ittsburgh and Israeli organizations, as well as initiatives worldwide, will receive allocations totaling more than $7.6 million from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
Last week’s announcement followed a process guided by Federation’s Planning and Impact Committee, according to Federation’s Associate Vice President of Marketing David Heyman.
The committee ensures donations, which primarily come from benefactors in the Pittsburgh area, go “right back into the community,” Heyman said. Of the more than $7 million allocated, “a good amount of the money goes for aging and human needs.”
With around 3.4 million older adults, Pennsylvania has the fifth-largest senior population in the country, the commonwealth
Although human services and aging programs typically receive funding from state and federal agencies, the Federation gave these areas extra attention this year because of the current political climate.
“Many federal grants have been paused, reduced or eliminated,” Federation President and CEO Jeffrey Finkelstein said
in a prepared statement. “These allocations represent our deep commitment to strengthening Jewish life in all its dimensions, from meeting urgent human needs and securing our community to engaging the next generation and fighting antisemitism.”
This year’s key disbursements include nearly $1.5 million — including support from the Jewish Healthcare Foundation — to fund aging and human needs through Jewish Family and Community Services, Jewish Association On Aging and The Branch; $1.3 million to support Pittsburgh Jewish communal life, including the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Jewish campus organizations and communitywide initiatives; and $1.2 million to fund early childhood education, teen learning programs and the city’s three Jewish day schools.
Each of Pittsburgh’s Jewish day schools saw changes from last year’s allocations: Community Day School will receive $241,162 (a $7,394 decrease); Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh will receive $267,972 (a $2,478 decrease); and Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh will receive $273,754 (a $9,872 increase).
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Sta Writer
Some memories are best held with glue. Printed, trimmed and labeled, photographs depicting living loved ones, deceased spouses, cats and beach scenes helped participants of a photo album-making program reminisce and create new ties.
Seated around a table inside the 10.27 Healing Partnership in Squirrel Hill, program participants interspersed stories with requests to pass a pair of scissors or adhesive.
Margaret Laske, 86, applied glue tape to the back of a photograph before pressing the image of her 15-year-old cat against a handmade ribbon-bound paper booklet. On an adjacent page she included a photo of her late husband.
“Holidays are the hardest when you’re alone,” she said.
Fellow Squirrel Hill resident Shabwawe Quinn, 69, peered down at decades-old pictures of her children dancing.
“A lot has changed,” she said. “You start looking at the past and you start reviewing it.”
ZOA Pittsburgh speaker weighs in
Photo by Joshua Franzos Shabwawe Quinn proudly shares images of her family. Photo by Adam Reinherz
Dmitry Pistrov/Adobe Stock
Headlines
Suspect charged with yelling antisemitic phrases from car
Squirrel Hill resident Thomas Hall has been charged with harassment, ethnic intimidation and disorderly conduct for allegedly yelling “F--- Israel” and other antisemitic rhetoric.
Hall was seen and heard yelling the slurs from a tan Chevrolet sedan on Murray Avenue by Yeshiva Girls School students. He reportedly has engaged in this behavior in Squirrel Hill since March.
Pennsylvania has no hate crime laws; instead it relies on its ethnic intimidation
North
Side
law, which covers offenses committed with malicious intent toward an individual’s race, color, religion or national origin.
In April, state Rep. Dan Frankel and state Sen. Jay Costa reintroduced a package of bills meant to strengthen law enforcement’s response to hate crimes, improve tracking, advocate for victims and prevent future hate-based crimes.
A senate co-sponsorship memorandum accompanying the package noted that hate crime incidents more than doubled in Pennsylvania between 2020 and 2021 and nearly doubled again between 2021 and 2023.
So far in 2025, the Jewish Federation of
Greater Pittsburgh has logged 198 antisemitic incidents in the area. That compares to 181 in 2024.
Federation Community Security Director Shawn Brokos urged anyone who saw Hall, his car or heard his antisemitic rants to call 911 and report the incidents to Detective Lauren Gabriel at the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, Zone 4 station. Antisemitic incidents can also be reported to the Federation via its website, at jewishpgh.org/form/ incident-report.
Hall is scheduled to appear in court Aug 20.
In a separate case, Elizabeth resident Edward Arthur Owens Jr. was indicted by
a federal grand jury earlier this month. He pled not guilty during a July 20 hearing to charges of threatening to injure a local public official and making false statements to government officials.
The threats were made via a social media app, and included the message, “Go back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble,” and a conspiracy theory suggesting that Jews have been expelled from 109 countries.
Owens remains in custody pending trial. PJC
— David Rullo
resident appears in court after allegedly vandalizing Israeli flag
AJuly 28 preliminary hearing was held for Michael Walter Lawlor on charges of stalking, harassment, ethnic intimidation, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
The North Side resident and urban designer was charged in magisterial district court after a prolonged campaign, lasting several weeks, of allegedly spitting on the Israeli flag of Deena Blumenfeld.
“I talked about wanting to feel safe again in my neighborhood and the fact that one of my kids is still under the age of 18 and my need for them to feel safe, as well.”
―DEENA BLUMENFELD
in my neighborhood and the fact that one of my kids is still under the age of 18 and my need for them to feel safe, as well,” she said.
Blumenfeld, a Mexican War Street resident, has been a frequent target of antisemitic activity. Last year, an Israeli flag on her property was pulled from the ground and thrown in a nearby garbage can; antiIsraeli flyers were left at her house; and the words, “We demand blood” and “For Blood and Soil” were painted on the sidewalk outside of the home she shares with her family. Various individuals have been caught on video spitting on her flag over the last year, as well.
at least eight times beginning on May 29, 2025.
Blumenfeld spoke at the hearing, sharing video of Lawlor. She told the judge of the emotional impact the crime has on her and her family.
Lawlor didn’t speak in court, according to Blumenfeld. Instead, his lawyer, Michael Dewitt Barry, argued that some people view the Israeli flag as a hate symbol and referenced the number of dead and starving in Gaza. The judge, Katherine P. Lovelace, stopped the public defender, saying she didn’t need a history lesson and that they weren’t there to discuss politics.
Lawlor is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 10, 2025. He remains free pending trial. PJC
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From professors to textbooks: How Arab state donations may be shaping American education and discourse on Israel
— LOCAL —
By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
Since 1981, American universities and colleges have received more than $62 billion from foreign governments, with nearly a quarter of that sum coming from Arab sources.
Fourteen Arab countries, as well as the Palestinian Authority, have cumulatively given almost $15 billion to institutes of higher education in the U.S., through almost 14,000 contributions to 290 schools in 49 states — the exception being Alaska.
Is all this funding connected to the rise of antisemitic activity on college campuses? Possibly, but there’s a lack of hard evidence to conclusively prove the link, said Mitchell Bard, the executive director of the nonprofit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise and the director of the Jewish Virtual Library, at ZOA Pittsburgh’s Kandy Ehrenwerth Memorial Lecture on July 28. The biennial lecture honors the memory of Ehrenwerth, a dedicated Zionist and a champion of human rights.
About 100 people turned out to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Levinson Hall to hear Bard, a foreign policy analyst and frequent contributor to the Jewish News Syndicate, discuss Arab funding of American universities and its impact.
“The topic has become very interesting to a lot of people, as they’ve learned that Arab states are giving a lot of money to American universities, and they’re starting to express concerns and ask questions about what kind of impact this may be having on our universities — and in particular, Jewish students — and whether it is contributing to anti-Israel activity on the campuses and antisemitism,” Bard said.
There are several motivators for Arab states to send funds to American universities, he said.
“Some of it is propaganda. They want people to better understand, from their point of view, Arabic Islamic causes. In some cases, they’re trying to help their own citizens get into universities that they really have no qualifications to get into. And they want to get university faculty to publish things that are sympathetic to their views and will help influence the attitudes of Americans.”
Other reasons include the desire to “enhance their own image. They want the rulers of the Middle East, who aren’t very well known or understood, to be better known here in the United States. Particularly after 9/11, the Saudis began to give a lot of money because they had acquired this reputation — because all of the 9/11 terrorists had come from Saudi Arabia, people started to see it as a source of terror.”
There’s also a desire to have Americans
American schools for their own students and shaping curriculum.
There are also “benign goals,” such as advancing medical research, he added.
While almost 300 schools receive funding from Arab nations, 12 schools “get most of it,” Bard said. And “73% of all the money is unaccounted for.”
“This is a big thing, that all this money, $10.7 billion, is going into American universities and we don’t know what it’s being used for,” he said.
U.S. law requires American universities that receive $250,000 or more from a foreign donation to report it to the Department of Education, he said. They are also required to report the purpose of the donation, but most schools do not disclose the purpose.
“So we don’t know where all this money is going,” he said,
While there is some concern that the funds may be used for “political purposes to influence the universities,” Bard said, he is aware of only one documented case evidencing that. Brown University, he said, received a few donations to “create a
said he discovered the money came from a Palestinian foundation in the West Bank, funded by a wealthy Palestinian who “is virulently anti-Israel and supports the boycott of Israel.”
Brown then “hired a professor who is virulently anti-Israel and favors the boycott against Israel,” Bard said.
“This is sort of the poster child, so to speak, for what most of us are afraid of — that Arab money was all going for creating professorships, and it would be like this, but this is the only case we know of from the published statistics,” he said.
The main problem with the donations by foreign governments to American universities is “the lack of transparency,” Bard stressed. “We don’t know where the money’s going. The U.S. government is not paying attention.”
Moreover, he said, one group of researchers found that more than $3 billion from Arab states hasn’t even been reported to the DOE.
Bard said one potential issue with foreign funding is the influence of faculty supported
“Faculty indoctrinate students,” he said. “They’re getting money from these Arab states. Faculty are like Supreme Court justices. They live and work almost forever. So we worry a lot about the students, student protests and the campaigns and all of that. But students come and go. But faculty, they’re there forever, some of them 10, 20, 30 years, and they influence the campus environment
They also write textbooks and appear on news channels as experts, he said.
“They write the op-eds in the Wall Street Journal or in the New York Times. I have counted more than 5000 that support the boycott of Israel. And maybe even more serious is it filters down to K through 12. It doesn’t just stay within the college campus, because these professors do teacher training for K through 12. They write textbooks and curriculum, and a lot of this comes
While at least one research group has determined that Arab funding may be contributing to antisemitism on campus, Bard said that conclusion was not derived from hard evidence but from a supposition based on the unreported funds.
“In their study, they couldn’t produce a single example of how undocumented money can influence antisemitism,” he said. “So where is antisemitism coming
Bard posed that the incitement may be coming from departments of Middle East
“The Middle East Studies Association voted last year to boycott Israel,” he said. “It’s full of professors who are promoting radical
He also pointed to gender and ethnic studies as problematic when it comes to proliferating antisemitic thought on campus, as well as anti-Israel professors in other fields, such as engineering and math, who are sharing their views on the Middle East even though those views are unrelated to course work.
But “social science and humanities are the biggest causes or biggest sources,” he said, “and one reason is because of intersectionality. … The idea is that all persecution around the world, all types of persecution are all interrelated, so that the persecution of Blacks by U.S. law enforcement is similar to the persecution of Palestinians by the IDF. They’re all somehow related.”
Bard has “argued for decades,” he said, that “the only place that antisemitism is acceptable in the United States of America is on college campuses. The only place. Every place else you would never accept it.”
PJC
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Mitchell Bard addresses the crowd at the ZOA Pittsburgh’s Kandy Ehrenwerth Memorial Lecture on July 28.
