptance, freedom, welcome and nondiscrimination.

It hasn’t always been this way. I’ve come a long way along the bumpy road to this somewhat-equality for the LGBT community in Israel. The road ahead still beckons.

In 1979, I arranged to have the annual conference of the World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations in Israel.

I had been fortunate enough to attend two conferences previously, one each in New York and Los Angeles. The name World Congress was a little pretentious: Most of the 20 or so then-member groups were American, with Israel, England and France representing the “world.”

I started planning 18 months before.

Finding a conference site, planning the program, sending registration forms — lots of work without an office and all done by a

16 JUNE 22, 2018

few volunteers. It was hard, especially in those days before emails, internet and faxes, and when international calls cost a small fortune.

But things seemed to be falling into place until that fateful phone call from the kibbutz guest house I’d selected for the conference, just five weeks before the start: “Uuhhh — we’re sorry to have to do this but we have no option. We are canceling our commitment to host the conference because the Rabbinate in Jerusalem has threatened to withdraw our kosher certification if we go ahead.”

I was stunned. After all, we had signed a contract to have the three-day conference there — accommodation, meals, conference rooms, facilities — everything.

The Chief Rabbinate has the exclusive right to issue kosher certification for hotels and restaurants, and it can use that as a tool to do whatever it likes. Although many restaurants don’t bother, no Israeli hotel that wants to attract foreign tour groups can hope to do so if they don’t offer — and pay for — rabbinical kosher supervision.

I tried to argue, pointing out the legal aspects of a contract, of morality, decency and ethics, but the hotel was between a rock and a hard place and just refused.

Midsummer in Israel is high season for tourism. With the conference just weeks away, I scrambled to find another suitable location with the accommodations and facilities we needed. I heaved a sigh of relief when a small Tel Aviv hotel accepted our reservations and again I signed the contract. Things were back in gear until the next bombshell hit: same telephone call, same stuttering apology and same explanation. This time — just days before the first

conference participants were due to land — the Tel Aviv Rabbinate had discovered our plans and forced the hotel to cancel.

Oh, we held the conference: We rented a wedding hall — posing as travel agents — and had the event there. It was a grand success.

I took two stinging slaps in the face, but each time I simply backed down. How could this have happened? Because I was gay; because homosexuality in 1979 was still officially criminalized in Israel; and because I thought I had no rights. I “knew” there was nothing I could do and anyway, I was too afraid to try. Who would support me?

Would a lawyer represent me? How could I fight back against the powerful Rabbinate?

“Don’t be a fool,” I told myself, “just shut up and don’t rock the boat.”

Yet only 10 years later I stood up in court, suing my employer, El Al Israel Airlines, for illegal discrimination against me as a homosexual. I needed my job, but I needed my self-esteem, too. I needed to stop living a lie; to step out of the dark dreary closet and start living. No longer would I let people spit on me and pretend it was just rain. I turned 180 degrees: I had rights, I was equal to others, even better than some. And I was ready to

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

tell the world: Don’t mess with an angry gay man.

My lawsuit lasted six years and dragged through three court levels.

Each time the judges ruled in my favor, and each time El Al appealed to a higher court, until Israel’s Supreme Court decision in 1994: “Enough already! Give this man his rights. Discrimination is illegal.”

The decision, saying those in a gay relationship are owed the same employee benefits as heterosexuals, became a precedent that paved the way to opening up Israel’s LGBT community to equality. I continued happily working for the airline for eight more years, until I could take early retirement.

In 1979, I was meek and mild and ready to accept that being gay was the cross I had to bear. By 1989 I was a proud, out citizen who just happened to be gay, and so what?

In 2018, there were a quarter of a million participants in this year’s Pride Parade — almost 40 years since that fateful conference and 30 years since I stood up in court and demanded my rights. I feel a tinge of pride — perhaps a quarter of a million tinges of pride — that we’ve come such a long way.

It wasn’t easy, and the road ahead won’t be either. But until there is no need for parades, events, conferences and the like, we must continue battling the insensitivity and ignorance that is homophobia.

