P I T TS B U R G H
August 25, 2017 | 3 Elul 5777
h
Candlelighting 7:45 p.m. | Havdalah 8:43 p.m. | Vol. 60, No. 34 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
$1.50
Local scholar’s Mideast views challenged by Israel mission
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL More than medals
By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
H
Pittsburgh’s crop of athletes in the JCC Maccabi Games enjoy the camaraderie. Page 4 NATIONAL Unfortunate expert The Jewish mayor whose U-Va. town was in the national spotlight knows plenty about anti-Semitism. Page 10
Four stolpersteine in the Berlin-Mitte neighborhood
Stumbling stones connect families, memorialize those murdered by Nazis
LOCAL Diversity training
Federation’s CRC joins conversation on the educational needs of minority populations. Page 6
Photo by Lauren Bairnsfather
By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
S
teve Jaron and Betram Polak were separated by decades and circumstance. Jaron, a lifelong Pittsburgher born in 1979, could never have met Polak — the first cousin of Jaron’s grandmother — who lived his short life in the Netherlands and was murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz in 1942. Yet, on April 29, 2011, Jaron found himself in the Dutch town of Tilburg, alongside relatives from throughout the United States, Israel and the Netherlands standing in front of the last place Polak voluntarily lived at a ceremony commemorating his life with the laying of a stolpersteine, or “stumbling stone.” “The stones are a good way to commemorate family members lost in the Holocaust,” said Jaron, who has been documenting his own family’s genealogy for years. There are more than 61,000 stolpersteine in more than 610 locations in Germany,
as well as in Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Norway and Ukraine. The stones are concrete cubes which measure about 4x4 inches, bearing brass plates inscribed with the name and life dates of those slaughtered by the Nazis or, in some cases, those who survived. The stolpersteine are a project of German artist Gunter Demnig, who has been creating and laying the stones since the early 1990s. Demnig, on his website, cites the Talmudic saying that “a person is only forgotten when his or her name is forgotten.” Installed on the sidewalks in front of the buildings where the victims last lived, each stolpersteine begins with the phrase, “Here lived.” Also included is the individual’s birth year, date of arrest if applicable, the name of the camp in which he or she was detained, the year in which he or she was deported
elen Blier, an educator from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, has returned from a mission to Israel with a deeper understanding of the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but remains “no less convinced that the military occupation of Palestine is horrifying and results in the deep suffering of so many.” The trip, which was for leaders and scholars of divinity schools from across the country, was organized and funded by Interfaith Partners for Peace, a program that is incubated and supported by the Israel Action Network. The IAN is a project of the Jewish Federations of North America in partnership with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Air fare, hotels, meals and security for eight full days of touring Israel were provided to the 26 divinity school educators from mainline Christian seminaries. Participants were required to pay just a “goodwill token fee” of $500, according to Blier. Blier is the director of continuing education at the PTS, a graduate theological school of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in East Liberty. As continuing education director, Blier has provided opportunities for interfaith dialogue at the PTS. One such event in 2016 featured Rabbi Jamie Gibson of Temple Sinai and Liddy Barlow, executive minister of the Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania, following a trip they took to Israel together two years ago — along with 13 other interfaith pairs from across the country. That trip was also sponsored by Interfaith Partners for Peace. While the PTS is a school of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Blier is Catholic. The relationship between some segments of the Presbyterian Church and some Jewish
Please see Stones, page 16
Please see Mission, page 15
keep your eye on PittsburghJewishChronicle LOCAL
Rabbis confer in Steel City
LOCAL
J Line expands in South Hills
FOOD
Mint madness
Headlines Regional gathering of shluchim affords contemporary conversation — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
S
cores of rabbis from across the mid-Atlantic and beyond descended on Pittsburgh last week to address the most challenging topics facing their respective communities, as well as their own families. Known as shluchim, the 75 emissaries of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement tackled contemporary child rearing, innovative strategies in fundraising, increasing exposure of Chabad Houses, the opioid crisis and mental health during the Aug. 13-14 gathering. Rabbis face a smorgasbord of concerns, explained Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vicechairman of Chabad-Lubavitch International. In addition to Kotlarsky, participants traveled from across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, Massachusetts and Washington D.C., said Rabbi Chezky Rosenfeld of Yeshiva Schools. For participants, the convocation, which functions similarly but in smaller scale to the annual International Conference of ChabadLubavitch Emissaries held in New York, is a chance not only to converse and reconnect, but also to plan “for the coming year,” said Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, regional director of Chabad of Western Pennsylvania. “The Rebbe wanted that shluchim get together not only at the main gathering but in smaller groups to express themselves, flesh out ideas and chart out activities for the next period of time,” noted Kotlarsky, who served as keynote speaker during the two-day gathering in the Steel City, refer-
P I T TS B U R G H
SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 410-902-2308 TO ADVERTISE Display: advertising@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 724-713-8874 EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Email: newsdesk@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
P I T TS B U R G H
BOARD OF TRUSTEES David Ainsman, Chairman Evan Indianer, Vice Chairman Gayle R. Kraut, Secretary Andrew Schaer, Treasurer Richard J. Kitay, Immediate Past Chairman Jonathan Bernstein, Gail Childs, Elizabeth F. Collura, Seth Dresbold, Milton Eisner, Malke Steinfeld Frank, Tracy Gross, Catia Kossovsky, Andi Perelman, Amy Platt, David Rush, Charles Saul GENERAL COUNSEL Stuart R. Kaplan, Esq.
2 AUGUST 25, 2017
p Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld, regional director of Chabad of Western PA, offers some thoughts from the podium. Photos by Adam Reinherz p Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum addresses the recent gathering of shluchim.
ring to the late Lubavitch leader, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. Unlike the New York meeting, which welcomes crowds of more than 4,000 shluchim from across the globe, regional conventions, such as the one in Pittsburgh, afford attendees greater intimacy. “Each place makes their own agenda,” said Kotlarsky. In Pittsburgh, a committee determined this year’s topics, noted Yisroel Rosenfeld. Part of the challenge in crafting the agenda
h
was capturing the heart of Pittsburgh, explained Chezky Rosenfeld. Consequently, much attention was placed on Yeshiva Schools, the Squirrel Hill-based educational center that was founded in 1943 by Rabbi and Mrs. Sholom Posner. “Our school is known as a crown jewel among Chabad” educational institutions. After being asked to host the gathering, “we jumped on the opportunity,” as it served as a great chance to show off the school. Although a dinner and farbrengen were held at the Chabad of South Hills, the remaining events, including a roundtable discussion, banquet and group photograph, transpired at Yeshiva Schools and the Lubavitch Center.
While regional fora have existed for roughly 27 years, this year’s was the first time that Pittsburgh ever hosted such an event, said Yisroel Rosenfeld. The majority are held in Philadelphia or in the Baltimore area, as those areas possess greater concentrations of shluchim and require less travelling from participants. But with so many rabbis traveling to Pittsburgh to focus on issues at hand, “it’s been tremendously inspirational,” he added. Said Kotlarsky, “We come here to chart the future.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Main phone number: 412-687-1000
Jim Busis, CEO and Publisher 412-228-4690 jbusis@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org EDITORIAL Joshua Runyan, Editor-in-Chief 215-832-0744 jrunyan@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org Angela Leibowicz, Community/Web Editor 412-687-1047 aleibowicz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org Toby Tabachnick, Senior Staff Writer 412-228-4577 ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org Adam Reinherz, Staff Writer 412-687-1000 areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
h
SALES Phil Durler, Senior Sales Associate 724-713-8874 pdurler@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org PRODUCTION Jeni Mann, Director Rachel S. Levitan Art/Production Coordinator BUSINESS Bill Sims, Director of Circulation 410-902-2315
Devorah Neuman, Circulation subscriptions@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 410-902-2308 Published every Friday by the Pittsburgh Jewish Publication and Education Foundation 5915 Beacon St., 5th Floor Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Phone: 412-687-1000 FAX: 412-521-0154
Acceptance of advertisers and of ad copy is subject to the publisher’s approval. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle is not responsible if ads violate applicable laws and the advertiser will indemnify, hold harmless and defend the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle from all claims made by governmental agencies and consumers for any reason based on ads appearing in the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
POSTMASTER: Send address change to PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE, 5915 BEACON ST., 5TH Floor PITTSBURGH, PA 15217 (PERIODICAL RATE POSTAGE PAID AT PITTSBURGH, PA AND AT ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES) USPS 582-740 Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle become the property of this publication, which is not responsible for the return or loss of such items. The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle does not endorse the goods or services advertised or covered in its pages and makes no representation to the kashrut of food products and services in said advertising or articles. The publisher is not liable for damages if, for any reason whatsoever, he fails to publish an advertisement or for any error in an advertisement.
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines J Line expands to South Hills locations — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
J
Line, the educational and social programming arm of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, is extending its reach. The initiative, which provides learning opportunities for eighth through 12th grade teens, regardless of affiliation or background, will be offering programs in the South Hills. The move represents a partnership between J Line, Temple Emanuel of South Hills, Beth El Congregation of the South Hills and South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh, explained Rabbi Ron Symons, senior director of Jewish life at the JCC. “It’s a continuation,” added Chris Herman, the JCC’s division director of the Jewish Life Department. “We’re continuing to build on what was existing.” Previously, Temple Emanuel and Beth El Congregation offered educational opportunities for area teenagers through the collaborative venture known as the South Hills Jewish Community High School. “Our partnership brought teens from both congregations together to build friendships and community through social activities and learning opportunities,” said Rabbi Jessica
Locketz, associate rabbi and director of education at Temple Emanuel, in a message to congregants. For several years, the enterprise functioned with Locketz at the helm. However, last spring, parents and teens began planning and “participating in conversations that guided us in our work this summer,” she explained. The result, which will begin this fall under the name J Line South Hills, will be “some combination of what is working for all of us and bringing that together, and creating the best experience for teens,” said Herman. The new initiative will utilize spaces within Temple Emanuel, Beth El and the JCC of the South Hills. On Monday nights at Temple Emanuel, during a term that spans from Sept. 10 until Nov. 5, students can choose from an array of classes including about “Saturday Night Live” and Jewish jokes, discovering God through “a cheesy song about teenage romance” or feminism and its place within Judaism. The latter will be taught by Hannah Kalson, one of two new staff members at The Second Floor, a teen-dedicated space within the Robinson Building at the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh. Joining Kalson, a Pittsburgh native who will serve as director of teen engagement and experiences, is Stephanie Aaronson, director of teen learning and leadership and the Pitts-
Mr. St. Clair 18
p A J Line student learns audiovisual techniques.
Photo courtesy of J Line
burgh Diller Teen Fellows coordinator. Between 50 and 60 students are expected to sign up, “based on previous registration at Temple Emanuel and Beth El,” said Symons. The various South Hills representatives, including Locketz and fellow religious leader Rabbi Alex Greenbaum of
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Murray Avenue Kosher 1916 MURRAY AVENUE 412-421-1015 • 412-421-4450 • FAX 412-421-4451 PRICES EFFECTIVE SUNDAY, AUGUST 27 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
Candle Lighting Time Friday, August 25, 2017 • 7:45 p.m. MEAT SPECIALS
TAKE-OUT SPECIALS
Chuck Steak
9
$
99
LB
MONDAY DINNER SPECIAL
SHABBOS SPECIAL
Salad • Rolls
1 Kugel • 2 Pints Salad • 2 Mini Challahs
2 Roasted Chickens 1 Qt. Chicken Soup 4 Matzo Balls
Beef Stew with Potatoes & Carrots
Boneless Chicken Breast
Serves 4
Serves 4
$31.99
499 LB
$
43.99
$
TUESDAY DINNER SPECIAL
Meal Mart Buffalo Wings
STORE HOURS
Ziti with Meat Sauce
Sun. - Wed. • 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Thurs. • 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fri. • 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Salad
(Mild or Hot)
Serves 4
999 32 OZ
$
YEARS AT CDS
Beth El, have made this a true “partnership,” noted Herman. “The goal is about teen engagement and meeting their needs,” echoed Symons. J Line South Hills will deliver “quality Jewish engagement to teens in their neighborhood. And we are bringing it to them at a time that works for them on Monday nights.” Recognizing the numerous partners, acronyms and places involved, Herman clarified that the courses, programs and activities for teens at the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh will continue to be referred to as J Line, while those in the South Hills will be called J Line South Hills. What is important for people to know is that by adding J Line to the mix, we are “taking our partnership that we’ve had in the South Hills for the past three years and taking it to the next level,” said Leslie Hoffman, executive director of Temple Emanuel. Added Herman, South Hills teens will “still be engaged in active learning experiences; that really hasn’t changed. We’ve just really added different elements and created different experiences based on that pre-existing program.” PJC
$27.99
WEEKLY SPECIALS
NATURAL EARTH RICE NOODLES $ 49
2
TEACHER • COACH • MENTOR
4
8 .8 OZ
.
OUR BEST WISHES FOR MANY YEARS OF GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS!
PEPPERIDGE FARMS PASTRY SHELLS $ 19 . 10 OZ
LIMA BEAN SOUP $ 99
8
PASTRAMI BURGERS $ 59
8
QT
.
U
EMPIRE CLASSIC TURKEY BREAST $ 75
9
.
LB
.
LB
SHOR HABOR HONEY TURKEY BREAST $ 75
HOMEMADE SALADS & SOUPS DELI PARTY TRAYS
9
.
LB
MACABEE BAGEL PIZZA (18 COUNT) $ 39
11
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
6
46 OZ
.
8
.
ORZO SALAD $ 99 . LB
3
LB
GOLDEN TASTE MARINATED EGGPLANT $ 75
5
.
LB
We Prepare Trays for All Occasions
22 OZ
.
CHICKEN SATAY NOODLE SALAD $ 99
UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF VAAD OF PITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
BENZ’S GEFILTE FISH (FROZEN) $ 69
SMOKED FISH (CISCOS) $ 75
16
.
LB
CATERING SPECIALISTS DELICIOUS FRIED CHICKEN WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIMIT QUANTITIES.
