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August 14, 2026 | 1 Elul 5786

Candlelighting 8:01 p.m. | Havdalah 9:01 p.m. | Vol. 69, No. 33 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

JFCS sues DHS on behalf of 6 children

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Welcoming athletic directors

Discussing antisemitism

Page 2

LOCAL Honoring Greensburg nun

Hayli FirtellElgarten hopes to strengthen community of Jewish women entrepreneurs with new organization David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer

p JFCS signage.

Sister Gemma Del Duca recognized for lifetime of interfaith work

Page 4

LOCAL New leadership at Hillel JUC

Oded Wilson steps up as assistant director

Page 10

LIFE & CULTURE Director Rachel Israel’s films

An exploration of Jewish joy

Page 20

David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer

ewish Family and Community Services has filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Markwayne Mullin on behalf of six children. The 159-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, argues that procedural changes adopted by immigration courts have eliminated due process protections Congress enacted in 1990 for abused, neglected and trafficked immigrant children. Dana Gold, JFCS’ chief operating officer, said that this is the first time in the organization’s history that it has been a plaintiff in a lawsuit of this kind but that they felt it was necessary to protect their clients. “What we’ve seen locally was a pattern of taking away their legislative protections,” Gold said. “When you have minor children who have no one to stand up for them, they do have the rule of law to protect them. We have to stand up for that rule of law to be applied as it was meant to be done.” Sarah Hough, JFCS’ director of immigration legal services, said that there have been attempts to limit the children’s access to counsel, curtail their opportunity to pursue legal cases and to “do an end around the

legislative protections they are entitled to under a number of categories.” “The only option left for some our clients was to take federal action to protest the policies themselves,” she said. JFCS’ participation as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, Hough explained, isn’t litigating any individual cases, rather, it’s litigating against the policies themselves, which she said, has dramatically impacted the work of JFCS and the organization’s ability to perform work “ethically and do the things we are required to do for these kids under the law.” If JFCS wants to continue to represent the children in a meaningful way, she said, it was left with no option but to pursue a legal course of action. There have been issues, Hough explained, since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. Beginning in February 2025 when, she said, JFCS received a stop work order from the administration cutting off aid and service to immigrants. In March, the government terminated JFCS’ and other organization’s contracts. That order has been a subject of ongoing litigation in which the courts have consistently said the federal government must pay for the services under the contracts and reaffirmed that children

ayli Firtell-Elgarten and her husband Yossi knew it would require more than a simple 9-to-5 job to raise their three children in the traditional Jewish life they desired. “My husband and I didn’t go to college but we’re both entrepreneurs,” Firtell-Elgarten said. “We dabbled in a lot of businesses.” The couple, she recounted, tried several different money-making opportunities, including starting an Airbnb in their basement (which they still own), renting out one of their cars and creating a business selling Amazon returns. “It was very labor intensive,” she recalled. “We decided we needed to work more with our minds than our bodies.” The pair decided to start a new venture, Debbie’s Room Jewelry, selling baby jewelry on Amazon. And while she said it’s nice to see dollar signs begin to get added to her family’s bank account, Firtell-Elgarten said it can be hard and lonely running a company alone. She longed to be able to create a community and build a network of business owners. “It’s what fuels me. Forgetting the sales and all that stuff, it’s being able to share with people what’s working and what’s not. Asking each other, ‘Do you have any tips? What’s your strategy?’” That’s when she discovered The Jewish Woman Entrepreneur, an organization created as a “place where Jewish women

Please see JFCS, page 16

Please see Firtell-Elgarten, page 16

Photo provided by JFCS

Back to School

Special section begins on p.8

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Headlines CRC to welcome athletic directors for discussion on inclusion and culture — LOCAL — Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

learning opportunity is bringing athletic directors to the forefront of the ongoing conversation on antisemitism. “Building Inclusive Athletic Spaces; Understanding the Jewish Community,” a one-day program hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, will provide athletic directors’ “practical insights and tools” to support local Jewish students, CRC Assistant Director Beth Vander Stoep said. The Sept. 9 program is a response to unwelcome behavior, she explained. “In general, we are getting more calls from concerned parents about the rise of bullying that is happening in K-12 spaces, and athletics are definitely a part of that.” Bullying, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes physical, psychological, social or educational harm inflicted on a victim. Within schools, 15% of high school students reported observing bullying at least once a week. A quarter of high school students reported observing cyberbullying either at school or outside of school at least once a week, according to the United States Department of Education. Allegheny County possesses 43 public school districts, according to the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. Federation’s catchment area extends beyond Allegheny County and includes nearly 100 districts, Vander Stoep said. The Jewish communal professional hopes to work with as many districts and athletic directors as possible.

p Athletics offers educational opportunities beyond learning plays. KampusProduction via Pexels

“Athletics are such an important part of community building and identity formation,” she said. Accordingly, the Sept. 9 program should enable participants to understand the broadness of “what it means to be a Jewish American.” Vander Stoep and fellow program organizers were quick to explain that Judaism, whether in the U.S. or globally, is not monolithic. By identifying specific Jewish holidays and periods, Vander Stoep said she plans to make clear the intricacies of observance and why the availability of Jewish athletes is not homogeneous. Just because one Jewish athlete is available to compete at a particular time doesn’t mean all Jewish athletes are, she said. Discussions during the program will cover “what it means to have Jewish students of different religious observances” and how athletic directors can proactively employ inclusive language, she continued. “The

more we can possibly front-load to athletic directors that Jews are really diverse, and that the needs of one Jewish family are not necessarily going to be the needs of the other Jewish family, then all the better.” While explaining communal diversity and the individuality of Jewish observance is one aspect of the program, tackling hatred is another. “We want to empower athletic directors to be able to address antisemitism when it happens,” Vander Stoep said. Whether it’s students who’ve demonstrated poor sportsmanship or others exemplifying bad behavior, “within our work here we’ve gotten some calls.” It’s imperative for athletic directors to “be able to identify what is antisemitic-based bullying, and then what are the active steps that they can take to address it.” Athletic directors possess sizable abilities to drive school sentiments, David Knoll, the Federation’s associate vice president of public affairs, told the Chronicle.

“Athletic teams have a direct impact on the culture of a school. That being said, when a culture could have antisemitism baked into it, that trickles down to the entire school,” he said. “We’ve seen many programs where athletes are partaking in antisemitism — whether it’s within their own teams or within other teams — and we’re trying to put an end to it.” The Sept. 9 program is set to welcome Rabbi Larry Freedman, director of the religious schools for Congregations Beth Shalom and Beit Kulanu, for an address on antisemitism. That such a presentation is necessary is saddening, he said. “I can’t believe we’ve arrived at a time when we actually need to explain to people why antisemitism is bad, but that is where we have arrived.” What he hopes to convey to athletic directors is that “this is not your grandparents’ antisemitism,” he said. There’s a willingness today, among numerous individuals, to claim that “Jews are bad people, Jews as a group are genocidal, Jews as a group are undeserving. That’s what’s coming, and that is what is here.” Freedman wants athletic directors to understand their responsibilities in cultivating positive and safe environments for youth. The Sept. 9 gathering, which will include a kosher lunch, is a reminder that Federation is a resource for local entities, Vander Stoep told the Chronicle. “We really want to be partners,” she said. As opposed to hearing from athletic directors after an incident occurs, “the more honest and open dialogue that we can create, all the better.” PJC

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Sister Gemma Del Duca honored for lifetime of work by Congregation Emanu-El Israel — LOCAL — Octavia Liku | Staff Writer

t 94 years old, Sister Gemma Del Duca has spent nearly a century forging connections between the Christian and Jewish communities. On July 17, Congregation Emanu-El Israel of Greensburg honored her with its Tree of Life Golden Leaf of Remembrance during a Friday Shabbat service. “She really acts as a bridge between us and much of the Christian community — we do programs together, study together, learn together,” Rabbi Leonard Sarko said. “She has done so much for the community over the years that we really wanted to take a minute and let her — and other people — know how important she has been to the Jewish community.” Born and raised in Greensburg to a Catholic family, Del Duca knew from an early age that she wanted to devote herself to religious life. In 1950, she joined the Sisters of Charity before earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Seton Hill University, and later a doctorate in Ibero-American studies from the University of New Mexico. Inspired by the Second Vatican Council’s emphasis on condemning antisemitism and recognizing the shared spiritual patrimony between Christians and Jews, she then spent nearly three decades in Israel. There, she worked with Pittsburgh native Father Isaac Jacob at Tel Gamaliel, a small Christian community in Beit Shemesh,

p The Tree of Life Golden Leaf of Remembrance honoring Del Duca for her decades of interfaith work.

Photo courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill

p Rabbi Leonard Sarko and Sister Gemma Del Duca.

Photo courtesy of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill

“She has done so much for the community over the years that we really wanted to take a minute and let her — and other people — know how important she has been to the Jewish community.” –RABBI LEONARD SARKO to promote interfaith dialogue. She also worked extensively with Yad Vashem, the

World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.

In 1987, she co-founded the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill. Today, the center continues to produce scholarship on genocide and Holocaust studies accessible to educators across the country. For CEI congregants, the decision to honor Del Duca was simple. “Sister Gemma has always been present in the Greensburg Jewish community,” said Jamie Kaufer, vice president of the CEI board. “She really dedicated her whole life to helping to educate about Jewish people and trying to promote love amongst our communities … I feel like that’s definitely something we need in modern times.” PJC Octavia Liku can be reached at oliku@ thejewishchronicle.net.

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Headlines Man pleads guilty in attack on Jewish Pitt student

Erie resident faces federal charges for antisemitic threats

— LOCAL —

David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer

li Alkhaleel, one of six people who physically assaulted and shouted antisemitic slurs at a Jewish University of Pittsburgh students, pled guilty on Aug. 6 to conspiracy to obstruct the administration of justice and obstructing the administration of justice. He will be sentenced on Dec. 9. The Sept. 27, 2024, attack occurred as the student was leaving Phat’s Bar near Semple and Ward Streets in Oakland at approximately 2 a.m. after the men noticed he was wearing a Star of David on a chain. The men shouted, “Free Palestine,” “F--Jews” and other antisemitic remarks before Muhammed Koc, 27, allegedly assaulted the student. Alkhaleel was present at the time of the assault, but his plea is only related to his attempts to cover up the crime. According the Tribune-Review, Alkhaleel was called to appear before a grand jury and testified that he didn’t remember Koc assaulting the victim. Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan Camerlo told the grand jury that Alkhaleel’s assertions

E Courtesy of iStock/gorodenkoff

were contradicted by video on the street that captured the exchange. He also said that investigators found messages among the defendants, including Alkhaleel, in which they discussed getting their stories straight. No sentence has been agreed upon. Charges remain pending against Alkhaleel’s co-defendents: Koc, Omar Alshmari, Emirhan Arslan, Abraham Choudhry and Adeel Piracha. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

ric Holman of Erie, Pennsylvania was arrested Aug. 5 and faces a federal charge of transmitting communications in interstate commerce containing threats to injure another person, after authorities accused him of posting antisemitic threats on social media, including on encouraging armed violence at a synagogue, according to Erie News Now. The news source cited an FBI affidavit that alleges Holman used an account on X to threaten members of the Jewish community between April and June, including one post where he wrote, “Get a gun, wear black, go to your local synagogue.” The FBI received a June 10 tip initiating its investigation. Holman acknowledged the post, and others, in an Aug. 5 interview. Asked by investigators if he might have acted on the threats if he had been near a synagogue with a rifle in the vehicle, the suspect said, “I’m going to be honest, I don’t know,” according to Erie News Now. In a written statement, Holman apologized for his posts and said he would

never act on them. During the investigation, agents reportedly recovered a firearm, a notebook containing what the FBI characterized as possible end-of-life planning and a cellphone containing a photograph of a swastika. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said that it was aware of the federal charges. Shawn Brokos, Federation’s community security director, told the Chronicle that there is no threat against Pittsburgh synagogues and that no specific synagogue was named in the threat. Federation, Brokos said in a statement, is grateful to the FBI’s Pittsburgh Division and Erie Resident Agency for their investigation and bringing these charges. “Their commitment to holding perpetrators accountable sends a clear and necessary message: threats targeting people for their Jewish identity will not go unanswered,” Brokos said. “We thank our law enforcement partners for standing with the Jewish community.” Holman is in custody until an Aug. 11 detention hearing. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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Headlines Shabbat protests outside Jerusalem cafe show no sign of abating — WORLD — By Theia Chatelle | JTA

y mid-morning on Saturday, the alleys surrounding Cafe Basimta were filled with haredi Orthodox demonstrators protesting the cafe’s decision to open on Shabbat. It was the sixth consecutive Shabbat that the small cafe off Agrippas Street had faced demonstrations, with no sign of change. Israeli police were out in force after demonstrators broke through the barricades last weekend. Close to 100 restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Jerusalem open on Shabbat, according to Laura Wharton, a Jerusalem city council member from the Democrats party who founded Shabus, a cooperative that runs buses on Shabbat. Only one, Basimta, has drawn a crowd. Basimta, which opened at the end of May, is new, Wharton said, whereas the others have been open for decades. The cafe sits near what she called the undeclared border between the city’s haredi neighborhoods and the rest of the city. Agrippas Street runs along the Mahane Yehuda market, where almost every business closes for Shabbat. The cafe also opened its doors during the period when

p Haredi Orthodox and secular protesters and counterprotesters face off outside a Theia Chatelle Jerusalem cafe open on Shabbat, Aug. 9, 2026.