The time has come to stand on the right side of history. Next year my partner and I — we met at that conference — will celebrate our 40th anniversary. PJC Jonathan Danilowitz, born and raised in South Africa, is a retired flight attendant and freelance translator who has lived in Israel since 1971.

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Opinion A new approach to fighting campus anti-Semitism Guest Columnist Tammi Rossman-Benjamin

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ampuses today are being challenged by profoundly intolerant behavior, whose goal is to prevent some individuals and groups from expressing their opinions, beliefs or identity, or from fully participating in campus life.

For Jewish and pro-Israel students, such behavior has become especially prevalent and challenging. On many college campuses, not only are positive statements about Israel demonized and delegitimized, but individuals who express these opinions are often intimidated, ostracized and literally bullied into silence. In the past few months alone, pro-Israel events have been aggressively disrupted at New York University, Syracuse University, UCLA and the University of California, Irvine; numerous fliers, graffiti and chalking stating “Zionists Not Welcome on Our Campus” were found all over San Francisco State University after an SFSU professor wrote on her department’s Facebook page that welcoming Zionist students on campus was a “declaration of war”; and a formal complaint was filed by Jewish students at Columbia University against anti-Zionist student groups for systematically harassing and silencing them for more than a year.

In the wake of recent controversies involving the disruption and canceling of campus events, many university leaders have adopted the University of Chicago’s statement on freedom of speech — a statement that has become the gold standard on free speech for universities across the country.

Not only does the statement commit to upholding students’ rights under the First Amendment, it makes it crystal-clear that to do so, it must ensure students are protected from the harassment and intolerant behavior that directly impedes this right.

In theory, the adoption and implementation

of a free speech statement like the one at the University of Chicago should benefit Jewish students enormously. It promises to offer protection from the peer-on-peer harassment that has made it difficult and sometimes impossible for Jewish students to freely express pro-Israel views and fully participate in campus life. In practice, however, such a statement runs the risk of making Jewish students even more vulnerable to those same acts of aggression intended to silence them.

Here’s why.

While freedom of speech is constitutionally guaranteed to each and every student regardless of opinion, belief or identity, this is not the case when it comes to freedom from harassment. In fact, federal anti-discrimination law administered by the U.S. Department of Education, which defines “harassment” as behavior that is “sufficiently severe, pervasive or persistent so as to interfere with or limit the ability of an individual to participate in or benefit from the services, activities or privileges provided by any recipient [of federal funds],” only deems such behavior “harassment” if it is directed at individuals because of their race, color, national origin, gender or other federally protected characteristics.

Identical behavior directed against students who do not share those protected characteristics is not considered harassment under federal law, and these students are denied the federal protection afforded their peers.

This inequity trickles down to federally funded colleges and universities. For example, at the University of Chicago, protection from harassment is limited to students who are targeted on the basis of their “race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information or other protected classes under the law.” Although the list is quite long, many University of Chicago students remain unprotected from the harassing and intolerant behaviors that could impede their free speech and full participation in campus life. If, in implementing its free speech state-

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ment, the university were to rely on its own harassment policy — using it as a standard for determining when a student’s freedom of expression had been impeded — it would beg the question of whether the university’s commitment to ensuring its students free speech applies to all students or only to those who share certain characteristics.

The same is true on campuses across the country. Take California, for example.

Although the state’s two massive university systems — California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) — both tout the importance of freedom of speech for all members of the campus community, they also have harassment policies that effectively limit protection from behavior that suppresses speech to only some portion of their student body. At CSU, Executive Order 1074 defines harassment as “unwelcome conduct engaged in because of a Protected Status,” and a CSU student who wishes to file a university complaint form in order to find relief from harassing behavior must indicate “the protected status(es) that was/were the basis(es) of the alleged … harassment.” UC policy on harassment is similarly limited in its scope to protected classes, and so, too, is UC’s online form allowing students to seek redress from harassing behavior.

