More than 150 Pittsburghers gathered at the Jewish Community Center’s Levinson Hall to remember the 50 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza and to call for their release.
The July 13 “Bring Them Home Now!” rally — sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, StandWithUs and the Pittsburgh-Israeli community — took place 646 days after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that left nearly 1,200 people dead and more than 250 kidnapped. It is believed that just 20 of the hostages still held in Gaza are alive.
Based on those who spoke during the near hour-long rally, the length of time the hostages have remained in Gaza has done nothing to lessen the trauma felt by the Jewish community, and the friends and families of those in captivity.
Julie Paris, StandWithUs’ Mid-Atlantic regional director, opened the rally, speaking of a recent trip she took to Israel, and her time at Hostage Square and the site of the Nova music festival.
Paris recounted meeting with family members of those murdered and held hostage.
“This is a stain on humanity and against the world that has allowed this tragedy to persist,” she said. “We will remember every single one of these 646 days, the 50 precious
souls — mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, friends — that have been held in the suffocating grip of Gaza.”
Paris’ remarks were followed by live and prerecorded messages from several Israelis. Each told the story of a hostage to whom they held a connection.
Yuval Jislin and Idit Ohel both spoke of Alon Ohel — a hostage still held by Hamas who has lost sight in one eye and is in increasing danger of losing sight in his other eye if not released soon.
“I saw the video of Alon’s kidnapping,” Jislin told the crowd. “I couldn’t look at the screen for more than two seconds, but I had to because his mother was staring at the screen without hesitation. If she could, who I am not to look at the video — at the horrific video of her son being dragged by terrorists, by savages.”
In a prerecorded message, Alon Ohel’s mother, Idit Ohel, urged those in attendance to “keep speaking, keep standing with us.”
Pittsburgher Etti Martel, who also is Israeli, said the Jewish community “refuses to forget those who are still waiting. This is a promise that their stories will not be forgotten that their families will not stand alone and that that there will continue to be solidarity until the last hostage is home.”
Gilad Shai, a friend of hostage Tamir Nimrodi, said it’s important to continue
Local rabbis grapple with new IRS decision
By David Rullo | Senior Sta Writer
Anew decision by the IRS allows religious congregations to endorse political candidates.
The new carve out alters the so-called “Johnson Amendment,” enacted in 1954, which prohibits tax-exempt organizations from engaging in political campaigns.
In Pittsburgh, no consensus exists about the impact of the new ruling or what it will mean for synagogue life.
Congregation Beth Shalom Associate Rabbi Mark Goodman called the ruling a “slippery slope.”
“The challenge,” he said, “is that the ruling removes the rug and it’s unclear where things go from here.”
Part of the challenge, Goodman said, is that Jewish spiritual leaders talk about morals and values, which often intersect with politics.
“For instance, if the government does something around immigration, what does Jewish tradition teach about that? I can talk about immigration and LGBTQ rights or the environment from the pulpit, but I wouldn’t necessarily continue by saying, ‘And candidate X is good or bad and that’s why you should vote for candidate X,’” he said.
The new ruling, Goodman said, is dangerous because some religious organizations will become extremely political, which will bring with it “political money,” something that may tip the scales of religious life.
“That leaves synagogues and churches in the position of choosing whether to be political or not, and the potential is that the churches that chose to not be political may choose, accidentally, to be irrelevant,” he said.
Goodman foresees a possible future where rabbis may soon be receiving phone calls from political candidates asking for meetings so they can make a case for an endorsement by the congregation.
“That’s a very weird world I did not
Attendees of the “Bring Them Home Now!” rally hold signs depicting the 50 hostages still held in Gaza by Hamas.
Photo by David Rullo
lordn/Adobe Stock
Headlines
Leafy greens and teamwork help CDS cultivate community
CDS’ Beechwood Boulevard campus excitement is flourishing, too.
in this school who need fresh produce,” she said.
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
School-based growth isn’t limited to classrooms. At Community Day School, the ground is flourishing. Thanks to a partnership with Sunny’s Community Gardens, lettuce, spinach, kale and bok choy are burgeoning, as are copious leafy greens. In time, beets, beans, eggplants and potatoes will be ready for harvest.
Produce is abundant at the Jewish day school; and mere months after 60 volunteers, including those from the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse, a program of The Branch, erected raised metal beds on
“I can’t describe what it’s yielded,” head of school Casey Weiss said of the garden.
Success is driven by strong support and a clear schedule.
On Mondays, volunteers help glean.
Shortly before the 10 a.m. gatherings, Weiss sends a reminder through WhatsApp and social media. Community members then arrive. Volunteers from Sunny’s help tote bag-carrying collectors clip shoots correctly and receive free vegetables.
With master gardener Sandi Lando Welch, 76, at the helm, the experience ensures fair distribution and communal growth.
“I’m helping to feed some of the families
“It’s not obvious to some that in Squirrel Hill, our neighborhood, there are people who are food insecure,” Weiss noted.
Data is scant but some figures point to area needs.
The City of Pittsburgh reports 1 in 5 Pittsburgh residents “struggle to have healthy, adequate and culturally appropriate food.”
Within Allegheny County, 1 in 6 children “may not have enough food,” according to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Welch, whose grandchildren attend CDS, said she’s aware of several families at the Jewish day school who require aid.
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students here are on scholarship,” she said. “I also know that there are some very large families here, and unfortunately, it’s way cheaper to buy crappy food than it is to buy fresh vegetables.”
After meeting Weiss at a challah bake earlier this year, Welch committed to creating a new community garden. Since 2021, she and her organization have constructed three others across Pittsburgh.
Sitting at a soon-to-be treated outdoor picnic table at CDS last week, Welch quickly noted each garden’s success is due to reliable volunteers.
“I have a team, and that’s really important,” she told the Chronicle. “I want them to be recognized for their hard work.”
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p Community Day School students and volunteers from Sunny's Community Gardens gather. Photo courtesy of Community Day School
p Copious crops inside the garden
Photo by Adam Reinherz
Headlines
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
Afamiliar playground is getting a facelift. The Children’s Institute, located on the corner of Shady and Wilkins avenues, announced the start of a “multimillion-dollar” project to create a recreational space for children of all abilities.
Slated to begin construction in the coming weeks, the project will enable students and users of the Squirrel Hill facility to enjoy age-appropriate spaces compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Billi Jo Huffman, chief school administrator at The Day School at The Children’s Institute.
The current play area, which locals affectionately call “The Froggy Park,” due to the site’s inclusion of a large green plastic cover resembling a frog’s face, is due for a remodel.
“Our playground is incredibly old,” Huffman said of the play space, which is situated closer to Northumberland Avenue and Denniston Street on The Children’s Institute campus. “We were running into some problems with equipment breaking and the ground covering separating; it was creating more of an unsafe environment that didn’t allow for all of our individuals to truly benefit from the space that we have out there.”
The new playground will be designed with an awareness that users range in age from 5 to 21, she said. “We really wanted to incorporate everybody’s interest and have something that could increase their opportunity to socialize with their peers, as well as provide age-appropriate play and activities for them to engage in during the course of their time here with us, as well as things that could add some type of therapeutic benefit to their program.”
Established in 1902, The Children’s Institute provides outpatient physical and behavioral health services, as well as those related to education, autism, early intervention and family support.
During fiscal year 2023, the organiza-
uncompensated care, according to tax filings.
Recognition of various constituents drove the playground planning process, Huffman explained.
Conversations involved needs and wants, she said. “Best case scenario, if we had all of the wishes in the world, what could we create?” Ultimately, the decision reached is an “amazing design that provides opportunities for many different ability levels as well as many different age levels.”
Upon completion, the playground will boast climbing areas, stepping stones, swings supporting users with various mobility needs and a designated walking space.
As for the latter, “We have some of our older students that just want to take a stroll, and they just kind of want to walk with their friends and chat with their friends while they’re out on the playground facility,” Huffman said.
While the current playground has a tiered topography, the new area will “be as level as it can be,” she added.
Along with individuals served by The Children’s Institute, “community partners and other organizations will also have rich outdoor learning environment,”
according to a June 25 announcement from the organization.
Rabbi Mordy Rudloph, executive director of Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh, praised The Children’s Institute for adding “one more accessible space for our community to utilize.”
Years ago, before Friendship Circle’s relocation to Murray Avenue and Bartlett Street, the two organizations “used to be neighbors in proximity” he said. “Now we’re community neighbors.”
Please see Playground, page 15
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Photo by Adam Reinherz
Headlines
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
Agenealogical master is treating Pittsburghers to a day of learning. Dan Rottenberg, author of “Finding Our Fathers: A Guidebook to Jewish Genealogy,” will speak at the Heinz History Center’s Rauh Jewish Archives on July 20 at 11 a.m.
The Sunday program, which is also accessible on Zoom, is a chance to hear from a preeminent authority, according to Steve Jaron, president of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh.
Rottenberg’s 1977 book, “Finding Our Fathers,” delivered critical tools for conducting research while introducing various genealogical theories, Jaron, 46, said. “Those of the older generation cut their teeth on his book. He really is considered the father of modern Jewish genealogy.”
Speaking by phone from his office in Center City, Philadelphia, Rottenberg, 83, acknowledged his contributions to the movement and joked how much has changed in the past 50 years.
Unearthing one’s ancestry used to require knowledge of family crests, biblical inscriptions or potential holdings during the American Revolution. Most of those details “didn’t apply to me,” the Jewish writer said. “All I knew was that my ancestors were told, ‘When you see a coat of arms, you run for your life.’”
Rottenberg’s push, he explained, was for Jewish searchers to investigate ship manifests, naturalization records and birth and death certificates.
The investigative tack may seem obvious now — especially with the internet enabling easy means for searching and sharing documents — but the idea was predicated on a belief about peoplehood.
“There aren’t that many Jews in the world,” Rottenberg said. “If you can get us all to trace and exchange our family trees, we are going to learn a lot about each other’s and our own trees.”
There are about 15 million Jewish people worldwide, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel.
The number, which was about 2 million fewer 50 years ago, once seemed staggering; Nowadays “that’s nothing” as computers and social media connect billions of people by the second, Rottenberg said.
The New York City-born author never intended to guide a movement. Writing about genealogy was simply something he needed to do after attending his grandmother’s funeral as a teen.
During the ceremony, Rottenberg noticed four generations in the family plot.
“I found myself copying the names and dates,” he said.
Rottenberg tried scribing a family tree but encountered various difficulties. As years passed, he realized “there was very little in terms of guidance for Jews. I finally
wound up saying, ‘I guess I’ll write a guidebook myself.’”
“Finding Our Fathers” wasn’t Rottenberg’s first foray into writing. The University of Pennsylvania graduate started out as a journalist in daily newspapers before transitioning to magazines, journals and b ooks. As an editor, he oversaw seven publications, most recently Broad Street R eview, an independent cultural arts website he launched in December 2005.
R ottenberg’s other posts included executive editor of Philadelphia Magazine, managing editor of Chicago Journalism Review, a Wall Street Journal reporter and editor of the Commercial-Review, a daily newspaper in Portland, Indiana. Between 1978 and 1997, he wrote an editorial page
column for the Philadelphia Inquirer. His list of publications, apart from 13 books, include more than 300 articles for magazines, including Town & Country, Reader’s Digest, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, Civilization, American Benefactor, Bloomberg Personal Finance, TV Guide, Playboy, Rolling Stone and Chicago.
Something he’s particularly proud of, he said, was a practice he performed throughout the 1970s: recording the richest people in various cities. When Forbes magazine decided in 1981 to begin its “Forbes 400” list of wealthiest Americans “they came to me, and I basically showed them how to do it,” he said.
Whether in genealogy or journalism, Rottenberg has observed considerable change. As much as he traces it, he’s a piece of history as well.