haredi yeshivas are on break, so teenagers who make up the bulk of the protestors have more free time to demonstrate. “There have been weeks when the average age was probably about 16 there,” Wharton said. The cafe is not only a flashpoint in the long-running fight between secular and

religious Israelis over the character of the holy city. It has become the most visible front in a hot summer of protests and riots across Jerusalem, over a light rail line and extending forced army conscription to yeshiva students, both opposed by the Haredi community. For six years, hardline haredi demonstrators

who say the light rail was planned without accounting for the community’s sensibilities have fought construction through Bar-Ilan Street, a haredi thoroughfare, breaking into work sites and pulling down fencing. The vandalism and delays have cost an estimated 400 million shekels. The light rail project is going ahead despite years of obstruction, Wharton said, and Saturday is the one day there is no work at the site to disrupt, freeing up protesters to target the cafe. Nationally, 44% of Israeli Jews identify as secular and 16% as haredi, according to figures provided to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research. That breakout is vastly different in Jerusalem, where among the city’s Jewish residents, 46% identify as haredi and 25% as religious-Zionist, while 13% identify as secular, according to the institute. That arithmetic, which speaks to the struggle over the city’s identity, is what non-haredi Jerusalemites say is really at stake in an alley off Agrippas Street. Avi Dabush, a rabbi who directs Rabbis for Human Rights and is running for the Knesset as part of the left-wing Democrats party, said the cafe was symbolic of the larger national issue. “It’s kind of an example for the battle that Please see Shabbat, page 17

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Calendar q WEDNESDAY, AUG. 19 The 10.27 Healing Project presents Town Hall: Tree of Life, an important conversation about the future of the Tree of Life site. Hear directly from those leading the planning and development of the site, including those working on: the memorial honoring the 11 lives lost, the building redevelopment and construction plans, the museum that will be within the building and Jewish life, education and other community programming. Presenters will share updates on the work, the vision taking shape and what is ahead. RSVP requested. 5:30 p.m. Levinson Hall, Jewish Community Center. 1027healingpartnership.org/event/ town-hall-tree-of-life

q WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26 Chabad of Squirrel Hill presents Sushi & Study, a series exploring the how’s and why’s of foundational mitzvot with Rabbi Sruly and Chani Altein. This month, we will be discussing Pathways to the Divine: Prayer and Tefillin. 7:30-8:45 p.m. $15 per class/$150 per year. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh. com/jewishstudy

q WEDNESDAYS, AUG. 19–DEC. 23 Explore the weekly Torah portion with the mystical and interpersonal lens of the Hassidic rabbis with Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman. Hassidut for q TUESDAYS, AUG.8–DEC. 22 the People is a fun and engaging class taught Join Beth El’s Rabbi Alex Greenbaum and his Bible/ online and in person meant to help learners find Talmud Adult Education class for a thoughtdeeper meaning in Torah and in themselves. All provoking weekly session of Bible and Talmudic levels welcome. 10 a.m. $5. Shoresh PGH, 4300 study. This program is available both in person and Murray Ave. Contact rabbimark@shoreshpgh. virtually. Call the office at 412-561-1168 to receive org for more information. shoreshpgh.org/class link or to make the Zoom an in-person reservation. schedule-and-events 10:30 a.m. 1900 Cochran Road. bethelcong.org

Tree of Life Congregation and Rabbi Hannah Estrin invite you to pay your respects to the dearly departed during their Kaver Ovot service at Memorial Park Cemetery. 10 a.m.-noon. Memorial Park Cemetery, 2062 Reis Run Road, Franklin Park, PA. treeoflifepgh.org

Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q SUNDAYS, AUG. 16–DEC. 20 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.

Pay your respect to those who have passed at the Pliskover Cemetery Memorial Day (Kever

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Join Tree of Life Congregation for an afternoon of food and family fun at its end-of-summer picnic. will have complete access to the pool, mini Guests golf, basketball and the gaga pit. 2-6 p.m. Individual members: $10 each; children 10 and younger are

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q SUNDAY, AUG. 30 Join Chabad of the South Hills for a trip to Jewish New York. Visit the Rebbe’s resting place and Chabad world headquarters; take part in a Crown Heights tour. Enjoy shopping and a meal at a delicious kosher restaurant. Fly roundtrip to New York City. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. $125. chabadsh.com/jny

Park, 261 Rosecrest Drive, Monroeville, PA. treeoflifepgh.org q WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 2 Join Beit Kulanu for Biblical Garden Open Door Tour: Free, docent-led tour of the congregation’s Biblical Botanical Garden the first Wednesday of the month. 12:15-1 p.m. Free. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/garden q THURSDAY, SEPT. 3 Rendezvous in Beit Kulanu’s Biblical Botanical Garden with drinks and hors d’oeuvres for a free Summer Garden Concert with the Jake Epstein Trio. Apps start at 6:30 p.m. and music from 7-8:30 p.m. The concert is free but registration is required. 4905 Fifth Ave. BeitKulanu.org q SUNDAY, SEPT. 6 All kids are invited to a Pre-Rosh Hashana Challah Bake, where they’ll make and braid their own challah to take home and enjoy entertainment by juggler Howard Mincone. 2:30-4 p.m. $10/child. Chabad of Squirrel Hill, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com/kidscooking q TUESDAY, SEPT. 15-17 Rooted in the aftermath of the deadliest antisemitic shooting in the United States, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit has grown to become the world’s most comprehensive, multidisciplinary conference to prevent hate-fueled violence, convening people committed to building relationships and forging solutions to address this growing issue. $150$325. David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd. To learn more about the summit, see the full agenda, and register, visit eradicatehatesummit.org. PJC

Join the Chronicle Book Club!

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Aug. 30 discussion of “As a Jew: Reclaiming Our Story from Those Who Blame, Shame, and Try to Erase Us – A Defiant Memoir of Heritage, Identity, and Antisemitism,” by Sarah Hurwitz. A New York Times bestseller, “As a Jew” is an “urgent exploration of how antisemitism has shaped Jewish identity and how Jews can reclaim their tradition, by the celebrated White House speechwriter and author of the critically acclaimed ‘Here All Along,’” according to Amazon.com. “In As a Jew, Hurwitz documents her quest to take back her Jewish identity, how she stripped away the layers of antisemitic lies that made her recoil from her own birthright and unearthed the treasures of Jewish tradition. With antisemitism raging worldwide, Hurwitz’s defiant account of reclaiming the Jewish story and learning to live as a Jew, without apology, has never been timelier or more necessary.”

What to do

Buy: “As a Jew.” It is available from online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in some area Barnes & Noble stores. 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. Happy reading! PJC

Your hosts

Toby Tabachnick, Chronicle editor David Rullo, Chronicle senior staff writer

How it works

We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 1 p.m.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 6

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Headlines — WORLD — ‘Uncommitted’ founder who pushed Democrats to vote against Biden over Gaza wins primary

Abbas Alawieh, a founder of the Uncommitted movement that pressured former President Joe Biden to change his Israel policy, is the projected winner of a Democratic primary for Michigan’s state Senate. Alawieh rose to national prominence as a key architect of the campaign to withhold votes from Biden during Michigan’s presidential primary in 2024, a protest against the administration’s support for Israel as it inflicted mounting casualties in Gaza. Alawieh defeated state representative Erin Byrnes in Tuesday’s primary to represent Michigan’s 2nd Senate District, a heavily Arab-American area covering Dearborn and parts of Detroit — and the epicenter of the Uncommitted effort. He won 59% of the vote to Byrnes’ 41% after more than 95% of votes were counted, according to the Associated Press, and is now almost certain to win the solid-blue state Senate seat in November. Alawieh, who was born in Lebanon and grew up in Dearborn, acknowledged his victory without giving a speech on Aug. 5. His staff announced that Alawieh’s maternal

grandfather, Hajj Kassem Bazzi, died Tuesday night, Aug. 4, as they awaited the election results. Alawieh was backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He previously worked as a staffer for congressional Democrats, including Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, former Michigan Rep. Andy Levin and former Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, who lost a primary against Rep. Wesley Bell on Tuesday. Alawieh, alongside Layla Elabed, co-founded the campaign urging Michigan Democrats to vote “uncommitted” in the 2024 Democratic presidential primary. The movement attracted a groundswell of support, including from some Jews, and won more than 100,000 votes, or 13% of the overall vote. Biden was beaten by the uncommitted vote in Dearborn, where Arab Americans make up more than half the population. The Uncommitted movement also spread to other states, rallying more than 650,000 voters nationwide, and crystallized a lack of enthusiasm for Biden, who eventually stepped off the presidential ticket.

New York City funds a Cornell Tech project tied to Israel’s Technion

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and other officials announced on

Today in Israeli History — ISRAEL — Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.

Aug. 14, 1910 — Writer Natan Alterman Is Born

Natan Alterman, a poet, journalist, translator, author, playwright and political influencer, is born in Warsaw. He publishes his first poetry book, “Stars Outside,” in 1938. His poem “The Silver Platter”a is a Yom HaZikaron standard.

Aug. 15, 1096 — First Crusaders Head East

The armies of the First Crusade embark from Western Europe to capture the Holy Land from Muslims. The unleashed religious fervor sparks pogroms against Europe’s Jews. The crusaders capture Jerusalem in 1099.

Vienna in 1904, is reburied with those of his wife and parents in Jerusalem in accordance with his will. David Ben-Gurion calls the funeral “the triumph of a vision that became a reality.”

Aug. 18, 1994 — Intellectual Yeshayahu Leibowitz Dies

Yeshayahu Leibowitz, a controversial Jewish thinker and Israeli public intellectual, dies at 91 in Jerusalem. He advocated Israel’s separation of religion and state, arguing that the state corrupted religion.

Aug. 19, 1856 — Writer Michah Joseph Berdichevski Is Born

p A medieval manuscript depicts the crusader siege of Jerusalem in 1099.

Aug. 16, 1966 — Israel Obtains Iraqi MiG-21

Operation Diamond, Israel’s plan to obtain a Russian-made MiG-21 fighter jet, succeeds when Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa lands at Hatzor Air Force Base for a $1 million bounty, citizenship and other benefits.

Aug. 17, 1949 — Herzl’s Body Is Reburied in Israel

The body of Theodor Herzl, buried in

Scholar and writer Michah Joseph Berdichevski is born in Ukraine. He writes in Yiddish and German but is best known for his Hebrew work, including a debate with Ahad Ha’am about Hebrew literature.

Aug. 5 a $250,000 investment in a Cornell Tech initiative aimed at expanding the city’s tree coverage, the Jerusalem News Syndicate reported. Cornell Tech is a partnership between Cornell University in Ithaca and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, said during his mayoral campaign that he would reassess the partnership if he were elected.

Israeli court delays Ben-Gvir’s plans for an Israeli ‘Crocodile Alcatraz’

An animal welfare group’s appeal to an Israeli court is delaying plans to surround a high security prison for Palestinians with Nile crocodiles. The proposed 560-foot moat was first floated by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in December. If built, it would surround a special wing at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel holding Palestinian security prisoners, including members of Hamas’ Nukhba force who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel. “Anyone who murdered, massacred and raped and behaved like an animal deserves to be guarded by an animal just like them,” a statement from Ben-Gvir’s ministry said at the time. The project moved forward last month after Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman reclassified crocodiles from protected wildlife to “tended wild animals,” allowing security agencies to house them at their facilities. Her nod came despite objections from Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority and her ministry’s legal adviser, who said Silman

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p Michah Joseph Berdichevski spent the last years of his life compiling Jewish folklore.

