Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 6-9-23

Testimony continues in the synagogue massacre trial

A new generation of Jewish spiritual leaders confronts gender, identity

By Bob Batz Jr. and Torsten Ove | Contributing Writers

Four-and-a-half years after a man stormed the Tree of Life building, killing 11 people from three congregations — Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life * Or L’Simcha — his trial finally commenced with jury selection on April 24. On May 30, witnesses began testifying.

Killed were Bernice Simon, 84, and her husband Sylvan Simon, 86; Jerry Rabinowitz, 66; David Rosenthal, 54, and his brother, Cecil, 59; Dan Stein, 71; Joyce Fienberg, 75; Irving Younger, 69; Melvin Wax, 87; Richard Gottfried, 65; and Rose Mallinger, 97.

The U.S. government is seeking the federal death penalty for the accused shooter, who told police he attacked because he hates Jews. He faces 63 charges, including the obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs involving an attempt to kill.

The Chronicle published a recap of the testimony presented on Day 1 in its June 2 issue. Here is a recap of Days 2 through 5. For more extensive and up-to-date coverage, go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

the government called was Carol Black, 71. She described being present at a worship service when the attack started and seeing one worshipper get shot while she hid behind a door in a dark room.

She testified that, in a “rededicating” to the Jewish faith in which she was raised, she years earlier had joined the New Light congregation and became involved with her brother, Richard Gottfried. At New Light’s regular Saturday morning services in a rented basement sanctuary in the Tree of Life building, she would join him in serving in the important role of gabbai, standing on both sides of the person reading the Torah to make sure the scripture is read correctly.

On the morning of Oct. 27, she recounted, she was greeted at the building by Tree of Life member Cecil Rosenthal. She was a few minutes late, so she descended the stairs and took her usual seat in the New Light sanctuary with a few other worshippers, while her brother and another member, Dan Stein, talked in the neighboring kitchen. She was pulling from her bag her yarmulke and tallit when she heard loud sounds that appeared to be coming from the first floor.

By David Rullo | Sta Writer

This is the second part of a two-part series.

If marriage and assimilation were prime issues of struggle and concern for Jewish spiritual leaders in the last half of the 20th century, gender and identity might mark the next proving ground for a new generation of Pittsburgh’s Jewish leaders.

“We’re always looking at inclusivity in the way that we use our language,” Temple Sinai Cantor David Reinwald said, referring to the changes spiritual leaders have begun addressing in the Reform movement over the last half-century or so.

Reinwald said that when he celebrated his bar mitzvah, the Avot v’Imahot (opening blessing) at his synagogue didn’t include the matriarchs. By the time his sister became a bat mitzvah just a few years later, that had changed. In the Conservative movement, the female names were included in the last decade of the 20th century.

“Inclusivity,” Reinwald said, “is on a spectrum that I think is beyond whatever we imagined, and sometimes the language

Day 2 : At the federal courthouse, Downtown on May 31, one of the witnesses

 Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Smidga, left, was one of the first to respond to the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting at the Tree of Life buidling. Barry Werber is a survivor of the attack. They were among the many witnesses to testify in the first few days of the trial.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Image by Peggy Marco via Pixabay

Headlines

A Torah leads to a cross-Atlantic relationship for Temple Sinai and Lev Chadash in Milan

— LOCAL

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

Temple Sinai is in a long-distance relationship.

Since 2019, the Pittsburgh Reform congregation has built a relationship through emails, texts and video chats with Lev Chadash, a congregation in Milan, Italy.

They made it official in May under the chuppah in a transatlantic celebration attended by members of both congregations.

Lynn Lazar credits the World Union for Progressive Judaism, where she served on the board of directors, and the organization’s Rabbi Nathan Alfred, for the shidduch.

The origins of the relationship go back to Temple Sinai’s decision to have a new Torah created in honor of retiring Rabbi Jamie Gibson, Lazar said. The congregation knew it would be left with an extra Torah after the project and decided to donate the scroll to a congregation in need of one.

“This was my brainchild,” she explained. “I said, ‘We’re beginning this project for Rabbi Jamie to create a Torah, and we’d like to find a match and donate one of our other Torahs.’”

Lazar’s only requirement was to find a congregation with whom Temple Sinai could build a relationship.

Lev Chadash, Alfred suggested, was in desperate need of a Torah. He thought a pairing might work despite an age difference that might make some suitors blush — Temple Sinai is a 77-year-old

Reform congregation while Lev Chadash is a 20-year-old progressive synagogue.

The Italian congregation had two Torah

The congregation looked into having the latter scroll repaired but couldn’t afford the costly price tag.

they would be able to read the weekly Torah selection.

Having found a match they were excited about, Temple Sinai swept right in, and congregational leaders were soon emailing and Zooming their European counterpart, creating bonds despite having to work through language barriers.

Temple Sinai had the scroll it was planning to donate examined — and repaired where needed — to ensure that it was giving a usable Torah to the Italian congregation. They assumed the donation would occur shortly after it identified Lev Chadash.

“We nurtured the relationship and planned to visit for Simchat Torah in 2020,” Lazar said. “And then, of course, nobody went anywhere in 2020.”

Stymied by the pandemic that prevented travel outside of the country, the two congregations continued to find creative ways to deepen their relationship.

“In 2020, we had a Zoom session in which they talked about and taught what they called their Rosh Hashanah seder,” Barkley said.

In fact, he continued, because of the COVID-19 delay, the relationship between the two congregations grew deeper than would have been possible if Temple Sinai had simply traveled the Atlantic and presented the Torah in 2020.

scrolls, both unreadable in sections, neither kosher. One of the scrolls was a Czech scroll damaged in World War II with holes in it; the other was almost completely illegible.

So damaged were the scrolls, Temple Sinai Executive Director Drew Barkley said, that the congregation had to examine the scrolls each week and decide whether

“The time and dedication that both sides spent for 2½ years in keeping this idea alive and making it happen, and the anticipation and the exchange of communication, enhanced what happened there,” Barkley said.

As often happens in long-distance

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p Temple Sinai representatives joined a procession through Milan, Italy, after donating a Torah scroll to congregation Lev Chadash.

Photo by Dale Lazar

Stymied by the pandemic that prevented travel outside of the country, the two congregations continued to find creative ways to deepen their relationship.

Ribbon-cutting ceremony signals new start to former B’nai Israel

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

Maxine Horn never imagined B’nai Israel Synagogue’s sacred space would shutter. Once it did, she didn’t believe it would spring anew. But on June 1, steps away from where Horn and generations of congregants worshiped, B’nai Israel’s past president joined a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 327 N Negley Ave.

Horn told the Chronicle that The Carina, an apartment community that will soon open on B’nai Israel’s former grounds, is “fantastic.”

“We have gone from strength to strength,” she said.

The Carina is a “45-unit mixedincome environmentally focused housing community,” according to Beacon Communities, the property’s owner.

Taking its name from the Eta Carinae — a star estimated to be 100 times larger than the sun — and the Star of David, which adorns the building’s facade, The Carina will serve as a “bright light here in the Bloomfield neighborhood,” Dara Kovel, Beacon Communities’ CEO, said. “We’re particularly proud to honor this history both within the Jewish and the African American community.”

The $18.5 million adaptive-reuse project is accepting applications for one-, two- and three-bedroom floor plans.

Attendees of the June 1 ceremony were invited to tour a finished apartment complete with towering ceilings, wood plank flooring, large closets and a bright white kitchen.

Of the 45 developed units, 38 will be “income-restricted through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program for 40 years,” Michael Polite, senior vice president at Beacon, said. Eight of the 38 units will be reserved for Allegheny County’s Section 811

program, which is “really about providing support and housing for folks who need a little extra help.”

The 38 income-restricted units will be rented to individuals at rates established by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.

Ensuring affordable housing counters what often occurs with regentrification, Polite explained.

“So much is going on in this community, and people are always — and rightfully so — worried about creating affordable housing resources,” he said. “This is going to be a long-term resource.”

Deborah Berkovitz, Horn’s daughter, attended the ribbon-cutting and told the Chronicle the event was “nostalgic in some ways.”

“I hadn’t been on this property since it closed,” she said. “And to this day, I drive by and say, ‘Oh why, oh why, couldn’t they have saved it somehow?’”

Berkovitz and her sister Annie Weidman reminisced about their mother, father, grandparents and great-grandparents’ contributions to B’nai Israel.

“I know every inch of this building —

every inch of this building — and I am so curious to see what it can become again,” Weidman said.

Transitioning the property into affordable housing is “the best possible outcome,” Berkovitz said. “This is a very vibrant community that isn’t always well treated in the housing area. And part of Judaism is to think about your fellow man and to be a humanist, and this kind of takes those ideals to the next generation of owners of this property.”

Although the June 1 program showcased The Carina, restorative efforts are also underway in B’nai Israel’s former sanctuary.

The Henry Hornbostel-designed space, which is being called “The Rotunda,” will feature a site for performing arts, community gatherings and events, explained Richard Swartz, Bloomfield Garfield Corporation’s executive director.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Swartz described the relationship between Bloomfield Garfield and Beacon Communities: Bloomfield Garfield has a sales agreement with 327 NN LLC — the Pennsylvania domestic limited-liability

company is owned by Beacon Communities — that allows the sale of The Rotunda to Bloomfield Garfield for $100 next April if Bloomfield Garfield can successfully raise “the first $1 million for the project.”

In total, Bloomfield Garfield plans to raise nearly $15 million to restore the property and enable it to best serve residents, Swartz said.

The goal is for The Rotunda to be a “multipurpose flexible space that is affordable for people to rent,” without fixed seating, where “we can assemble 50 chairs for a meeting in the morning and 150 chairs and tables for an event later on in the day,” Swartz said.

“We don’t have a space that’s a gathering space for everybody in this part of the city,” he continued. “You have something like that in Squirrel Hill with the JCC where people can come together and participate in any kind of event — whether it’s a wedding, whether it’s a memorial service, whether it’s some kind of cultural event. We’re very hard-pressed now in the East End for that kind of space.”

Swartz said he hopes the ribboncutting event, and the community’s desire for affordable housing, “raises the profile of this project” and serves as the “start of a major fundraising effort.”

“I think there’s an interest in keeping this landmark structure. East Liberty has lost a lot of this over the last 30, 35, 40 years,” he said. “You can look at photographs of East Liberty in 1930 and 1940, and a lot of what was there then is gone. We don’t want to lose this building. Not just because of the physical representation that it is in our community, but also because of the historic events, the lives, the many people who came through this building over the years. When you lose all that connection, and that fabric just seems to disappear, then nobody really understands what is this neighborhood about and where is this neighborhood going.” PJC

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

p Annie Weidman, Maxine Horn and Deborah Berkovitz stand beside The Carina. Photo by Adam Reinherz

p The Carina signage

Photo by Adam Reinherz p The Rotunda and The Carina occupy the former B’nai Israel.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

Local day camps eye improvements as summer approaches

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

Sunscreen smeared across young faces is a constant from one summer to the next, but as thousands of area children prepare for familiar outdoor experiences, local camp directors are focusing on changes.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Rachael Speck said families can expect to see an increase in “inclusion efforts among our day camp programs.”

Whether it’s master’s degree-level interns or inclusion specialists, the JCC is committed to embedding “additional support on site” for campers and staff, Speck said.

Evolve Coaching, a Pittsburgh-based organization that provides individualized support to more than 250 neurodiverse young adults annually, is among those aiding the JCC this summer, Speck added.

Founded in 2014, Evolve has offered one-on-one assistance to help students with “executive function, self-advocacy, and social fulfillment as well as work-readiness” according to the group’s 2022 annual report.

It’s critical that staff isn’t only successful in their roles at camp, but that they can “improve their professional skills for future jobs as well,” Speck said.

In a related measure, the JCC recently hired Jamie Scott as assistant director of staff engagement. The full-time position, according to Speck, ensures that staff is trained for the summer and “appreciated year round.”

Because of the pandemic, hiring and keeping staff presented a recent challenge.

“Having that dedicated position has had a positive impact not only on our ability to recruit but to retain our staff from previous summers,” Speck said.

Rabbi Yisroel Altein, executive director of Camp Gan Izzy, similarly credited a new hire with ensuring that the summer exceeds expectations.

“Nechama Gorkin, our new camp director, is really making sure the program is up to date,” Altein said.

Weeks remain until a deluge of happy campers arrives with hats and sunblock in tow, but Altein said excitement is already

brewing at Gan Izzy.

This summer, the popular camp is operating at Community Day School. By using the spacious Jewish day school’s grounds as its base, Gan Izzy becomes an easier logistical experience for many families, Altein explained.

“It’s making it super-local for a majority of our [campers], especially for the younger children,” he said. “Some of them go to CDS during the year, so this allows them to be in a place they are comfortable with, and used to, which makes the transition from school to camp easier.”

Rabbi Sam Weinberg, Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh’s principal, appreciates the transition from school to camp.

“Hillel Camp is a nice complement to the education that students receive at Hillel Academy,” he said. “It is a place where they can take all the values and lessons they learn in school and apply them to different aspects of their life, where they can grow their Jewish identities and learn that Jewish values don’t just occur in the classroom but take part in color war, on the ball field or during such other fun activities and things.”

For the past year, Hillel Academy has been under construction to facilitate a

“record enrollment;” and while the sights and sounds of building will continue this summer, he said, the joy of camp won’t be diminished.

Campers are slated to visit Kennywood, the Incline and Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, but Weinberg is particularly excited about one summer staple: T-shirts.

Like most day camps, Hillel plans on providing its campers and staff with an identifiable piece of swag.

“People don’t have enough T-shirts, especially brightly colored T-shirts,” he said. “What’s great about these is that if you want to take your kid to the pool afterwards, and your child is wearing one of our camp T-shirts, you can be like ‘Hey, there’s my kid.’”

Educators and camp directors keenly understand camp’s value. As summer rapidly approaches, however, they hope parents and campers don’t just prepare for an amazing set of sun-filled weeks but embrace the other gifts camp offers.

“Our main focus of camp is giving kids an exciting and fun time being Jewish,” Altein said. “Some kids get that from school, but I think most kids need a camp setting to be proud of being Jewish, to be happy being Jewish and to have fun being Jewish.”

“What continues to be really special and unique about the camp experience is kids and even staff have an opportunity to step away from the stress of daily life,” Speck said. “We employ a large number of teens — and as we all know there is a teen mental health crisis going on in this country — and camp provides camp and staff real authentic opportunities to build relationships and to get outside. Those things are timeless no matter how much the world continues to change.”

New programming and an increased focus on inclusion represent updates for this summer, but the core values remain unchanged. Camp is a place where children and staff can “try new things and develop new skills that are going to prepare them for young adulthood, for college, for a career later on, whatever that journey might look like,” she continued. “I think camp, especially the way we do things, provides such a safe and supportive environment for those new relationships to develop and for people to grow as individuals in their own authentic ways. That’s the key.” PJC

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

Chronicle to receive four Simon Rockower Awards

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle will be recognized with four Simon Rockower Awards for Excellence in Jewish Journalism from the American Jewish Press Association.