Born in 1942 in Queens and raised on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Rottenberg was bar mitzvahed in 1955 at The Society for the Advancement of Judaism. Officiating his bar mitzvah was Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism.
Rottenberg has plenty of tales to tell but the message he’s hoping to convey is an invitation to his July 20 talk.
Apart from that, “everybody should trace their ancestry,” he said. Doing so is a transformative experience. By undertaking a genealogical search “I am much more aware of my place in the world, and my place as the Jew in the world.”
The author acknowledged that there will always be people who are “critical of genealogy” for various reasons. Still, he said, “I find that when you trace your ancestors, you learn more about yourself, you learn more about history, and you are able to place your ancestors in the context of history. It’s a really personal way to tie yourself into the rest of the world. That’s what makes it so valuable.”
Having some perspective is “what we need right now, or in any era,” he continued. “Most people understand the present, but they don’t understand the past. And yet, we are tied into that, all of us.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Nesta Simone Collins was granted enrollment into Allegheny County’s Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program at a July 11 court hearing.
The non-reporting probationary program is primarily for first-time offenders. It allows those enrolled in ADR to avoid jail time and to have their criminal record expunged after
successfully completing the program. Collins was arrested earlier this year for incidents occurring at an anti-Israel encampment on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus in June 2024. She was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction of law enforcement.
She is the daughter of Chad Collins, a pastor at Valley View Presbyterian Church in Garfield and a national organizer with Friends of Sabeel North America, an organization the Anti-Defamation League has characterized as “a driving force behind various Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions campaigns.”
Collins’ sister, Micaiah Collins, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges including conspiracy to unlawfully make and detonate a firearm. Her co-defendants include Mohamad Hamad and Talya A. Lubit, who were also charged with crimes related to the defacement of Chabad of Squirrel Hill.
At a May 15 hearing, Lubit pled guilty to conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and damaging or defacing
religious property. Hamad and Micaiah Collins are awaiting trial.
Nesta Collins’ ARD requirements include 24 months of probation, paying court costs and 100 hours of community service. She also was barred from having any contact with the University of Pittsburgh while in the program. If she is arrested again while in the program, she is no longer eligible to participate in it. PJC
— David Rullo
p Author, journalist and genealogist Dan Rottenerg is coming to Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of Dan Rottenberg
Headlines
Students become Israel advocates through StandWithUs internships
By Andrew Rich | Sta Writer
StandWithUs, a nonprofit that supports Israel and fights antisemitism, is giving young adults the opportunity to become advocates for the Jewish state through internships.
The Kenneth Leventhal High School Internship for high school students in 11th and 12th grade, and the Emerson Fellowship for college students, are yearlong programs that provide students in the United States and Canada with information and resources to help them advocate for Israel in their communities.
The high school internships begin each August with a training conference in Los Angeles for all the interns in the program, advising them how best to advocate for Israel to their peers. Throughout the year students have one-on-one mentorship meetings with their regional manager.
The high school interns also meet once a month with other interns in their region for an educational seminar. Then, in March, another conference is held in Los Angeles. Students hear from various speakers and build relationships with each other.
Michelle Waksman, the Mid-Atlantic high school regional manager for StandWithUs, supports students as they navigate their internship experiences.
“I get to work with students, staff, administrators and teachers to help people understand Jewish peoplehood and Zionism and Israel,” Waksman said.
The “core of the program,” she explained, is the four educational events the interns are required to lead in their communities.
“Students get to look at their community, see where the gaps are, and then I help them fill it in,” Waksman said.
This central component of the internship for college students is slightly different.
Libby Cohen, the Mid-Atlantic campus regional manager, is helping her interns deal with antisemitism at universities.
“They are tasked with hosting events on campus,” she said, adding that the interns organize three programs each semester related to “educating about Israel or just combating antisemitism.”
These events are left up to the students to plan and coordinate. For example, an intern might organize an Oct. 7 vigil on campus, such as the one planned by Harrison Romero at the University of Pittsburgh.
Romero, a senior political science major at Pitt, recently completed his yearlong Emerson Fellowship.
“It was phenomenal,” Romero said. “I felt like it unlocked a lot more resources … and knowledge on how to approach issues properly, especially delicate topics like Israel or Zionism.”
Being from Erie, Pennsylvania, Romero wasn’t part of a large Jewish community growing up.
“My childhood was more explaining to all my teachers, ‘This is what Rosh Hashanah is. No, you cannot give me a test, no I will not be able to make it for it,’” Romero said.
This only drew Romero closer to his Jewish identity as he grew older, and he has actively sought opportunities to be involved in Jewish life. He was the youth representative to the
board at his synagogue and was also on the board of Chabad at the University of Pittsburgh.
Romero, who has dealt with online hate directed toward him, sees his internship as an opportunity to “set the record straight” when it comes to Israel and antisemitism, he said.
Both the Leventhal High School Interns and Campus Emerson Fellows, including those in the Pittsburgh community, “are not just responding to challenges; they’re actively shaping a brighter future for Jewish students and Israel education,” said Julie Paris, the Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs. “For nearly two decades, these vital programs have empowered young Jewish leaders with the tools, confidence and education to directly combat antisemitism, foster inclusive environments and share accurate narratives about Jewish identity and Israel. These heroic students proactively and responsively dedicate themselves to critical work in their schools and communities.”
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Paris said, the impact of the interns “has been profound.”
“They are leaders amongst their peers, meeting with legislators across the state, leading rallies and vigils, sharing the joys of Jewish American Heritage Month, speaking at Holocaust Remembrance events, fostering interfaith relationships and community through outreach and shared values, bringing top speakers to their schools and campuses, and combating dangerous narratives facing the Jewish community and Israel today.
“By equipping our student leaders to educate their peers and enabling them to engage fellow students through crucial, timely programs and materials, our programs ensure Jewish students feel supported and proud.”
During the upcoming school year, there will be 24 Leventhal High School interns and 14 Emerson Fellows across the Mid-Atlantic region. The interns are hoping to make an impact in their communities. For those students whom the interns are reaching through their advocacy, hearing the information from a peer makes all the difference.
“When it’s your friend, you show up and you care,” Waksman said. “And then we see their friends involved. It’s a really beautiful domino effect.” PJC
Andrew Rich can be reached at arich@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Create your Technology Roadmap
Leventhal intern Miriam Levari at a community vigil in Squirrel Hill, advocating for the release of the Hamas-held hostages
Photo by Jonathan Dvir
Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon.
SUNDAYS, JULY 20–DEC. 28
Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for its Men’s Tefillin Club Services and tefillin are followed by a delicious breakfast and engaging discussions on current events. 8:30 a.m. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com.
Join a lay-led online Parashah study group to discuss the weekly Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/online-parashah.
MONDAYS, JULY 21, 28
Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for Torah and Tea. Learn from three inspirational messages for the three weeks of mourning. 7 p.m. Email caltein@chabadpgh.com for address. chabadpgh.com/tea.
MONDAYS, JULY 21–SEPT. 29
Join the 10.27 Healing Partnership for Roll for Insight: Community-Building Role-Playing Games. Meet every other week to connect and grow with new friends through playing tabletop role-playing games designed to inspire emotional depth. They will use RPGs to explore the intersection of identity, emotional resiliency and games to fight isolation and disconnection, and to meet new people and form friendships. Free. No experience required. 16 and up. 5:30 p.m. Jewish Community Center, 5738 Forbes Ave. 1027healingpartnership. org/rpg-club.
MONDAYS, JULY 21–DEC. 29
Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.
Join Temple Sinai for an evening of mahjong every Monday (except holidays). Whether you are just starting out or have years of experience, you are sure to enjoy the camaraderie and good times as you make new friends or cherish moments with long-term pals. All are welcome. Winners will be awarded Giant Eagle gift cards. All players should have their own mahjong cards. Contact Susan Cohen at susan_k_cohen@yahoo.com if you have questions. $5. templesinaipgh.org.
TUESDAY, JULY 22
Young children and their grown-ups are invited to join Rodef Shalom librarian Sam Siskind for a story in the Biblical Garden, followed by a crafty activity. 1:15 p.m. rodefshalom.org.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23
Join the Jewish Community Center for Dave Wright Defensive Tactics Training for Seniors, a dynamic and confidence-building workshop designed specifically for older adults who want to take charge of their personal safety. In this hands-on session, trained instructors will guide participants through simple, yet e ective, selfdefense techniques tailored to di erent mobility levels. No prior experience needed. 1:30 p.m. Free. 345 Kane Blvd. jewishpgh.org/event/catt-seniors.
WEDNESDAYS, JULY 23–SEPT. 3
Join Rodef Shalom Congregation for Biblical Garden Open Door Tours: free, docent-led tours of the congregation’s Biblical Botanical Garden the first Wednesday of the month. 12:15 PM. 4905 Fifth Avenue. rodefshalom.org/garden.
WEDNESDAYS, JULY 23–DEC. 31
Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torah portion class on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link. Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly
Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/life-text.
THURSDAYS, JULY 24, 31
Are you looking to incorporate mindfulness into your routine and make meaningful connections with others? Join the 10.27 Healing Partnership for Open Morning Meditation. Engage in individual, quiet meditation for approximately 20 minutes, followed by approximately 20 minutes of group reflection, thoughts and warm community-building. Free; all experience levels, no registration required. 8 a.m. Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, 5738 Forbes Ave., Room 316. 1027healingpartnership.org/open-morning-meditation.
FRIDAYS, JULY 25, AUG. 22
Gather in Rodef Shalom’s Biblical Garden for a 20s and 30s Kabbalat Shabbat. Get to know other young Jewish professionals and close out the week with apps, wine and great company. Registration required. 7 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/lateshabbat.
Join Chabad of the South Hills for Baby Loves Shabbat, music and movement for ages 0 to 3. Challah making and Shabbat songs. 3:45 p.m. 1701 Bower Hill Road. chabadsh.com.
MONDAY, JULY 28
Join the Zionist Organization of America for the Kandy Ehrenwerth Memorial Lecture featuring Mitchell Bard presenting “American Colleges and Universities are Selling Out to Middle East Oil Money.” 7 p.m. Free, but reservations are required at pittsburgh@zoa.org. Jewish Community Center of Pittsburgh.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30
Enjoy an hour of nourishment for the mind, body, and soul at Chabad of Squirrel Hill’s Ladies Lunch and Learn. Explore words of the heart for the month of Av. Noon. $18. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com/lunch.
SUNDAY, AUG. 3
Join the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle book club on
Zoom to discuss “Jerusalem: Drawn and Quartered: One Woman’s Year in the Heart of the Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish Quarters of Old Jerusalem,” by Sarah Tuttle-Singer. The author will join us for the meeting. 1 p.m. Advance registration required by emailing drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
TUESDAY, AUG. 5
Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Young Adult Division in recognizing its lay leaders at Jewish Heritage Nightat PNC Park. Come out and bring a guest to celebrate your hard work serving the community over the last year. 5 p.m. $15. jewishpgh.org/ event/jhn-pirates.
FRIDAY, AUG. 8
Women are invited to bake and shape flower challahs at Chabad of Squirrel Hill’s Loaves of Love 10 a.m. $12. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com/lol.
SUNDAY, AUG. 17
Bring a friend and join Hadassah for its Evolve Kick-o event, a fun afternoon of building a new Hadassah presence in Pittsburgh for women in their 20s to 50s. Enjoy a selection of pareve refreshments, learn about Evolve and make new friends. 1 p.m. Address sent with registration. hadassah.org/get-involved/ evolve-young-women.