Aug. 20, 1920 — Yishuv Publishes First Medical Journal

The first Hebrew medical journal in Palestine, Harefuah (Medicine), begins publishing quarterly through the Jewish Medical Association of Palestine. The Israel Medical Association still publishes it. PJC

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did not have the required legal authority to make the reclassification. After Silman’s announcement, Ben-Gvir shared an AI-generated image of himself petting a crocodile on a leash alongside the caption, “Are you thinking of attempting to escape? Think again.” Let the Animals Live, an animal welfare group, petitioned against Silman’s decision. The Jerusalem District Court on Aug. 2 issued a temporary order barring the crocodiles’ transfer. The state has until Aug. 16 to respond. The petition argues that using crocodiles as prison guards would cause the animals severe suffering, removing them from an environment not amenable to their thriving, and could endanger both the public and the reptiles. Let the Animals Live also contends that Silman lacked the authority to create what amounts to a new legal category for wildlife through a ministerial declaration rather than legislation. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said in a statement that there was no sufficient professional basis for using crocodiles at security facilities and warned that the plan posed significant risks to public safety, the environment and the animals’ welfare, including the possibility that the crocodiles could escape. Ben-Gvir accused the court of siding with terrorists after the injunction was issued. “Once again the legal system is on the side of the terrorists and against the people of Israel,” he wrote on social media. His ministry has allocated 21 million shekels, about $7 million, for the project, according to Channel 12 News. The plans include provisions for feeding and caring for the crocodiles, as well as specially designed resting areas. PJC

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Back to School Dmitry Pistrov/Adobe Stock

New school year brings fresh faces, renewed commitments at Jewish day schools — BACK TO SCHOOL — Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

ears at drop-off lines, shiny desks and eager learners are all signs of a new school year. With Pittsburgh’s three Jewish day schools set to re-open classrooms in the coming weeks, school leaders are touting new plans, new hires and a recommitment to values. Those elements coupled with committed staff and supportive parent bodies, educators said, will catalyze a year of growth, gratitude and increased collaboration.

Community Day School

Speaking with the Chronicle weeks before the official first day of school, Aug. 31, Community Day School’s Head of School Casey Weiss touted a five-year strategic plan. Approved in May, the plan guides the institution into 2031, underscoring the “core value of kehillah (community),” Weiss said.

“We are really positing ourselves as a place where students thrive academically, but also that they prioritize community,” Weiss said. When parents or potential stakeholders ask what it means to attend the school, her answer is that students receive an “excellent education and are part of a community.” Staff and several new hires, including Kari Vissichelli, Katie Riggs and David May-Stein, will effectuate the plan’s success, Weiss explained. Vissichelli, CDS’ new K-8 principal, is a former principal at Environmental Charter School and recently served as the assistant director of J&R Day Camp and assistant division director of children, youth & family and day camps at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. Her role is to serve as a “strong pedagogical leader” guiding the K-8 team at CDS, according to Weiss. As early childhood director, Riggs, an expert in Reggio-style learning, will oversee a program that has grown from “three classrooms to six,” Weiss said.

May-Stein, a former chief of school performance at Pittsburgh Public Schools and director of J&R Day Camp and division director of children, youth & family and day camps at the JCC, will become CDS’ middle school culture officer. A “magnet for children,” May-Stein will be “spearheading Jewish learning in the middle school,” Weiss said. CDS is also offering young learners an opportunity to choose from a variety of electives each trimester. Scheduled for Fridays, the new offerings will allow middle schoolers to develop skills and learn from members of the wider community, Weiss said.

Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

At Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, Principal and Educational Director Yikara Levari pointed to several new hires as demonstrating the school’s desire to “grow and invest.” Deborah Gubin will head Hillel’s early childhood program. An expert in Jewish early childhood education, curriculum development, teacher mentorship and community

engagement, Gubin formerly served as assistant director of Akiba Yavneh Academy’s early childhood program in Dallas. Stepping into the role of K-4 Judaic assistant principal is Rabbi Moshe Selevan. The former Judaic studies teacher at Torah Academy of Boston is committed to seeing “every child succeed,” Levari said. Also joining Hillel is Rabbi Shloime Riber, who will serve as mashgiach ruchani at the Boys High School, and Tzivia Harary, who will cultivate Judaic programming for middle school and high school girls. Bolstering Hillel’s educational experience is Amy Yam, Levari continued. The former mathematics department chair at Shady Side Academy will teach math and serve as a curriculum coach at Hillel. Among Yam’s initial responsibilities is auditing Hillel’s curriculum and ensuring compliance with best practices, according to Levari. Each hire reflects the “theme of the year,” Please see Day schools, page 14

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Students benefit from dedicated Judaic and general studies educators, low student-to-teacher ratios, and innovative resources, including a state-of-the-art STEM lab. Learning extends beyond the classroom through enriching extracurriculars such as our award-winning mock trial team, girls’ and boys’ middle and high school basketball, and cross-country programs, fostering confidence, teamwork, and leadership.

ABOUT HILLEL ACADEMY Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh offers a warm, values-driven education where students from six weeks in our licensed ECC through High School are known, supported, and inspired to grow. Through a rigorous dual curriculum of outstanding general studies and meaningful Torah learning, students develop academic confidence, a strong Jewish identity, and a lifelong love of learning. Enrichment in STEM, the arts, athletics, and leadership allows every child to discover and develop their unique strengths in a nurturing environment. At the heart of Hillel Academy is a close-knit community where families partner with dedicated educators who care deeply about every student’s success. Graduates leave prepared for higher education and for life beyond the classroom, grounded in strong Jewish values, resilience, and a commitment to community.

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Back to School Oded Wilson — BACK TO SCHOOL — Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

ife is often deemed a journey with unexpected twists shaping the path. Oded Wilson appreciates the metaphor. Having recently arrived in Pittsburgh after a lengthy trek in Jewish professional life, the outdoor enthusiast and new assistant director at Hillel JUC of Pittsburgh is eager to roam forward forging new opportunities for students. “I grew up in Israel, in the [Israeli] Scouts, understanding what nature can give you and how it can connect you to yourself,” he said. “I just feel, there, at home.” Though Oakland isn’t a forest, the density of students offers a familiar setting. Before arriving at Hillel JUC in June, Wilson, 44, partnered with Israeli and Jewish youth in both formal and non-formal educational environments. For nearly 20 years, he worked in Jewish day schools, at Jewish summer camps and on 35 college campuses with stops at the Jewish Agency, Jewish National Fund-USA and Hillel International. The thread, he explained, was a commitment to cultivating leadership and identity. While instilling these qualities is the hope, Wilson aims to accomplish more

p Oded Wilson has joined Hillel JUC as assistant director. Photo courtesy of Oded Wilson

with the University of Pittsburgh’s Jewish student community. “As the assistant director, I have a couple of different hats,” he said. First, his role is to ensure that Hillel JUC is a place where “students feel welcome and want to be a part of.” He also will

work to “connect students to Israel, expose them to many different communities in Israel, different leadership styles and different people.” Too often, references to the Jewish state are met with stereotypes, bias and negativity, he continued. “I learned that if you say to a student ‘Israel,’ they will immediately say, ‘conflict, bad, negative, war.’ I want to create a relationship with them that exposes them to Israeli culture, art, music, food, different innovations, different projects that only Israel does and nobody else does in the world. I want them to create relationships through positive experiences and something they are passionate about.” By doing so, Wilson said, broader awareness is achieved. “At the end of the day, everything that is happening in Israel, it’s a story of the people. It’s not the story of the government,” he said. Wilson, whose field-based feats include hiking Israel’s 683-mile National Trail, is excited for the road ahead. Along with collaborating with students, he’s looking forward to supervising a cadre of fellow Jewish professionals. The goal at Hillel JUC is to build a “cohesive team that feels they are here together,” he said. While relying on the same “mission and vision,” each staff

member will uniquely engage with students. He praised several staffers and their abilities. As for his own talents and aspirations, he pointed to the accomplishments of his great-grandfather Samuel Wilson, an early 20th-century building contractor responsible for historic structures in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeZion. “He built the building, and I have the commitment to fill the room,” Wilson said. “It’s in my blood; I can’t run away from it. I don’t want to.” If life is a journey with unexpected twists, then Pittsburgh is a perfect place en route, he explained. “The Jewish community [here] is very welcoming.” Pittsburghers are so hospitable, in fact, that Wilson needed to decline multiple invitations. In the weeks after his June 7 arrival, he said he received 10 Shabbat dinner requests. “It felt like I came back home to Israel, and that says a lot.” Having made camp in Pittsburgh, Wilson is excited for the coming path. Joining Hillel JUC isn’t only an “amazing opportunity,” he said. “It’s a privilege to fill the room with students that are connected to themselves, to their Jewish identity, and see what the future holds.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Back to School Back-to-school events for Jewish CMU, Pitt students — BACK TO SCHOOL — PJC Staff

hether you’re returning to campus or setting foot for the first time, the Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh promises a plethora of backto-school events for Jewish Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh students. All scheduled events are subject to change. For more information, visit hilleljuc.org.

Activities for CMU students

Bagel Brunch Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sushi & Trivia Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 20, 6-8 p.m. Gateway Clipper River Cruise Where: 350 W Station Square Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 When: Aug. 21, 1-4 p.m. Shabbat with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 21, Sept. 4, 18, services at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m. Jewish Life BBQ Where: CMU campus When: Aug. 23, 12-1:30 p.m. Get to Know Hillel: CMU Tabling Where: CMU campus When: Aug. 24, 12-2 p.m.

Jewish Trivia Tabling Where: CMU campus When: Aug. 25, 12-2 p.m. CMU Meet the Staff Where: Highmark Center for Health, Wellness and Athletics, 100 Tech St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 26, 12-3 p.m. “Recharge” CMU Tabling Where: CMU campus When: Aug. 27, 12-2 p.m. Shabbat with Hillel, Pitt Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 28, services at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m. Grub and Grind Dinner and Homework Where: TBD When: Sept. 1, time TBD Activities Fair @ CMU Where: The Cut, outside of the Cohon University Center When: Sept. 2, 4:30-6:30 p.m. James Bond Laser Tag Where: TBD When: Sept. 5; after Shabbat Apple Picking Where: Soergel Orchards, 2573 Brandt School Road, Wexford, PA 15090 When: Sept. 6, 1-3 p.m. Café Ivrit; Grub and Grind Dinner and Homework Where: Amos Starbucks, 4022 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 8, 15, 5-7 p.m.

Erev Rosh Hashanah with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Services start on Sept. 11, 5:45 p.m.; dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Lunch with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 12, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Rosh Hashanah Day 2 with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 13 Jewish Learning Fellowship Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 14, 6:30-8 p.m.

Activities for Pitt students

Bagel Brunch Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Tabling Where: Pitt campus, The Quad When: Aug. 17, 12-2 p.m. Tabling Where: Pitt campus, The Towers When: Aug. 18 & 20, 12-2 p.m. Pirates Game Where: PNC Park When: Aug. 18, 6-9 p.m. Shabbat with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 21, 28, Sept. 4, 25, services at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Involvement Fair Where: Petersen Events Center, 3719 Terrace St., Pittsburgh, PA 15261 When: Aug. 23, 1-4 p.m. First Day of Class Coffee Where: Amos Starbucks, 4022 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 24, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Aroma with Achinoam Where: Pitt campus, The Quad When: Aug. 25, 12-2 p.m. Wellness Wednesdays Where: Pitt campus, The Quad When: Aug. 26, Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Late Night Milkshakes Where: Milkshake Factory, 3612 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Aug. 31, 7-9 p.m. Meet the Board Where: Amos Starbucks, 4022 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 1, 3-5 p.m. Challah for Change Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 3 & 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Apple Picking Where: Soergel Orchards, 2573 Brandt School Road, Wexford, PA 15090 When: Sept. 6, 1-3 p.m. Labor Day Brunch Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 7, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Please see Events, page 12

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Back to School

CI T Y CH AR T ER HIGH S CHOOL

Real-World Learning, Lasting Connections

Events: Continued from page 10

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Café Ivrit Where: Amos Starbucks, 4022 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 8, 15, 22, 5-7 p.m. Erev Rosh Hashanah with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 11, services at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m. Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Lunch with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 12, 12:30-2:30 p.m.

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Rosh Hashanah Day 2 with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 13 Israel Shabbat Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 18, services at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:30 p.m. Kol Nidre Pre-Fast Dinner & Services Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 20 Yom Kippur with Hillel Where: Hillel JUC, 4607 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 When: Sept. 21 PJC

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Back to School Day schools: Continued from page 8

Levari said, which is “educating with intentionality.” Whether it’s assigning homework, scheduling meetings, refining STEM Fest or revisiting lesson plans, every choice must reflect a deliberate desire to educate, maximize opportunities and meet the needs of students, staff and families, she continued. Everything that transpires at Hillel “needs to be intentional.”