Photo by Toby Tabachnick
Headlines
No more Yoda heads: Teaching students to design with meaning
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
Educators and makers should adopt a 3D printing mantra: fewer tchotchkes. Avoiding the dreaded “keychain syndrome” is critical, Winchester Thurston School’s Graig Marx told nearly 80 attendees of a 412 Ability Tech event on July 25. Marx, a teacher at the independent school and program director of Access:Innovation, a summer program for local rising 10th-12th graders, said countless educators fall prey to a predictable pattern after receiving a 3D printer: Together with students they treat the machines as something merely capable of making “Yoda heads or ninja stars to throw.”
In lieu of creating tossable trinkets or figurines, teachers should embrace a different mindset, Winchester Thurston colleague David Piemme said. “We want students to go out and change the world.”
Small designs, sizable solutions
Under the guidance of both educators and Alexander Geht, an industrial designer and founder of Testa-Seat, several local high school students are aiming to do just that. Working alongside people with disabilities, the teens designed projects for easing daily activities. In the past three weeks, groups of young learners built devices to assist with everyday tasks such as opening a refrigerator, taking selfies, carrying gravity bags, finding shower supplies and putting on jewelry. Each daily activity, and a design for easing performance, was demonstrated.
According to the students, opening a refrigerator often requires one to move while cracking the door. Making a modifiable handle that addresses the refrigerator’s magnetic lock, while allowing the user to maintain some distance, is one way to deal with the issue.
For those with visual impairment, the challenge of locating shower supplies could be offset by creating colored, textured, bottle
covers that allow people to find and feel different items. People who use gastronomy tubes often need gravity bags attached to large metal poles. A 3D-printed clasp can replace these bulky rods, giving users more freedom of movement.
For many jewelry wearers, the challenge of manipulating tiny clasps, links and clips could be mitigated by swapping out end pieces with magnets; in doing so, dexterity becomes less of an impediment for donning and removing necklaces and other pieces.
While there’s enjoyment in seeing the students’ creations, the “main goal for today is explaining and showing how just working with a person with a disability creates the passion in students to work on these projects,” Geht said. These students are “really changing people’s lives — they’re not just creating some engineering piece of equipment for a STEAM program.”
Repairing the world in name and deed
Helping support Friday’s program was Tikkun Olam Makers. Originating in Tel Aviv, the organization partners with communities worldwide to create and disseminate “affordable solutions to neglected challenges of people living with disabilities, the elderly and the poor.”
Geht, a member of TOM: Pittsburgh, told the Chronicle, “There is no other way that I was able to learn about disabilities than through Tikkun Olam Makers.”
Apart from supporting summer programming in Pittsburgh, the group works with students at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University. Together, TOM: Pittsburgh fellows and members have made dozens of adaptive toys and specialty wheelchairs for local distribution.
TOM operates on nearly 80 campuses in 34 countries. The organization has enlisted more than 10,000 volunteers and delivered about 300,000 solutions, but the work in Pittsburgh is especially impressive, Edun Sela, TOM’s CEO, said. “In Pittsburgh
there’s a tremendous ecosystem of innovation — something that we at the global scale don’t see very often — of people who have the commitment, the passion, the ability, to do the work both locally and also make an impact nationally, here in the U.S., and also globally.”
Sela splits his time between New York and Israel, but traveled to Pittsburgh for the July 25 program because he felt it was important to see what’s being accomplished here.
“What we see in Pittsburgh, in a specific way, is that you have a vibrant innovation mindset and you have an ecosystem that wants to operate as an ecosystem,” he said. “You have care professionals, you have designers, you have engineers, you have educators, who are all willing and interested to use their innovation, design and making capabilities, but also to help their community and focus these efforts on their community.”
Duplicating Pittsburgh’s cooperative practices is a goal, Sela continued. While promoting an open-source model internationally, TOM is trying to “help this community grow and this movement grow in a way that will ultimately affect as many people all over the world.”
From Israel with love
The organization, whose team is primarily located in Tel Aviv, isn’t interested in only “serving the Jewish community,” Sela said. TOM wants to “help people all over the world, and we see ourselves as leaders and orchestrators of that movement that speaks one universal language — that’s tikkun olam, repairing the world.”
An organization with a strong Israeli base and numerous college contacts isn’t immune to recent challenges. For many, campus unrest and anti-Israel sentiments have driven discourse for the past two years.
TOM isn’t oblivious, its leader explained.
“It’s a challenging climate, for sure, but what we’re trying to do in this polarizing reality is actually bring people together,” Sela said. “We’re active in more than 40 campuses across the U.S., and over the course of the
past two years all of our activities continued — both Jews and non-Jews participating and leading these activities and doing so in a very efficient and effective way, without these activities being disrupted.”
TOM has managed to continue, and grow, because “there is resonance for people to say, ‘We as a community can actually come together and help people in our community and potentially around the world,’” Sela said. “That’s a really powerful message, and I think it resonates with people, and that’s really the trend, or the counter-trend, if you will, to what we see in our society in general that is becoming more and more polarized.”
Having viewed Pittsburgh’s inventive and harmonious activities, Sela intends to share his observations with others.
“It’s incumbent on us as a society to figure out creative ways in which we can leverage innovation and technology to help people in our community,” he said. “Everyone can and should join this movement of people who want to do good in their community. We all can make a difference.”
Seated throughout the presentations and remarks was Rabbi Larry Freedman, director of the Joint Jewish Education Program in Pittsburgh.
Before the nearly 80 attendees broke for lunch, Freedman told the Chronicle he was inspired by both the students’ projects and their comments.
Freedman, who works with K-12 students from Congregation Beth Shalom and the unified religious schools of Rodef Shalom Congregation and Temple Sinai, acknowledged he hadn’t yet determined how to integrate Friday’s learnings into J-JEP’s curricula.
One possibility is making a sukkah more accessible. Another idea is creating a shofar holder to help individuals interested in hoisting the holiday instrument. Mostly though, he said, “I’m trying to avoid keychain syndrome.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
— LOCAL —
Tech board member Alexander Geht participate in a July 25 program at Winchester Thurston School.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
p An attendee of the July 25 program observes a student-made device for opening a refrigerator more easily.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
About 150 local athletes and coaches will be among those competing in track, soccer, basketball, hockey, swimming, tennis, softball, volleyball, baseball and dance. Additionally, several local teens will be working the games as “star reporters,” covering the action as it unfolds.
Here’s a look at a few members of Team Pittsburgh.
Dayna Greenfield
Dayna Greenfield began coaching basketball when she was a teenager.
At the age of 13, she began her coaching career at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill — the same place where her playing career began.
“I was given a ball and I started playing,” she recalled.
In addition to playing basketball at the JCC as a youth, Greenfield played for Taylor Allderdice High School, Clark University, and Washington and Jefferson College.
After playing in the Maccabi Games for four years, she gained a new perspective on the games and began coaching Maccabi teams, which she has done for several years.
Greenfield is the head coach of Pittsburgh’s 17U boys basketball team at this year’s JCC Maccabi Games. When asked about her strategy for this tournament, she stressed that it is not always the most skilled teams that find success at the Maccabi Games.
“It’s the nitty gritty. Who’s going to fight the hardest and push through, like, the third
Coaching, competing and connecting: Team Pittsburgh gears up
For now, his focus is on overcoming that final hump and bringing home a
Emily Olifson is a 15-year-old track and field athlete from Fox Chapel High School. This will be her first time competing in
“I’m really excited,” she said. “I’m excited to meet Jewish teens that are my age who are
Games this summer. Zane played basketball in the 2023 games in Fort Lauderdale and the 2024 games in Detroit.
Zane’s team placed second overall at the 2023 tournament before being eliminated in the quarterfinals last year in Detroit.
His experience in prior Maccabi Games has prepared him well for this summer, he said. But, focusing on the competitive nature of these games, Zane is not taking anything for granted.
He began playing basketball at the age of 3 and has not put the ball down since. His father, who got him into the sport, played basketball at the Maccabiah in 2005 for Israel.
Zane praised a mentor who has helped him greatly along his basketball journey, Blake Hinson. Hinson played basketball at the University of Pittsburgh from 2022-2024.
“He taught me a lot about basketball, and I still keep in touch with him,” Zane said.
Zane is looking to bring his shooting prowess back to the Maccabi Games. He ranks ninth for three-point field goals made in Pittsburgh City high schools, with 10.
Emily first participated in track as a seventh grader. She didn’t really enjoy the experience then, which propelled her to start playing field hockey, a sport she till plays.
After taking a year off of track in eighth grade, she came back to the sport during her freshman year of high school at the urging of friends.
“I thought it would be a cool opportunity just to do another sport in high school,” Emily said.
When it comes to track, sprinting is where she is most comfortable.
“I like to think to myself, ‘Oh, I’ve already done more than this in the warmup,’” she said.
For her first Maccabi Games, Emily will be running the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints. She is very familiar with these sprints as they are her primary events for Fox Chapel High School.
Emily will have her eyes forward and her legs moving as she looks for success in her first Maccabi Games.
And she will not be the only member of the Olifson family represented at the tournament.
for a T-ball league.”
Eli, who also attends Fox Chapel High School, plays on the varsity baseball team in the spring, but the summer season is his favorite.
“There’s teams in the summer where I play with kids from schools all over Pittsburgh,” he said. “I could just play Fox Chapel in the spring but I feel like the summer season is the best because you get to meet people from all over the city.”
For his varsity team, Eli has played in the outfield and has also done some pitching. However, an elbow injury sustained while playing for his club team has limited his pitching ability recently. For the Maccabi Games, Eli hopes to play second base, where he has found his game.
“I’ve had the most fun there, because you get a lot more action than in the outfield,” Eli said.
Being one of only a few 17U baseball players from Pittsburgh in the tournament, Eli will have new teammates on the diamond.
“What I’m most excited for is the stuff outside of the sport and just getting to know everyone and hopefully making new relationships with people from around the country,” he said.
The 2025 JCC Maccabi Games kick off on Aug. 3 on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. PJC
Andrew Rich can be reached at arich@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Dayna Greenfield is coaching Pittsburgh’s 17U boys basketball team at the JCC Maccabi Games
p Zane Schachter is playing on Pittsburgh’s 17U boys basketball team at the JCC Maccabi Games Photo by debosnapped
Eli Olifson will be playing second base for Team Pittsburgh at the JCC Maccabi Games Photo by Erin Werner
p Emily Olifson will be sprinting for Team Pittsburgh at the JCC Maccabi Games Photo by Jessica Olifson
Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon.
SUNDAY, 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.
SUNDAY, AUG. 3–8
Be a spectator or volunteer for the JCC Maccabi Campus Games, and help welcome young Jewish athletes from near and far. More information can be found at maccabipittsburgh.org.
SUNDAYS, AUG. 3–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, AUG. 4–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, AUG. 4 –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, 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.
WEDNESDAYS, AUG. 6–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, AUG. 6–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.
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. 10
Join the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh as it honors those laid to rest this past year during a community unveiling at the Chesed Shel Emeth Free Burial Cemetery, o ciated by Rabbi Eli Seidman. The sacred service includes prayers and remembrance in the spirit of kavod ha-met (honoring the deceased). 11 a.m. 309 Oakwood Street, 15209. jcbapgh.org.
Join the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association for a community book burial (Genizah) as it honors the tradition of burying sacred Jewish texts and ritual objects. Items will not be accepted the day of burial; call the JCBA at 412-553-6469 for drop-o dates and locations. Noon. Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, 309 Oakwood Street. jcbapgh.org.