Staff writer David Rullo and freelance journalist Justin Vellucci will be honored for their work in 2022.

The exact category and award

placements will be announced at an awards banquet held in conjunction with the American Jewish Press Association’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, Sunday, July 9 - Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

The AJPA received more than 1,180 entries this year, a recordbreaking number. PJC

p Enjoying the outdoors at JCC's J&R Day Camp

Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

Toby Tabachnick

p David Rullo File photo

p Justin Vellucci File photo

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

How do you celebrate 50 years of anything?

With a party, of course. And if you’re Jewish, the celebration is bound to include some form of Torah study.

That’s exactly what Temple David’s Rabbi Barbara Symons had in mind when she decided to commemorate Rabbi Sally Priesand as the first woman in the United States ordained as a Reform rabbi in 1972.

Symons said she initially reached out to her female colleagues at the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium, who liked the idea and wanted to participate. They then extended an invitation to local Jewish spiritual leaders, including cantors, and the Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania. A committee was created to plan the celebration.

In the end, more than 30 female spiritual leaders met on June 1 at Temple David to celebrate Priesand and her legacy.

“We thought, ‘OK, how can we celebrate women’s ordination given that some Protestants have been doing so for a long time?” Symons said. “We thought, ‘What could work here?’”

As it turned out, Symons’ Christian associates wanted to learn more about Jewish prayer, so the midmorning event began with prayers led by Symons and Rabbi Sharyn Henry of Rodef Shalom Congregation. Cantor Stefanie Greene chanted from the week’s Torah portion.

“It happened to be Parsha Naso, which has the priestly benediction — they would all be familiar with it,” Symons said. “The happenstance of that being the week’s Torah portion is beautiful because everyone shared that in some way.”

The spiritual leaders then gathered in small groups to discuss various topics. The first round included a conversation about “Women and Sacred Text.” The second round was focused on “What Women Bring to History,” followed by “Your Personal Journey as Women Clergy.”

The program ended with a prayer following lunch.

In addition to paying tribute to five decades of female ordination in the Reform movement, Symons said, the idea was to bring people together to gain insight, share laughter and

build relationships.

To that end, she said, the afternoon was filled with both old and new connections.

One surprise for Symons was hearing Rabbi Emily Meyer present “What Women Bring to Ordination, Including a Quick History.” The subject was especially relevant for Meyer, a South Hills rabbi whose rabbinic thesis, “Sally Forth: An Analytical Study of the Experiences of the Pioneering Women of the Reform Rabbinate,” looked at female rabbis ordained from 1972 until 1981.

Meyer said that she enjoyed the event because she doesn’t yet have many deep relationships with Pittsburgh rabbis.

“It was really wonderful to get to make those connections and get to see people in person and not just on Zoom,” she said.

Meyer said she appreciated the opportunity to share stories, not just with Jewish clergy, but with spiritual leaders of different faiths.

“It was nice to have that communality. Even though we come from different faith traditions, we have similar experiences,” she said.

The Rev. Liddy Barlow is the executive minister of Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania. She was ordained in the United Church of Christ, a denomination whose tradition of ordaining women goes back to 1853, when Antoinette Brown was ordained — the first female pastor, according to the church’s website, to achieve that status since biblical times.

Barlow said there is some evidence of women in leadership positions since the New Testament, when Paul refers to some as “Deacon” in a letter. That title is a kind of ordination in the Christian tradition, Barlow said.

During the 1960s and 1970s, she said, the first generation of women leaders began to be ordained in the Protestant, Episcopalian and Lutheran faiths.

“I was ordained in 2008,” Barlow said. “In the progressive Protestant church, that puts me in the second generation of women who were ordained in large numbers.”

And while many women can be ordained across Christian faiths, Barlow said it wasn’t always so easy.

“There were Christian churches around the world that formally approved the ordination of women and then a few decades later took them

p Cantor Stefanie Green chants from the Torah during an event celebrating 50 years of women being ordained in the Reform movement. Photo by the Rev. Liddy Barlow

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 SUNDAY, JUNE 11

Rendezvous in Rodef Shalom’s garden for a free live performance with The Boilermaker Jazz Band Enjoy drinks and hors d’ouvres as they bring the swinging sounds of the Jazz Age back to life. 6 p.m. rodefshalom.org.

q SUNDAYS, JUNE 11, SEPT. 10

Join Congregation Beth Shalom for “Toward Friendship and Discovery: Conversations Between Christians and Jews” as they read portions of “The Bible With and Without Jesus” together in small interfaith groups. The program is limited to 50 Jewish and 50 Christian participants. Child care will be provided. All food offerings will be kosher or otherwise labeled for mutual comfort. Registration is required. $100/per person. BethShalomPgh.org/Interfaith-Program-2023.

q SUNDAYS, JUNE 11 – DEC. 3

Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for its Men’s Tefillin Club. Enjoy bagels, lox and tefillin on the first Sunday of the month. 8:30 a.m. chabadpgh.com.

q SUNDAYS, JUNE 11 – DEC. 17

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 MONDAY, JUNE 12

Join the Women of Temple Sinai for Make ‘n’ Eat Monday Nights — A Year of Spices. The instructor will lead students in making a meal so everyone can eat together and taste the featured spice. 6 p.m. $15. templesinaipgh.org/event/spicecooking.html.

q MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, JUNE 12 – JULY 12

The Jewish people has given the world a range of extraordinary gifts. Without Jews, these amazing contributions might not exist at all. In the 10-part series, The Gift of the Jews, Rabbi Danny Schiff will detail the most significant 10 gifts that Jews have given to civilization and will explain their importance to humanity as a whole. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. $140. jewishpgh.org/event/the-gifts-of-thejews/2023-06-12.

q MONDAYS, JUNE 12 – DEC. 18

Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org.

q TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, JUNE 13 – JUNE 27

In the lead-up to Tisha B’Av, Rabbi Danny Schiff invites you to join him in a study of the Book of Lamentations and the powerful insights that it offers. This new course explores the history and the context of a book that is filled with tribulations. What lessons can we learn today from Lamentations and from the destruction of Jewish sovereignty that took place so long ago? $70. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. jewishpgh.org/event/the-bookof-lamentations/2023-06-13.

q TUESDAYS, JUNE 13 – DEC. 19

Join Temple Sinai for a weekly Talmud class with Rabbi Daniel Fellman. Noon. On site and online. For more information and for the Zoom link, contact Temple Sinai at 412-421-9715.

Join Women of Temple Sinai for Yoga at Temple Sinai, a relaxing class taught by certified yoga teacher Bre Kernick. All levels welcome. No experience required. Ages 16 and older. 7 p.m. $15 a session. templesinaipgh.org/ programs-events.

q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14

Gather with the 10.27 Healing Partnership for Crafting for

Antisemitic messages found in Pittsburgh neighborhoods

— LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

White supremacist messaging was found in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods in the lead-up to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial and after testimony began last week.

Most recently, about 15 stickers were discovered on utility poles and other surfaces in Wightman Park in Squirrel Hill, according to Shawn Brokos, director of community security for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Flyers and stickers were also found in separate incidents in both Squirrel Hill and Oakland, she said.

“They are essentially saying that white people are the superior race,” Brokos said. “The rhetoric is akin to the Holocaust, but it is equal-opportunity hate so anyone who is non-white is essentially being targeted by the flyers and stickers.”

Those responsible, she said, are organizations using the trial as a means to attract attention to their cause.

At least 20 people reported finding the flyers or stickers.

“The scope was very targeted,” Brokos said, “maybe particular blocks, not a large swatch of area but certainly targeted at different areas.”

Despite the messages of hate and increased online chatter, Brokos said there are no known immediate threats to the community. Both Federation and law enforcement agencies are working diligently and proactively to mitigate any potential danger.

All suspicious or antisemitic activity, including flyers and stickers, should be reported to law enforcement and the Federation, Brokos said. Photos of the messages found should be included in the report before being removed.

Incidents can be reported online at jewishpgh.org/form/incident-report.

“If they go to that website, as much detail that can be provided is really helpful to us,” Brokos said.

Brokos anticipates the messages will continue throughout the trial.

“I want to assure the community that we’re aware of the people behind this and we’re monitoring it carefully,” she said. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Union Progress in a collaboration supported by funding from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

Comfort: Sewing Volunteering Project for Court to sew simple projects to bring comfort to the families, survivors, and witnesses of the Oct. 27, 2018, synagogue shooting during trial. Create small plush objects out of fabric that can be used at court as stress balls to squeeze and hold. These objects will go to court to provide a little bit of comfort and as a reminder of the community’s care. No experience needed. Instructions and materials provided. 5 p.m. forms.gle/zB49Tojior7zCqNX9.

q WEDNESDAYS, JUNE 14 – DEC. 20

Join AgeWell for an intergenerational family dynamics discussion group. Whether you have family harmony or strife, these discussions are going to be thoughtprovoking and helpful. Led by intergenerational specialist/ presenter and educator Audree Schall. Third Wednesday of each month. Free. 12:30 p.m. South Hills JCC.

q WEDNESDAYS, JUNE 14 – DEC. 27

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 412421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link.

q MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS, JULY 17 – AUG. 2

There has never been an age in Jewish history without internal Jewish controversies. In the six-part series Contemporary Jewish Controversies, Rabbi Danny Schiff will lead robust discussions about significant Jewish controversies that echo across the contemporary Jewish landscape, including Zoom prayer, intermarried rabbis, the death penalty for acts of terror against Israelis and much more. $85. Mondays and Wednesdays. 9:30 a.m. jewishpgh.org/event/contemporary-jewishcontroversies/2023-07-17.

q TUESDAY, JUNE 20

Hairdressers, professional mourners and magical healers

find their spotlight in “Women in Talmud: Who Would You Be in the Third Century,” new presentation from scholar Olivia Devorah Tucker. How does our Talmud — the conversations of the first generations of rabbis — discuss the lives of women over 1,500 years ago? What experiences are timeless? Which lost practices could enhance our lives today? 7 p.m. rodefshalom.org.

q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

The Squirrel Hill AARP will hold its end of the year annual luncheon and installation of officers. Matt Sigler will perform a comedy/magic show. Those planning to attend should contact Gerri Linder at 412-421-5868 before June 5. 12:30 p.m. $26.25 Roma Bistro Restaurant, 2104 Ardmore Blvd.

q SUNDAY, JUNE 25

Shaare Torah Congregation and archivist Eric Lidji host a special Hill District Jewish History tour by trolley featuring sites and stories significant to the shul’s history. 10:30 a.m. $36 per person. RSVP by June 16. shaaretorah. net/event/jewish-history-tour.html.

q WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28

Young children and their grown-ups are invited to join Rodef Shalom librarian Sam Siskind for a story in the Biblical Botanical Garden followed by a crafty activity. 12:45 p.m. Free. rodefshalom.org/garden.

q THURSDAY, JUNE 29

Ethnobotanist Dr. Jon Greenberg will present how the study of how people use plants can help us better understand the Torah, from identifying the plants and other natural phenomena mentioned in the Tanach, to using information about these plants to shed light on their use in prophetic metaphor. 2 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave.

q WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

Join Rodef Shalom on the first Wednesday of the month for free, docent-led tours of its Biblical Botanical Garden. For groups of eight or more, please contact biblicalgarden@rodefshalom.org to schedule a tour. Noon. Free. rodefshalom.org/garden. PJC

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its June 11 discussion of “Judaism in a Digital Age” by Rabbi Danny Schiff. From Amazon.com: “What is the next chapter in Judaism’s story, the next step in its journey? The dramatic changes of recent decades invite us to explore what role Judaism is to play in this new era. As the digital future becomes the present, Danny Schiff makes the case that the period known as ‘modernity’ has come to an end. Noting the declining strength of Conservative and Reform Judaism, the largest U.S. Jewish movements of modernity, he argues for new iterations of Judaism to arise in response to the myriad of weighty questions that now confront us about what it means to be human.”

Your Hosts:

Toby Tabachnick, editor of the Chronicle

David Rullo, Chronicle staff writer

How and When:

We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, June 11, at noon.

What To Do Buy: “Judaism in a Digital Age.” It is available from online retailers including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Email: Contact us at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line. We will send you a Zoom link for the discussion meeting.

Happy reading! PJC — Toby Tabachnick

Lawyer who represents the ‘worst of the worst’ leads defense in synagogue massacre trial

— LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

When Judy Clarke delivered her opening statement to the jury that will determine the fate of the man charged with committing the massacre in the Tree of Life building, she did not deny that her client was responsible.

In fact, she sympathized with the victims and their families.

Clarke, 71, began her address by acknowledging the horror of Oct. 27, 2018, and its aftermath.

“The tragedy that brings us together today,” she said in a soft-spoken yet confident voice, is “almost incomprehensible. It’s inexcusable. … Eleven lives were taken, others shattered. The loss that occurred is immeasurable.”

She told the jury there was “no disagreement, no doubt” about the identity of the perpetrator. It was “the man seated at that table,” she said, indicating her client. “He shot every person he saw and, in the process, injured others in their sacred spaces.”

Clarke was appointed to Robert Bowers’ defense team in December 2018, after he requested the counsel of a federal public defender specializing in death penalty cases. He faces 63 criminal counts related to his attack on congregations Dor Hadash, New Light and Tree of Life * Or L’Simcha. Many of the charges carry the death penalty.

As the trial proceeds, Clarke won’t try to convince the jury her client isn’t guilty. A “win” for her defense team will be for the defendant to avoid a death sentence and instead have him remain in prison for the rest of his life.

Clarke has vast experience defending those who some call “the worst of the worst.” Her roster of past clients includes Susan Smith, who murdered her two young sons by drowning them in a lake in South Carolina; Theodore Kaczynski, otherwise known as the Unabomber; Buford Furrow, a white supremacist who opened fire in a Jewish Community Center outside of Los Angeles; Eric Rudolph, who planted a bomb in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympics; and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the perpetrator of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Except for Tsarnaev — whose case is under appeal — Clarke succeeded in avoiding a death sentence for all her clients, either by negotiating a plea deal or by convincing the jury that mitigating factors — such as a mental illness — precluded imposition of the ultimate punishment.

Clarke’s team tried to negotiate a deal for a life sentence for Bowers in exchange for a guilty plea but was unsuccessful. Four-and-a-half years after the most violent antisemitic attack in U.S. history, the three-week jury selection process commenced on April 24 and testimony began on May 30.

“This is not a straightforward murder case,” Clarke told the jury in her opening statement. The federal charges — which include obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death — must be proved by showing the

defendant had the requisite intent to commit those particular crimes, she said.