FRIDAY, AUG. 22
Gather in Rodef Shalom’s Biblical Garden for a 20s and 30s Kabbalat Shabbat. Get to know other young Jewish professionals and close out the week with apps, wine and great company. Registration required. 7 p.m. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/lateshabbat.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 9
Join StandWithUs for its Pittsburgh Community Reception. Speakers and honorees include keynote speaker Luai Ahmed, student honorees Miriam Levari and Harrison Romero, community honoree the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and a conversation with Rona Kaufman. 5:30 p.m. Location given upon registration. standwithus. com/2025-pittsburgh-event. PJC
Author Sarah Tuttle-Singer
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Aug. 3 discussion of “Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered: One Woman’s Year in the Heart of the Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish Quarters of Old Jerusalem,” by Sarah Tuttle-Singer, who will join us for the meeting.
From Amazon.com: “On a night in 1999 when Sarah Tuttle-Singer was barely 18, she was stoned by Palestinian kids just outside one of the gates to the Old City of Jerusalem. In the years that followed, she was terrified to explore the ancient city she so loved. But, sick of living in fear, she has now chosen to live within the Old City’s walls, right at the heart of the four quarters: Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish.
... ‘Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered’ is a book for anyone who’s wondered who really lives in Israel, and how they coexist. It’s a book that skillfully weaves the personal and political, the heartwarming and the heart-stopping. It’s a book that only Sarah Tuttle-Singer can write. The Old City of Jerusalem may be set in stone, but it’s always changing—and these pages capture that. “
Your hosts
Toby Tabachnick, Chronicle editor
David Rullo, Chronicle senior staff writer
How it works
We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, Aug. 3, at 1 p.m.
What to do
Buy: “Jerusalem, Drawn and Quartered.” It is available from online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is also available through the Carnegie Library system.
Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line. We will send you a Zoom link for the discussion meeting. PJC
— Toby Tabachnick
Largest teachers union in the country narrowly votes to sever ties with the ADL
The National Education Association, the United States’ largest teachers union, passed a non-binding measure barring the union from using, endorsing or publicizing any materials from the Anti-Defamation League, JTA reported.
The proposal, supported by a slim majority of NEA delegates present at the union’s 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Oregon, will automatically be referred to its executive committee, which will have a final say on the measure, an NEA spokesperson told Axios.
The measure calls for the union to stop using ADL materials about the Holocaust and antisemitism as well as ADL statistics or programs.
Its practical impact, if ultimately approved, is not clear, because unions typically do not decide on programming and curriculum in schools. But the success of the measure nonetheless offered evidence that the #DroptheADLFromSchools movement, which argues that the organization promotes pro-Israel bias in its materials for schools, had achieved a breakthrough success.
The ADL condemned the vote. “With antisemitism at record high levels, it is profoundly disturbing that a group of NEA activists would brazenly attempt to further isolate their Jewish colleagues and push a radical, antisemitic agenda on students,” an ADL spokesperson told Axios in a statement. “We will not be cowed for supporting Israel, and we will not be deterred from our work reaching millions of students with educational programs every year.”
In 2024, the ADL provided 5 million Jewish and non-Jewish students with educational materials and programs that include content on antisemitism, the Holocaust and Jewish identity, according to the organization’s website.
Deportation filing confirms that Trump officials used Canary Mission list to target students
Newly unsealed court records and trial testimony show that top Trump administration officials relied heavily on Canary Mission, a controversial website that targets pro-Palestinian activists, as part of a secretive effort to deport foreign students and academics from American universities, JTA reported.
The revelations emerged during an ongoing federal lawsuit in Boston brought by the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association, challenging what they call “ideological deportations” that they say violate First Amendment rights. The case is one of the most closely watched challenges to President Donald Trump’s deportation efforts.
A Department of Homeland Security “tiger team” formed in 2019 built dossiers on thousands of noncitizen academics and students by pulling names from a public list of 5,000 individuals compiled by Canary Mission, according to Politico’s reporting on the trial. The site, which publishes profiles of pro-Palestinian activists, often under the accusation of antisemitism, became a primary resource for the team, according to sworn testimony from DHS official Peter Hatch.
Hatch, the assistant director for intelligence at Homeland Security Investigations, testified that more than 75% of the deportation referrals prepared by his unit were based on names first
Today in Israeli History
July 21, 1948 — U.S. opposes stationing troops in Israel
identified through Canary Mission, adding that the information was independently verified before being compiled into official reports, according to Politico.
Google’s Sergey Brin derides UN as ‘transparently antisemitic’ in company chat
Google co-founder Sergey Brin called the United Nations “transparently antisemitic” in an internal forum for employees last week, according to screenshots obtained by the Washington Post, JTA reported.
The comments, which came in response to a recent U.N. report accusing Google of profiting from “the genocide carried out by Israel,” are notable because Brin, one of the richest people in the world with an estimated net worth of $138 billion, has not publicly shared his views on antisemitism, Israel and the war in Gaza.
Brin rarely posts in the forum for staff of the company’s artificial intelligence division but weighed in as workers were debating the recent U.N. report, the Washington Post reported.
“With all due respect, throwing around the term genocide in relation to Gaza is deeply offensive to many Jewish people who have suffered actual genocides,” wrote Brin, who is Jewish and immigrated to the United States with his parents when he was 6 to escape antisemitism in the Soviet Union.
“I would also be careful citing transparently antisemitic organizations like the UN in relation to these issues,” he added.
Brin’s commentary was in response to the recent report by the U.N. special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, who has been regularly accused of anti-Israel and antisemitic bias by pro-Israel groups. Last week, Secretary of State Marco
Rubio announced that the United States would place sanctions on Albanese over her collaboration with the International Criminal Court’s efforts to prosecute Israelis.
Brin left his daily responsibilities at Google in 2019, along with co-founder Larry Page, but returned to help the company’s artificial intelligence efforts following the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in late 2022. Page is also Jewish and also has not commented publicly on Israel or the war in Gaza.
Jewish schools — and their families — poised for windfall under new federal tax-credit program
A sweeping new school choice subsidy and the first of its kind at the federal level is now law, after President Donald Trump signed his tax and spending package known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” JTA reported.
The $1,700 federal tax credit to support private school tuition delivers a long-sought victory to Orthodox Jewish advocacy groups and other religious education proponents.
The subsidy is called Educational Choice for Children Act, and it could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in private school scholarships annually, starting in 2027.
The program offers taxpayers a 100% federal tax credit for donations of up to $1,700 “scholarship-granting organizations” — entities set up to distribute the donations. Those groups, in turn, will disburse funds to help families pay for tuition at private and faith-based schools, including Jewish day schools and yeshivas.
The law does not mandate participation. States will need to elect whether to implement the program. PJC
— Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
July 18, 1999
— Songwriter Meir Ariel dies Folk-rock singersongwriter Meir Ariel, known as the “Man of Words” for his poetic lyrics, dies at 57 of Mediterranean spotted fever. One of his most famous songs is “Jerusalem of Iron,” a response to “Jerusalem of Gold.”
p Meir Ariel’s service as a paratrooper in the battle for Jerusalem in June 1967 inspired his song “Jerusalem of Iron.”
July 19, 1940 — 1st JNF Chairman Max Bodenheimer dies Max Bodenheimer, the first Jewish National Fund chairman, dies five years after immigrating to Jerusalem. Born in Germany in 1865, he attended the First Zionist Congress and became close to Theodor Herzl.
July 20, 1949 — Syria, Israel sign armistice
Israel signs an armistice with Syria, the last of four Arab countries to sign such agreements after the War of Independence. The pact creates three demilitarized zones and a U.N.-staffed buffer zone.
Philip Jessup writes a seven-point memo to Secretary of State George Marshall on why the United States should reject a U.N. request to temporarily station U.S. Marines in Jerusalem as peacekeepers.
July 22, 1939 —
Actress Gila Almagor is born Gila Almagor, the “queen of the Israeli cinema and theater,” is born in Haifa. She makes her debut for Habima at 17 and establishes herself as a leading lady at Tel Aviv’s Cameri Theatre beginning in 1958.
p Gila Almagor, shown in 2016, starred on stage, in film and on television.
By
July 23, 1984 — Israel elects 11th Knesset
Israel holds the 11th Knesset election. Shimon Peres, whose Labor-led Alignment wins 44 of the 120 seats, and Yitzhak Shamir, whose ruling Likud receives 41, agree to create a national unity government.
July 24, 2013 — Sons of former chief rabbis win the positions Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef (Sephardi) and David Lau (Ashkenazi) are elected Israel’s chief rabbis. Yosef’s father, Ovadia Yosef, was chief rabbi from 1973 to 1983. Lau’s father, Yisrael Meir Lau, was chief rabbi from 1993 to 2003. PJC
Mark Neyman, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0
Opinion
Disbelief
Guest Columnist
Sarah Kendis
By now, one has either heard of the extensive sexual violence committed against women in Israel by Hamas, or one has chosen to live under the most apathetic rock. In the never-ending saga of shedding light on this dark day, more evidence of depravity was released on July 8: the Dinah Project. It is an unbelievably tragic yet admirable effort displaying the best of what people — our people — can achieve with empathy and dedication. However, it is also yet another insidious spotlight on the absolute worst to which others can sink when choosing pure evil.
to inflict the maximum amount of physical and emotional pain, but because they thrived off it. They demonstrated the fullest depth of inhumanity possible that day.
Perhaps even worse than the intention of pain inflicted in the moment was their intention to bestow a pain beyond that day. Mass sexual violence is historically used to psychologically defile and humiliate a population — not only the dead, but the survivors and community as well; sexual violence is intended as a double weapon to assault both in the moment and every moment
Each time another piece of violent evidence is released I consider whether this might be the one that makes a difference, though I realize that if one hasn’t already spoken out by this point, there is little that would bring one to do so now. That’s why the release of this report was dismaying for yet another reason: It was not only what we already knew or reasonably suspected, but it was also what everyone else should have already realized and understood this entire time, yet chose to stay silent.
alone by proving that what happened matters. The fact that it had to be meticulously curated shows the timeless double standard of a forever unequal burden of proof. It is a never-ending search for accountability in a world which refuses to offer any, and, sadly, has willingly upheld Hamas’ culminating goal to keep Oct. 7 not just a date in history, but forever alive to retraumatize.
For me, it’s less about what is actually inside of this report. It’s about the necessity of it. To anyone with a pulse, it should beg the question: Why did this have to be released? Why is this still so relevant and necessary to talk about?
The depressingly obvious answer is that though this horror took place 21 months ago, the pain still exists nearly as fresh because it has been largely ignored by the world.
The unimaginable brutality addressed here but unaddressed elsewhere serves as a perfect microcosm for the core of Oct. 7 itself: While the extent of the unthinkably vicious savagery is more than the human, especially female, mind can come to terms with, the unfathomable global denial and ignorance of these painful realities rival the original atrocities. And so this gigantic wound on Israeli women has since scarred over but never fully been allowed to heal.
This sadism against women is arguably both the worst of what was committed that day and the worst that one human can do against another … not only due to the nature of the pain the women endured, but because it reveals the nature of the criminals inflicting it: that they chose this deliberately, as sexual violence is always absolutely unnecessary; and that they wanted to cause the most pain possible, because if destruction and death were the only goals, it would have been simpler to just shoot their victims and burn their homes.
These men decided to commit the most gruesome acts not only because they wanted
Shame on the world for tasking such a small community with the ridiculous onus of having to constantly stress that what these women endured matters.
going forward. In this case, the terrorists not only counted on the painful lack of justice regained due to the fact that they also slaughtered most of their victims; they also clearly banked on the global political temperature and everlasting biases to ensure an ultimate humiliation of never being taken seriously. There is no doubt that their endgame was lasting trauma via antisemitic justification of or overwhelming apathy toward such crimes against our women.
Therefore the worst of what was done that day led to the worst of the ensuing aftermath.
