January 12, 2024 | 2 Shevat 5784
Candlelighting 4:56 p.m. | Havdalah 6:00 p.m. | Vol. 67, No. 2 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Local universities struggle with freedom of speech issues following Oct. 7
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Birthright is back
After a pause, Pittsburgh trips to Israel resume LOCAL
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Sen. Bob Casey visits JCC and weighs in on childcare, aging, antisemitism and Israel
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In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.
Tree of Life partners with Ebenezer Baptist Church FOOD
Sarah Honig and Sen. Bob Casey
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Skip the iceberg
Photo by Adam Reinherz
A November rally on CMU’s campus included calls to “globalize the intifada.”
Photo by David Rullo
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
The secrets to the best chopped vegetable salad NEWS OBITUARY
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Acclaimed author Norman Finkelstein dies
Two-time winner of National Jewish Book award
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hings have improved on Carnegie Mellon University’s campus since a November pro-Palestinian rally that included calls to “globalize the intifada,” according to Ben Koby. “The November hate rally was a defining moment that catalyzed a change in the environment,” he said. Koby is the co-president of the Jewish Graduate Student Association at CMU. He said that after the rally, CMU President Farnam Jahanian issued a public statement regarding the language that was used by the protesters, and since then things have “generally improved fairly dramatically.” Jahanian’s written statement said that Jewish students had been subjected to “hateful phrases and slurs,” specifically referring to the chant “From the river to the sea.” Jahanian also wrote that he heard that Arab students were called “terrorists,” degenerates” and “animals.”
“I condemn speech that advocates the eradication of any group of people,” he wrote. And while things may be quieter now at the university — classes just restarted after winter break and seasonal weather has cooled temperatures, both figuratively and literally — there is no doubt that college campuses across the country have become ground zero in the fight over freedom of speech. “This is a very complex issue because there are a lot of layers to come over something like this,” said Bruce Antkowiak, a former federal prosecutor and criminal defense attorney who has taught law at Duquesne University and St. Vincent College, including courses on constitutional law. “The first layer is that a campus is a state institution where the Constitution clearly and directly applies,” Antkowiak Please see Universities, page 10
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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.S. senators don’t often need to introduce themselves, but when Bob Casey walked into a Squirrel Hill classroom on Jan. 5, most people didn’t recognize him. So, while clutching a stuffed animal and being watched by nearly a dozen seated toddlers, Pennsylvania’s senior senator waited for his turn in the “Hickety Pickety Bumblebee” song before lyrically introducing himself as “Bob.” Casey’s classroom visit was part of a morning-long tour of the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. As he moved through the JCC’s Early Childhood Development Center, Casey walked past handmade challahs topped with sprinkles, colored signs reading “Welcome Sen. Casey, Shabbat Shalom,” and many community members who told him about staffing crises, rising costs and the need for political intervention. Please see Casey, page 11
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Headlines Chabad at Pitt, Hillel JUC plan to take part in relaunched Birthright trips — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Staff Writer
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irthright Israel resumed its trips to Israel earlier this month. The organization suspended its free 10-day educational trips to the Jewish state after Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Oct. 7. Approximately 350 students and young adults, 80% from the United States, were expected to join the relaunched excursions. A few hundred more are anticipated to participate through March, according to Birthright officials. Registration for summer trips will begin in mid-January. That number is far fewer than the 23,000 young adults Birthright announced it would fund in 2023, and the 45,000 travelers who toured Israel each year with Birthright pre-pandemic. The resumption of trips to Israel, no matter the size, was greeted with appreciation from Jewish groups in Pittsburgh. “It’s great that Birthright has restarted,” said Daniel Marcus, executive director of Hillel JUC of Pittsburgh. Hillel and Chabad House on Campus are the two main groups that administer Birthright trips to Israel from Pittsburgh. “It’s good news,” Rabbi Shmuli Rothstein of Chabad at Pitt, said. Students are interested in going on the trips, Rothstein said. In fact, he said he always has a list of students who have pre-registered. “The only question I’ve had from a lot of the students who pre-signed up is, ‘Is it still on?’ I have not heard from anyone that said, ‘I don’t want to go anymore.’ There are a couple of dozen people on the pre-signup list and those people are
p A Hillel JUC Birthright Israel trip in 2019
still interested in going,” he said. Despite the eagerness from students in Pittsburgh, Birthright understands that some young adults and their families
Photo by Hillel JUC
undergo a pre-trip orientation. In addition to matters covered in previous seasons, the upcoming orientations will cover adjustments to the schedule and to safety and
“Birthright is one of the most transformative programs in the Jewish world to strengthen and broaden Jewish identity and personal connection to Israel.” – DANIEL MARCUS might be apprehensive about a trip to Israel while it fights a war with Hamas. The organization said that it is committed to providing participants with a safe and meaningful experience. “Birthright Israel’s upcoming trips will operate under strict safety and security standards set by the Israel Defense Forces’ Homefront Command,” the organization’s officials said in a written statement. “Additionally, all Birthright groups will
security parameters.” Rothstein said that Birthright has a great reputation and that the organization is committed to safety, something he thinks U.S. students understand. “Right now, I’m not hearing a lot of ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going to happen?’” he said. “If it’s deemed safe, then they’re going to go.” While he is confident in Birthright’s ability to keep its participants safe, the rabbi
awaits details about the trips and is curious about the itineraries that will be available. “I’m interested in how it will work out with all the trips,” he said. “North, south — I’m curious what will happen,” he said. Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said that there is a purpose to Birthright trips, especially now. “Alongside a fun and meaningful experience, we want our participants to understand what happened on Oct. 7 and gain meaningful insight on how the events affected Israeli society and the Jewish communities around the world, and how our Jewish lives, values and community help us find hope in these dark times,” he said in a prepared statement. Despite the war, Rothstein believes interest in Birthright will continue to be high. “There’s been a need for more seats,” he said. “I think there’s still going to be a fight to get people on certain buses.” Marcus said that thousands of Hillel JUC students have taken part in Birthright trips and that they play a vital role in the lives of young people. “Birthright is one of the most transformative programs in the Jewish world to strengthen and broaden Jewish identity and personal connection to Israel,” he said. Rothstein agreed, and said that even during the Yom Kippur War, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, urged people to take trips to Israel. “I think it’s important we stand strong,” Rothstein said. “It’s our land. It’s a safe place to be. Our pulling away is basically us saying we lost and they won. I think it’s really important that we go.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Squirrel Hill concert features musicians in support of Kibbutz Movement — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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ocal musicians are donating their time and talent to support the Kibbutz Movement. The professional players, including about 10 members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, will participate in a one-night benefit concert. Scheduled for Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, the event is an opportunity to overcome “adversity,” cellist Michael Lipman said. “We are here in Pittsburgh and able to do this,” he said. “I consider it the ultimate mitzvah because music is something human beings have — which is the most beautiful thing — which can heal just about anything.” Lipman’s wife, Shirli Nikolsburg, helped organize the evening but said that bringing together virtuosos wasn’t her first idea when it came to offering support. “On day 2 of the war, I thought, ‘Let me go to the kitchen and bake a cake.’ Then I was like, ‘I’m in Pittsburgh, that’s not going to work,” she said. Nikolsburg, a Squirrel Hill resident who was born in Haifa but has lived in Pittsburgh for nearly 30 years, said she quickly realized there were better ways of creating an impact 6,000 miles away from war. She talked to her husband about helping
the Kibbutz Movement, an organization consisting of approximately 230 kibbutzim in the Jewish state because, on Oct. 7, several southern kibbutzim were viciously attacked by Hamas. Of the 400 members of Kibbutz Nir Oz, at least 180 were murdered or abducted; survivors were displaced to a hotel in Eilat, according to The New York Times.
to see the space where a performance could be held. Everyone agreed that the “acoustics are amazing and it’s a perfect setting for a concert,” Adelson said. Though several weeks remain until the show, excitement is high. “This is a beautiful initiative by these musicians,” Amos said. “Their time is very
Lipman said he is “honored and blessed” to perform, and that he was happy to recruit colleagues for such a meaningful endeavor. At Kibbutz Be’eri, more than 120 of the 1,100 residents were killed, CNN reported. Merav Amos, an Israeli-American and Squirrel Hill resident who helped organize the upcoming concert, said that Nir Oz, Be’eri and the other kibbutzim in the Gaza envelope are experiencing severe problems: “The money is going to be needed there for a long time.” Amos said the ability to host a local performance is a credit to Judith Adelson, a fellow Squirrel Hill resident whose husband serves as Congregation Beth Shalom’s senior rabbi. Adelson said that after learning about Nikolsburg’s idea, she invited Nikolsburg and Lipman to the Squirrel Hill synagogue
precious.” Lipman said he is “honored and blessed” to perform, and that he was happy to recruit colleagues for such a meaningful endeavor. Amos and Adelson both said the program, which will include works by Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelsohn, is designed with hopes that the entire community attends. Not only will 100% of the proceeds go to the Kibbutz Movement, but there will be no singing, Amos said, making the event “suitable for everyone.” (Some Orthodox Jews consider a woman singing in public to be immodest.) “We should be so lucky to get hundreds of people to come,” Adelson said. “If we do,
p Shirli Nikolsburg and Michael Lipman helped organize a concert to support the Kibbutz Movement.
Photo courtesy of Shirli Nikolsburg
we’ll have plenty of room for them.” Tickets for the Jan. 28 concert can be bought at tinyurl.com/pghconcert. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Tree of Life celebrates MLK with Ebenezer Baptist Church — LOCAL —
“Since we’re celebrating Dr. King’s words, I can think of no better way to honor him than with this. It really is the ultimate compliment … to the words of Dr. King.”
By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle
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abbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers is used to chanting the haftarah during weekly Shabbat services for Tree of Life Congregation. This weekend, though, he’ll put a modern spin on his haftarah, reading one composed of texts written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Since we’re celebrating Dr. King’s words, I can think of no better way to honor him than with this,” Myers told the Chronicle. “It really is the ultimate compliment … to the words of Dr. King.” Tree of Life will mark its fourth annual Unity Weekend on Jan. 13 and 14 with interfaith partner Ebenezer Baptist Church. Rev. Dr. Vincent K. Campbell, the Hill District church’s spiritual leader, will help guide biblical study during a Tree of Life Shabbat service on Saturday morning, while Myers will sing with Ebenezer Baptist Church’s choir at a church service on Sunday. Both services will be steeped in the legacy of King, the iconic 20th-century civil rights leader whose birth Americans
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p Rabbi Jeffrey Myers
Photo by Abigail Hakas
will celebrate with a federal holiday on Monday, Jan. 15. Myers said the haftarah, which traditionally is composed from the Torah texts of Prophets, is appropriate. He said King is one in a long line of leaders he called “biblical prophets.” “Biblical prophets spoke up for the wrongs they saw in society,” Myers said. “And that’s certainly what Dr. King did.”
–RABBI HAZZAN JEFFREY MYERS The King haftarah was composed by a colleague of Myers’ several years ago, the rabbi said. And it does follow the haftarah trope, or musical system used to chant the text. Myers admits it will be a unique experience for regular synagogue attendees to hear a haftarah based on English — not Hebrew — texts. “It demands the listener pay close
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attention to what’s being said,” said Myers, who previously has read the King haftarah. “I’ve gotten very positive feedback to it. That’s one of the reasons I’m doing it again.” Myers also said he’s greatly looking forward to the Baptist service. He doesn’t think he’ll feel out of place; his musical command as a cantor “is not nearly only what I sing in synagogue.” “Just because you’re a cantor doesn’t mean you don’t know non-synagogue music — classical or opera or music of other faiths,” he said. Myers said he has sung — and enjoyed singing — Christian hymns and prayers. “Particularly when I have a chance to sing with them,” he laughed. Myers, who met Campbell when receiving an Urban League award in 2019, said regular shul attendees will get a kick out of taking part in Ebenezer Baptist Church’s lively service. “You can’t just sit still,” Myers said. “You’ve got to clap your hands! It’s exciting to take part in their service.” Saturday’s service starts at Rodef Shalom Congregation on Jan. 13 at 9:45 a.m. The Sunday service at the Wylie Avenue church will start at 11 a.m. PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.
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Headlines ‘Absolutely eradicate Hamas,’ Pennsylvania Senate candidate David McCormick says — REGIONAL — By Andrew Bernard | JNS
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avid McCormick, the Republican candidate looking to unseat Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) this November, returned last week from a 36-hour solidarity trip to Israel, during which he met political leaders and families of hostages whom Hamas terrorists kidnapped on Oct. 7. A former hedge-fund manager and U.S. Army veteran who graduated from West Point, McCormick told JNS that his willingness to confront Iran is one of the biggest marks distinguishing him from his Democratic opponent. “The source of the terrorist funding, the source of terrorist ideology in the region is Iran,” McCormick said. “Bob Casey has gone step by step in supporting a deal with Iran.” “He has been part of, and in many cases the deciding vote supporting, a posture towards Iran, which has directly led to Iran’s capacity to support terrorism across the region,” McCormick said. “That was a terribly failed strategy.” While Casey bills himself as a “steadfast” supporter of Israel, McCormick said his opponent has lacked “moral clarity and consistency” in that support. “He’s not been willing to take a tough stance against the antisemitism that’s jumping up on our campuses,” he said. McCormick noted that he called for the resignation of University of Pennsylvania president Liz Magill after her congressional testimony on campus antisemitism on Dec. 5. Casey criticized Magill but did not call for her ouster at the time. McCormick also cited Casey’s failure to condemn members of the so-called “Squad” of left-wing progressives, who are among Israel’s harshest critics in Congress.
p U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick (pointing) and wife Dina Powell McCormick visit Kfar Azza, one of the sites of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, in early January 2024. Courtesy photo via JNS
Casey has endorsed “Squad” member Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), who was one of just nine members of Congress who opposed a resolution declaring that Israel was “not a racist or apartheid state.” One of the most contentious Israelrelated issues in Congress is President Joe Biden’s proposed $106 billion foreign aid supplemental. The package includes $14.3 billion for Israel and $60 billion for Ukraine, but Republican negotiators have said that it also needs to include funding and reforms to halt the flow of migrants at the U.S. southern border before they will consider supporting the measure. “Republicans are right in the following sense: We have an absolute crisis on our
southern border,” McCormick said. “We absolutely need to move firmly and swiftly supporting Israel against the terrorist actions of Hamas. I don’t accept the Biden administration’s position,” he said. “The Biden administration should be moving forward on both things at the same time, and I think Republican leadership is correct.”
Ukraine support slipping
McCormick added that he thinks that U.S. support for Ukraine is diminishing in part because the Biden administration has failed to lay out a strategic vision for success in the conflict. “The Biden administration has to show how this ends,” McCormick said.