She acknowledged that her client’s actions on Oct. 27, 2018, were “reprehensible” and “misguided” and recounted his virulent social media postings and other rantings about Jews. But she also portrayed him as “quiet” and “socially awkward, a man with few friends.” He didn’t live on his own until he was 44, she said, and his family saw him as someone “more likely to commit suicide than kill others.”

It’s clear that Clarke is appalled by her client’s actions. It’s also clear that she is determined to see that his rights are protected and that the judge and the jury faithfully apply the rule of law.

“Judy is one of the best lawyers I’ve ever known,” said Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angles and a former federal prosecutor. “She works insanely hard. She spends the time with the clients that she needs to. She doesn’t believe in the death penalty, and she’s devoted herself to representing people who are, you know — ‘the Voyage of the Damned’ is what she would say.”

Levenson, who has known Clarke for three decades, described her as “honest” and “very humble.”

“She doesn’t stand against the victims,” Levenson stressed. “I think she actually feels very much for the tragedy that occurred. But she has a job to do, which is to try to save her client’s life. And she does it with integrity.”

The two met during the Unabomber case, when Clarke was representing Kaczynski and Levenson was a legal commentator for CBS. Kaczynski at first resisted a plea deal sentencing him to life in prison because he did not want to admit to mental health issues.

“She had a very difficult client, one that I think a lot of people would just sort of throw up their hands and say, ‘What can I do?’” Levenson recalled. “And she was able to get him to agree to that plea, which probably saved his life.”

Ted Kaczynski’s brother, David Kaczynski, praised Clarke for her ability to see humanity, even in those who have committed unspeakable atrocities.

“She has a really good heart, a really good intention,” David Kaczynski said. “I think she really cares about her clients. I think she has a kind of unconditional commitment to their humanity. And, of course, that meant a lot to me, because as much as I deplore what my brother did in harming people, I love him.

He’s my brother.”

“So it’s a very fine line to walk, representing the client who has clearly got some serious personal problem,” David Kaczynski continued. “Ted was quite a loner. He was very shy. He had a very difficult time connecting with anybody. And in this very difficult situation, Judy was able to be there for him, and I think that was really meaningful for Ted, that he had some support some human connection at this time of crisis in his life.”

David Kaczynski has followed Clarke’s career and continues to be impressed with her “professionalism and sense of humility.”

“I think the legal profession is trained to be strictly analytical and adversarial,” he said. “And she somehow works within this environment in a way that preserves her humanity as she’s trying to make people aware of the humanity of someone whose very right to exist is in question.”

Some question whether a person who has committed a heinous crime deserves a zealous defense. Levenson insists they do.

Our judicial system is “best served” when capital defendants are provided with a high-caliber defense, Levenson said, because “it’s in these situations where people are so emotionally invested that we can get it wrong.”

In addition to being a former prosecutor, Levenson created the Loyola Project for the Innocent, which works to get those who are serving sentences for crimes they did not commit out of jail.

“I’ve seen firsthand that there are far too many lawyers who just immediately assume that their client’s not only guilty but should get the most severe punishment — that there’s nothing to be said on their client’s behalf,” Levenson said. “And you and I both know there’s a lot more to any given case, and that even people who do terrible crimes have other aspects of their lives that the justice system should consider.”

“In our system, we are supposed to consider each case, each individual, the facts, and not only determine whether someone’s guilty but what should happen to them,” she continued. “And that works well. When you have a lawyer who’s just going through the motions — and the one thing you can say about Judy is she doesn’t just go through the motions — I think the public can have more confidence in the verdict. As long as that lawyer is acting honestly and with integrity, it’s so much better to have that zealous advocate.”

The massacre at the Tree of Life building “was just a terrible, terrible, terrible tragedy,” said

Levenson, who is Jewish. Clarke “will do her best to keep the case in perspective. In other words, focus not on big messages, but on this individual and any mitigating factors for this individual.”

Jon B. Gould, the dean of the School of Social Ecology at the University of California-Irvine, has researched attorneys who specialize in death penalty cases. In 2019, along with Maya Barak, he published “Capital Defense: Inside the Lives of America’s Death Penalty Lawyers,” a book based on extensive interviews, providing insight into the reasons someone would willingly represent a person who has committed an egregious crime.

“They are an unusual kind of lawyer,” Gould said. “They’re actually an unusual kind of person because for many of these cases, they are representing what is sometimes said to be ‘the worst of the worst.’”

There are a variety of motivating factors for capital defense work, Gould said. Some of these lawyers are strongly opposed to state-sanctioned killing. For others, “it is the excitement of the most complicated kind of law.”

Other death penalty specialists take these cases for “professional prestige,” and some do it for the money because capital defense lawyers get paid more than regular defense lawyers. Some take these cases for religious reasons.

“Now, that’s all in the larger context of none of these lawyers looks at the facts of the case and thinks it’s anything other than a horrific tragedy,” Gould stressed. “I also found that for many of them, they are entirely sympathetic to the family members of the victims. They don’t look at these cases and think, no big deal. They look at these cases and think that’s something horrible that happened to the victim’s family, but they also look at the defendant and think, as one of them said to me, ‘No one gets to this place of being the defendant without having something horrible having happened to them earlier in life.’”

Death penalty cases are “really, really, really hard on defense lawyers,” Gould added. “It’s really distressing work. The evidence that they have to pore through is horrific. Many of them have PTSD.”

While many people “look at defense lawyers and think there must be something wrong with them,” Gould thinks it’s essential to remember “that they are fulfilling a very important function in the criminal justice system that none of us would ever want to have to do.”

“That doesn’t mean that any of us is unsympathetic to the victims,” he emphasized. “No one deserves what’s happened in any of these cases. But if we do believe in the rule of law, then there needs to be capital defense lawyers. And we need to respect the work they’re doing because that’s what it means to live in a system of rule of law and not simply a system where we simply execute people in the town square without the opportunity to have a defense.” PJC

Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Union Progress in a collaboration supported by funding from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

p Judy Clarke Chronicle screenshot courtesy of KDKA-TV

Antony Blinken tells AIPAC Israel-Saudi ties are a priority while 2-state solution ‘can feel remote’

By Ron Kampeas | JTA

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is fully invested in Israel-Saudi normalization, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC on Monday. He also said he does not see a breakthrough in IsraeliPalestinian peace happening anytime soon.

“The United States has a real national security interest in promoting normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Blinken said Monday to applause at a policy summit of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

He said it was critical not to escalate the IsraelPalestinian conflict but also made it clear that the Biden administration would not push for a revival of peace talks in the near term. “It’s no secret that today the prospects for a two-state solution can feel remote,” he said. “But we are committed to working with partners and with the parties to at least maintain a horizon of hope.”

The emphasis on regional normalization over pushing Israel into reengagement with the Palestinians will be welcomed in Jerusalem, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading the most right-wing government in Israeli history, and has intensified Israeli claims to disputed territory.

Netanyahu additionally has said his foreign policy priority is a deal with Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration last year helped broker the launch of Israeli overflights of Saudi air space.

Blinken formally announced that the Biden administration would name a senior official to manage the Abraham Accords, the 2020 normalization agreements between Israel and four Arab nations that was a signature foreign policy achievement of the Trump administration, and one of the few Trump policies embraced by Biden.

“We will soon create a new position to further our diplomacy and engagement with governments and private sector, non-governmental organizations, all working toward a more peaceful and a more connected region,” he said. “We’ve already achieved historic progress to deepen and broaden the Abraham Accords, building on the work of the Trump administration.”

Biden has already chosen former ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro for the role, Axios reported last month. Shapiro is already leading an Abraham Accords expansion initiative at the influential Atlantic Council think tank.

Among the agenda items for the 500 AIPAC activists when they visit most of the offices in Congress on Tuesday is lobbying for the passage of bills that would advance the Abraham Accords, through diplomacy and cooperative projects.

Blinken emphasized continuing Biden administration unhappiness with some Israeli

practices that have intensified under the new Israeli government, including the demolition of Palestinian homes and settlement expansion.

He also emphatically condemned the Palestinian Authority’s policies of subsidizing the families of terrorists who were imprisoned or killed in the course of their actions.

“We have to continue to reject unequivocally actions taken by any party that undermine the process toward a two-state solution [and] ... acts of terrorism, payments to terrorists in prison, violence against civilians,” he said. Israeli and pro-Israel officials have long complained that pressure on Israel not to escalate is not matched with similar pressure on the Palestinians.

Blinken also alluded to Biden administration concerns about plans by Netanyahu’s government — suspended for the time being — to radically overhaul the courts system.

“We’ll continue to work with the Israeli

government to advance our shared values will continue to express our support for core democratic principles, including the separation of powers, checks and balances and the equal administration of justice for all citizens of Israel,” he said.

Opponents of the proposed changes, who have been staging massive weekly protests in Israel and smaller demonstrations around the world, say the overhaul would sap the courts of their independence and remove a bulwark that protects democracy and vulnerable populations, including women, Arabs, the LGBTQ community and non-Orthodox Jews. The courts overhaul is one reason Biden has yet to invite Netanyahu to the White House.

AIPAC’s agenda also includes bills that would further isolate Iran, which Israel regards as its most dangerous enemy. At the outside of his term, Biden sought to revive the deal with Iran that exchanged its agreement to roll back its nuclear development in exchange for sanctions relief; Trump had pulled out of the deal.

More recently, U.S. officials have said Iranian actions, including advanced nuclear activity and its backing for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, have put a freeze on those plans. Blinken said diplomacy remains the preferred way to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but he said pressure was the preferred method for now. Deterrence, he said to applause, “includes strengthening Israel’s military capabilities.” PJC

PROBATE AND ESTATE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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.

If I Die Without A Will, Will The State Of Pennsylvania Take My Property?

No, if you die without a will, or “intestate,” your property goes to your “heirs” under Pennsylvania law –your closest family relatives. But if you have no family relatives, your estate could be forfeit or “escheat” to the Commonwealth. (The lesson? Make your own choices! Otherwise it’s like letting some clowns in Harrisburg decide who will inherit from you.)

I’m Named In Someone’s Will As The Executor. Am I The Executor Already?

No, you are named to become the executor, but to be officially appointed you have to file the paperwork including probating the will, show ID and a death certificate, pay the file fee, and raise your right hand and swear the oath to lawfully administer the estate. Then you will have the come appointed as the executor.

What’s The Difference Between An Executor And Administrator?

An executor is named in a Will, while an administrator is appointed when there is no will (or sometimes when those named in the will cannot serve). The powers and duties are almost the same.

I Had My Daughter’s Name On My Bank Account. She Died Before Me. Do I Owe tax On My Own Money?

Unfortunately, unbelievably, yes! You owe tax on inheriting back half of your own money from your daughter! The PA inheritance tax rule about joint accounts is hard and fast, based on just the names on the account. There are no exceptions for pleading that

it was all your money, and not hers.

My Dad Left Me A Car Owned, Titled And Registered in His Name Only. Do I Have To Go Through The Whole Probate Estate Procedure Just To Get Title To The Car?

No. PennDOT doesn’t make too many things easy in life, but you can use a PennDOT form to change title to a car owned by the decedent only, without opening probate. Even though it sounds exactly like a probate asset – owned, titled, and registered to the person who died only – there are exceptions, such as this one.

My Deadbeat Brother, who Paid no Rent, was Living In Mom’s House When She Died and is Still There. Can He Stay?

It’s complicated, but yes, under PA law, when an heir or a beneficiary to whom real estate is specifically bequeathed lived in the home with the permission of the owner at the time they died, they have some (not clearly defined) right to stay, and generally without paying rent. Court cases and judges in the past have said that a reasonable time to stay might be from six months up to even multiple years, but it’s determined at the discretion of the court.

After My Grandma Died In a Nursing Home, The Commonwealth Claimed The Property She Left Behind. Can They Do That?

Yes. When someone who died was in a nursing home with Medicaid paying for them, under the Medicaid “Estate Recovery” program, Pennsylvania can claim reimbursement for Medicaid long-term care costs advanced - if there is no beneficiary or co-owner to the property.

After My Grandpa Died In The Nursing Home, The Nursing Home Sued Me! Do I Have To Pay?

Under PA’s “Filial Responsibility Law,” a care facility can sue a spouse, parent or child (but not a grandchild) of an “indigent” patient for unpaid costs of care. But there are protections written in the law for you, too.

A Will Says I Am To Inherit Something but I Don’t Want It. Can I Refuse It?

Yes, you can “disclaim” something – the opposite of claiming it – in writing, but only if you haven’t already accepted benefit or value, or exercised control over the property already.

The Will Also Says I Am To Be In Charge As Executor, But I Don’t Want To Do That Either. Can I Refuse?

Yes, you can “renounce” your right to serve, and even say who you want to be appointed in your place. This is true whether you are named in a will as an Executor, or are in line to be appointed as an Administrator as an heir, but not named in a Will.

I Live In A House I Inherited From My Aunt But

I Never Changed It To Become The Owner Of Record. What Do I Need To Do?

Ordinarily you would need to open a probate estate and have someone appointed as Executor or

Administrator deed the house to you (and also do all the other required paperwork and tax returns). If a longer period of time has gone by, there may be a shortcut method, but you will not acquire good and clear and marketable title right away, as you would if you did the full-scale probate paperwork.

Person Who Died Had My Name On All Their Accounts With Them As A Joint Owner. Why Do I Still Have To Pay Inheritance Tax?

Under PA law you have to pay inheritance tax at the applicable rate, depending on how you are related, on the net value of the fractional interest that you inherited, after the bills are paid. (If an account was made joint less than a year before the date of death, the whole value will be still subject to tax.)

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.

With the increasing costs of long-term care, having the help of a legal professional when planning for your family’s future can help you make better decisions that can result in keeping more of your money.

We help families understand the strategies, the benefits, and risks involved with elder law, disability and estate planning.

 Secretary of State Antony Blinken addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee annual policy summit Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., on June 5. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Headlines

Sacklers, Jewish family behind OxyContin, will pay $6B in deal shielding them from lawsuits

The Sackler family, the Jewish billionaires whose marketing of the painkiller drug OxyContin fueled the United States’ ongoing opioid epidemic, will receive full immunity from all civil legal claims in exchange for spending up to $6 billion on addiction treatment and prevention programs, JTA.org reported.

The decision to grant immunity by a federal appeals court panel on May 30 effectively ends the thousands of civil lawsuits that have been filed against Purdue Pharma, the Sacklers’ company, over opioid deaths.

But it clears the way for the company to declare bankruptcy, a move considered essential to a plan to pay out billions of dollars to help states and communities address the opioid crisis.

The Sackler name was a regular presence in philanthropic circles until the opioid lawsuits began building up in 2019, at which point many cultural institutions began refusing the family’s donations and removing their name from buildings. The Jewish artist and activist Nan Goldin spearheaded a grassroots movement opposing the family for years.