THURSDAY, AUG. 14
The Summer Soirée is back. Join Chabad Young Professionals of Pittsburgh for a rooftop celebration of friendship, connection and Jewish pride. Sip, mingle and take in the sunset with panoramic views, an open bar and the kind of vibe you wish every summer night had. Good people. Great energy. One unforgettable night. $30. 7 p.m. Over Eden Rooftop Bar. cyppittsburgh.com/summer.
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.
Join Chabad of the South Hills for Baby Loves Shabbat, music and movement for ages 0 to 3. Challah making
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
and Shabbat songs. 3:45 p.m. 1701 Bower Hill Road. chabadsh.com.
SUNDAY, AUG. 24
Join Chabad of the South Hills for Tee O Together, a fun afternoon at Top Golf. 1 p.m. 400 Presto-Sygan Road, 15017. chabadsh.com/golf.
TUESDAYS, AUG. 26-SEPT. 16
Tree of Life Congregation will be o ering a series of four classes to prepare for the upcoming High Holidays In these sessions led by Rabbi Je rey Myers, attendees will view the film “Bruce Almighty,” followed by discussion questions. Free. 7 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. treeoflifepgh.org.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 7
Join Chabad of the South Hills for Jewish New York Visit the Rebbe’s resting place, enjoy a Crown Heights tour, shopping, Chabad world headquarters and a delicious kosher restaurant. Flight and dinner purchased individually. $125. chabadsh.com/jny.
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.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10
The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh presents “Inseparable: A Presentation by Holocaust Survivor Marion Lewin.” Born in Holland, Lewin survived the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen with her parents and twin brother. One of a handful of families who survived the Holocaust intact, they arrived in New York City in 1947. Today Marion and her brother, according to available data, are the only surviving twins of the Holocaust. 6:30 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. hcofpgh.org/event/ save-the-date-presentation-by-marion-lewin.
MONDAY, SEPT. 15
Join Chabad of the South Hills for Ladies Pre-High Holiday Fashion Show, an elegant evening where Torah wisdom meets trending style. Delicious refreshments served. 7 p.m. $10 in advance/$15 at the door. The Grey Parrot, 320 Castle Shannon Blvd. Chabadsh. com/ladies. PJC
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
Headlines
Experts say Gaza at ‘worst-case scenario,’ famine about to cause
‘widespread death’
By Times of Israel Staff and Agencies
The “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out in the Gaza Strip,” the leading international authority on food crises said in a new alert Tuesday, predicting “widespread death” without immediate action.
The alert, still short of a formal famine declaration, follows an outcry over images of emaciated children in Gaza and reports of dozens of hunger-related deaths after nearly 22 months of war.
The international pressure led Israel over the weekend to announce measures, including daily humanitarian pauses in fighting in parts of Gaza and airdrops of supplies. The United Nations and Palestinians on the ground say little has changed, and desperate crowds continue to overwhelm and unload delivery trucks before they can reach their destinations.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said Gaza has teetered on the brink of famine for two years, but recent developments have “dramatically worsened” the situation, including “increasingly stringent blockades” by Israel.
The IPC has issued several similar warnings during the war in Gaza, including one in May, which Israel dismissed as “flawed.”
Israel said in response at the time that “even according to the IPC’s own analysis,” there was no famine in Gaza, and noted that previous IPC projections about impending famine have “repeatedly failed to materialize.”
However, over the past year, conditions have worsened to the point where the IPC has issued its highest level of warning, without officially declaring that famine is present in Gaza.
A formal famine declaration, which is rare, requires the kind of data that the lack of access to Gaza and mobility within has largely denied.
The IPC has only declared famine a few times — in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and parts of Sudan’s western Darfur region last year.
But independent experts say they don’t need a formal declaration to know what they’re seeing in Gaza.
“Just as a family physician can often diagnose a patient she’s familiar with based on visible symptoms without having to send samples to the lab and wait for results, so too we can interpret Gaza’s symptoms. This is famine,” Alex de Waal, author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine” and executive director of the World Peace Foundation, told The Associated Press.
What it takes to declare famine
An area is classified as in famine when all three of the following conditions are confirmed: At least 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, or are essentially starving. At least 30% of children six months
to 5 years old suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they’re too thin for their height. And at least two people or four children under 5 per 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the interaction of malnutrition and disease.
The report, based on available information through July 25, said the crisis has reached “an alarming and deadly turning point.” It said data indicate that famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of Gaza — at its lowest level since the war began — and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.
The report said nearly 17 out of every 100 children under the age of 5 in Gaza City are acutely malnourished.
Mounting evidence shows “widespread starvation,” and essential health and other services have collapsed, the report found. According to the UN’s World Food Program, one in three people in Gaza is going without food for days at a time.
Hospitals in Gaza have been reporting a rapid increase in hunger-related deaths in children under 5.
The IPC’s previous analysis in May warned that Gaza would likely fall into famine if Israel failed to lift its blockade and stop its military campaign. Its new alert called for immediate and large-scale action and warned: “Failure to act now will result in widespread death in much of the strip.”
The World Food Program warned Tuesday that the disaster unfolding in Gaza was reminiscent of last century’s famines seen in Ethiopia and Biafra in Nigeria.
“This is unlike anything we have seen in this century,” WFP emergency director Ross Smith told reporters in Geneva.
“It reminds us of previous disasters in Ethiopia or Biafra in the past century,” he said, speaking via video-link from Rome. “We need urgent action now.”
While the IPC did not officially classify the situation as “famine,” Jean-Martin Bauer, WFP’s food security and nutrition analysis director, insisted that “what we’re seeing is mounting evidence that a famine is there.”
“All the signals are there now,” he added.
What aid restrictions look like Israel has restricted aid to varying degrees throughout the war. In March, it cut off the entry of all goods, including fuel, food and medicine, to pressure Hamas to free hostages.
Israel eased those restrictions in May and pushed ahead with a new U.S.-backed aid delivery system, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, that has been wracked by chaos and violence. The traditional, U.N.-led aid providers say deliveries have been hampered by Israeli military restrictions and incidents of looting, while criminals and hungry crowds swarm entering convoys.
While Israel says there’s no limit on how many aid trucks can enter Gaza, U.N. agencies and aid groups say even the latest humanitarian measures are not enough to counter the worsening starvation. In a statement Monday, Doctors Without Borders called the new airdrops ineffective and dangerous, saying they deliver less aid than trucks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said no one is starving in Gaza and that Israel has supplied enough aid throughout the war, “otherwise, there would be no Gazans.” The Israel Defense Forces on Monday criticized what it called the “false claims of deliberate starvation in Gaza.”
While the premier has acknowledged
that the situation facing Gaza’s residents is “difficult,” he said that “Hamas benefits from attempting to fuel the perception of a humanitarian crisis.”
“As such, they have been releasing unverified numbers to the news media while circulating images that are carefully staged or manipulated,” he said.
The premier did not offer evidence to back up the claim that images of starving children that have circulated globally were “staged” by Hamas (though the veracity of one image was debunked by the IDF). In contrast, President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that the images of starvation in Gaza are “real,” adding: “You can’t fake that.”
The reports of an increasingly dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip — including growing levels of malnutrition, and children dying by starvation — led Israel on Sunday to declare that it would implement a “tactical” pause in daily military operations in densely populated areas of Gaza, along with several other changes, to allow for the safe distribution of humanitarian aid.
At the same time, Israel has denied using hunger as a weapon of war, and accused the United Nations and other aid agencies of failing to pick up and distribute supplies delivered to Gaza’s border crossing points. PJC
Community Monument Unveiling
Join the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh as we honor those laid to rest this past year at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery (Free Burial)
Sunday, August 10, 2025 • 11:00-11:45AM 309 Oakwood Street • Shaler Township, PA 15209
Officiated by Rabbi Eli Seidman A sacred service of prayers and remembrance in the spirit of kavod ha-met (honoring the deceased) All are welcome • Info: JCBA • 412-553-6469
p Aid packages are seen on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 24, 2025.
Photo by Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel
An Urgent Open Letter to the Pittsburgh Jewish Community
We have to say it. Corrupt Netanyahu is taking Israel and the Jewish people down a road of monumental immorality, breathtakingly disgraceful in its scale and horror.
More than 2,000 families wiped out. 17,000 innocent children gone.
Health and education and cultural institutions bombed.
IDF soldiers shooting desperate parents trying to get food for their starving families. (CNN)
It is time for us to say: stop this war now, permanently.
Thousands of Israelis have demanded the same in the streets, hindered by sketchy coverage of the horrors in Israeli media. Polls show that a majority of Israelis and a majority of American Jews support ending the war. (Pgh Jewish Chronicle, 5/15/25)
And two reports this week reveal that pediatricians in Gaza are giving water to starving babies as malnourished mothers are unable to produce milk, and there is no formula. (NY Times, NBC)
We undersigned members of the Pittsburgh Jewish community say:
• Stop the war now. Permanently.
• Massively surge aid through recognized competent aid agencies.
• Bring the hostages home.
We declare that continuing this war and hindering aid is contrary to the morality of the Torah. We call on all our spiritual and communal leaders to denounce the continuation of this war. We call on all Jewish communities to forcefully demand a massive surge in aid, distributed through recognized international agencies.
Carolyn Ban
Tanya Bass
Allen Baum
Peter Baum
Mallory Beatty
Elaine Beck
Ron Beck
Roz Becker
Marlene Behrmann
Sam Berkovitz
Nancy Bernstein
Aya Betensky
Susan Blackman
Danielle M Bond
Angela Botelho
Dr. Lisa D Brush
Ben Case
Toby Chapman
Geoff Clauss
Brian Cohen
Ronnie Cook Zuhlke
Donna Coufal
Miriam L Cremer
Judy Esman
Michele Feingold
Andi Fischhoff
Maya Fischhoff
Noam Fischhoff
Jamie Forrest
Richard Fox
Ivan Frank
Malke Frank
Mark Frank
Michal Friedman
Joseph Goldman
Janice Gordon
Maya Haber
Daniel Heifetz
Mara Hellman
Jodi Hirsch
Harry Hochheiser
Laura Horowitz
Rachel Hovne
Dr. Dana Kellerman
Kenneth Kotovsky
Rachel Kranson
Robert Kraftowitz
Eileen Kraus-Dobratz
Robert Kraut
Eileen Lane
Diane Lassman
Robert Levin
Nancy Levine
Ilyssa Manspeizer
Jonathan Mayo
Molly Miller
Scott Morgenstern
Anne-Marie Nelson
Cantor
Julie Newman
Paul Pitts
David Plaut
Amiel Portillo Wein
Bruce Rabin
Lorrie Rabin
Ken Regal
Lynne Reder
Lynn Rubenson
Daniel Resnick
Rocky Schoen
Marc Schwartz
Ed Shephard
Rachel Usdan
Barbara Wein
Arlene Weiner
Richard Weinberg
Robert Weiner
Helene Weinraub
Eve Wider
Allan Willinger
Leigh Winston
Judith Yanowitz
Fred Zuhlke
Josh Shapiro accuses Zohran Mamdani of condoning ‘blatantly antisemitic’ supporters
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said last week that Zohran Mamdani, New York’s Democratic mayoral nominee, should curb “blatantly antisemitic” language among his supporters, JTA reported.
In an interview with Jewish Insider, Shapiro said Mamdani’s campaign “left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things.”
Mamdani faced backlash during the primary for refusing to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” though he has since said he will “discourage” it.