“People feel like there’s a blank check that’s being asked for as opposed to a strategy on how the conflict will come to a resolution.” The Biden administration has also hinted publicly about what it wants the “day after,” when the war with Hamas ends. It has said that the United States is opposed to any permanent displacement of Palestinians and that Gaza should remain Palestinian land. While he does not know what the end state in Gaza will look like, his visit to some of the hardest-hit communities in the Oct. 7 attacks and his meetings with the families of victims made it clearer to him that Hamas must be destroyed, McCormick told JNS. “It just reinforced the need to absolutely eradicate Hamas,” he said. “You can’t live. You can’t sit in your backyard and look 600 meters [nearly 2,000 feet] across the cornfield and think that you can live side by side with people and a terrorist organization that can undertake such a horrific genocidal campaign.” During his trip, McCormick watched the 47 minutes of footage that Israel compiled of the Oct. 7 massacre, much of it taken by members of Hamas hoping to glorify the attacks. “As terrible and horrific as you can imagine, this was worse,” he told JNS. “I got this window into what Israel, what the people of Israel, have experienced. Obviously, it’s not firsthand, but I have a much deeper appreciation.” McCormick, who narrowly lost a 2022 Republican primary battle to Dr. Mehmet Oz, is a former U.S. undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs. He is not facing any significant challengers for the primary in April. While Casey has a lead in some early opinion polling, Pennsylvania is one of the states that Republicans hope will flip the Senate red in the Nov. 5 general election. PJC
Laurie MacDonald announces campaign for District 12 seat
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nother Democratic candidate has thrown her hat in the ring to challenge District 12 incumbent Rep. Summer Lee. Laurie MacDonald, the president and CEO of Pittsburgh’s Center for Victims, announced her candidacy on Monday and kicked off her campaign Tuesday. The field for the Democratic primary also includes Bhavini Patel, an Edgewood Borough Council member. James Hayes is the only Republican to announce his candidacy. District 12 includes Squirrel Hill, Upper St. Clair, Monroeville and White Oak, among other sections of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. MacDonald, a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, was born and raised in
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p U.S. Capitol
Photo by Martin Falbisoner,via Wikimedia Commons
the Mon Valley. She has served on several local and statewide boards, according to her campaign website, which also states that she has received many awards, including
the NAACP Community Organizer Award, Mon Valley Woman of Achievement Award and UPMC Diversity & Respect Champion. “I have always considered myself to be an advocate; the voice of those whose voices who are not being heard,” she says on her website. “As a first-generation American, I learned early on the blessing of being an American, how very different our American way of life is and the struggles faced by so many in other countries. “My views are moderate,” she continues. “What I bring to the district is deeply rooted life experience, a strong understanding of all our unique communities and cultures. Our very differences are what weave us together to form a strong fabric of life in western Pennsylvania.” She has served the Center for Victims on the Southside for more than 20 years. Her
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contributions to preserving the dignity and ensuring the safety of victims, according to her website, include co-authoring the Pennsylvania Senate bill to bring the “Expect Respect Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program” to Pennsylvania schools; developing a jail release notification app; and developing an electronic safety app for domestic violence victims. MacDonald’s website also touts her work following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and states that she raised more than $2 million to provide support for the Jewish community in the aftermath of the massacre, and that Center for Victims was a first responder on the scene to “make sure that the services provided to the victims was broad, ongoing and culturally sensitive.” PJC — Toby Tabachnick PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines Local teens experience Jewish choral music in HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir
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HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir performs at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Photo by Lev Avery Peck
— LOCAL — By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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o paraphrase LL Cool J: Don’t call it a comeback. HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir has been here for years. Founded in 1993 by Matthew Lazar as the teen arm of the Zamir Choral Foundation, the international teen choir features Jewishly identified and musically talented teens from a broad range of cultural backgrounds and levels of religious observances across 35 chapters — 26 in the United States and nine in Israel. The teens gather to study Jewish text and history, grow as leaders, cultivate connections to Israel and create friendships in weekly rehearsals, regional gatherings and the HaZamir Festival. “My husband founded HaZamir with one purpose in mind: For Jewish teenagers to sing Jewish music in the best way possible,” National Director Vivian Lazar explained. Before the founding of HaZamir, Lazar said, most Jewish teens interested in choral music spent time in high school choirs singing Christian music — things like masses and requiems, something that, she acknowledged, has value. “But they weren’t singing Jewish music,” she said. “So, [Matthew Lazar] created HaZamir for the purpose of singing great Jewish music — and there is great Jewish music — at the highest musical standard,” she said. Lazar took over from her husband as director in 2005. Before her time with HaZamir, she served as the chairman of the English department at a New York City magnet school for the gifted and talented, experience she applied to the choir.
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“We still perform at the highest musical standards, but we also have created a Jewish community of young people who relate to each other in a very respectful way,” Lazar said. “We are very inclusive; there is no bullying and HaZamir is a very supportive community.” As an example of the amalgamation of music, community and learning, Lazar pointed to 2019, when the national choir, which has a branch in Pittsburgh, came here for the first commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. More than 100 teens came to Pittsburgh, she said, in support of the Pittsburgh Jewish community, and, as a result, learned about antisemitism. And while some may measure HaZamir’s success by the music it’s produced in venues like New York’s Carnegie Hall or Metropolitan Opera House, others might be more inspired by the deep relationships the program can create. Seventeen conductors or coordinators in HaZamir chapters around the world are graduates of the program and an alumni choir, which will perform on April 7 at New York’s Carnegie Hall, features between 75-100 alumni, including some in their 40s, as well as former Pittsburgh teens. “Some are married to each other,” Lazar said. “They met in high school and married. We even have second-generation HaZamir. It’s a youth community that is very passionate.” Cantor Stefanie Greene Kaufman has led the Pittsburgh chapter of the HaZamir choir since last year. She said that each chapter rehearses the same repertoire every year so that when they meet in New York in April, they can all sing together. Please see HaZamir, page 10
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JANUARY 12, 2024 5
Calendar 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 FRIDAY, JAN. 5 Families with young children are invited to join Rodef Shalom Congregation for Shabbat with You, a pre-Shabbat playdate, service and dinner to celebrate Shabbat together. 4:30 p.m. $5 per family. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/shabbatwithyou. q SUNDAYS, JAN. 7 – DEC. 29 Join a lay-led online parshah study group to discuss the week’s 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. q SUNDAY, JAN. 14 Join Chabad of the South Hills for Bowl for Israel. For every 10 points bowled, a dollar will be donated to support Israel. Location given upon registration. 5 p.m. $15, includes pizza dinner. chabadsh.com/cteenjr. q SUNDAYS, JAN. 14 – 28 Join Chabad of the South Hills for Babyccino: A chic meet for moms and tots. Learn about the four holy cities in Israel through music, movement, arts, sensor and heaps of play. 10:30 a.m. $12/class or $30 for all 3 sessions. 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com/babyccino. q SUNDAYS, JAN. 14 – DEC. 29 Join a lay-led online parshah study group to discuss the week’s 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. q SUNDAYS, JAN. 14 – JAN. 28 Chabad of Pittsburgh presents the Jewish Children’s Discovery Center. Girls and boys grades 3-5 will practice cake-decorating skills while learning about the holy temple and what its beautiful golden vessels can teach us today. Girls and boys grades K-2 will create and decorate a wooden mitzvah house while learning about the holy temple and the values it represents. Girls and boys ages 3 and 4 will touch, taste, hear and feel their way through a journey of Jewish values and traditions. With weekly storytelling, crafts, music and games, this class is sure to get out all the morning wiggles. Grades K-5: $60/4-week session; ages 3-4: $30/4-week session, $10/class. Noon. chabadpgh.com. q MONDAYS, JAN. 15 – DEC. 28 Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAYS, JAN. 15 – FEB. 5 Join Rabbis Sharyn Henry and Jessica Locketz for Wise Aging Group, a five-session experience designed for Jewish adults 55 and older who are open to conversations about what it means not just to get older, but to age wisely. 7 p.m. $72. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/wiseaging. q MONDAYS, JAN. 15 – MAY 13 H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff presents Torah 2. Understanding the Torah and what it asks of us is perhaps one of the most important things that a Jew can learn. In Torah 2, Schiff will explore the second half of Leviticus and all of Numbers and Deuteronomy. 9:30 a.m. $225. Zoom. jewishpgh.org/event/torah-2-2/2023-10-09.
q WEDNESDAY, JAN. 17 The Squirrel Hill AARP’s January meeting will feature speaker Jeff Weinberg, developer of Caregiver Champion, an advocacy team. He will share from his book, “The Emperor Needs New Clothes.” He will offer valuable resources and tools to help people become their own healthcare advocates. Attendees are asked to bring small snack items which will be donated to the homeless. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, Falk Library. For more information, please contact President Marcia Kramer at 412-656-5803. Classrooms Without Borders welcomes Jeannie Smith for “One Person Can Make a Difference.” Smith is the daughter of Polish rescuer Irene Gut Opdyke, who received international recognition for her actions during the Holocaust while working for a high-ranking German official. 4 p.m. cwbpgh.org/event/one-person-canmake-a-difference-with-jeannie-smith/. Join the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for the Righteous Among the Neighbors Celebration, a joint project with the LIGHT Education Initiative, in partnership with student journalists at Mt. Lebanon High School, to honor non-Jewish Pittsburghers who have supported the Jewish community and stood up against antisemitism. Free. South Hills JCC. 7 p.m. hcofpgh.org/ event/righteous-among-the-neighbors-celebration. Join AgeWell for the Intergenerational Family Dynamics Discussion Group at JCC South Hills every third Wednesday of each month. Led by intergenerational specialist/presenter and educator Audree Schall. The group is geared toward anyone who has children, grandchildren, a spouse, siblings or parents. Family dynamics is a fascinating topic and whether you have family harmony or strife, these discussions are going to be thought-provoking, with tools and views to help build strong relationships and family unity. Free. 12:30 p.m. 345 Kane Blvd. q WEDNESDAYS, JAN. 17 – FEB. 21 Join Rabbi Jonathan Perlman for Fun with Rashi: Torah Insights of a Medieval Scholar, a six-week introduction to the most famous of all medieval Torah commentaries that will become the foundation of much Jewish thought and strategy concerning the reading of sacred sources. Students will develop critical skills learned from greatest of the first wave of commentaries and understand how they influenced Judaism in generations to come. Please bring a Tanakh to class. Register required by emailing janet@ newlightcongregation.org. q WEDNESDAYS, JAN. 17 – MAY 15 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh virtually presents two Melton courses back-to-back: “Ethics” and Crossroads.” In “Ethics,” learn how Jewish teachings shed light on Jewish issues. “Crossroads” will present an emphasis on reclaiming the richness of Jewish history. 7 p.m. $300 for this 25-session series (book included). jewishpgh.org/series/meltonethics-crossroads. q WEDNESDAYS, JAN. 17 – DEC. 18 Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org/life-text. Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torah portion class on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link. q THURSDAY, JAN. 18 Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for a Women’s Farbrengen. Enjoin an evening of Chassidic songs and stories on the
topic of “Transforming Our World into a Garden,” and enjoy hot drinks and desserts. 7 p.m. $10. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. q THURSDAYS, JAN. 18 – FEB. 8 Bring your lunch and join Cantor Toby Glaser for Lunch Time Liturgy to look at the prayers of Kabbalat Shabbat, the opening psalms and prayers of the Shabbat evening service. $54. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org/lunch. q FRIDAY, JAN. 19 Join Chabad of South Hills for Shabbos of Unity: A Community Friday Night Dinner — an evening of unity, prayer and strength. Celebrate Shabbat in support and protective merit of our brothers and sisters in the holy land and for the safe return of our hostages. Candle lighting, Kabbalat Shabbat, and Shabbat dinner. 5 p.m. $25/adult; $15/child. RSVP required. chabadsh.com/unity. Join Temple Sinai for a Tot Shabbat Service & Dinner. Are you looking for an informal, inviting way to teach your little ones about Shabbat and connect with other families? Join Cantor David Reinwald, Rabbi Daniel Fellman and Danie Oberman for this exciting service. Contact Danie Oberman at Danie@templesinaipgh. org or 412-421-9715, ext. 121. 5 p.m. 5505 Forbes Ave. templesinaipgh.org. q SATURDAY JAN. 20 – SUNDAY, JAN. 14 Tree of Life Congregation and Ebenezer Baptist Church invite the community to a Unity Weekend celebrating the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pastor Vincent Campbell will offer a sermon during Shabbat services at the Tree of Life Congregation and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers will chant a modern haftorah based on the words of Dr. King on Sunday at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Saturday services: 9:45 a.m., 4905 Fifth Ave. Sunday services: 11 a.m., 2001 Wylie Ave. treeoflifepgh.org. q TUESDAYS, JAN. 23 – FEB. 20 Join Chabad of the South Hills for Kosher in the Kitchen, a kosher cooking experience for your little chef. Ages 4-11, divided into age-appropriate groups. 5:30 p.m. $18/class; $60/full four-week session. Registration includes signature “kids in the kitchen” apron. Register by Jan. 15 to get an apron personalized with your name. 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com/kidscooking. q FRIDAY, JAN. 26 Join the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh virtually for its annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Robbie Aitken, professor at Sheffield Hallam University, will discuss the concept of “forgotten victims,” which looks at the experiences of Germany’s Black resident community. Registration is free and donations are optional. Noon. hcofpgh.org/events. q SATURDAY, JAN. 27 Join Chabad of the South Hills for Bourbon Talk and Tasting with the Bourbon Rabbi. Learn about the history of bourbon and the behind-the-scenes details of the industry while enjoying a guided tasting of select bourbons. $36/person. 8 p.m. 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com/bourbon. q SUNDAYS, JAN. 28 – FEB. 4 Join Classrooms Without Borders for “Judaism’s Ancient and Ongoing Roots in Israel with Avi Ben-Hur: A 3-part Course.” Delve into the depths of historical narratives and contested landscapes and explore the rich heritage and complex relationships that have shaped the region. 1 p.m. cwbpgh.org/event/ judaisms-ancient-and-ongoing-roots-in-israel-with-aviben-hur-a-3-part-course.