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Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum, head of school at Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, told the Chronicle there’s much on his mind “as we head into the new school year.” Along with welcoming new staff, including Miriam Sebbag as head of The Early Learning Center, and re-opening the girls’ dormitory, Rosenblum and colleagues are focused on implementing Yeshiva’s theme of the year: gratitude. Charted out on a month-by-month schedule, the plan is designed to enable students and stakeholders to see and express gratitude “across the board,” he said. The goal is to foster an environment filled with “appreciation for the gifts that we have in our lives.” Rosenblum hopes students and parents will join him and fellow administrators in creating the culture by specifically focusing on teachers. The “Good Jars” initiative is one such project. At the beginning of the year, each teacher will receive a clear jar with their name on it. Administrators, parents, students and colleagues will fill the jar with short notes of recognition throughout the year. Also, each

month, inexpensive gifts will be placed in the jars as signs of appreciation for teachers. While tangible reminders will seek to reinforce gratitude, Yeshiva is also planning a targeted digital campaign promoting the sentiment. Rosenblum plans on releasing weekly video messages exploring Torah sources about gratitude, as well as highlighting stories of appreciation at Yeshiva. “The culture of a school contributes to children’s success across the board,” he said. “When a child walks into a school building and they feel cherished, they feel gratitude. They recognize the gifts in life.” Educators possess one of the “most difficult occupations” that exist, he continued. The responsibility isn’t simply to convey mathematical principles or teach science; it’s to empower “young men and women who are going to live wholesome lives, contributing to society.” That charge, which ultimately stands to benefit the community and those far beyond western Pennsylvania, should be embraced and shepherded at the start of the school year and throughout, Weiss told the Chronicle. “As Jews, we are stronger together,” she said. “A top communal priority must be excellence in all three of our Jewish schools: supporting our students, supporting our parents, supporting our educators, and having all three of the schools be exemplary kehillot, exemplary communities.” By doing so, she continued, community members can ensure the next generation will be “connected with one another, and with the broader landscape.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines JFCS: Continued from page 1

are entitled to representation, Hough said. The pace of immigration hearings is central to the case, Hough said. Children are now required to appear in courts every two or three weeks, in proceedings JFCS’ lawsuit describes as “decoupled from the steps necessary to establish their eligibility for relief.” The children at the heart of the lawsuit have special immigration juvenile status, Hough explained — a protection Congress created for children determined by a state court to have been a victim of abuse, neglect or abandonment — that established a legal pathway to citizenship when their visa time is eligible. The accelerated pace, she said, affects attorneys’ ability to do the investigative work on the filings needed to protect their clients. It also affects the children, Hough said. “The kids are missing school,” she said. “The way the court is structured, everybody sits in an online waiting room until their case is called. In some cases, that can be an entire day. So, every two weeks the kids are being pulled away from their activities, doctor’s appointments, school,” she said. On top of that, the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in June that the time between earning special immigration juvenile status and the granting of a green card is so long “it is no longer in the interest of the government to wait and that they should be ordered to be removed,” Hough said.

That order has been extended to children who have undergone “a severe form of human trafficking,” she said, “whether it’s for labor or sex.” JFCS decided to file suit in July when one of the children it represented was ordered removed.

juvenile status and the time they can apply for a green card, Gold is clear, “It’s not their fault.” “It’s because the courts are backed up,” she said. “Through no fault of their own, these children who have had horrible things happen to them are being ordered removed.”

“When you have minor children who have no one to stand up for them, they do have the rule of law to protect them. We have to stand up for that rule of law to be applied as it was meant to be done.” –DANA GOLD “The kids are entitled to this relief under law, but we were no longer able to effectively advocate for them in the immigration court while the policy remains in place,” Hough offered. When the children are returned to their countries of origin, Gold said, they are trafficked again by the same people who abused them the first time. “That’s why this protection was put in place and now the government is violating its own policy to protect these children,” Gold said. As to the time the children are waiting between gaining special immigration

Because of that, Gold said, JFCS and its leadership determined that they needed to “protect the children,” and “hold the government accountable to the legislations and protections that they had put in place.” At the time of the Chronicle’s interview with Gold and Hough, though the government had not responded in court to JFCS’ lawsuit, a DHS spokesman quoted in JFCS’ statement said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working to stop human trafficking of children. “President Trump and DHS are laserfocused on protecting children and will

Firtell-Elgarten: Continued from page 1

could bring their whole selves to their professional growth,” according to its website. Firtell-Elgarten learned of JWE’s 2026 conference too late to attend. Instead, she reached out and asked the organization if she could start a cohort in Pittsburgh. The response she received was a full-throttled yes. In fact, the organization was in the process of reorganizing the way it created chapters. Mouchka Heller, JWE’s CEO and executive director, joined the organization in 2026. She said it’s her intention to “professionalize and scale the organization to a degree that really brings excellence and opportunities that these women would not have access to otherwise.” Heller, who comes from a Hasidic background, said she intends to bring the type of training and excellence found at bluechip companies and make them accessible to people who “are not served by the system.” When it comes to executive training, the mother of three knows of what she speaks. She worked as an executive at Amazon, the World Economic Forum and The Economist magazine. She also served as a trade commissioner of infrastructure for Canada in New York. “Education is what gave me a life and the ability to surpass my own economic circumstances,” she said. “So, I believe in education and I believe in humanity. I believe in human beings. I don’t come from much but my parents would give the shirt off their back 16

AUGUST 14, 2026

p Hayli Firtell-Elgarten and her husband Yossi have started the business Hayli FirtellElgarten. Now, she’s starting a Jewish Woman Entrepreneur pod in Pittsburgh.

Photo courtesy of Hayli Firtell-Elgarten

in order to give me whatever opportunity they could.” The lesson Heller learned is that education combined with mentors and support makes anything possible. Cohorts, or “pods” as Heller calls them, are already set up in cities around the country including Chicago, Florida, Maryland and New York. New ones are being established in Dallas, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. The organization has an international footprint, she explained, and currently touches between 10,000 to 12,000 women. The goal, she said, is a mix of autonomy and agency, helping each pod organize itself

in ways that are culturally appropriate and reflects the need, market and ecosystem of an environment while having a national infrastructure to provide support. “I don’t think they want a New Yorker telling them what to do and how to do it. Instead, I want them to tell me what they need and we can provide those tools and resources,” Heller said. Firtell-Elgarten’s mother’s words rang in her head when she first thought of starting a JWE pod. “Ask a busy person to do something you need to get done” was the maxim of her mother as she raised a family and started

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continue to work with federal, state and local law enforcement officers to reunite children with their families,” the spokesperson said. “All illegal aliens receive due process.” JFCS lost $4 million last year due to decisions by the administration, Gold said, noting that every aspect of the organization’s work has been impacted by the Trump administration. “We’re looking at losing another $800,000 this year and who knows what happens if this contract remains terminated,” she said. “Our ability to continue to be present in the community and strategize around and find ways to respond, so we can continue to be here to provide immigration legal services, providing food, providing trauma counseling, providing career services, all those things are much harder now.” As to the children affected, Hough is clear. “Through their short lives, these kids have faced situations that no one should ever have to face and yet, they come here with hope. They give us their trust. They’re brave enough to share their stories. It’s incumbent upon us to honor that trust from them, to advocate as best we can and try to keep them safe and protect them from being returned to unimaginable circumstances,” Hough said. JFCS’ lawsuit asks the court to vacate the administrative changes at issue and to prevent the removal of the six children while they pursue their claims. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. several businesses of her own with FirtellElgarten’s father. It’s an axiom that she’s found truth in as she, too, raises a family, starts a family and builds the Pittsburgh JWE pod. She’s posted about the group on Facebook’s Jewish Pittsburgh group and has started a WhatsApp group. In the short time that she’s been collecting names, the list of interested women has already topped 30. Firtell-Elgarten plans on a kickoff event in September and is anxious to get started for several reasons. “It’s community. It’s connection. It reassuring to talk with other people and know we’re not crazy and we’re doing things right and headed in the right direction. That we have people that are rooting for us and supporting us and we can piggyback on,” she said. “It’s always good to connect with different types of people and learn.” For Heller, the value of JWE can be summed up in what she calls their three pillars: infrastructure, mentorship and education. Or to put it in the words JWE founder Chaya Fishman spoke to Heller, “Let’s organize a community of women into something that is structured enough that people can find mentors and coaches. Let’s create educational workshops that don’t exist anywhere else to give people knowledge they may not have gotten and let’s make community into infrastructure.” Those interested in learning more about JWE’s Pittsburgh pod can reach out to Firtell-Elgarten at (239) 784-3255. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Life & Culture Shabbat: Continued from page 5

we are doing about the identity of Israel right now,” said Dabush, who was raised in the religious-Zionist school system. He was there on Saturday along with Yair Golan, who leads the Democrats party, for whom the cafe has become an issue ahead of the Oct. 27 election. “We are in the midst of elections,” Dabush said. “So it’s part of it.” Outside Cafe Basimta Saturday, demonstrators took turns screaming at each other in the alleys. The haredi teens, dressed in their black Shabbat best, yelled “One who desecrates the Sabbath, his sentence is death,” a verse from Exodus. They also shouted “stop destroying Jerusalem,” while at other times they gathered in circles to sing Shabbat hymns. Secular Israelis shot back with a slew of chants, of which “enlist!” appeared to be the most popular. They also shouted, “Only cowards send children,” and carried signs reading “Haredim for our coffee,” a play on a Hebrew word that means both ultra-Orthodox and devoted. Haredi children followed and tried to defend older members of the community during altercations. Lior Leon, a Jerusalem tour guide, blamed the adults. “The problem is not the kids, they push them,” he said. The confrontations have grown more

Look for a special section on Sept. 4!

aggressive since the protests began in early July. Before dawn on July 25, someone threw a bag of feces at the entrance, and on Thursday, Israel Police announced the arrest of a 15-year-old boy. On Saturday, the JTA reporter at the scene was spat on by a demonstrator, as were other journalists, and Orthodox residents of the buildings lining the alley threw bags of water down at counter-demonstrators until police shouted a warning that they would be arrested. Israel Police said in a written statement to JTA that officers acted where they identified people “attempting to instigate violence or disrupt public order.” Cafes and restaurants are granted an exemption from the city’s prohibition on businesses opening on the Shabbat. Yohanan Weitzman, a Jerusalem city council member from the haredi Agudat Yisrael faction, told JTA that there was an unwritten status quo governing which businesses and cafes open in the city, which Basimta had violated. It “is not the desire of either party, but it is a necessary compromise to prevent conflicts,” Weitzman said. There has been widespread violation of those agreements and a failure to enforce municipal bylaws, he said. Opening the cafe was “the straw that broke the camel’s back.” The protests are organized by the Committee for the Sanctity of Jerusalem, which acts for the Edah HaChareidis, the anti-Zionist body that includes some of

the city’s most militant Hasidic groups. Demonstrators are summoned by pashkevilim, the broadsheet notices pasted on walls in haredi neighborhoods with the time and place of each week’s protest. Haredi groups who are more involved in Israeli society have been unsettled by the protests. “I am strongly opposed to any kind of violence,” Eliezer Rauchberger, the deputy mayor who heads Jerusalem’s Degel HaTorah faction, the Lithuanian stream that sits in Mayor Moshe Lion’s coalition, said in a written statement. Asked which haredi groups were organizing the protests and which rabbis stood behind them, he declined to answer. One haredi demonstrator, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Avraham, told JTA the protests would not stop until the cafe closes. “We want it gone,” he said. “It is desecrating our Sabbath.” Wharton said a Supreme Court ruling exempts entertainment, food service and sports from the city’s Shabbat closures, which is why three of Jerusalem’s four cinemas and its municipal swimming pools operate on Saturday. Basimta, she said, is running legally. The cafe’s ownership by a sect of Jews who have embraced Christian beliefs has also stirred some opposition. Or LeAchim, an anti-missionary organization, told JTA it is pursuing municipal channels to have Basimta shut, arguing it lacks a valid business license. Wharton said the only substantive complaint concerned tables

and chairs placed outside without a permit, and that the furniture has since been brought inside. Yoel Ben David, who runs the cafe, told JTA in July that the municipality and police had been “incredibly supportive,” and that city officials asked him to bring the tables in as a compromise, which he accepted. Wharton said the effort to shut the cafe had backfired. Basimta has been doing record business, boasting lines of customers from the moment it opens until it closes. Ben David is a member of the Jews for Jesus community, which owns and operates the cafe, as JTA reported last month. The revelation cost him support from some Israeli institutions, but it has not thinned the crowds, and demonstrators told JTA it is not what they care about. For Liora Bamberger, who lives in one of the high-rise buildings encircling the Basimta courtyard, the fight has taken away the one quiet morning of her week. “The only day in the week that we have a little bit quiet,” she said, before pausing. “Not anymore.” Bamberger, who observes Shabbat, said the cafe should be allowed to open and that she did not expect this to end well. “When you have extremism, it’s not gonna end,” she said. “It’s gonna be a boom.” Asked whether she found common ground with the demonstrators, she said she found it with everyone. “This is the problem.” PJC

announces its inaugural class of

Mazel tov, and thank you, to our 2026 18 Difference Makers, who embody the doctrine of tikkun olam!