AUGUST 25, 2017 3
Headlines Maccabi Games offer competition and camaraderie for local teens — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
L
ittle more than a score of Steel City athletes recently returned from the Capital Region Maccabi Games in Albany, N.Y., but for the 27 local participants, the opportunity to compete against fellow Jews was not only “really fun.” It was, according to incoming Pittsburgh Allderdice sophomore Caleb Evoy, a “good experience.” Caleb, along with five other Pittsburgh players, joined a group of Philadelphia teens to comprise a mixed Pennsylvanian squad for 16U Baseball at the five-day Olympic-style meet. “It was definitely an experience that I will remember,” said Ziv Mayo, an incoming junior at Pittsburgh Allderdice and a fellow member of the 16U Baseball team. Unlike last year, when Ziv was the sole Pittsburgher playing baseball at the games, this year was a bit more enjoyable, he said. “I think last year it was a lot harder, because there were a lot of kids I didn’t know on my team. This year I felt a lot more connected to the players on my team and my coaches.” The group, which ultimately finished fourth, built a connection that should last a lifetime, said Jonathan Mayo, Ziv’s father. While there are various aspects to the games, such as an opening ceremony, closing party and community service project, “the main part is meeting new kids,” said his son. “I met a kid from central Jersey the second
p From left: Coach Zack Smith, Tyler Shapiro, Ziv Mayo, Caleb Evoy, Caleb Greenwald, Nathan Dinner and Garrett Grodin Photo by Sara Mayo
to last day and we ended up talking for like four hours.” “I got to spend more time with people I don’t normally hang out with and meet new people,” echoed Caleb. The JCC Maccabi Games, which holds events at multiple sites annually, welcomes more than 6,000 teens between the ages of 13 to 16. In upstate New York, athletes from as far away as Mexico, Canada and Israel participated. “I live in Pittsburgh, so that’s a big community but also a small community; so when you get to meet kids from Israel or Mexico or Canada, you wouldn’t meet them unless you met them in that place, it’s a different connec-
tion — you connect with them through your faith and through sports because we are all competing together,” said Sammy Nayhouse, an incoming junior at Pittsburgh Allderdice. Like Ziv, this was Sammy’s second go-round with the games. But apart from meeting new kids, the competition, through its home hospitality program, provided a chance to connect with local residents, said the tennis player. “This is my last year because I am too old, but if the Maccabi Games ever come to Pittsburgh I would love to host a family if I am that age and have a house,” Sammy offered. Reason being is that the “host families and parents are so welcoming. They
took us around the city, showed us cool things, different restaurants. I would like to give the next Maccabi kids the same experience that I had.” “I would love for Pittsburgh to host it in the future,” added Ziv’s father. “I think it’s great for the Jewish community, it brings a lot of people into town. … I think it would be a cool way to shine a light on the Pittsburgh Jewish community and what it has to offer.” Pittsburgh last hosted the JCC Maccabi Games in 1997. Since then, athletes have traveled to cities including Baltimore, Boston and Detroit for the competition. “I know that the Jewish community sometimes searches for ways to get young people engaged Jewishly and this is a great way to do it,” the elder Mayo said. Sammy, who won a gold medal for doubles and a bronze medal for singles in tennis, concurred, and hoped that people know that “if you’re Jewish and you play sports or do arts, that it’s just a great experience to connect with new people.” “Meeting new people in general is important, but especially other Jews,” said Ziv, a third baseman and pitcher. “You get to ask them what they do for certain holidays or how they celebrate certain things, and you get to learn how they express their Judaism.” Caleb, a left fielder and first baseman, agreed. “It makes you realize that there is a lot of people that are like you,” he said. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Local little leaguers enjoy international competition — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
T
his time of year international kids annually converge on the celebrated city of Williamsport, Pa., a hamlet 200 miles east of Pittsburgh that is colloquially called “Billtown” and home to the Little League World Series. But this year, as teams took the field there, young players from Perth and Canberra, Australia, as well as Dubai, took to Lederman Field, a dusty diamond in Frick Park, for a series of Aug. 20 to 21 exhibition games pitting the Perth Heat Colts against all-stars from the community youth organization, Squirrel Hill Baseball. “They called me about a month ago and said they’d be on their way to Williamsport,” and were curious about playing here, said Randy Frankel, president and director of the Squirrel Hill Baseball Association. The decision of whether to host the 11 and 12-year-old teams was a virtual no-brainer, he explained. “We would love to play,” he told them. “It is important for our community to get the experience of playing against an international little league team,” echoed Jeff Margolis, assistant director of the Squirrel
4 AUGUST 25, 2017
p Players pose for a photo after an exhibition game between members of the Perth Heat Colts and the all-stars of Squirrel Hill baseball teams. Photo by Adam Reinherz
Hill Baseball Association. “It’s a great experience for Squirrel Hill Baseball; but more importantly, some of our kids and families will remember this for the rest of their lives.” So, as 24 international preteens arrived
at the East End playing field for a Sunday evening showcase — first, the 12-year-olds played, followed by the 11-year-olds — several of the city’s youth eagerly shared their initial encounter with multiculturalism.
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
“It’s kind of nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time,” said Josh Valinsky, 11, of Squirrel Hill. Please see Baseball, page 17
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
OUR NEXT ACT Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh 2017 Annual Meeting Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, 7 p.m. JCC Squirrel Hill 5738 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh 15217
PAUSE FOR APPLAUSE...
To celebrate Jewish Pittsburgh’s achievements in 2016–17
CUE THE VIEW...
Of the next stage of community development
THE MEETING WILL SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON... Emanuel Spector Memorial Award recipient CHUCK PERLOW Doris & Leonard H. Rudolph Jewish Communal Professional Award recipient ALEXIS WINSTEN MANCUSO Recipients of the 2017 Jewish Federation VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD $7/person by mail or at the door $5/person when preregistering at www.jfedpgh.org/annual-meeting Online registration available until noon, Monday, Aug. 28. CYNTHIA D. SHAPIRA, Chair of the Board JEFFREY H. FINKELSTEIN, President & CEO The full inclusion of people of all abilities is a core value of the Pittsburgh Jewish community. To discuss disability-related accommodations, please call 412.992.5251. The annual meeting is underwritten by a grant from the Lillian and Dr. Henry J. Goldstein Annual Meeting Endowment Fund of the Federation’s Jewish Community Foundation. PNC Bank has also supplied generous underwriting support.
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
AUGUST 25, 2017 5
Headlines School personnel learn how to combat hate in South Hills — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
W
hile Latino students may be dealing with the stress of living in mixed-status families — with some members having full U.S. citizenship, while other remain undocumented —refugees may be faced with other challenges, such as uneducated parents who cannot provide help with homework. Raising awareness among educators and other community members in the South Hills was the focus of a panel discussion on “Incidents of Hate in School,” sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League in cooperation with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, and the Chartiers Valley School District on Aug. 17. The event, which had more than 40 participants, was held at the Chartiers Valley Intermediate School. Representatives from seven minority organizations led a panel discussion on the challenges faced by their particular communities, and suggested ways that school officials could effectively deal with those issues. Although the event was planned well in advance of the Charlottesville riots, said CRC director Josh Sayles, the incident in Charlottes-
p Josh Sayles, director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, says hate is a constant issue for schools.
Photo by Toby Tabachnick
ville contributed to the relevance of the program. “Suffice it to say, Jews know all too well what happens when white supremacists and Nazis congregate, whether it’s Charlottesville or elsewhere,” Sayles said. “We fully support the First Amendment. We don’t counter hate speech by shutting it down. We counter hate speech with more speech.
“And that’s why we’re here and we’re sharing our message,” he added. “People who hate a group of people don’t just hate one group of people. And that’s why it’s important for us to all be here … to bring our communities together and to get our message out.” The panel discussion was intended to raise awareness of issues in minority communities
of which educators may have limited knowledge or experience, according to Sayles. Representatives were on hand from the Latino Community Center, the Union for African Communities, the Alliance for Police Accountability, the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, the Persad Center, and Chartiers Valley Middle School. Sayles represented the Jewish community. Rosamarie Cristello, cofounder and executive director of the Latino Community Center, discussed the issues facing students from “mixed-status families,” emphasizing the importance of terminology. She encouraged educators to refrain from referring to people as “illegal.” “We strongly believe there is no such thing as an illegal person,” she said. “That is the wrong terminology.” More appropriate terminology, she suggested, is “undocumented” or “unauthorized.” Since the 2016 presidential election, Cristello said, there is a “big fear of deportation” in the Latino community, with many Latinos living in Allegheny County afraid that when they leave for work, they may never see their children again. Others, who are in the country on visas, worry constantly about renewing those visas. Please see Training, page 17
Renew TODAY!
3 YEARS FREE print edition
Complete the form and mail or call 410.902.2308
Renew my FREE 3 YEAR subscription to the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.*
Address City
Name (Please print) Signature
Date
* Signature and date required to be valid by the US Postal Service. Restrictions apply. Residents eligible to receive the free three years subscription must live in the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County or the five surrounding counties.
State
Zip
Phone Email
Mail to: Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle | 5915 Beacon Street, 5th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
6 AUGUST 25, 2017
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Calendar Bet in less than one week. Confirm your attendance by contacting kmbrean@ gmail.com or by calling Rodef Shalom Congregation at 412-621-6566.
q FRIDAY, SEPT. 8 Rodef Shalom invites congregants and the community to meet and welcome the next Murray Klein Executive Director, Barry Weisband of Tucson, Ariz., at a special oneg on Friday, Sept. 8 at 6:30 p.m., following the 5:30 erev Shabbat service. Weisband was raised in New Kensington and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in communications and psychology, and Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned his master’s in management and public policy analysis. Weisband brings 20 years of senior management expertise to his new position. Most recently, he has been serving as the vice president of planning and marketing for the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona.
q FRIDAY, AUG. 25 – SUNDAY, AUG. 27 Front Porch Theatricals will present the second and final show of its 2017 “Journeys & Tall Tales” season, “Big Fish,” a Broadway musical about fathers and sons and the stories we use to define ourselves. Based on Daniel Wallace’s novel and Tim Burton’s film, “Big Fish” centers on Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest and whose incredible, larger-thanlife stories thrill everyone around him. Music and lyrics are by Andrew Lippa; the book is by John August. After a 12-year stage hiatus to focus on family and his role as executive director of Mt. Lebanon’s Center for Theater Arts, Broadway and film veteran Billy Hartung will star. Pittsburgh’s Spencer Whale will direct. “Big Fish” plays at the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side. For more information on the show or Front Porch Theatricals, contact Leon S. Zionts at 412-389-5983 or Bruce E.G. Smith at 412-551-4027. Tickets are now available at 888-718-4253, at frontporch. showclix.com or at frontporchpgh.org.
q FRIDAY, AUG. 25 The community is invited to Temple David’s “Shabbat in the Park” at the Monroeville Community Park, West, 2339 Tilbrook Road, Pavilion 1. Bring your own picnic basket and enjoy dinner in the park from 5 to 7 p.m. Caustelot Creamery will be selling ice cream and shaved ice. Shabbat service will begin at 7 p.m. Contact Temple David at 412-372-1200 or templedavid.org for more information. The Jewish Women’s Foundation is offering two programs for its 2017 grant-making cycle: small grants up to $10,000 to fund innovative programs that impact women and girls, and start-up grants between $2,500 and $5,000 to fund pilot programs and small nonprofits working to improve the lives of women and girls. Visit JWF’s website at jwfpgh.org for more information. The deadline for submission is midnight, Aug. 25.
q FRIDAY, AUG. 25 – SATURDAY, AUG. 26 Congregation Beth Shalom’s Derekh Young Adult Shabbat Retreat (for ages 22 to 45) will explore the value of being open to others, to Jewish wisdom and tradition and to ourselves through text study and other group activities. Learn from each other, eat together, pray together and relax together. These events will be in Beth Shalom’s building; sleeping is done in participants’ own homes. The weekend is Shabbat and family friendly. Babysitting will
be arranged upon request. Contact Rabbi Jeremy Markiz at jmarkiz@bethshalompgh. org for more information.
q SUNDAY, AUG. 27 J Street Pittsburgh will hold its fifth annual Bagel Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. in Oakland. Join Alan Elsner, special adviser to Jeremy Ben Ami, president of J Street, in a conversation to analyze the current political climate both in Israel and the United States and to discuss how J Street is engaging the Jewish community, fighting for its values on Capitol Hill and preparing for the 2018 midterm elections. RSVP to adam@jstreet.org. Alan Elsner has had a long career at the top ranks of American and international journalism prior to joining J Street. As State Department and later White House correspondent for Reuters, Elsner has traveled the world with secretaries of state and was on first name terms with presidents and vice presidents. His sharp questioning during the Rwanda genocide forced the United States to change its policy and was later highlighted in the Hollywood movie, “Hotel Rwanda.” As Reuters’ national correspondent, Elsner was the agency’s chief writer on 9/11. Elsner is the author of two novels and two works of nonfiction. Families of Survivors Open House takes place at the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Register at jfedpgh.org/ holocaust-center. HaZamir Pittsburgh is one of 31 chapters of HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir. HaZamir is open to all Jewish musical teens in grades eight to 12 who can match pitch and hold their own in a four-part arrangement. Those looking for additional challenges and opportunities can audition for the honors Chamber Choir or try out for solos in the gala concert. HaZamir also offers a college credit program for juniors and seniors, through the national HaZamir office. Open auditions will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in Room 307.
q SUNDAY, AUG. 27 – THURSDAY, AUG. 31 Aleph-Bet Bootcamp at Rodef Shalom will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Rodef Shalom Library. The month of Elul is customarily a time of self-reflection, learning and preparation for the High Holidays. Karen Brean, Rodef Shalom’s executive vice president, is launching this intensive language class to help you learn the Aleph-
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Rodef Shalom Congregation will offer text exploration and discussion for the month of Elul at 7 p.m. in the chapel. Rabbi Alan Lew’s book, “This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation,” will be studied together as a way to open the rituals and traditions to everyone. The Prayer and Practice Committee of Rodef Shalom is the sponsor. Contact Rodef Shalom at 412-621-6566 for more information.
The Nation State of the Jewish People: What must change in Israel and in the Diaspora to ensure the validity of this claim?” at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, Levinson Hall. To register for this program, visit jfedpgh.org/avraham-infeld. The program is sponsored by the Israel and Overseas Department of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Diller Teen Fellows program. The Diller Teen Fellows program is funded by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Helen Diller Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, and is implemented locally by the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.
q WEDNESDAY, AUG. 30
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6 – SEPT. 13
Congregation Ahavath Achim, the Carnegie Shul, will be showing the film, “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg,” at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont at 7 p.m. The program is being funded by a grant from South Hills Jewish Pittsburgh, a part of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The Peabody Award-winning film is a sometimes humorous and often nostalgic documentary about how the former Detroit Tigers (and later Pittsburgh Pirates) slugger became a beacon of hope to American Jews who faced bigotry during the Depression and World War II, and how he became a genuine American hero. The program is free and open to the community, and attendees will receive free popcorn and soda. RSVP at southhillsjewishpittsburgh.org.