Many pro-Palestinian activists argue that the phrase “globalize the intifada,” used regularly at pro-Palestinian protests, represents a nonviolent call for liberation. But many Jews and other critics say it functions as a call for violence against Jews and Israelis. The word “intifada,” which means “uprising” or “shaking off” in Arabic, was the name of two Palestinian uprisings including one from 2000 to 2005 that killed an estimated 1,000 Israelis, mostly in terror attacks on civilian targets such as buses and cafes.
Mamdani says that Palestinian rights are foundational to his identity and supports a boycott of Israel, which he says is committing genocide in Gaza.
As a leader, Shapiro said, “You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when
supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there. You’ve got to condemn that.”
Emmanuel Macron says France will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state this fall
President Emmanuel Macron said France plans to recognize a Palestinian state during his appearance at the United Nations’ General Assembly in September, JTA reported.
The move is “consistent with [France’s] historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” Macron wrote in a post on X announcing his decision. The post was accompanied by a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas outlining his reasoning.
The announcement — which appeared in French, English, Arabic and Hebrew — came as a surprise after Macron backed out of a meeting with Saudi Arabia, delayed from June, at which Palestinian statehood was expected to be discussed.
France is by far the largest and most influential country to recognize a Palestinian state. It also has the largest Jewish population of any country to have done so.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that the United States “strongly rejects” Macron’s move. “This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace,” Rubio wrote on X. “It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.”
Hamas praised Macron’s move as “a positive step in the right direction,” even as Macron made clear that he saw the Palestinian Authority, not it, as the leader of a future state.
Spain, Norway and Ireland all announced
Today in Israeli History
Aug. 4, 1920 — Kaplan plants roots of Reconstructionism
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a Jewish
last year that they would recognize a Palestinian state, joining roughly 140 other countries that had already done so. But most Western countries have avoided the move in favor of calling for a negotiated two-state solution.
Stanford suspends student co-op that it said asked Jewish students to leave
Stanford University has suspended a student “co-op house” on its campus for discriminating against Jewish students by labeling them as “Zionists” and requesting that they leave the house, JTA reported.
The investigation into the co-op house, called Kairos, began last spring after multiple reports were filed alleging that Jewish students participating in an unnamed extracurricular activity were “asked to leave the house and told that, among other things, the presence of ‘Zionists’ in the group was making residents of the house uncomfortable,” Stanford said in a statement.
Following an investigation, the school’s Title VI office found that the unnamed extracurricular project had “nothing to do with the Middle East and that none of the students present had shared their political beliefs,” according to the school.
As a result, the school found that the students involved were “targeted based on their perceived Jewish identity” — a pattern that Jewish students have reported on campuses across the country during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that has triggered widespread protests against Israel.
The suspension follows a separate series of complaints filed against the co-op during the previous school year about “students being
required to make disparaging statements about Israel before being allowed to enter a party at the house,” according to the statement.
Last April, Stanford received a bump in its antisemitism “grade” by the Anti-Defamation League, rising from a D-grade to a C-grade, although the organization still has a “high” risk of “campus conduct and climate concerns,” according to the ADL’s website.
Costa Rica becomes sixth in Latin America to adopt IHRA Jewhatred definition
Costa Rica became the sixth Latin American country to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, drawing praise from major Jewish organizations, JNS reported.
“We are grateful that Costa Rica has joined the growing number of nations that view the IHRA definition as an essential guidepost to recognize antisemitism in its various forms so it can be properly addressed,” stated Dina Siegel Vann, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Latin American affairs institute.
The World Jewish Congress lauded the Costa Rican government “for taking meaningful action against antisemitism.”
Gilbert Meltzer, president of the Costa Rican Jewish Community, stated that “the increase of hate speech and attacks on Jews all over the world, especially after Oct. 7, demands ethical decisions and firm actions as this one.”
“We thank Costa Rica for joining the group of countries in the international community that support morality and combat discrimination,” he said. PJC
— Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Aug. 1, 1955 — Dimona welcomes first residents from Morocco
The first residents of Dimona, who are recent arrivals from Morocco, move into the development town in Israel’s south. All of Dimona’s early residents are Jews who have fled countries in North Africa and the Middle East.
Theological Seminary professor, publishes “A Program for the Reconstruction of Judaism” in the Menorah Journal. He emphasizes Zionism as a key component of American Judaism.
Aug. 5, 1953 — IDF forms special forces unit 101
Unit 101, a briefly independent special forces section of the IDF, is launched with about 20 soldiers under the command of Ariel Sharon to provide a rapid, punishing response to terrorist attacks.
Aug. 6, 1923 — 13th Zionist Congress convenes
Aug. 2, 1923 — Shimon Peres is born Shimon Peres, the only Israeli to serve as prime minister and president, is born in what is Poland, now Belarus. Peres makes aliyah in 1934, enters politics in 1941 and is first elected to the Knesset in 1959.
Aug. 3, 1945 — U.S. investigator confirms horrible conditions in DP camps
Earl Harrison, sent by President Harry Truman, confirms rumors that Jews in many displaced-persons camps in Germany and Austria face terrible conditions. Truman urges Britain to open Palestine to 100,000 refugees.
Meeting in Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, the 13th Zionist Congress opens to discuss details about the British Mandate and the Palestine Zionist Executive, which guides Jewish immigration and settlement.
Aug. 7, 2002 — Palestinian cabinet OKs Second Intifada truce
The Palestinian Authority Cabinet agrees to a truce proposed by Israel’s defense minister to withdraw the IDF from Bethlehem and parts of the Gaza Strip, but the Second Intifada continues for three more years. PJC
IDF troops patrol in Hebron early in the Second Intifada in October 2000.
By Yael Angelhart,
p Dimona residents dig a sewer line in the development town in 1955.
By Moshe Pridan, Israeli Government Press Office, CC BY-SA 3.0
Headlines
Federation:
Continued from page 1
The changes, Heyman noted, reflect a shift in per capita funding for each school based on enrollment reported for 2023-2024.During the same period, and even earlier, there was also a decline in enrollment at Pittsburgh Public Schools; between 2019-2020 and 2023-2024, the total number of students fell from 21,291 to 18,532, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Commonwealth Foundation notes that Pennsylvania’s public schools are experiencing a similar downturn, driven in large part by the state’s declining population.
Regarding post-secondary educational life, Federation’s allocations recipients include Hillel JUC, which will receive $154,681, a $17,651 decrease from last year, and Penn State Hillel, which will receive $30,215, a $5,000 decrease from last year. Chabad of Carnegie Mellon University and Chabad House on Campus will each receive $3,426, marking an $1,800 decrease for each group since last year.
Last year’s sums included one-time resiliency grants given by Federation to address campus-related issues, Heyman said. This year’s allocations reflect a “return to baseline levels.”
The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle was allocated $9,529, a $471 decrease from last year.
In addition to more than $7 million in allocations, nearly $400,000 in community priority grants were awarded to 22 programs under the categories of “addressing antisemitism and engaging young adults.”
The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh received $65,000 to “engage Christian
Workshop:
clergy in confronting antisemitism through interfaith dialogue”; the 10.27 Healing Partnership received $35,000 to “expand the REACH Speakers Bureau, amplifying survivor voices and promoting healing”; StandWithUs received $30,000 to support student leadership and programming on Pittsburgh-area campuses; and the JCC received $20,000 to “grow peer-led Shabbat experiences that bring young adults together.”
The process for determining grant recipients largely mirrored the allocation process, as community members met with Federation’s Planning and Impact team to deliver input and updates, Heyman said. “What we’re looking to do is find the organizations that have the need and are fulfilling the goals of our organization: creating a flourishing Jewish community.”
Judi Kanal, chair of the Planning and Impact Leadership Committee, praised
Continued from page 1
As participants swapped tales about relatives, mistakes and travel, Elana Moise Vitek, 54, cut heart shapes from cardstock.
The multicolored pieces could be inserted into plastic sleeves or used for labeling in an album, she told the Chronicle.
Vitek, a newly hired member of the Healing Partnership, said she designed the July 21 program in order to “help people capture their stories.”
In so many homes, “old pictures sit in boxes and don’t get appreciated,” she continued. Bringing people together and providing supplies and space to share stories is a way to “do something about it.”
The exercise was hardly new; photo albums date back more than 150 years. During the mid-19th century, picture books largely contained “staged portrait shots of upper-class families in conventional poses, wearing their best dress, alongside studio props,” according to the Ontario-based St. Catharines Museum.
the process and said in a prepared statement that “every dollar allocated reflects both rigorous planning and our community’s collective priorities that were set with community input.”
Though Federation’s Planning and Impact Committee controlled more than $7.9 million, the total was $331,808 less than last year. The 4.16% decrease in allocable dollars was due to the annual campaign not yet being closed, changes in the way Jewish Healthcare Foundation funds grant recipients and returns on investment from the Federation Foundation, Heyman said.
In April, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation announced $690,000 in grants had been approved to support healthcare, immigrant services, reproductive health and regional innovation efforts “largely affected by policy and funding changes enacted since the new federal administration took office in January.”
prints and negatives depict the history of western Pennsylvania. Within the museum’s Rauh Jewish Archives, several family photo albums portray prominent Pittsburghers, including the Abrams, Rauh and Ohringer families.
At the start of the 20th century, access to photography and the creation of albums expanded with Kodak’s release of its Brownie camera. Consisting of a cardboard box and convex-concave lens, the camera relied on roll film. Given the camera’s $1 price (equivalent to about $38 today) and ease of use, picture taking flourished.
As photographers captured industrialization,
Journalist Rosanne Skirble told the Chronicle in 2014 that while helping her widowed mother move into an assisted living apartment, Skirble discovered a photo album belonging to her late stepfather. In it were stills and documents depicting not only his contributions to the state of Israel but the story of a British-born man, who, before eventually coming to Pittsburgh, joined the Haganah as a weapons instructor, trained
On July 1, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation implemented a decision to increase its block grant to the Jewish community from $900,000 annually to $1 million.
The change, according to representatives, allows the organization to align its “annual grantmaking more closely with its mission of advancing healthcare innovation, advocacy, collaboration and education.”
Supported organizations include the JCC, JFCS, JAA and Squirrel Hill Health Center.
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation’s allocation process is driven by “content experts” focused on several areas, including health and human services, teen mental health, older adults and women’s health, according to Karen Wolk Feinstein, president and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation.
“We are knowledgeable about what we do, and we see lots of opportunities for growth,” she said.
As for the Federation’s allocations, Heyman hopes the announcement regarding this year’s recipients helps the community “understand who the Federation is and what we do,” he said.
When donors support the Federation, “they’re not giving money to a specific cause, but to an organization that looks out across the entire community and has visibility towards where the greatest needs are,” he continued. “It’s important to know that an organization here in Pittsburgh has raised dollars and is then putting them into the community in places that serve both the Jewish community and the Pittsburgh community as well.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and met then-head of the Jewish Agency for Palestine and future Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion.
The beauty of photo albums, Vitek said while sitting at a table in the 10.27 Healing Partnership inside the Jewish Community Center, is “they keep us connected to other people.” For some, the process of mulling through pictures and remembering bygone days will spark sadness; but, “if we can learn to hold onto our pain we can help people with theirs.”
Before the hourlong program was complete, Laske finished gluing her photographs to colored pages. She left room beneath each picture to label the image.
Resting nearby were scores of pens and markers — no erasers.
Vitek said if a mistake is made when writing in a photo album, she encourages people to “own it.”
“It’s like life,” she added. There’s no need to delete it and “pretend it’s not there.”