q WEDNESDAYS, JAN. 31 – MARCH 6 Chabad of the South Hills presents a new six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, Advice for Life: The Rebbe’s Advice for Leading a More Purposeful Life. This new multimedia course is a journey through the Rebbe’s practical wisdom on work, family, health and well-being. 7:30 p.m. Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com. q THURSDAYS, FEB. 1 – DEC. 5 Join Beth El Congregation of South Hills for Hope & Healing on Zoom the first Thursday of each month, a 30-minute program led by Rabbi Amy Greenbaum. Chant, breathe, pray for healing and seek peace. Call the Beth El Office at 412-561-1168 to receive the Zoom link. 5:30 p.m. bethelcong.org. q FRIDAY, FEB. 2 NextGEN Shabbat After Hours is back, and this time it’s bookish! Join Temple Sinai after its Mostly Musical Shabbat Evening Service for a cozy oneg just for NextGEN. There will be snacks, warm drinks and a book swap. Bring a book you’ve read and pick up your next read. Share recommendations with friends and enjoy browsing what others have loved. 8:15 p.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/shabbat-afterhours-.html#. q SUNDAY, FEB. 4 Be a hero in your community at the Jewish Federation’s annual Super Sunday. Help raise funds with the community alongside your peers and represent your favorite Jewish Pittsburgh agency. Free T-shirts, prizes kosher food and drinks provided. Two sessions available: 9-11 a.m.; noon-2 p.m. 30-minute training sessions take place Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 8:30 a.m. and Wednesday, Jan. 31 at noon. To register, visit jewishpgh.org/event/super-sunday. q SUNDAY, FEB. 11 Temple Sinai Brotherhood invites everyone for brunch followed by a discussion related to Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month. 10 a.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/brotherhood-brunch/ jdaim-event.html. q FRIDAY, FEB. 16 Are you looking for an informal, inviting way to teach your little ones about Shabbat and connect with other families? Join Cantor David Reinwald, Rabbi Daniel Fellman and Danie Oberman for a Tot Shabbat Service and Dinner at Temple Sinai. 5 p.m. Contact Daniel Oberman at danie@templesinaipgh.org. q TUESDAYS, FEB. 20 – MAY 14 Understanding and explaining Israel’s current position requires knowledge of history. In the 10-part course, A History of The Arab-Israel-Iran Conflict: All You Need to Know, Rabbi Danny Schiff will provide a full overview of the regional conflict that Israel has experienced over the last century. What pivotal moments brought us to where we now are, and what might that mean about where the conflict is headed? The cost of taking a course is never a barrier to participation. If price is an issue, please contact the organizer of this course so that we can make the cost comfortable for you. $145. 8 p.m. jewishpgh.org/series/history-of-the-arab-israeliran-conflict. q SUNDAY, FEB. 25 Everyone has their own special recipe that they think is the best. Prove you have the winning recipe at Temple Sinai’s Kugel Cook Off. 10 a.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/kugel-cook-offsponsored-by-wots.html. PJC
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Headlines Israeli LGBTQ soldiers hope the war in Gaza will bolster their fight for equal rights at home — ISRAEL — By Eliyahu Freedman | JTA
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EL AVIV — One month after his fiancé was killed in the Israeli military’s Oct. 7 battle against Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri, Omer Ohana received a small bit of solace: His government passed a bill granting recognition to samesex partners of fallen soldiers. “My love! From this day forward I am an IDF widower,” he wrote from the Knesset gallery, where he witnessed the passage of the bill, for which he had campaigned. “It is a description I would give anything in the world to give up, a title that in my life I never thought I would receive six days before we were supposed to get married, when you left to save lives and rescue families held captive in Be’eri,” wrote Ohana, to his fiancé, Sagi Golan. “You fell in battle against cruel terrorists and today, in your honor, we received equality in death. Now we will continue to demand equality also in life.” That sentiment has become a rallying cry among Israel’s LGBTQ soldiers, many of whom feel the war has placed their status in stark relief: They have been called to risk their lives on the front lines in Gaza but are denied rights afforded to heterosexual couples at home — including the right to wed in Israel. Opposition to same-sex marriage comes in large part from religious political parties, many of whose haredi Orthodox constituents do not serve in the military. One call for LGBTQ rights in Israel went viral in November, when IDF soldier Yoav Atzmoni posted a photo of himself in uniform in Gaza, holding a Pride flag inscribed with the words “In the name of love” in English, Arabic and Hebrew. Atzmoni hoped “to show the Israeli community that we are equal in the way we pay our debts, and I hope after the war we receive our rights,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “There are those in the governing coalition whose kids are in yeshiva or in Miami,” he added, referring to the haredi parties as well as Yair Netanyahu, the son of the prime minister, who recently returned from Florida. “While those from the opposition who support LGBTQ civil rights are sending their kids to Gaza.” Atzmoni also hoped to convey the message that the IDF “is the only army in the Middle East in which we can live outside of the closet.” That’s been the case since 1993, when Israel began allowing openly gay and lesbian soldiers to serve. Homophobia is still an issue in the IDF — a 2017 survey by an Israeli LGBTQ youth group found that 95% of LGBTQ soldiers it polled had encountered discrimination
p Israeli LGBTQ soldiers hope that their service in the Gaza war will lead to their achieving equal rights at home.
Photo courtesy of Yoav Atzmoni via JTA
while serving. But a report by the Aguda, Israel’s leading LGBTQ organization, found that only 1% of the reported incidents of homophobia it tallied in 2021 occurred in the military. And barriers continue to fall: The first Israeli transgender woman soldier to fight in Gaza was recently interviewed by Channel 13, a major network. “There is no doubt that the IDF is one of the more progressive organizations in Israel regarding their acceptance of LGBTQ people, but even in progressive places there are still cases of discrimination,” said Hila Peer, the Aguda’s chairwoman. “I do not expect them to be perfect in spite of all the work that has been done to be more inclusive.” She added that prior to the November passage of the law granting equal rights to LGBTQ military widows, “there was a de facto policy in the army to recognize such partners in practice and I think that this says a lot.” Polls show that a majority of Israelis favor affording LGBTQ citizens with fully equal treatment, but Israel’s Orthodox political parties, which are allied with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have consistently opposed efforts to expand LGBTQ rights, citing prohibitions on same-sex relations in traditional Jewish law. In an interview in June, months before the current war broke out, haredi lawmaker Yitzhak Pindrus said the LGBTQ community is “the most dangerous thing for the state of Israel, more than ISIS and Hezbollah.” LGBTQ Israelis have achieved victories in the courts. Like others who are unable to legally wed in Israel, they can get married abroad and have those marriages recognized by the government. Last year, due to another court ruling, same-sex couples and
single men became able to have children via surrogacy in Israel — something Ohana and Golan had hoped to do. And last week, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that same-sex adoption must be allowed. But Peer believes it should not be up to the courts to make such changes. “The adoption law could have been fixed legislatively, as the only problem was with the language of the law, [which said] ‘a man and his wife,’” she said. “The government did not agree to amend the law so we had to appeal to the High Court and wait for it to fix the law, which happened last week, but these are processes that take many years.” In the context of that debate, Asaf, a reservist who serves in a unit focused on Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, felt gratified to see Atzmoni wave the pride flag in the context of an Israeli war. “It was very exciting and heartwarming I have to say,” said Asaf, who gave only his first name, citing military regulations. During Israel’s last ground invasion of Gaza, in 2014, he said, “it was not as visible… He sent the message that I am fighting in Gaza, and I am gay, and I can wave the Pride flag like the flag of Israel.” Israel has boasted of its LGBTQ soldiers, with an official social media account sharing a photo of a gay soldier getting engaged last month. But critics of Israel have said that the country’s trumpeting of its LGBTQ freedoms amounts to “pinkwashing,” a tactic to distract from the country’s human rights record and mistreatment of Palestinians. While Israeli Jews broadly support the war effort, some members of Israel’s LGBTQ community echoed that critique, and said they did not appreciate seeing
the Pride flag on the battlefield. “In the name of love we shell, dehydrate and starve the people of Gaza; in the name of love one and half million people are uprooted… In the name of love more than 10,000 civilians, among them thousands of children, are dying,” Israeli trans activist Tamar Ben David wrote in a Facebook post that received a stream of comments that were also critical of Atzmoni’s photo. Other LGBTQ Israelis say that they haven’t focused on their battle for civil rights during wartime. On Israel’s northern border, where Israel is bracing itself for a wider conflict with the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, Carmel, an IDF medic, says he is “very much in my service.” “Here in the north, there are a lot of explosions, anti-tank missiles, and combat from the air,” he said. “We are trying to take care of ourselves and guard the kibbutz that was evacuated, and protect the country.” Before the war broke out, LGBTQ rights were at the heart of fierce debate over the government’s campaign to weaken Israel’s courts. Asaf, the IDF soldier, fears that once the war ends, anti-LGBTQ attitudes will again prevail among the country’s leadership. “Slowly we are seeing changes happen, even in the state, as people understand we are one community, but I am not optimistic because I see what is happening in the government, with people who do not support the community,” he said. “I want to believe that one day it will happen because it is the right thing to do, and it is a shame that some changes had to occur as a result of tragedy and war.” PJC
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Headlines Amid US pressure, IDF shifts war on Hamas to ‘less intense phase’ — ISRAEL — By Akiva Van Koningsveld | JNS
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he Israel Defense Forces has shifted to a new and less intense phase of its offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, giving in to repeated demands by the United States, IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari confirmed to The New York Times on Monday. Hagari said that the Israeli offensive had already started the transition to a campaign that would involve fewer ground troops and airstrikes. “The war shifted a stage,” the army’s chief spokesman revealed in an interview with the Times, adding that “the transition will be with no ceremony. It’s not about dramatic announcements.” The IDF confirmation, which came on the backdrop of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to the region, came a day after Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated Israel’s fight in Gaza would be shifting toward “different types of special operations.” In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Sunday, Gallant said that the next chapter of the anti-terror operation would last “for a longer time,” stressing that Israel is not abandoning its goals of destroying Hamas, freeing the remaining 120-plus hostages, and making sure Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip are no longer subject to attack. Parallel to Gallant’s remarks, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi told troops this week that the war against Hamas in Gaza will last all of 2024. “We will be at war in Gaza, I don’t know if all year — we will be fighting in Gaza all year, that’s for sure,” Halevi said on Sunday following a situational assessment with officers and commanders of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division. Blinken arrived in Turkey on Friday, Jan. 5, beginning a whirlwind tour of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Over eight days, the secretary of state plans to travel to Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt. “Throughout his trip, the secretary will underscore the importance of protecting civilian lives in Israel, and the West Bank and Gaza,” State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller stated on Friday. In mid-December, Blinken told a press briefing that the Biden administration wants to see “a shift to more-targeted
p Israeli forces during Gaza ground operations on Jan. 6
Photo courtesy of the Israel Defense Forces
On Sunday night, the IDF announced that troops operating in Gaza City’s Shejaia district discovered additional proof of Islamic Jihad’s participation in the Oct. 7 massacre alongside Hamas terrorists. operations, with a smaller number of forces, that’s really focused-in on dealing with the leadership of Hamas, the tunnel network and a few other critical things.” In addition, Blinken and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sat down with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Washington two weeks ago to discuss “moving to another phase in the fighting aimed at targeting highvalue Hamas targets,” according to the White House. While Israeli forces in the northern Strip are completing their current mission and reorganizing, the operation in Gaza’s south is intensifying “above and below ground,” Gallant revealed last week following a situational assessment on the Israeli-Gazan border. During the past few days, the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade has been expanding its counterterrorism operations in the Hamas stronghold of Khan Younis in the south of the coastal enclave, the military announced on Monday. Forces fighting in the southern Strip “killed many terrorists at close range with tank shelling and airstrikes directed
by the troops,” the army announced in a press release sent out on Monday afternoon. In Khan Younis, troops raided terrorist infrastructures located in close vicinity to residential buildings and schools, according to the IDF. During the raids, forces discovered weapons and terror equipment, in addition to recovering documents and other intelligence information. In one school, they discovered a tunnel shaft and evidence children were being recruited by Palestinian terrorist groups, including toy Kalashnikov rifles and photos of students receiving weapons training. Overnight Sunday, troops directed a drone to kill 10 terrorists preparing to launch rockets toward Israeli territory from Khan Younis, the IDF said earlier on Monday. Additionally, ground forces, in tandem with the Israeli Air Force, struck around 30 “significant” terrorist targets in the city. On Monday afternoon, air-raid sirens warned of incoming rockets in central Israel, sending more than a million
people running for shelter. The Magen David Adom emergency service reported no injuries in the rocket barrage, which marked the first attack on Tel Aviv since New Year’s Eve. Also on Monday, the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group released a propaganda video showing Israeli hostage Elad Katzir, 47, who was taken from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on the northwestern Negev. A spokesperson for Nir Oz, speaking on behalf of the family, requested that the video footage of Katzir not be broadcast. On Sunday night, the IDF announced that troops operating in Gaza City’s Shejaia district discovered additional proof of Islamic Jihad’s participation in the Oct. 7 massacre alongside Hamas terrorists. During the military operation in the northern part of Shejaia, soldiers found training plans and blueprints for the Oct. 7 attacks, numerous weapons and a book written by Adolf Hitler, the IDF said. PJC
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Headlines — WORLD — UN experts demand accountability for Oct. 7 war crimes
Two U.N. human rights experts on Monday called for full accountability for the multitude of alleged crimes, including sexual torture, committed against civilians by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, saying they amount to war crimes, JNS reported. Alice Jill Edwards, special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and Morris TidballBinz, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said violations include killing, hostage-taking, torture and sexual torture. “As armed Palestinian groups rampaged through communities in Israel bordering the Gaza strip, thousands of people were subjected to targeted and brutal attacks, the vast majority of whom were civilians,” the experts said in a statement. “These acts constitute gross violations of international law, amounting to war crimes which, given the number of victims and the extensive premeditation and planning of the attacks, may also qualify as crimes against humanity,” the experts said. They said a letter had already been sent to the “State of Palestine” as the official U.N. Observer State and party to relevant human rights and humanitarian law treaties, and that a copy had also been sent to the de facto Hamas authorities in Gaza, which claimed responsibility for the overall attack.
Argentine police arrest 3 over suspected terror plot during Maccabi Games in Buenos Aires
Argentine Federal Police arrested three men in the Buenos Aires area on suspicion of planning a terror attack as the 15th Pan American Maccabi Games brought more than 4,000 Jewish athletes to the city, JTA.org reported. The three men were arrested on Dec. 30 in three separate locations following an intelligence-sharing operation between U.S., Israeli and Argentine authorities. According to Argentine press reports, they are of Syrian and Lebanese origin. One is a Syrian national carrying Colombian and Venezuelan passports under his name. The arrest, the latest in a series of recent terror threats in the Argentine capital, occurred during the Maccabi Games, in which Jewish athletes from across North and South America, as well as Israel, compete in two dozen sporting events. “We’ve been very attentive these days because of the Maccabi Games,” Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said. “The president has been paying special attention and also because of what’s going on in the Middle East.” Bullrich did not provide further details on the planned attack and did not say whether it was meant to take place at the Maccabi Games. She said the three men had hotel reservations just two blocks from the Israeli embassy, which was the site of a bombing in 1992 that killed 29 people.
Hezbollah leader promises retaliation against Israel for killing of Hamas chief in Beirut
Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the
Today in Israeli History — ISRAEL — Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Jan. 12, 1981 — Bedouin Knesset member is assassinated
Hamad Abu-Rabia, the Knesset’s first Bedouin member, is shot dead by the sons of a Druze political rival outside the hotel where he stays during parliamentary meetings. It is the first assassination of a Knesset member.
Jan. 13, 1898 — Zola accuses French of antisemitism
L’Aurore publishes a 4,500-word frontpage letter from p Emile Zola was writer convicted of libel in acclaimed February 1898 over Emile Zola under the “J’Accuse” letter the headline “J’Accuse” he published in a (“I Accuse”), charging French newspaper the French government Jan. 13, 1898, and with antisemitism in he lived in England for more than a year the spy case against Capt. Alfred Dreyfus. to avoid prison.
Jan. 14, 2018 — Netanyahu visits India
Aiming to expand trade, Benjamin Netanyahu pays the first state visit to India by an Israeli prime minister in more than 15 years, reciprocating a trip to Israel by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2017. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Jan. 15, 2014 — Israel joins CERN as full member
A flag-raising ceremony at the Geneva p Foreign Minister headquarters of the Avigdor Liberman European Organization represents Israel for Nuclear Research at the flag-raising ceremony at CERN marks Israel’s status as the 21st full member on Jan. 15, 2014. By Laurent Egil, CERN of the 60-year-old organization known as CERN.
Jan. 16, 1948 — Arab troops kill convoy of 35
All 35 Haganah soldiers in a convoy bringing supplies on foot to the blockaded Gush Etzion settlements are killed in a day of fighting with Arab troops. Nearby British troops do not intervene in the battle.
Jan. 17, 1986 — Israel, Spain establish diplomatic ties
Spain becomes the last Western European nation to open formal diplomatic relations with Israel, a condition for Spain to gain admission to the European Community, the precursor to the European Union.
Jan. 18, 1991 — Iraqi scuds strike Israel
The morning after U.S.-led allied forces launch airstrikes on Iraq at the start of the Persian Gulf War, eight Iraqi Scud missiles hit Israel. Seven people are wounded, and residential buildings are damaged in Haifa and Tel Aviv. PJC
assassination of a senior Hamas leader who was under Hezbollah protection in Beirut and said the Lebanese terror group would retaliate, JTA.org reported. “This serious crime will not remain without response and punishment,” the Hezbollah leader said on Jan. 3 in a televised address a day after Saleh Al-Arouri, Hamas’ deputy leader, was assassinated. Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for the blast, which also took down six others, including two other Hamas leaders. But it is widely believed to have conducted the strike, and a backbench lawmaker belonging to the governing Likud Party, Danny Danon, said Israel was responsible. On Jan. 3, a senior U.S. official told reporters in a background briefing that Al-Arouri was a legitimate target. “The very senior members of Hamas must be held accountable, and he was held accountable,” the official said. Al-Arouri was an architect of the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion of Israel.