Film Pittsburgh’s ReelAbilities Film Festival presents award-winning films at SouthSide Works Cinema that promote awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of individuals with disabilities. Contact info@FilmPitttsburgh.org for more information.
q TUESDAYS, AUG. 29, SEPT. 5 & 12
q THURSDAY, AUG. 31 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will present highlights of the past year at its annual meeting, with the theme, “Our Next Act.” The show will star Pittsburgh’s Jewish community, its collective accomplishments through the Jewish Federation in 2016-2017 and a preview of the initiatives that are in the wings. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill at 5738 Forbes Ave. On-site registration for the meeting will begin at 6:15 p.m. A dessert reception will follow the meeting. (Dietary laws observed.) Admission is $5 per person for those who preregister online at jfedpgh.org/annualmeeting. By mail or at the door, the cost is $7 per person. To preregister by mail, send a check payable to Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to Federation, Annual Meeting, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
q FRIDAY, SEPT. 1 Temple Emanuel invites the community for Shabbat in the Park at Bird Park in Mt. Lebanon. Bring your own picnic dinner at 5:45 p.m. and stay for the camp-style musical service at 6:30 p.m. The evening will end with S’mores around the fire pit. For more information, visit templeemanuelpgh.org or call the office at 412-279-7600.
q MONDAY, SEPT. 4 Temple Emanuel in Mt. Lebanon, 1250 Bower Hill Road, invites the community to its annual Labor Day picnic at 4 p.m. The picnic features food, live music, a train ride for the kids, gaga and more. RSVP at templeemanuelpgh.org/ event/LD2017/ or call 412-279-7600 for more information.
q WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6 The community is invited to hear Jewish educator Avraham Infeld speak on “Israel:
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
THURSDAY, SEPT. 7 The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh will hold its 122nd annual meeting, “Love Thy Neighbor,” from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m., in Levinson Hall, 5738 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill. The meeting is open to the community. The agenda includes a video highlighting the past year at the JCC; state of agency by board chair Jim Ruttenberg; volunteer awards to Community Champions Marc Brown, Merris and Yram Groff, Cathy Reifer, Karen Smith and Harold Segal; installation of officers and board; recognition of outgoing board member Henry Blaufeld; Presidential Citations to Lynne Carvell, Ari Letwin, Hal Shapera, Justin Jones, Brian Cohen, Carole Horne and honoring Don Robinson. For more information, contact ralley@jccpgh.org. Ladies Hospital Aid Society invites the community to honor Dr. Jose-Alain Sahel, incoming chairman of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Eye & Ear Foundation endowed chair, at the LHAS Gala at the Carnegie Museum at 6 p.m. Visit lhas.net or contact 412-648-6106 for more information.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 10 Hadassah’s 100th Anniversary and Myrtle Wreath Award Ceremony will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the University Club, 123 University Place. Honorees are Dr. Yoel Sadovsky, Bill Strickland Jr., Cynthia Shapira and Nancy Zionts. Visit hadassah.org/regions/ greater-pittsburgh/ for more information and to register or contact 412-421-8919 or Pittsburgh@hadassah.org. The 7th Annual Apples and Honey Fall Festival will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Waterfront. Contact 412-992-5204 or mfranzos@jfedpgh.org for more information. Congregation Dor Hadash invites the community to a 10 a.m. lecture by Anna Fisher of Fair Districts PA, a nonpartisan coalition of citizens and organizations seeking to reform Pennsylvania redistricting rules by taking the process out of the hands of party leaders and putting the process into the hands of an impartial, transparent and accountable citizens’ commission. Fisher will Please see Calendar, page 9
AUGUST 25, 2017 7
Headlines Welcoming refugees to America by teaching them to make avocado toast — WORLD — By Ben Sales | JTA
N
EW YORK — Two chefs — one from Afghanistan, the other from Mexico — are learning how to make shakshuka sauce. The tomato base, cooked with onion rings and spiced with cayenne pepper and garlic confit, comes out of the oven with eggs and onto a curated brunch menu also including a wild mushroom galette with wilted greens, a cheddar chive scone and, of course, avocado toast. The aroma wafts through the air in a small, floral courtyard at the edge of Brooklyn behind a small storefront on a street lined with brunch places. It sounds like a hipster cliché. But what makes this brunch place different is that not long before they arrived in this kitchen, the chefs — Sandra Marquez and Naseema, who did not give her last name — were refugees fleeing their respective countries and hoping only to find a safe haven in the United States. Now they’re in the midst of an eight-week culinary boot camp preparing them to work shifts in kitchens around this city. Five weeks ago they barely knew how to hold a professional kitchen knife, let alone how to plate a shakshuka. In a few weeks they will each be off to a restaurant job. Two new chefs, also coming in unskilled, will replace them. The boot camp is the core mission of Emma’s Torch, a new nonprofit that aims to train refugees as professional chefs. The program — and eponymous brunch place — are named for Emma Lazarus, the Jewish poet whose verses welcoming immigrants adorn the Statue of Liberty. The obligatory menu chalkboard outside the restaurant bears a sketch of the green lady with a cartoon bubble declaring “Give me your avocado toast, your mimosa ...” The statue itself is visible from a few blocks away. “I was always intrigued by this idea of how can you merge the culinary industry with employment programs for the refugee community because there are so few opportunities for them once they’re in the U.S.,” said Kerry Brodie, 27, the organization’s founder. “Cooking is one of those ways you can communicate without language.” Brodie conceived of Emma’s Torch in her previous job at the Human Rights Campaign, an international LGBT rights group, where she would connect with refugees from around the world. She began teaching a cooking class for local refugees in her apartment after work (“just, like, for fun”) that would deliver meals to a women’s shelter. Last year, Brodie quit her job to attend culinary school. After graduation, she took an early morning job — start time, 5:30 — at a bakery and spent her afternoons setting up the pilot program for Emma’s Torch. The nonprofit has been operating for six months, the restaurant for two. Brodie soon will welcome her third two-person cohort to the culinary crash course, which comes with a $15 per hour salary. The program
8 AUGUST 25, 2017
p Kerry Brodie founded Emma’s Torch after running cooking classes for refugees out of her apartment in her spare time.
p Naseema, a refugee from Afghanistan, chops mushrooms for shakshuka.
p On training days, student chefs make their own lunch, such as this vegetable pizza with feta cheese. Photos by Ben Sales
has received 50 applications from refugees Brodie reaches through large resettlement agencies. She also runs an eight-person English-as-a-second-language class on Thursdays that is geared toward teaching phrases used in the kitchen. “Our students will thank me when they get their paychecks, and I’m like, ‘That’s
nice, but I’m not giving you anything. You are bringing joy to this community,’” said Brodie, who also has served as the communications director for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., where she grew up. “It’s showing people who for so long were treated as victims, no, you bring something immensely valuable to the table.”
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
Brodie selects culinary students with a love of food but with no formal restaurant training. The students learn techniques and skills on Friday, then put them to use on Saturday and Sunday when the restaurant is open for brunch. Because the students need to gain culinary proficiency in just eight classes, they learn at a frenetic pace. Last Friday Marquez, a survivor of human trafficking from central Mexico, was flattening dough, while a couple feet behind her at an opposite counter Naseema, from Kabul, was chopping shiitake mushrooms for the shakshuka. On a shelf next to them sat slices of pizza with vegetables and feta cheese — the lunch they had just made and eaten. That day, they would learn everything from the names of various pans to the different stations of a commercial kitchen to spice combinations to the finer points of plating. Both women are still learning English, so each class includes a lot of repetition of terms — like “hotel pan” or “deglaze.” “Hopefully, it’s as many transferrable skills as possible, not just into the commercial kitchen but into their lives,” said Laura Licona, a doctoral student in anthropology turned chef who used to also run a refugee food bank and now serves as the culinary director for Emma’s Torch. “We end up doing a lot of repeating, a lot of writing things down, learning a word and then explaining it in multiple contexts.” One advantage of teaching refugees to cook is that they draw on recipes they made back home. Working with saffron a couple weeks ago, Naseema showed Licona how to create a paste by melting an ice cube into the spice, which she then patted onto crostini. But Marquez said she also enjoys departing from her traditional foods and enjoys making Italian cuisine. She hopes to someday open her own restaurant. In the meantime, she wants to find a job as a baker after the course ends. “I like all food, but I like baking,” she said. “I like working with flour, making cookies and bread. I like that the kitchen is like a home.” Through a series of cold calls and emails, Brodie has connected with chefs who can help her graduates find entry-level work in New York kitchens. Brodie says that because many young chefs (like her) prefer to strike out on their own these days, it isn’t hard for someone with training to find good culinary work. As for Emma’s Torch, Brodie didn’t expect Emma Lazarus to be a controversial news figure when she started the project early last year. Brodie said it was “laughable” to think, as White House adviser Stephen Miller declared on Aug. 2, that the poet’s verse welcoming immigrants wasn’t the true message of the statue — or that welcoming immigrants isn’t an American value. “It’s a joke of history,” she said. “That statue and its presence in our nation’s psyche is all inherently tied to that concept that to be American, what defines us and what makes us great, is our ability to welcome in the stranger.” PJC
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines Following terrorist attack, Barcelona’s chief rabbi says his community is doomed — WORLD — By Cnaan Liphshiz | JTA
C
ommenting on deadly attacks in Catalonia, the chief rabbi of that region in Spain said his community is doomed, partly because of radical Islam and the alleged reluctance of authorities to confront it. Rabbi Meir Bar-Hen has been encouraging his congregants to leave Spain, which he called during an interview a “hub of Islamist terror for all of Europe,” for years before the attacks Thursday and Friday last week, he said. At least 13 victims and five suspected terrorists were killed in Barcelona and the resort town of Cambrils, 75 miles south of that city. To Bar-Hen, whose community on Friday resumed activities that it had suspended briefly following the Barcelona attack, “Jews are not here permanently,” he said of the city and region. “I tell my congregants: Don’t think we’re here for good. And I encourage them to buy property in Israel. This place is lost. Don’t repeat the mistake of Algerian Jews, of Venezuelan Jews. Better [get out] early than late.” A white van on Aug. 17 careered into crowds on Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s feted thoroughfare, when the street was packed
with locals and tourists. Along with the fatalities, more than 100 were injured. The driver of the van fled on foot and was believed to be still at large. Police shot dead another man at a checkpoint. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility for that attack. Hours later, police killed five men during a raid in Cambrils whom police said were terrorists planning an imminent attack. Part of the problem exposed by the attacks, Bar-Hen said, is the presence of a large Muslim community with “radical fringes.” Once these people are “living among you,” he said of terrorists and their supporters, “it’s very difficult to get rid of them. They only get stronger.” He also said this applied to Europe as a whole. “Europe is lost,” he said. Bar-Hen emphasized that he was speaking as a private person and not for all the members of his community. Displaying a defiant and more confident attitude than Bar-Hen, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain issued a statement expressing “full confidence in security forces who work daily to prevent fanatics and radical Muslims from inflicting pain and chaos on our cities.” Bar-Hen also charged that authorities and some politicians are reluctant to confront Islamist terrorism. He cited the govern-
Today in Israeli history — WORLD — Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Aug. 25, 1918 • Composer Leonard Bernstein is born
Born in Lawrence, Mass., to UkrainianJewish parents, Leonard Bernstein is one of the most prolific composers and conductors in American history.
Aug. 26, 1903 • Protocols of the Elders of Zion is published
“The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” the most widely distributed anti-Semitic publication in history, is first published in Znamya, a Russian newspaper.
Aug. 27, 1892 • Jaffa-Jerusalem railway line debuts
Calendar: Continued from page 7
Aug. 29, 1967 • Fourth Arab League Summit convenes The Fourth Arab League Summit convenes in Khartoum, Sudan. Participants agree that all measures should be taken to regain lands controlled by Israel after the war and that the oil-rich countries would finance an increased Arab military presence in the region.
Aug. 30, 1944 • Harold MacMichael ends his term as High Commissioner of Palestine
Rattled by numerous attempts on his life and fearing for the safety of his family, MacMichael steps down in August 1944.
Aug. 31, 1947 • United Nations Special Committee on Palestine holds final meeting
The first passenger train arrives in Jerusalem from Jaffa as part of the first railroad project in the Ottoman-controlled Levant, the Jaffa-Jerusalem railway line.
Aug. 28, 1898 • The Second Zionist Congress convenes
The Second Zionist Congress convenes in Basel, Switzerland; 400 delegates, including Theodore Herzl’s father, participate in the Second Congress, which is nearly double the size of the First Congress held the previous year.
The United Nations had set up UNSCOP in April 1947. Its purpose, like previous commissions that visited Palestine, is to investigate underlying causes for communal unrest and to make political recommendations about curtailing violence. PJC
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
ment’s decision in April to allow Leila Khaled, a Palestinian terrorist who was convicted in a plot to hijack an airplane in 1969, to enter the country for a book festival. This showed authorities “do not understand the nature of terrorism, if they treat it as an action by the disenfranchised,” Bar-Hen said. Ignoring calls to ban the visit by Khaled — book fair organizers hung posters of Khaled on main streets — Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau Ballano of the far-left p Police officers patrol Las Ramblas avenue in Barcelona en Comú party Barcelona a day after the car-ramming terrorist led the passage in April attack in the Spanish city last week. Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images of a City Council resolution condemning Israel’s “violations of said it is “pure cynicism” by Colau Ballano international law.” to claim to oppose terrorism in light of her On Aug. 18, Colau Ballano wrote on Face- support for Khaled “and other individuals book: “Barcelona is a city of peace. Terror will that support terrorist causes,” as he phrased it. not make us stop being who we are: a brave Bar-Hen said he may not attend the rally city open to the world.” She urged readers to called by Colau Ballano, as security offishow up at a solidarity rally that day. cials instructed him to avoid public areas Angel Mas, founder of the ACOM pro-Is- in the coming days because he is recognizrael group, which protested Khaled’s visit, ably Jewish. PJC
further explain how extreme gerrymandering undermines our voice in government, and how we can solve it by implementing a non-partisan, independent citizen’s redistricting commission. Fisher will examine the problem and discuss solutions to help make fair districts a reality. Dor Hadash is located at 5898 Wilkins Ave. at the corner of Shady Avenue in Squirrel Hill. RSVP is appreciated but not required. Contact admin@dorhadash.net or 412-4225158 for more information.
MONDAYS, SEPT. 11, 18, 25 Babyccino: A Chic Meet for Mod Moms & Their Tots. Explore the High Holidays in pint-size proportions via music, movement, sensory stimulants and expressive arts. Threeweek session from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. $7 per class; $18 for the whole session. Contact Chabad of the South Hills, Mt. Lebanon at mussie@chabadsh.com for more information.
Vegas-style entertainer, will be performing; you can view his video on YouTube. Everyone is invited, including nonmembers. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. Contact Ilene Portnoy at 412-6837985 for more information. Chabad of the South Hills presents Torah & Tea for Women: A Taste of the High Holidays in the Far East at 7:30 p.m. hosted by Deb Levy with guest Gilah Moritz. Moritz’s mother was born in Calcutta, India, to Baghdadi Jewish parents. The food traditions that the previous generation had brought there were influenced by the spices and cooking styles of India, and the resulting blended cuisine is uniquely delicious. Sample some traditional Rosh Hashanah dishes and hear about Far Eastern Jewish life. There is no charge. Contact batya@chabadsh.com or 412-5122330 for more information and to RSVP.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 17 Kids Honey Cake Bake including baking your very own honey cake, entertainment, hands-on holiday crafts and more at 4 p.m. at the South Hills Jewish Community Center.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 12
THURSDAY, SEPT. 28
Pre-High Holiday lunch for seniors at noon at the South Hills Jewish Community Center, 345 Kane Blvd. Shofar presentation, High Holiday music, raffles and honey cake. $5 suggested donation. Wheelchair accessible. Call Barb at 412-278-2658 for more information.