Quinn, who continued placing pictures in plastic sleeves, said she had never worked on a photo album before and appreciated the advice.
“This takes you back,” she said. “There can be good and bad, but the good outweighs the bad.”
Helping others creatively express themselves is part of the goal, Vitek said. “People light up when they remember the love they had. And it’s beautiful to see people smile.” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
p Margaret Laske beams while holding a picture of her cat.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
p Pens, stickers, scissors and other supplies help participants create photo albums.
Photo by Adam Reinherz
p Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh announced allocations totaling more than $7.6 million dollars. Photo by Joshua Franzos
Tisha B’Av 5785: Still, we rise
Guest Columnist
William Daroff
We fast. We mourn. We chant Eicha, the book of Lamentations.
We sit low to the ground and dwell in the dust of our people’s tragedies, reciting the litany of loss that has shaped the Jewish story: Zion’s toppled towers; Jerusalem, once great among the nations, brought low; the expulsions from Sepharad and the Rhineland; our decimation in the Holocaust.
It is a day not only of memory, but of reckoning. A day when we allow ourselves to feel the full weight of Jewish history pressing down upon us. And this year, that weight feels heavier still.
We enter Tisha B’Av 5785 still reeling from the trauma of Oct. 7, the most brutal slaughter of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. Families torn apart. Children and grandparents dragged into the Gaza Strip. Whole communities erased. The pain is raw, the grief ongoing, the hostages still not home. Fifty souls remain in the clutches of Hamas — dead or alive — languishing in terror’s dungeons.
Another view
Guest Columnist
Danny Greenfield
About two years ago I became a little emotional while reading a Wall Street Journal article. Germany had announced an agreement to buy the Arrow 3 Anti-Ballistic Missile Interceptor (ABM) system from Israel. Sharon, my wife, asked, “Who gets emotional about missiles?” I do. That purchase meant that nearly 80 years after the liberation of Auschwitz the German government would be counting on Israel’s technology to prevent the destruction of Germany and the annihilation of the German people.
The Arrow 3 ABM system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles — for example, missiles carrying nuclear warheads from Russia. This Arrow 3 system contract is intended to protect Germany as well as Western Europe.
Why this story now? I am still trying to process the Israel-France incident that occurred during the Paris Air Show at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport in June, when the French government hung black drapes to hide the product displays of Israel’s leading aerospace and defense companies, IAI (Israel Aerospace Industry), Rafael and Elbit.
During my nearly 30-year career in the industry, I worked the Paris Air Show many times as the investor contact for a publicly traded aerospace and defense company. We had a display in the exhibit halls, so I
We mark this day amid a global wave of antisemitism, where our dead are met with indifference, our students with intimidation, our people with vilification. In city squares and on college campuses, hatred once whispered now marches and shouts.
We return from Israel with renewed urgency: to defend the bilateral relationship that safeguards both American interests and Israel’s security; to champion the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of antisemitism; to insist,
We believe that the Jewish people are not a relic of the past, but a promise to the future.
And yet, Tisha B’Av is not only about what has been destroyed; it is also about the spark that endures. Amid the dust, it reminds us that even the most shattered vessel can be mended. That out of desolation, renewal is possible. That Am Yisrael Chai. “The People of Israel live.”
This season, as the Conference of Presidents led a mission to Israel right after the 12-day war with Iran, standing with the people of the south and the north, meeting with families of hostages, and even further strengthening the bonds between American Jewry and the Jewish state, we were reminded again of our sacred obligation: to hold fast to our people, our homeland and our hope.
can imagine how the event unfolded for the Israeli air show team. They left the Le Bourget site on Sunday after working days and spending a lot of money on their show display. On Monday, after driving through the normally heavy traffic from Paris to the old airport, the teams arrived at their respective exhibit hall displays to find their work
in every forum, that Jewish lives and Jewish dignity are not negotiable.
And we do all this not as a collection of factions, but as one people, united in destiny even when we are divided in opinion. That unity is our answer to destruction. That solidarity is our act of faith.
As I have written in years past: Tisha B’Av reminds us not only of our brokenness, but of our capacity to rebuild. Just as Jewish memory preserves the pain, Jewish hope insists on the future. There is a time to mourn, but also a time to dance.
This day, for all its sorrow, marks the beginning of teshuvah. In just a few weeks, we will
quipped during a podcast that the French are jealous of Israel’s technology leadership. 3)
The French government was concerned that a protest of Israel would occur during the public day that began on Friday.
Smaller companies from Israel were permitted to display.
Those who have attended the Air Show
I am still trying to process the Israel-France incident that occurred during the Paris Air Show at the Paris-Le Bourget Airport in June, when the French government hung black drapes to hide the product displays of Israel’s leading aerospace and defense companies, IAI (Israel Aerospace Industry), Rafael and Elbit.
had been blocked from view — and they didn’t know why.
I didn’t attend this year, since I am retired. According to the Air Show website, over 300,000 visitors roamed through the exhibit halls viewing 2400 displays from 48 countries. Russia and Iran were banned due to sanctions.
Draping a display is unprecedented. I heard a few reasons for the French government’s action. 1) They didn’t like the products that were on display at all three companies.
2) An editor for industry rag Aviation Week
know that the real business is conducted in company chalets, not in the exhibit halls.
Our chalet consisted of several meeting rooms and a large dining area where we met with customers and investors.
Our company did a lot of business in Israel.
Ami, who ran our Tel Aviv office, arranged a tour of Israel’s chalet for a few of us each year that the Air Show was in Paris.
Israel usually has a big commercial aerospace and defense presence during the Paris Air Show. The products displayed in Israel’s chalet were memorable — mostly
enter the month of Elul, the season of return, repair and renewal. We will sound the shofar. We will prepare our hearts. And we will, once more, stand before the King of Kings.
And we will do so as one people, who on Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur seek pardon and redemption as a collective.
We believe in the eternal bond between the United States and Israel. We believe in the sacredness of Jerusalem — not only as a city, but as an idea. We believe that the Jewish people are not a relic of the past, but a promise to the future. Dor l’dor
So yes, we mourn on Tisha B’Av. We grieve for our beloved dead, from the flames of the Temples to the pogroms of Hamas. But we also rise. We link arms. We build. For this day teaches not only despair but resilience. Not only lamentation but resolve. And it reminds us, with painful clarity, that even after catastrophe, the House of Israel endures. PJC
William Daroff is CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. In that capacity, he is the senior professional guiding the Conference’s agenda on behalf of the 50 national member organizations, which represent the wide mosaic of American Jewish life. Follow him at @Daroff. This article first appeared on JNS.
unrivaled technology.
The three Israeli companies whose products were banned from view at this year’s Paris Air Show have an essential role in protecting the West.
The Arrow 3 ABM system is manufactured by IAI. Rafael and Raytheon Missiles & Defense have announced that their joint venture facility in Arkansas expects to produce the Iron Dome Tamir missile and the U.S. version, Sky Hunter missile, used by the U.S. and its allies. Raytheon and Rafael also produce the David’s Sling system.
The publicly traded Elbit’s global presence resulted in reported 2024 sales of 27% in Europe, 22% of sales in North America and 29% of sales in Israel.
I am neither qualified nor interested in having a political or philosophical debate on this matter. It is what it is. I pray for peace. I hope for some level of stability.
One more fact of interest: A significant number of global leaders in the cybersecurity field that defend the world’s biggest companies and their customers were founded by alumni of IDF’s Unit 8200. Palo Alto Networks, Check Point Software, Cyber Ark Software, and Wiz (recently purchased by Google for $32 billion) are among the better-known global cybersecurity leaders.
My point is that Israel’s global technology leadership is essential for the protection of the West. PJC
Danny Greenfield retired as VP Investor Relations & Corporate Communications at ATI. He has nearly 50 years of experience in global manufacturing.
Chronicle poll results: Pittsburgh Maccabi Games
Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an online poll the following question: “Are you planning on attending or volunteering at the Pittsburgh Maccabi Games?” Of the 186 people who responded, 65% said no; 28% said yes; and 7% said they weren’t sure. Comments were submitted by 35 people. A few follow.
I’m volunteering all five days. I am taking most of the week off from work to help.
We’re very sorry to be out of town. We’ll be cheering on athletes and volunteers from afar!
I’m volunteering. It was an easy decision after everything the community did for our family after 10/27.
I’m excited for a great event.
Are you planning on attending or volunteering at the
Absolutely. My wife and I have both volunteered for multiple events. This is a great time to showcase Jewish Pittsburgh not only to our local teens, but to the hundreds and hundreds coming from all over the U.S. and elsewhere.
I decided to volunteer. I’m retired, I like sports and I want to help. I just hope the weather cooperates.
Great event. Both my Pittsburgh grandsons are participating and I am volunteering.
I think it’s very important to support this amazing event and show the athletes and their families how resilient and strong the Pittsburgh Jewish community is!
I am volunteering for three days. I hope more people will sign up to volunteer for this terrific event.
Of course! This is an amazing opportunity to show off the Pittsburgh Jewish community and welcome thousands to the city of Pittsburgh.
Whether or not you plan on attending the Pittsburgh Maccabi Games, supporting our youth is vital to the future of the Jewish people.
— Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Chronicle weekly poll question: Who is responsible for the reported food shortage in Gaza? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC
Europe’s embrace of a phantom state is fueling antisemitism
Guest Columnist
Fiamma Nirenstein
Afather and his six-year-old son were recently assaulted at a rest stop near Milan — for the crime of wearing kippot. In today’s Europe, sadly, there’s little shocking about such incidents anymore.
Nor is it surprising to see French President Emmanuel Macron leading a diplomatic charge to recognize a Palestinian state, rallying the usual bloc of Norway, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and lobbying Saudi Arabia to add gravitas.
What’s more, 34 former Italian ambassadors — some still holding influential posts — have urged Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to follow suit.
This isn’t diplomacy. It’s performance politics — an ideologically driven campaign to punish Israel. These leaders aren’t seeking peace or stability. They’re pandering to a postmodern public square that cheers slogans like “From the river to the sea” and sees Jewish sovereignty as an affront.
The hypocrisy is glaring. For years, both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have rejected every reasonable peace offer. Neither faction has shown interest in
democracy or coexistence. Yet their Western backers, who know this well, demand nothing in return — no condemnation of terror, no commitment to peace, no pretense of democratic reform.
terrorist group its first diplomatic victory.
And when the world fails to object to a father being beaten for his religion—or to schoolchildren being deplaned for singing in Hebrew — we see the natural consequence
The weapons aimed at Israel today will tomorrow be aimed at the West. Yet, as always, the lessons of history are ignored.
The goal is not statehood. It’s to wound Israel.
Macron and his allies offer recognition not to help Palestinians build a viable future, but to appease anti-Israel sentiment disguised as virtue. The same phenomenon is reflected on the streets and in the institutions: from a Jewish child beaten in broad daylight to university departments severing ties with Israeli counterparts; from cities canceling partnerships to musicians being thrown out of restaurants in Vienna for speaking Hebrew.
They’ve normalized antisemitism. They’ve rebranded it as “human rights.”
Since Oct. 7, 2025, the signs have been clear. When U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres claimed that Hamas’s massacre “did not happen in a vacuum,” he handed the
of that moral abdication.
Macron’s campaign for Palestinian recognition has nothing to do with two states and everything to do with placating ideological allies and shaming Israel. It’s a hollow gesture at best, and a dangerous one at worst. The 34 ambassadors who signed their names to a demand that Israel be punished for defending itself in Gaza are not champions of peace — they are enabling extremism.