In theory, federal anti-discrimination law and university harassment policies should afford protection to Jewish students, either by virtue of their ethnicity in the case of federal law or their religion in the case of university policy. But, in practice, Jewish students have been denied protected status in both cases when those same harassing and intolerant behaviors are motivated by anti-Zionism. This is a double whammy for pro-Israel Jewish students. They must not only suffer the routine suppression of their speech and assembly, as well as the freedom to fully participate in campus life, but must also accept the reality that their aggressors — often members of a protected class — will go unpunished and receive a free pass to carry on their unfettered, anti-Zionistmotivated harassment.

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For many Jewish students, this has created a sense of egregious inequity and increased vulnerability, which has led to further suppression of their willingness to freely express themselves.

It’s relevant to note that there are important efforts afoot to ensure that Jewish students are afforded legally protected status at the federal and state levels. But these efforts will take time.

There is, however, an immediate, easy and equitable solution to the problem. University leaders must make a public pledge that all students will be equally protected from behavior that violates their rights to freedom of expression and full participation in campus life. To be effective, the statement should include a description of all university policies, in addition to state and federal laws that prohibit harassment and discrimination, along with a firm commitment to their equitable enforcement for all students, regardless of identity, opinion or legally protected status.

Harassment is harassment. The effects of this intolerant and exclusionary behavior on students are the same, regardless of the motivation of the perpetrator or the identity of the victim. And the abhorrent behavior that prevents students from an education free from discrimination must be addressed equitably. Students cannot freely express themselves and learn from their professors or each other if they face ongoing and pervasive intolerance, harassment and discrimination, as Jewish and pro-Israel students do now. Only once all students are secure in the knowledge that they will be equally protected from hateful, bigoted behavior can a university guarantee its students freedom of speech and the right to full participation in campus life. PJC Tammi Rossman-Benjamin is the director of AMCHA Initiative, a nonprofit that combats anti-Semitism on college campuses, and was a faculty member at the University of California for 20 years. This article was distributed by JNS.org.

JUNE 22, 2018 17

Celebrations

Torah

Special Anniversary

The Jewish future rests in self-reliance

Simon: Hersh and Roberta Simon will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner party and their children Sam and Robyn, grandchildren Edward, Eden, Eli, Emmanuel, Ellie and Kennedy. They will take a Hawaiian cruise to commemorate the event. They were married June 30, 1968.

Engagement Cohen/Jacobs: Debbie and Bob Cohen of Boca Raton, Fla., formerly of Fox Chapel, announce the engagement of their son, Michael Adam Cohen to Emily Rachel Jacobs, daughter of Janis and Marty Jacobs of Yardley, Pa. Michael’s grandparents are Jacqueline C. Weiser of Delray Beach, Fla., formerly of Pittsburgh; Morton Cohen and the late Sonia Cohen of Upper St. Clair. His great-grandparents are the late Mollie and Alex Clovsky of Squirrel Hill. Emily’s grandparents are Norman M. Paul and the late Lorraine B. Paul of Albany, N.Y., and the late Frank D. Jacobs and Carolyn L. Jacobs of Jenkintown, Pa. Michael graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in May 2014. He completed his residency from Weill Cornell Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City in 2015. He is working in private practice in Boca Raton. Emily graduated from Lynn University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2012 and earned her master’s degree in reading from Nova Southeastern University in 2016. Emily is an elementary school teacher in Palm Beach County.

Michael and Emily are planning a December wedding in Boca Raton.

Tobin/ Zachariah: Linda and David Tobin of Pittsburgh announce with pleasure the engagement of their daughter, Rachel Sydney, to Benjamin Dean Zachariah of Atlanta. Ben’s parents are Dawn M. Zachariah and Allan Zachariah of Atlanta.

Rachel’s grandparents are Harvey and Suzan Pollack and Carol and the late Sidney Tobin. Rachel’s step-grandfather is the late Samuel Lewis. Ben’s grandparents are Shirley Massie of Atlanta and Anita Frankel and the late Harold Frankel of Louisville, Ky. Rachel is a graduate of Emory University and is now a fourth-year student at Duke University School of Medicine. Ben graduated from the University of Indiana, Kelley School of Business in 2012 with a Master of Science in accounting in 2013. He is a licensed CPA and director of Tax Credit Investments with Monarch Private Capital.