As Sheryl Sandberg posed at the United Nations, are we going to believe the Hamas spokesmen who claim that such violence is forbidden in Islam, and therefore it could not have possibly happened? Or are we going to believe the women whose bodies tell us how they spent the last minutes of their lives?
What we have unfortunately witnessed is that “believe all women” — something always enough for other victimized women — expired that day into a resounding disbelief of Jewish ones in favor of their monstrous abusers … or just disbelief that they mattered at all.
With an overwhelming amount of viscerally overwhelming evidence, now from six categories of sources, there is no argument as to whether enough proof exists for any denier to believe. But proof was never genuinely what was in question — human worth was.
There are two sobering truths that have plainly surfaced during this time. Many people’s public support is contingent upon the political temperature of the victim, and many women’s supposed “feminism” is grossly outshadowed by their stronger antisemitism. So the undeniable age-old reality has been amplified: While crimes and violence against women are typically ignored anyway unless politically useful, crimes against Jewish women sink to the bottom of the barrel, because even after millennia, at best, much of the world unconsciously continues to view Jews as not fully human, and at worst, many consciously deny our humanity outright.
That another report had to be created demonstrates the double burden Jews face regarding crimes against their own — not simply shouldering the burden of the original pain, but having to seek justice
Shame on the world for tasking such a small community with the ridiculous onus of having to constantly stress that what these women endured matters. Shame on the world for forcing the release of horrors in the hope of getting someone else out there to believe that these daughters, sisters or wives are worthy of the same concern as their own. And shame on the world for placing more value on these women’s rapists and executioners than the women themselves.
Although the report’s existence is deeply troubling, its message is still encouraging. It shows that despite the pain due to a world that moved on too soon, Jews are moving forward in a real, active and productive way, taking this surreal tragedy and using it to tangibly assist the future, not just for these women, but for everyone … even those who hate us, as Jewish innovation tends to do. So while I may not have much faith in the rest of the world ever providing us any justice, I will always have faith that our own will do so.
Until the day when the rest of the world chooses to care, we all must keep fighting for the women who were silenced, both by those who stole their lives and those who later deemed their lives unworthy of any voice.
And as these women are no longer able to speak for themselves, it is our collective duty to speak for them and our responsibility to do what they no longer can:
To keep compiling evidence for an uninterested world.
To keep recording and reporting the indescribable.
To keep uplifting the truth about the depths of that day.
And most importantly, to keep being there for our own, because it is clear that no one else will be. PJC
Sarah Kendis is a musician living in Pittsburgh.
When antisemitism hits close to home, partnerships matter
Guest Columnists
Eric Lidji and Emily Loeb
The Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls hosted the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s
traveling exhibit “Americans and the Holocaust” from March 17 through April 28. The exhibit and its associated programming revealed that the Jewish community has many great partners throughout our region. Amid the concerns over the rise of antisemitic incidents locally and nationally, it is heartening to see support from non-Jewish neighbors and allies.
Over two years ago, the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls reached out to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh to help it build context around the traveling exhibition “Americans and the Holocaust.”
The Holocaust Center worked in partnership with the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center to expand the discussion of the Holocaust to include a look at local Jewish life. The Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls was ultimately chosen to receive this exhibit.
“Americans and the Holocaust” is a major exhibition at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the traveling exhibit extends the reach of the story. The traveling exhibit installation, developed in collaboration with the American Library Association, is an accessible story with
engaging graphics and informative videos. It asks the important questions: What did Americans know about the Holocaust as it was unfolding, and what did they do with that knowledge? The exhibit encourages visitors to make connections to current events.
The Holocaust Center and the Rauh Jewish Archives jointly created local panels to accompany the exhibit. Those panels told the story of the Jewish experience in Beaver County going back to the 1850s
Chronicle poll results: Should Trump get a Nobel Peace Prize?
Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an online poll the following question:
“Do you think Donald Trump should be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize?” Of the 633 people who responded, 80% said no; 17% said yes; and 3% said they didn’t know. Comments were submitted by 274 people. A few follow.
Why would anyone who truly understands how little he has actually done — aside from repeatedly making false claims about his supposed contributions to global conflicts — consider giving this man any award, let alone a peace prize?
If it is for the Abraham Accords, yes. I appreciate that he has helped returned some of the hostages. However, the conflicts with Israel/Iran, Israel/Palestine and Russia/ Ukraine are not resolved. So I don’t think his involvement merits the prize.
I think this is laughable. He is a disgrace to Jewish values.
The felon is a negative force toward peace. He should be punished, not rewarded.
Lidji and Loeb: Continued from page
and examined the impact of the Holocaust on western Pennsylvania. The panels encouraged visitors to draw closer connections between global events and their local community.
As part of the traveling exhibition, the Carnegie Free Library of Beaver Falls included a public programming series. The Holocaust Center and the Rauh Jewish Archives worked with Dr. Jeffrey Cole of Geneva College, who has been teaching Holocaust and genocide studies for decades, and other community leaders from Beaver Falls to organize programs showcasing the different ways the Holocaust and antisemitism has affected those living in western Pennsylvania over the decades. Over the course of six weeks, a coalition of Jewish organizations from Pittsburgh brought some of their proven educational programming series to Beaver Falls.
The programming series tapped into the breadth and depth of experience in the local Jewish community. Historian Barbara Burstin drew on her decades of experience teaching about America and the Holocaust to provide deeper insights into the themes of the exhibit.
Why should he get the Nobel Peace Prize? Both wars that he promised to end on day one of his term are still going strong six months later.
Eric Lidji used the records of the Rauh Jewish Archives to localize the themes of the exhibit to Beaver County. A member of the Holocaust Center’s Generations Speakers Bureau shared her parents’ story of survival and had them join via Zoom for a Q&A. The 10.27 Healing
He should be awarded a life sentence in Leavenworth.
He made a mockery of the Presidential Medal of Freedom when he gave it to Rush Limbaugh. Giving Trump the Nobel would delegitimize it for all time.
The Abraham Accords were an historic achievement, something no one dreamed was possible. We have yet to appreciate the full implications of these accords.
It would be farcical if the award were bestowed upon the man who reviles domestic peace, the man who has done more than anyone else to divide us, to instill hatred and to stimulate violence. The Nobel Committee would suffer a permanent loss of credibility.
No, but Obama didn’t deserve a Nobel Peace Prize either. It’s all political, not merit-based.
The Jews in the U.S., Israel and worldwide have no better friend, partner and protector than President Donald J. Trump! May God bless and protect him always.
For what? He’s a danger to the world. Not a force for peace.
Absolutely not! A Nobel Peace Prize for someone who has made the world a more dangerous, worse, place would be a farce.
The Nobel Peace Prize should only be awarded to those whose deeds are selfless. I believe Donald Trump’s motivations for the Abraham Accords are more selfserving (plenty of lucrative real estate deals to be made in the larger MENA region) than selfless.
Where is the peace?
When hell freezes over ... and even that’s too soon. PJC
— Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Chronicle weekly poll question: Following the IRS’ decision allowing clergy to endorse political candidates, do you think rabbis should do so from the pulpit? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC
Partnership arranged a panel of its REACH speakers, those who most impacted by the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, to share their stories. Classrooms Without Borders presented information about its experiential trips for students and educators.
These programs were well attended, bringing more than 400 people from diverse backgrounds, and attendees ranged in age from 20 to 80. The attendees asked thoughtful and sensitive questions.
What is the value of these partnerships?
During the run of the exhibit, news broke: Red swastikas were spray painted
onto a building in the small town of Beaver, one town over from Beaver Falls. While the vandalism appeared to be unconnected to the exhibit, it demonstrated the ongoing relevance of studying this history and its impact on present-day communities.
In the days following the news, partners in Beaver Falls were sympathetic and responsive. Community members publicly expressed outrage. The incident provided opportunities for security officials in the Jewish community to create stronger relationships with Beaver County law enforcement. A few days after, nearly 150 people attended the program to learn about how the Holocaust affected real people and asked what they could do now to make a difference.
We are not naïve. We, too, feel afraid when
news breaks of another violent attack against Jews. We know there are no quick fixes for antisemitism. We are grateful to be part of a community of organizations working to dismantle antisemitism and all forms of identity-based hate.
We believe that one of the most effective ways to break down barriers and ultimately dismantle antisemitism is through relationships. The response to blatant antisemitism by our friends in Beaver Falls shows the power of humanizing the issue and working together to confront identity-based hate of all kinds. The Holocaust Center, which is a program of The Tree of Life, and the Rauh Jewish Archives have been collaborating on new approaches to engage communities throughout western Pennsylvania — teaching about the Holocaust, the history of Jewish life in each community and antisemitism. Our recent experience in Beaver Falls gives us hope that this approach can have a real and lasting impact. PJC
Eric Lidji is the director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center. Emily Loeb is the director of Programs & Education at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh.
Headlines
Vigil:
Continued from page 1
to do everything possible to bring all the hostages home.
Karmiel resident Ben Bechar spoke in memory of his friend Sgan Yaakov Ilian. The two went through basic training as IDF soldiers together.
“Everything he did was marked by humility and kindness,” Bechar said.
Local Pittsburgh spiritual leaders Rabbis Aaron Bison and Yitzi Genack, and Rebbetzin Chani Altein offered prayers for the state of Israel, the hostages and a Tehillim reading.
Rona Kaufman, Duquesne University associate professor of law, and Jennifer Murtazashvili, University of Pittsburgh professor and director of its Center for Governance and Markets, also addressed the crowd.
Kaufman recently returned from India and Israel, and Murtazashvili has received a Fulbright scholarship to serve as a distinguished scholar at Tel Aviv University.
“We are here because we understand and are faithful to the Jewish principle: ‘All Jews are responsible for one another,’” Kaufman said. “We do not abandon one another in times of peace and prosperity and celebration, even more so in times of war and capture and rising antisemitism. We show up, and by showing up lighten the loads of those who are suffering so acutely at the moment.”
Murtazashvili said that despite the
IRS:
Continued from page 1
anticipate in my career,” he said. “And, if I say no, and the guy down the street says yes, then I’m irrelevant and that congregation is irrelevant or they’re going to get a donation and I’m not going to get a donation.”
In a d’var Torah delivered shortly after the decision was made public, Temple Emanuel of South Hill’s Rabbi Aaron Meyer expressed concern about the IRS’ new ruling.
A place of worship, he said, is a “large tent” in which not everyone agrees.
“My using your valuable time at a temple program or service to tell you whom to vote for won’t make our tent stronger or our community cohesion greater,” he said.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Meyer said that even if Temple Emanuel congregants agree with 99% of his values, “we may disagree on individual candidates who we see as being the most likely to bring the most values to bear, or have different lines where we’re unwilling to compromise.”
Meyer doesn’t see a potential positive on the horizon.
“I don’t see a future where endorsing political candidates would be good for the Temple Emanuel community,” he said.
Without clear IRS boundaries, he said, legal clarity and good policy run the risk of being replaced with communal tensions as “congregants, donors, board members and staff try to force Temple into positions that diminish the size of our tent.”
He, too, worries about campaign finance, noting that donations to religious organizations are not reported to the IRS in the way donations to political campaigns or 501(c)4
antisemitism that has surged since Oct. 7, she hopes the community created in its aftermath stays united.
“That this light that we created out of this incredible darkness shines a light on our children, on this city and our future, not just until the release of the hostages happens but for years and years to come,” she said.
that there are people that have been in hell for almost two years.”
He said that considering what Israel has accomplished against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, the possibility of “true peace” exists once the hostages are returned.
“It’s heartbreaking for the families,” Fetterman said. “That’s why it’s so frustrating
“Over the past two years, we’ve learned that many who once claimed to stand with us vanished when it became politically inconvenient. So, we show up — for ourselves, for our people and for the hostages — because no one else will do it for us.”