Chilean mayor under fire for saying being Jewish is a ‘supremacist conception’
The mayor of a Chilean municipality is under fire for calling Judaism a “supremacist” religion and comparing it to Nazism, JTA.org. Daniel Jadue, the mayor of Recoleta, outside of the capital of Santiago, made the comments while attending an event centered on Chilean journalist Pablo Jofré Leal’s book, “Zionism: The Ideology That Exterminates.” His comments were recorded on video, which he shared on X on Jan. 2. “Being Jewish starts from a conception that
has to do with the supremacist conception of being part of a chosen people, so, if you are already part of a chosen people, you do not believe in the equality of all human beings before anything, right?” he said. “Well, here we are faced with an ideology that I believe is the most Nazi thing I have seen in my life.” Jadue, who is of Palestinian descent and is a Marxist politician and self-declared communist, also said it was a “contradiction” to be both Jewish and a leftist, though he also said he had “many friends” who are leftist Jews.
700 North Americans made aliyah following Oct. 7 attacks
Nefesh B’Nefesh, together with the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael and JNF-USA, has helped more than 700 North American immigrants move to Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, NBN announced on Dec. 31, JNS.org reported. More than 200 olim landed at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport in the last week of 2023 alone, the organization said. Nefesh B’Nefesh received 4,175 aliyah requests from individuals and families during the last quarter of 2023, up from 1,985 during the same period a year earlier. In total, 3,020 persons from North America made Israel their home in 2023. Among the newcomers are 545 families, 616 children, 958 single men and women and 432 retirees. Their average age was 32 years, with the oldest being 100 and the youngest being a 3-month-old baby. PJC — Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
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Headlines Universities: Continued from page 1
explained. “Even if it’s a private institution, colleges are funded so much by federal funds, and those funds come with the condition you not be discriminatory.” As an example of non-discrimination, Antkowiak pointed to CMU’s recent controversy regarding its “Fence,” a wall where students are allowed to paint messages. After the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack, dueling messages were painted on the wall by different groups. Jewish students originally painted “Stand with Israel” on the Fence. Days later, pro-Palestinian students painted “76 Years of Occupation.” Both messages followed the university’s regulations, so they were allowed to remain. Beyond funding, Antkowiak said that universities have a commitment to the liberal arts, and with that commitment comes the obligation to help students understand conflicting views and gain tools to assess those views. “Not just listening to the loudest voices that shout,” he said, “but learning to discern which side is making the case and which side is making noise.” This may be why CMU allowed the Nov. 9 rally — promoted by Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Pittsburgh — to take place, even though the protesters did not have a CMU community sponsor, which the university requires. At the time, CMU issued a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying the rally was not approved but that university police would work to promote safety and security. “We made clear in messages to those promoting the event that it was not authorized without a university sponsor, as outlined in our Freedom of Expression policy,” said CMU Director
HaZamir: Continued from page 5
“It’s very high-level Jewish choral music,” Greene Kaufman said. Israeli and Zionistic themes are core principles to the music selected, she said, which is even more important after Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Oct. 7. The choir is even performing the prayer for the state of Israel. Greene Kaufman said the choir is an important social outlet for the teens, but it is musical as well. “It’s really a marriage of those things,” she said. The Pittsburgh chapter, like those around the country, has rebuilt its
of Media Relations Peter Kerwin in a written statement. While the anti-Israel rhetoric at the rally may be protected under the First Amendment, Antkowiak said, hate speech — speech that incites violence or that intentionally spreads falsehoods — is not protected by the Constitution. The line between hate speech and protected speech, though, is frequently at issue on college campuses. “For many people, the First Amendment is one of the primary American battlegrounds,” Antkowiak said. “When do you cross that line? The First Amendment is supposed to allow a lot of speech that people vehemently disagree with and allow people to access it and make up their own mind about what is true and what is not.” The alternative, he said, is a world in which everyone talks like Mister Rogers did on television — which might be a wonderful message but doesn’t lead to a vibrant exchange of viewpoints. Even so, Antkowiak said, free speech isn’t absolute. “The city of Pittsburgh doesn’t have to allow the Cleveland Browns fan club to hold a march down Grant Street whenever it wants,” he said. “It doesn’t allow veteran organizations to do a march whenever it wants. There are practical regulations that have nothing to do necessarily with the content of the message.” For example, universities often have regulations that define what can and can’t be promoted in printed materials like posters, who can hang them and where they can be displayed. This policy, too, became a recent point of contention at CMU when Jewish student groups hung posters supporting the hostages being held by Hamas. Those posters were torn down and sometimes replaced with pro-Palestinian posters whose origins were unclear. Koby said that the situation is improving
and that there are now “clearly depicted guidelines for posting posters,” and that those regulations say “that enforcement of this policy will be done consistently.” CMU isn’t the only local university to struggle with the freedom of speech since Oct. 7 Allee Hochhauser, the student president of Chabad at Pitt, said there were some disturbing anti-Israel rallies on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. “It was a little scary at first,” she said, noting that the rallies at Pitt included a “die-in” calling for a cease-fire. Many Jewish students were frightened, Hochhauser said. The fact that a statement from the university’s president had to be rewritten to adequately address Jewish concerns didn’t help, she said. Like at CMU, the temperature has cooled since students returned from winter break. “I think recently Pitt has been doing a much better job at making sure a lot of these protests are mediated, so they’re not out of hand,” Hochhauser said. “I think it has lightened up a lot.” Hochhauser said she feels protected on campus and has been given space for her opinions. “I’ve had professors last semester who were amazing at making sure my thoughts and opinions were heard,” she said. “I wrote essays about it. And I felt protected within that realm.” The start of a new semester, though, does bring some anxiety for Hochhauser. “There is hesitation beginning with new professors, especially this semester,” she said. “I think Jewish students everywhere — I don’t want to make that generalization, but generally speaking — it is a little nervewracking just being Jewish within a classroom.” University of Pittsburgh spokesperson Jared Stonesifer said in an email that the university "is committed to the principles of free speech, the open exchange of ideas, and the
membership since COVID forced the program online. Lazar said the pandemic initially caused the choirs’ numbers to shrink because finding new singers in an online world was tough. Now those numbers are rebounding. The excitement, she said, builds each year for the choir during its January winter retreat when 120-150 teens come together and feel the larger HaZamir experience. And then, in the spring, Lazar said, “Chapters from across America and Israel come to a three-day festival where we room together, rehearse together, have social activities together, spend a Sabbath together. It’s akin to summer camp in three days and, at the end of
the festival, nobody wants to leave.” That experience is vital, she said, and something COVID didn’t allow. Greene Kaufman said that the Pittsburgh chapter has been hard at work preparing for the spring concert. They’ve done a few select performances in the city, like the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Chanukah candle lighting ceremony in recognition of Oct. 7. Two Pittsburgh teens, Hannah Adelson and Sonia Schachter, will attend the mid-winter conference, Intervis, which draws primarily from the East Coast chapters. Lazar said that like team sports, there are important lessons to be learned in HaZamir that apply to all of life. “Just like every community needs
development of a culture that inspires constructive debate. We recognize that free, legally protected, and open expression can include ideas or speech that some may consider wrong. But in no way does this provide license for speech or behavior that is discriminatory, abusive, harassing, or harmful. As University leaders, we work intentionally to create a culture of support across our entire Pitt community, including to ensure the ready access of resources to those who need them. "We take pride in our mission to be a community where respectful and productive dialogue can exist and where compassion is nourished and promoted," Stonesifer continued. "In that spirit, any act or report of discrimination, physical violence and/ or threatening behavior is taken with the utmost seriousness, and investigated fully according to University policies and procedures, and, where appropriate, in partnership with law enforcement.” Some of the tensions felt on campuses simply come from living with the First Amendment, Antkowiak said. “The First Amendment does not just protect speech that simply makes everybody feel good and safe,” he said. “It can’t because it would lose its character as a protection of a basic right. It is a big price this country decided to pay to have a First Amendment.” Carnegie Mellon University officials declined to be interviewed for this story although they emailed a statement titled “Guiding Principles During this Time.” It included four points: “1. Support our community — and especially our students as best we can. 2. Lower the temperature. 3. Lean on our scholarship and commitment to education. 4. Stay true to our core values.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
plumbers and firemen and electricians and bakers, every choir needs every voice,” she said. “No one voice is responsible for an ensemble. It teaches responsibility. If you don’t show up, you let everyone down. You may be the only tenor in a chapter and if you don’t show up for rehearsal, the ensemble doesn’t have a tenor. It teaches discipline. We take that very seriously. We teach that and we hold our kids to that. Parents, and the teens, appreciate that.” While it’s too late to join HaZamir this year, Greene Kaufman said the choir will accept new members in August. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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Headlines Casey: Continued from page 1
Across the commonwealth, poor pay and lack of benefits have led to 3,980 unfilled child care and pre-K positions and the closure of almost 1,600 classrooms; if staffing needs were met, an additional 30,047 children could be served, according to a 2023 survey of 1,107 early care programs by Start Strong PA and Pre-K for PA. Liza Baron, director of early childhood development at the JCC, and her staff highlighted the opportunities available to enrolled students but noted teacher shortages result in waiting lists with scores of young children unable to access quality education. Casey thanked the educators for their efforts before exiting the early childhood center and quietly entering the JCC’s Levinson Hall, where a group of older adults sang Gene Autry’s “Home on the Range.” As the choralists concluded, the senator clapped and moved to an adjacent room where more than 50 Allegheny County residents enjoyed a subsidized kosher meal of pasta, ground meat, green beans, challah, oranges, pineapple and oatmeal cookies. Jason Kunzman, president and CEO of the JCC, told attendees that Casey needs no introduction but mentioned his position as chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Casey thanked Kunzman for the opportunity to visit and interjected some levity. “Here’s the joke that I use: Once you’re born, you’re aging. That’s the best I could do at comedy today,” Casey said before pointing to a Senate-issued book describing common fraudulent activities. If someone is trying to “scam you,” call 855-303-9470, Casey said. “There’s also no law against hanging up on someone.” Casey then worked his way around the room, briefly chatted with a group studying the weekly Torah portion, shook hands with attendees and paused for several photos. Sarah Honig, a JCC volunteer who frequently partakes in senior programming at the center, told the Chronicle she enjoyed meeting the senator and hopes he recognizes her demographic’s needs. “It’s important we have more support for the JCC, for AgeWell, for transportation,” she said. “There are a lot of people who can’t come here because they can’t drive. We hope he is going to help us.” Approximately 19.7% of Allegheny County residents are 65 and older; only Palm Beach, Florida, has more seniors, according to a 2022 University of Pittsburgh report. Jordan Golin, president and CEO of JFCS, told Casey that thousands of area adults are served by AgeWell, a 20-year-old collaboration between the JCC, JFCS and the Jewish Association on Aging. “It’s inspiring,” Casey said. Seeing so many services afforded to people of all ages, races, religions and backgrounds, is “an affirmation of the human family and the importance of making sure that we have opportunities for people to interact and to engage,” the senator told the Chronicle in an interview following his JCC tour. Elected officials have a responsibility to support centers and communities, he added. “Sometimes it’s funding. Sometimes it’s PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
p Sen. Bob Casey, fifth from left, is joined by community members and Jewish professionals during a visit to the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill on Jan. 5. Photo by Adam Reinherz
policy,” Casey said. “I’m of the opinion that the federal government has to do a lot more than it does on a range of issues: child care, pre-K, home and community-based services.” Another critical matter requiring attention is antisemitism, he said: “You have to use your voice and your platform to call it out — and not just call it out and highlight it but condemn it, categorically condemn it, literally be intolerant of that intolerance, extremism and hate that is the basis of antisemitism.” Neither major political party can escape that responsibility, with Democrats and Republicans both guilty of “either turning a blind eye to antisemitism or sometimes fomenting it,” he said. Identifying and condemning antisemitism is a start, but politicians can do more, Casey said: “When you have a problem on a college campus that has to be investigated, there has to be a consequence if it rises to the level of what the Department of Education calls a ‘hostile environment.’” One month after the onset of the IsraelHamas war, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights reminded schools of their legal obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide “all students” an environment free from discrimination based on race, color or national origin. “The rise of reports of hate incidents on our college campuses in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict is deeply traumatic for students and should be alarming to all Americans,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said. “Antisemitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of hatred go against everything we stand for as a nation.” Since Oct. 7, there’s been a dramatic shift in campus attitudes and activities, according to the ADL Center for Antisemitism Research. Before Oct. 7, 66.6% of Jewish students described feeling “very” or “extremely” physically safe on campus; after the start of the war, the number plunged to 45.5%. The good news is that the Office of Civil Rights is investigating claims, Casey said, but “they’re not going to be able to complete them in a timely fashion if they don’t have the personnel and the resources to support that personnel.” The senator pointed to his efforts at
increasing appropriations for the Office of Civil Rights. On Dec. 8, Casey wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Chair Tammy Baldwin and Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito that an “increase in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents following Hamas’ horrific terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023, has underscored the urgent need to address the overall national rise in discriminatory sentiment and action over the past several years.” As chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families, Casey noted his concern that “this harassment and discrimination is affecting our nation’s students in schools and on college campuses.” Funding is a piece of the puzzle, but the solution must be “broader” than merely augmenting government spending, Casey said. “It’s a challenge in society.” Casey described the state of domestic antisemitism during a speech on the Senate floor in December 2022. “I thought and believed at that time it was bad, but if anything, it’s more widespread and more pernicious today than it was then,” he told the Chronicle. The senator’s assessment aligns with a recent report from the ADL, which found that more antisemitic incidents occurred between Oct. 7-Dec. 7 than during any two-month period since the organization started keeping tabs in 1979. Casey called antisemitism a “scourge” on society. Current affairs should foster political cohesion and an eradication of hatred, but Washington has become a place where people too often “categorically” denounce others while failing to resolve the issues at hand, he explained. Still, the absence of debate and a demand for immediate positioning isn’t necessarily beneficial. Casey pointed to calls from politicians and pundits that the senator declare a stance on whether Israel should engage in a ceasefire with Hamas. “I get pressed all the time. People come to my house,” he said. Whether Israel continues its actions or announces a cease-fire is “in essence a military question,” Casey said before
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
p Sen. Bob Casey and State Rep. Dan Frankel enjoy a laugh during a meeting with early childhood students at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill on Jan. 5. Photo by Adam Reinherz
referencing remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. “This could be over tomorrow if Hamas got out of the way of civilians instead of hiding behind them, if it put down its weapons, if it surrendered,” Blinken told ABC News’ Martha Raddatz last month. “What there ought to be as well, is a call on behalf of the entire world for Hamas to do just that — that would stop this tomorrow — but in the absence of that, Israel has to take steps not only to defend itself against the ongoing attacks from Hamas but against Hamas’ stated intent to repeat Oct. 7 again and again, if given the opportunity.” “I think Secretary Blinken said it pretty well,” Casey said. “They want to repeat October the seventh over and over and over again, because of their hate — not for a state — because of their hate of the people.” Watching a compilation of footage from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks reinforced Casey’s views, he said: “For me, it told me that this is a group of terrorists that will not be satisfied with simply having a violent act, intermittently or whenever they can engage in that violent act. They want to destroy people. That is a different and much more dangerous kind of terrorism than I’ve ever seen. And I don’t think we talk about that enough: that this October the seventh isn’t over — that wasn’t a day in time — October the seventh is a continuing rallying cry for these terrorists.” Casey said that although numerous issues deepen societal schisms, there’s hope for the future. “Places like this can be a platform, or a venue, where people come together of all different faiths and they figure out a way to help people get through their day,” he said. “Look, we need inspiration, and this place is one.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. JANUARY 12, 2024
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Opinion They can’t take that away from me Guest Columnist Abby Mendelson
I
t was perhaps the most peaceful Shabbos I’ve ever known. Perched in a little piece of paradise hard by the Gaza border, Kibbutz Alumim was calm, quiet; a beautiful green farm, a blessed respite from weeks of travel. In the summer of 2000, a dozen Pittsburgh teens, educators and I went on our own version of the March of the Living, first to Europe, then to Israel. Beginning in the Czech Republic and Poland, Europe, while both memorable and fascinating, was hard to enjoy. Prague, brilliant and brittle, was empty of Jews. Ditto Warsaw and Lublin. Then there were the camps, now all state museums, all brutal beyond belief: Theresienstadt. Auschwitz. Birkenau. Maidanek. Perhaps the saddest experience of all was our Shabbat in Krakow. Once the epicenter of Ashkenazi Jewry, Krakow, filmed to such great advantage in “Schindler’s List,” remains almost entirely Judenrein, its few remaining or reconstituted Jewish businesses dependent almost entirely on tourists. Friday night we went to the Remah Synagogue, named for Rabbi Moshe Isserles, arguably the greatest European Torah scholar of the last 500 years. Author of the Ashkenazi version of the “Shulchan Aruch,”
the comprehensive code of Jewish law, the Remah, by his very presence, made Krakow into a kind of Jewish king’s capital, an Eastern European Jerusalem. On our Shabbat there we arrived to find the synagogue deserted. Not certain what would happen, we waited, hoping to get a minyan for Kabbalat Shabbat. We did, finally, but only because there was an abundance of tourists, including us.