They say the recognition of Palestine is an “urgent political priority.” But there is no urgency for Palestinian reform. No questions asked about the aid stolen by Hamas. No mention of the hostages still held in Gaza. No call for condemning the Oct. 7 atrocities. That silence is complicity.
And while Israelis mourn their dead and
continue to search for those still held captive, European leaders draw moral equivalences and promote false narratives.
We’ve seen it before. In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza completely — and in return received tunnels, rockets and terror. Now, the international community risks making the same mistake on a grander scale: legitimizing a state built not on peace but on destruction.
Hamas is already starving its own people and will continue to do so if handed a state and billions in foreign aid. The weapons aimed at Israel today will tomorrow be aimed at the West. Yet, as always, the lessons of history are ignored.
The assault on that father and child at a Milan rest stop may seem like a footnote. But it is emblematic of something much larger: a Europe that has chosen to sacrifice truth, security and decency on the altar of postcolonial guilt and fashionable bigotry.
It is not just Israel under siege; it is the very moral spine of the West. PJC
Fiamma Nirenstein is an Italian-Israeli journalist, author and senior research fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. An adviser on antisemitism to Israel’s foreign minister, she previously served in the Italian Parliament (2008–2013) as vice president of the Foreign Affairs Committee. This article first appeared on JNS.
Use your voice for action
I read about how civilians in Gaza are being shot as they try to get food (“‘Wrong message:’ Israel dismisses call by 25 countries to end Gaza war,” online July 22). I feel helpless — like a useless bystander. The death and devastation happening elsewhere in the region deepen my feelings of hopelessness.
Strangely, it’s reading about someone else’s feelings of helplessness that makes me revisit my power and role. I saw this comment on a New York Times article, from someone identifying as an Israeli: “I in no way support the war ... We Israelis are living under a brutal ultra-right wing regime run by Bibi Netanyahu whose only goal is truly to stay in power at any price. … We the Israeli people are powerless.”
It’s so easy as a human to feel powerless. And indeed, each of us has a small influence. But I would tell that writer: Small is not nothing. Somehow, I am motivated to exert that small force that I have: to contact Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick and urge them to push for a ceasefire. To write to my Jewish community in this letter.
I believe that this war benefits no one. In the words of that New York Times commenter: “Myself and everyone I know hate what’s going on. All the demonstrations and protests are
accomplishing nothing to get rid of Bibi and get the hostages out. And stop the war.” That writer may feel hopeless, but their words encourage me, and I hope that my words will encourage others — to take small actions in the face of suffering and horror, toward the goal of peace.
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We regret that owing to the volume of correspondence, we cannot reply to every letter.
Maya Fischhoff Pittsburgh
Good luck to all of the athletes! PJC
Life & Culture
Potato and mushroom boreka roll
By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle
Recently, while preparing for Shabbat, I had such a craving for homemade borekas. I decided to prepare both potato and mushroom fillings, but I wanted to serve them together in one pastry. I halved my regular filling recipes and prepared them. When I went to the freezer, I realized I only had one sheet of pastry left. One sheet of pastry would not make enough borekas for my family so I had to think fast and alter my recipe.
I decided to make a large pastry en croute, and it happened to be one of the best accidental surprises that ever came out of my kitchen.
I kept the flavors simple and familyfriendly, although fresh thyme or sage could be added to the mushroom mixture and I will definitely be trying this with shitake mushrooms.
This looked elegant both on the platter and on each plate. The fillings held together and it sliced beautifully. It was a perfect side dish for our roast beef dinner and I couldn’t wait to share it with you. Adults and children alike will appreciate this dish.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a side dish
Potato filling:
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoons of chicken consommé powder or salt and black pepper to taste
Mushroom filling:
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and diced
2 cups onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons mushroom consommé powder
2-3 tablespoons water
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
1 egg yolk plus a dash of oil, whisked, for egg wash
Optional: sesame seeds for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400 F and place the wire rack in the upper third.
Peel and cube the potatoes.
Cover potatoes with water in a medium-sized pan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is at a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes over a gentle boil until fork-tender.
Immediately drain the potatoes and return them to the cooking pot. Mash them with a hand masher. When they are mostly broken
down, add the mayonnaise and mash until well combined and fluffy. You can flavor these with salt and pepper; alternatively, use a bit of chicken consommé powder to taste — between 1 and 2 teaspoons should do it and you won’t need any extra salt.
Dice the onions and mushrooms. Trim the ends of the mushroom; you can use the stems as long as they are not woody or mushy. Ten ounces of diced mushrooms will make about 3 cups. Start the onions in a sauté pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. It should take 10-15 minutes for the onions to soften and start to caramelize.
Add the mushrooms to the onions and drizzle in oil as needed.
Stir well, sprinkle lightly with salt, and allow the mushrooms to cook until they are soft and there is no liquid left in the bottom of the pan, about 10-15 minutes.
When the mixture is soft add the mushroom consommé powder, which not only adds flavor but also adds thickness to the mixture so it will bake well in the pastry.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the pan and stir well. Allow this to cook for another minute before removing the pan from the heat.
If you’d like to add herbs, add 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs at this time and stir well. Taste and add salt or black pepper if desired.
When the potatoes and mushrooms are cool enough to touch you can start filling the pastry. I prefer working with pastry on marble board or on a clean countertop.
Take the fully thawed pastry from the refrigerator and remove it from the package.
Drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil on your work
surface and spread it out with your hands.
Unfold the sheet of pastry over the oiled surface and gently roll it out to expand the size. You should be able to get 2-3 inches extra per side once it’s rolled out.
Use ⅓ of the pastry toward one side to spread the potatoes, leaving about two inches from what will be the bottom seam of the pastry. Spread the mushroom mixture over the potatoes, with more toward the center than the edges. Pick up the opposite side of the pastry, cover the filling and tuck it underneath the part with the potato filling.
Seal the loose ends with the tines of a fork.
Gently move the pastry to a parchmentlined sheet pan.
Use a sharp knife to score the top diagonally 5-7 times.
Mix an egg yolk with a splash of oil and paint the pastry with the egg wash.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 20 minutes before raising the heat on the oven to 425 F.
Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the pastry is golden and bubbling around the scored vents.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely. The flavors come together the longer this rests. You can warm it again before serving, but it’s also excellent at room temperature.
If you have leftovers or are making this a day ahead, store loosely covered in foil at room temperature to keep the pastry texture flaky.
Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC
Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
p Potato and mushroom boreka roll
Photos by Jessica Grann
Life & Culture
The quiet power of Tisha B’Av
By Tim Miller | Special to the Chronicle
Tisha B’Av doesn’t get much press. Commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples in 586 BCE and 70 CE, it does not include any Hollywood moments. Study of the Torah is prohibited, and in its place isn’t anything like the burlesque of Esther, the perseverance of Ruth, or even the world-weary wisdom of Ecclesiastes. Instead, we are told to read Lamentations or Job.
There is nothing about the day to make it family-friendly, or colorful, and it can’t be turned into a comic book or action figure for the kids. And since Tisha B’Av is a fast day, there are no traditional foods associated with it. Technically we are given the opportunity to climb out of Tisha B’Av with the seven Shabbats that follow it — the Shabbatot of Comfort — and take them into the renewal of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but it is still a dark road, and a long one.
This is especially so since Tisha B’Av is preceded by three weeks of preparation. Traditionally, a whole host of prohibitions on eating meat, playing or listening to music, holding weddings, having sex, getting haircuts and even planting are observed. With all of this in mind, I’m reminded of a rabbi who avoided the holiday altogether, and instead held a barbecue. Do we really need to sit on the floor in the dark in order to remember all the terrible things that have happened to us? Maybe not, but ignoring the day so blatantly only illustrates the large shadow that Tisha B’Av throws.
Open the Babylonian Talmud to Sota 38, and you will find the origin story of Tisha B’Av. Well before the destruction of both Temples, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain and a host of other events said to have taken place on or around the Ninth of Av, the story of the spies from Numbers 13-14 is expanded upon:
Still fresh from their escape from Egypt and the revelation at Sinai, the Israelite community was about to enter Canaan. A representative from each of the 12 tribes was sent to scout out the land beforehand and report back. When the overwhelmingly negative account of 10 of the spies caused panic among the Israelites, the Talmud gives God’s reaction: “Because the people weep without cause and do not trust My word to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey, this night and the following day, the Ninth of Av, shall be a day of fasting and mourning, a day of trouble and tribulation for many years.”
Of course, these events from the Torah were not connected with Tisha B’Av until much later. In that sense, it is Jewish interpretation at its best. What better way to deal with and make meaning out of incredible suffering than to widen its radius? Now our otherwise isolated suffering finds a crowd, and indeed the idea and the reality of Tisha B’Av is like a magnet, until the
day is adorned and weighed down with tragedy, commemoration, poetry, folklore and theology.
Many Jews today might cringe at the theology of stories like the one where God’s voice (or is the Shekhinah’s?) is heard near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, saying, “Alas, because of the sins of My sons I destroyed My house, I burned My sanctuary, and scattered My children among the nations.”
Many Jews throughout history, from those who lived and chose to remain in Babylonia, Spain, North Africa, France, Amsterdam, the Ottoman Empire and finally America, didn’t view themselves as living in a diaspora at all — or if they did, it wasn’t something to mourn, or a condition to blame on their forebears.
At the same time, taking the bite out of Tisha B’Av entirely seems just as unnecessary as blaming Jews’ lack of piety for everything up to the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. David Einhorn, the 19th-century Reform leader in America, wrote in the
siddur he formulated that, “the day of sorrow and fasting has become a day of gladness.” He added, “Not like an outcast son did Your firstborn go forth into the strange world, but as Your messenger for all the families of the earth.” It’s a beautiful idea, turning every closed door and locked border (and worse) of our history into a reason to celebrate where we were eventually accepted and did survive. But sometimes sitting on the ground in the dark might be the way to go.
Some things, perhaps, don’t have a silver lining, and sometimes it’s worth illustrating that fact by draping the Ark of the Torah in black. Jews may have persevered and done great things in every corner of the world, but it feels very un-Jewish to say that our doggedness somehow makes up for the destruction, pogroms, expulsions and terrorist attacks that preceded them. It feels more Jewish to tie the knot tighter and say that these things happened, and to refuse to look any further. This seems to be one thing that Tisha B’Av is about.
Other religions can pretend to offer answers; Judaism seems best at offering meaning in the absence of answers. Introducing his translation of Job, the poet Stephen Mitchell lays out three ways of interpreting Job’s sufferings. In the first, God is just and Job is guilty; in the second, God is unjust and Job is innocent. The third is: “Suffering comes from God. God is just. Job is innocent.”
Mitchell remarks that this third option “is not even thinkable.” But in a way, it is the unthinkable-ness of the idea that makes it sound so right. It is unthinkable because, like the Binding of Isaac — or like the tornado of Jewish history that takes this life but not that one — there is no answer. And every year in late July or early August we are reminded that there is no greeting card or T-shirt or coffee mug to make Tisha B’Av more palatable. PJC
Tim Miller is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
By Grace Gilson | JTA
singer-songwriter Regina Spektor shot back at a pro-Palestinian protester who interrupted her concert Saturday night, telling the protester, “You’re just yelling at a Jew.”
Later, she engaged in a back and forth with another audience member about the hunger crisis in Gaza, in a dramatic example of how deeply Israel’s war in Gaza is interceding in the public consciousness and shaping the experience of Jews.