Carol L. Tabas will be the recipient of 2017 Shore-Whitehill Award, awarded annually by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Jewish Residential Services to volunteers who promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the fabric of Jewish life. Tabas will be honored from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Pittsburgh Golf Club. Keynote speakers will be Nancy Thaler, deputy secretary of the Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs, and Al Condeluci, CEO of Community Living and Support Services. RSVP at megan-grabski@unitedwayswpa. org by Sept. 20. PJC
THURSDAY, SEPT. 14 AARP Squirrel Hill Chapter 3354 has moved and is now meeting at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha at 5898 Wilkins Ave. To start the new year, it will have entertainment for the first meeting at 1 p.m. Johnny Fontaine, a Las
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
AUGUST 25, 2017 9
Headlines Charlottesville’s Jewish mayor is an expert on demagogues, and now on anti-Semitism — NATIONAL — By Ron Kampeas | JTA
C
HARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Michael Signer, the Jewish mayor of Charlottesville, has one thing in common with the white supremacists who descended on his southern Virginia city over the weekend: He also opposed the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Of course, Signer’s reasons for preserving the statue would have appalled the supremacists: He agreed with local African-American activists who had argued that preserving the statue was a means of teaching Virginians about the horrors of a “dishonorable” cause, the Confederacy. Signer was on the losing side of a 3-2 City
p Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer was featured on “Meet the Press.”
Screenshot from YouTube
Council decision, and the statue is now slated for removal. But his thoughtful approach, more typical of an academic than a politi-
cian, has also been evident in his counsel during the rash of protests that have plagued this city: “Don’t take the bait,” he has said.
In giving that advice, Signer has noted that for the first time in his life, he has been the target of intense baiting as a Jew. “I can’t see the world through a black person’s eyes,” he said at a June 13 address at an African-American church, where he urged constituents not to give in to the impulse to counter hatred with hatred. “I can see it through a Jewish person’s eyes; the KKK hates Jews just as much as they hate black people. The stuff with this group online about Jews is unbelievable, bloodcurdling. The stuff I’ve gotten on my phone at my house, you’d think it was done a hundred years ago.” Signer, 44, a practicing lawyer in Charlottesville, also lectures on politics and leadership at the University of Virginia, his law Please see Mayor, page 16
Palestinian Authority wants two-state commitment from Trump administration by end of August — WORLD — By Ron Kampeas | JTA
W
ASHINGTON — The Palestinian Authority expects the Trump administration to commit to a peace deal endgame before the close of this month and prefers it would be the two-state solution. “We need them to tell us where the hell they are going,” Husam Zomlot, the Palestine Liberation Organization envoy to Washington, said Aug. 18 at a meeting in his office with reporters. “It’s about time we hear it.” Zomlot said a high-level U.S. delegation comprising Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and his top adviser charged with Middle East peace; Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s top international negotiator; and Dina Powell, a deputy national security adviser, would meet Aug. 24 in Ramallah with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian negotiating team. The meeting will come toward the end of a tour in which the U.S. officials also will meet with Israeli and other regional leaders, including from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Zomlot said that for the Palestinian Authority, the preferred outcome remained a recommitment to the two-state solution. Trump retreated soon after assuming the presidency in January from a two-state outcome, which has been U.S. policy since 2002. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had committed to a two-state solution in 2009, also has been silent since then about his commitment. A majority of Netanyahu’s 10 AUGUST 25, 2017
p Husam Zomlot, PLO envoy to Washington, addressed reporters in Washington, D.C. Photo by Ron Kampeas
Cabinet opposes having two states. “A two-state solution has international equilibrium, it has regional backing and it has a global consensus,” Zomlot said. “We are saying to them, we have a starting point, and letting go of this starting point is the worst thing they can do.” Zomlot said the Palestinian Authority wanted two states based on the 1967 borders, and wanted to hear from the Trump administration how best to deal with factors that would endanger a peaceful outcome, including Jewish settlements, the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and religious tensions at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, which both Jews and Muslims claim as holy. “The how is crucial,” he said. He said that in the wake of serious nego-
tiations, “the Palestinian consensus government will be tasked with two things: the ending of the situation in Gaza — the unprecedented situation in Gaza — and as soon as possible the convening of Palestinian national elections.” A major obstruction to advancing peace talks has been the absence of P.A. control in the Gaza Strip, where the Hamas terrorist group is the authority. Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, along with Israel, have been squeezing Gaza by reducing basic supplies to its Hamas rulers, including electricity. Zomlot would not say what the Palestinian Authority would do if the U.S. delegation did not lay out an endgame, but said uncertainty could lead the P.A. to return to seeking international recognition for state-
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
hood — a posture that Israel and the United States adamantly oppose — or to further Palestinian resistance against Israel. He said the resistance would be “peaceful.” Zomlot conveyed an overall positive impression of Trump and his negotiators, saying they had carefully considered Palestinian positions, and that Trump’s commitment to an endgame rather than simply perpetuating the process was positive. “The character of President Trump himself — we believe this is a person who could actually take the leap, who could exert pressure on all sides,” he said. Zomlot and the Palestinian Authority appear to be relying on pressure by Trump as a means of delivering Israel on the two-state solution. Zomlot made clear that he did not believe Netanyahu had the wherewithal to advance to final status negotiations on his own. “Netanyahu is behaving like a politician, not a statesman,” he said of the prime minister’s coalition maneuvering, in which he must deal with partners who oppose concessions. “Israel deserves better leadership.” Zomlot expressed anger with Congress and the welter of proposed bills that would cut U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority and otherwise penalize it. Chief among the measures is the Taylor Force Act, named for an American stabbed to death in a 2016 terrorist attack, which would link funding to the Palestinian areas to the cessation of P.A. payments to the families of Palestinians killed in or jailed for attacks on Israelis. He said the Palestinian Authority was ready to “revise and negotiate” its payment system, but would not submit to pressure. “Don’t use financial pressure with us,” he said. “It does not work.” PJC
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines Can medical marijuana revive Israel’s kibbutz movement? than 100 members and children. The vast majority of its income still comes from date and pomelo farming and tourism. Just last year, the kibbutz began paying differential salaries to its members, a reform most of the once rigidly collective communities have made. But Bdil, 42, who was born on Elifaz and returned to raise a family here, expects the
cannabis business in part because it seemed like a natural way to update the traditional kibbutz ethos — and hopefully attract a new generation of members. “We’re pioneers, and this is a new journey. We’re farmers, and this is agriculture. We care about values, and this is a way to help people who are suffering,” he said.
you need very deep pockets, and without vertical integration you’re lost,” he said, suggesting that profitable companies will By Andrew Tobin | JTA control the medical marijuana supply chain from farm to pharmacy. KIBBUTZ ELIFAZ, Israel — By all “A lot of farmers think it’s like growing accounts, Eilon Bdil has no personal melons. But the future of this industry is interest in marijuana. medicalization.” ut as the business manager of Kibbutz Gezer, a largely American Kibbutz Elifaz, he’s a big believer immigrant community located south of in the herb. Bdil sees medical mariTel Aviv, is exploring joining Elifaz in a juana as a unique opportunity to revive medical cannabis business partnership his remote Negev community. with an Israeli pharmaceutical company. “This cannabis gold rush has to pan Laura Spector, a 62-year-old New Jersey out for us,” he said. “There’s simply no native who immigrated to the kibbutz in other choice. We need young people with 1977, is a leader of the project. good minds to come here, and medical Spector said Gezer had only recently cannabis is what can draw them.” paid off the debt that it, like most Elifaz is one of dozens of kibbutzim kibbutzim, racked up during the Israeli — and hundreds of local companies financial crisis in the 1980s, and was — seeking to join Israel’s new medical ready to invest. She shares Bdir’s interest marijuana industry. After decades of in making a principled profit. stagnation, the collectives are betting that “I believe in medical marijuana because the move can revitalize their finances and I believe in the plant, which can help in even their way of life. so many different ways,” she said. “At the Israel’s gold rush — or “green rush,” as same time, I think there will be a huge some are calling it — took off after the financial advantage to Kibbutz Gezer.” government in February threw its support According to Spector, Gezer’s main behind legislation that would allow the asset is its land, which is located in the export of medical marijuana. The Knesset center of the country and is licensed for is expected to pass the measure into law mixed use. As such, it would be relatively this summer — some industry insiders easy to build processing facilities near say as soon as this month. If that happens, the crops — a major advantage many Israeli companies would suddenly have kibbutzim have over other farms. p Eilon Bdil hopes Kibbutz Elifaz will benefit economically. Photo by Andrew Tobin access to a rapidly growing multibilIn contrast with Elifaz, Gezer is not lion-dollar global industry. motivated by a need for more members. Export is part of a larger government The kibbutz is about 240 strong and plan to make Israel a world leader in expanding. It is building 16 houses for the medical cannabis. Yuval Landschaft, the founders’ children and new members, with director of the Israeli Medical Cannabis plans to add 22 more in the coming years. Agency, said well over 700 companies Rather, Spector said, she wants Gezer have applied for official permission to to enter the medical marijuana industry grow, produce, distribute and dispense to create communal employment oppormedical cannabis. By the end of the tunities. For young people, the business year, he said, the agency would give the could mean a career close to home, and for OK to the first new medical marijuana pensioners, it could provide the purpose and farms and factories. extra income of part-time work, she said. “We are really about to enter the medi“I was one of the people who pushed calization of the Holy Land,” Landschaft privatization on the kibbutz, but I think said. “The Torah once spread out from there’s a certain social and economic Israel. Now medical cannabis will spread spirit that we should keep in some out from Israel.” ways,” Spector said. “I mean, we came After playing a powerful role in here for a reason.” founding and building Israel, the Few kibbutzim embody the spirit of the kibbutzim slid into social and economic movement better than Kibbutz Ruhama, crisis during the national financial crisis which was established near the border of the 1980s. Many young members of the Gaza Strip in 1943, several years decamped for the cities. By shifting away before the State of Israel’s founding. from their socialist roots — embracing Today, the kibbutz’s main business is the differential salaries, members working off struggling KR Hamivreshet brush factory, the kibbutz and nonmembers working on and most of its some 200 members are of Workers at Kibbutz Ruhama are part of a growing trend in the revitalization of the retirement age. it — the kibbutzim, which number about p Negev community. Photo courtesy of Ran Ferdman 250, have largely stabilized. According to kibbutz secretary Ran Elifaz, located in the Arava Desert Ferdman, a 40-year-old third-generation valley in southern Israel, is the only kibbutz years of experience to pay off when the However, Hagai Hillman — one of Isra- member, Ruhama voted overwhelmingly to that is already growing medical marijuana. exporting of medical marijuana starts. He el’s eight licensed cannabis growers, who partner with researchers to enter the medical It is one of just eight farms the govern- said Elifaz also would benefit from its close co-owns a marijuana-centered pharma- marijuana industry, mostly in hopes of filling ment licensed to do so in 2010 as part of a ties with other kibbutzim. In the same way ceutical company called BOL Pharma up their pension funds, which were emptied limited system that will be replaced by the the kibbutz produces date honey and date — says most of the kibbutzim and compa- during the kibbutz debt crisis. new one. (Recreational marijuana use is liquor as part of a kibbutz conglomerate, Bdil nies rushing into the industry are being “They believed the kibbutz would illegal in Israel, though it was recently largely said, it would one day manufacture cannabis overly optimistic. exist forever, and the younger generation decriminalized.) products like extracts, creams and oils. “For those kibbutzim that don’t have would take care of the older one,” he said. So far, the medical marijuana business has According to Nir Lobel, 37, Elifaz’s secre- money, medical cannabis is not going to “But everyone has to take care of himself not been particularly lucrative for Elifaz’s more tary, the kibbutz voted to get into the medical be the answer. To survive in this market these days.” PJC
— WORLD —
B
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
AUGUST 25, 2017 11
Opinion A lesson in morality from the military — EDITORIAL —
T
here were clearly counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va., who came to bang heads, just as there were at least some protesters at the “Unite the Right” rally that Saturday who did not support the hateful messages of white nationalists and neo-Nazis. But pointing out these facts does
tesville marchers and those who stood in opposition to them is so wrong. But is every attempt to assert moral equivalency between opposing camps an unpardonable political sin? Absolutely not. While we are confident that the positions taken by hooded Klansmen and Nazi sympathizers are evil, we should not be mustering the same moral outrage at everything anyone who disagrees with us says or does. Thus,
Is every attempt to assert moral equivalency between opposing
assertions of moral truth are sometimes demeaned as nothing more than “political correctness,” an argument that is then used as an excuse to abandon that which is actually true. The result is a troubling loss of morality and compassion in many exchanges of views. That certainly appears to have happened in the aftermath of Charlottesville. Perhaps we should learn from the U.S. military — the unlikeliest of heroes in what has amounted to a domestic political war. Typically, the leaders of our armed forces eschew political speech. Rather, as members of a chain of command, they unquestionably carry out the orders of their commander-
in-chief. As such, we never see a statement from the military that could be seen as directly contravening a position taken by the president. And yet, while the president was delivering his ever-shifting series of statements in the wake of the Charlottesville violence, all of the generals and admirals holding the top commands in the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps issued clear, unequivocal statements that the racism espoused by the white nationalists and anti-Semites who set off the violence was not reflective of the values underpinning the service of those in uniform. Good for them. PJC
camps an unpardonable political sin? Absolutely not. nothing to undercut a fundamental truth: Brandishing swastikas, chanting against Jews and blacks, and marching through the streets of a college town with torches as a reincarnation of old-style Ku Klux Klan gatherings are all inherently evil acts. Saying that black lives matter or otherwise opposing the hate messages of Nazism, anti-Semitism and white supremacism is not. That is why attempts by President Donald Trump and an ever diminishing group of apologists in the Republican Party to create a false equivalence between the Charlot-
despite ongoing serious disagreements between elements of our society, between members of our own Jewish community and between political parties, it is not a given that one side is more moral than the other side is right. But, unfortunately, that’s how many of us make our arguments. We live in an age of political correctness that began with the culture wars of the ’70s and ’80s. In that construct, there is confusion between simple opinions on any number of social and political issues, and profound moral declarations — with the result that
Protecting immigrants at a time of persecution Guest Columnist Nancy K. Kaufman
F
ive years ago, the U.S government began implementation of President Obama’s 2012 executive order deferring deportation for U.S. residents without papers who were brought here by their parents as children. The order came about after the proposed Dream Act, which would have given legal status to those same immigrant children, failed to pass Congress. In response, Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The nearly 800,000 kids given a reprieve from deportation by DACA — some still very young and many now grown up — are our children. They attended our schools, played on our high school teams, starred in our school plays, and joined debate teams and service clubs. They learned English and most speak it fluently. They have citizen siblings born in the United States. They have little or no memory of their country of origin. They
12 AUGUST 25, 2017
are as American as anyone born here. Immigration laws should reflect the best interest of the country — in this case, our country. From time to time, these decisions change due to societal pressures, changes in the law or new executive orders. They are not immutable, and their implementation has largely been left to the president and executive branch. Last year the Supreme Court was evenly split on the question of the president’s authority to defer deportation for specific groups of people now residing here. The case was not about the children whose status was protected five years ago, but a more recent effort by President Obama to protect their parents. So at the moment, the legal question of what the president can do about immigration, broadly speaking, is up in the air, but will surely be revisited. Especially because 10 state attorneys general have come together to threaten President Trump with a lawsuit to force his hand if he does not, by Sept. 5, rescind the policy still protecting young people brought to the United States as children. Yet support for the Dreamers, as DACA recipients are known, is widespread. Nearly eight in 10 voters support allowing them
to remain permanently in the country, including almost three-quarters of Trump voters. Only 14 percent believe they should be forced out. Setting aside for now the humanitarian and moral questions that arise from forcing young people with deep connections to the United States to leave, pragmatism tells us that mass deportation is economically self-defeating. These Dreamers are already fully assimilated and comprise an integral part of our economy. We have already invested quite a lot in their health care and education that will make them productive workers going forward. So to drive them away now, just when they are closing in on adulthood and a paying job, contributing to our economy and our tax base, seems motivated only by spite or bigotry. In fact we need immigrants, even those without papers, to continue shoring up our Social Security system, as they do already to the tune of $15 billion a year — money that we all depend on for our retirement. But the strongest case is the moral one. As Jews we are taught in our ancient texts to welcome the stranger; and from our history we know what it feels like to be expelled from
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
one’s homeland. For centuries, we were denied entry to countries across the world. Our own U.S. government was complicit in denying entry to so many Jews; so we, as American Jews, are particularly called to give shelter to struggling immigrants and traumatized refugees, to carefully examine our nation’s policies, and to ask ourselves if we can truly say there is no room here for those driven out of their countries by war, poverty, and persecution. Rather than respond to an arbitrary deadline intended to ram through a disastrous change in current policy, the president and Congress should work to achieve comprehensive reform that includes helping the Dreamers and others become permanent residents and eventually citizens. The Dream Act has the potential to do a lot of good, but it can’t work if we also allow the increased immigration enforcement and border security measures that hurt the families of those same Dreamers. We must push back against the xenophobia and racism that too often cloud the making of immigration policy. It’s the right thing to do. PJC Nancy K. Kaufman is the chief executive officer of the National Council of Jewish Women.