A spring 2019 wedding is planned in Atlanta.  PJC

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his week’s parshah, Chukat, includes the ritual of the red heifer, that mysterious rite for preparing a concoction to purify those who have become ritually impure. This passage has long puzzled Jewish scholars, but there are other significant elements to the narrative here. When the people arrive at the wilderness of Zin, the community (once again) complains to Moses and Aaron that there is no water. God commands Moses to take his rod and order the rock to yield water, but instead he strikes it. Because of this single act of faithlessness, Moses and Aaron are told that they will not enter the land with the people.

Parshat Chukat also includes the deaths of two of the key figures in the narrative of the Exodus and the wanderings in the wilderness: Moses’ sister, Miriam the prophetess, and brother, Aaron the high priest. In particular, the way in which the Torah describes Miriam’s death is very instructive not only in how we look at dying, but in how we look at living.

In particular, the way in which the Torah describes Miriam’s death is very instructive not only in how we look at dying, but in how we look at living.

Of Miriam, we are told simply that she died and was buried at Kadesh. No mention is made of mourning on the part of the community. (By contrast, the community mourns for 30 days following Aaron’s death).

Because her death immediately follows the description of the red heifer, the Talmud teaches that “even as the ashes of the red cow cleanse from transgression, so does the death of the just� (Moed Katan 28a). Even in death, Miriam plays an important role in tending to the Israelites during their wanderings.

Given that the people immediately start complaining about the lack of water, both traditional and contemporary sources often

18 JUNE 22, 2018

trajectory of growth the Israelites must undertake in order to successfully inherit the land of Canaan. In each case, there is an increased need for each person to maintain his or her faith and to seek out God’s presence.

Just as we each grow from the instruction of our parents to our own faith, so to the Israelites had to grow from the care of Miriam, Aaron and Moses to being able to take care of themselves.  PJC Rabbi Howard Stein is a Pittsburgh area rabbi. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Rabbinic Association.

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draw a connection between Miriam as an exemplar of women and water as life-giving.

The Talmud teaches that when Miriam died, the well that had provided water for the people in the desert disappeared (Ta’anit 9a).

For this reason, many people place a Miriam’s cup filled with water alongside Elijah’s cup on the seder table. Indeed, Miriam is a significant figure in the Bible; her song at the Reed Sea is one of the few examples of active female leadership and participation in the narrative of the Torah.

While Moses and Aaron got to talk to God, it was Miriam who tended to the everyday needs of the people. The complaining against Moses and Aaron can then be seen as the people worrying about how they will live without Miriam to care for them. By commanding Moses to speak to the rock, God was trying to draw the connection between the sometimes obscure aspects of ritual purity (such as the red heifer) and the everyday importance of faith.

With Miriam’s passing, the people will need to take a more active role in taking care of themselves. There is water available if they can but look for it themselves.

In foreshadowing the deaths of Aaron and then Moses, Miriam’s death points to the

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Obituaries ADLER: Barbara Adler , on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, beloved wife of Sheldon Adler; loving mother of Janine Parker (Dave) and Fred Adler (Anne Collopy); sister of Leah Gitter (Pedro Lujan). “Grandma B” to Becca Parker (Derrick Gunther), Michael Parker, Dan Parker, Jon Parker, Claire Adler and Frank Adler. Graveside services and interment were held at Tree of Life Memorial Park. A memorial service will be held on July 15, 2018, time and place to be announced at a later date. Contributions may be made to Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, 614 Dorseyville Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 (aswp.org). schugar.com

Gitchel. Daughter of the late Louis “Dee” and Zelda Sadowsky. Loving bubbi of Elke, Shelby, Evelyn, Sebastian, Sylvia, Ben and Sam. Graveside service and interment was held at Beth Abraham Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Donations may be made to the Jewish National Fund, 78 Randall Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11570 or The Humane Society of the United States, Dept. Memorial Donations, 1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037. schugar.com