One notable beneficiary of the Sacklers, Tel Aviv University, has resisted pressure to drop the Sackler name from its medical school — though the American-facing wing of its medical school quietly removed the Sackler name from its marketing materials last year.

Israeli health ministry calls out Elon Musk for sharing ‘fake news’ on COVID-19

Israel’s health ministry tweeted that Elon Musk was engaging with “fake news” regarding COVID-19 data, the third Israeli government ministry to comment on the Twitter owner’s views in recent weeks, JTA.org reported.

Musk had replied to a tweet from Zero Hedge, a far-right blog site that features conspiracy theories and has been accused of spreading Russian propaganda. The tweet claimed Israeli data showed “zero young healthy individuals died of COVID-19.” The billionaire businessman wrote “Zero ...”

The health ministry responded: “Elon, unfortunately this is not what the whole data shows. Fake news is dangerous. Israel Ministry of Health was asked on chronic disease data and explained that we don’t have access to clinical records.”

Israeli minister cancels LA speech due to protests and ‘bad vibes’

An Israeli government minister canceled a speech in Los Angeles in the face of a protest, in part over what the local Israeli consul described as “bad vibes,” JTA.org reported.

Ofir Akunis, Israel’s science and technology minister and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, was due to speak on May 30 at an event at BioscienceLA, a Los Angeles-area center for life science innovation. He arrived in the country ahead of the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York City on June 4, where he marched as part of a delegation of Israeli government officials.

Today in Israeli History

— WORLD —

Items are provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.

June 9, 1856 — Labor advocate

A.D. Gordon is born

Aharon David (A.D.) Gordon is born in Ukraine. He moves to Ottoman Palestine in 1903 and becomes a farmworker. He is a founder of the Hapoel Hatzair labor movement.

June 10, 1964

— National Water Carrier begins pumping

By Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli Government Press Office

June 12, 1948 — Jews in Tripoli face riots

An activist movement led by Israeli expatriates who oppose the Israeli government’s proposed weakening of the judiciary, called UnXeptable, vowed to protest the parade delegation. A local chapter of that movement showed up at the event in L.A. and, like the anti-government street protesters in Israel, chanted “Shame” in Hebrew.

“I have to apologize on behalf of the minister,” Hillel Newman, the Israeli consul general in LA, said at the event. “In the end, he decided he’s not coming. He said that he felt that his presence here might cause more provocations of the people outside and the protesters. ...”

More than a third in Hungary and Poland have ‘extensive’ antisemitic beliefs, ADL survey says

A survey by the Anti-Defamation League found that significant portions of people in 10 European countries believe a range of antisemitic stereotypes, including more than one in three people in Poland and Hungary, JTA.org reported.

The ADL measures antisemitic attitudes across a range of countries by asking respondents if they believe a set of 11 stereotypes about Jews, ranging from “Jews have too much power in the business world” to “Jews are responsible for most of the world’s wars.”

The survey, taken from November to January, polled more than 6,500 people across 10 countries: Germany, France, the United Kingdom., Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia.

According to the ADL’s methodology, “survey respondents who said at least 6 out of the 11

statements are ‘probably true’ are considered to harbor anti-Semitic attitudes.” In Hungary, 37% reached that threshold, while the figure was 35% in Poland. In Ukraine, 29% of respondents met that threshold, and in Russia and Spain, the figure was 26%. The lowest figure, 8%, was in the Netherlands.

Although Poland and Ukraine had relatively large portions of respondents with antisemitic stereotypes, their percentages represented a steep decline from a 2019 ADL survey, where 48% of Polish respondents and 46% of Ukrainian respondents met the organization’s threshold.

Protester with Israeli flag storms stage at Roger Waters concert in Frankfurt

A man rushed the stage and unfurled an Israeli flag at a Roger Waters concert in Frankfurt on May 28 in protest of the former Pink Floyd frontman’s continued criticism of Israel, JTA.org reported.

Video circulating on social media showed a group of fans chanting “Am Yisrael Chai” (“The people of Israel live”) while the protester makes it to the main stage, where he lasts a few seconds before security guards chase him away.

Since at least last week, Berlin police have been investigating Waters over a costume he has been wearing at concerts for years that includes a long black trench coat with a red armband. Some say the outfit is reminiscent of a Nazi officer uniform and a glorification of the Third Reich, which is outlawed in Germany. PJC

— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

The 81-mile National Water Carrier begins pulling water out of the Sea of Galilee. The system of pipes, canals, tunnels, reservoirs and pumping stations can carry 19 million gallons per hour.

June 11, 1945 — Haganah founder

Eliyahu Golomb dies

Eliyahu Golomb, who organized Jewish defenses in pre-state Palestine, dies at 52. A native of Belarus, he helped found the Haganah in 1920 and developed responses to rising Arab violence in the 1930s.

By Fritz Cohen,

A mob attacks the Jewish Quarter in Tripoli, Libya, while North African Arabs are passing through on their way to fight against Israel’s independence. In the resulting two days of riots, 14 Jews are killed.

June 13, 1947 — Diplomat Elyakim Rubinstein is born

Elyakim Rubinstein is born in Tel Aviv. He participates in Egyptian peace talks in the 1970s, chairs the delegation to the Madrid peace conference and to Jordanian peace talks, and serves on the Supreme Court from 2004 to 2017.

June 14, 1985 — TWA Flight 847 is hijacked

Two Lebanese men hijack TWA Flight 847 between Athens and Rome and force the 727 to fly to Beirut. The terrorists kill a U.S. Navy diver and separate out suspected Jewish hostages.

June 15, 1970 — Refuseniks are arrested before stealing plane

A plot to steal a 12-seat aircraft to escape the Soviet Union is foiled when 12 dissidents are arrested at a Leningrad airport. The case draws attention to refuseniks, Jews blocked from emigrating. PJC

p Immigrants from Tripoli, Libya, fingerpaint at a school in Be’er Sheva in 1956.

Israeli Government Press Office

This Galilee canal is part of the National Water Carrier.

Headlines

Trial:

Continued from page 1

She said congregant Barry Werber looked up the stairway and said someone was lying on the stairs, and the noises continued, and, “I realized that it was gunfire. … You just don’t go to a synagogue and expect to hear gunfire.”

New Light Rabbi Jonathan Perlman hurriedly directed her, Werber and Mel Wax through doors behind the podium into a dark room. During a pause in the loud sounds, Wax peeked out the doors, was shot and fell backward.

From her hiding spot, in the gap at the door’s hinges, Black sensed someone step into the room. “I saw a shadow come, and I saw a shadow go.”

Hiding in the dark of a nearby closet but feeling like he was alone, Werber testified that he also saw Wax go down, and a male figure holding a long gun step over his body into the room, and then step out. “He couldn’t see us. It was too dark.”

Werber testified that, terrified, he managed to dial 911 on his flip phone and was trying to tell authorities what was happening without giving himself away.

Prosecutors played for the jury his and other 911 calls as well as videos taken outside as police and medics led the survivors from chaos to eventual safety.

Daniel Leger was carried out because when he rushed out of the room where he was preparing to lead the morning’s gathering of Dor Hadash, he — a nurse — and his friend Jerry Rabinowitz — a medical doctor — ran toward the loud noises in order to help. Leger wound up shot and lying incapacitated on a nearby stairway.

Knowing from experience with others that he was dying, he prayed and reviewed his life, including his “wonderful” family and friends. He testified, “I was ready to go.” But after about 40 minutes, a medic found him.

Their fellow Dor Hadash leader Martin Gaynor had recognized the sound of powerful gunshots and turned the other way and was able to burst through doors to exit the building and run a few blocks to where he borrowed a neighbor’s phone to almost breathlessly call 911.

Prosecutors asked him, as they had Leger, if he ever saw Rabinowitz after that day.

After a long pause, Gaynor replied, “No, I never saw Jerry alive again.”

The building’s custodian, August Siriano, testified that when he ran toward the “BANG-BANG-BANG” in the Tree of Life chapel, he found Cecil Rosenthal face down in the doorway bleeding from his head, and he also saw an ammunition magazine on the floor. Siriano, too, was able to run out of the building.

The defense had no questions for any of the government witnesses and no objections to the photographs, videos and audio submitted as exhibits.

Day 3: Shabbat services had just begun in the Tree of Life’s chapel on the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, when Stephen Weiss heard a metal bang and the crash of shattering glass.

“My first thought when I heard that was that the custodian dropped a tray of glasses,” he said.

Two fellow congregants, Irving Younger and Cecil Rosenthal, left to help.

Both would soon be dead.

As Rabbi Jeffrey Myers finished an opening prayer, Weiss got up and walked to the chapel doorway.

It was then that he realized what was happening.

“I could see shell casings bouncing on the floor,” he said. “I could see them bounce across the floor directly in front of me.”

As a man familiar with guns, he knew them to be semiautomatic casings.

He fled the chapel and headed downstairs to warn New Light, which was also holding services that morning.

“I was going to make sure that they left their worship space,” he said.

He eventually made it outside onto the street, where he told two responding police officers that someone was shooting inside. The officers immediately ran into the building and took fire.

Earlier on Thursday, New Light’s Rabbi Jonathan Perlman recounted hearing gunfire and shattering glass upstairs.

“We’re in danger,” he said he told his congregants. “Follow me.”

He told everyone to get down and they crawled into a darkened storage area. One of the members, Melvin Wax, was hard of hearing. As they hid in the dark room, Perlman said Wax wanted to know what was happening.

“He said ‘Whatever it is, it’s over,’” Perlman recalled and saw Wax move to take a peek out the door.

Perlman told him not to look and to stay away from the door.

“He wouldn’t listen,” Perlman said.

Wax was shot in the chest and killed.

In later testimony, Audrey Glickman described her actions as she began to lead the Tree of Life congregation service that morning and heard the same crash as the others and then shooting.

“The echoing of the machine gun fire was unmistakable,” she said.

She and her 90-year-old friend, Joe Charny, fled up the stairs and tried to get David Rosenthal, brother of Cecil, to go with them. Both brothers were developmentally challenged. David was agitated, saying he had to call home, and wouldn’t leave. The defendant shot and killed him.

As they made their escape, Glickman said Charny told her he had stood face to face with the shooter at the beginning of the rampage.

She said he told her had looked into his blue eyes and down the barrel of his “big, long gun.” But he got away.

Charny died this year of natural causes at age 95.

“He really wanted to testify,” Glickman said.

Pittsburgh Police Officer Daniel Mead took the stand in late afternoon and recounted how the defendant shot him in the hand through the front door glass of the building. He said he had just arrived with his partner, hugged the walls and rounded a corner to see the shooter “posting up on me” four feet away inside the building.

“I could hear the shot, and I could see the muzzle flash,” he said.

A slug hit his left wrist and came out his hand. His hand went limp.

Mead has not been able to return to

work as an officer.

Prosecutor Soo Song asked him why he tried to enter the building that day.

“It’s what we do,” he said.

Day 4: The fourth day of testimony started with the recounting of gunshots and shards of glass and shrapnel by witnesses including Pittsburgh Police Officer Michael Smigda.

Smigda testified about hearing a bullet whiz past his ear and seeing another one hit the hand of his partner, Officer Dan Mead, as they ran toward the entrance of the Tree of Life synagogue building at about 10 a.m. on Oct. 27, 2018, responding to reports of an active shooter there.

After those shots were fired at them, both officers retreated to cover. His gun drawn, and his ear and face cut and bleeding, Smigda peered in a window. What he saw coming toward him inside, through a doorway, was the barrel of a rifle. Then the rifle’s shoulder strap. And then …

“I saw that man over there,” Smigda testified, looking across the courtroom at the defendant.

Smigda described waiting for the person with a rifle to fully present himself. “I don’t think he knew I was there,” he testified. “He started to look my way.” The officer raised his standard-issue .45-caliber Glock pistol and, “That’s when I started firing.”

The prosecution played a recording of the police radio transmission when the officer reports, “I just shot him three times.” He believed he’d hit him. The defendant fired back. Then Smigda, as had Mead, withdrew a distance and received some medical attention.

Meanwhile, the SWAT team was arriving on the chaotic scene, as was described by the government’s next witness, Stephen Mescan, the tactical commander for the Pittsburgh SWAT team. He recounted in great detail his and his officers’ entry and quick sweep of the interior of the building, which he likened at one point to a “labyrinth.” It smelled of gunshots.

Reporting each development on the radio to time stamp everything, the SWAT operators gradually discovered three dead … then three more … then two more … then three more for 11 dead, having no idea at the time how many more they might find.

They also found and evacuated survivors, including two who had hidden in the basement. On the main floor they treated and evacuated one woman who was bleeding from her arm. So Mescan and his officers continued to work their way up, along a trail of blood and past a discarded ammunition magazine, toward and to what he thought of as the top floor. There, down a hall past a classroom, SWAT made contact with a person in a room who started shooting at them, and they blasted back.

“Shots fired! Shots fired!” Mescan was heard to report on a recording of the police radio at 10:53:42 a.m. One officer, Timothy Matson, was hit several times and had to be dragged down the narrow hall and down stairs for medical attention.

After a second gunfight, Mescan testified, he relayed on the radio that the shooter, crawling injured out of the room and into custody, had just told Officer Clint Thimons that his name was Robert Bowers and that he

was 46 and gave his birthdate. Mescan testified, “He made angry statements about, ‘All these Jews must die.’ ” The defendant also “spontaneously” spoke about Jews “killing children” and made hateful statements “multiple” times, Mescan testified.

Thimons, the third witness of the day, testified that he entered the building and discovered Tree of Life’s Rabbi Jeffrey Myers sheltering in a bathroom. He got him out, then continued moving toward where he heard his colleagues exchange shots with the defendant. He wound up in the second gunfight and being the officer who talked Bowers out of the room. He also helped cuff him, took two guns off of him and dragged him to a room for medics to attend to.

His testimony was consistent with Mescan’s about the things the defendant said, including the defendant saying he was acting alone. Still worried there could be other shooters, the officers lied to the defendant and said they had video of him entering the building with an accomplice. “He said, no, that must be some f—ing Jew. I was by myself.’ And he took total ownership.”

Defense Attorney and anti-death penalty specialist Judy Clarke asked him a few questions about those statements. Then she said, “Thank you very much for your service that day.”

Day 5: After stepping over dead bodies sprawled throughout the Tree of Life building, Pittsburgh Police SWAT officer Michael Saldutte made his way to the third floor and opened a door to a dark room.

His fellow officer, Tim Matson, entered ahead of him and immediately fell to the ground.

Saldutte saw Matson’s pants “poofing” as bullets hit his legs. He heard no gunshots in the moment because his auditory system hadn’t yet registered what was happening, he told the jury, but he saw muzzle flashes in the darkness.

A shooter who had just rampaged through the synagogue was now holed up and firing at police with a semiautomatic rifle in the pitch blackness.