As was our truly joyous Shabbat — singing, eating, basking in the warmth of Alumim’s friendship and fellowship, everything heimish and heavenly. After dinner, we walked outside into a cool summer night, then lay on the lawn, looking through dark trees at the starry sky — and Ashdod’s distant, twinkling lights. It was perfect; it seemed as if the entire world were at rest.
I categorically refuse to grant them any kind of victory — any shred of it. Knowing what was once there, and how important it was in Jewish life and history, the sight of this empty place was heartwrenching indeed. Happily flying to Israel a few days later, we toured for a bit, then headed off to Kibbutz Alumim for Shabbat. Built the year before the 1967 war, adjacent to then-Egyptian-controlled Gaza, Alumim is a textbook kibbutz, a lovely bucolic village given to carrots and potatoes, chickens and cows. A separate income source is a row of guest cottages. While our first experience in these Israeli bungalows was a bit of culture shock — the tiny bathroom-as-shower brought peals of laughter (“I can poop and wash at the same time!” one teen proudly proclaimed) — we quickly settled into our small, austere rooms, relishing the ubiquitous Elite coffee and cake we found. It was splendid.
It’s an absolutely wonderful memory. And then … Last Oct. 7, 30 Hamas murderers breached the Alumim perimeter, killing 19, kidnapping eight. The photos are unspeakable; the descriptions even worse. There’s a tricky Talmudic concept called lemafrayah — can we change the status, the fact of something retroactively? That’s the question here. Can these monsters commit an act so heinous now as to ruin even the memory of a place then? Can their bestiality besmirch even the recollection of beauty? Can they erase a most beautiful time in my life — a Shabbat of incomparable menuchah/consolation? Now, every time I hear or think of Kibbutz Alumim, will I immediately conjure up unspeakable horror? Or will I hold, as Ira Gershwin wrote, “the memory of all that; no, they can’t take
that away from me”? Because their taking even memory is a wholly intentional tactic of their war, their pogrom, one designed not only to destroy life, but to destroy our souls as well. It will not succeed. For I categorically refuse to grant them any kind of victory — any shred of it. I refuse to surrender to their darkest visions of humanity, their visceral hatred of the Jewish people, their genocidal desire to obliterate us and everything that belongs to us, especially, our minds and spirit. So, no, they can’t take Kibbutz Alumim from me. I won’t let them. Not the place, not the Shabbat, not the best Kibbutz Alumim Shabbat moment, which actually occurred before Shabbat. Doing a profoundly un-Jewish thing, the teens and I actually showed up early for Kabbalat Shabbat services. Sitting alone in the kibbutz beit knesset, we began to feel that we might have another Krakow moment, a few scattered souls wandering in, hopefully enough to make a minyan. All at once, a small army of kibbutzniks strode in, a sea of white shirts, dark skirts and trousers. In a heartbeat the entire room was filled. Wide-eyed, speaking with the complete surety of a 15-year-old, one student leaned over and whispered, “We’re home.” PJC Abby Mendelson is the author of many books about Pittsburgh.
What Jews are feeling now is an inheritance of values — and trauma Guest Columnist By Rabbi Tirzah Firestone
A
s we enter 2024, many of us are feeling a sense of uncertainty, even wariness, in our bones. The events that exploded onto the world stage during the last months of 2023 — the brutal attacks on Israeli Jews by Hamas on Oct. 7, followed by Israel’s incursion into Gaza and the ensuing rise of antisemitic incidents around
the world — have set off waves of shock, grief and apprehension for Jewish people everywhere. As a rabbi and psychotherapist, I have received many anxious calls and notes. “I barely identify as Jewish,” one business executive confessed to me over the phone. “Yet I’m unbelievably triggered. Can you help me understand why?” “For the first time in my life I feel unsafe,” a Jewish student wrote to me. “I suddenly know what my ancestors felt when they had to hide their true identity.” “I feel ‘re-traumatized’ by all the violence and the resurgence of antisemitism, even though I’ve never directly experienced either one in
my lifetime,” a client reported. Emotions are, by definition, non-rational. But for many of us, our strong reactions to the recent events in and around Israel have felt disproportionate, confusing and sometimes uncanny. One way to understand this is to see them as having roots in earlier times. In this sense, the attacks on innocent Jews on Oct. 7 reverberate with a kind of biological memory of traumas that we ourselves may never have experienced, but whose residues nevertheless live within us. Sound like a bubbe mayseh (grandmother’s tale)? Or a teaching from an obscure kabbalistic text? In fact, the notion that trauma residues
can be transmitted intergenerationally is based on clinical studies in a relatively new field called behavioral epigenetics. These multi-decade studies demonstrate that younger generations can be deeply imprinted by the extreme life experiences that their ancestors endured, years before they themselves arrived on the scene. This means, for example, that Jews whose great-grandparents survived the violence of the Russian pogroms, or whose grandparents hid from the Nazis with little food or light, or whose parents witnessed the bloody Farhud in Iraq in 1941, may carry within them a kind of Please see Firestone, page 13
The worst thing American Jews can do right now is hide Guest Columnist Michael Berenbaum
T
he leaders of my synagogue, Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles, recently moved our Shabbat mincha service to an undisclosed location, out of fear that a pro-Palestinian demonstration taking place at a park just up the street from the synagogue might turn violent. The protest of approximately 300 people, billed as “Black and Palestinian Solidarity 12
JANUARY 12, 2024
for a Ceasefire this Christmas,” was ultimately peaceful. I am a longtime member of the synagogue and attend services regularly. The shul leaders are not only friends of mine, but honorable, committed Jews, who are trying to make the best decisions possible for the well-being of their congregants. And yet, their decision is an example of what not to do in these fraught times. Jews should not be backing down or hiding. We should be standing our ground, expecting and demanding that our rights be protected. This is a difficult time to be a Jew in Israel, in the U.S., in Europe and in the world. But if Jews cower, we will only make it more difficult.
I know from experience. I was one of the creators of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and have spent my academic and public career studying, teaching and memorializing the Holocaust. I have dedicated my life to the study of antisemitism. The protesters in Los Angeles succeeded in making Jews cower, retreat, withdraw and hide. This is exactly what not to do. With its brutal massacre, rape, plunder, and hostage-taking, Hamas drove the Jews out of the Gaza envelope. Attacks by Hezbollah in Lebanon drove the Israelis out of the northern cities of Metulla and Kiryat Shmona. These demonstrators drove Jews out of their synagogue in Pico-Robertson.
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Evacuation of Israel’s south and far north is understandable, but why Olympic and La Cienega? Did synagogue leadership believe that they did not have the capacity to keep their congregants safe? If so, increase security for a few hours. Talk to the Los Angeles Police Department, the Beverly Hills Police Department, the FBI and Homeland Security. Instead of responding with self-imposed powerlessness, they should have exerted some power. The synagogue’s actions indicate a distrust of city officials to keep them safe, which is a bit surprising, given that the LA City Council Please see Berenbaum, page 13
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Opinion Chronicle poll results: Streaming services
L
ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “How many streaming services do you subscribe to?” Of the 222 people who responded, 24% said zero; 35% said one or two; 33% said three to five; and 8% said more than five. Comments were submitted by 44 people. A few follow. I’m not interested in spending the day and night glued to TV. I wish I could have more for just one price. It’s so expensive. I only have Hulu and Max due to a special promotion and will drop them once the promotion is over. I get Amazon Prime due to my Prime account. I’m planning to drop Netflix later in the year. The cost of the streaming services are just as bad as the cable channels anymore. Help! We’re hooked.
Firestone: Continued from page 12
cellular byproduct of their ancestors’ adverse life experiences. These molecular vestiges hold fast to genetic scaffolding. Though the DNA itself remains unchanged, how those genes express themselves can indeed be affected. Such epigenetic changes may make us more vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder, more sensitive to stresses in the environment, and can at times leave us with a predisposition to anxiety or depression. Because I am more poet than scientist, the following vivid description by journalist Dan Hurley brought epigenetics to life for me. It also struck me as exceedingly Jewish: “Like silt
Berenbaum: Continued from page 12
Representative for Temple Beth Am’s district, Katy Young Yaroslavsky, is a proud and active member of Temple Beth Am. She attends services with her husband and her children who go to its schools. Our mayor, Karen Bass, has also condemned the Hamas attacks and explicitly given her support to the Los Angeles Jewish community. History will recall that there was a time when the most responsible thing for Jewish leaders to do in Germany and in Eastern Europe was to tell their community to leave. Los Angeles in 2023 is emphatically not such a time. Despite the rise in antisemitic attacks since Oct. 7, it is not 1938. This is not a time to hide as Jews, to retreat from civic engagement or modify our religious observance. Instead, it is a time to go out in public as proud, strong and defiant Jews. Tenacity and courage are required. If we allow fear to dominate the Jewish community, the antisemites will have won. They will have reduced the presence of the Jewish community in the public arena and frightened us into self-imposed ghettos. For millennia, Jews faced much more difficult conditions and much more vehement PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
How many streaming services do you subscribe to? 8% More than five
24% Zero
33% Three to five 35% One or two
I don’t go “out” to movies and don’t have a subscription to things like the PNC Broadway Series or the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. This is my entertainment budget. I can watch on my own schedule.
Every good TV show is on a different streaming service. It’s annoying, so I don’t have any. I used to have Netflix during the pandemic but realized a year ago that I haven’t watched Netflix in over a year. Originally, it was just Amazon Prime. Then I somehow by accident subscribed to Starz through Amazon Prime and just kept it. At some point, a relative shared Netflix and Disney+ on my TV for his children. I had to eventually subscribe to Netflix when they broke down on people sharing. But I’m not officially subscribed to Disney+. How is that for a confusing answer? The choices I get from three streaming services is unlimited. Program content is excellent and without the commercial breaks. What’s a streaming service? While I like going to a movie theater, I prefer watching movies and series from
the comfort of my living room. The older I get, the cozier my home becomes to me. We don’t subscribe to any (despite having an offer for a free subscription). On the rare times we actually watch anything, we just get it from the library. Gotta love those Black Friday deals! I’ll cancel when they’re not cheap anymore. Though I personally only pay for one service, I share three others with family members living in separate households. Raise your hand if you’re not even sure. PJC — Compiled by Toby Tabachnick
Chronicle weekly poll question:
Is Israel getting the right amount of U.S. support during its latest war with Hamas? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC
deposited on the cogs of a finely tuned machine after the seawater of a tsunami recedes, our experiences, and those of our forebears, are never gone, even if they have been forgotten.” For me, the phenomenon of intergenerational trauma is a reflection of the Hebrew phrase “mi dor l’dor,” which describes the Jewish tradition flowing “from generation to generation.” You may have heard these words sung in synagogue, or discussed in the context of Jewish tradition. Perhaps you’ve been to a bar or bat mitzvah at which a young Jewish person is celebrated as they are officially called to the Torah for the first time. One of the most emotional moments of the way this ritual is observed in my congregation is when the Torah scroll is taken out of the ark and lovingly passed down from the most senior
relative to the next generation (typically aunts and uncles) to the parents, and perhaps to the older siblings of the bar/bat mitzvah. Finally, the Torah arrives into the arms of the young initiate, the newest link in an ancient chain of heritage. At that moment, the celebrant makes a silent commitment to uphold the ancestral values that have been passed down for thousands of years: uprightness and justice, lifelong learning, loyalty to family, and the fierce determination to protect and repair the world we have been given. This ritual reenactment of mi dor l’dor is often the moment when tears are shed. One can feel the power of ancient heritage in the room. One can sense those who have passed but are with us still in spirit. And one can recognize that however connected or disconnected we are from the Jewish path, somehow we each
play a part in this time-honored tradition that so many of our ancestors wrestled to preserve — and all too often, gave their lives for. The legacies that come down to us are a rich and complex mixture of noble values and the painful trauma residues of our fraught history. All of these reverberate within our very cells. In our generation, both science and the still-unfathomed events of these past months teach us once again just how deep our connection is to our ancestors, and how their lives continue to echo within us, from generation to generation, mi dor l’dor. PJC
antisemitism around the world. They faced governments that were unresponsive to their needs, turned their backs when violence was directed at Jews and even joined the attackers in destroying Jewish life and property. Our Jewish ancestors lacked the protection of law and the guarantees of rights inherent in the Constitution as American Jews now enjoy, yet they did not cower. They continued to live and practice as Jews. Black Lives Matter LA, the organizers of the Dec. 23 demonstration, deliberately chose a Shabbat afternoon and a Jewish neighborhood as their time and place, when observant Jews might be reluctant to hold a counter demonstration. There were other sites that could have been chosen, other locations more relevant to their announced cause of a cease-fire, such as the Federal Building or the Israeli Consulate, but it is their right to gather and protest where they choose. Yet instead of being strong and continuing Shabbat worship as usual, synagogue leadership chose to avoid risk. In so doing, they abdicated their right to worship freely and without persecution. One would have thought American Jews had learned something from the last century of Jewish history and our own legacy of political activism around social justice, Soviet
Jewry and Israel. Most Jews believe that we have established our rights as Americans, and insist that our religious freedom be respected and protected. Not all American Jews have cowered in this moment. In November, some 290,000 Jews demonstrated proudly in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall in support for Israel, in opposition to the brutality unleashed by Hamas on Oct. 7. They were unafraid to stand with Israel. Some Jews continue to wear a bracelet with the name of a hostage, others proudly put on a necklace which proclaims “Bring them home now!” Many walk to synagogue with a kippah, some wear a Star of David. My grandparents and great-grandparents used to say in Yiddish: “Tis Schver t’zein a Yid” — It is hard to be a Jew. Hard as it was, they didn’t hide or retreat. They developed a thick enough skin to do what it took to live as a Jew. When it proved to be impossible to live as a Jew safely in Eastern Europe, they came to America or to the Land of Israel, and cherished its freedom and opportunity. For the last 78 years, there were no limits on what Jews could accomplish in America, and few obstacles to such achievements. We felt free to live openly and proudly as Americans and as Jews. Now that it seems more difficult to live
as a Jew in the United States and even in Los Angeles, we can’t buckle and hide. Los Angeles is the city with the second-largest Jewish population in the United States and one of the largest in the world. If Jewish Los Angelenos are to tremble with fear, what are the Jews of smaller cities and towns to do? This is not a time to take down mezuzahs, take off our Jewish stars or move our services out of shul to an undisclosed location. It is written in Ecclesiastes: “For everything there is a time.” The requirement of this time is simple: Jews, be proud. PJC
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Rabbi Tirzah Firestone is an author, Jungian psychotherapist and leader in the Jewish Renewal movement. This story was originally published on My Jewish Learning.