Lifetime Achievement Award, Karen Wolk Feinstein

Outgoing president and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation Rabbi Yisroel and Chani Altein Co-directors of Chabad of Squirrel Hill

a a a

Dean Aseef Shaliach at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Michael Bernstein The Tree of Life board chair Nina Butler Director of Bikur Cholim Pittsburgh

Debra L. Caplan Jewish Healthcare Foundation, board of trustees and volunteer, and WHAMglobal (Women’s Health Activist Movement Global), founding chair

a a a a

Avi Cohen Community volunteer Rebecca Elhassid Community volunteer Meyer “Skip” Grinberg Community volunteer Tsipy Gur Classrooms Without Borders, founder and executive director

Rachael Heisler Pittsburgh City Controller

a a a a

Jeff Herzog Community volunteer The Rev. Jonathon Jensen Calvary Episcopal Church Rona Kaufman Associate professor at Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University Eric Lidji Director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center

Fraidy and Dovie Nadoff Community volunteers

a a a

Julie Paris Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs Rabbi Chezky and Bassie Rosenfeld Co-directors of Our Giving Kitchen Kelly Schwimer Executive director of the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association

To inquire about sponsorship packages, contact Amy Weiss at 412-613-0697, or aweiss@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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AUGUST 14, 2026

Opinion Addressing Holocaust Center’s antisemitism presentation Guest Columnists The Tree of Life Leadership

s one of the cornerstone programs at The Tree of Life, The Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh plays a critical role in helping people understand the

long history of antisemitism, the horrors of the Holocaust, and its ongoing relevance today. We are aware of concerns raised regarding a recent presentation about antisemitism given by a Holocaust Center staff member. To be clear, The Tree of Life unequivocally believes that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.

As an institution born out of tragedy, we are strongly committed to ensuring that every Jewish person in the United States and all over the world can express their personal views without fear of retribution or bias. At the heart of everything we do at The Tree of Life is the belief in our shared humanity. We draw inspiration from how Pittsburghers across the city rallied around our community

in our darkest moments after Oct. 27, 2018. We seek to lead with grace, compassion, and curiosity as we cultivate meaningful engagement with our neighbors to whom we are so grateful. We believe that by doing so, we can heal the persistent societal wounds caused by antisemitism and all forms of identitybased hate. PJC

The Jewish conversation is happening. Are you listening? Guest Columnists Karen Galor and Ben Sitter

omething has been bothering us. We know a lot of smart, committed Jews. People who volunteer, give generously, serve on boards, work in Jewish organizations and genuinely care about the future of our community. Yet many of them aren’t really plugged into the ideas and conversations shaping Jewish life today, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t know where to start. That surprises us because there has never been an easier time to become an informed Jew. You don’t need to sign up for a class. You don’t need a graduate degree in Jewish studies. You don’t need to spend a fortune on books. Some of the best Jewish learning available today is free. You can listen while driving to work, walking the dog, making dinner or waiting to pick up your kids. The obstacle isn’t access anymore. It’s deciding that staying informed matters.

So when people ask us where to begin, my answer is pretty consistent. Start with two podcasts: Dan Senor’s “Call Me Back” and Haviv Rettig Gur’s “Ask Haviv Anything.” If we could could recommend only two resources, these would be them. Senor brings together historians, journalists, policymakers, military leaders and scholars to explain not just what’s happening in Israel and the Jewish world, but why it matters. Rettig Gur combines deep historical knowledge with an uncanny ability to explain Israeli politics, society and identity in a way that’s accessible without being simplistic. You won’t always agree with either of them. We certainly don’t. But if you listen consistently, you’ll be far better informed. Then add The Times of Israel Daily Briefing, which is exactly what it sounds like: a smart, digestible overview of the day’s biggest stories. “Wondering Jews,” hosted by Michal Bitton and Noam Weissman, wrestles with the questions many Jews are already asking about identity, Israel, and Jewish life. “For Heaven’s Sake,” hosted by Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, models what Jewish disagreement should look like: principled, respectful and rooted in a shared commitment to the Jewish people.

If you have children or grandchildren, make Unpacked on YouTube part of your family’s routine. Their videos are engaging, historically grounded, and among the best resources we’ve found for explaining Jewish history and Israel. Their “Unpacking Israeli History” podcast deserves an adult audience every bit as much as a teenage one. Then read. Read Dara Horn’s “People Love Dead Jews.” It’s a brilliant, provocative exploration of why the world so often obsesses about Jewish suffering while feeling uncomfortable with living Jews who insist on defining themselves. Read Sarah Hurwitz’s “Here All Along” and “As a Jew.” The first is a beautiful invitation back into Jewish learning for people who think they missed something in Hebrew school. The second is a deeply personal reflection on Jewish identity after Oct. 7 and what it means to be proudly, unapologetically Jewish today. Read Matti Friedman’s “Pumpkinflowers,” “Spies of No Country” and “Who by Fire,” and then read every essay of his you can find. Few writers explain Israel with as much clarity, nuance and intellectual honesty. Read Rachel Goldberg-Polin’s “When We See You Again.” Her family’s story has become part of the story of the Jewish people, and her

resilience, faith and moral clarity have inspired Jews around the world. If you really want to stretch yourself, read David Nirenberg’s “Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition.” It’s not an easy read, but you’ll never think about the history of anti-Jewish ideas the same way again. Follow Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib. Read his essays. Listen to his interviews. Read his recently published “Hamas and Its Two Million Hostages.” We just finished it. It’s a very accessible, fast read, but an essential one. Few books explain so clearly what life in Gaza has been like for ordinary Gazans under Hamas’s rule and how profoundly the organization has shaped Palestinian society since its rise. If you’re serious about understanding this conflict, you should be listening to thoughtful Palestinian voices as well as Jewish ones. Read The Free Press, founded by Pittsburgh’s own Bari Weiss. If your news diet consists mostly of mainstream Democratic or progressive outlets, you’ll encounter reporting, arguments and perspectives you probably aren’t hearing elsewhere. You won’t agree with everything you read. That’s exactly why it’s worth reading. Please see Galor and Sitter, page 19

The terrible waste that is Jewish Studies at American universities Guest Columnist Dominic Green

n 1972, the United Negro College Fund asked the New York ad agency Young & Rubicam to help raise donations that could send young black students to college. The Mad Men’s pitch was “A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a fine thing to invest in.” The ghost of Young & Rubicam survives on the 28th floor of 3 World Trade Center after its agglomeration into VMLY&R. Give them three martinis and ask them for a campaign for funding Jewish Studies programs in American universities, and they might come back with “Money is a terrible thing to waste, and Jewish Studies a terrible place to invest in.” “Who Teaches Judaism in America?”, a survey commissioned by the Ronn Torossian Foundation, is the proof. Over the past 60 years, idealistic Jewish donors have poured millions of tax-deductibles into Jewish Studies. Not just to give their tradition the academic study it deserves, but also as a way of inculcating Jewish identity and strengthening American Jewish life. The Torossian study shows that their money is wasted. These programs are giving a kosher stamp to anti-Israel propaganda 18

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and delegitimization. The study examines attitudes to Israel among the professors in 1,136 US colleges offering programs in Jewish Studies and the spin-off fields of Israel Studies, Hebrew and Holocaust Studies between May 2021 and Spring 2026. Four in ten faculties have signed anti-Israel petitions. They include 14 endowed chair holders, the big beasts of the departmental jungle. At Ivy League colleges, 72.3 per cent of Jewish Studies faculty publicly denounced Israel. Columbia University topped the Ivies with 77 faculty boycotters, 27 events and statements for Faculty & Staff for Justice in Palestine (which was founded after the October 7 attacks), and five departments committed to boycotting their Israeli peers. In the cheap seats, New York University came top, or bottom, in the nation with 148 faculty boycotters. Marion Kaplan, professor emerita of modern Jewish history, three-time winner of the National Jewish Book Award and Guggenheim Fellow, signed every major petition. Just over half (51.9 per cent) of all audited records documented “anti-Israel public signals”. Statements that the survey does not consider anti-Israel: supporting a two-state solution, criticizing the Israeli government, opposing settlement expansion and calling for accountability on civilian casualties. Statements that the survey does consider anti-Israel: signing anti-Israel petitions, calling for BDS and joining organizations promoting an academic boycott of Israel, and

using language such as “settler colonialism”, “genocide” and – a personal favorite – “Jewish supremacy”, which originated with David Duke and the KKK and then horseshoed its way into the faculty lounge. In May 2024, 1,200 Jewish professors signed a petition opposing the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The March 2025 “Not In Our Name” petition was the largest Jewish faculty petition ever recorded, with 3,400 signatures from Jewish professors, staff and students. How did it happen that the jewel in the keter of American Jewish academic life became a weapon against American Jews and Israel? It’s the now-familiar lunacy that the French writer Julien Benda called “la trahison des clercs”, the “treason of the intellectuals”, but with a twist of Jewish self-loathing. And it’s the now-familiar identity politics that has eaten into every one of our institutions like a plague of termites. Jewish Studies programs don’t teach Judaism; in this regard, the survey’s title is misleading. They teach a recent invention called Jewish Studies. Jewish Studies is one of the “field studies” departments, like African American Studies and Women’s Studies, that came into existence as identity politics took root on the campus in 1968. We shouldn’t confuse Jewish Studies with its precursor, the historic study of the Bible and Hebrew philology and philosophy in American universities. Scholars like Harvard’s Harry Wolfson and his pupil Isadore Twersky,

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Chicago’s Leo Strauss and Columbia’s Salo Baron were polymathic giants. Twerksy’s influence on Harvard’s Department of Jewish Studies, where I took a master’s degree in the 2000s, was so strong a decade after his death that the place was nicknamed “the Yeshiva on the Charles”. I sought out the senior professors who were heavyweights in that older tradition: Ruth Wisse on Yiddish literature, Shaye Cohen on the Second Temple, Bernard Septimus (a pupil of Twersky’s) on the Jews of Spain, Gershon Hundert on Ashkenazi history. The younger professors and the rising generation of graduate students were mostly a lost cause. Twenty years later, the rising tide of academic radicalism has lifted their boats. They’re now the faculty. The younger cohort joked bitterly that Jewish Studies was like all the other field studies, only with a generational delay. They wanted it to be as nihilistically radical as the other field studies. They resented how the counterweights of Jewish religion and ethics slowed their field’s corruption. They got there in the end. The line-up in a 1975 photo from the New York dinner that launched fundraising for Harvard’s Center for Jewish Studies includes Twersky and another Harvard professor, Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi, who had studied under Salo Baron. In 2005, when Yerushalmi retired, Columbia Please see Green, page 19

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Opinion Chronicle poll results: Out-of-state primaries

ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an online poll the following question: “Are you following primary races in other states?” Of the 233 people who responded, 90% said yes and 10% said no. Comments were submitted by 54 people. A few follow.

I watch every state! I have been doing this since the 1948 election. I am a political junkie. I also love history.

Are you following primary races in other states? 10% No

I am extremely nervous about the direction of the Democratic Party. I can’t even think of “exchanging” support of Israel for congressional majorities.

90% Yes

As a lifelong proud liberal Democrat, I am appalled at the direction the party is heading. The surge in DSA candidates, who all seem to be anti-Israel and antisemitic, is very concerning. Americans need a Democratic takeover ASAP. For sure elections across our country have always been important. The upcoming elections throughout this country may be among the most important in our lifetime.