Saldutte threw himself on top of Matson to shield him with his body armor and then opened fire on each muzzle flash as the shooter moved from left to right.

“I began shooting at it as it moved across the room,” he said.

But then he ran out of ammo. He could no longer protect his friend or himself. Another officer had since entered the room, but Saldutte had to crawl away.

“That,” he said, “was probably one of the worst experiences of my life.” PJC

Bob Batz Jr. is the interim editor of the Pittsburgh Union Progress. He can be reached at bbatz@unionprogress.com. Torsten Ove writes for the Pittsburgh Union Progress. He can be reached at jtorsteno@gmail.com.

This story is part of ongoing coverage of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial by the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and the Pittsburgh Union Progress in a collaboration supported by funding from the Pittsburgh Media Partnership.

Headlines

Leaders:

making their hire at the Mt. Lebanon synagogue historic.

we use is non-inclusive, with no intention of doing that.”

B’nai mitzvah, simchat mitzvah … b’mitzvah?

As the next generation of Jewish spiritual leaders faces opportunities and challenges to create more inclusive communities, gender and identity are at the forefront of debate. In Pittsburgh, cantors and rabbis have begun to confront these issues. For some, that begins by rethinking the ritual that celebrates a child coming of age in the community.

“I think one of the most prominent things happening today is the language surrounding b’nai mitzvah,” Reinwald said. “There’s a lot of directions suggested in terms of language. Just the overall general term might go away. We’ve used b’mitzvah, beit mitzvah, simchat mitzvah — we’ve used things we’ve invented ourselves.”

For Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman, the discussion is personal.

Goodman, the associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom, a Conservative congregation, has a child who identifies as nonbinary. The family is starting the b’nai mitzvah process.

“Beth Shalom has never had language for a non-gendered b’nai mitzvah ceremony,” Goodman said. “There are a few terms that are becoming popular in the Jewish community for these ceremonies, but it’s a serious, ritual-level decision that we have to make coming up.”

The congregation, he said, recently decided how to call someone who is nonbinary to the Torah.

“Those little moments are coming fast and furious and all the time now,” Goodman said. “We’ve lived in a very binary world, and we’ve got to be contemporary and relevant for everyone that wants to access Judaism.”

A majority/minority

Reform congregation Temple Emanuel of South Hills’ new cantor, Kalix Jacobson, identifies as nonbinary and uses the pronoun “they.”

Jacobson is part of the Hebrew Union College’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music’s first class to include transgender or nonbinary students. Their class included three gender-expansive students to be ordained. All three have found employment, but Jacobson was the first to sign a contract,

Milan:

Jacobson believes that Jewish institutions are on the precipice of change.

“While we’re the only ones in our cantorial program, there is one at JTS (the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary). Next year, seven rabbis who are transgender or nonbinary will be ordained,” Jacobson said.

There’s no official tracking of the number of transgender and nonbinary clergy and would-be clergy across the movement, Jacobson said, but they are part of a group chat that includes 20 members at HUC alone.

“There has been a shift from a male-dominated industry to a female-dominated industry, and if I had a crystal ball, I would say that in the next 50 years, Jewish leadership will be a majority/minority situation — almost that it will be more LGBT people on the pulpit and in positions of leadership,” Jacobson said. “That’s just from my own experience.”

Cantor Jill Abramson, the director of HUC’s Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music, said that while she isn’t sure of the number of non-binary or LGBTQ students at the school, she is sure of the support they receive.

“I can tell you that we are excited to and proud of our efforts to welcome, affirm and celebrate cantors of non-dominate identities,” she said. “We are eager to support all of our students in their development to lead our congregations and movements.”

In fact, Abramson said, her role is proof of the continued evolution at HUC. She is the first female head of the cantorial school.

“More and more women, more and more folks with non-dominant identities are assuming leadership roles, and it’s exciting for the movement because it centers voices that have previously been unheard or underrepresented,” she said.

Rabbi Lonnie Kleinman is the associate director of education and training for Keshet, a national organization that, according to its website, works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and their families in Jewish life. She said there is anecdotal evidence to support Jacobson’s assertions.

“There are more folks that are coming to the rabbinate, to the spiritual care and cantorial care areas that are LGBTQ,” Kleinman said. “I think that is because, as it is more accepted and people tend to be exploring their identities, the overlap with folks in the spiritual realm is really great. I think in a

lot of ways that overlap has always been there but now that it’s been publicly affirmed, a lot of people feel safer to approach that sort of job.”

A gendered language

For some people, Hebrew presents a challenge that needs to be addressed by the new generation of spiritual leaders. The Northern Semitic language in the Torah was used as least as far back as the sixth century B.C.E., with its roots going as far back as the 10th century B.C.E. It is a gendered language that can cause challenges as English moves away from traditional pronouns.

Cantor Toby Glasser was recently hired by Rodef Shalom Congregation, a Reform congregation in Shadyside. He said gendered language is just one challenge and Judaism has always been stronger than its barriers — pointing to the Torah’s lack of acceptance of homosexuality.

“We’ve found ways to challenge our texts and read against our texts,” he said. “I think that’s something really exciting that we do.”

We must, Glasser said, confront the fact that Hebrew is a gendered language, and that the Torah was written by men.

Temple Emanuel Rabbi Aaron Meyer said that we’ve mistakenly long identified Hebrew as a bilingual possibility for the majority of the American Jewish community.

Hebrew, he said, should instead be taught as a “heritage language,” one that includes opportunities to engage in the Jewish tradition of prayer. Meyer believes that there will be increased opportunities to provide individuals with a greater variety of choices to find identification.

“I don’t know if we’ll see a switch from the gendered language that has existed in Hebrew to a nonbinary exclusive use of the language in American synagogues,” he said.

Jacobson said that for a long time, the Union prayer books used by American Reform congregations didn’t use Hebrew. All of the prayers, including the Shema, were in English.

Debbie Freidman, Jacobson said, revitalized Hebrew in Reform synagogues.

“There is a challenge of inherent gendered-ness in Hebrew,” Jacobson said, “but when we talk about God, we use both sets of binary pronouns.”

For Jacobson, the real challenge is in the English readings, which they said are “incredibly binary.”

“I feel like American Jews are more likely to have a reaction to that,” Jacobson

said, “because so many of us are not at a conversational level in Hebrew. I think it’s a misnomer to focus primarily on how Hebrew is structured, but actually look at what the prayers in our native languages are saying because that is the root of Reform Judaism.”

New ways of living Jewish values

Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman said that issues about gender and identity are part of the core Jewish values of acceptance and equality.

“There was a time when the Reform movement was deeply focused on civil rights because that was the major issue of the day,” he said. “It’s not that we’re less focused on civil rights now. It’s that we’re living in a time where we’re understanding gendered and non-gendered folks and their rights in new ways.”

That transformation, he said, isn’t new but does echo events like the Supreme Court’s recognition of gay marriage and the White House being lit in rainbow colors.

“The synagogue,” he said, “needs to reflect our new understandings and our new ways of living the values that have united us for millennia.”

Keshet’s Kleinman said the values that Fellman mentioned go back to the Torah and the creation story.

“There is a midrash that essentially says God created the first being male and female,” she said. “In our text, there is a lot of play with gender. If you look at the Talmud, it names eight different genders, so this is something beyond a modern phenomenon and dates back to a time before we gendered people male or female, or had really binary ways of understanding.”

The Jewish tradition, she said, has deep ways of thinking and talking about both gender and sexuality.

Rabbi Yitzi Genack, of the Orthodox Shaare Torah, has a simple way of looking at the congregation’s needs regarding gender.

“At Shaare Torah, there is a very diverse religious ceremony,” he said. “Engaging and elevating that community of individuals is something we have to continue to work on. It’s a diverse community, as are many other religious communities around the country and world. We have to continue to engage it.” PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Continued from page 2

Continued from page 1 relationships, another party entered the picture; and while that sometimes means the end of an affair, this one strengthened the bonds that had been formed.

“Lev Chadash’s current rabbi [Sylvia Rothschild] is a woman from England who before COVID traveled there once a month,” Lazar explained. “Then she couldn’t travel there at all. So, she was almost a third arm of this relationship that helped to keep it going. She looped us in with the congregation and stayed connected. It became a three-way

thing for all the time that she maintained this relationship and couldn’t physically be there either.”

The virtual relationship moved in-person when Temple Sinai congregants flew to Italy in mid-May. Barkley was charged with shepherding the Torah across the ocean, secured in a golf bag and protected in bubble wrap.

After arriving in Milan, the Pittsburgh contingent — which included Lazar, Barkley, Gibson, as well as Cantor David Reinwald, Rabbi Sara Perman and Temple Sinai Development Director Leslie Fleisher, among others — were offered a tour and spent time on Thursday, May 19, and

Friday, May 20, with their hosts before Shabbat began.

On May 21, the Torah was officially donated to Lev Chadash in a ceremony that included all three clergy members chanting from the scroll. After the ceremony, the relationship between the two congregations was finalized beneath a procession that wound through the streets and included a chuppah held aloft by Barkley and others.

“It got really emotional,” he said. “Seventeen years of doing this for a living, and this was the apex of my career.”

An announcement was printed in the Milan section of Italian newspaper

Corriere Della Sera. There’s even a video, as Fleisher recorded Lev Chadash member Vincenzo Yehudah Caruso chanting Torah, in a trope that will be unfamiliar to some.

Fleisher said the two congregations shared an Italian phrase during their days together that was the perfect sentiment for the trip: “Siamo due comunità che hanno formato una grande famiglia unita,” or, “We are two communities that have formed a big family.” PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

A thankless job? Not if we can help it

Guest Columnist

Sari Kopitnikoff

There are ads every week in my local Jewish newspaper seeking qualified teachers. In every grade, in every department, in every school.

And it’s really no wonder why there aren’t enough teachers. Read all the articles about the recent teacher shortage. And what’s causing it? Teachers aren’t paid enough. Teachers aren’t respected enough. Teachers aren’t supported enough.

Well, I have one more to add: Teachers aren’t thanked enough.

Don’t get me wrong. There have been so many beautiful initiatives by schools to thank teachers. Think sushi lunches, paint night events and monetary gifts before holidays (often organized by the PTA). Think class group gifts at the end of the year and flowers on teacher appreciation week.

But it’s not enough. Especially given all that comes with being a teacher: countless hours of preparation, catering to the individual needs of each student, lockdown drills with frightened students, never-ending piles of student work to sift through and grade, difficult phone calls and emails with parents, out-of-pocket costs required to create an optimal classroom and the often unrealistic curricular goals paired with insufficient time to reach them.

As tasty as the sushi is, it’s not enough to keep our beloved, valuable teachers in

the classroom. According to a recent study conducted by the NEA (National Education Association), more than half of educators said they intend to leave the field earlier than they planned. In fact, the hashtag #teacherquitok has more than 260 million views on TikTok, containing all sorts of videos from newly (or soon-to-be) resigned teachers.

the school year so far, along with good wishes for the appropriate holiday. And I mean encouraging our children to do the same.

I taught in the classroom for a decade. And every time I received a thank you card from a student or a grateful email from a parent, it made the difficult aspects feel worthwhile; it inspired me to remember why I went into

gifts that show the giver put some thought into it: “A gift card to a restaurant I like. Something with my hard-to-find name on it. Things in my favorite color. Even small things that someone said made them think of me. I don’t care for mugs, lotion or candles. I have so many from past students and I use none of them.”

I’m on a mission to encourage more teacher appreciation. I recently released “Todah, Teacher!” (a fill-in-the-blanks teacher appreciation book to help kids thank their teachers). And on social media, I called on adults to remember and reach out to the teachers who inspired them.

I’m working on tracking down my favorite teachers to thank them for the impact they’ve had on me. But I’m just one person, and I want to invite others to join me in this campaign — to thank our teachers more, and preferably, while they’re still working in the schools.

I’ve been reading up on the subject. And I’d like to propose an idea that won’t cost much and will go a long way in ensuring our children continue to have quality teachers: Let’s show more appreciation. I’m not talking about elaborate lunch spreads or cutely decorated coffee mugs with sentimental quotes about teachers. And I don’t even mean giving them expensive gift cards to buy more supplies for their classroom.

I mean doing small and frequent acts of appreciation. Like sending a short email (one line even) thanking teachers for something they did, said or taught that day. I mean dropping a gracious line to the principal, and cc’ing the teacher on it. I mean giving a handwritten note, expressing gratitude for

the field in the first place; it encouraged me to keep going.

The end of the school year is approaching. Recently, I checked in with a bunch of educators to ask them about the most meaningful gifts they’ve received. Many gave interesting answers: a bottle of wine, an umbrella, a selfcare kit, an autographed copy of a favorite book. But the answer that kept coming up: a gift that showed thoughtfulness.

Hebrew and Jewish studies teacher Adina Mattes said, “While gift cards are very much appreciated, the gifts that I’ve saved for years are the handwritten cards from students and parents that have some kind of personal message inside.” And multi-age teacher Yeshiva Cohen explained her favorites are the

So, how will we know when teachers are thanked enough? The truth is teachers can never be shown enough appreciation. We can always do better. After all, they’re tasked with the important job of educating, protecting and caring for our children. The least we can do is show them more appreciation.

So send that email. Write that card. You’ll make someone’s day. And, at the very least, you’ll be doing your part to keep our quality teachers in the classroom. PJC

Sari Kopitnikoff is the author of “My Davening Diary, Only Kidding!” and other creative, educational Jewish books for kids. She’s an experiential educator, digital artist, game designer, and content creator. This first appeared on The Times of Israel.

Challenges to human dignity

We’re living in an extremely challenging time for the Orthodox LGBTQ+ Jewish community. Yeshiva University refused to recognize its LGBTQ+ Alliance as an official student organization last year, kicking off a protracted, highly public and

Editor’s note: This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs support, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. at 988.

While most of the Jewish community is celebrating Pride month, the mainstream Orthodox community’s unsupportive attitude toward LGBTQ+ Jews reminds us that there is still much work to be done.

As a straight, cis, Orthodox rabbi, my involvement in the movement may seem complicated. The Torah and rabbinic tradition clearly have much to say about homosexuality, none of it good. But my primary responsibility as a rabbi is to protect the dignity of every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation. Today, that includes standing up for LGBTQ+ Jews.

painful legal battle. A trans woman was expelled from her YU-affiliated Manhattan synagogue earlier this year. A gay man in Florida was pushed out of the only Orthodox shul within walking distance of his home. And most recently, Herschel Siegel, a beloved member of the LGBTQ+ Orthodox community, died by suicide in early May.

These events tell a story of a community that is feeling isolated, unwelcomed and afraid. The struggles and pain that

Orthodox LGBTQ+ Jews experience is real and dangerous.

Because of the stigma surrounding homosexuality in traditional Jewish spaces, many LGBTQ+ Jews also face major issues around mental health. Many Jews share with me, after coming into my shul, that

many people are suffering in silence and how many take their own lives because of it.