CANTOR: Shirley Ann Cantor. Two weeks and a day shy of her 93rd birthday, Shirley Ann Cantor of Pittsburgh passed away on Wednesday, June 13, 2018, following a courageous battle with cancer. Beloved wife of the late Nathan Cantor, a prominent area architect, and mother of the late Elaine Cantor Fischer of Telluride, Colo. She is survived by her son Sheldon Cantor, his wife Lauren and son Theodore of Charlotte, N.C. She is also survived by her brother Wilfred Herrup and his wife Carole of New Bedford, Mass.; her niece Mocha Herrup of Seattle; her nephew Andrew Herrup and his wife Elizabeth Nightingale of Lilongwe, Malawi, Africa; and numerous Herrup, Cantor, and Binder cousins of Pittsburgh and California.

Cantor was born Shirley Ann Herrup in Pittsburgh and was a graduate of Peabody High School. After her marriage to Nathan Cantor, they lived for many years in Stanton Heights. Both avid golfers, they were longtime members of the Green Oaks Country Club. She was active in numerous Jewish and community organizations and a supporter of animal rights and wildlife preservation.

A lifetime member of Women’s American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation and Training), she was a past president of the Pittsburgh chapter. The Cantor/Herrup family would like to acknowledge the compassionate caregivers who tenderly cared for Mrs. Cantor during her residence at the Riverview Apartments and most recently at the Charles Morris Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Services and interment private.

Donations in memory of Shirley can be made to Women’s American ORT, Inc., 250 Park Avenue South, Suite 600, New York, NY 10003 or Adath Jeshurun Cemetery Fund, c/o 217 E. Patty Lane, Monroeville, PA 15146 or another charity of choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com

LUXENBERG: Irene B. Luxenberg died on June 12, 2018, at her home in Boynton Beach, Fla., after a short illness. She was 95. She was born on April 29, 1923, in Clymer. Irene was a lifelong resident of Indiana County.

She lived for 58 of her 68-year marriage in a house in Indiana that she and her husband built. It was designed by her brother, the architect Ezekiel Levinson. She was the youngest and last survivor of eight brothers and sisters. She grew up above the store, Levinson’s in Clymer that was founded by her father Harry Levinson, in 1906 and managed for many years by her husband, David S. Luxenberg, who died on Feb. 12, 2016. In her later years she spent winters in Florida before settling in Boynton Beach nearly 20 years ago. She continued to spend summers in Indiana until recent years. She was a graduate of Clymer High School and the Pennsylvania State University, which she attended during World War II, graduating with a bachelor’s degree on June 21, 1945.

She was a renowned cook and had a lifelong interest in cooking and collecting recipes and was an avid reader and loved classical music.

She was an active member of Beth Israel Synagogue in Indiana and Hadassah. She had three children. Her son, Stanley Luxenberg (spouse Sara), preceded her in death.

She is survived by a daughter, Deborah Luxenberg (spouse Steve) of Takoma Park, Md., and Larry Luxenberg (spouse Frieda) of New City, N.Y. She is also survived by seven grandchildren: Seth (spouse Audrey), Eli, Adina, Daniel and Louis Luxenberg; Stephanie Johnson (spouse Steve) and Alexa Riley (spouse William). Irene was the daughter of Harry and Lena Levinson. Her siblings were Marie Herbst and Hyman, Weldon Ezekiel, Nahum, Bert and Jacob Levinson. A graveside service held at the Oakland Cemetery, , Indiana, Pa. The Rairigh-Bence Funeral Home of Indiana assisted with the service arrangements. Online condolences may be made at rbfh.net. PJC

GITCHEL: Sandra “Sandy” (Sadowsky) Gitchel, on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. Beloved mother of Jeffrey Gitchel, Chaya (Marcelo and Kathryn) Turner and Josh (Nicole)