Michael Berenbaum is a distinguished professor of Jewish studies and director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust at American Jewish University in Los Angeles. This story originally appeared in the Forward. To get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox, go to forward.com/ newsletter-signup.
Correction
A photograph of Temple B’nai Israel was mistakenly identified as Temple Beth Israel in the Jan. 5 print edition. The Chronicle regrets the error. PJC JANUARY 12, 2024
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Life & Culture Chunky chopped vegetable salad with homemade Greek dressing Ingredients For the pickled onions: 1 medium red onion 1 teaspoon sugar White vinegar For the salad: 1 large green bell pepper 2 large red bell peppers 5-6 stem tomatoes 5 Persian cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber ½ cup of Kalamata olives
p Chunky chopped vegetable salad
— FOOD — By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle
I
t wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized that not all salads have leafy greens. In Mediterranean cooking, the majority of salads — take Israeli salad, for instance — consist solely of other vegetables, like peppers and cucumbers.
Photo by Jessica Grann
Greek salad is a favorite of mine. I cut the veggies into chunky pieces because I rarely have the patience for small dicing and chopping. This salad is pareve but can be made dairy by adding feta cheese. The dressing can be made vegan if you substitute another sweetener for the honey. I often add a can of stuffed grape leaves to bulk it up a little, and that makes a nice meal if served with spanakopita. It’s also amazing with all kinds of fish.
1-800-GET-PHIL
For the Greek vinaigrette: 2 minced garlic cloves 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ⅓ cup red wine vinegar ½ teaspoon kosher salt A pinch of black pepper 2 teaspoons Greek herb seasoning, or 2 teaspoons of a mix of dried oregano, mint, dill and basil ¼ teaspoon onion powder 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon honey ⅔ cup quality olive oil Optional: ½ pound of feta cheese Fresh mint or fresh dill to garnish 1 can of stuffed grape leaves
Pickle the red onions
Peel a red onion and cut it in half. Cut each half into slices of your preferred width. Some people like these onions skinny, but they could also be cut into chunks. Put 1 teaspoon of sugar into a Mason jar, then put the sliced onions into the jar. Cover the onions with white vinegar, place the lid on and give it one shake to stir the sugar into the vinegar. Let it rest for at least a half-hour before using. Onions can pickle at room temperature, but after an hour, put on a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate. These onions keep for weeks in the refrigerator if stored in a tightly closed jar
Prepare the vegetables
Stem and core the tomatoes and cut them into thick, uneven chunks about 2 inches wide. Put the tomatoes into a colander and sprinkle with coarse kosher salt. Allow the tomatoes to drain for a half-hour, then give them a quick rinse under water to release any excess salt. There is a lot of liquid in cut tomatoes, and that liquid is often what ruins a salad. This step will give you a crunchier
salad that will last longer in the refrigerator if you have any left over. Stem and cut the peppers and cucumbers into chunks and set aside in a large bowl before preparing the dressing.
Prepare the Greek vinaigrette
I rarely buy salad dressing because I prefer simple ingredients and I want to control the sugar and the type of oil. It only takes a few minutes to whip up a homemade dressing, and it will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator. I use Mason jars to both mix and store the dressing. Greek herb seasoning is not available in every market. You can make it at home by mixing the dried oregano, mint, dill and basil. You can experiment with the measurements, but start with a half teaspoon of each to equal two teaspoons in total. Add the garlic cloves, honey, lemon juice, herbs, salt, pepper and onion powder to the jar and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the liquid to soften the dried herbs. Add the Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar, put the lid on tightly and shake for 30 seconds. This is typically when I taste-test the dressing. It will be more potent because it has not yet been cut with vinegar, but you can tell immediately if it needs more salt, pepper, garlic, mint, etc. When you’re happy with the flavor, add the olive oil, place the lid on again and shake vigorously for another 30 seconds or until the oil is emulsified. This recipe makes more dressing than you’ll need for this salad, so you will have leftovers to enjoy. It’s a great basic recipe to keep on hand and soon you won’t be buying salad dressing, either.
Mix the salad
Toss the vegetables in a bowl and add about half of the vinaigrette before tossing again. You can add more dressing if you like. Sprinkle the olives over the top and arrange the grape leaves if you’re using them. Garnish with fresh mint or dill sprigs if you have them on hand, but they aren’t necessary. If you wish to use feta cheese, add it on top. Some feta cheese naturally crumbles, and other feta is firm and looks better cut into slices or chunks. Serve the cheese however you prefer it. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.
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Life & Culture Artist mines family and beet juice to tell personal story in Rodef Shalom exhibit — ART — By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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n upcoming exhibit at Rodef Shalom C ongregation is following its own beet. Set to open on Jan. 16, “The Sofer: A Tribute to My Zayde” is a series of images painted in beet juice by Rosabel Rosalind. The artist, originally from San Fernando Valley, California, is a Pittsburgh resident who graduated with an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 2023. The paintings are excerpted from a graphic novel she completed in 2021. The 185-page work, which she hopes to publish, is an ode to her grandfather Martin Sofer, an Orthodox rabbi who, according to the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center, served in the Israeli War of Independence before joining Beth Samuel Jewish Center in Ambridge as a spiritual guide 25 years later. Rosalind lived with her grandfather for the first 12 years of her life. At points, the two were roommates. During other periods, her grandfather lived down the hall. “We had a very, very close relationship,” she said. Sofer died in 2011. “The memories that I have with him are very much tied to his smell and the foods that he ate,” she said. “He loved Manischewitzbrand borscht, and so I thought what better material to use than beets themselves.” The paintings, which were created from one boiled beet, also detail the artist’s evolving religious ties. As a child, she attended a Jewish day school. “I hated it. I hated going to temple. I hated the High Holidays,” she said. It wasn’t until moving to Chicago as an undergrad that Rosalind’s sentiment changed. Weeks into her first semester she recognized her sense of loneliness. Thankfully, the holidays are “conveniently placed in September, October,” she said. Their arrival prompted an understanding that she “needed to feel home again.” Rosalind then found a synagogue.
p Image of Rabbi Martin Sofer
“Going to temple, for the first time on my terms, was transcendent,” she said. The artist’s works reflect an awareness of that moment and the years that followed. Mining those experiences and enabling others to do so inside a synagogue is essential, she said: Jewish spaces often highlight Judaica instead of “embracing the work of younger artists who speak to their own Jewish experience in a more expansive way.” “I’m honored that Rodef [Shalom] is starting to lean into this part of contemporary art and local artists, local Pittsburghers, who are working with Judaism,” she added. Mayda Roth, Rodef Shalom’s development
Image courtesy of Rosabel Rosalind
director, said the exhibit is the first that the congregation is hosting in affiliation with the Council of Jewish Museums, an umbrella association of Jewish museums, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia and others nationwide. With nearly 1,000 people passing through Rodef Shalom each week, Roth is thrilled that so many eyes will observe Rosalind’s “lovely tribute to her zayde.” Charlie White, the head of Carnegie Mellon’s Art School, said the “intergenerational quality” of Rosalind’s work is a
perfect pairing for Rodef Shalom’s walls; still, the subtext is greater than a mere visual elegy to deceased relatives. “It is a feminist text in many ways,” he said. “She does talk about growing up, being an adolescent, going through changes and how she felt about her grandfather.” Rosalind’s work was previously exhibited at Vienna’s MuseumQuartier, Improper Walls Gallery and the Jewish Museum Maryland. Its inclusion at Rodef Shalom dovetails nicely with the congregation’s long commitment to religious and communal evolution, White explained. “For a shul where the Pittsburgh Platform was written in 1885, to have that history and to be able to continue in a certain direction and show very specific work that in that context might be a little edgy, means a lot,” he said. Rosalind, 27, said she’s honored to be a “guinea pig,” and, whether including images of a graphic novel inside a sacred building foreshadows future meaningful engagement elsewhere, she’s eager to see what’s next. “In 20 years synagogues are going to have to look different because people aren’t going anymore. People my age aren’t going. And we’re not going because things change and organized religion evolved and people evolve,” she said. According to Pew Research Center, 22% of Jews ages 18-29 attend religious services at least once a week. Weekly turnout among adults ages 30-49 is 32% and 28% for adults ages 50-64. Rosalind said her generation is “finding new ways to connect to Judaism outside of temple.” There’s an irony that a hallowed space is showcasing a young artist’s Jewish story; but the greater takeaway, Rosalind said, is that “what’s so beautiful about being Jewish is you can find a sort of sacred myth anywhere and every day: God is everywhere. That’s sort of the whole thing.” “The Sofer: A Tribute to My Zayde” runs from Jan. 16 to March 18. An evening with the artist is scheduled for March 11 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Why some Golden Globes attendees wore yellow ribbon pins at the 2024 awards ceremony — ENTERTAINMENT — By Philissa Cramer | JTA
O
ne of the movies up for best picture at the 2024 Golden Globes awards is about the Holocaust. One of the most notable displays during the ceremony alludes to a current attack on Jews. In the lead-up to the awards ceremony Sunday night, advocates for Israeli hostages in Gaza worked to supply attendees with yellow ribbon pins to affix to their red-carpet 16
JANUARY 12, 2024
garb. Terror groups in Gaza are still holding approximately 136 hostages, who were kidnapped when Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, sparking the ongoing war. Yellow ribbons are a longstanding symbol of readiness to welcome home prisoners or hostages. The Bring Them Home movement, which advocates for the Israelis held in Gaza, is distributing the pins as part of its effort to keep the hostages in public view. It was unclear in the days ahead of the ceremony how widely the ribbons would be taken up. Stars on the red carpet largely were not wearing the ribbons on Sunday
night, although a handful, including the “Succession” star J. Smith-Cameron, bore one, as did Jesse Sisgold, president of Skydance Media, and Jon Weinbach, writer of “Air,” a movie up for best comedy. (It did not win.) The ribbons represented a significant reference to contemporary politics during awards season, which has been expected as the Israel-Hamas war has gained widespread attention — and has sowed conflict — in the arts world. Local police were reportedly gearing up for potential protests outside the awards ceremony in Los Angeles, after protesters in favor of a ceasefire have sought
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
to disrupt high-profile public events across the country over the last three months. Few of the films up for Golden Globe awards prominently feature Jewish stories or actors. Two exceptions are up for best picture: “Oppenheimer,” the biopic about the Jewish father of the atomic bomb, and “Zone of Interest,” about the Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss. “Oppenheimer” won for best dramatic movie, as well as for best actor (Cillian Murphy), best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.), best director (Christopher Nolan) and best original score. PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Life & Culture To welcome interfaith couples, this Conservative synagogue hired a cantor who’s allowed to wed them — NATIONAL — By Gavi Klein | JTA
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arah Freudenberger has spent a lot of time being told “no.” A year and a half out of college, the “no” came from cantorial schools when she applied for ordination. Months later, when she got engaged, it came from the three rabbis she had worked with at a Reform synagogue in Florida, when she asked if they would officiate her wedding. Both refusals were because — like 42% of married American Jews, according to a 2020 Pew study — Freudenberger’s spouse is not a Jew. Peter, her husband and the father of her three children, is Buddhist. It took time to find a cantorial program that would allow her to get ordained with a non-Jewish spouse — just as it had taken time before she found a rabbi who would officiate at her interfaith wedding, which took place in 2010. “It was such a gift to us,” she said. “Looking back, I didn’t realize how much it would have affected me personally, how much regret I would have felt, if I hadn’t had a rabbi at my wedding.” She added, “I can’t untangle my personal experience from my officiant experience. It is the main reason why I know — firsthand — how much of a blessing it is to be able to do that for people.” Now, Freudenberger says she is passing on this gift to other Jews like her by offering interfaith wedding officiation as the cantor of Congregation Shirat Hayam in Swampscott, Massachusetts. She can’t preside over the ceremonies inside Shirat Hayam’s building, because the congregation is part of the Conservative movement of Judaism, which bars its member communities from hosting interfaith wedding ceremonies. But because Freudenberger did not attend a Conservative seminary and is not part of its clergy associations, she is free to officiate the weddings elsewhere. The arrangement illuminates how a changing rabbinic marketplace is opening doors for interfaith families at Conservative synagogues, where the movement’s prohibitions around interfaith weddings have imposed barriers to welcoming intermarried couples. “Intermarriage and the inclusion of intermarried couples and families are among the most important issues the ConservativeMasorti movement is addressing,” said Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly, two leading organizations of the Conservative-Masorti movement. (Masorti is the name of the Conservative movement in Israel/outside of North America.) “Conservative-Masorti rabbis who are members of the Rabbinical Assembly are not authorized to officiate at interfaith wedding PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Photo by Trung Nguyen via Pexels
“Intermarriage and the inclusion of intermarried couples and families are among the most important issues the Conservative-Masorti movement is addressing.” –RABBI JACOB BLUMENTHAL
ceremonies,” he said. “But rather than focusing on intermarriage as a ‘threat’ to Jewish survival — as we did in the mid-20th century — today we are instead exploring ways to engage all couples and families with a Jewish partner in the beauty and meaning of Jewish community and practice.” In recent years, the movement’s standards on intermarriage have shifted. In 2017, Conservative institutions voted to allow non-Jews to become members of synagogues. The following year, it removed a ban on its rabbis attending interfaith weddings. In 2020, the USCJ hired Keren McGinity as interfaith specialist. She recently produced a handbook on interfaith inclusion that Blumenthal says is a vital step in shifting the status of interfaith families within the movement while holding firm on matters of traditional Jewish law, or halacha, which forbids Jews from marrying non-Jews. Blumenthal said the movement has established a task force that will recommend further steps for welcoming intermarried couples. He said the task force, composed of clergy and lay leaders, will aim to “balance tradition and modernity within the framework of halacha.”
Shirat Hayam has been striving to find ways to include and welcome interfaith families in its community for years. In 2018, Rabbi Michael Ragozin founded an Interfaith Task Force to address an issue challenging many in the community at that time — nonJewish spouses of Jewish congregants could not serve on the board of directors. Ultimately, the congregation voted to extend full membership privileges to non-Jewish spouses. “A couple of generations back, intermarriage was a different phenomenon. Intermarriage may have been more likely to walk away from Jewish tradition, Jewish community, raising Jewish kids,” said Ragozin. He noted that today, the data says otherwise. The 2020 Pew survey of American Jews found that Jews married to other Jews are far more likely than intermarried couples to say they are raising their minor children as “Jewish by religion.” But it also found that the adult children of intermarried couples are “increasingly likely” to identify as Jewish — and that two-thirds of intermarried couples today say they are raising their children with a Jewish identity.