The confrontation came 10 songs into Spektor’s performance at Revolution Hall in Portland, Oregon, when a protester began shouting “Free f—ing Palestine” from the crowd.
Spektor, who emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States as a child, has faced scrutiny for her pro-Israel activism on social media. In November 2023, the singer rebuked fellow artist Bjork for sharing an infographic about the displacement of Palestinians, and in July 2024 she was targeted by the Instagram account Zionists in Music for being a “proud Zionist who frequently posts her support for
Israel on Instagram and X/Twitter.”
During an event to commemorate the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel y Hamas in New York City, Spektor sang a rendition of “Avinu Malkeinu,” the classic High Holiday prayer.
On Saturday, the singer stopped her concert and began speaking directly to the pro-Palestinian protester.
“You’re just yelling at a Jew,” she said to the person who interrupted her set. To the rest of the crowd, she said, “I don’t know what he thinks he’s doing. I really appreciate the security. We had a really hard time last night, when I said, ‘Shalom aleichem.’”
Most of the crowd responded by cheering for Spektor while others laughed, and several people yelled, “Am Yisrael Chai,” according to video of the concert posted on social media. Later, while an audience member who had yelled “Free Palestine” left the venue, Spektor
said, “I thought this was different than the internet. This is real life.”
When another audience member said, “There’s a genocide happening,” Spektor said, “You can leave the show if you want. This is not an internet comment section. I know that you are mistaking my show for a YouTube video.”
The audience member then replied, “I’m watching children dying. That hurts.”
“I think you should go because this is not the place for that conversation,” Spektor replied.
“ The only reason I even speak English is because I came here to escape this shit,” Spektor continued after several audience members left the concert. “I only speak English because I came from a country where people were treating Jews as others, and now I’m being othered here, and it sucks. It’ll be nice if one of my family’s generation didn’t have to go to a new country and learn a new language.” PJC
p Tisha B’av painting
Image by Valery Rybakou via iStock
p Regina Spektor performs at MGM Music Hall at Fenway on July 31, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. Photo by Lisa Dragani/Getty Images
pittsburghgives.org/organization/jccpittsburgh
Torah Celebrations
, son of
George Dorfman and Jessica Casper, grandson of Susan and Robert Casper of Boston and Pittsburghers Audrey Glickman and Martin Dorfman. Levy is the great-grandson of Bette Shapiro. He is named after his maternal great-grandfather Martin Shapiro (z”l) and paternal
Parshat Devarim
Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22
TDon and Deb Berlin joyfully announce the engagement of Andrew Michael , daughter of Arne and Katrin Jordal of Bergen, Norway. Andrew is the grandson of Paul and Naomi Herman of Scott Township, and the late Leana Herman, and of Nessa Berlin and the late Elliott Berlin of Monroeville. They are planning a wedding in Bergen, Norway, and plan to reside in
Mazel Tov!
his week’s Torah portion is Devarim, the first in the fifth book of Moses, also known as Deuteronomy. Yet this Shabbat, the one preceding Tisha B’Av, is known by another name: “Shabbat Chazon.” Chazon means vision, and it’s the first word of this week’s haftorah.
The haftorah is a reading from one of the prophets, recited after the Torah reading. Its theme follows that of the Torah portion, or the time of year. This week’s is a prelude to Tisha B’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.
While many historical catastrophes happened on this day, the most famous are the destruction of the First and Second Holy Temples in Jerusalem. The first, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 423 BCE (editor’s note: some scholars believe the date was 586 BCE), while the second, built under the direction of Ezra and Nechemia, was wrecked by the Romans in 69 CE.
The Talmud tells us that the Holy Temples were destroyed because of our sins.
to time shows it to his son and tells him that when he behaves properly, he’ll give it to him to wear. This motivates the child to follow the upright path. And when the father is certain that the positive changes have become like second nature to the son, he’ll give him the garment. At this point, he’s no longer worried that his son will return to his deviations, because his betterment is now second nature.
“This is the idea of Shabbat Chazon, when G-d shows us the third Holy Temple.”
The Rebbe adds that although we don’t see this vision with our eyes, our souls see it, and it has a profound effect on each and every one of us. This vision inspires us to better ourselves, increasing our Torah study and performance of mitzvot.
The Rebbe also explains that Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s choice of parable for the Holy Temple — a garment, rather than a house — is by design. This is because, while a house encompasses the dweller, it’s not tailored to fit someone specific. A garment, on the other hand, is made to fit the wearer.
The Temple was indeed a house — an all-encompassing edifice where many individuals encountered G-dliness, yet every person found it a tailor-made garment, accommodating his or her specific spiritual needs, giving him or her a personal and intimate relationship with G-d.
In the haftorah, the prophet Isaiah shares a G-dly vision he had, rebuking the Jewish people for their sins and iniquities. Isaiah then gently encourages the people to return to G-d, and ends with the promise that G-d will eventually reestablish Israel’s judges and leaders.
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
While the simple meaning of Chazon is somber, even negative, the famed Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, a key Chassidic leader in the 18th century, taught that the word has a deeper, positive meaning.
“A father once sewed an expensive garment for his dear son to wear. However, the boy was not careful with the garment, and in no time, it was in tatters. The father made a second one for his son, which he also ruined. Still, the father made a third garment. This one, however, he did not give to the boy. He put it away, and from time
Each year, on the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, we are shown a vision of our world as a divine home — a place where all of G-d’s beings will experience His presence. But this is also a vision of a G-dly garment — the distinctly personal relationship with G-d, particularly suited to our individual character and aspirations, that we will each enjoy when the third divine Temple descends to earth.
Let’s tap into this day to make ourselves, and the entire world, worthy of the redemption, with the coming of Moshiach! PJC
Rabbi Yossi Feller is the rabbi of the Chabad Jewish Center of Cranberry. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabonim of Western Pennsylvania.
The more you celebrate in life… the more there is in life to celebrate!
SEND YOUR CELEBRATIONS, MAZEL TOVS, AND PHOTOS TO: announcements@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org And there is no better place to share your joy than
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Rabbi Yossi Feller
Obituaries
KLEIN: Lloyd Jerome Klein. Beloved husband of Judy Arlene Vernick. Son of the late Mildred Krasnoff Klein, Harry Irving Krasnoff and the Hon. Harold Beryl Klein. Loving brother of Roberta Klein and the Hon. Arnie (Sara) Klein. Also survived by a niece and nephews. Lloyd grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and loved going to Pittsburgh Pirates baseball games with his father. He attended Point Park University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in computer/information science and an Associate of Science degree in public administration. Lloyd earned his master’s degree in public management from the H. John Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He also received a master’s certificate in project management from the University of Pittsburgh, Joseph M. Katz School of Business. Lloyd was a PA notary public. Lloyd was an information technology professional in the financial services industry for over 30 years. Specializing in mainframe systems, he served as a software engineer at PNC Bank. He also was a senior consultant for Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield. He was actively involved in the Keystone Mountain Region of the B›nai B›rith Youth Organization, and later served as president of B’nai B’rith Gateway Lodge of Pittsburgh. He was an avid Pittsburgh sports fan, with a special love for the Pittsburgh Pirates. As an 8-year-old, he earned local fame for predicting Bill Mazeroski’s famous home run in the 1960 World Series. Lloyd’s greatest love was his treasured wife, Judy, and their beloved dogs. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment at Homewood Cemetery, Star of David Section. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Lloyd’s memory may be made to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and to Animal Friends. schugar.com
KLEIN: Lou Klein, age 87. Born in Pittsburgh, Lou was a valley resident for over 55 years. Lou served in both the U.S. Army and Civil Air Patrol. When he left Pittsburgh, he started a chain of five optical stores in Columbus, Ohio, which he sold prior to moving to Paradise Valley, Arizona. After working for two different chemical companies in the West, he started his own chemical company in Tempe, Arizona, in 1973. When the EPA made it impossible to continue, he formed Production Packaging & Processing Equipment Co. to sell off the equipment he had been using. This became his largest business endeavor. Ten years later, he found a better location near Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport that he expanded twice. The new location was more convenient because of all the out of state customers that flew in. He became one of the largest packaging and processing equipment dealers in the country. In 2006 he decided to sell the facility on E. Van Buren Street and retire. It took two 18-hour days just to auction off 50,00 square feet of inventory. Lou leaves the love of his life, Honey Klein, his wife of 62 years and three adoring sons, Marc, Alan and Jeff, and their significant others. Lou also leaves four perfect grandchildren: Josh, Alyssa, Gabrielle and Hailey.
Please see Obituaries, page 20
A. D’Alessandro, Supervisor • Daniel T. D’Alessandro, Funeral Director 4522 Butler St. • Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (412) 682-6500 • www.dalessandroltd.com
Final
Drop-O for Community Book Burial (Genizah):
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 July 14 - Aug 7 (call for appt)
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.
JCBA’s expanded vision is made possible by a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Jewish Community Foundation
Edward
Sharon Green .Esther Klee
Susan Melnick .Samuel Natterson
Charlotte & Evan Reader Ethel Kwall
Robert Rosenstein
.Harry Silverstein
Claire & Morris Z"L Weinbaum .Stuart D Weinbaum
Susan Weiner Herman Pink
Contact the Development department at 412-586-2690 or development@jaapgh.org for more information. THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —
Sunday August 3: Fryma Maete Berenstein, Herbert Cohen, Beatrice Galler, Julius Hemmelstein, Bluma Shaindel Labovitz, Irwin Levinson, Eva Corn Makler, Sophia Weinerman Sands, Eleanor J Slinger, Harry Weisberg
Monday August 4: Harry Blumenthal, Israel I Brody, Sarah Fish Hassel, Esther Klee, Isaac Latterman, Ruth Mazefsky, Joseph Ostrow, Morris Rubin, Isaac Schor, Malcolm Slifkin, Sadye Steinman
Tuesday August 5: Robert Chamovitz, Miriam "Mitzie" Feinberg, Julius Field, Anna Rose Frieman, Nathan Gilles, Esther Glick, Sarah Geller Goisner, Saul Greenberg, Leonard Herbert Hochhauser, Annette Kranich, Mildred Golanty Krauss, Herman Labowitz, Minnie Landay, Benjamin Lazier, Sarah Sattler, Harry Silverstein, Clemens Simon, Dr Morris Benjamin Weber, Hymen J Wedner
Wednesday August 6: Bess Baker, Marilyn Brody, Meyer Coon, Samuel Finkelstein, Meyer I Grinberg, Irwin "Ike" Kitman, Blanche Labovitz, Albert H Levenson, Dorothy Levine, Emil Mendlow, Jean Ostfield, Dr Herman Pink, Hermina Schwartz, Harriet Taper, Benjamin H Tauberg, Stuart D Weinbaum, Lillian Wells
Thursday August 7: Morris Chetlin, Ida Daly, Miriam Friedlander, Bruce Robert Gordon, Max Harris, Sylvia G Levine, Morris Linder, Ida Match, Jacob Mazer, Pearl C Numer, Charles Olinsky, Goldie Faleder Recht, William Myer Rose, Simon Jacob Rosenthal, Reuben C Solomon, Leonard Stein, Tsivia Topaz Sussman, Ray Weiner Wesosky, Florine K Wolk, Benjamin I Young, Harry & Ruth Zeligman
Friday August 8: Sam Baker, Harry Davidson, George Freeman, Paul Allen Friedlander, Ruthe Glick, Sophia Mintz Latkin, Benjamin D Lazar, Tillye Shaffer Malyn, Mary Perilman, Margaret Racusin, Reva Rebecca Reznick, Katie Share, Ethel K Stept, Cora M Strauss, Morton A Zacks
Saturday August 9: Anna R Brill, Sam Friedman, Sam Goldston, Mitzi Davis Marcus, Belrose Marcus, Samuel Morris, Samuel Natterson, Phillip Nesvisky, Jacob Pearl, Nathan Rosen, Mayme S Roth, Earl Schugar, S Milton Schwartz, Becie Sokoler
Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following:
Tom Lehrer, satirist who sang about ‘Hanukkah in Santa Monica,’ dies at 97
By Philissa Cramer | JTA
Tom Lehrer never identified closely with his ancestral Judaism. But the famed satirist and mathematician, who died Saturday at 97, wrote one of the first popular songs about a Jewish holiday.