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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday June 24: Miriam Bachrach, Mollie Harris Beck, Martin Bergad, Major Donald Broida, Anna R. Fried, Sam Ginsburg, Mel Leff, Harold B. Levy, Sarah Litman, Charles J. Loevner, Meyer Melnick, Rose Moritz, Jacob Rosenberg, Irving Siegel, Bessie Sigler, Josephine Silberman, Gertrude Stalinsky, Michael Joseph Wagner, Nathaniel I. Walken Monday June 25: Edythe G. Canter, Maurice L. Caplan, Benno Dreifuss, Pearl Evelovitz, Leah Bernice Glick, Fannie Greenstein, Fannie Griglak, Norman Halpern, Rose Janavitz, Saul Lundy, Verna Goldstein Plung, Beatrice Pollock, Gussie Golda Snyder, Jacob Stern, Gus Whitman, Henry Wolk Tuesday June 26: Mildred Caplan, Harry A. Jaskol, Leah Liberman, Morris M. Markowitz, Bessie Miller, Minnie Shapiro, Paul Sigesmund, Cyril Simon, Bernard Stern Wednesday June 27: Jennie Baker, Emanuel Bucaresky, Shirley Fine, Ben Foster, Saul J. Glick, Regina Goldberg, Rebecca Kaiserman, David Kaplan, Sarah Leebove, Henry Maengen, Louis Perr, Louis Roth, Harry P. Schutte Thursday June 28: Dr. Fredrick Amshel, Anna Barnett, Dorothy F. Caninzun, Sam Choder, Howard Roy Erenstein, Barnet Goldstein, Joseph Greenberger, Ruth Kuperstock, Sarah Ludin, Hyman Martin, Bernard J. Miller, Cecile Oring, Simon A. Oskie, Sidney Posner, Daniel Pretter, David Serrins, Mildred E. Snider, Irwin M. Solow, Joseph Weinberger Friday June 29: Harry Finesod, Freda Leff, Milton G. Lehman, Pvt. Ruben Lipkind, Rose Marcovsky, Marcus Benjamin Nadler, Meyer Spiro Saturday June 30: Leonard Bernstein, Minnie Bonder, Meyer Charapp, Rose Levy Ginsburg, Genevieve Harriet Israel, Ethel Kwall, Bessie Breman Osgood, Myer W. Singer, Eva Coon Solomon, Anna Sarah Stern, Samuel Trachtenberg

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JUNE 22, 2018 19

Headlines Johnstown: Continued from page 2

Westmont, a hilltop town overlooking the city center, has long been the home of most of Johnstown’s Jews. On the town’s main road, Luzerne Street, the original residence of one of the first Jewish inhabitants of the town still stands.

Grandview Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Pennsylvania, contains four Jewish sections, with roughly 1,200 graves in total. Sitting next to the oldest Jewish parcel is the “Unknown Plot,” which contains the remains of 777 unidentified victims of the flood.

Most likely, some of those victims are Jewish.

Around the world, Johnstown’s Jews have

made an impact as well.

The United Jewish Appeal — an umbrella organization that raised money for Jewish settlers in mandate Palestine and, later, in the State of Israel — found Johnstown’s Jews to be particularly philanthropic. From 1945 to 1970, the small community donated nearly half a million dollars to the Appeal.

In fact, the generosity of the community was virtually unparalleled: About .2 percent of all donations to the State of Israel came from Johnstown, despite its relatively miniscule population, according to Rosenberg.

Between 1945 and 1952, Johnstown’s Jews donated at the highest per capita rate of any Jewish community in the United States.

Zionist causes were not the only beneficiary of Johnstown’s munificence: Johnstown itself was in large part propped up by the

money and efforts provided by local Jews.

“Johnstown is far better off because of its Jewish community,” Rudel argued. “The Community Arts Center, Bottle Works [Ethnic Art Center], the children’s museum, the local library, a park in Barnesboro, the train station, have all been created or sustained by members of the Jewish community.”

Participants of the June 14 tour said they came away with a better appreciation for community dynamics.

“It was uplifting to see a beautiful place like that for the people in Johnstown,” said Sil Moritz, who went on the trip. “It looks like a very viable place.”