–KAREN GAL-OR
The rally concluded with the singing of the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “Hatikvah,” led by Jeff Pollock.
Elected officials, including Sen. John Fetterman, Allegheny County Councilmember Bob Macey and Edgewood Borough Councilmember Bhavini Patel, also attended the rally.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Fetterman said it was important to continue to hold rallies for the hostages because “it’s been nearly two years in hell. I can’t forget
that the media has almost normalized this. There’s no moral outrage that they’re keeping human beings, as if it’s a legitimate negotiation tactic.”
Rally attendee David Knoll, chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, said the release of the hostages would bring a sense of closure to their families, as well as to the Jewish community.
The world shouldn’t forget their suffering, he said.
organizations are, creating untraceable streams of dollars that may now be funneled into political campaigns.
The potential for political fissure exists, he said — not only as congregations of different political persuasions endorse candidates, but also within individual congregations.
“Who makes the decision to endorse a candidate. Is it the boards of trustees, separate from the staff? Is the staff separate from the lay leadership? Does an influential donor hold sway at a time when synagogues are challenged for financial resources?” he asked. “I see only division rather than gains.”
Meyer’s congregation is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism; the Religious Action Committee, a 501(c)3 organization, is that organization’s political lobbying arm. RAC released a statement saying it was “deeply alarmed” by the IRS’ decision.
“This decision further weakens campaign
“They’re living in deplorable conditions. They’re experiencing psychological warfare. They’re malnourished. They’re being held in chains.”
Karen Gal-Or said rallies such as Sunday’s are an important means for community members to take care of one another.
“Over the past two years, we’ve learned that many who once claimed to stand with us vanished when it became politically inconvenient,” she said. “So, we show up — for ourselves, for our people and for the hostages — because no one else will do it for us.”
The community, Gal-Or said, must continue to tell the hostages’ stories, say their names and keep them in the public eye.
“If we don’t, who will?” she said. “We do it to give their families even the smallest comfort that they are not alone. We do it to remind elected officials who might look away that we are still watching.”
The support of those, like Fetterman, who stand with the Jewish community matters deeply and isn’t taken for granted, Gal-Or said.
“These gatherings give us a space to process our grief and draw strength from one another,” she continued, “but they also help others begin to understand how close this really is to home —and they serve as a reminder that the hostages are still there, still waiting, and must not be forgotten.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
church and state,” Bisno said. “The fact is, the separation is one direction — that is to say, government should not be involved in religion and not legislate [that] religion has something to say to the body politic.”
The ruling, he said, most likely returns the country to a state of affairs that’s more in keeping with how the separation of church and state was originally envisioned.
“It may make our job more challenging as clergy rabbis, but it doesn’t actually change what I believe most rabbis will choose to share when they teach Torah or preach from the pulpit,” Bisno said. “Government should not be involved in telling us what we can and can’t say from the pulpit. From there, we need to use our best discretion and judgment.”
finance laws, raising the prospect of political donors contributing to houses of worship to support such partisan purposes and obtaining a tax deduction for such ‘contributions,’”
the RAC wrote.
The policy, it said, “risks dividing congregations and alienating those supporting different parties or candidates, thereby threatening the congregation’s status as a place where all feel welcome, rooted in faith teachings and transcending partisanship.”
It called on Congress to reverse what it termed a “misguided policy.”
Reform congregation Temple Ohav Shalom’s Rabbi Aaron Bisno said he doesn’t like the change, noting that religion and politics are two “non-overlapping magisteria,” a phrase he credits to American paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould. Still, he said, it’s important to understand the role of the government and religion.
“We like to believe in the separation of
Meyer, too, sees the decision as potentially removing the firewall between church and state, something he said that might not be good for the Jewish community in a primarily Christian country.
“Removing bricks from that firewall destabilized the position of non-majority religions in America in a way that is deeply troubling, for when that boundary has blurred in the past, it has not been good for Jews,” he said.
As the issues play out over time and across synagogues, Chabad of Squirrel Hill’s Rabbi Yisroel Altein said he prefers to concentrate on the Jewish community.
“Chabad will continue to be a place where Jews of all political viewpoints can find deeper engagement in Jewish life and ritual,” he said. “We don’t talk politics because we want to be a place where all Jews feel welcome.” PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Photo by Stephen Barnes courtesy of iStock
Team Pittsburgh Introducing
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JCC Maccabi Team Pittsburgh 2025
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Daniela Tacher 17u Softball
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Lia Carasso 17u Softball
Liam Glick 15u Boys Baseball
Liam Rosenberg Tennis
Lilly Shevitz 17u Girls Soccer
Lily Neiman 17u Girls Soccer
Lior Levran 17u Softball
Liora Blitstein 17u Girls Soccer
Lital Friedman 15u Girls Basketball
Logan Prouty 17u Boys Soccer
Lucas Shriber 15u Boys Basketball
Lydia Gordon 17u Softball
Mackenzie Pope 17u Basketball
Madeline Feinman Star Reporter
Madison Harinstein 15u Girls Basketball
Marissa Steiman 15u Girls Basketball
Mason Jones 15u Baseball
Matthew Kossis 17u Boys Basketball
Matthew Lappen Swimming
Max Freedman 15u Boys Basketball
Max Gordon 15u 3x3 Basketball
Maya Goldstein Tennis Meirav Hanssen 17u Softball
Miles Bluman 17u Boys Basketball
Milli TeneFreivald 17u Volleyball
Nadav Horovitz 15u Boys Basketball
Natalie Corbin 17u Girls Soccer
Nathan Whitlatch 17u Boys Soccer
Nathan Goldberg 15u Hockey
Nicolas Cohen 17u Boys Basketball
Noah Cline 17u Boys Basketball
Noah Codner 17u Softball
Ofri Ben Shalom 17u Softball
Omri Einav 15u Boys Basketball
Omri Regev 17u Baseball
Ravi Stranger Tennis
Rooney Kirk 15u Boys Basketball
Rufino Mello 15u 3x3 Basketball
Samuel Nicotra 17u Boys Basketball
Samuel Rutherford 15u Boys Soccer
Sarey Winston Dance
Sasha Svoboda 17u Girls Soccer
Scott Harinstein Track Seraphim Hershman 17u Softball
Shoshana Graver 17u Girls Soccer
Simon Braver Track
Solomon Donner Star Reporter
Sophie Kaminsky 15u Girls Basketball
Sophie Khan Track Stav Vollach 17u Softball
Sulha Moritz Track Sviatoslav Dolinski 15u Boys Soccer
Sylvie Bails 17u Girls Soccer
Talia Block 15u Girls Basketball
Talia Sampson 15u Girls Basketball
Tamar Schweitzer 17u Softball
Thomas Levine 17u Boys Soccer
Vienna Eisinger 17u Softball
Yeela Pereman 17u Softball
Yoav Avraham Rakedzon 17u Baseball
Zachary Itskowitz 15u Baseball
Zachary Balk 17u Boys Soccer
Zachary Coffey 17u Boys Basketball
Zachary Gelman Tennis
Zachary Karabin 15u Baseball
Zachary Morgenstern 15u Baseball
Zachary Shriber 15u Boys Basketball Zakary Goldstein 15u 3x3 Basketball
Zane Schachter 17u Boys Basketball
pictured:
Hadas Ben Yehuda 17u Softball
Maayan Baran 17u Softball
Yael Shalmon Tennis
Headlines
Former Israeli PM rebuts Tucker Carlson’s claim that Jeffrey Epstein worked for Mossad
prominent online personalities such as Tucker Carlson pretending they know things they don’t.”
By Grace Gilson | JTA
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett shot back at claims by rightwing pundit Tucker Carlson that the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had been working for Israel as part of a blackmail operation.
“As a former Israeli Prime Minister, with the Mossad having reported directly to me, I say to you with 100% certainty: The accusation that Jeffrey Epstein somehow worked for Israel or the Mossad running a blackmail ring is categorically and totally false,” wrote Bennett in a post on X Monday.
“Epstein’s conduct, both the criminal and the merely despicable, had nothing whatsoever to do with the Mossad or the State of Israel. Epstein never worked for the Mossad,” Bennett continued. “This accusation is a lie being peddled by
Garden:
Bennett’s post on Monday morning came amid a surge in tensions over Epstein, who allegedly ran an international sex trafficking ring, within President Donald Trump’s MAGA base, ignited last week after the Department of Justice concluded that Epstein did not maintain a client list. That marked a sharp reversal of Trump’s campaign promise to reveal the sex offender’s clientele.
On Friday, Carlson raised the Epstein issue during a speech at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit, posing what he said was the real question about Epstein: “Why was he doing this, on whose behalf, and where was the money coming from?”
Later, Carlson answered his own question, stating that it was “extremely obvious” that Epstein “had direct connections to a foreign government” — Israel.
“Now, no one’s allowed to say that foreign
Continued from page 2
Weiss also happily credited others with cultivating the new space. She applauded Clubhouse members for maintaining four beds, individuals from CDS’ green team with improving campus life, and Welch and other Sunny’s volunteers for helping realize a shared vision.
“One of my goals is to make CDS a hub of Jewish communal life in Pittsburgh,” Weiss said.
Doing so, according to the educator, means tapping various elements on campus for experiential opportunities. Construction is currently underway in the school’s will boast cooking events for students,
Playground:
government is Israel, because we’ve been somehow cowed into thinking that that’s naughty,” Carlson said. “There is nothing wrong with saying that, there’s nothing hateful about saying that, there’s nothing antisemitic about saying that — there’s nothing even anti-Israel about saying that!”
Carlson has long faced allegations of antisemitism, including over his promotion of white supremacist ideas while on Fox News and his hosting of a Holocaust denier on his X stream last year.
More recently, he has been at the vanguard of a different divide within the MAGA movement over foreign policy, centering on Israel. Carlson and others heavily criticized Trump’s decision to join Israel’s military offensive against Iran’s nuclear program, with Carlson accusing Trump of being “complicit” in Israel’s “act of war.”
Bennett associated Carlson’s comments about Epstein to other misinformation that spreads about Israel.
Continued from page 3
“The Children’s Institute serves a very special role in our community,” Rudolph continued. “As part of our development and growth, we have been able to look to what they do and try to complement it.” Creating a new ADA-accessible space that allows children of all abilities to thrive is something Friendship Circle is “honored to support.”
Whereas community members have long utilized The Children Institute’s playground for after- school activities or Shabbat afternoon hangouts, such gatherings are not guaranteed in the days ahead.
“I’m not 100% sure if it will continue the way that it has over the past or if there will be some changes,” Huffman said. “Our number one priority is making sure that our individuals that we serve are safe — and they have a space that will keep them safe — and they’ll be able to have fun in the playground
“I have a team, and that’s really important. I want them to be recognized for their hard work.”
–SANDI LANDO WELCH
families and community members. Outside, in the garden, CDS already has hosted a
space. But we also have a lot of community partners that we have worked with in the past, so there may be some opportunities there.”
“As pioneers in creating one of Pittsburgh’s
first accessible play areas, we remain committed to providing exceptional and accessible facilities for the children, families and communities we serve,” Barry Shepard, interim CEO of The Children’s Institute, said
“They just make things up, say it with confidence and these lies stick, because it’s Israel,” he wrote in the post on X. “There’s a vicious wave of slander and lies against my country and my people, and we just won’t take it anymore.”
Conspiracy theories about Epstein, who was Jewish, having connections to the Israeli government have been widespread since his arrest in 2019 and subsequent suicide in his jail cell. Epstein had ties to several Israeli and Jewish individuals during his alleged crimes, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak who was frequently spotted leaving Epstein’s New York apartment.