Galor and Sitter:

Continued from page 18

Subscribe to SAPIR. It’s beautifully edited, intellectually serious, completely free and consistently one of the first things we read when a new issue comes out. And if you’re a Pittsburgh Jew, read the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. It’s free, and if we want strong local Jewish journalism, we have to support it by reading it, sharing it and encouraging others to do the same. Here’s why we care so much about this. You don’t have to agree with Dan Senor. You don’t have to agree with Haviv Rettig Gur.

Green:

Continued from page 18

established a Yerushalmi chair in Israel Studies. The growth of Israel Studies, a sub-field of a field, reflected how open hatred of Israel was already the norm in Columbia’s Department of Middle Eastern Studies, where the Palestinian propagandist Rashid

Certainly! It is critical that the Democrats wrest control of the House, and hopefully the Senate, from the party of Trump, the party that has allowed him to hurl a wrecking ball at our people and our system of governance.

I am very concerned that pro-Trumpers are terrible for the U.S., and the progressive Democrats are against anything relating to supporting Israel. For me, Israel is my top priority for the House and Senate. I was stressing out over the close win by the anti-Zionist Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Democratic primary. It ruined my week.

I’m more concerned with the local races, as they are the ones I can do something about.

conspire against America have no use for Jews — no matter how educated and elite you are. Once your support is successful in contributing to their new world order agenda, your standing is void. While I concentrate on the races here in Pennsylvania, I would like a Jewish organization made up of Jewish activists to follow the races across the United States so I can get an honest report of what is happening across the nation instantly. It takes time I don’t have to follow each race. It’s too late. My country is lost. PJC

Chronicle weekly poll question:

I believe the Democrats in Michigan have just given the Republicans a senatorial win.

I believe that our country is going through a strategic revolution that will destroy us from within. Jews beware. Those who

Do you feel unsafe wearing Jewish symbols or clothing in public?? Go to pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC

You don’t have to agree with Dara Horn. You don’t have to agree with Sarah Hurwitz, Matti Friedman, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Bari Weiss or anyone else we’ve mentioned. In fact, especially if you disagree, you should know what they’re saying. John Stuart Mill wrote, “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that.” If you’re not listening to these voices, you won’t really know what’s driving so many conversations in Jewish life today. You won’t understand the books people are discussing, the podcasts they’re sharing, the essays they’re forwarding or the ideas they’re wrestling with. This has become a common language across much of Jewish communal

life. You don’t have to agree with it. But you should understand it well enough to engage it honestly. This worries us most when it comes to Jewish professionals. Too many people whose job is to lead, educate, advocate for or represent the Jewish community aren’t regularly reading, listening and learning from the people shaping the Jewish conversation. That’s not a political criticism. It’s a professional one. If your job is to serve the Jewish community, staying intellectually current is part of the job. How can you credibly represent a community if you don’t know the conversation it’s having?

The good news is that there are no real barriers anymore. The podcasts are free. SAPIR is free. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is free. Many of the best essays are online. The greatest Jewish classroom in history is sitting in your pocket. The resources are there. All that’s left is the decision to use them. Jewish tradition has always valued learning. At a moment like this, staying informed isn’t just a personal virtue. It’s part of being an engaged Jew. PJC

Khalidi had been enthroned in the Edward Said chair in 2003. Yinon Cohen, the Israeli sociologist who now holds the Yerushalmi chair, signed four separate anti-Israel petitions at Columbia. Only a Jewish intellectual would call for boycotting himself. Only Jewish donors would fund schools that teach young Jews to denigrate Israel and the Jewish people. The

spinning sound you can hear is Rav Twersky, revolving in his grave. It’s time to cut the terrible waste of donations. It’s past time for the wealthiest among the wealthiest diaspora community in our history to find finer things to invest in. It’s not just the Jewish future in America that’s at stake. The corruption of higher ed is poisoning American life. PJC

Dominic Green (@drdominicgreen) is a Wall Street Journal contributor, a Washington Examiner and Critic columnist, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute’s Center for the Study of America & the West and the author of five books.

Karen Galor and Ben Sitter live in Squirrel Hill with their three beautiful children. Karen is a member of the Chronicle’s board of trustees.

This op-ed originally appeared in The Jewish Chronicle.

— LETTERS — Recognize and resist the conditions that made the Holocaust possible

The Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers. It began with the normalization of ideas that portrayed Jews as uniquely malevolent, uniquely powerful, and uniquely deserving of exclusion. The mission of Holocaust education is not simply to preserve the memory of what happened in the camps. It is to help society recognize and resist the conditions that make such atrocities possible. It is clear from “A profound failure by a Pittsburgh institution” (in print Aug. 7), that this goal of Holocaust education is not being met. Today, Jews across North America are experiencing a surge of harassment and violence. These incidents are justified by an ideological movement that casts the world’s only Jewish state as uniquely evil. Anti-Zionism provides a permission structure for hostility toward Jews by portraying the national identity embraced by the overwhelming majority of the world’s Jewish community as uniquely illegitimate. The consequences of that permission structure are already visible. After a Hezbollah-inspired terrorist drove an explosives-laden vehicle into Temple Israel in Michigan while more than 100 preschool children were inside, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said, “hurt people do hurt people,” suggesting that the attack could be understood through the lens of the assailant’s personal response to events in the Middle East. That instinct — to contextualize anti-Jewish violence rather than recognize it as anti-Jewish hatred — is precisely the kind of moral confusion Holocaust education should challenge, not reinforce. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Israeli government policy is beside the point. Holocaust education — and all education about antisemitism—should equip people to recognize how conspiracies, dehumanization, collective guilt and demonization are propaganda that evolve into hatred of an entire people. When institutions dedicated to Holocaust remembrance ignore these dynamics — or worse, lend credibility to those who excuse or sanitize them — they are not remaining neutral. They are failing to fulfill the very purpose for which they exist. This is not a debate about free speech. People are free to express controversial views. The Holocaust Center is equally free — and morally obligated — to exercise judgment about whom it elevates and what ideas it legitimizes. Its responsibility is to help the public recognize the

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warning signs of Jew-hatred before violence follows. The Holocaust Center has an opportunity to recommit itself to that mission. It should make clear that contemporary Jew-hatred — including the forms that emerge through the demonization of Zionism — deserves the same seriousness as every other manifestation of anti-Jewish hatred. Institutions dedicated to preventing the next Holocaust cannot afford to ignore the ideology fueling today’s antisemitism. If they do, they are missing the moment, acting in opposition to their mission, and making Jews individually and collectively vulnerable. I look forward to hearing about the specific ways the Holocaust Center will address this. Aviva Lubowsky Pittsburgh

Fighting a brutal enemy is not genocide

In “Pittsburgh protester presses Rep. Khanna on Israel and support for Platner,” Julie Paris confronts members of Congress regarding their stand to cut aid to Israel. I can understand people’s reaction to the war in Gaza, but it is not genocide. After the horrendous Oct. 7 attack, what were Israel’s options? The Hamas terrorists, after killing 1,200 and taking hundreds hostage, retreated into the general Gaza population. They have been using every square inch of Gaza as fighting positions, killing hundreds of Israeli soldiers. At any time they could have realized the suffering they were causing the Palestinian people. They could have surrendered and release the hostages, but they chose to prolong the war, reaping the propaganda benefits. And it has worked. Many around the world accuse Israel of genocide. Comparing Israel’s war against an enemy hiding behind civilians to the Nazi attempt to exterminate the Jewish people is repugnant. Ending aid to Israel is even more repugnant. I was in Israel last year. Not far from my hotel stood a row of buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile during last year’s war. Cutting aid to Israel would weaken Israel’s ability to respond to such attacks. Members of Congress calling for ending aid to Israel have bought into Hamas’s bloody propaganda. Mitchell Nyer Pittsburgh

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AUGUST 14, 2026

Life & Culture With 2 current films, director Rachel Israel offers comic relief for Jewish trauma — MOVIES — By Stephen Silver | JTA

or nearly three years, much of Jewish culture has been shaped by war, rising antisemitism and questions of identity under pressure. Rachel Israel’s latest movies head in a different direction. In the space of a year, the New York filmmaker directed two unabashedly Jewish comedies — “The Floaters,” set at a Jewish summer camp, and “Influenced,” a satire of Manhattan influencer culture that culminates in a b’nai mitzvah celebration. Both immerse themselves in Jewish identity, but instead of treating Jewishness as a problem to be solved or an identity under pressure, Jewishness serves as the backdrop for stories about friendship, family, ambition and belonging. Reviewer Nell Minow wrote that “The Floaters” has “an appealing Jewish neshama (soul) that peeks out from under the surface,” and that the film offers “an exceptionally authentic movie portrayal of the way Jewish traditions and culture reflect and shape the Jewish worldview.” In an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Israel discussed making two Jewish films back-to-back, why Jewish characters come naturally to her as a writer and director, and why, even after Oct. 7, she believes

p In the indie comedy “The Floaters,” Sarah Podemski stars as Mara, the director of the fictitious Camp Daveed.

Courtesy of Bright Iris Films

audiences are ready for stories that celebrate Jewish community as much as they confront Jewish vulnerability. “I didn’t set out and decide I’m only going to make Jewish content, and I don’t think I’m only going to make Jewish content,” she said. And yet, her two latest movies, plus the 2017 love story “Keep the Change,” all have what she calls a “strong Jewish element.” “It’s just kind of rolled into being,” she said. The films also rolled into being at a time when antisemitism is on the rise and anti-Israel fervor over the Gaza war has put Jews on the defensive. In interviews for “The Floaters,” the director agreed that she hoped to provide

an alternative image of “Jewish joy.” “The Floaters” is a comedy about a Jewish summer camp, starring Jackie Tohn, from the very Jewish Netflix hit “Nobody Wants This,” as a would-be rock star hired to supervise a group of misfit campers, the “floaters” of the title. “Influenced” is the story of a newly divorced Manhattan Jewish mother (Jill Kargman) who tries to climb the ranks of the Upper East Side influencer scene, while also helping her twin children prepare for their bar and bat mitzvah. “The Floaters” was shot first, and “Influenced” second. “The Floaters” is currently in theaters, with a video-ondemand release expected later this year. “Influenced” is currently available for rental from Apple, Amazon and other providers. In addition to their lead actresses, the films also have very Jewish casts. “The Floaters” features Seth Green, Steve Guttenberg and pro wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman. “Influenced” features David Krumholtz — as an unhoused onetime rock star who collects bar mitzvah shirts — Justin Bartha and Dan Hedaya. Judd Goodstein and Ellie Biron play the two b’nai mitzvah kids and Gwyneth Paltrow also makes a cameo. “The way I approach it is, I’m grateful for the bounty when there’s bounty,” she said of having the chance to make two movies back-to-back. The same goes for family. “I was pregnant while filming ‘The Floaters,’ and we reached

some sort of milestone in the edit, and then I delivered,” Israel said. “Then my daughter was 4 months old when we went into production on ‘Influenced.’” Israel’s five children are between the ages of 2 and 9, and on several occasions she enjoyed the chance to bring a child with her for “a weekend date with mama” to one of the festivals where her films have screened. In an industry famously inhospitable to women directors and working moms, she and her husband, producer and filmmaker Kurt Enger, have made it work. “When you have filmmaking parents, I think it’s really a family effort to support that career, because I was away from them for a while in making both films, and so it was great to bring them to see the work,” she said. “The Floaters” was shot at Camp Tel Yehudah in Barryville, New York, in the Catskills, the same camp where the producers’ parents met. The film features a wide variety of Jewish types, from kosher-enforcing kitchen staff to a group of outsider-ish kids to a female rabbi (played by Aya Cash). Israel didn’t attend Jewish summer camp, but relished the opportunity to immerse herself in the culture. “It was wonderful to have that, to be shooting in this real location and kind of have all of the texture of the place to feel Please see Movies, page 26

ABERNETHY, HAGERMAN & MILLER

APPEAL UNFAVORABLE MEDICARE DECISIONS!

Those of us insured under any Medicare plan are subject to many health care decisions made by our insurance companies and care providers. When decisions have gone against you, have you ever wondered if you can appeal for a better result? Often you can, and you should. It can be a complicated patchwork of rules and regulations, with major corporations and their resources aligned against you. But there’s good news!

People don’t appeal very frequently… but when they do, they often win. In 2024, only about 11% of denied Medicare Advantage prior-authorization requests were appealed. Of those appeals, more than 80% were overturned.

In a 2024 federal review, Medicare Advantage enrollees appealed only 18% of skilled nursing facility admission denials but up to 95% were successful.

and when to do so. The details vary depending on the type of coverage and decision.