Shirley Goldstein, who leads a committee that organizes outings from Temple Sinai, said Johnstown was chosen as the destination for the trip because of its “Jewish roots.”

Mission: Continued from page 3

more informed about those issues, particularly when I talk to supporters about that topic.”

To soften the culture shock, said Sara Weinstein, “we had several meetings preparing them with what are parts of the picture that can help them deepen their own understanding. We wanted to give them an appreciation for the centrality of Israel in Jewish life and its meaning on a deeper level in the consciousness of Jews over the centuries.”

Earlier dialogue as well as meetings throughout the mission, including a gathering of CMU and Pitt alumni, offered administrators fresh insights.

“Before going I didn’t understand why people would leave this country and move to Israel.

Some of that is my ethnocentric belief about my own country and some was a lack of understanding of Israel,” said Humphrey. But upon arriving in “Israel and seeing it and hearing it, how so many are able to live in that country, it became very evident how so many people could live there. It was very impactful for me.”

Similarly illuminating was the opportunity to observe on-the-ground relations between Jews and Arabs.

 Program participants hike in the Negev.

Regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, “there are misconceptions about life in Israel and it was helpful for me to be there and see Palestinians and Israelis working together and communicating together in peace,” said Bonner. “We had some really good conversations in Israel that reflected the complexity of it. What I took from my experience

Photo by Nechama Design

was reinforcing the notion that it is really important to seek to understand and learn about the issues you’re passionate about. …

I have always said I am a student, and Israel as it related to the conflict encourages me to keep learning.”

Mory noted that many supporters of CMU have concerns and ideas when it

“It’s in our own backyard,” Goldstein noted. “It’s historic, it’s Jewish.

“There are people … who said to me, ‘Shirley, I’m so glad you’re doing this. I’ve never been to Johnstown,’” she added.

“They’ll go on the Queen Mary, they’ll go to Europe, but they won’t go to [Johnstown].”

Despite the diminishing Jewish presence in Johnstown — down from more than 3 percent of the total population in the 1960s to less than .5 percent today — signs of the community’s influence remain. Flying high above the city, alongside roughly two dozen others, the Israeli flag casts a long shadow on not only Johnstown, but Western Pennsylvania at large. PJC Jonah Berger can be reached at jberger@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

comes to the Middle East. “So even having this brief firsthand glimpse of the situation puts me in a better position to talk about that with them.”

Mory related that on the Friday night of their trip, “we had the great fortune of having a Shabbos dinner on a rooftop in a residence in the Old City of Jerusalem.”

“It was an amazing experience,” recalled Humphrey. “It was Ramadan and in the distance we could hear the chanting of prayers from the [Muslim] community, and in the other direction could see people gathering together for Shabbat prayers and could see people gathering at the Western Wall.

“The juxtaposition of people existing in different ways was truly overpowering,” said Sara Weinstein.

Other activities included a visit to the Achva Tahini and Halva Factory, where the group “saw a community of Israeli Jews and Palestinians and Israeli Arabs working sideby-side and seemingly in good spirits with each other — and like any family, agreeing not to talk politics,” said Mory. The experience “left me hopeful for what might be possible in the future.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Business & Professional Directory AUTOS WANTED

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

HOUSE SALE Sat. June 23 7:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

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JUNE 22, 2018 21

Community Pittsburgh Pride

p From left: Bob Silverman, incoming chair of the Jewish Federation’s Community Relations Council (CRC), joined CRC Assistant Director Laura Cherner, Cindy Goodman-Leib and Director Joshua Sayles before marching in the 2018 EQT Equality March.

p On Sunday, June 10 the Pittsburgh Jewish community — many wearing “Love Is Kosher” T-shirts — joined with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to march in the 2018 EQT Equality March, a parade to support LGBTQ+ equality.

The Federation’s booth on Liberty Avenue provided information about Love Is Kosher merchandise and the organization’s activities.

Photos courtesy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

p Approximately 130 people walked with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in the 2018 EQT Equality March to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. This is the second year the Jewish Federation has marched in the parade.