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Opinion Want diversity and tolerance? Stop demonizing conservatives Guest Columnist Jonathan S. Tobin
M
any Americans know that the sickness at the heart of our political culture stems from a spirit of intolerance that has become the keynote of discourse. Liberals blame it on President Donald Trump and his supporters. But few of us seem able to recognize this behavior when it comes from those who share our views — which means that if you think Dennis Prager must be boycotted or believe Morton Klein is as much of a threat to American Jewry as Islamist terrorists, then don’t blame Trump for how bad things have gotten. Prager, a Los Angeles-based talk radio host and author, is a surprising candidate for this kind of opprobrium. Though he’s a conservative who, to the dismay of some of his admirers, believes Trump must be supported against his critics, Prager is far from the prototype of right-wing incendiary. His approach is generally fair-minded and never lacks intellectual rigor. He has also spent much of his career promoting interfaith dialogue and is as interested in helping his audience focus on personal happiness as he is in politics. In other words, he’s the polar opposite of the bomb-throwing populists that many on the left think are threatening democracy. But that didn’t spare Prager from being treated as if he were the head of a hate group
— LETTERS — Another Trump outrage
I appreciate the Chronicle noting its disagreement with President Donald Trump’s latest scheme, a plan to reduce legal immigration to our country by 50% percent over a 10-year period (“Remembering the tired and poor,” Aug. 11). If anything, the editorial’s disagreement with the proposal is too tepid. The inscription written on our beloved Statue of Liberty in which we establish our nation as one that welcomes “the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to be free” is something that is not taken seriously by the administration, which shamefully downplays its significance. Certainly, Trump would act to erase it from the statue if he believed he could get away with it. My paternal grandparents were murdered by the Nazis. I conclude that a president who has demonstrated contempt for immigrants with the exception of his wife would have slammed the door on those like my ancestors, relegating them to persecution and death as was acceptable to many in an era of significant anti-Semitism. It is difficult for
when he agreed to help raise money for the Santa Monica Symphony by appearing as a guest conductor at a concert. Prager is a music enthusiast/amateur conductor and has often appeared in a similar capacity with other ensembles. But when some of the musicians heard Prager was the attraction at
take them out of context is deeply unfair, especially when you consider it wasn’t long ago that both President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton shared his stance on gay marriage. But if you are going to anathematize someone like Prager and render him an untouchable even in a non-political context,
In a world in which Google can fire an internal critic in the name of “diversity,” it’s hardly surprising to see Jewish liberals playing the same game. a high-profile event for their organization, they said they would boycott the concert. A petition started by two UCLA professors who are violinists in the orchestra said the signers would not appear with a “rightwing radio host who promotes horribly bigoted positions.” To back up that claim, they cherry-picked a few comments Prager has made about Islam and the implications of gay marriage in order to falsely paint him as the moral equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan. One boycotter even said he’d play with a North Korean conductor, but not Prager. Prager’s positions can be debated, yet to
you’re saying anyone who voices an opposing view must not only be shunned, but also be driven from decent society. The same spirit animated an op-ed in The Forward by Steven Davidson. The piece was a response to commentary from the right about the left’s willingness to excuse hatemongering from Linda Sarsour, a Palestinian-American anti-Israel activist, because of shared antipathy for Trump. According to Davidson, there are 19 people who are more dangerous to the Jews than Sarsour. But while his list included some who do fit that bill, like Louis Farrakhan, David Duke and
me to fathom how anyone who has lost relatives in the Holocaust or whose family has suffered as a result can support a president whose impulse is to stereotype, marginalize and place in a state of fear those who were not born here. May there be a sufficient number of honorable members of Congress to stand in the way of yet another Trump outrage.
Squirrel Hill community. The Howard Levin Clubhouse helps those whose lives have been disrupted by mental illness come together to discover and develop their strengths and abilities, build self-confidence and gain valuable social and vocational skills that prepare them for more productive, rewarding and meaningful lives. Our services have been open to and served people from all walks of life since the organization’s inception in the early 1990s. Earlier this week, Jewish Residential Services, along with our partner ACTIONHousing, Inc., started construction of the Seymoure and Corinne Krause Commons located on the site of the former Poli restaurant near the intersection of Forward and Murray avenues. Krause Commons, which should be ready for occupancy around this time in 2018, will include 33 affordable housing apartments, the new Sally & Howard Levin Clubhouse and the administrative offices of Jewish Residential Services. We look forward to continuing to serve the community for many more years to come.
Oren Spiegler Upper Saint Clair
Serving the Community
Mazel tov to the Chronicle on the first issue of its relaunch. After reading “Jews working to help non-Jews, a longtime Pittsburgh tradition” (July 21), I wanted to take the opportunity to let your readers know that Jewish Residential Services is an organizations that offers a culturally rich Jewish environment that is welcoming to people of all backgrounds. Jewish Residential Services supports individuals with psychiatric or intellectual disabilities, helping them to live, learn, work and socialize as valuable members of the community. Our supportive living services help people live independently and to be part of the
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Harold Love Executive Director, Jewish Residential Services
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
the heads of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, he couldn’t resist including mere political opponents along with terrorists. It was bad enough that he lumped Trump as well as White House aides Steve Bannon — who left last week — and Sebastian Gorka together with Farrakhan and Hezbollah, in an unconvincing effort to label them as anti-Semites. But he also listed Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America. Most liberals don’t agree with Klein about the peace process and consider him a strident figure. But he is someone who works hard to build support for the Jewish state, and his views are actually more in tune with mainstream Israeli opinion than those of The Forward’s editorial board. Treating him as a threat to the Jews rather than just someone to be opposed is a signal that any deviation from liberal orthodoxy will be punished with isolation and demonization. In a world in which Google can fire an internal critic in the name of “diversity,” it’s hardly surprising to see Jewish liberals playing the same game. But those who refuse to listen to or to associate with political opponents are at the core of our society’s current political illness, in which we have been divided into two warring camps that have lost the ability to listen to each other. That’s why if you think there’s nothing wrong with the treatment given to Prager and Klein, then don’t bother the rest of us with hypocritical complaints about Trump. PJC Jonathan S. Tobin is the opinion editor of JNS.org, which provided this article.
Look toward the east
The Chronicle’s July 28 article, “With fewer and pricier homes on the market in Squirrel Hill, real estate agents offer alternatives,” mentions finding a dream home in Churchill “just a 10-minute drive to Squirrel Hill.” We at Temple David of Monroeville, also just a 10-minute drive from Churchill, would like to invite those of you seeking a Jewish community to look east. We are warm and welcoming, serve homemade challah every Shabbat and may just be the community you are seeking. Monroeville itself also has reasonable housing prices of every type, a strong school district, two hospitals and a strong commercial district. Rabbi Barbara Symons Temple David of Monroeville Rabbi no second fiddle I am writing to express my dismay and disappointment with the decision of the Chronicle to headline the “relocation” of Dor Please see Letters, page 20
AUGUST 25, 2017 13
Life & Culture Mother-daughter art show offers range of themes and mediums — ART — By Toby Tabachnick | Senior Staff Writer
O
ne legacy that Paula Weiner received from her late mother, artist Anita Kushner, was a treasure trove of paintings, woodcuts, etchings and prints. But Kushner left her daughter a second legacy: an unequivocal love of art itself. Weiner celebrates both of those legacies at a show at Spinning Plate Gallery, 5720 Friendship Ave., called “Drawn to Paint, Sculpting a Family.” The exhibit showcases Weiner’s own work — mostly installation pieces and sculptures with aggressive political overtones — alongside many of the hundreds of pieces her mother left her. “My mother was very prolific,” Weiner said. “She was drawing on her death bed.” Kushner (1935-2010), spent a good part of her life living in Philadelphia, as well as in the Jewish state. She exhibited in more than 30 solo shows in museums and galleries in
the United States, Canada, Europe and Israel, including at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Israeli Art, Gallery Two, the American Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, the Museum of Modern Art in Haifa, Israel and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Kushner was the sole artist whose work was displayed at the home of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin during the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt in 1979, according to her daughter. Weiner also has shown her work at several venues, including the Hoyt p Paula Weiner stands alongside some of Institute for Fine Art, the Andy her mother’s work. Photos by Toby Tabachnick Warhol Museum and the Monmouth Museum, she said. While a few of Weiner’s pieces seem to obvious thematic or chronological order. be inspired by those of her mother, most Several of Kushner’s pieces depict street of them only relate abstractly to Kushner’s scenes in Israel. Other Kushner pieces influence and the political activism prevalent include images of Weiner as a baby and a in the family’s lives while living both in the nude drawing of the artist and her lover. While Kushner never lived in Pittsburgh, United States and in Israel. The exhibit has a haphazard feel, with no Weiner has been here about 20 years, she
said. She is primarily a self-taught artist, whose formal training is limited to only a few classes while in college. A lot of Weiner’s inspiration, she said, stems from her “abhorrence of violence and hatred.” That inspiration can be felt in some of her installation works, such as “War,” which displays disembodied baby doll parts commingled with bullets on a black garbage bag backdrop. “I grew up in the 1960s with an activist parent,” Weiner said. “I was taught you have to care about your community and other people. We’re all one. That’s an important foundation. “My mother set the bar for me very high,” Weiner said. >>The show runs through Sept. 1, with a possible extension, with gallery hours on Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Weiner is also available by appointment. Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Mint condition is an added plus — FOOD — By Keri White | Special to the Chronicle
M
int is an herb that is often overlooked in cooking. Sure, we might stick a sprig in a glass of iced tea or muddle a handful for a batch of mint juleps on Derby Day but, in general, we don’t integrate fresh mint in many recipes. These days, my mint plants are robust, producing a bountiful crop of flavorful leaves, and I have been finding different ways to use them in the kitchen. They add a burst of cool freshness and zip to food that is most welcome, especially this time of year. A close friend just returned from France, where she took a cooking class, the lucky jeune fille. She reported that the instructor featured mint in several recipes, one of which we replicated as an appetizer for a recent shared dinner. The same evening, my husband, the renowned mixologist, made me a delightful citrusy cocktail with a few muddled mint leaves, and then for lunch on Sunday, I made a tuna salad featuring mint. Finally, Monday morning’s pre-yoga breakfast was a mint-infused fruit smoothie.
Mash the avocado flesh with the onion, lemon juice and salt. Rinse the mint leaves, then pat them dry. Stack about six leaves together and roll them into tiny, tight cylinders. Slice the rolls into teeny discs, separate the strands and sprinkle them into the guacamole. Mix the mint into the guacamole and serve with chips, crackers, raw veggies or toast points.
Juice of 2 lemons 1/2 shot glass simple syrup (recipe follows) 1 shot vodka 4 mint leaves Cracked ice (Matt is particular about his ice; he places cubes in a Ziploc bag and pounds them with a meat tenderizer to achieve the right size and shape. I am far less picky.)
Lem-mint cocktail
Mix the lemon juice, vodka and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker or small pitcher. Place three mint leaves in the bottom of a serving glass and press them with the back of a spoon to release the juices. Fill the glass part way with crushed ice, and pour the lemon mixture over it. Garnish with the remaining mint leaf.
Serves one
My husband Matt is an excellent mixologist. He pulled this summer refresher together on Saturday night before we headed out to dinner with friends. The vodka is a lovely addition to enliven the drink, but it would be delicious with water or seltzer as a low-octane option.
Tuna salad with lemon and mint Serves two to three
Perhaps the Saturday night cocktail inspired this lunch — which I made the following noon. It was wonderful on a bed of lightly dressed baby greens served with crackers, but it would be equally delicious as a sandwich on whole wheat or rye bread with lettuce and tomato. 2 cans solid white tuna, drained 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 3 mint leaves, chopped finely Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon Salt and pepper to taste
Break the tuna into small pieces in a medium-sized bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Banana berry mint smoothie Serves one generously 2 frozen bananas 8 fresh mint leaves 1 cup milk 1 cup blueberries 1 teaspoon honey
Guacamole with mint
Serves four as an appetizer
This riff on the Mexican classic gives a summery zing to this healthy vegan dip.
Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve immediately. PJC
2 ripe avocados 1 tablespoon chopped onion Juice of 1 lemon 1/4 teaspoon salt 12 mint leaves
14 AUGUST 25, 2017
For simple syrup: Mix equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat until the sugar dissolves. Use as desired.