“(I’m Spending) Hanukkah in Santa Monica” debuted in 1990, well after Lehrer’s peak as a performer, on a come-from-retirement p erformance on Garrison Keillor’s radio show.
Keillor commissioned the new song from Lehrer because, he observed, Jews had written many popular Christmas songs but none for their own holidays.
“There was thus a deplorable lacuna in the repertoire, which this song, a sort of answer to ‘White Christmas.’ was intended to remedy,” Lehrer said on air.
The resulting song — which also mentions spending “Shavuos in East St. Louis,” “Rosh Hashanah in Arizona” and “Yom Kippur in Mississippi” (try saying it out loud with a Southern accent) — has grown more popular in recent years. The writer Sarah Weinman attributed its rise to the New York City nightclub impresario Michael Feinstein, whom she said had turned the gossip columnist
Liz Smith, composer Marvin Hamlisch and writer Nora Ephron on to the song.
Notable recent covers have included an arrangement by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, a jazzy version by the singer Deborah Silver, and a Yiddish rendition that spells the title “Khanike in Santa Monica.”
The song was a departure for Lehrer, who was born in Manhattan in 1928 and grew up in a secular Jewish family. He rarely spoke about his personal life, but in the liner notes of a compendium album released in 2000, he addressed his family’s relationship to
“You can’t get to a place that you don’t believe exists.”
Lee & Lisa Oleinick
Judaism.
“More to do with the delicatessen than the synagogue. My brother and I went to Sunday School, but we had Christmas trees, and ‘God’ was primarily an expletive, usually preceded by ‘oh’ or ‘my’ or both,” he said.
Lehrer enrolled at Harvard University at 15, where he studied math before joining the U.S. Army and then returning to Cambridge for a graduate degree. He gained renown locally for his parodies, which often took aim at divisive political issues and pushed the boundaries of propriety. His first album,
Obituaries:
which he paid to record in 1953 and sold at his performances, became a cult hit that ultimately propelled him to multiple world tours, a shoutout by England’s Princess Margaret and, in 1965, a spot in the Billboard Top 20 for his album “That Was The Year That Was” (it peaked at No. 18).
Lehrer retired from touring in 1967 but continued to write songs for TV shows and dabble in musical theater intermittently for some time. But he spent the bulk of his time in the classroom, teaching math and, at one point, musical theater, at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Santa Cruz. Famously private, Lehrer never married or had children. He died at his home in Cambridge, which he kept while dividing his time between the coasts.
While “(I’m Spending) Hanukkah in Santa Monica” was the Lehrer song that put Judaism in the title, at least one other famous song contained Jewish content as well. The 1965 song “National Brotherhood Week,” which pilloried an event promoting togetherness at a time of rising tension over race, drew laughs when he got to the verse about religion.
“Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics, And the Catholics hate the Protestants,” he sang. “And the Hindus hate the Moslems, And everybody hates the Jews.” PJC
Continued from page 19
LEVINE: David M. Levine, age 71, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Saturday, July 26, 2025. He was a beloved son of the late Betty and Milton Levine (Mt. Lebanon) and a lifelong resident of Mt. Lebanon and Dormont. He is survived by his brothers, Stephen (Dorothy) and Dan (Marian); three doting nieces, Amy, Maya and Lea; his uncle, Dr. Robert Blockstein; his aunt and uncle, Irene and Sheldon Sigesmund; and many cousins, caregivers and friends. David’s smile lit up a room, and one could not help but feel better after sharing time with David. His spirit will forever bring warmth to his family and his many friends. Despite his many challenges, David embraced life and lived it to the fullest. David benefited immeasurably from the care and love of so many wonderful caregivers associated with Mainstay Life Services. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Donations in his memory may be made to Pittsburgh National Aviary (aviary.org), 700 Arch Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. schugar.com
WEINER: Shirley Weiner of Delray Beach, Florida, formerly Monroeville, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully with family by her side on Friday, July 25, 2025, at the age of 93. Beloved wife of the late Irv Weiner. Devoted mother of Paul (Bonny) Weiner, Jeff (Mindy) Weiner and Louis Weiner. Sister of the late Milton “Mitzie” Hamerman and cherished, loving Nana to Brooke (David) McClure, Molly, Ben, Tori, Brittany (Logan Ratick) and Noah (fiancée Jenni Santacaterina), and adoring great-grandmother to Liam and Cole McClure. Also survived by nieces, nephews and extended family. Shirley was a proud 1949 graduate of Peabody High School and loved attending her high school reunions. Shirley was an officer of Weiner Real Estate and an award-winning active real estate salesperson alongside her husband, Irv, for over four decades with clients reaching out to her until her passing. Shirley was a founding member of Temple David in Monroeville and was a very proud, active member of Temple David’s Sisterhood. She is known for hosting and entertaining, famous for her mandel bread, baking and cooking expertise, with her desire to keep family and friends close. Her door was always open. She wanted to instill in her three sons and their families to “always do the right thing” and was always so proud of them all. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Pliskover Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in her memory to The Pliskover Association, P. O Box 8237, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 and/or Temple David, 4415 Northern Pike, Monroeville, PA 15146. schugar.com PJC
— NEWS OBITUARY —
p Tom Lehrer sings and plays piano at the Hungry I Nightclub in San Francisco.
Photo by Ted Streshinsky/Corbis via Getty Images
Real Estate
Smith-Rosenthal Team
Jason A. Smith & Caryn Rosenthal Jason: 412-969-2930 | Caryn: 412-389-1695 Jasonasmith@howardhanna.com Carynrosenthal@howardhanna.com
stage manager Caroline Yacono finds home on the stage
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Caroline Yacono prefers blurred images to hard edges.
Yacono is the stage manager of Kinetic Theatre Company’s production of “Hangmen,” in final rehearsals for an Aug. 7-24 run at the Carnegie Stage.
For the theater professional it’s the love of the stage, rather than any one particular role, that maintains her interest and keeps her motivated to continue the craft.
Performer, lighting director, stage manager — Yacono has done it all in a career that has stretched from Pennsylvania, to New York, Florida and back to Pittsburgh. She even helped put on a Dragone show in China.
“I had to find a way to find an outlet for my different talents,” she said. “Theater is a great place for that because we have the classic arts, we have music, dance, all the performing arts. It really is a place where all of that gels.”
Yacono’s journeyman approach to her career makes sense considering the far-flung and at times circuitous route her family has taken.
Her grandmother traveled to the United States from Poland when she was just 3.
As Yacono recounts, her grandmother was one of five children living with her family in Warsaw. Her mother, Yacono’s great-grandmother, died giving birth to her youngest son.
“The family didn’t know what to do with my grandmother, so they put her on a boat to the United States with a cousin who was maybe 10 or 11,” Yacono recounted. “They sent these two little children off to the United States.”
And while much of her family died in Warsaw during the Holocaust, Yacono said her Uncle Mendel survived. Like Yacono’s grandmother, his story is one of unlikely survival. He escaped Poland on foot with his wife Rachel and 2-year-old son Adam. The family split up, with Mendel traveling alone, to increase their chance of survival. The family reunited in Russia before eventually
“The theater has always been home away from home, it’s where I go. It’s where I’ve always gone. When I step onto a stage, it’s stepping into a very familiar place.”
―CAROLINE YACONO
settling in Beersheba, Israel.
Yacono’s grandmother was adopted by a family living in Squirrel Hill.
“I think there was a lot of trauma around that,” she said, recalling her grandmother’s anxiety when the topics of antisemitism or the Holocaust were brought up.
However unconventional her family’s origin story may have been, the love of music was a throughline passed down to Yacono.
NYU,” she said.
Talent exists on both sides of her family, she said, noting that her mother’s relatives are all fine artists.
It’s that combination — from both sides of her family — that has informed her work in the theater.
“I had to find a place in theater where I could bring all these pieces together,” she said.
everything is happening on time,” she said. “There’s union cast members, so I make sure union breaks are called on time. I help Andrew [Paul, producing artistic director] on the schedule. We have a dialect coach, so I help with that. I work on the nuts and bolts of the production, including writing production notes when I go home.”
Those notes, she said, are essential. For instance, the play features an actor that stands on a bar during one scene. That detail had to be relayed to the lighting director who might otherwise not have thought of a need for a light at that particular point on the stage.
Throughout rehearsals, Yacono works not only with the lighting director but the production manager, technical director and director to make sure the production goes off without a hitch.
“Hangmen,” she said, is worth the work.
Written by Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), the play takes place in 1965 after the United Kingdom banned the death penalty. All of England is interested in what Harry Wade, the country’s secondbest hangman, thinks of the decision. Along the way a more mysterious agenda is revealed.
Despite the dark underpinnings, Yacono said the 11-person play has a lot of humor.
“There’s a lot of heavy material, but it has to be a comedy to get through,” she said. “It’s a pleasant mix of fact and fiction, based on characters that are very real characters of the day. It’s dark but it’s very funny.”
For Yacono, it’s the art and artistry that matters, especially when it’s in front of an audience.
“Anytime I step onto stage, whether it’s backstage or on stage as a performer, it’s stepping onto a home base for me,” she said. “The theater has always been home away from home, it’s where I go. It’s where I’ve always gone. When I step onto a stage, it’s stepping into a very familiar place.”
As the stage manager for Kinetic Theatre’s production of “Hangmen,” Yacono is a master of all trades.
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. — THEATER —
“My grandmother played the piano. She had a scholarship to Carnegie Tech. My dad is a concert pianist. He went to
“I come to all rehearsals, make sure
Tickets for “Hangmen” can be purchased at kinetictheatre.org/buy-tickets. PJC
p The cast of Kinetic Theatre’s “Hangmen” rehearses before the Aug. 7 premiere.
Photo by David Rullo
Community
Serenity at last Friendship Circle Moms joined together for a spa night. The evening activity featured massages, manicures and wellness-based crafts.
Conversation at the Capitol
The Branch Executive Director Nancy Gale and JFCS President and CEO Jordan Golin joined the
Picnic and a prize
The Pliskover Association, a group with origins dating back more than a century, held its biannual picnic on June 22. During the O’Hara Township-based program, Ryan Kaufman received a $500 scholarship to aid his upcoming educational costs at Kent State University. Nearly 50 people attended the event.
p
Photo courtesy of Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh
p Psyched for the Steel Curtain
Photo courtesy of Hillel Camp
Camp Gan Israel Squirrel Hill hosted a newspaper fashion show. Models were adorned in
p
Photo courtesy of Camp Gan Israel Squirrel Hill
No beef
Temple Sinai’s vegetarian dinner club gathered for a delicious evening meal.
p From left: William Cohen, Susan Blackman, Frank Schwarz, Carolyn Schwarz, Rick Rosenthal, Carol Rosenthal, Bob Kraut and Aya Betensky (not pictured Susan Cohen)