I imagine these harrowing statistics would decline if people felt comfortable coming out to their parents or family, who can better assist them in getting the necessary help.

Our religious responsibility

it was their first time in a synagogue since they came out — and how healing it is to enter a Jewish space and be accepted for who they are.

According to a 2023 survey by the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention in the LGBTQ+ community, 41% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. And 56% of LGBTQ+ young people who wanted mental health care in the past year were not able to get it. But truly no one knows how

Rabbis and communal leaders in particular have a sacred responsibility to provide support to the most vulnerable members in a community. When the great Talmudic scholar Rabbi Hayyim Soloveitchik was asked what a rabbi’s function is, he replied: “To redress the grievances of those who are abandoned and alone.”

Without a dramatic shift around LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Orthodox community, lives are at stake. For a community that prides itself on a strict adherence to Jewish law in the modern world, we should know that pikuach nefesh (protecting a life) is among the Torah’s most sacred values. Embracing LGBTQ+ Jews is not

Please see Leener, page 13

Why I, as an Orthodox rabbi, am committed to LGBTQ+ inclusion

If compassion is no longer a chief Torah value, we have drifted terribly far off course.

So, how will we know when teachers are thanked enough? The truth is teachers can never be shown enough appreciation.

Guest Columnist

Rabbi Jonathan Leener

Chronicle poll results: Following synagogue shooting trial

Last week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Are you following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial closely?” Of the 283 people who responded, 81% said yes; 13% said no; and 6% said they weren’t sure yet. Comments were submitted by 76 people. A few follow.

As a former employee who knew the victims well, I believe justice must be served. All of them were dear, loving people, and words cannot begin to describe the ache in my heart at the tragic loss. May they never be forgotten.

As a Pittsburgh Jew, I believe that it is my moral responsibility to pay attention to the trial. I hope that justice is served — and that the survivors can begin their journey toward peace.

I am concerned about possible horrific terroristic activity during and after trial.

Leener:

Continued from page 12

about advancing some liberal or woke agenda, but about upholding halacha in an increasingly complex world.

I’m certain many detractors will claim my opinion is outside the bounds of Orthodoxy and challenge my own Orthodoxy. But to those folks, I ask: Can you show me a case where halacha rules leniently on issues surrounding pikuach nefesh and kavod habriyot (human dignity)?

Can you show me where in the halachic responsa it says that a trans or gay individual is not allowed to be a member of an Orthodox synagogue?

Jewish tradition considers dishonoring the dignity of a fellow human being an affront against God. Affirming the godliness in every human being is not optional — it’s obligatory. A Jew’s foremost task is to express their fullest and most authentic self, and no one has the right to hinder or block that expression. It’s incumbent upon us to create safe spaces that allow LGBTQ+ Jews to nurture their uniqueness.

The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, teaches that every single Jew has their own letter in the Torah, regardless of their deeds. Only that specific person has the ability to illuminate that letter with their infinite uniqueness, holiness and godliness. Just as a Torah scroll is invalid if just one letter is missing, when just one person is missing or excluded, our entire Torah is left diminished and incomplete.

In the Talmud, Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria

The shooter deserves maximum punishment. No mercy.

I think it’s irresponsible that it took so long to bring the killer to justice. The

was appointed spiritual leader as a replacement for Rabban Gamliel, who only allowed pious individuals, “whose insides were like their outsides,” to enter the study hall. The first act of Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria as his replacement was to open up the beit midrash to all.

So many wanted to learn that they had to bring in 400 — and some say 700 — extra benches to accommodate all the men who wanted to learn. With so many voices added to the learning of Torah, “there was no matter that was left hanging in the beit midrash.”

Full inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community is not an act of kindness, but a religious imperative. And when every Jew feels included and welcomed, the rest of the community stands to benefit as well.

Queer Jews should not be forced to check their identity at the doors of synagogues. Being closed out from Orthodox life will not stop someone from being gay, but it very likely will stop them from wanting to be Jewish or living an observant life.

It gives me great joy that my synagogue, the Prospect Heights Shul, will be hosting a Pride Kiddush as a way of honoring our LGBTQ+ community this month. We have already welcomed LGBTQ+ individuals into leadership positions, because our community has decided that being “tolerant” is totally insufficient — we must celebrate all Jews.

While this level of welcoming for LGBTQ+ Jews may make us a unicorn within Orthodoxy, the tides are certainly turning. I can only hope that other Orthodox institutions recognize the stakes before it’s too late.

survivors and families and the Jewish community are constantly suffering.

Different community members are, of course, going to react in different ways, but personally, the trauma brought back up by this trial is not something I want to relive. I pray for strength for those who will testify in the name of justice

It’s so terribly painful to read all of the graphic details, but it’s so important to me to understand how antisemitism can present itself so I can help find ways to fight it.

I plan on attending in person at least once. It is important that as many of us show up as possible — no matter our personal feelings regarding the death penalty sought by the federal government.

Being the only person answering the phones at the JCC that day, speaking to various family members of the victims,

Too many lives have been lost, and countless Jews will continue to suffer, until we make a dramatic shift to embrace our LGBTQ+ community members.

I still have much to figure out in terms of upholding both Jewish law and the spirit of radical openness toward the LGBTQ+ community. But my incomplete understanding can’t prevent me from loving my fellow Jews wholeheartedly.

If compassion is no longer a chief

I cannot hear about the details. I get extremely upset to the point of crying. He should get the death penalty and the heartache of reliving this painful experience should be over.

Getting the details and emotions of the survivors makes us realize how vulnerable we/all of us could be at any given time or place.

I am watching the trial very closely. It makes me nervous. I hope antisemitism will not be emboldened from this.

I just want justice to be done. PJC

Compiled by Toby Tabachnick

Chronicle weekly poll question: Are you concerned with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI)? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC

Torah value, we have drifted terribly far off course. No individual can be an abomination. The shame is on us all for allowing discriminatory and hurtful policies to remain in place. PJC

Rabbi Jonathan Leener is the head rabbi of the Prospect Heights Shul in Brooklyn. 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.

— LETTERS —

Standing in solidarity with Jewish Pittsburgh

I am writing to express my heartfelt and unwavering solidarity with the Jewish community during the federal trial of the man accused in the worst antisemitic attack in American history.

As an Indian American woman and a proud Hindu, I believe it is essential to stand together, across faiths and backgrounds, during times of hardship and pain. We are Pittsburghers, and it is through our shared experiences, both joyous and challenging, that we find strength and unity. In the face of hatred deeply rooted in antisemitism, it is crucial that we always come together to combat ignorance, prejudice and discrimination.

It is timely to recognize that May commemorated Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and served as a time to honor Jewish American Heritage Month. These concurrent observances highlight the rich resilience and history that thrives in our neighborhoods. I’ve listened to stories time and again poignantly describing the challenges of cultivating a new life and home, while holding dear and nurturing the faith, traditions and culture that bring purpose to our lives.

I was most recently reflecting on this during a trip to Harrisburg. I was honored to be invited to join Gov. Josh Shapiro and first lady Lori Shapiro at the Governor’s Residence to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage. Gov. Shapiro, the third Jewish governor in the history of Pennsylvania, serves as a leading exemplar of how our faith and culture can serve as a guiding force in our service to others. Thinking about these larger life questions, I reflect on my own faith. Hinduism teaches us the values of compassion, respect and the interconnectedness of all beings.

Living in a city as diverse as ours, I’ve come to honor the unique beauty of our collective faiths and ways of life. It’s this continuous thread that binds us in our shared humanity and we all have a responsibility to protect it.

Bhavini Patel Pittsburgh

for length and clarity; they cannot be returned. Mail, fax or email letters to:

Letters to the editor via email: letters@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Address & Fax: Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle,5915 Beacon St., 5th Flr., Pgh, PA 15217. Fax 412-521-0154

Website address: pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Life & Culture

Dilled potato salad with pickles

— FOOD —

By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

As soon as the temperature rises, I start craving potato salad.

As much as I like regular potato salad with mayonnaise, I’ve made healthier options for the past few years. This potato salad packs a punch in the flavor department and takes less time to prepare than many basic tossed salads. I suggest using small, boiled potatoes because they cook quickly but retain their shape.

For this recipe, you will prepare an easy vinaigrette, chop some herbs and onion and chill. It’s that simple. The salad is healthy and pareve — and you can omit the eggs for a vegan dish.

It’s best to make this a few hours before serving — or even a day ahead — so that the flavors really soak in. Whether you are having a barbecue or need something special for Shabbat lunch, this recipe hits a home run!

Dilled potato salad with pickles Serves 4. Can be doubled.

Ingredients:

2 pounds small potatoes, washed and cut in

half lengthwise, leaving the skin on

½ cup fresh chopped dill, large stems removed

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

¼ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped pickles; I suggest cornichon or dill pickles

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced or chopped to your preference (optional)

For the vinaigrette:

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper

Boil the potatoes over high heat for about 15 minutes or until fork-tender, being careful not to overcook them.

While the potatoes are boiling, whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette together until emulsified, or add everything to a Mason jar and shake until it looks well-blended. I use Mason jars to keep fresh dressings on hand — just shake and serve and there are no extra utensils or whisks to wash.

Chop the herbs, pickles and eggs.

When the potatoes are fully cooked, strain out the water (do not rinse) and put them back into the pot to cool for about 5 minutes.

Pour the vinaigrette over the warm

Miso-veggie roasted fish

— FOOD —

By Keri White | Contributing Writer

This recipe is simple to make, but the flavors are complex and sophisticated. The miso is just a bit off the traditional beaten path as a coating and sautéing it with scallions, ginger, and soy delivers a unique dish that is fairly foolproof.

My go-to fish cooking method — “coating” or “insulating” it — plays the dual role of infusing flavor and ensuring that the fish doesn’t dry out. It also sort of delivers an additional side because the coating essentially functions as a small vegetable dish.

I recommend salmon, bass, grouper, cod, fluke, snapper or tilapia for this. Full disclosure: I made it with halibut, and the fish was overwhelmed by the robust flavors of the topping.

The miso and soy are high in sodium; if this is a concern, use less of each and add a bit more water.

Clergy:

back,” she said.

Continued from page 5

Rev. Linda Theophilus is the pastor at Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Eastmont. Ordained in 1985, she is a member of both the Monroeville Interfaith Ministerium and the International Association of Women Ministers. The local chapter, she said, organized the Christian side of the celebration.

She said it was fascinating to hear each

Serves 2

2 fish fillets

2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil (separated)

other’s stories.

“I felt a great hunger to tell and hear the stories and the history,” she said.

Not only did Theophilus attend and help plan the event, but she also picked out the gift the spiritual leaders received at its conclusion: a lint roller that said, “Brushing off the patriarchy.”

Stefanie Greene was ordained as a cantor in 2022. She was happy to have the opportunity to chant the Torah.

“A lot of the women who are ministers and pastors got to gather round and see the Torah

potatoes and give the pot a good stir. This really helps the flavor to permeate the dish.

Let it rest for about 15 minutes, then add the red onion, pickles, and about ¾ of the parsley and dill. For a little extra crunch, you can add ¼ cup of chopped celery. The potatoes will still be warm at this point, which helps the onion soften and also brings out the flavor of the fresh herbs.

Once cool, stir in the hard-boiled eggs if

you’re using them.

Sprinkle with the remaining herbs, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Taste to be sure the salt and pepper are to your liking.

Garnish with the remaining herbs before serving.

Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

1 tablespoon grated ginger (from a knob a bit smaller than 1 inch)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Hot sauce, if desired

A few tablespoons water

Place a teaspoon of oil in a small baking dish, such as a glass pie plate, and coat the bottom. Add the fish and set it aside.

Heat your oven to 300 F.

In a small skillet, heat the remaining teaspoon of oil, and sauté the scallion, ginger and carrot. Add the miso, soy and hot sauce, if using. Stir. Add water as needed to distribute the miso and sauce ingredients. Cook for about 5 minutes. Evenly divide the carrot mixture over the two fillets, covering them on top and the sides.

Bake the fish for about 20 minutes depending upon its thickness; the fish is done when it flakes easily and is opaque throughout. PJC

1½ tablespoons miso (I used white, but any type is fine)

2 carrots, grated

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

up close, which isn’t a usual experience for them,” she said. “They said that was a really special moment for them.”

And while Greene was happy to celebrate the ordination of the first Reform female rabbi, she said, the first female cantor, Barbara Ostfeld, wasn’t ordained in the movement until 1975.

“So, we’re not even at the 50-year mark,” she said.

Though women have made strides in the clergy, Barlow said the work isn’t finished.

“We need to continue to articulate the gifts

Keri White writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication where this first appeared.

women bring to ordination,” she said. “I think our foundational commitments around our created humanity, the image of God that exists in both men and women and people of all genders, is what makes women qualified for leadership,” she said.

The pastor said that the event was just the first step and that more meetings will take place.

“The key thing people said was let’s do this again,” Symons said. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

p Dilled potato salad with pickles

Photo by Jessica Grann

p Carrot-miso roasted fish

Photo by Keri White

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California installation artist returns to Pittsburgh with big piece and bold message

By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer

Laurie Shapiro invites you to walk through a tunnel to enter her mind.

Through June 11, Three Rivers Arts Festival visitors can do so by stepping into a metal truss covered in psychedelic canvas. Measuring 12 by 12 by 18 feet, Shapiro’s mesmerizing piece is titled, “We Are All Connected To Each Other Through Nature.”

Though the New York-born installation artist presented the work in San Diego months ago, returning to Pittsburgh is a “coming out” of sorts.

Speaking by phone from the Los Angeles International Airport before boarding a plane east, Shapiro, 33, said that coming to Pittsburgh is “special.”

Between 2008-2012, she was a student at Carnegie Mellon University.

“It was a really great time in my life where I was just learning a bunch about myself, learning about my artwork, exploring new mediums, and really building that foundation to the work that I make today,” she said.

As an undergraduate, Shapiro was introduced to Fran Flaherty, a Pittsburghbased deaf artist.

Founder of CMU’s Digital Print Studio, Flaherty runs Anthropology of Motherhood, “an ongoing curation of artwork and design that engages in the complex visual, material, emotional, corporeal and lived experiences of motherhood, care-giving, parenting, nurturing and maternal labor,” according to its website.

“I met Fran my freshman year, and we just connected,” Shapiro said.

Flaherty told the Chronicle she not only “admires” Shapiro’s work but that the two artists have a “very mutual respect for each other.”

After graduating from CMU, Shapiro remained in contact with Flaherty, who serves as director of the Dyer Arts Center and Advancement for Deaf Culture at Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

“My relationship with Laurie really encompasses the culture of care,” Flaherty said. “We really take care of each other.”

Shapiro spent the past decade in California. Returning to Pittsburgh, she explained, presents a chance to revisit old haunts with new eyes.