According to a private calendar of Epstein’s recovered in 2023, the disgraced financier and child sexual abuser also allegedly met with other prominent Jews including linguist and left-wing activist Noam Chomsky, the longtime Bard College president Leon Botstein and the filmmaker Woody Allen. PJC
birdhouse making event. Up next in the open-air stretch is a popsicle bonanza for middle school students. Then, a Zumba class.
“We’re going to consistently be doing activities here,” Weiss said.
Before standing to greet a group of student volunteers, Welch called herself the “chief dirt digger.”
Weiss, who just completed her first year leading CDS, is also busy dirtying her hands.
It’s summer now, but “there’s no break in community,” she said. “Gardening is just this beautiful extension of what we’re trying to do, which again is build community.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
in a prepared statement. “This innovative learning space marks a significant step forward in our 123-year mission to provide best-in-class care.”
Costs for the remodel were not released, though Huffman called it a “multimilliondollar” endeavor. “We have had some donations and some significant donations from area families that have worked with us in the past.”
The takeaway, Huffman said, is “just the ability for all of the students that I serve here in The Day School [to] have the same opportunity to engage in meaningful social play activities while they’re here within our program. It’s really providing an opportunity without limitations and restrictions, regardless of their ability levels.”
A community ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for spring 2026. PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Sandi Lando Welch stands near the gardens at Community Day School.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
p Aerial view of proposed playground Rendering of proposed playground provided by The Children's Institute
Life & Culture
By Jordan Hoffman
NEW YORK — The world’s in a bit of a mess right now, if you haven’t noticed, and I would surmise we’ve all felt some increased psychological strain. (Congratulations to me for the under statement of the year.) Luckily, emotional rejuvenation can occasionally be found by entering an air-conditioned movie theater on a hot day, eating an unseemly amount of buttered popcorn, and watching a mindless movie with dazzling special effects, broad jokes, simple heroes and villains, and a cheerful conclusion.
I am happy to report that the newest Superman movie (simply called “Superman”) fits this bill nicely.
The DC Comics adaptation — nowhere as epic and robust as the 1978 picture starring Christopher Reeve — is not intellectu ally taxing in the slightest, but it is clever and buoyant and good for either a family outing or if you want to fib at work, say you have a dental appointment, and hope no one recognizes you if you slip into the cinema by yourself.
The legend of Superman has been around
assumes you know who the guy is, where he came from and what he wants to achieve. We witness no origin (in which he is sent, like an interplanetary Moses, from the doomed planet of Krypton) and trudge through no
Superman is, of course, American pop culture’s most famous immigrant, and the U.S. government’s distrust of him is a constant source of conflict. The film’s release just a week or so after Congress passed Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” packed with a $100 billion increase in spending for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is a coincidence that could not be more fitting. The movie’s perspective is far from subtle in rejecting the Trump
The plot of “Superman” begins when (off-screen) the Man of Steel prevents the somewhat Russian-like nation of Boravia from invading the somewhat Pakistani or maybe Iranian-like nation of Jarhanpur. Even though Boravia is technically a U.S. ally — and Superman’s loyalty is to the nation that adopted him — he uses his interventionist might to prevent the hostile action. He bashes tanks, harming no one, but saves lives. Sure, he admits, the Jarhanpur nation has never been the best friend to the United States, and the Boravian propaganda machine said they hoped to liberate the county from rotten leaders, but innocent people were going to die — and the government was going to let it happen.
Kent, a mild-mannered reporter in the city of Metropolis). Watching early scenes in which he and his gal pal Lois Lane kibbitz over dinner feels like checking in on a television series you used to watch, but haven’t been paying attention to in a few years. That’s a risky way to make a major franchise film, but writer-director James Gunn has bet wisely. Everyone knows the score here, so let’s get to the action — bring on the madcap villains, whacked-out sci-fi concepts, fight scenes and zingy banter.
This version of Superman would likely be called “chaotic good” by those who play Dungeons & Dragons (the only people nerdier than readers of “Superman” comics), and that certainly is a bold position for a mainstream blockbuster.
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The latest iteration of Kal-El — the Last Son of Krypton, nourished by the yellow sun of Earth, and transformed into Superman — is played with a dashing, bright warmth by David Corenswet, a relative newcomer to mainstream entertainment and, sound the trumpets, a Jew! (Fellow reporter Lois Lane is played with sparkle and wit by Rachel Brosnahan, not Jewish, but the star of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” so this pretty much gets her in the club.)
Superman himself has long been, to quote the great rabbinical scholar Walter Sobchak, “as Jewish as f–ing Tevye.” Beyond the Hebraic name Kal-El (Light or Voice of God), his Moses-like space capsule, Krypton being a stand-in for a post-pogrom Pale of Settlement, and the fact that a physical manifestation of the Old Country, Kryptonite, threatens to expose someone assimilated into American culture, the character was created by two second-generation Jewish-Americans living in Cleveland reacting to antisemitism. There are also other soft indicators of the character’s heimish qualities. (He worships his mother, for example.)
But do the character’s Jewish roots or actor Corenswet’s background factor into the storytelling in this new adventure? No, not really. There aren’t any subtle winks that I picked up on, which was a smidge disappointing, but perhaps to be expected. There are, however, ample parallels to important current events.
There isn’t, however, a one-to-one comparison with current American foreign policy in the story. Confronting Boravia feels like standing up to Vladimir Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, but taking unilateral military action in defense of Jarhanpur feels a bit like Trump’s recent strike against Iran. It’s a little bit complex. Gosh, not even superhero movies can be black-andwhite these days!
Thankfully, the movie is not all ripped from the headlines. A lot of it is goofy comic book fun, like when a giant eyeball attacks Metropolis or when countless trained monkeys are deployed by the malicious Lex Luthor to say nasty things about Superman on social media. (James Gunn is a longtime veteran of fantasy films, and is the mind behind the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy at Marvel, DC’s primary competitor.)
Hopefully, this all comes across as rather positive. But I do want to reiterate that this is a lightweight and somewhat frothy approach to a character that, in its last version, Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” and its follow-ups, was very serious, brooding, and dark. Some viewers may come away feeling this picture lacks a certain amount of heft, and they won’t exactly be wrong. Even with its zippy, thrilling action-adventure sequences, those on a budget ought not to feel they are missing out on too much if they wait a few months and watch this via streaming.
But for those holding out for a hero, and who need a jolt of truth, justice, and the American way, this is a strong summer treat. PJC
p David Corenswet in “Superman”
Photo courtesy Warner Bros. Discovery via The Times of Israel
Life & Culture
Savoring stories: Flip’s almost famous gazpacho
By Suzan Hauptman | Special to the Chronicle
Iwas not able to spend a lot of time with my mother-in-law, Flip (her nickname) Hauptman. She grew up and lived all of her 92 years in and around central New Jersey. I was married to my husband for less than 10 years when she passed away. Her 5-foot-2-inch frame was deceiving. She was a spitfire! She showed so much love to her family through her constant presence at her granddaughter Lexi’s performances, having her granddaughter Renie cut and style her hair, displaying her son-in-law’s art proudly around the house, babysitting her granddogs Georgie and Max, talking to each of her children on the phone regardless of where they were in the world, talking politics and sharing stories with any group of people — and certainly cooking and creating recipes.
When my husband and I were dating, and he was still living in New Jersey, he would go to his parents’ home every Wednesday to help with things around the house, and sit and chat with them over dinner. Because of my father-in-law’s heart disease, Flip made
very health-conscious meals — ending with watermelon for dessert! My husband’s favorite meal was Flip’s gazpacho.
When visiting with her several years prior to her passing, I asked if she would mind sharing the recipe with me. She was very proud of this recipe and was excited to share it. Now I get to share it with you!
This soup is delicious on a hot summer night sitting on the porch after a few mojitos, margaritas or a tall glass of lemonade. The
fresh veggies make this recipe vibrant — you could say it tastes like summer!
Ingredients:
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and cut up
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut up
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut up
1 large celery rib, cut up
1 large carrot, peeled and cut up
1 medium onion, peeled and cut up
3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut up
2 tomatoes, cut up
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 46-ounce can tomato juice
Ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Oregano, to taste
Basil, to taste
Olive oil, to taste
Lime, optional
Instructions:
• Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
• Blend, but keep a little chunky.
• Top with lime, olive oil, salt and pepper to serve.
The only lasagna recipe you will ever need
Lasagna | Dairy
Yield: 1 lasagna, approximately 12 pieces
1 onion, diced
By Miriam Szokovski | Chabad.org
Iknow “the only lasagna recipe you’ll ever need” is a tall claim, but it has been unanimously voted best lasagna by everyone who’s tried it, so I’m sticking with it
It does have more steps than a lot of other recipes, so it’s not the recipe to choose when you’re in a hurry, but it’s those extra steps that add stacks of flavor and make this so worthwhile.
A few tips:
Grate your own cheese. Just do it. Buy a block and grate it yourself. It’s soft and shreds easily, and it does make a difference. The pre-shredded stuff comes coated with powder to prevent it from sticking together in the packet, but that also prevents it from melting properly.
Use a real pan. Glass or ceramic. Yes, it will still be good in a disposable foil tin, but it will be much better in a pan that conducts heat well. It cooks better and more evenly.
Do not replace the ricotta with cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is ricotta’s limp and wimpy younger cousin. We don’t want that now, do we?
2 tablespoons oil
Salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 carrots, peeled and grated
3 stalks of celery, peeled and very finely sliced
8 ounces fresh spinach
4 cups marinara sauce
1 pound ricotta cheese
8 ounces muenster cheese, shredded
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
12 lasagna noodles (not the oven-ready ones)
Soak the lasagna noodles in warm water. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook it down until wilted. Add the garlic and the fresh spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted.
Season with salt as you go along, adding a sprinkle with each add-in. Mix the sautéed vegetables with the ricotta cheese. Set aside.
Layer 1: Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce across the bottom of the pan. Place three noodles on top. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and sprinkle half of the muenster cheese on top.
Layer 2: Place 3 lasagna noodles on top of the ricotta. Top it with 1½ cups of marinara
Notes:
1. You can keep some of the vegetables out of the processor to make it a bit chunkier. I like to prepare extra cucumber and throw a few larger pieces into the soup once it is blended.
2. You can vary the amount of any vegetable to your preferences.
3. You may find that you don’t use the entire can of tomato juice. It will depend on how thick you would like the soup.
4. You also can garnish with sour cream. Otherwise, this is a terrific pareve dish. PJC
This recipe is included in Suzan Hauptman’s “The Cabin Cookbook: A collection of cozy recipes when you have all day or just a few minutes,” available on Amazon.com.
Do you have a tried-and-true dish that comes with an interesting origin story? If so, we want to hear from you! Submit recipes along with their backstories to newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org, and write “Recipe” in the subject line. Please include a photo of the dish. You may see your submission as part of our column “Savoring Stories”!
and the remaining half of the muenster cheese.
Layer 4: Place the last three noodles. Cover it with 1½ cups of marinara and the remaining mozzarella.
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Pour 1 cup of water around the edges of the lasagna. Cover it tightly with foil and bake it for approximately 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Uncover the lasagna and bake it for another 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting. PJC Miriam Szokovski is a writer, editor and member of the Chabad.org editorial team.
p Flip’s almost famous gazpacho
Photo by Suzan Hauptman
p Lasagna slice
Photo by Miriam Szokovski
Business & Professional Directory
Daily connection: The meaning of the Tamid offering in our lives
In this week’s Torah portion we learn about the Korban Tamid. Back in the days of the Temple in Jerusalem, this special offering was brought every morning and afternoon. Unlike other sacrifices — some of which were partly eaten by the person who brought them — the Tamid was entirely burned, completely dedicated to G-d.
we need, at its core, it’s about connection. It’s a moment of reflection, of checking in: How am I doing in my relationship with G-d?
