November 6, 2020 | 19 Cheshvan 5781
Candlelighting 4:52 p.m. | Havdalah 5:52 p.m. | Vol. 63, No. 45 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
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Passersby pause and pray outside Tree of Life on Oct. 27
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL In memoriam
By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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— Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Squirrel Hill branch — was well organized. Bernstein, who got to the polls around 7:30 a.m., was No. 38 in line and waited about 40 minutes to cast her ballot. The process had never taken that long, she said, but she was encouraged to see so many people turn out. “We all have a moral obligation to vote,” said Bernstein. “We’re really blessed to be in a place that we have a say in our elections.” Prior to Election Day, Liz Greenfield, of Squirrel Hill, got a letter saying her polling place had changed. Instead of Maxon Towers on Forbes and Shady avenues, Greenfield was directed to the Sixth Presbyterian Church on Forbes and Murray. Greenfield arrived at the Squirrel Hill church at 6:45 a.m. in order to beat the crowds. With fewer than 10 people ahead of her in line, Greenfield managed to cast
rom morning until dusk on Oct. 27 people quietly came to the Tree of Life building. After arriving with flowers, handwritten cards, painted rocks or other mementos, the steady stream of passersby made a point of pausing at the temporary fence on the corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues. The galvanized steel barricades were a place to rest and deposit items, stand in silence, even pray. Jewish professionals, journalists and volunteers from area congregations and organizations spent prolonged periods at the site where 11 Jews were murdered during Shabbat services two years ago, but the day’s spirit was noticeably different than it was on Oct. 27, 2019. Perhaps because of the pandemic, or that it was a Tuesday — Oct. 27, 2019, fell on a Sunday — the scene outside the building this year was a bit quieter, said Barb Feige, Tree of Life’s executive director. Even without the crowds, Feige was busy welcoming visitors to the outdoor space and answering questions about the congregation’s general state and how its families are doing. “Most of the people who come here don’t need to engage with us,” Feige said. “All they want to do is come and breathe and connect. They stand at the fence barrier and they feel. They just stand there and feel whatever it is they need to feel.” The reasons for coming to the corner were personal, as were the items brought. One individual, during a morning visit, left an empty white plastic pill bottle. Written alongside the prescribing physician’s name — Jerry Rabinowitz, who was among those killed during the 2018 attack — was the message “May his memory be a blessing.” Another individual left a bouquet with a note reading, “Your Christian brothers and sisters have not forgotten you.”
Please see Election, page 14
Please see Passersby, page 14
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Holocaust survivor Fanny Gelernter and her son Steve Gelernter smile after Fanny completed her ballot at the Squirrel Hill JCC. Photo by Adam Reinherz
Long lines, eager voters on Election Day By Adam Reinherz and David Rullo | Staff Writers
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espite long lines and chilly temperatures, Pittsburgh voters eagerly cast ballots in person the morning of Nov. 3, exercising their civic duties and joining nearly 97 million others who had already voted in this historic election. By 7:05 a.m., Sheila Posin, of Squirrel Hill, counted 70 people ahead of her at Shaare Torah Congregation. The line of voters stretched outside, she said. After being called inside and directed to a voting booth, “We were given a pen, a long piece of paper,” she said. “We filled in the dots, like we did back in the day, and slipped it into a ballot-reading machine, and that was the end of the process.” Apart from the crowding indoors, the entire process was “very simple.” Kara Bernstein, of Squirrel Hill, said it was strange to vote on a paper ballot, but noted that the overall experience at her polling place
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