Keri White writes for the Jewish Exponent, an affiliated publication of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Headlines “The deepest cynicism and resignation to imperfection and the possibility of there being no solution, were the people who had spent a lot of time dealing with the conflict at high levels,” she continued. “The people who seemed to have the greatest hope were the groups who were ordinary participants in people-to-people programs, whether it
Book? Land? Nationality? And so on. So, if the purpose of the trip was to complexify participants’ understanding of the conflict, it surely did this — as regards the Jewish and Israeli experience. Because we had little access to a diverse array of Arab and Palestinian voices, we did not have the same opportunity to complexify those narratives.”
people are presented the other part and claim you either have an understanding Continued from page 1 or an empathy for the whole complicated picture, because all people are hearing you organizations has been strained as a result talk about is the one part you are presenting.” of the church passing a resolution in 2014 Gordon acknowledged that the news of to divest from certain companies doing the violence in Charlottesville, Va., to which business in Israel. Moreover, at its General the participants returned following the trip Assembly in 2016, the church passed a may have further complicated their resolution calling on Presbyterians to processing of the trip. “prayerfully study the call from Pales“Coming back from one of these tinian civil society for boycott, divesttrips into the very, very difficult situment and sanctions (BDS) against the ation in America with the horrific State of Israel.” The Anti-Defamation things that have been said on the League and B’nai B’rith were among national stage in the last few day — the Jewish organizations that openly it’s disorienting. It’s not surprising criticized the church for passing resothat somebody might come back lutions “demonizing” the Jewish state. from a trip like this with really strong One of the aims of the mission to feelings in multiple directions and Israel for divinity school scholars having that exacerbated by Charlotwas to “show people the complexity tesville and its aftermath.” of the situation in the Middle East, While Interfaith Partners for Peace that there are multiple narratives, the studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict situation is complicated, and to come with its participants, its focus is actuback with a sense of that complexity,” ally on American interfaith relaaccording to Rabbi Leonard Gordon, tions, Pettit said. co-director, along with the Rev. Peter In the last decade, some formerly Pettit, of Interfaith Partners for Peace. strong interfaith relationships in “One of the things we do is try to America “have grown fractured, introduce them as much as possible strained in some cases almost to people doing shared society destroyed or even destroyed, because work, to people doing co-existence the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since work,” Gordon said. “There are some the intifada had become a different amazing organizations — whether it’s thing than it was before 2002,” Pettit From left, Helen Blier; Esther Menn, dean of academic affairs at the Lutheran School of environmental work, like EcoPeace p said. “And Jews and Christians in Theology Chicago; Lallene Rector, co-leader of the trip (with Rabbi Yehiel Poupko) and [Middle East], whether it’s settlers president of Garrett-Evangelical Thoelogical Seminary; and David Sandmel, rabbi and America don’t know how to talk to and Palestinians working together director of Interfaith Affairs for the ADL, listen to a presentation about EcoPeace. each other about Israel, which makes like in the group called Root — we Photo provided by Helen Blier it awkward to talk about anything try to introduce these academics to else because we know there is somethe people who are building the basis for was Kids for Peace, or an organization called Blier noted the lack of exposure to Arab thing we can’t get into but we both care really coexistence between the Israelis and Pales- Shorashim Roots in the West Bank.” and Palestinian voices, which may have been deeply about it. tinians on the other side of a treaty. So, even Her perception of the Middle East also a shortgcoming of the trip, admitted Gordon. “We are not going to bring peace in the if the political echelon today is a little stuck, was expanded, she said, by learning the deep “One of the things we thought of in Middle East,” he continued. “We know that. here is what things may look like. And that effect of the second intifada on the psyche of preparing the itinerary of the trip is that But we can do two things: primarily give is a big part of our trip.” Israeli society. the participants would have already been American Jews and Christians a way back In some Christian denominations, “What became very clear was the trauma familiar with the Palestinian narrative to to their own shared table of dialogue and Gordon continued, “there might be a folks continue to have as a result of the a greater degree than the Israeli narrative,” cooperation and mutual respect, a sense conversation about boycotts or divestments, second intifada,” she said. “I don’t think that Gordon said, “so the trip might have been of shared values. so we are trying to build a cadre of people before this trip I understood how deeply the skewed a little bit more toward the Israeli “And if in that process we can also offer who will say, ‘You know, rather than divest PTSD runs in Israeli society. narrative than usual, and we recognized in them connections to the types of coexisfrom certain corporations or boycott certain “I came out of the trip with a much deeper retrospect that that was discomforting and tence and shared society projects that are products, let’s invest some of our resources appreciation for the deeply entrenched probably not pedagogically effective.” underway [in Israel], that they can both get in supporting these coexistence groups.” trauma on both sides,” Blier continued, Gordon’s co-chair, Pettit, who received his behind and support, then those programs A goal of the mission is for participants “and I do think the only hope is the people- master’s of divinity from the Lutheran Theo- are going to have a better chance of contribto “recreate a centrist discourse that under- to-people programs. But they do need to logical Seminary and is on faculty at both the uting to an ultimate resolution. That’s stands complexity, to meet with and learn be supported institutionally with policies Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and really what our objective at Interfaith Partabout the coexistence groups, to leave with that allow people to have the space to be Muhlenberg College, agreed. ners for Peace is.” a sense of hopefulness in difficult times with each other.” “I think the assumption that was made As for Blier, at the time of the interview, and then to be able to propose to their host In an email following the interview, Blier that was inaccurate, that didn’t prove to she was still doing the work of processing all communities — whether it is who they bring sought to clarify her remarks. be well-founded or effective, was that the she had seen on the trip. to their colleges to speak, or what they say “I can appreciate the persistent trauma mainline Protestant seminary faculty and “I think that one can make the mistake in their denominational meetings — here of the second intifada on Israeli conscious- leaders would be pretty intimately familiar of thinking that if you just expose people is something you may want to invest in ness and the ways in which it re-invoked with the Palestinian experience and perspec- to enough experiences and enough converrather than divest.” the trauma of the Holocaust that we know tive, because we’ve see how the Palestinian sations, somehow enlightenment will When asked about her views on the lingers for generations,” she wrote. “AND I voice has been present in so many church- happen,” she said. BDS movement both before and after the can be opposed to the exercise of violence wide assemblies, publications, etc. in the “I think it’s not just about hearing other trip, Blier declined to comment. She was, and discrimination by those, especially hard- last decade or so. people’s stories or points of views. I think however, moved by what she saw in the liners, on the Israeli side.” “So, what ended up happening was the trip the challenge we all had — those of us on coexistence projects. One of the things that participants learned focused mostly on filling in the Jewish-Is- the trip — is how do we think constructively The country, she said, “is a place of equal on the trip, she said, was there was “no real raeli side of the picture expecting that the and reflect and integrate and change our parts great hope and deep lament, and great consensus among Jewish participants and Palestinian side was already well in place, ways of thinking and behaving as a result of celebration and great suffering. And the presenters about a solution to the conflict — with the intention of providing the kind of these experiences. And that process piece is places where I saw the most hope, of all the indeed, we heard much about the disagree- complicated, fuller, non-simplistic, non-ad- the part I think I am going to be continuing folks we met — and let me tell you, we met ments within the Jewish community, about vocacy experience that in fact is the goal of to unpack.” PJC people who were at top levels of administra- everything from occupation and settlements Interfaith Partners for Peace.” Toby Tabachnick can be reached at tion and government, and journalism — was to the viability of a two-state solution and to Pettit learned, he said, that “you can’t only ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. in the people-to-people programs. the core of Jewish identity — peoplehood? present one part of a picture assuming that
Mission:
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
AUGUST 25, 2017 15
Headlines Stones: Continued from page 1
to a concentration camp, and the date of his or her murder. Anyone can sponsor a stone for 120 euros, including surviving family members of Holocaust victims. In Germany and in the Netherlands, however, most of the requests for the laying of stolpersteine come from the towns themselves, according to Anne Thomas, who is responsible for the project outside of Germany. In the case of Bertram Polak’s stolpersteine, the request came from the non-Jewish history professor who moved into Polak’s house in 2000. When commencing renovations on the home that had been built in 1927, Arnoud-Jan Bijsterveld noticed on the plans of the house that the name of its original owner, M.H. Polak — Bertram’s father — was Jewish. Bijsterveld quickly got busy researching the fate of the Polaks, ultimately connecting to Jaron through a website called the Joods (Jewish) Monument maintained by Amsterdam’s Jewish Cultural Quarter, which includes the Jewish Historical Museum and the National Holocaust Museum. Once he connected with Jaron, Bijsterveld was able to get in touch with other relatives and reconstruct the fate of Bertram, whose family had escaped to Israel and the United States. The story of Bijsterveld and his journey to uncover the fate of the Polak family is captured on a compelling documentary on YouTube called, “Here was Betram.” Bijsterveld also chronicled his work in a book, “House of Memories.” Bijsterveld was motivated to uncover Bertram’s story not only to satisfy a historical curiosity, but also by “a moral obligation to know who lived here and what happened to them,” he said in an email. “I really wanted to mark Bertram’s absence with a stumbling stone. These stones work tremendously well in creating a physical place of remembrance to which a history is
Mayor: Continued from page 10
school alma mater. His wife, Emily Blout, is an Iran scholar at the same university, which is located here. An Arlington native, Signer is the child of journalists, but in his author’s autobiography sounds like many other younger liberal Jews who note with pride their grandparents’ working class and intellectual roots: “My grandfather was a Jeep mechanic for the Army on the European front in World War II and lifetime member of the proofreaders’ union at The New York Times; he lost part of a finger in an industrial accident as a young man,” he wrote. “My grandmother organized seamstresses on her factory floor in New York City and later worked as a secretary to Hannah Arendt at the New School.” In a January speech declaring Charlottesville “a capital of the resistance,” Signer described his grandfather as a “Jewish kid raised in the Bronx” who was “part of the forces that liberated the world from Nazism
connected that ought to be remempeople in other countries to grapple bered by current and future generawith these issues. There is not a good tions,” Bijsterveld said. way to ignore them when you are The day of the laying of the stone, he always walking by these names.” continued, “was the most impressive “Stolper,” Wolfson noted, means day in my life. Very emotional, but “stumble upon,” which could be also very mind-lifting: to see all these construed as a metaphor, imposing people reconnect after so many years.” upon people the need for “balance, As per the requirements for forcing them to grapple with the laying a stone, Bijsterveld informed issues. It makes people uncomfortthe city council and asked permisable, but that’s how it should be.” sion of his neighbors, “who happily Elmar Ittenbach, a teacher who has consented,” before proceeding with researched and commemorated the the stolpersteine. Jews of Thalfang, Germany, agrees. He did, however, encounter “quite “During the Thalfang stolpersteine some opposition” from a family down ceremony, Gunter Demnig said that the street that “didn’t want stumbling people have got to bow in order to stones because they thought it would read the inscription on these blocks be too confrontational to their kids. of 10x10 cm.,” Ittenbach wrote in an Another family around the corner email. “They must bow and memoStolpersteine for Bertram Polak. didn’t want ‘people to stop in front p Photo by Steve Jaron. rize the victims´ fate. I think this a of our house.’” good pro argument.” The laying of stolpersteine has Ittenbach did note the opinion of also provoked some opposition by the lives in the apartment building where her Charlotte Knobloch, the former president Jewish community. uncle and aunt had lived in Berlin, seeking of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, “Not all members of the Jewish commu- information about the family prior to the who wrote that when people trod on the nity were happy when we laid stones in the laying of a stolpersteine in their memory. stones, they are further debasing the names small park next to the synagogue, named Diamond does not know if the stolpersteine of the victims. after Helga Deen (killed in Sobibor and a has yet been laid, and she is not sure whether Having recently returned from her first school friend of Judith Rothstein-Polak, she would attend such a ceremony if invited. trip to Berlin — traveling with the group [Jaron’s] wonderful grandmother, living in “I’ve often thought about it,” she said. “I Classrooms without Borders — Lauren Pittsburgh),” revealed Bijsterveld. “They might go. I’ll be 90 in December, but I’m in Bairnsfather, executive director of the Holodidn’t want to be reminded of the Holocaust pretty good shape. But the Germans, they caust Center of Pittsburgh, was moved by the when going to shul. People living on that think they can make up for things, but for sheer number of stolpersteine in a neighborstreet feared the stones would attract anti-Se- what they did to us, they can’t make up. I hood that had been predominately Jewish mitic Moroccan youngsters — which I find a suppose it’s better than nothing.” before the Holocaust. ridiculous thought and as discriminatory as Evan W. Wolfson, a Pittsburgh-based “It’s disturbing for sure,” she said. “It’s very anti-Jewish feelings were in the 1930s.” attorney who is interested in Jewish gene- upsetting. But it shows an awareness of what Some Orthodox Jewish communities “are alogy, has distant relatives who were that neighborhood lost.” against stumbling stones as people trod murdered during the Holocaust for whom The demand for stolpersteine is high, on them: That’s why there are no stum- stones have been laid. He understands the with a waiting list; in some cities, such bling stones in the nearby town of Breda concerns of those survivors who are not as Amsterdam or Berlin, those commisand in German towns like Munich and enthusiastic about the stones. sioning the stones may have to wait Fürth,” he added. “I certainly wouldn’t want people who until 2020 before they can be placed, Margit Diamond, a Holocaust survivor have been through the Holocaust to be according to Thomas. PJC from Berlin who lives in Pittsburgh, said she traumatized again by the positioning of the Toby Tabachnick can be reached at feels “ambivalent” about the stones. A couple stones,” Wolfson said. “But the project is years ago, she was contacted by someone who great in the way it’s forcing Germans and ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
and fascism, that laid the groundwork for NATO and the Marshall Plan, and for a country that lived up to the promises of the Statue of Liberty. ... “If he were alive right now, I don’t think I could look him in the face and say Grandpa, I didn’t fight for the values you fought for.” Before becoming mayor, Signer was known both for his activism in the senior reaches of the Democratic Party — he was national security adviser for John Edwards’ 2008 primary campaign — as well as his expertise on a subject that has received much attention recently, demagoguery. His 2009 book, “Demagogue: the Fight to Save Democracy from its Worst Enemies,” was well received. The book examines successful demagogues left and right: Sen. Joe McCarthy, the 1950s anti-communist firebrand who plagued the American discourse, and Hugo Chavez, the late Venezuelan strongman and leftist, both come under scrutiny. In December 2015, before the presidential primaries, Signer predicted that Donald Trump could become a “singular menace to our Republic.”