Squirrel Hill Baseball Division 2 World Series t Players and coaches from the Squirrel Hill Baseball Association gather after the Division 2 World Series on June 10. Although the Giants bested the White Sox two games to none in a three-game series, congratulations to all players on a great season. From left, first row: Sam Pelligrino, Michael Bisno, Zachary Coffey (laying down), Daniel Levy, Zane Schachter, Eli Coffey, Liam McKim, Brian Firman and Ashi Itskowitz; second row: Max Farber, PK Amos-Abanyie, David Dillon, Chaim Silverman, Menachem Moritz, Coby Shaw, Zach Itskowitz, Menachem Silverman, Chezky Rosenfeld, Dovi Brooker, Reuven Bassman, Zalman Brooker and Liebel Hoexter; third row: Tzvi Hoexter and Rami Shaw; last row, coaches: Brian McKim, Irving Firman, Hal Coffey, Rob Itskowitz, Danny Shaw and Marc Itskowitz.

Photo courtesy of Erica Coffey

Throwback Table created by GIFT

p Throwback Table (#TBT) served a kosher meal to Center for Women members to encourage good nutrition, basic kitchen safety, confidence, and recipe building and help foster communication between older and younger generations. #TBT is a project of GIFT (Giving It Forward Together), Leslie Bonci and Lisa Silberg. Photos courtesy of Jewish Association on Aging

22 JUNE 22, 2018

p Itha Cao, owner of The Hungry Cao, Raena Rothman, and Jewish Association on Aging resident Sanford Danovitz at Throwback Table, an intergenerational cooking program created by GIFT that puts youth and seniors together to learn how to cook, with the assistance of professional chefs.

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Community Shabbat with Temple Sinai

On Friday, June 8 Temple Sinai hosted a Shabbat evening service infused with songs from the ’60s and early ’70s that included music by Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Peter, Paul and Mary, Neil Diamond and The Youngbloods. The evening started with a congregational dinner featuring a ’60s-inspired menu.

p From left: John Schiller, Rabbi Keren Gorban, Doug Schiller and Ben Wecht

p From left: Tom Hong, Judy Rulin Mahan, Chuck Mahan, Cantor Laura Berman, Evelyn Pierce and Jeff Kaiserman

p Jacob Epstein

p John Schiller (left) and Ben Wecht

Machers & Shakers

Photos courtesy of Temple Sinai

Yeshiva Girls end-of-year fair

Natalie Daninhirsch, a rising senior at North Allegheny Senior High School, will attend College Break Thru in Chicago, a summer symposium giving performing arts students the opportunity to receive the tools needed to excel in their college auditions. Only 75 of the nation’s high school performing artists were accepted. Natalie attends Pittsburgh CLO Academy and takes private voice and monologue lessons. Some of her roles have included Alice in “Alice in Wonderland,” Ursula in “The Little Mermaid” and Crystal in “Little Shop of Horrors.” Natalie was a former Diller teen fellow and currently serves on the regional board of Keystone Mountain Region BBYO; she previously served two terms as chapter president (N’siah) of the Gesherim chapter. Natalie is the daughter of Michael and Hilary Daninhirsch of McCandless.

Photo courtesy of Hilary Daninhirsch The Jewish Week has named Pittsburgher Bari Weiss, The New York Times staff editor and writer for the Opinion section, as one of “36 Under 36 2018, The Bridge Builders.” The 11th annual collection selected people for being changemakers across divides and edging the Jewish community forward. Weiss was noted for “Writing with Chutzpah.” Weiss is the daughter of Amy and Lou Weiss.

The Yeshiva Girls School held an end-of-year fair that integrated concepts from both religious and secular studies.

t Fourth-grade student Aliza Markelis is demonstrating the difference between conductors and insulators during the study of electricity.

File photo

Photo courtesy of Simone Shapiro

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PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

JUNE 22, 2018 23

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

Visit GiantEagle.com for location information.

Alle Kosher 80% Lean Fresh Ground Beef

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Price effective Thursday, June 21 through Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Available at $' B3-&B LQGG

24 JUNE 22, 2018

and PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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