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As that data was emerging, long-standing patterns in rabbinic hiring were changing rapidly. In recent years, the number of people seeking to attend denominational seminaries, including the ones operated by the Conservative movement, has fallen sharply, creating a gap between the number of synagogues seeking rabbis and cantors and the number of applicants on the job market. Meanwhile, non-traditional, often low-residency programs have grown — including the Aleph Ordination Program where Freudenberger was ordained in 2022. Aleph is affiliated with the Jewish Renewal movement but its graduates work in all kinds of synagogues. And when Freudenberger emerged as a leading candidate in Shirat Hayam’s cantor search, Ragozin saw an opportunity. “The lightbulb went off in my head,” he said. “This is how we’re going to signal to the broader Jewish community that’s on the North Shore, that’s looking at Shirat Hayam for the North Shore — we’re going to signal to intermarried families that this is a place in which you belong.” Before moving ahead with the plan – for a Renewal-ordained cantor to officiate interfaith weddings for the community – Shirat Hayam leaders checked in with the USCJ. The response they got was that that scenario would not require the synagogue to disaffiliate from the movement, as long as the service wasn’t held on the congregation’s property. Blumenthal said the new task force is examining cases like Shirat Hayam’s, and putting together a report that will “help us frame important questions like the ones that are raised by the practice in Swampscott.” During the interview process, the search committee asked Freudenberger if she would be willing to officiate interfaith weddings. “That sent me a clear message that the synagogue was interested,” she said. “They not only wanted to allow it, but were interested in me doing them for the congregation.” She was hired in 2021. “We don’t want to be ‘backroom’ about it,” she said. “We want to be open about it, we want to tell people about it. We want to say ‘You’re welcome here, you’re welcome with us, we want you to be a part of our community.’” Since her ordination, Freudenberger has officiated at four weddings — two between Jews, and two interfaith. “People that are coming looking for a Jewish wedding want a Jewish wedding,” she said. “If their answer is no, what does that tell them about being Jewish? What does that tell them about being Jewish as a family?” PJC A version of this story originally appeared in the Jewish Journal of Greater Boston and is reprinted with permission. JANUARY 12, 2024
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Celebrations
Torah
Wedding Announcement
Don’t ask why
Lillian Rafson and Kenny Gould of Pittsburgh were married in early December in Vero Beach, Florida. Lillian is the daughter of Roger and Sally Rafson of Pittsburgh. Kenny is the son of Wayne and Amy Gould of Vero Beach, Florida (formerly of Mt. Lebanon). Lillian is founder and CEO of surprise travel agency Pack Up + Go. Kenny is vice president of strategic sales at Untappd. PJC
Join the Chronicle Book Club!
T
he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Jan. 21 discussion of “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth,” by Noa Tishby. From the Jewish Book Council: “Noa Tishby is on a mission to correct misperceptions of Israel — its history, culture, and people. After watching Israel be criticized by the global community, particularly online, the Israeli actress, writer, and producer began defending the country on Twitter and beyond. What began as a hobby developed into a deep passion, and ultimately, a vocation. The more Tishby sought to explain Israel to others the more she sought to learn herself. From that journey, this book was born.”
Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburghjewish chronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line to register. We will send you a Zoom link for the discussion meeting. Registration closes on Jan. 18. Happy reading! PJC — Toby Tabachnick
We have come together in unity to fight back against darkness by creating more light.
Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov!
How and When: We will meet on Zoom on Jan. 21 at noon. What To Do Buy: “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth.” It is available at area bookstores and from online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is also available through the Carnegie Library system.
SPECIAL OCCASIONS DESERVE SPECIAL ATTENTION
B’nai Abraham Congregation The B’nai Abraham Congregation in Butler, PA is seeking a strong Judaically educated and versatile full- or part- time Rabbi, Cantor or Spiritual Leader. This person will guide a small multiple-generation and varied Jewish congregation. For more detailed information, to send your resume or any specific questions: Philip Terman at termanp1@gmail.com Our website: https://congbnaiabraham.org/
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A
t the end of last week’s Torah portion, we read of Moshe’s challenge to G-d. After presenting Pharaoh with G-d’s demand that the Jewish people be allowed to leave Egypt, things got worse for the Jews and their slavery was made even more oppressive. “Why have you sent me?” Moshe asked, because it seems just to have made things worse. G-d first responded by telling Moshe that he would soon see, as G-d saved His people from their suffering. This week’s portion, Parsha Va’era, begins with the continuation of God’s response. God contrasts Moshe’s approach to that of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. They too experienced suffering, each in their own way. Yet, they never doubted the truth of God’s promise to them and their children, despite not seeing it manifest. God was rebuking Moshe for his attempts to understand and rationalize the suffering he saw. God was telling Moshe that this was not something that the mind or intellect was equipped to process.
Our forefathers, on the other hand, represent the emotional aspect of our relationship with G-d. They knew that their — our — relationship with G-d transcends understanding. They didn’t ask questions because they recognized that some things could not, indeed should not, be explained. The wisest of all men taught that everything has its time. In responding to Moshe, G-d was saying that this was not the time for the approach that came naturally to him. G-d told Moshe not to try to understand or rationalize the suffering of the Jewish people, but instead to continue doing what was necessary to bring it to an end. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, there were some who sought to explain “why,” as if understanding what caused the horrors might alleviate the pain. The Lubavitcher Rebbe O.B.M. rejected those efforts, and I believe that it was precisely because he knew that this was not a pain that should be addressed by understanding. Instead he inspired the survivors to channel their pain into creating a bright, vibrant future for the Jewish people. In the aftermath of the Simchat Torah
What was it that drove Moshe to ask as massacre, people across the world, and he did, and how do we understand G-d’s here in Pittsburgh, have adopted the response to him? Perhaps more importantly, Rebbe’s approach. Rather than trying to what insight can we take from this account? explain or understand our pain, we have What does this teach us when it comes been using it. We have come together in to processing the inexplicable pain we’ve unity to fight back against darkness by recently witnessed? creating more light. We have become more Moshe’s everlasting legacy is in teaching active and more public in expressing our the Torah to the Jewish people. While he also Judaism. We are doing more mitzvos, we led the Jews out of Egypt, his goal in doing are proudly displaying our Jewish idenso was bringing them to receive the Torah at tity. We pray that these actions finally tip Mt. Sinai. It is therefore understandable that the scale and bring the end of all suffering, his approach to the suffering he saw was an with the ultimate redemption through the intellectual one. He represents the “mind” of coming of Moshiach. PJC the Jewish people, the relationship with G-d Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld is the rabbi at the that is cultivated by the way of engaging intellectually. For this reason, it seemed necessary Lubavitch Center and the executive director to him to understand what he saw and expe- of Chabad of Western Pennsylvania. This rienced. How else could he explain it to the column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of GreaterSPECIAL Pittsburgh. ATTENTION people he was to lead?OCCASIONS DESERVE SPECIAL
Your Hosts: Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle David Rullo, Chronicle senior staff writer
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Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld Parshat Va’era Exodus 6:2 – 9:35
SPECIAL OCCASIONS DESERVE SPECIAL ATTENTION But is a What is occasion…a But so soSPECIAL is a a birthday, birthday,ATTENTION a graduation, graduation, What is a a special specialOCCASIONS occasion…a birth, birth,DESERVE SPECIAL But so is a birthday, graduation, What is a special occasion…a birth, an athletic victory, an a b’nai mitzvah, an engagement, an athletic victory, ana academic academic a b’nai mitzvah, an engagement, But so is a birthday, a academic graduation, What ismitzvah, a special occasion…a birth, an athletic victory, an b’nai an engagement, achievement…anything a wedding, an anniversary? achievement…anything that that deserves deserves a wedding, an anniversary? an athletic victory, an academic a b’nai mitzvah, an engagement, achievement…anything that deserves a wedding, an anniversary? special recognition. Absolutely! special recognition. Absolutely! achievement…anything that deserves a wedding, an anniversary? special recognition. Absolutely! special recognition. Absolutely!
Mazel Tov! And And there there is is no no better better place place to to share share your your joy joy And there is no better place to share your joy than in... thanplace in... to share your joy And there is no better than in... than in...
The The more more you you celebrate celebrate in in life… life… The more you celebrate in life… the more there in theThe more there iscelebrate in life life to to celebrate! celebrate! more youis in life… the more there is in life to celebrate! the more there is MAZEL in lifeTOVS, to celebrate! SEND YOUR CELEBRATIONS, AND SEND YOUR CELEBRATIONS, MAZEL TOVS, AND PHOTOS PHOTOS TO: TO:
SPECIAL OCCASIONS DESERVE SPECIAL SEND YOUR CELEBRATIONS, MAZEL TOVS, AND ATTENTION PHOTOS TO: announcements@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org announcements@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org SPECIAL OCCASIONS DESERVE SPECIAL SEND YOUR CELEBRATIONS, MAZEL TOVS, AND ATTENTION PHOTOS TO:
announcements@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org But so is a birthday, a graduation, What is a special occasion…a birth, But so is a birthday, a graduation, What is a special occasion…a birth, announcements@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org an athletic victory, an academic a b’nai mitzvah, an engagement, an athletic victory, an academic a b’nai mitzvah, an engagement, achievement…anything that deserves a wedding, an anniversary? PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG achievement…anything that deserves a wedding, an anniversary? special recognition. Absolutely! special recognition. Absolutely!
Obituaries FINKELSTEIN: Norman H. Finkelstein of Framingham, Massachusetts, passed away on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024, at age 82. For 56 years Norman was the devoted husband of Rosalind (Brandt). Cherished father of Jeffrey and his wife Jennifer of Pittsburgh; Robert and his partner Evaristo Cruz of Jersey City, New Jersey; and Risa Sugarman and her husband Ken of West Hartford, Connecticut. Loving “Saba” (grandfather) of Tova and Joseph Finkelstein and Kit Sugarman. Fond brother of Linda Galper and her husband Jonas of Brookline, Massachusetts. Services were held at the Levine Chapel, 470 Harvard St., Brookline, on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. Interment in Everett. Shiva information will be available on the Levine Chapel website (levinechapel.com). In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Norman Finkelstein Fund for Teen Learning at Hebrew College (hebrewcollege.edu/give) or Temple Beth Sholom in Framingham (beth-sholom.org/giving). NETZER: Marcia Arnold Netzer, beloved wife of Robert S. Netzer, passed away on Jan. 3, 2024. Marcia was the devoted mother of Jessica Mayerson, Stephanie Arnold and Alissa Block; sister of Lois Michaels and David Glazer; grandmother of Jordan, Maddie, Barrett, Baylor, Rachel, Lily and Marcus; and stepmother to Lisa and Jennifer. Marcia was a graduate of Chatham College and earned a master’s in public health from the University of Pittsburgh. Marcia worked at the School of Public Health and participated in international conferences in Geneva, Switzerland, and Tunisia. For the past 25 years, she was actively involved in fundraising at Winchester Thurston School where she was revered as a dedicated member of the community and neighborhood. Marcia loved her garden and enjoyed attending the Shaw Festival in Niagara on The Lake, Ontario. She was an original member of her film club, where she and Bob made friends and spent many spirited evenings over the years. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment West View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Biblical Gardens at Rodef Shalom Congregation, or to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. schugar.com
Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from ... In memory of... Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy N . Maas Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .J .J . Maas Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harry L . Steinberg Marc Bilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Bilder Mallinger Lois Crone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Anna Silverblatt Sheila R . Fine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lillian Cook Lois Fishman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Levine Lois Fishman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minnie Sokole Stephanie Flom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Flom Stephanie Flom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Oresick Fred & Gail Greene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Randall Greene Sharon Galanty Knapp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nettie Galanty Maeola Kobacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louis Rapport Carl Krasik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Julius H . Belle Donna Kruman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gertrude Berenfield Cindy & Harold Lebenson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Phillip Harris Merrianne Leff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dena Stein Sanford Middleman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Katie Middleman Judi Rudoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Israel J . Rudoy Herbert Shapiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clara Deutch Herbert Shapiro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Deutch Shapiro Jay Silberblatt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pauline Silberblatt Patricia A . Spokane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Schneirov Brenda Winsberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frances Gusky Contact the Development department at 412.586.3264 or development@jaapgh.org for more information.
THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday January 14: Gertrude Berenfield, Nathan Bilder, Paul Carpe, Joel David Cohen, Lillian Cook, Minnie Farber, Morris Fleshman, Samuel J . Frankel, Paul Freedman, Jennie Glick, Sanford K . Greenberg, Lipa Haimovitz, Edward Hertz, Anna Harr Krause, Harry Lautman, Madelyn Platt, Dorothy Rosenthal, Dr . Eugene J . Schachter, Gertrude Silberman, Jacob W . Simon, Alvin Weinberger, Esther Pakler Weiss Monday January 15: Irving E . Cohen, Nettie Galanty, Phillip Harris, Edith Lazear, Rheba Markley, E . Harry Mazervo, Oscar Robbins, Rebecca Rosenfeld, Gertrude Schugar, Pauline Silberblatt, Abraham Ulanoff Tuesday January 16: Rebecca Broudy, Rubin Davidson, Leonard A . Fleegler, Raymond Goldstein, Jacob Graff, William Randall Greene, Anna Grossman, Sarah Haimovitz, Tina Kaminsky, Anna Kart, Rose Klein, Betty Kuperstock, Anne Bilder Mallinger, Joseph Cliff Ruben, Ida Seminofsky, Sherman Shore, Jack C . Siegel, Al W . Wolf, Rose Blattner Zionts Wednesday January 17: Clara Deutch, Myer Feldman, Isadore F . Frank, Benjamin Harris, Bess M . Levenson, Albert Dale Malyn, Frank Miller, Sophie Paransky, Max Rosenfeld, Louis E . Rosenthall, Harry Schlesinger, Leon Stein Thursday January 18: Sidney J . Alpern, Samuel J . Amdur, Julius H . Belle, Beverly Renee German, Harry Kalson, Tillie Krochmal, Dee (Dolores) Laine, Joseph H . Levin, Jeremy Marcus, Samuel Miller, Ida B . Shaffer, Edith Nayhouse Thorpe, Minnie Weller Friday January 19: Marcella Apter, Anna Cohen, Celia Cohen, Edythe B . Dickerman, Julia P . Farbstein, Katie Fireman, Jennie Gold, Sarah Goldstein, Ruth W . Gusky, Max Jeremias, Harry Kaplan, Marian Papernick Lindenbaum, Morris Lipkind, Alice Lipp, Manuel L . Mason, Harry Miller, Anna Schwartz, David S . Shermer, Albert Sherry, Ruth K . Slotsky Saturday January 20: Jennie Bluestone, Bernita Buncher, Charles Fishkin, Ida Karp, Freda Lenchner, Katie Middleman, Lillian Myers, Louis Rosenfield, Rebecca Schutte, Meyer H . Siegal, Maurice Smith, Harry L . Steinberg, Roslyn Weinberg
STONE: Eleanor “Cissy” Stone, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert F. Stone, a prominent Pittsburgh attorney. Loving mother of Harlan (Laura) Stone, Andrew (Christine) Stone and Julie (Charles) Congdon. Sister of Betty Ann Fireman. Cherished grandmother of James Congdon (Jennifer), Alec Stone, Charlotte Stone, Sydney Congdon, Sophia Stone, Lilia Stone and three great-grandchildren. Cissy was born in Pittsburgh in 1930. She spent many years living in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before returning to her home in Pittsburgh. Cissy was an avid traveler, having visited numerous countries around the world. She enjoyed playing golf, entertaining friends and spending time with her family. Services were held at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Jewish Association on Aging. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com TITLEBAUM: Adele (Haffner) Titlebaum passed away peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023, at the age of 83, while visiting Israel. Loving mother to Richard (late Joanne Lippert), Amy (Howard) Allentoff, Steven Titlebaum and Debby (Avi) Neuman. Grandmother to Jessica Titlebaum, Max Titlebaum, Sophie Titlebaum, Sara Allentoff, Noah Allentoff (girlfriend Keri Walker), Eli Allentoff, Kirvayah Neuman, Anayah Neuman, Eliyah Neuman, Netivyah Neuman and Kliel Neuman. She was predeceased by her parents, Max and Sara Haffner. Born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Most recently she was living in Owings Mills, Maryland. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She spent much of her life working as a teacher, from pre-school to fifth grade. Her most important treasures in life were her children and grandchildren. Donations may be made to her favorite charities: Jewish National Fund, jnf.org- /JNF Plant A Tree | Jewish National Fund-USA or Susan G. Komen Fund, komen.org. PJC
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Life & Culture Boston writer Norm Finkelstein, whose YA books championed Jewish heroes, dies at 82 — NEWS OBITUARY — By Penny Schwartz | JTA
I
n the early 1980s, when Norman H. Finkelstein was the director of education at Camp Yavne in Northwood, New Hampshire, campers would greet his daily announcements by exuberantly chanting, “Norm, Norm!,” a reference to a popular character on the hit television series “Cheers.” The warm reception at the Jewish summer camp reflected Finkelstein’s fun and lively personality, according to his oldest son, Jeff, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. “He was an educator. But even in summer camp, when the kids are not there to learn, but to have fun, he made it fun,” Jeff said. At the time, Finkelstein was a librarian in the Brookline Public Schools, a career that lasted 35 years. He and his wife, Rosalind, had joined the camp’s summer staff so they could afford to send their three kids to the camp. In addition, he was a teacher at Hebrew College’s Prozdor Hebrew high school for nearly 40 years. But it was another role that brought him acclaim in Boston and beyond: Finkelstein was an acclaimed author of nonfiction books and biographies for older children, including many on Jewish subjects. He was a rare, two-time
Norm Finkelstein was the author of more than 20 nonfiction books for children and teens, including a forthcoming biography of the legendary Forward editor Abe Cahan. Photos courtesy of Holiday House
winner of the coveted National Jewish Book award, for “Heeding the Call: Jewish Voices in America’s Civil Rights Struggle” and “Forged in Freedom: Shaping the American Jewish Experience.” He was also the recipient of the Golden Kite honor award for nonfiction for his 1997 YA biography of newsman Edward R. Murrow. Finkelstein, 82, died on Friday, Jan. 5, from what his family said was an unexpected illness. Holiday House is publishing one of two books that Finkelstein was looking forward to seeing in print at the time of his death: “Amazing Abe: How Abraham Cahan’s Newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants,” a biography of the legendary Yiddish Forward editor illustrated by Vesper Stamper. The other is “Saying No to Hate: Overcoming Antisemitism in America,” which the Jewish Publication Society
is publishing in May. He was drawn to stories that were under the radar, including “The Shelter and the Fence: When 982 Holocaust Refugees Found Safe Haven in America.” “It’s one of those little holes in history that I seem to try to fill with my books,” Finkelstein said in a 2021 interview about the Jews who found safe haven at a resettlement center in Oswego, New York. “He loved teaching. Whether he taught in a classroom, whether he taught in his library or whether he taught through his books, he was a natural teacher,” said his son Jeff. Susie Tanchel, the vice president of Hebrew College, said he had a “profound” impact on the college and students in its teen learning program. “With his deep knowledge and love of Jewish history, he awakened their minds and hearts to find their own links to our shared past,” she wrote. “I would refer to somebody like Norm as a Renaissance man, because he was interested in so many things like arts, entertainment and politics,” said Jordan Rich, of WBZ radio in Boston, who interviewed Finkelstein about his books some half-dozen times over the years. The two were neighbors and belonged to Temple Sholom in Framingham, Massachusetts, Rich told JTA in a phone conversation. Finkelstein had a keen wit and was a masterful
storyteller, Rich said. He loved hanging out with his grandkids, Jeff said. “He knew how to interact with kids.” Finkelstein got a laugh from the irony of sharing a name with Norman G. Finkelstein, a controversial political scientist whose harsh views on Israel were polar opposite to his own love for the country. “I’ve often wanted to change my name to Lance,” he quipped to The Forward in 2004, in article about the doppelgangers. Norman Henry Finkelstein was born on Nov. 11, 1941, to working-class Jewish immigrant parents who settled in Chelsea, a city just north of Boston that was teeming with Jewish life. It’s where he met Rosalind, to whom he was married for 56 years. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Hebrew College, and a bachelor’s degree from Boston University. This Shabbat, for Temple Israel of Boston’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the synagogue’s librarian, Ann Abrams, will display “Heed the Call,” her favorite among all of Finkelstein’s books. She displays it every year. “When I think of Norm Finkelstein, I think of a mensch,” Abrams, the past president of the New England Association of Jewish Libraries, wrote in an email. In addition to his wife Rosalind and son Jeff, he is survived by his son Robert, daughter Risa Sugarman and three grandchildren. PJC
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SEVENTEEN TIPS TO HELP ADMINISTER AN ESTATE This is one in a series of articles about Elder Law by Michael H. Marks., Esq. Michael H. Marks is an elder law attorney with offices in Squirrel Hill and Monroeville. Send questions to michael@marks-law.com or visit www.marks-law.com. After a loved one has passed away, certain steps have to be taken for which a lawyer’s help is ordinarily needed. There are other practical actions and decisions that family members can usually undertake without the help of an attorney. Which steps require an attorney? “Administering an estate” means to wind up somebody’s affairs and conclude all necessary business and arrangements after someone has died. Many family and practical matters may be necessary but are not cause for retaining an attorney. Such pragmatic choices and acts may include deciding about organ donation; contacting family members and loved ones; making funeral arrangements; and arranging care for pets and dependents. You can also usually take steps such as ordering death certificates from the funeral director, search for and locate an original Last Will and Testament or trust documents, or gather financial records concerning assets, accounts, insurance, debts, etc. So when do you need to consult an estates or probate attorney for guidance and assistance? Here is a description of the work that we as lawyers are usually needed to do for clients, to administer an estate. 1. Determine if probate estate proceedings (a court-administered legal process) are needed and whether or not an Executor or Administrator must be officially appointed to administer the estate. If no estate needs to be opened, and no Executor needs to be appointed, then we will not do so, and you will save a great deal of time, energy and money.
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JANUARY 12, 2024
2. On the other hand, if probate estate proceedings are necessary, we will open the probate estate and procure the appointment of the Executor or Administrator. This involves preparing the right paperwork and appearing in person downtown or by video to be sworn in. 3. Inventory the assets of the decedent, including non-probate assets such as “Pay on Death” and joint accounts, which do not pass through probate but must be accounted for on the Pennsylvania Inheritance tax return. 4. Make advance arrangements to open and inventory any safe deposit box. This procedure requires contacting the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue and the bank ahead of time to be permitted to open the box, and later filing a report of the contents. 5. Check for unclaimed property and obtain a Statement of Claim from the PA Department of Human Services. Individuals often leave behind small or even large amounts of unclaimed property. In addition, when someone has received Medicaid such as for nursing home care, the Commonwealth may have a claim for reimbursement. 6. Advertise the estate and notify creditors and other parties in interest. Dealing with creditors is especially important in insolvent estates 7. Prepare and file probate estate filings, including Notice and Certification, Inventory, etc. 8. Sell/liquidate assets and transfer or retitle accounts to new owners. Our experienced staff most often handle this paperwork, which can be confusing and annoying. Every company has their own forms and demands a slightly different set of documents. 9. Pay bills, debts, claims and expenses.
10. Keep real estate and other assets secure, maintained and insured. 11. When an estate is insolvent and doesn’t have enough money to pay all the billing creditors, determining which creditors must be paid and which should not be paid, under Pennsylvania law. 12. Prepare and file Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax return and pay tax (and Federal estate tax as well if needed). We help clients save money by making estimated payments at a discount. 13. Advise and assist clients with income tax implications of estate business, including sale or transfer of real estate, Capital gain tax, tax implications of inherited IRAs, not missing required minimum distributions, and fiduciary income tax returns filed on behalf of the estate itself. 14. Prepare and obtain signatures on Family
Settlement Agreement and summary Account, OR file formal Account for Audit in Court. At the end of the process, we often help smooth the way toward family consensus and agreement by answering questions and providing explanations for anxious participants. 15. Keep records, keep good records, and keep good, complete and accurate records. 16. Act with a heightened sense of awareness, caution and formality when we know that there are adverse, unhappy participants lurking about, who may challenge every little thing that we do. 17. Make final distributions, and establish and fund continuing Trust arrangements if needed At Marks Elder Law, 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.
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We provide expert help with long term care planning, powers of attorney, wills, trusts and special needs. We explain the benefits, risks and opportunities involved with elder law, disability and estate planning and help you implement financial and tax strategies to protect your wealth during your life and afterwards. Michael H. Marks, Esq. member, national academy of elder law attorneys
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Life & Culture How the watermelon wound up on Jennifer Garner’s daughter’s sweatshirt as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism — WORLD — By Ron Kampeas | JTA
W
hen the social media watchdog group StopAntisemitism this week posted a photo of Jennifer Garner’s daughter, it called attention to her sweater, which showed a watermelon cut into the shape of a map. The group took offense at the map — meant to display the shape of Palestine — saying that it “erases the entire country of Israel,” envisioning a Palestinian state in the territory that now encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. StopAntisemitism was mocked by many users for raising alarm over a picture of fruit. But the sweater featured one of many graphics that have established watermelons as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism that dates back decades and has seen a resurgence during Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza. Watermelons are linked with Palestinian activism because their colors — red, black, white and green — match the colors of the Palestinian flag. That symbol became widespread during the decades when Israel banned the waving of the Palestinian flag in Gaza and the West Bank. In lieu of the banner, Palestinians would use pictures of watermelons “as a metaphor for the Palestinian flag and to circumvent the ban,” prominent Palestinian artist Khaled Hourani,
People wave Palestinian flags and hold a picture of a watermelon as they gather for a “Global South United” protest to demand freedom for Palestine in Berlin on Oct. 28.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
who was in his 20s when the first intifada began in 1987, told the Washington Post in 2021. “The watermelon, which was a common crop in the region, became a symbol of political opposition,” reads a recent blog post from Beeri Printing Press, a prestigious Israeli imprint located on Kibbutz Beeri, the site of a massacre by Hamas on Oct. 7. “And so, in place of Palestinian flags, in Gaza and the [West] Bank they drew graffiti and made the watermelon an artistic expression. Where there were no flags, there would be watermelons.” In the 1980s, Sliman Mansour, a Palestinian artist, reportedly had an exhibition shut down by the Israeli military because the works featured the colors of the Palestinian flag. Mansour has
recalled in subsequent years that the officer told him even a picture of a watermelon would be illegal. According to the New York Times, Mansour included a painting of a watermelon in a 1987 book of Palestinian folk tales. Israel allowed the display of the Palestinian flag after the Oslo peace accords in 1993, and contentions over their display receded. But the symbol experienced a revival earlier last year, before the war broke out, when Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far right minister of national security, attempted to ban public displays of the Palestinian flag as the country was being convulsed with protests against far-reaching judicial reforms proposed by the government. In June, the Israeli activist group Zazim
purchased advertisements on shared taxis in Tel Aviv that displayed a watermelon alongside the text “This is not a Palestinian flag.” Watermelon depictions have proliferated since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, and the watermelon emoji has become a signifier of pro-Palestinian sympathies on social media over the last three months. The symbol has in turn sparked controversy for its offensive meaning in another context. The New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America used it on a poster to call out the pro-Israel position of U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the New York Democrat who is the minority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. “Hakeem Jeffries’ constituents demand ceasefire now!” said the poster, with a depiction of a huge watermelon slice, calling for a Nov. 17 rally. That backfired: The fruit is seen as a bigoted reference to Black Americans, something Jeffries’ spokesman seized upon. “The watermelon has long been deployed as a dehumanizing racist trope by white supremacists in America,” Andy Eicher told the New York Post. “In connection with the planned rally targeting our district office, the use of racially inflammatory imagery should come as no surprise given the role NYC-DSA and other gentrifiers have played in aggressively attacking Black elected officials.” PJC
The Jewish Women’s Foundation is pleased to announce its 2023 Grants JEWISH COMMUNITY IMPACT GRANT:
The Jewish Women’s Foundation funds projects that
Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh $25,000
actively effect positive social change for self-identified women and girls through collaborative philanthropy.
JEWISH COMMUNITY KEYSTONE GRANTS:
Individuals who are interested in a more directive approach have the opportunity to collaborate with a cohort of like-minded women to leverage their collective resources to create systematic change. Since 2003, JWF has invested more than $1.8 million in improving the lives of our community’s women and girls.
Interested in learning more? Contact Judy Greenwald Cohen, jcohen@jwfpgh.org
Community Day School $10,000 Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh $5,000 Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh $10,000 Jews for a Secular Democracy $12,040 Underwritten by Trustee Nancy Weissman, in memory of Trustee Jackie Wechsler, z”l
National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section $5,000 Penn State Hillel $6,675 Yeshiva Girls School $10,000
GENERAL COMMUNITY KEYSTONE GRANTS:
Laurie Gottlieb, Co-Chair Barbara Rosenberger, Co-Chair Ilene Fingeret, Grantmaking Co-Chair Gerri Sperling, Grantmaking Co-Chair Judy Greenwald Cohen, Executive Director Stevie Sheridan, Program Associate
Angels’ Place $10,000 Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh $10,000 Eden’s Farm $10,000 Education Law Center $6,000 The Neighborhood Academy $6,000 Open Field $10,000 Ruth’s Way $6,000 Women’s Center & Shelter $6,000 Women’s Law Project $6,000
JWF accepts grant proposals annually beginning in June. Learn more about the above grants or the submission process at jwfpgh.org.
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JANUARY 12, 2024
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Community Bring Them Home
Despite snowy conditions, community members gathered on the corner of Murray Avenue and Darlington Road to demand the release of an estimated 130 hostages in Hamas captivity since Oct. 7.
p Dr. Julius Huebner speaks during the Jan. 7 gathering.
p Dr. Michael Moritz holds a sign in Squirrel Hill.
Photos by Jonathan Dvir
Making waves
The Jewish Community Center in South Hills welcomed dozens of young athletes, friends and family to a swim meet.
p Keeping it cool at the pool
p Zoey Baxter, Nora Halesey and JCC staffer Sarah Grimm are all smiles.
Warming hearts all winter
Our giving community
Photos courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh
Winter Camp at Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh was a “Cosmic Quest for Friendship” as participants soared to new heights at Urban Air Adventure.
p Can’t keep us down.
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Photo courtesy of Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh
Rodef Shalom Temple Youth traveled to Our Giving Kitchen on Dec. 27. The young volunteers helped prepare 100 meals for community members struggling with food insecurity.
p Jia Kim and Sophie Kahn experience the greatness of giving.
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
Photo courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation
JANUARY 12, 2024
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