There is free help available for you. If you call your insurance company they must explain how to appeal. Alternatively, you can call the helpline at the Center for Medicare Advocacy for free advice at 1-800MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Other free resources are the Medicare Rights Center national helpline 800-333-4114, or the Pennsylvania Medicare Education and Decision Insight, PA MEDI, operated by the PA Department of Aging, at 800-783-7067.

There are five levels of appeal, including both Standard and Expedited appeals, but only the first few levels can be accessed promptly enough in most cases to be helpful. The initial stages are reviews of the existing medical records and even if there’s nothing else you can actually do or add, you are relying on the system’s built-in safeguards to correct a bad result. A plan may also offer a peer-to-peer discussion between its reviewers and your treating provider. This can be helpful when available, but do not assume that it replaces a formal appeal or extends the appeal deadline.

These figures are according to data and studies gathered As to notices and documents, depending on your coverage, by the Center for Medicare Advocacy – a private, consumerperiodically you will receive a Medicare Summary Notice or oriented advocacy group, NOT to be confused with the govern- Explanation of Benefits. These summarize recent services and ment Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. amounts billed, amounts paid by Medicare or the plan, and the amount that you may be billed. Review these to see if Ultimately, few people are appealing, but the ones that any benefits claims have been denied. do are getting good results. Daunting as it may be, people should appeal more often. Here’s some guidance: If and when Medicare or your plan makes an unfavorable coverage decision, you will or should receive notices You generally do not need a lawyer to file a Medicare appeal. Few attorneys handle these cases, but free assistance is all which will contain instructions on how and when you available through private Medicare counseling organizations. must appeal - with names and abbreviations such as: Important Message from Medicare (IM): Explains the Your doctor, PCP or provider can sometimes help. hospital discharge appeal rights of original Medicare inpatients. Almost any Medicare decision can be appealed, and Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) Warns you should always get a written notice that tells you how that Medicare-covered services are ending.

Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) Warns that original Medicare may not pay for a proposed service; not itself an official denial. If the claim is denied, then you may then have appeal rights.

Notice of Denial of Medical Coverage or Payment Issued by a Medicare Advantage plan when it denies, limits or ends benefits.

When you or a family member receives one of these notices, PAY ATTENTION! Appeal deadlines can be extremely short, within a very few number of days or even hours. AI has now entered the Medicare system too. Medicare is piloting programs in 6 states (not in PA) in which six separate contractors are experimenting with AI systems to make claims reviews and determinations. Not surprisingly, the feedback from observers has been critical. Finally, a word about observation status. Sometimes a patient has actually been admitted to a hospital, or appears to have been admitted, and may spend several overnights there. Later, the hospital decides that the patient should not have been admitted, and they retroactively change their status to say that they were in fact not admitted, but were there only on “Observation Status.” This can cost the patient much more (because they’re billed under part B outpatient coverage instead of part A inpatient coverage) and limit their access to Medicare benefits if discharged to a nursing home or rehab. Don’t wait till you receive a Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON). Ask immediately and repeatedly whether you are an inpatient or an outpatient on “Observation Status” only.

At Abernethy Hagerman and Miller, we help people every day with issues like these. I invite your questions and feedback. Please let me know how I can help you and your family. 20

AUGUST 14, 2026

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AUGUST 14, 2026

Celebrations

Torah

B’nai Mitzvah

A court, not a chorus

Ryan Albright will celebrate becoming a bar mitzvah on Aug. 15, 2026, at Temple Ohav Shalom. He will be surrounded by his proud parents, Matthew and Shannon Albright; his brother, Andrew Albright; his grandparents, Stephen Birn and Fred and Donna Albright; and many other beloved family members and friends. Ryan will be a seventh grade student this coming school year at Mar Area Middle School. Ryan is passionate about taekwondo and recently enrolled in their leadership program, where he will act as a school ambassador, assist instructors and gain access to specialized training. Ryan also enjoys boating with his family at the lake, playing video games and spending time with family and friends. As part of his bar mitzvah journey, Ryan chose to focus on helping others through his community project where he spent time assisting with the activity department at St. Barnabas’ independent living, which he enjoyed very much. Ryan is very grateful to celebrate this meaningful milestone with the people he loves. Samuru Ping Chow Smuckler will be called to the Torah as a bar mitzvah on Aug. 15, 2026, at Congregation Beth Shalom. He is the witty and charismatic third installment from Elizabeth Chow and Aaron Smuckler. He attends Community Day School, where he has been active in student council. He enjoys all school subjects, especially if there is a debate that he can win. He has an older brother Benji, older sister Kimi and a younger brother Tommy. He is the grandchild of Margaret Chow and Tammie and Art Smuckler and the late Edward Chow. Sammy has a terrific sense of humor, unbelievable memory and is always thinking three steps ahead of everyone around him. He enjoys challenging himself on the violin, competing in club soccer/futsal with his creativity and sneaky intelligence, and strategizing during card games. He loves spending time with friends, traveling, cooking creatively, eating spicy foods, and devising new ways to try to take over the world.

Birth

Eva and Jesse Samakow joyfully announce the birth of their daughter, Samara Vivienne, born Monday, July 13, 2026, in Boca Raton, Florida. She is the sweet little sister of her proud big brother, Silas. Samara Vivienne is named in loving memory of her great-grandmother Gloria Wedner. Proud grandparents are Debbi and Tommy Samakow of Boca Raton, Florida, formerly from Squirrel Hill, and Asya Grey Adana and Aaron Adana of San Francisco, California. Samara‘s late great-grandparents are Gloria and Norman Wedner and Marion and Malcolm Samakow all of Squirrel Hill, and Jo Lyndon and Gery Grey of San Francisco, California, and Suzanne Matthews and the late Jim Matthews of Erie, Pennsylvania. PJC

Rabbi Aaron Bisno Parashat Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18 — 21:9

n the opening lines of this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, Moses proclaims one of the Torah’s great moral mandates: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof… Justice, justice shall you pursue!” (Deut. 16:20) It is a powerful imperative. The immediate question is obvious: Why repeat the word tzedek? Thirteenth-century Spanish sage Rabbi Bachya ben Asher offers the classic and deeply insightful answer: justice must be pursued justly. That is, the pursuit of justice must itself employ just means. This deceptively simple insight stands at the heart of Judaism’s understanding of justice. We are commanded to pursue justice by just means because one cannot build trust within a community if the very processes by which justice is sought are themselves corrupted. The pursuit of justice is not merely the concern of ancient courts. The Torah’s insistence on restrained judgment speaks directly to any moment in which hubris outruns humility. When judgment is rendered without dissent, a court — or even a congregational boardroom — loses its claim to righteousness once it becomes a chorus. Contrast the Torah’s timeless vision with the experience of many in recent years who found themselves condemned in a chorus of public opinion. Too often, people were cruelly and publicly shamed or threatened with professional ruined for holding unpopular views. Those who rushed to judgment over them often regarded themselves as righteous. Yet measured against the standards of Shoftim, theirs was not a pursuit of justice but of retribution. Consider any setting in which unanimity is prized over deliberation — a boardroom where dissent is unsafe, or a public hearing in which suspicion hardens into certainty before evidence is weighed. In such places, the rush to consensus actually masks the absence of conscience. The Torah teaches the opposite premise: be humble in judgment. So important is humility, the Torah

deliberately builds safeguards into its judicial process to protect against false accusations, senseless slander and wrongful conviction. Justice, after all, should never be rushed nor easy. The Talmud teaches that if a court unanimously convicts a defendant immediately — sans a single judge advancing even one argument in the accused’s favor — the defendant must be acquitted. Such a ruling seems almost incomprehensible. Surely unanimous agreement demonstrates certainty. Our Rabbis taught otherwise. If not a single voice questions a prevailing consensus, if not one member of a board or court searches for a mitigating argument, then something fundamental has broken down. Such a court has become a chorus. What an astonishing idea. A chorus sings with a single voice; a court exists precisely because no one voice — not even that of the majority — has a lock on truth. Where a chorus’ strength lies in its univocality, a court’s strength lies in its willingness to question everything before accepting — or ruling on — anything. True justice is defined not by consensus, but by the presence of dissent within the process of judgment. A chorus may be beautiful. It may even be powerful. But its univocality does not permit the questions justice demands. Unanimity does not invite opposing ideas, nor does unanimity protect the minority opinion. Only a court of justice does that. And perhaps this is the deepest meaning of the Torah’s repeated command: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof.” A rush to summary judgment may satisfy the crowd. However, Parshat Shoftim asks more of us than the pursuit of self-righteous satisfaction. Judaism insists how we arrive at a ruling is no less important than the verdict itself. Justice must be pursued justly, for in rendering judgment, we ourselves are judged. PJC Rabbi Aaron Bisno is the Frances F. & David R. Levin Rabbinic Scholar at Rodef Shalom Congregation and serves as the senior rabbi at Temple Ohav Shalom in the North Hills. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Clergy Association.

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Obituaries FIDOTEN: Dr. Robert E. Fidoten, age 98, passed away on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. Beloved husband for 73 years of the late Marsha A. Fidoten; loving father of Doug (Beth) Fidoten and Eric (Sharyl) Fidoten; brother of the late Sylvia Pines; brother-in-law of Irwin Abrams; devoted grandfather of Aaron, Hannah, Andy (Miche), Jacob and Dani. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Robert was born in New York, New York. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Pratt Institute and his Masters and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh. He served as the director of management information systems at PPG Industries. He was also a beloved professor of communications at Slippery Rock University where he helped launch many students’ careers. He was a world traveler, a cultural connoisseur and an accomplished business leader who was listed in “Who’s Who in America.” Robert was active in philanthropy, especially supporting local arts and social justice causes. He served on committees of many arts organizations including the Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media, Carnegie Museum, and the National Society of Arts and Letters. Bob was a dynamic intellect who lived life to the fullest, a Pittsburgh sports fan and ice cream lover, who will be missed greatly. Graveside services and interment were held at Greenwood Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media (pghartsmedia.org). Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. family owned and operated. schugar.com FRIEDMAN: On March 3, 2026, James Tobias Friedman passed away peacefully at his home in La Jolla, California. He was 73 years old. After graduating high school, Jim lived on an Israeli kibbutz tending its avocado groves. He then moved to Alaska where he worked as a union electrician in the Inupiat village of Kotzebue and the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. In 1990 Jim boldly walked away from financial security as a union electrician to enter the fish business without any experience or backing. It proved a prescient life choice. Over the next 25 years, through hard work in the wilds, Jim produced and sold legendary Yukon River salmon caviar. Now virtually extinct, Yukon River salmon’s uniquely high oil content makes it the richest tasting, most nutritious wild salmon in the world. Because Jim processed eggs from fishcaught at the mouth of the Yukon River before their arduous journey upriver to spawn, Jim’s salmon caviar was revered as the best of the best, especially in Japan. Jim opened his first caviar plant in Manley Hot Springs and his second in Kaltag, an Athabascan village on the west bank of the Yukon River. In the decade prior to retirement, Jim worked for the native corporation Kwik’Pak, a community-owned seafood company

in Emmonak, a Yupik village at the mouth of the Yukon River next to the Bering Sea. For most of Jim’s Emmonak employees, this was their first job outside the home. Jim found his calling teaching these young men and women the skills of maintaining regular attendance, fulfilling job assignments and relating appropriately to coworkers and supervisors. Both hard-taught and hard-learned, Jim’s lessons enabled many of his employees to live well in the outside world. Jim lived life thrillingly, sometimes on a knife-edge and far outside of America’s traditional class structure. Few who knew him failed to append “larger than life” or “Zelig” when describing Jim and his incredible adventures. Thousands of members of the Inupiat, Athabascan, Yupik and other Alaskan communities affectionately called Jim “The Arctic Jew.” The author of the published book “American Terroir” titled Jim the “Mozart of Caviar.” When Jim managed a lox manufacturing plant in Santiago, Chile in the early 2000s, his employees referred to him as “Gran Corazon.” Jim’s wide circle of dear friends encompassed the head of the Mossad team that captured Adolf Eichmann in 1960 in Argentina and returned him to stand trial in Israel, and a founder of the legendary jazz club the Crawford Grill in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Jim’s gift of drawing others to him resulted in relationships with people from all levels of society, including a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, disabled veterans with PTSD, one of the largest financial donors to Carnegie Mellon University, the founder of the national kitchenware chain Sur La Table, a multiple-time winner of the Iditarod sled dog race, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the late governor and Sen. Frank Murkowski, Dr. Ruth, Jerry Stiller and countless homeless persons. Jim enjoyed tending his garden with its orchids, Meyer lemon and tangerine trees, telling stories, collecting ancient Alaskan ivory artifacts, whale bone masks and baleen baskets, playing poker, cribbage, dominoes, dice games and gin rummy, listening to jazz and blues, attending classic car and magic shows and helping strangers in need. Jim was the son of Alex and Leona Friedman of Pittsburgh, and the nephew of Lorraine Friedman of La Jolla. He is survived by his wife, Cecilia Pino, his brother Robert (Anita Davidson) and his stepson Frank Dayo. Thoughts and memories of Jim may be posted on amisraelmortuary.com. HOFFMAN: William “Bill” S. Hoffman, 82, of Boynton Beach, Florida, died June 16, 2026. Bill was a beloved spouse to Betty Hoffman for 60 years, a loving father to Lauri (Ellman) and Larry Hoffman, and Nancy (Hoffman) and Howard Collens, and adoring Zaydie to his five grandchildren. Bill was born in Pittsburgh to Fannie and Murray Hoffman. Bill’s passion and professional career was spent researching, designing, negotiating and implementing programs to raise the standard of living for working class men, women and children across the country. Spending 22 years working for the International Union, UAW, Please see Obituaries, page 24