Like any relationship, that connection thrives on consistency. That’s why the Tamid was offered every single day — on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, and also on the most ordinary weekday. It was a daily reminder: No matter what kind of day we’re having — sacred or stressful — we can bring a part of ourselves and strengthen our bond with something higher.
While many think of prayer as a time to ask for what we need, at its core, it’s about connection.
The Talmud teaches that today, in the absence of the Temple, our daily prayers take the place of those offerings. The morning (Shacharit) and afternoon (Mincha) prayers were established specifically to mirror the Tamid
The word korban — often translated as “sacrifice” — actually comes from the Hebrew root karov , meaning “to come close.” A real korban isn’t about giving something up; it’s about creating closeness. And the Tamid teaches us a powerful kind of closeness — the kind that comes when we give fully, with no expectations in return.
SPECIAL OCCASIONS DESERVE SPECIAL ATTENTION
What is a special occasion…a birth, a b’nai mitzvah, an engagement, a wedding, an anniversary? Absolutely! But so is a birthday, a graduation, an athletic victory, an academic achievement… anything that deserves special recognition. And there is no better place to share your joy than in...
We see this in everyday relationships. The strongest connections don’t come from what we get, but from the moments when we give of ourselves — fully and consistently. A parent comforting a child in the middle of the night, or a friend showing up when it’s inconvenient — that’s the kind of presence that builds trust and love.
Chassidic thought explains that this is also the heart of prayer. While many think of prayer as a time to ask for what
The Torah emphasizes that the Tamid was brought “in the morning and in the evening.” In the “morning” of our lives — when things feel bright, successful, or hopeful — we shouldn’t become complacent. And in the “evening” — the darker times, when things feel difficult or uncertain — we’re reminded to lean into that connection even more.
The message of the Tamid is timeless: Show up. Every day. Ask yourself, where in my life do I give fully? Where am I present not just for what I want, but simply to connect? And how can I make that connection not a one-time spark, but a tamid — a steady, ongoing flame?
Relationships — with people, with purpose and with G-d — need consistency to grow. The Tamid reminds us that true closeness is built not in grand gestures, but in quiet, steady presence. Morning and evening. Every day. Always. PJC
Rabbi Yisroel Altein is the spiritual leader of Chabad of Squirrel Hill. This column is a service of Vaad Harabonim of Greater Pittsburgh.
Rabbi Yisroel Altein
Pinchas
Obituaries
KRAMER: We mourn the passing of Madeline (Price) Kramer who passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at the age of 89. Madeline, a lifelong Squirrel Hill resident, was married for 50 years to the late Frederick Kramer (d. 2007). She is survived by her daughter Valerie Kramer (Tom Brooks) of Pittsburgh and sons Marty Kramer (Beth) of Boston and Richard Kramer (Birgit Maass) of London; her seven beloved grandchildren, Aaron Weidman (Jen Judge), Seth Weidman, Allyson Kramer, Natalie Kramer, Linus Kramer, Jonah Kramer and Lissi Kramer; two great-grandchildren, Sydney and Riley Weidman; and extended family in Pittsburgh, Heather (Brooks) and John Cawley and Elizabeth Cawley, her dearest friend and most faithful visitor Barbara Abraham as well as many nieces and nephews. Born in 1936, Madeline was preceded in death by her parents, Rhoda and Harry Price, and her two older sisters, Maxine (Rabinowitz) and Lila (Margolis). She was raised on Beechwood Boulevard, attending Linden, Taylor Allderdice, and graduating with a BA in education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1957. That same year she married her beloved husband, Fred, a year after meeting on a blind date. She taught in the Pittsburgh Public Schools until 1960 when she had her first child and became a full-time homemaker. Inspired to help with Marty’s hearing loss, she trained as an audiologist at the University of Pittsburgh. She channeled her competitive instincts into tennis, playing regularly at Parkway Cabana Club and year-round in singles and doubles games. In 1970, she moved across Squirrel Hill from Anita Avenue to Fair Oaks Street, where she lived for over 30 years. She was an accomplished cook, always trying new recipes, and known for baking cakes for friends. She loved clothes and was often taken along on shopping expeditions as an “adviser.” After her youngest reached high school, Madeline had too much energy to be a substitute teacher and started working for Milliken doing fabric demonstrations at Kaufmann’s. Through that job, she met Steve Hecht and they had a meeting of the minds. With Madeline’s “passion for fashion” and Steve’s business acumen,
NOTICE OF HEARING
IN RE: PETITION OF TEMPLE B’NAI ISRAEL OF MCKEESPORT PENNSYLVANIA, A NON-PROFIT CORPORATION TO APPROVE A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE; Case No. 02-25-4114 in the Orphan’s Court Division of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Notice is hereby given that the Court has set a hearing on the Petition of Temple B’nai Israel of McKeesport, Pennsylvania to approve a Fundamental Change in the form of the transfer of the ownership and management of their cemetery (located in Versailles Borough, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania), and the transfer of certain funds held by them to the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh. The hearing will be held in the Orphans’ Court Division, Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 437 Grant Street, 17th floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 21, 2025, at 11.00 A.M. before the Honorable Hugh F. McGough. Any interested person is invited to attend. Information may be obtained from Robert J. Garvin Esq., Goldberg, Kamin & Garvin LLP, 437 Grant Street, Suite 1806, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219, phone (412) 281-1119; Attorney for Petitioner.
D’Alessandro Funeral Home and Crematory Ltd.
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they opened Just Petites at Forbes and Shady, operating it successfully for over a decade. Madeline relished her years at Just Petites using her discerning eye and fashion sense to pick the perfect outfit for her customers. She loved her buying trips to New York to select merchandise for the store. Alongside her business endeavors, she and Fred traveled to Europe and Asia, as well as around the U.S. and Canada. After Just Petites closed, she turned her attention to bridge, becoming a Life Master. She also enjoyed spending time with her two local grandchildren, Aaron and Seth, who regularly took the bus to their grandparents’ house after school. Madeline was very proud of her grandkids and not shy about saying so; as the boys grew older, they would sometimes share good personal news with school friends only to be told, “I know, my parents/grandparents already heard that from Madeline.” Her granddaughters, Allyson and Natalie, enjoyed her cooking, in particular her potato latkes and homemade applesauce for Hanukkah. She was in London when her twin grandchildren were born and returned another half a dozen times in their first year to see them. She had a busy social life with many local friends of long-standing with whom she was never shy about giving her opinions. As her health deteriorated markedly over the past few years, her fierce demeanor softened and she became gentle and appreciative, always with a twinkle in her eye. Hers was a lifelong Pittsburgh story, deeply entwined with Squirrel Hill and the Jewish community and cherished by family and friends. We hope her memory will be a blessing to future generations. The family wishes to thank the devoted staff at Schenley Gardens and the staff of Bethany Hospice who cared for her in her final years. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. In place of flowers, donations can be made to Schenley Gardens vincentian.us/give-now/, Bethany Hospice bethanyhospice.com/donate or Temple Sinai templesinaipgh.org/donation, or a charity of choice. schugar.com
SILVERMAN: Susan Louise Silverman of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on July 8, 2025, at the age of 87. She was the daughter of Jacob A. and Belle F. Levin, and for 60 years, the loving wife of the late Arnold B. Silverman. Sister of Dr. Jay H. Levin (Carol) of Southfield, Michigan; mother of Michael E. Silverman (Carol Dowling), Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Lee O. Silverman (Beth Maruskin), Morgantown, West Virginia; grandmother of Henry J. Silverman and Rachel M. Silverman; and Aunt of Carol Goldstein (Bernie Nadel), Ventura, California, Jeffrey Levin, Southfield, Michigan, and Jennifer Zimmermann (Dan) Southfield, Michigan. She was a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and worked as a kindergarten teacher in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She left to raise her children, then later became an art docent at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Please see Obituaries, page 20
Judy
Evan
Randy &
Karen & Allison Broudy
Elinor & Ivan Gold
Marlene Goldstein
Edward M Goldston Z"L
Irwin Goldston
Geraldine (Marks) Gomberg
Joan G Israel
Joan G Israel
Susan Neuwirth Johnson
Denise E Kaiser
Harold & Cindy Lebenson
Linda Levine
Michael Maas
Esther & David Miller
Shelley & Howie Miller
Maxine & Larry Myer
Anchel Siegman
Dr Susan Snider & Family
Yetta Speiser Z"L
Freda Spiegel
Siegman
Contact the Development department at 412-586-2690 or development@jaapgh.org for more information. THIS
Sunday July 20: Irene Chizeck, Sarah Conn, Mary Galanty, Sara Itzkovitz, Regina Linder, Max S Malt,
Bennie Morgan, Harry J Rosen, Henry Rudick, Anna Sambol, Ann Averbach Sarkin, Albert Sloan, Cantor
Louis Strauss
Monday July 21: Arthur Abelson, Sara Rider Brenner, Martin Fried, Rose Zelmanovitz Gottlieb, Myra
Ruth Edelstein Harris, Harry M Jacobson, Phyllis Kaiser, Morris Mermelstein, Rose Monheim, Harold L Neuwirth, Esq , Frieda F Riemer, Norman S Rom, Gilbert Solomon, Louis Tucker
Tuesday July 22: Ben Block, Hyman Chizeck, Minnie Cohen, Harry Kallus, Paul A Kleinerman, Dr Ralph Herman Markus
Wednesday July 23: Gertrude M Adams, Ella Amper, Marian S Beck, Samuel H Bigler, Tillie Dentel, Harry Louis Diamond, Sidney Elinow, Celia M Elovitz, Meyer Feldman, Theresa Fried, Fannie Gross, Jacob M Hepner, Helene Rose Hyman, Harry Latterman, Samuel Lederman, Benjamin Love, L J Marks, Tillie Michaelson, Philip Recht, Samuel Sanford Rosen, Celia Schlesinger, Louis Shapira, Nathan Sniderman, Herbert Speiser, Rose Stern, Frank Sussman
Thursday July 24: Yetta Burke, Anna Goldberg Cody, David M Fineman, Sigmund Fleisher, Sylvia Goldstein, Edith Lena Kaplan, Joseph Konigsberg, Harold Levy, Rose Liberman, Sylvia Weiner Markovitz, Theodore Marks, Samuel Recht, Sam Rosen, Sarah Rosenthal, Abraham Saffran, Mollie Slutsky, Isadore Sobel, Freda Tauberg, Bertha Harris Wolf
Friday July 25: Dr Nathan Ashinsky, Sarah L Blumenthal, Samuel J Cramer, Rae R Granowitz, Leon Robert Greenberg, Tiby M Grinberg, Louis Kitman, Milton Myer, Fannie Dvinsky Pollock, Janice Standel, Jacob Stein, Alexander Udman, Joseph H Wells, Rebecca Siegel Wilner, Mildred Marlin Wolovitz
Saturday July 26: Leonard Barmak, Yolana Berger, Saul Cazen, Ben W Closky, Celia Cohen, Rose Freed, Mildred "Mitzie" Gold, Max Goldston, Jacob Herring, Max Levenson, Jacob Liberman, Harry Louik, Leah Miller, Abram Morgan, Essie Rogalsky Rosenfield, Samuel Ruben, Hannah Rubenson, Sidney Schwartz, Ben Shapiro, Sarah Shapiro, Wilma Shlakman, Ida Shoag, Frances Siegman, Eva Simon, Abraham B Slesnick, Edward Irving Stein, Jack Wolf
Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following:
gift from ... In memory of...
& Joseph
Community Book Burial (Genizah) – Drop-O Invitation
In keeping with the tradition of honoring sacred texts, the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association, in partnership with Ralph Schugar Chapel and Urbach Memorials, will be holding a Jewish book burial (Genizah) to respectfully lay to rest worn-out or damaged religious items.