“Sometimes I see life not necessarily like a circle but like a spiral where we go back to places, and we’ve changed, but there’s still a lot that’s very similar,” she said.

That juxtaposition of returning while moving forward is exciting, the artist continued:

“I am going back to a place that was very

nurturing me, very inspiring, offered a lot of growth, and now I’m coming back to it at a time where I’m also experiencing all those things.”

A week ago, Shapiro shared a message on Instagram with her nearly 28,000 followers. She said she has a condition that is causing her to become progressively deaf.

The Festival is her first showing since that announcement.

“This is really my coming out,” she said.

Flaherty said Shapiro’s piece, which is one of several works under the Festival’s Anthropology of Motherhood banner, demonstrates an “interconnectedness with her deafness.”

“As a person who doesn’t hear a lot of the outer noise, my inner world is very amplified, and that comes out a lot in my artwork,” Shapiro said. “Everything is very colorful and very visually expressive, almost like psychedelic.”

Though this is Shapiro’s first show in which she’s paired her work and hearing loss, it isn’t the first time she’s mined her experience.

She often weaves her Judaism through her pieces because doing so, she explained,

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

Growing up in New Hyde Park, on Long Island, Shapiro attended Hebrew school. She praised the educational experience and said early conversations introduced her to a “very open way of seeing God in everything and part of everything.”

“That connection to spirituality and my Judaism, it’s a big part of what’s inside the work and what drives it,” she said.

Festival-goers who embark on Shapiro’s structure — the painted canvas is 14 panels of mixed-media paintings on marine-grade vinyl — may appreciate it more by knowing about the artist’s faith and deafness, but viewers are encouraged to “feel whatever they feel in the work,” the artist said.

“As far as what people get out of the work, you know, that’s up to them.” PJC

“We Are All Connected To Each Other Through Nature” is on display through June 11 at The Backyard at 8th & Penn, 149 Eighth St., Pittsburgh, Pa., 15222.

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

— ART —

p “We Are All Connected To Each Other Through Nature,” water-based paints and screen printed drawings on vinyl over metal truss and handmade lighting, 12x12x18-foot, by Laurie Shapiro Photos courtesy of Laurie Shapiro

“That connection to spirituality and my Judaism, it’s a big part of what’s inside the work and what drives it.”

LAURIE SHAPIRO

Life & Culture

A ‘gender-sensitive’ translation of the Hebrew Bible has hit digital shelves. Not everyone is happy.

— RELIGION —

By Jackie Hajdenberg | JTA

Anew Bible translation that eschews gendered pronouns for God is now available through Sefaria, the online library of Jewish texts, prompting backlash on social media from some who see the change as a sacrilege.

The Revised Jewish Publication Society edition of the Bible, which the 135-year-old Jewish publishing house has released in partnership with Sefaria, is the first major update to the JPS translation of the Tanakh in nearly 40 years. So far, only the books comprising the Prophets, the Hebrew Bible’s second section, are available on Sefaria.

The new English translation refers to individuals with pronouns that are consistent with traditional gender norms. But unlike nearly all translations of the Bible throughout history, the new edition, known as RJPS, does not refer to God with masculine pronouns. It doesn’t use feminine pronouns either: Instead, God is referred to simply as “God” throughout the text.

For example, Isaiah 55:6 reads, “Seek GOD while you can, Call out while [God] is near.” JPS’ landmark 1985 translation, by contrast, reads, “Seek the LORD while He can be found, Call to

Him while He is near.”

“The RJPS makes the case that the art of Bible translation is always a work in progress, and should take into account not only our deeper understanding today of biblical Hebrew but also the significant changes that have occurred in the use of English over the past decades,” said JPS’ director emeritus, Rabbi Barry Schwartz, in the announcement for the new translation of the Bible.

“Tanakh is the foundational text of the Jewish people, and we share Sefaria’s desire for everyone to be able to access it in language that

is appropriate and meaningful for them while remaining faithful to the original,” Schwartz added. “Tanakh” is an acronym for the three components of the Hebrew Bible: the “five books of Moses,” Prophets and Writings.

The lack of divine pronouns in the RJPS translation comes as non-traditional pronouns — and debate over their use — have become increasingly prevalent in public discourse. A 2021 study by the Pew Research Center found that more than a quarter of American adults know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns, up eight percentage points since 2018. Meanwhile, many conservatives have decried the use of gender-neutral pronouns, and multiple Republican-led states have passed laws effectively permitting educators to refuse to use the pronouns their students prefer.

The RJPS translation, one of at least 12 available through Sefaria, has sparked backlash online from some Orthodox Jews who believe the new translation is not aligned with their values. Arguing that the translation is an example of progressive political ideology seeping into religion, some have said they will stop using the app over the RJPS translation.

Yehiel Kalish, the CEO of Jewish ambulance corps Chevra Hatzalah, announced last week via Twitter that he had deleted the app. Other prominent figures in the Orthodox world also condemned the new translation.

“Sefaria is a tremendous resource for the [world of] Torah,” tweeted Yochonon Donn, news editor of Mishpacha Magazine, which reaches a haredi Orthodox audience. “Messing around with [holy books] to conform to western ideas of equality is an unacceptable breach. If this is true, I can’t see people learning from an unholy source.”

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, managing director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, a right-wing Orthodox political advocacy organization, tweeted that “to be more inclusive of atheists, they’ll provide a ‘historically accurate translation’ that avoids mention of the Supreme Being. ‘In the beginning, heaven and earth were created.’”

Sefaria has always featured texts relevant to Jews with a range of approaches — a spectrum that has only widened as the digital library has added (and begun supporting the creation of) contemporary texts and translations.

Publishing the RJPS is “about having different translations that are available,” said Sara Wolkenfeld, Sefaria’s chief learning officer. (Sefaria’s CEO, Daniel Septimus, is on the board of 70 Faces Media, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s parent organization.)

“We are always working to include Jewish texts that are studied by the full range of Jewish learners,” she said. “And that’s why we chose to include the newest JPS translation, but among the many other translations that we’ve already hosted in the library.” PJC

p A side-by-side comparison of the 1985 edition of the JPS Tanakh and the 2023 gender-sensitive edition demonstrates slight changes in the English translation.

Design by Jackie Hajdenberg

Celebrations

B’nai Mitzvah

Alexander Joseph Friedman Gritzewsky, son of Jonathan and Ilana Friedman, will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Congregation Beth Shalom in Squirrel Hill. Alex is the grandson of Richard and Dahlia Friedman of New York and Israel; and Benny and Silvia Gritzewsky of Monterrey, México. Alex has two brothers, Eyal and Arieh. Alex is a seventh grader at Community Day School and is passionate about playing tennis, basketball, ultimate frisbee and soccer. He also enjoys cooking with his brothers, traveling, practicing his Spanish and hanging out with his friends and his dog, Cooper.  William Weisberg, son of Elizabeth Goldberg and Michael Weisberg will become a bar mitzvah on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill. Will is the sibling of Henry Weisberg and grandson of Gail and Charles Weisberg and Carol and Theodore Goldberg. Will is going to be an eighth grade student at Shady Side Academy in the fall. This summer he is spending his seventh year at Emma Kaufmann Camp in West Virginia. In addition, Will likes video games, art, skiing and hanging out with his friends. His mitzvah project has focused on cooking for those in need as he loves to be in the kitchen.

Engagement

Rhonda Horvitz, and Teddi and David Horvitz of Squirrel Hill are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Shana Horvitz, to Joel Hainsfurther, son of Julie and the late Bruce Hainsfurther of Highland Park, Illinois. Shana’s grandparents are the late Marilyn and Herbert Weisman and the late Esther and Robert Horvitz, all of Pittsburgh. Joel’s grandparents are the late Donna and Howard Stone of Chicago, and the late Martha and Walter Hainsfurther of Flossmoor, Illinois. Joel graduated from Lake Forest College with a Bachelor of Arts in politics and earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in analytic finance, economics, and econometrics and statistics. Joel works as a senior analyst on the Global Public Markets Team at Fiducient Advisors. Shana graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and received her master’s in education leadership from the University of Illinois. Shana is an assistant principal at a charter school in Chicago. Shana and Joel met in Chicago and reside there. A wedding is planned in Scottsdale, Arizona, in October.

The imperative to transmit Jewish heritage

– 12:16

Beha’alotecha is my bar mitzvah portion. I don’t remember a thing. That’s not quite true. I remember the cantorial soloist who, I think, couldn’t modulate the key for Torah chanting so I was singing in a high soprano. If you’ve ever heard me speak, you would think that’s pretty funny.

I remember getting a Cross pen with the base inscribed with the date (5-28-77). I felt pretty boss about that.

But mostly I remember doing it. I remember going on the bima and doing it. I led this section and that section. I remember chanting (squeaking) Torah. I remember giving a d’var Torah. I remember doing stuff. I remember doing Jewish stuff. I remember taking my place.

our heritage. Our mission is to pass on our heritage because we find it uplifting and believe that the next generation can find it uplifting as well. We believe that Torah writ large is about being part of the Jewish people which brings meaning to our lives. So we want to show our students what we’ve got for them. The thing is, though, that to pass on our heritage, we’ve got to do our heritage. We have to do stuff, hands-on stuff. We have to get involved. And honestly, if we want the next generation to engage their Judaism, we have to show them that we engage our Judaism.

I’ve started talking to parents about adding to their repertoire. Add something to your repertoire of Jewish behaviors. Nothing fancy (or maybe fancy, why not?). Just something to build upon what you already do. Add some Jewish tradition as a new family tradition. If we want to transmit Judaism, then we have to actively transmit something Jewish. If we want to pass on Judaism, we have to have something

Beha’alotecha is one of those parshiot that is easy to chuckle at. Detail upon detail about ceremony after ceremony. It even talks about the retirement age of the Cohanim. Is that scintillating, or what?

Well, it depends. If you are willing to go slow and dig in to the logistics, it’s pretty fascinating stuff, but then again I like to watch YouTube videos of car detailing so what do I know? Maybe details of the Temple are not your cup of tea. Fine. But you know what you should pay attention to? That they are doing something. Placement of the menorah, preparation of the people and the tools and the clothes, and on and on. Attention to detail wasn’t just obsessive. It was connection. They were fully connected to their Jewish behaviors. They were all in, literally, body and soul.

What about us? We live in an era where we can do whatever we want with our Judaism. Want to do a ton of rituals? Great. Have fun. Want to do just a small handful and find satisfaction as a cultural Jew? Great. You’ll have lots of company.

At J-JEP we deal with transmission of

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to pass on, some behavior, some action. This is hard. Most parents recreate what their parents gave them and nothing more. It is very difficult to add something that one has not experienced before, but we probably should stretch and try new things and find new meaning.

We can chuckle about our ancestors in Beha’alotecha but, you must admit, those people were focused! And they had detailed behaviors and tangible things to pass on. They had a reason for what they did and they wrote it down in order to remember exactly how to do it so the next generation could add it to their repertoire. It’s easy to miss the forest for all the trees in Beha’alotecha but there is a forest of Jewish wisdom and value.

I know how our ancestors passed it on. What do you do to make sure you pass it on? What is your repertoire of Jewish living and what would you like to add?

PJC

Rabbi Larry Freedman is the director of the Joint Jewish Education Program. This column is a service of the Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Clergy Association.

Rabbi Larry Freedman Parshat Beha’alotecha Numbers 8:1

If we want the next generation to engage their Judaism, we have to show them that we engage our Judaism.

Obituaries

CHAIT: Gerald Edward Chait, on June 3, 2023. Born Jan. 9, 1946. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Richey Chait, son Benjamin Milton Chait and his husband Agostino Guerra, and by his daughter Hanna Richey Chait. He is also survived by his nephew William P. Meehan Jr. (Alyssa Vance Meehan); niece Sarah Meehan Parker (Stanly Joel Parker) and their son Davis William Parker; sister-in-law Clare Richey Meehan (William P. Meehan Sr.); brothers-in-law John Randolph Richey (JoAnne Kovalish Richey) and James Matthew Richey (Donna Nudo Richey); cousin Jack Krongold (Eleanor Krongold) and cousin Leslie Krongold (Jessica Nussbaum). Gerald was born in Highland Park, Pennsylvania, the son of Milton and Jean Chait (née Mashbitz). Gerald was a proud graduate of Peabody High School and went on to receive his B.A. in philosophy from Cornell University in 1974. Always a thoughtful leader with an innovative mind for business, he was a partner of Giant Eagle, Inc. and served on its board for 30 years. He married his lifelong partner, his wife, Barbara Richey Chait, on July 20, 1990, and they went on to have two children. In his free time, Gerald most enjoyed riding around his favorite neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, sharing stories of his childhood and remarking on how things have changed, often with Steve Miller Band’s “Living in the USA” blasting from the car stereo. He was a passionate philanthropist, giving much of his time and resources to local charities in Pittsburgh, and championing Jewish causes and diabetic research initiatives. He passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning at his home, holding on to his son’s hand. Family and community were most important to him, and he clearly made the world a better place with his kind spirit and generosity. Gerald will always be remembered for his quiet benevolence. Services and interment private. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 2000 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, and the American Diabetes Association, 100 West Station Square Drive, #1900, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.  Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

DAVIS: Samantha Cassandra Davis, age 27, died suddenly on May 30, 2023. Beloved daughter of Helen Neborak and treasured granddaughter of the late Judy Neborak. Also survived by cousins, great-aunts and great-uncles. Samantha was a graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School and during her high school years she achieved a brown belt in karate and helped coach tennis at the JCC. Sam attended the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg for her freshman year, where she was on the women’s tennis team, and then attended CCAC. Graveside services and interment were held at Shaare Torah Cemetery, Carrick, Pennsylvania. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. family owned and operated. schugar.com

DICKTER: Shirley I. Dickter, on Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Beloved mother of Brian (Alla Sandlersky) Dickter and Daniel Dickter. Sister of Ronald (Linda) Pasekoff and the late Robert Edward and Gene Arthur Pasekoff. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Services and interment were private. Contributions may be made to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, 1 N. Linden Street, Duquesne, PA 15110. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

FABIAN: Marilyn Fabian, age 89, passed away on May 30, 2023. She was born in Budapest, Hungary on Feb. 3, 1934. She survived WWII and was able to immigrate to the United States to reunite with her extended family. Marilyn received a BA from the University of Pittsburgh, and was always proud of her college experience — especially considering that she could not speak a word of English when she arrived in Pittsburgh in 1946. She married Herman Fabian on Dec., 22, 1957. She worked as an elementary art school teacher in Pittsburgh for many years. In her spare time, she loved to tend to her flowers, cook Hungarian dishes and spend time with her family. She had tremendous energy and

strength. The last few years were difficult since she was battling the effects of Alzheimer’s – a horrific illness. She is survived by her three children, David, Michael (Diana) and Richard (Suzette). She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jeffrey, Rebecca (Victor), Jason, Jennifer, Ashley and Aaron. A tremendous wife, mother, grandmother and human being, she will be deeply missed by all of us who love her deeply. Graveside service and interment were held at Ahavath Achim Cemetery, Kennedy Township. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. “Never draw inside the lines.” Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. www.schugar.com