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Paraphrasing James Fenimore Cooper, Signer wrote then that Trump met all four criteria of an American demagogue: “they posture as men of the common people; they trigger waves of powerful emotion; they manipulate this emotion for political benefit; and they threaten or break established principles of governance.” Without saying “I told you so” outright, Signer this weekend squarely blamed Trump for stoking the populist white nationalist fervor that culminated in the violence that took the life of one counterprotester, injured dozens of others and led to the death of two state troopers in a helicopter crash. The rally included Nazi flags, chants of “Jews will not replace us,” and shouts of “Jew” every time a speaker mentioned Signer’s name. “Look at the campaign he ran,” the mayor said on CNN. Signer elaborated on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” saying of Trump, “I think they made a choice in that campaign, a very regrettable one, to really go to people’s prejudices, to go to the gutter.” Signer’s tactic has been to organize countering events that celebrate Charlottesville’s diversity, prompting Mark Pitcavage, the
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, to say on Twitter that Signer “gets it.” Speaking in May on “State of Belief,” a radio show produced by the Interfaith Alliance, Signer said it was more productive to focus on the victim than the perpetrator. “You’re trying to ease the pain of someone who’s been afflicted rather than focus on the harasser,” he said. He also described the unfamiliar sensation of being in the position of the afflicted, barraged as he was with online assaults from anti-Semites as the Lee statue issue was put before the council. One tweet, from the account of someone calling themselves Great Patriot Trump, read “I smell Jew. If so, you are going back to Israel. But you will not stay in power here. Not for long.” “The wave of anti-Semitic attacks I’ve seen in the last week, it’s been a new experience for me, I’ve never seen that before,” Signer said. “Some of the nightmare historical tropes I thought had been retired after World War II” had returned as “more disturbing mashups of politics today and anti-Semitism.” PJC AUGUST 25, 2017 16
Headlines Baseball: Continued from page 4
“It’s kind of weird because you never play anyone from a different continent or country unless you travel,” echoed Landon Blank, 10, of Highland Park. But as the game unfolded, foreignness gave way to familiarity, and the players soon realized that despite the divergent dialects and accents, seeming differences soon dissipated. “The spirit of baseball crosses boundaries and it’s sort of a common language,” said Brian Jacobson, who coached the 12-year-old Squirrel Hill team. The first of the Sunday evening contests concluded in a tie, with both teams scoring 14 runs; the second game was a bit more lopsided, with the Squirrel Hill 11-year-olds defeating the Australian squad 15-1. Two more games were played Monday morning. The Perth Heat Colts took the 12-year-old matchup, 10-8, while the 11-year-old contest was again taken
by Squirrel Hill with a score of 14-9. For those involved, the collective experience trumped victories and scores. “It’s definitely a very positive experience to mix with kids from different countries and cultures,” said Akiva Sutofsky, whose son Yehuda played on the 11-year-old team. “I got to see a lot of different cultures and all of the things that happen here,” noted Reece Coles, a 12-year-old on the Colts. During their brief stay in Pittsburgh, the visitors attended a Pirates game and other nearby areas. As much as the Steel City had to offer, it was a whirlwind experience for the kids, said their coach. Over the course of 18 days, the Colts played 16 games in nine cities across the East Coast, explained Mike Bernards. It’s definitely an “experience trip. It’s about coming and playing high level teams here.” Apart from the all-stars of Squirrel Hill, the Colts have scheduled games against teams from Danbury, Conn., Harlem, N.Y., and Philadelphia.
Given that the kids will play more baseball over the two-and-a-half weeks than they do in a single season down under, expectations are measured, said Bernards. “Some of it is humble pie. Some of it is getting the experience to see what high level baseball looks like.” The trip has been more than beneficial, said the players. “Meeting new people has been a good experience,” said James Harman, a member of the 12-year-old Perth team. “It’s been amazing,” echoed Coles. And while the trip has featured “van rides, parties, double headers and lots of baseball,” all were eclipsed by a single meteorological event, said Harman. On Saturday, as most people retreated indoors during the afternoon onslaught of thunderstorms, the Dubai native admired the downpour. “I have never had that type of rain before,” he said. Prior to reading a city-wide proclamation at Sunday’s showcase, City Councilman Corey O’Connor noted that baseball “brings
people from different backgrounds together.” Opportunities like these stand out, added Frankel, who over the years has welcomed teams from as far away as Russia and now Australia. “I am always looking to give our children the experience of playing against teams from other states and other countries,” he said. “These are the events they will remember and tell their children about more so than winning championships or playing on all-star teams.” Perhaps so, but for the present one little leaguer was more interested in the literal gift he had just received. After the conclusion of Sunday’s first game, Ethan Jacobson of Squirrel Hill, held up the boomerang that a newfound friend had brought him from across the pond. When asked what he was going to do with the traditional wooden weapon, the 12-year-old replied, “Probably put it up on a shelf for display. Or try and throw it.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz @pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
Training: Continued from page 6
“The home environment is filled with stress,” Cristello said, adding that school should be a place where children can go to feel “welcome and appreciated.” Stress is often prevalent in the homes of African refugees as well, said Benedict King, executive director of the Union for African Communities, an umbrella group of about 35 different African communities. Most Africans who have come to the United States as refugees “have encountered issues in schools,” he said, which include struggling to find help with homework because parents may be uneducated, and a lack of communication between parents and the school. Additionally, many African children are assigned to English as a Second Language classes, even though they speak English, which causes frustration. Bullying, he said, is also a problem. Challenges faced by African-American students who are not necessarily refugees include negative confrontations with law enforcement, according to Brandi Fisher, founder and executive director of the Alliance for Police Accountability. Too many times, she said, students get sent to the magistrate for school infractions that could better be handled internally. “It’s a huge issue,” she said, imposing criminal records upon youth before they even graduate high school. The presence of law enforcement at schools, rather than mental health professionals who could better deal with children coming from traumatic home situations, also can be problematic, Fisher said. Compounding the problem is the lack of quality advocacy groups that could provide guidance to parents wanting to advocate for their children. Wasi Mohammed, executive director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, noted that hate crimes against Muslims had increased 68 percent last year, and that many such crimes are not reported. The tenor of current political rhetoric and negative portrayals of Muslims in the media lead people to believe
p Educators and community members from across the South Hills took part in the training session. Photo by Toby Tabachnick
“ Right-wing extremists don’t like people who don’t look like them. Left-wing extremists don’t like people
”
who don’t think like them.
— JOSH SAYLES that reporting such crimes would be useless, he said. “People don’t go to the authorities because of lack of trust. People don’t know where to go for help.” Often, Mohammed said, the discrimination comes from people in positions of authority. He encouraged people to make an effort to meet and get to know Muslims in the community, which could help counter some of the negative stereotypes, and to increase education in schools to highlight the contributions of Muslims to world history.
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Jews have also been experiencing hate crimes at an alarming rate. Sayles explained that while Jews make up just 2 percent of the U.S. population, they are the target of 60 percent of religiously motivated hate crimes. Sayles also noted that anti-Semitism comes from both the right and the left, with the incident in Charlottesville providing an example of right-wing hate. “Right-wing extremists don’t like people who don’t look like them,” Sayles said. “Leftwing extremists don’t like people who don’t think like them.”
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
Anti-Semitism is often disguised as anti-Israel rhetoric, Sayles said. “A lot of extremists hide their anti-Semitism in anti-Israel rhetoric because it is more acceptable. Jews are often not welcome in far left social justice circles, and Jews of color are often overlooked, so they are forced to choose between the issues they care about.” Although the Chartiers Valley School District is a No Place For Hate district — meaning that it works with the ADL on diversity training and inclusion programs — LaMont Lyons, assistant principal at Chartiers Valley Middle School, noted some recent disturbing incidents. Two students gave each other the Nazi salute one morning during the Pledge of Allegiance, and a school bus driver harassed a student about deportation, believing the student was Mexican. Both incidents were handled “swiftly,” he said, adding that the practices learned through the No Place for Hate programming are being “embedded in our culture.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. AUGUST 25, 2017 17
Celebrations
Torah
Wedding
Spreading the word Grobstein-Edwards: Rachelle and Stephen Grobstein of Squirrel Hill announce the marriage of their daughter, Judith Naomi Grobstein to Brent Edwards, son of Lorraine and Michael McCourt of Calgary, Canada. The wedding took place on Thursday, August 3, 2017 at the beautiful City Hall in San Francisco, Calif. Judy has her clinical doctorate in audiology and Brent has accepted the position of director of the National Acoustic Laboratories in Sydney, Australia. The couple will be moving there in September.  PJC
TOTAL
LOW PRICE
;V[HS *VUĂ„KLUJL 7YPJPUN LUHISLZ \Z [V ZL[ H NYLH[ SV^ WYPJL VU L]LY` ]LOPJSL
0M ^L ZLSS MVY H SV^LY WYPJL ^P[OPU KH`Z ^LÂťSS J\[ `V\ H JOLJR MVY [OL H JOLJR MVY [OL KPɈLYLUJL
PRICING
R
abbi Yehuda HaNasi said, “How great are the deeds of Rabbi Chiya!� To which deeds was Rabbi Yehudah referring? Rabbi Chiya was responsible for ensuring that the Torah would not be forgotten by the Jewish people. How did Rabbi Chiya accomplish this? In his own words: “I go and sow flaxseeds and twine nets, and then I hunt deer and feed their meat to orphans. Next I prepare parchment from their hides and I write the five books of the Torah on them. I go to a city where there are no teachers and I teach five children the five books, one book per child, and I teach six other children the six orders of the Mishnah, and I say to them, ‘Until I return and come, read each other the Torah and teach each other the Mishnah.’ This is how I act to ensure that the Torah will not be forgotten by the Jewish people� (Talmud Baba Metzia, 85b).
Israel derech eretz. The verse (I Samuel, 8:1-3) tells us that the prophet Samuel’s children “did not follow in his ways ‌ and they sought after unjust gain.â€? The Talmud in Shabbos, 56a explains this does not mean that they were sinners; rather it means they did not conduct themselves in accordance with the actions of their father. Samuel the righteous would travel to all places in Israel and sit in judgment in those towns, as it is stated: “And he went from year to year in circuit from Beth-El, and Gilgal, and Mitzpa, and judged Israel in all those placesâ€? (I Samuel 7:16). However, his children did not do the same. Rather, they sat in their own cities in order to enhance the fees collected by their attendants and scribes. There is a famous teaching in the Mishnah: “A Sanhedrin that executes a transgressor once in seven years is characterized as a destructive tribunal. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya says: once in seventy years.â€? Let’s assume there is a terrible wave of murder in the country; why is the Sanhedrin characterized as destructive if they
LOWEST
30 DAY
CONFIDENCE
By Rabbi Yisroel Altein Parshat Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
MARKET
PROMISE
PRICE
>L \ZL [OL WV^LY VM ;Y\LJHY (\[V[YHKLY HUK 2)) [V NH\NL V\Y SV^ THYRL[ WYPJL
2LUU`9VZZ :\IHY\ JVT c :LL KLHSLY MVY KL[HPSZ
We need to share the knowledge we have with as many people as we can. And as Rabbi Chiya taught his students, we don’t need to wait until we are fit to join
RABBI MOSHE BARROCAS Certified Mohel
the Sanhedrin to go and teach.
mohelmoshe.com 412-980-6696
Recommended by doctors
LEGAL NOTICE Freiberg Naimo, Ilda, deceased of Penn Hills, PA. No. 04325 of 2017, Daniel Wasserman, Administrator, 6344 Phillips Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or to Greenfield & Kraut, 1040 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, Pa 15219.
18 AUGUST 25, 2017
This week’s Torah portion begins with the commandment to appoint judges and policemen in all our cities. What is the task of the judges? The duty of the Sanhedrin (“Jewish Supreme Court�) was very different than the role of the secular court. While their primary task was to adjudicate the law, they were also charged with interpreting the law and enacting new laws. But perhaps the most important task given to the Sanhedrin was to teach the Torah to the Jewish people. Moreover, as we see from the following teachings of our sages, the expectation of the Sanhedrin was to leave their chambers in the Temple and travel across Israel to teach the masses. The Midrash in Tana Dvei Eliyahu teaches that the reason for the terrible calamities that fell upon the Jews during the period of the Judges is that the Sanhedrin did not do what was expected of them. What was the expectation? They were to attach iron chains to their hips, lift their robes above their calves and travel across all the cities of Israel, each day in another city, and teach the people of
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
are punishing the murderers? Perhaps the Mishnah is alluding to the responsibility of the Sanhedrin for the decay of the society. If the Sanhedrin would have traveled around to teach the people, perhaps the country would not have fallen to such a low that so many people would be deserving of punishment. The Torah’s lessons are given for each of us. While we may not be members of the Sanhedrin, we need to learn from Rabbi Chiya and his students. We need to share the knowledge we have with as many people as we can. And as Rabbi Chiya taught his students, we don’t need to wait until we are fit to join the Sanhedrin to go and teach. We may not even know the Book of Breishit, but if we know the Book of Shmot, we should share it with someone who has not yet learned it, and perhaps that person will share with us the Book of Breishit. Or as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ob�m, put it, “If you know Aleph, teach Aleph!�  PJC Rabbi Yisroel Altein is co-director of Chabad of Pittsburgh. This column is a service of Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Obituaries FEIBUS: Sidney S. Feibus, on Wednesday, August 16, 2017. Beloved husband of Ruth Feibus. Devoted father to Robbin Steif of Squirrel Hill, Nancy Spivack (Alan) of Boynton Beach, Fla., and Terry Feibus (Debby) of Boca Raton, Fla. Sidney was the proud grandfather to five grandchildren and another three great-grandchildren. Sidney was a very big believer in philanthropy and in education (particularly Jewish education). He worked hard to send his kids and grandchildren to Hebrew day camps, Hebrew day schools and Israel. In 1985, Sidney and Ruth made aliyah to Israel and lived in Ma’aleh Adumim for 28 wonderful years. They moved back to Florida to spend their last years with their children. Contributions may be made to the Community Day School, 6424 Forward Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or at https://www. comday.org/give. FIREMAN: Philip Fireman, on August 19, 2017; age 96 1/2; preceded in death by his soul mate and wife Edith Malvin Fireman. Beloved father of Sharyn (Larry) Rubin and Stanley (Karen) Fireman. Cherished grandfather of nine and great-grandfather of 20. He also was
proud of his many nieces and nephews, especially Ilene Weil and Burt Caplan, who doted over him. Phil served in World War II and was a sergeant in the U.S. Army, stationed in both China and India. He was happiest mingling with his offspring, “davening” at both Shaare Torah and Congregation Poale Zedeck, volunteering at both the Jewish Community Center and, most recently, the Jewish Association on Aging, where he spent countless hours stuffing, shredding and participating in the Adult Day Care Program. Contributions may be made to the Jewish Association on Aging, 200 JHF Drive, Pittsburgh 15217 in honor of the incredible compassionate care he received. GREEN: Sylvya Weisman Green, on Wednesday, August 16, 2017. Beloved wife of the late Dr. Martin Green. Beloved mother of Stuart Hayden Green and Barry Evan Green. Sister of the late Herman Weisman, Pearl Kantrowitz, Israel Weisman and Sarah Weisman Singer. Grandmother of Garrett and Sarah Green. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Graveside services and interment were held at Tree of Life Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc.
HAMBURGER: Martin Hamburger, Esq. passed away peacefully with his family by his side on August 19, 2017. He was 89 years old. Dad was born in Braunschweig, Germany. His family fled Germany in 1939 with the assistance of the Aaron and Bischoff families. Dad arrived in Pittsburgh in September 1, 1939. Martin is survived by his sons, Jonathan, David (Iris) and his former wife Gissa. Martin was preceded in death by his beloved sister Edie Hamburger Blattner. Dad loved his family and friends, classical music and tennis. Martin graduated from Taylor Allderdice ’46, Oberlin College ’49 and Yale Law School ’52. Martin was accepted into the Pennsylvania bar in 1952 and practiced law for the next 55 years. Dad was assistant city solicitor during Mayor Barr’s administration. Martin did arbitration, and worked on the National Labor Relations Board. Dad will be missed by his friends and family. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment at West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom Congregation. Donations can be made to the local chapter of the ACLU.