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Sunday August 16: Sarah Americus, Alan Herbert Azen, Annie Berezin, Samuel Berger, Isadore A . Bernstein, Susan Dickter, Rebecca L . Guttman, Anne Harris, Mary Garson Mazer, Marie G . Mundel, Louis Rosenbloom, Eli Spokane, Morris Toig, Louis Whiteman Monday August 17: William Americus, Tillie Bennett, Samuel W . Berk, Zelda Glantz Chasick, Alex Glantz, Howard W . Jacobson, Mollie Kurtz, Sara Melnick, Sharon Lee Morton, Milton Moskovitz, David Pearlstein, Rose Rom, Alex Ruben, Fannie Shapiro, Leo Spiegle, Harry Treelisky, Louise Ziskind Tuesday August 18: Lillian Bergad, Florence Bertenthal, Fannie Cohen, Patty Danovitz, Lena Darling, Rose Gold, Dora F . Greene, Bernard J Harris, Jeanette Miller Horowitz, Leah Katz, Pearl Laufe, Selma G . Leventon, Natalie Myra Lewis, Harry Malkin, Laura Marcuson, Rabbi Pincus F . Miller, Stefanie Ann Miller, Sylvia Monsein, Harry L . Richman, Arthur B . Rosenfeld, Max Roth, Gwen Amy Shakespeare, Howard S . Snider, Oscar Wilson, Isadore Sydney Wolfson Wednesday August 19: Anna Friedman Calig, Rose Calig, George H . Danzinger, Ella Friedman, Edith Goldstein, Liuba Horvitz, William M . Katz, Marcel Lucja, Frank Miller, Frances Rosen, Benjamin David Schwartz, Becky Weiner, Annie Wirtzman, Nathan Zapler Thursday August 20: Harry Z . Davidson, Rabbi Henry Friedman, Helen Handlesman, Samuel E . Jacobson, Mimi Lawrence, Pauline Racusin Leventon, Jennie D . Miller, Rachel Mintz, Jennie Papernick, Ernst Perlstein, Dora Shaffer, Sarah Snyder, Mildred Tannenbaum, Sophie Tauber, Saul Weis Friday August 21: Joseph Baker, Belle Berman, Harry Dickter, Jacob Dobkin, Marilyn Elikan, Nathan Fisher, Rose Goodstein, Rita Hertz, David Kravitz, Thomas Lewis, Simon Lieberman, Lillian London, Yehudi Marbach, Sadie Margolis, Leon Pattak, Freda Rubin, Alice D . Safier, Rebecca Siegal, Lena Thomashefsky, Sarah Zweig Saturday August 22: Leon Alan Berger, Jean Serbin Burckin, Honey Sue Fink, Esther Kochin, Bert Lasnik, Eva Zawitz Mannheimer, Fannie L . Morris, Rebecca Rockman, Sadie Simon Sieff, Harry Siegal, Harry Zeff, Margaret Zelman

SERVING Scott Twp., Greentree, Carnegie, Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park

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Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 23

he focused on healthcare, retirement, disability benefits, and layoff income protection issues in the federal-state public policy and collective bargaining arenas. Upon his retirement in 1997, he continued to be a trusted adviser and consultant for various public and private sector union and corporate leaders and organizations. He loved playing golf and being a loyal fan of his Detroit and hometown Pittsburgh sports teams. Bill graduated from Otterbein University and received his PhD in sociology from Wayne State University. He is survived by his wife, Betty; children Lauri and Larry Hoffman, Nancy and Howard Collens; grandchildren Adena, Max, and Morgan Collens, Lucy and Lyle Hoffman; and brothers Robert Hoffman and Richard Hoffman. Interment took place at Beth El Memorial Park Cemetery in Livonia. Contributions may be made to Wayne State University Institute of Gerontology. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel, Farmington Hills, Michigan. MAGLIN: Judith Faye Brean Maglin passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, with her loving family by her side. Judy was a loving soul whose warmth, kindness and love touched everyone fortunate enough to know her. Judy is the daughter of the late Saul and Miriam Brean, loving mother of the late Amy Brean. Judy is survived by her devoted husband, Alan; her son Howard (Staci); grandchildren, Mason and Sydney, who were the pride and joy of her life; and brother Larry (Marcie). She is also survived by stepsons, Jeffrey, Steven (Alicia) and Michael (Kim), and her step-grandchildren, Justin, Jacob, Tyler and Alexis. Judy’s memory will live on in the hearts of her family and friends. In lieu of flowers please give contributions to a charity of your choice. Professional services trusted to D’Alessandro Funeral Home & Crematory, Ltd., Lawrenceville. RUBINSTEIN: Linda Ann Rubinstein, age 70, of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away on Aug. 4, 2026. Born on Feb. 21, 1956, in Pittsburgh, Linda was the beloved daughter of Harold and Annette Rubinstein and the cherished sister of Debra Rubinstein. Linda attended Penn State University and earned her Master of Social Work degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

“Each time we face a fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”

She was a gifted psychotherapist who dedicated her career to helping countless patients with wisdom and care. Above all, Linda was a devoted wife and loving mother who enjoyed spending time with her extended family. She especially loved celebrating Thanksgiving, bringing everyone together with exceptional cooking and hospitality. Linda is survived by her beloved husband, Ken Kratovil, and her children, Kate and Dan. Linda will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Donations in her memory may be made to Horizons Atlanta at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, 805 Mount Vernon Highway NW, Atlanta, GA 30327. Private funeral services in Atlanta by Dressler’s Jewish Funeral Care, 770-451-4999. To sign the online guest book visit jewishfuneralcare.com. YOUNG: Jonathan P. Young, 61, of Pittsburgh, passed away suddenly on Aug. 5, 2026. Jonathan was born June 2, 1965. He was the beloved husband of Lisa (Altman) Young and father to Janna Young and Zeva Graf (Jason). Jonathan will be missed greatly by his parents, Judith and Fred Young, of Yardley, Pennsylvania, formerly from Pittsburgh. He was the adored big brother to Aimee Blum (Eric) and Richard (Michelle). He leaves behind nieces, nephews and cousins, all of whom will miss his warm conversation, stories, silly jokes and infectious smile. Jonathan was an attorney, earning an undergraduate degree from Temple University and his JD from the University of Pittsburgh. Jonathan was passionate about supporting others both professionally and in his everyday life. He was known to always give a helping hand to his friends, his community and anyone who needed it, especially those strangers among us who are most often overlooked. Jonathan was a foundational part of the Squirrel Hill Jewish community. He served, for many years, as the president of Congregation Shaare Torah. As the community can attest, countless holidays were spent at the Young home enjoying homemade meals, conversations on the porch, smoking cigars and enjoying a l’chaim or two. Jonathan was a man of many interests and passions, including learning of all types, reading, cooking, and any team wearing black and gold. Of course, his wife, daughters, son-in-law and family remained his No. 1 love. Jonathan will be remembered by all as a person of kindness, humility and deep commitment to his family and community — a true mensch. Donations in Jonathan’s memory can be made to Congregation Shaare Torah (shaaretorah.net/in-memory.html) and Camp Ramah Canada’s Tikvah Scholarship (campramah.com/support/donate/). PJC

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Life & Culture Movies: Continued from page 20

fully authentic on screen and permeate the experience. I felt through making it that I absorbed some of what camp is like,” she said of “The Floaters.” Israel has much more experience with New York City, where “Influenced” was filmed on location. A New Jersey native who spent many formative years in Florida and attended the Rhode Island School of Design, she has been based in New York since beginning graduate school at Columbia University, where she earned an MFA in 2013. Nevertheless, shooting “Influenced” also involved a learning curve. “I’m not even on social media,” she said. She enjoyed the opportunity to approach that world with “fresh eyes.” “Keep the Change,” her first feature, was based on her own short of the same name, which she developed in grad school at Columbia. That film is set in part at a Manhattan Jewish community center. The film, she said, was “based on people I knew.” And while “Influenced” is not “centrally” a Jewish film, its characters are clearly Jewish, and it has a “strong Jewish thread.” At their climactic bar/bat mitzvah party, the kids reference the idea in Genesis that all humans are created “b’tzelem Elohim — in the image of God” and are inspired by that lesson to create a charity to help the downtrodden. “Influenced” had its world premiere at the Miami Jewish Film Festival in January, while “The Floaters” had its Southeast U.S. premiere at the same festival, after having its

world premiere at the Bentonville (Arkansas) Film Festival in June 2025. Both films have spent some time on the Jewish film festival circuit, a process that Israel enjoyed. “Being Jewish,” she said, “you can find rooms full of family who you might not have met before, but that feeling of Jewish familiarity in all different places is wonderful.” The Bentonville festival wasn’t Jewish, but “we brought out the Jewish community in Arkansas.” “It’s fun feeling that expansive, Jewish film family,” she said. She considers herself, these days, “more like Reform, Conservative-level of observance.” “Having Shabbat and being a parent and wanting to continue that legacy and that connection — that positive emotional connection to being a Jew and pride in that identity — is very important to me and my husband in raising our family,” Israel said. While she did not write the screenplay for either of the new films, Israel said of “The Floaters” that she “loved the opportunity to make a film that would say what I felt this film says about Jewish community.” “Being Jewish from my earliest memory of myself, [and] understanding fully what it means to be a Jew intellectually, it was very central to who I was,” Israel said. “I had a very, very strong relationship with my grandparents on my mother’s side, and they were both Holocaust survivors. “How much they cared about family, and their sense of humor — they were very pivotal figures in my life. Those relationships with my grandparents at a young age were to me what it meant to be Jewish. It was talking about stuff, it was talking about feelings, it was talking about messy things.” PJC

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Community Down by the river

The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh celebrated the culmination of Unity in Community, a summer-long partnership designed to help young people recognize bias, build empathy, develop leadership skills and create communities where everyone feels they belong. Programming throughout the summer included activities centered on empathy, inclusion and belonging.

p Campers from the YMCA and JCC walk across the Roberto Clemente Bridge and carry Unity in Community signage while singing camp songs.

p After assembling 400 blessing bags for donation to local community organizations, campers gather before attending the Pittsburgh Pirates game together.

Photos courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

Differentiating as one

Start of something good

p Kari Vissichelli (top), Ronit Pasternak (left) and Lin Saint Clair (right) discuss middle school math differentiation. Photo courtesy of Community Day School

p Key ingredients present

Community Day School teachers prepared for the start of a new school year by strategizing best practices.

Camp Hillel, a program of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh, brought campers to Our Giving Kitchen. The indoor activity enabled campers to work together and bake cookies for community members.

Tie-dye together

Macher and shaker

Camp Gan Israel Chabad Squirrel Hill wrapped up the summer with an all-camp photo.

p A colorful bunch mixing sunshine and smiles.

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Photo courtesy of Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh

Zeke Rediker is joining the Jewish Healthcare Foundation as its chief engagement officer and general counsel. Rediker, according to JHF, will lead strategic initiatives, provide legal counsel, strengthen external engagement and partnerships, and help guide the Foundation through an evolving healthcare policy and regulatory landscape.

Photo courtesy of Camp Gan Israel Chabad Squirrel Hill

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p Zeke Rediker

Photo courtesy of Jewish Healthcare Foundation

AUGUST 14, 2026

THIS IS CDS

THIS IS CDS We are more than a school; we are a community!

Scan to learn more and to check out our Fall program guide. 28

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