KALLA: Dr. Richard Loeb Kalla was born on April 4, 1929, to Sarah (Kallus) and Adolf Kalla in Bethel, Pennsylvania. He left this world May 28, 2023, in his home in Pittsburgh, surrounded by his family. He is predeceased by his siblings Milton Kalla, Joseph Kalla, Irene Goldberg, Esther Schectar, Erwin Kalla and Stanford Kalla. He married Alice (Snook) on July, 17, 1952, to whom he was devoted for the rest of his life. She survives him. They had four boys in five years. His youngest son, Brian (Suzanne), predeceased him. He is survived by his sons David (Eileen), Mark (Kimberly), Robert (Lesa) and daughter-in-law Suzanne. He is also survived by grandchildren Erin Kalla, Molly (Chris) Zielinski, Ryan (Siyu) Kalla, Clarkson Kalla, Anna Kalla, Brandon Kalla, Joseph Kalla, James Kalla and great-grandson Oliver Zielinski. He is also survived by his devoted dachshund, Winnie. Richard graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School and he was awarded bachelor’s, master’s and medical degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. After finishing medical school in 1960, he completed an internship at Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh. He then went into practice as an internist. He was an early practitioner of nuclear medicine, becoming board-certified through self-study. He was the head of Nuclear Medicine at Montefiore Hospital for many years as well as serving as a site inspector for the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories (ICANL). He was still reviewing applications for ICANL in his 90s. He was an attending physician as various times at Montefiore, Allegheny General and Western Pennsylvania Hospitals. He enjoyed teaching and was considered an excellent, if intimidating, teacher and mentor. He served as president of the medical staff at Montefiore in the 1970s and as an administrator at Allegheny General. He was also a medical entrepreneur who owned a free-standing nuclear medicine facility. Richard served in the United States Army from 1954-1956 in a scientific research unit before starting medical school. He and Alice are both classical music lovers and musicians. Richard was playing the violin until his last days. Their home was often filled with other musicians and music, particularly with members of the Tuesday Musical Club. They also regularly attended the Summertrios chamber music camp. He served as president of the Tuesday Musical Club and Treasurer of Summertrios. Richard also enjoyed antique cars, restoring many vehicles over the years. He was a jack-of-all-trades who could do (or figure out) just about anything that involved tools. Richard was a lifelong progressive Democrat and paid attention to politics to the end. He was an early and lifelong proponent of universal health care. He had a strong sense of right and wrong that he passed to his children. He was devoted to his family, his community and his patients. He strongly felt his Jewish heritage. Services and interment were private. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Tuesday Musical Club, P.O. Box 71332 Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned

LOEVNER: Mark H. Loevner, of Pittsburgh, West Palm Beach and New York, passed away on May 29, 2023, at the age of 90. He is survived by his loving wife, Catherine Loevner, of 46 years; adoring children, Caroline Loevner, Dianna Loevner, Dr. Laurie Loevner (late Steve Berger), Howard Loevner (Rosemary) and Philip Loevner (Kathy); grandchildren, Ben Berger, Alex Berger, Victoria Toews (Alex), Olivia Cestra (Dennis, Jr.); great-grandchild, Bode Toews; sister-in-law, Sandy Loevner (late Gerald); nephew, Steve Loevner (India); and niece Peggy Sloan (Joel). He was predeceased by his parents, Charles J. and Isabelle Loevner. He was born in Pittsburgh and called Squirrel Hill his home for 90 years. A graduate of Taylor Allderdice High School, he attended Penn State University, graduating first in his class with a degree in business. He was president “Superior” of his fraternity, Phi Epsilon Pi. He was an Alumni Fellow in 1998 and established the Penn State Catherine and Mark Loevner Scholarship Fund. Mark was a member of the MT Nittany Society, Glenhill Society and Penn State President’s Club. At Penn State he took two years of ROTC, graduating as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Shortly after, he was sent to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, commanded by General Paul Tibbets, who in WW II dropped the atomic bond on Hiroshima. On base, Mark was assigned to the 804th Air Base Group, then sent to the 2nd Bomb Wing in Sidi Slimane, Morocco. The mission was to keep the Suez Canal open, because in the early days of the Cold War, Russia had influence in Egypt. Mark was honored to be in the military and proud to be an American. After his military service, he entered

Please see Obituaries, page 20

Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from ... In memory of...

Morton Alman

Marlene Alpern

Rachel Braun

Marilyn Caplan

Obituaries

Obituaries:

Esther B Alman

Nathan Shaer

Dottie Braun

Louis Sable

Sharon & Morry Feldman . Phillip Weiss

Irwin Lederstein Hyman & Sara Lederstein

Mrs Rachel Leff

Rushie Leff

Marvin Levine

Jean Metzger

Jack & Bernice Meyers

Mr & Mrs Neil Rosenstein

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Rebecca Leff

Morris Levine

Erwin Becker

Louis Meyers

Norma Rosenstein

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Leon Greenberg

Samuel Schneirov

Edris C Weis . . David Howard Weis

Contact the Development department at 412-586-2690 or development@jaapgh.org for more information.

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —

Sunday June 11: Hyman Berkowitz, David J Cohen, Lawrence Stephen Fisher, Ada Gilles Frank, Herbert S Goodman, Rae Horovitz, Milton Klein, Rebecca Leff, Sarah Mollie Lewis, Louis Meyers, Harold Middleman, Abraham N Miller, Rose Morgan, Molly Moskovitz, Rae Rader, Harry Recht, Ben Sussman, David Howard Weis

Monday June 12: Rachel Americus, Isadore Becker, Clara Bluestone, Florence Fredericks, Esther Lang Glick, Julius Goldberg, Rose Goldstein, Fannie Goltz, Goldie Graff, Rose Azen Horewitz, David Rosenfield, Libby Silberblatt, Rae Solomon, Phillip Weiss, Morris Zinman

Tuesday June 13: Howard J Friedman, Benjamin Horne, Julie Katzman, Minnie Reich, Ida S Segal, Nathan Shaer, Ethel Silver, Irene Feldman Weiss

Wednesday June 14: Nathan Baum, Frank Bennett, Della B Berman, Marine Private Alan Bernstein, Sarah Bernice Fine, Judith Friedberg, Ike Friedken, Ida S Frieman, Samuel Gordon, Milton Samuel Horowitz, Evelyn Letwin, Morris I Lieberman, Isaac Lincoff, Janet Gutkowska Mirow, Sara Pollack, Barney Snyder, Eva Coon Solomon, Bertha Weinberg

Thursday June 15: Eugene Bernard Barovsky, Norman L Berger, Bertha Broudy, Louis Cohen, Hyman Danovitz, Hattie Kaufman, Dr J Kalman Leon, Emanuel Samuel Levin, Miriam Levin, David Levine, Esther Levine, Julius Moskovitz, Ruth Perlmutter, Fred Rosen, John J Roth, Louis Siskind, Clara S Sniderman, Mollie Weiss

Friday June 16: Mollie Apter, Erwin Becker, Barry Birner, Lena Caplan, Abraham Fink, Sarah Friedman, Sarah “Sandra” Goldberg, Arthur Klein, Eva Miller, Hyman Moravitz, Donald L Samuels, Louis Shapiro, Barbara Lucille Solomon

Saturday June 17: Libbie Cohen, Benjamin Friedlander, Harold Goldstein, Diane Golbitz Hamilton, Louis Klein, Frank Kopelson, Lilian Miriam Krasik Kurtz, Max Marcovsky, Jean Smolevitz Marshall, Ethel Miller, Saul Oliver Neft, Maurice A Nernberg, Ethel Riesberg, Nathan Roth, Sarah Turk, Lawrence S Williams

the family business, Trau and Loevner Co., established by his grandfather Phillip Loevner in 1897. In 1992 he was named “Entrepreneur of Year” by Ernst & Young. In 1993 he was presented as “Business Person of the Year” for the state of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region by the SBA, an award that took him to the Rose Garden of the White House to meet President Bill Clinton. In 1994 he won the Blue Chip Enterprise Award by Connecticut Mutual U.S. Chamber of Commerce for Nations Business. Mark was a member of the Duquesne Club and part of the art committee for many years. His passion was collecting antiques with Catherine and acquiring his favorite western Pennsylvania artists. Mark liked to say he was “a money manager.” “Without risk there is no reward.” He was a successful investor and dedicated to his family and friends. Gifts in Mark’s memory may be made to Senator John Heinz History Center, 1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, Attn: Tonia Rose, or The Catherine and Mark Loevner Scholarship, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, 4851 College Drive, Erie, PA 16563-0106. Services were held at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Entombment Homewood Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated. schugar.com

MARKS: Annette (Ash) Marks passed away on Wednesday, May 31, 2023.  She is the beloved wife of 58 years of Ronald Marks of Aventura, Florida, formerly of Pittsburgh.  Loving mother of Jacqueline (George) Ledo of Aventura, Florida, and Wendy (Bobby) Pine of Parkland, Florida. Loving Grandma of Julia, Jenna and Justin Ledo and Brian and Jake Pine. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Annette is the daughter of the late Jacob and Beatrice Ash and sister of the late Alfred Ash of Pittsburgh. Funeral services were held on Sunday, June 4, at Beth David Memorial Gardens in Hollywood, Florida. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center 20400 NE 30th Avenue, Aventura, Florida 33180. 305-937-1880.

D’Alessandro Funeral Home and Crematory Ltd.

“Always

OSTFIELD: Paul C. Ostfield, age 90, passed away on May 30. He was a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh, having grown up in Oakland and attending Schenley High School and the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Paul was also a proud veteran of the United States Navy and lifelong Steelers fan. Paul will always be remembered for his sense of humor, contagious smile and his knack for sharing great jokes to greet family and friends. Paul is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 40 years, Eileen, his siblings Howard Ostfield and Roselie Denny, and his parents Mildred and Joseph Ostfield. He is survived by his daughters Sheryl and Dana (Lyle), his cherished grandchildren Blake and Devyn, as well as numerous nieces and nephews in the Ostfield, Srolovitz, Vesely and Pincus families. Paul also leaves behind lifelong friends and Grouse Drive neighbors who were like family to him. Graveside service and interment were held at B’nai Israel Cemetery. To honor Paul’s memory, donations can be made to Jewish War Veterans of the United States at  jwv.org  or by planting a tree in Israel at shiva.com. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., family owned and operated.  schugar.com

SEEWALD: Mark Seewald, age 74, died on May 31, 2023, in Pittsburgh. Born Feb. 27, 1949, son of the late Jack and Irma Seewald and brother of the late Robert Alan (Andrea) Seewald. He was a graduate of Allderdice High School, UC Berkeley, and received his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University. Well-loved, kind and generous, his greatest joy was his family. He always made time for his daughters, grandchildren and other loved ones. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Deborah; children, Rebekah Seewald of Mt. Lebanon, Leah (Drew Yoder) Seewald of Houston, Texas, Elizabeth Merrell of Mt. Lebanon, Shira (Keisho) Akamatsu of Brookline and Jennifer (Scott) Corneliuson of Chicago; his 12 grandchildren, numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews and cousins. Graveside services were held Friday, June 2, 2023, at the Lubavitch Cemetery in Squirrel Hill (adjacent to the Homewood Cemetery). “Say not in grief ‘he is no more’ but in thankfulness that he was.” PJC

In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania:

Docket No. GD-23-05640

In re Petition of Brendan Andrew Flicker

For change of name to Brendan Andrew Askin

To all persons interested: Notice is hereby given that an order of said Court authorized the filing of said petition and fixed the 23rd day of June, 2021, at 9:30 AM as the time and the Motions Room, City-County Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as the place for a hearing, when and where all persons may show cause, if any they have, why said name should not be changed as prayed for.

Real Estate

GREENFIELD • $280,000

758 Melbourne St

4 Bedroom 2 bath home with central air, Renewal by Andersen windows and Owens Corning roof. E xtra storage on first and very convenient location.

SHADYSIDE • $624,000

206 N. Woodland Road

North Woodland Road Townhome. Unique custom built sophisticated 4 levels. Lower Level has a great wine cellar, storage, int garage, and a side room which could be an office. First floor has a great room kitchen, dining and living area, plus 1/2 bath. This room leads to an unbelievable courtyard and luscious grounds with a sprinkler system. Next level- large room with a whimsical full bath. Top level has a great master area, with master bath and laundry, Smashing steel and glass staircase, dramatic lighting. Terrific acrhitectural details.

OAKLAND - $290,000 - PENDING

Dithridge House

New listing. 2 bedroom 2 bath on the 11th floor with a closed in balcony with a great view. Balcony can be used year round. Building has many amenities. Guest Room, Party Room, Meeting Room, Pool, Guest Suites, Meeting Room, Outdoor Guest Parking, Valet Parking etc.

We thank

Community

We’re fans of this Weinberg Terrace residents keep it cool all summer long.

Awards and appreciation

Voices raised, orange worn

Members of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community joined Squirrel Hill Stands Against Gun Violence and elected officials, including Mayor Ed Gainey, City Councilperson Erika Strassburger and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, to decry the gun violence epidemic. The June 2 event coincided with the annual “Wear Orange Weekend” in Pittsburgh and kicked off National Gun Violence Awareness Month. The Wear Orange event is one of hundreds nationwide designed to honor survivors, remember lives taken and build community with others working to end gun violence.

p Future’s so bright, got to wear shades.

p From left: Melinda Freed, Doran Steinfeld, Stephanie McFerron, Jack Rullo and Stephanie Claypool

Temple Emanuel of South Hills held its annual meeting on June 4. Retiring Executive Director Leslie Hoffman received the Manny Award, the temple’s highest honor. Teens Jack Rullo and Doran Steinfeld received young leadership awards.

p Leslie Hoffman is congratulated by Rabbi Aaron Meyer for her years of dedication to ensuring that synagogue life is strong in the South Hills. Photos by Kim Rullo

p New Light Congregation’s rabbi and Pittsburgh synagogue shooting survivor Jonathan Perlman speaks.

p Congregation Dor Hadash’s Carolyn Ban is joined by Mayor Ed Gainey, right, and Deliverance Baptist Church’s Bishop Michael Golphin. Photos courtesy of Carolyn Ban

KOSHER MEATS

•All-natural poultry — whole chickens, breasts, wings and more

•All-natural, corn-fed beef — steaks, roasts, ground beef and more

•Variety of deli meats and franks

Empire Kosher Fresh Boneless Chicken Breasts

Available at select Giant Eagle stores. Visit gianteagle.com for location information.

89 9 lb.