We invite members of the community to drop o the following items for proper burial:
• Worn or damaged siddurim (prayer books)
• Chumashim, Tanakhim, and other holy books
• Tallitot, te llin, tzitzit
• Pages containing G-d’s name or Hebrew sacred texts
• Other religious items no longer in use
DROP-OFF LOCATIONS:
Rodef Shalom Congregation Parking Lot August 3, 4, 5 (7:00 am - 8:00 pm)
4905 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Ralph Schugar Chapel - 412-621-8282 (call for appt, SMALL AMOUNTS ONLY) 5509 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
For other possible drop-off arrangements, please call the JCBA at 412-553-6469.
The Community Book Burial will be on Sunday, August 10th. More information will follow. PLEASE NOTE: Items for the book burial will not be accepted AT the burial.
For more information about JCBA cemeteries, to volunteer, to purchase plots, to read our complete histories and/or to make a contribution, please visit our website at www.JCBApgh.org, email us at o ice@jcbapgh.org, or call the JCBA o ice at 412-553-6469.
In 2000, she became a Westmoreland County master gardener and thoroughly enjoyed working the helpline and giving gardening advice. She was also a teacher at the Yeshiva Girls’ School. She trained two registered and certified therapy dogs, Polo and Pippa, taking them to visit with children, adults in nursing homes, the Franklin Regional Schools in Murrysville, the BARK program, Bettering All Readers with K9s, UPMC East Hospital, once every week, and Dog Reading Pals at the Murrysville Public Library. She was a member of the Murrysville Garden Club, and her own garden was selected as the site of many garden tours. She won first place in the Post-Gazette Great Garden Contest and subsequently wrote many articles about gardening in the Home/ Life section of the paper. She and her husband were sports enthusiasts and avid theatergoers. They had season tickets for Pitt football and basketball games for over 60 years, and they donated to both programs. As theatergoers, they subscribed for the season to the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops concerts, the Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre and Point Park REP theater. They were committed to making donations to all these sites because they wanted the arts to continue as an integral part of Pittsburgh life. She was most passionate about gardening and entertaining. Her love of gardening was inspired by her mother, and she passed this love on to her sons, who both maintain beautiful gardens. She and her husband shared a strong sense of humor. She was a winner in the Post-Gazette Caption Contest and was awarded honorable mention in The Week Magazine Contest. Susan and her family are incredibly grateful to her wonderful group of caregivers, who went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure her happiness and well-being. Services and interment are private. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her memory to the Hillman Cancer Center, whose staff did so much to prolong her husband’s life. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, 5515 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com PJC
CHANGE OF NAME NOTICE
In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, PA: No. GD 25 - 5055
In Re: Petition of Nancy Maureen Niemczyk for change of name to Nancy Anderson Niemczyk. To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an Order of said Court authorized the filing of said Petition and fixed the 30th day of July, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, as the place for the hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if they have any, why said name should not be changed as prayed for. Thomas Pandaleon Esq., 684 Thomas Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA. 15208 TomPgh@aol.com
Real Estate
Smith-Rosenthal Team
Jason A. Smith & Caryn Rosenthal Jason: 412-969-2930 | Caryn: 412-389-1695 Jasonasmith@howardhanna.com Carynrosenthal@howardhanna.com
Baum Blvd. Pittsburgh PA 15232 Shadyside Office | 412-361-4000
This northern Norway city has adopted a one-of-a-kind approach to observing Shabbat
By Dan Fellner | JTA
TRONDHEIM, Norway — If ever there was a synagogue that’s earned the right to throw itself a birthday shindig, it’s this elegant and intriguing house of worship in central Norway only 220 miles south of the Arctic Circle.
Over the past century, the Trondheim Synagogue has weathered isolation from the rest of the Jewish world; the Holocaust, which wiped out half its community; challenges related to Shabbat observance because of its far northern latitude; and persistent antisemitism that has only grown worse since the war in Gaza began in 2023.
This fall, the synagogue will be observing its 100-year anniversary with a three-day celebration, culminating with an Oct. 26 event which members of Norway’s royal family, the country’s prime minister, the mayor of Trondheim and other dignitaries are scheduled to attend.
“There will be speeches, songs and, of course, we will tell the history of the community,” says John Arne Moen, president of the Trondheim Jewish Community. “We are on the outskirts of the Jewish world, living close to the polar circle. You will probably not find a community like ours any other place in the world.”
With a population of about 200,000, Trondheim is Norway’s third-largest city, behind Oslo and Bergen. Located on the shores of a fjord that’s an inlet in the Norwegian Sea, the city was founded in the year 997 and was Norway’s capital during the Viking Age.
The city’s most famous site is the Nidaros Cathedral, completed in 1300 at the burial place of King Olav II, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Norway.
The unlikely story of Jewish life in Trondheim began in the late 19th century, when Jewish immigrants began arriving from Poland and Lithuania, usually because they couldn’t afford to go to America. Many worked as traveling merchants.
By 1900, there were more than 100 Jews living in Trondheim and the city’s first synagogue was established. During the next 20 years, the community grew to more than 300 members, prompting the need for a larger synagogue.
In 1923 an old railway station at Arkitekt Christies Gate 1 was purchased with the financial support of approximately 200 Jews from Oslo and converted into a synagogue. It was inaugurated in 1925 and remains — along with the synagogue in Oslo — one of only two synagogues in the country.
The building, designed in the Neoclassical style, is fronted by a light-blue façade with arched windows and white molding. Inside, the two-story sanctuary also features a blue motif. Originally, women were seated in the balcony during services. Now, the balcony is no longer used; men and women sit together on the main floor.
Germany occupied Norway from 1940 to 1945. The Nazis confiscated the synagogue and used it as a barracks, replacing the Stars of David in the windows with swastikas.
It’s believed that 165 local Jews — about half of Trondheim’s Jewish population at the time — died in the Holocaust, fueled by robust collaboration by local authorities. Most of the victims were deported by train to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, where only a few survived.
Early efforts to memorialize the murdered Jews of Trondheim were undertaken by the remnants of the community that survived. But in the mid-1990s, the city embarked on its own memorial enterprise, choosing Cissi Klein — who was 13 when she was seized from her school, deported to Auschwitz and killed upon arrival — to become a symbol of Trondheim’s Nazi victims.
A statue of Cissi stands in a quiet park a
short walk from the Trondheim Synagogue. Built in 1997 as part of the city’s millennium commemorations, the memorial is located outside the apartment building where Cissi lived with her parents and brother. A street alongside the park has been named in her honor.
Today, Moen estimates there are 200 Jews living in Trondheim; about three-quarters are members of the synagogue. Shabbat services are typically held every other Friday.
The chief rabbi of Norway, Michael Melchior, lives in Israel but periodically travels to Oslo and Trondheim to conduct services. (Melchior’s father was the longtime chief rabbi of Denmark.) When Melchior isn’t in town, services are usually led by Israeli-born Asher Serussi, a religious leader in the community who has lived in Trondheim for 30 years.
Serussi describes the Trondheim Synagogue as “Orthodox but very flexible and modern.”
“Most of the people here are not observant Jews,” he said. “Our members are interested in the Jewish culture and traditions. But they don’t keep kosher and they don’t keep Shabbat. They enjoy very much when we have celebrations for holidays. Then it’s a full house here.”
For the more religious who follow halacha, or traditional Jewish law, the question about how to handle the starting and ending times of Shabbat has been a topic of debate ever since the congregation was founded in 1905. According to halacha, Shabbat begins a few minutes before sunset and lasts for 25 hours.
But Trondheim is located so far north that the amount of daylight can vary between 20 hours in the summer and just four hours in the winter. So what’s an Orthodox congregation to do in a country known as “the land of the midnight sun”?
Other communities in far northern latitudes handle the issue in a variety of ways. Some set the Shabbat clock based on Jerusalem time, while others divide the day equally into two 12-hour segments. Some start Shabbat at the traditional moment, even if that means lighting candles around midnight.
Moen says the congregation developed its own approach in its early years of existence that seemed to be palatable to its members and blessed by most of the Orthodox rabbis who have examined the question. For the Trondheim Synagogue, Shabbat begins at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and ends at 6:30 p.m.
on Saturdays, regardless of the time of year and whether or not there’s sunlight or polar darkness.
“It’s been our rule for 120 years,” says Moen. “We have grown up with it. We are the only Orthodox synagogue in the world doing it this way.”
Relations between Norway and Israel are strained — last year Norway formally recognized Palestine as a sovereign state. As for antisemitism, Serussi says that while it’s long been an accepted part of Norwegian society, things have gotten worse since the war in Gaza started.
According to a recent report from Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry, there has been a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in Norway since October 2023, with 69% of the Jewish community personally experiencing hostility related to their Jewish identity.
In 2024 the Trondheim Jewish cemetery was vandalized and someone threw a Molotov cocktail at the synagogue. The attack caused no damage, and the perpetrator was never found.
“We are telling our congregation not to show any Jewish symbols when they are walking the streets,” said Serussi. “So we’re taking some precautions. We feel like it’s not like normal days.”
Designed in part to combat antisemitism, there is a small museum in the same building as the synagogue. The Jewish Museum Trondheim opened in 1997 and attracts 7,000 visitors a year, many of them local schoolchildren. They come on field trips to learn about the Holocaust and the history of Jewish life in Trondheim.
A particularly moving exhibit devoted to the Holocaust tells the stories of several of the city’s victims and includes a rack with 165 empty coat hangers, each representing one of the Jews who perished during the war.
The basement of the museum has a small mikvah, or ritual bath, that hasn’t been used since before the German occupation. At the urging of two Orthodox families now living in Trondheim, the mikvah is in the process of being restored and Serussi says the goal is to have it functioning in the next year or two.
Trondheim isn’t the easiest place for travelers to reach. Most flights into the city’s small airport come from Oslo and other domestic cities. But Trondheim does attract a fair number of visitors on cruise ships. Holland America and Norwegian-based Hurtigruten are two of the larger cruise lines that offer itineraries that include port stops in Trondheim.
The Trondheim Synagogue used to proudly proclaim itself as “the northernmost synagogue in the world.” Newer and more northerly houses of worship in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Arkhangelsk, Russia, have since supplanted Trondheim from that distinction.
Geographic titles aside, Moen says that despite its many challenges, the Trondheim Jewish Community is now on solid footing and looking forward to continuing to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of residents and tourists as it heads into its second millennium.
“We have survived the Shoah and now we are growing,” said Moen. “We have a lot of young people and we haven’t seen this much activity in our community since before the war. We have a beautiful shul. If you want a place to pray, the synagogue is open to any Jew that wants to come.”
p The river Nid offers picturesque views in Trondheim, Norway, home to one of the northernmost Jewish communities in the world. Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Community
Cool summer smiles
Campers at James & Rachel Levinson Day Camp escaped the heat during a visit to the Cove, a community-style dining hall and flexible space located at the Jewish Community Center’s Henry Kaufmann Family Park in Monroeville.
Pumping iron
The Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill is undertaking two renovations. Changes to the lower level fitness and Centerfit Platinum areas are intended to elevate users’ fitness and wellness experiences. The projects, which began in May, are scheduled to be completed by fall.
p Serving smiles and water all summer Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
Photo courtesy of Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
Picnic without pews
p A service group with swag
Photo courtesy of Temple Emanuel of South Hills
Chiribim Chiribom Chiriburgh Community members joined a Yiddish singing group at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.
Signs of summer Campers and staff from Camp Gan Israel Squirrel Hill enjoyed another colorful day.
p
Photo courtesy of Camp Gan Israel
p They’re crushing it.
Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