KMEC: Marsha Gelman Kmec, formerly of Pittsburgh, passed suddenly Thursday, August 10, 2017, in Orange County, Calif. Marsha truly brightened the lives of all she knew and met by virtue of her caring, sincere nature and famously radiant smile. Marsha had recently retired from a successful career as medical librarian at the UCLA Medical Center. She will be deeply missed by all that knew her, but most notably by her husband Jim Kmec (formerly of Mt. Lebanon), sons Chase and Christopher, her deeply devoted and loving sister, Paula (Gelman) Dunn, and brother-in-law, Alan Dunn. “Meg” also leaves behind an exceptionally strong and mutually adoring bond with her three nephews, Bary, Scott and Brian Dunn. Marsha was preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and Maish Gelman. A service was held in tribute to this beautiful woman at Beth Shalom Congregation. Donations will be appreciated to Our Clubhouse, 2816 Smallman St., Pittsburgh, PA 15222, and the NCJW “Back to School Project,” 1620 Murray Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Please see Obituaries, page 20
SPONSORED CONTENT
Index Funds Hit Over $5 Trillion as Investors Get Fed Up with Paying Expensive Fees to Active Mutual Fund Managers who Often Fail to Beat the Market
2200 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412-521-2732 www.paytaxeslater.com
James Lange, CPA and Attorney Back in 2002, 23 years after I established Lange
Accounting Group, LLC, I began to fully appreciate how challenging it is for hard-working Americans to adequately build wealth for their retirement. Between tax planning, estate planning, and investing for the long term, the options are mind-boggling. Originally, we had two firms under the same roof—Lange Accounting Group, LLC that prepared tax returns and Lange Legal Group, LLC that prepared estate plans, including drafting wills and trusts for individuals. Though we’ve always incorporated cutting-edge tax strategies to our tax and legal services, we didn’t offer money management services. I knew that what clients really wanted was a one-stop-shop. They needed an advisor they completely trusted, who understood their goals and dreams, who optimized their tax and estate planning, but who could also combine all those great strategies with managing their money. But, I was reluctant to add the assets-under-
management service in house. The obstacles seemed too daunting. We didn’t have enough expertise in that area, and the infrastructure and regulatory challenges were onerous. Even if I hired someone, I would not be able to properly oversee that person and quality control would suffer. But I couldn’t let go of the idea of combining our cutting-edge tax, retirement, and estate planning strategies with excellent money management services.
John Bogle for my radio show was also enlightening. Since then, after much due diligence, I entered into an arrangement with DiNuzzo Index Advisors, Inc. The popularity of index funds has exploded exceeding $5 trillion invested as of 2017 according to Bloomberg. And on June 30, 2017, we hit two important milestones of our own. Our total assets-under-management including all the firms we work with surpassed
“ Our aim is not to outperform our competitors. It is to offer a quantum leap in value that makes the competition irrelevant.
”
Then, I went to a workshop that explained how CPA firms could partner with financial planning firms, and I learned how my dream of offering all the services could be achieved. So, I started looking for exceptional money management firms to partner with. Initially, I was underwhelmed by the prospects—my clients were used to outstanding service and offering them garden variety mutual funds wasn’t going to cut it. The management expense ratios were too high, and the fund managers frequently failed to keep pace with the market. Eventually, I found excellent active managers to partner with, Fort Pitt Capital Group, LLC, and that relationship thrives to this day. However, several years later, research persuaded me on the value of index investing—interviewing
$500,000,000. And of that, over $300,000,000 is accounted for with our arrangement with DiNuzzo Index Advisors, Inc. But we are far from resting on our laurels. I have plowed the additional revenue back into the business to better serve you. We are making concerted efforts to keep our clients and prospective clients informed and up-to-date on best practices within both the retirement and estate planning world and the world of finances. We offer a monthly hard-copy newsletter, Lange Report, filled with financial, legal, and personal articles along with puzzles, special offers, and recipes. We are writing and publishing about two books per year now and sending them to any client who
is interested. We offer free copies of our books to prospective clients as well. We have expanded the scope of our “running the numbers” practice to include Social Security analysis as well as more detailed recommendations on Roth IRA conversions and general safe withdrawal rates. Our website, www.paytaxeslater.com is becoming a powerhouse of helpful and implementable IRA advice. Check it out if you haven’t done so recently. For many years, $500,000,000 in assets-undermanagement was the goal—that number would reflect a sizable family of clients who value our advice, guidance and services—fully personalized and grounded in fiduciary accountability. Now that we have hit our target, we are already thinking about the next goal. I must thank you, my clients and friends, who have helped us to get to where we are and where we are going. We are nothing without you. Trust me when I say, our aim is not to outperform our competitors. It is to offer a quantum leap in value that makes the competition irrelevant. If you are interested in more financial information (we have written 5 best-selling financial books, many peer-reviewed articles, have 185 hours of our radio archives, etc.), we encourage you to visit our website, www.paytaxeslater.com. It has a wealth of valuable free material of special interest to IRA and retirement plan owners, or please call (412) 5212732 for a free copy of The Ultimate Retirement and Estate Plan for Your Million-Dollar IRA or to see if you qualify for a free second opinion consultation.
The foregoing content from Lange Financial Group, LLC is for informational purposes only, subject to change, and should not be construed as investment or tax advice. Those seeking personalized guidance should seek a qualified professional.
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
AUGUST 25, 2017 19
Obituaries Obituaries: Continued from page 19
Jewish Association on Aging gratefully acknowledges contributions from the following: A gift from ...
In memory of...
A gift from ...
In memory of...
Anonymous ........................................... Eva Ruth Emas
Beverly Lebovitz .............................. Joseph L. Lebovitz
Anonymous ........................................Dorothy Friedken
Jere Leib .........................................Rose Leib Rothman
Anonymous ................................................Ike Friedken
Howard & Shelley Miller .....................Harold B. Cramer
Gertrude Adams .................................. Sam Weinberger
Larry Myer .....................................................Lena Myer
Cheryl Bloch ..............................................Faye Glasser Cheryl Bloch ........................................... Morris Glasser Froni Campbell .......................................Esther Biggard Froni Campbell .................................... Bertram Biggard Hyla & Sandor Caplan ......................... Louis Sadowsky Debra & David Cohen ........................ Donald Rosenthal Mildred B. Cohen .....................................Morris Abrom
Marc Rice, M.D................................Hannah Lillian Rice Marion & Morris Riemer............................ Pauline Shorr Marion & Morris Riemer...............................David Shorr Myron & Eileen Snider ....................... Howard S. Snider Sharon S. Snider ............................... Howard S. Snider Dr. Susan L. Snider ............................ Howard S. Snider
Mildred B. Cohen ........................................ David Bass
Ruth Tanur ..................................... Mamie Rosenbloom
Gay & Alvin Goldstone ...............Jack Henry Goldstone
Ruth Tanur ....................................... Louis Rosenbloom
Natalie Kleinberg ............................................Harry Dell
Carol Volkin................................................ Selma Volkin
Michael D. Kweller .....................................Leon Kweller
Susan Wolf .............................................. Morris L. Wolf
THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday August 27: Lillian Bergad, Florence Bertenthal, Fannie Cohen, Patty Danovitz, Lena Darling, Rose Gold, Dora F. Greene, Bernard Harris, Bernard J Harris, Jeanette Miller Horowitz, Leah Katz, Pearl Laufe, Natalie Myra Lewis, Harry Malkin, Rabbi Pincus F. Miller, Stefanie Ann Miller, Sylvia Monsein, Harry L. Richman, Samuel M. Rosenzweig, Max Roth, Gwen Amy Shakespeare, Howard Snider, Oscar Wilson, Isadore Sidney Wolfson Monday August 28: Anna Friedman Calig, Rose Calig, George H. Danzinger, Ella Friedman, Edith Goldstein, Liuba Horvitz, Marcel Lucja, Frank Miller, Frances Rosen, Benjamin David Schwartz, Becky Weiner, Annie Wirtzman, Nathan Zapler Tuesday August 29: Rev. Henry Friedman, Helen Handlesman, Samuel E. Jacobson, Mimi Lawrence, Pauline Racusin Leventon, Jennie D. Miller, Rachel Mintz, Jennie Papernick, Ernst Perlstein, Dora Shaffer, Sarah Snyder, Mildred Tannenbaum, Sophie Tauber Wednesday August 30: Joseph Baker, Belle Berman, Jacob Dobkin, Marilyn Elikan, Nathan Fisher, Rose Goodstein, Rita Hertz, David Kravitz, Thomas Lewis, Simon Lieberman, Lillian London, Yehudi Marbach, Sadie Margolis, Leon Pattak, Freda Rubin, Alice D. Safier, Rebecca Siegal, Lena Thomashefsky, Harry Tobe, Sarah Zweig Thursday August 31: Leon Alan Berger, Jean Serbin Burckin, Honey Sue Fink, Esther Kochin, Bert Lasnik, Eva Zawitz Mannheimer, Fannie L. Morris, Rebecca Rockman, Sadie Simon Sieff, Harry Siegal, Harry Zeff, Margaret Zelman Friday September 1: Harry Barnes, Solomon Cantor, Sarah Libby Caplan, Harry Cohen, Eva Ruth Emas, Ethel Geduldig, Bertha Knina, Sarah Levenson, Rose Lucille Levison, Minnie Linetsky, Tauba Loffer, Samuel Mermelstein, Morris Morgan, Jacob Ellis Rosenberg, Mollie Rutner, Charles Schwelling, Israel Seidenstein, Annabelle L. Sharon, Jennie Beck Wintner Saturday September 2: Nathan Beck, Jack Gusky, Erna Landsberger, Joseph L. Lebovitz, Louis Levy, Morris L. Lieberman, Anna Belle Nadler, Hannah Lillian Rice, Donald Rosenthal, Pearl Seltzer, Mary Simon, Judith Stein, Rose Uram, Bessie Weiner
LAZARUS: Darrell H. “Buddy” Lazarus, age 93, of Pittsburgh passed away on August 19, 2017. Son of the late Ben and Anna Lazarus, loving and extremely devoted husband for close to 42 years to Helen Klein Lazarus, father to Lynn Shapiro, Barbara Daniels, Dr. Cathy (Dr. Thomas) Tyma and Dr. Patti Soffer (Bob Cannon). He is survived by his grandchildren, Ryan Shapiro, Meredith Tyma, Alexander Tyma and Heather Daniels-Rosenblatt (Brett), and multiple nephews, nieces and grandnephews and grandnieces. He especially cherished his close relationship with Ryan, Meredith, Alex, nephew Dr. Hillard (Joan) Lazarus and grandnephews Jeffrey (Jana) Lazarus and Adam (Sarah) Lazarus. Buddy was a loving and extremely devoted husband to his late first wife, Helen Kurtz Lazarus, and was also predeceased by brothers Arnold H. (late Belle) Lazarus and Norman H. (late Sivia) Lazarus. He was a World War II veteran, having served as a U.S. Army medic and staff sergeant. He was a licensed real estate
Letters: Continued from page 13
PITTSBU RGH NEWEST ’S FUNERA L HOME
• Serving the Pittsburgh Jewish Community with Traditional Jewish funerals • Specially Developed Taharah Room with Mikva facilities for Chevra Kadisha • Accommodations for Shomer • Guaranteed advanced funeral planning LOCALLY OWNED and OPERATED
DEBORAH S. PRISE Licensed Jewish Funeral Director
1650 GREENTREE ROAD • PITTSBURGH, PA 15220 412.563.2800 • FAX 412.563.5347
SERVING Scott Twp., Greentree, Carnegie, Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park
Your family can take comfort in knowing that we follow all Jewish Traditions & Rituals. We take time to plan every detail and help relive the burden on you and your family.
Our purpose is to serve you and your family, by offering professional service and caring support through High Standards and not High Costs.
The Rapp Funeral Home, Inc.
10940 Frankstown Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235
Bernadette L. Rose, F.D. Supervisor 412-241-5415 www.rappfuneralhome.com
20 AUGUST 25, 2017
Hadash to Beth Shalom while “second paging” the appointment of Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers to TOL*OLS (“Dor Hadash to relocate to Beth Shalom,” Aug. 18). I have been a congregant of Tree of Life since my moving to Pittsburgh in 1956, so it is especially galling to see my shul pushed off the front page by the story of a migrant congregation making another move. Furthermore, the article doesn’t tell the whole story, by any means. I am of the opinion that the appointment of a new spiritual leader to one the longest lived congregations in Pittsburgh is certainly more newsworthy and positive than the negative aspects of Dor Hadash’s latest migration. The Chronicle has enough problems and issues without adding bad judgement to the mix. Joe Charny Pittsburgh Take care when it comes to CAIR, others A recent front-page article requires careful reading (“Bend the Arc partnering with controversial Muslim group, counters street harassment,” Aug. 4). Several sources are named as backers of this movement, the first and most troubling being
broker and insurance broker, and was president of Mercury Real Estate Co., Inc. He lived a wonderful life, traveled the world and frequently donated to various charities, especially to the State of Israel. He was a man who cherished his family above all else. He will be fondly missed and remembered by all that knew and loved him. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. in Shadyside. Interment was at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Darrell H. Lazarus Hear O Israel Fund for the hearing impaired at Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon St., Pittsburgh PA 15217, or to the Darrell H. and Helen K. Lazarus Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Pittsburgh, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh PA 15213. OBERMAN: Judy Naomi Oberman, on Friday, August 18, 2017. Beloved mother of Hayden Schultz, Regina (late Dr. James) Levin and Valerie (Eitan) Zehavi. Sister of Herbert (Martha) Oberman. Grandma of Oliver Schultz, Nathan Schultz, Hannah Levin and Jonah Levin. Also survived by nieces and nephews. Services were held at Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Jewish Association on Aging, 200 JHF Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc.
CAIR, the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American Islamic Relations. They claim their mission is “to enhance understanding of Islam and empower American Muslims.” However, according to a 2015 ADL bulletin, CAIR’s “leadership has accused Israel of being a racist state engaged in genocide and Israel supporters in the U.S. of promoting a culture of hostility towards Islam. Its chapters partner with various anti-Israel groups that seek to isolate and demonize the Jewish state.” A second backer is Alex Soros, son of the billionaire George Soros who happens to share his father’s anti-Israel political stance. He is currently a member of the Soros Foundation and has played an important role in supporting Bend the Arc. How are these hate-based organizations now being touted now as community peacemakers? What we don’t need in our community is an organization that is supported and funded by anti-Israel proponents. Anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are inextricably intertwined. It is impossible to demonize the homeland of the Jews without impacting Jews everywhere. Patricia Love Anouchi Pittsburgh
We invite you to submit letters for publication. Letters must include name, address and daytime phone number; addresses and phone numbers will not be published. Letters may not exceed 500 words and may be edited 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: The Jewish Chronicle 5915 Beacon St., 5th Flr. Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Fax 412-521-0154 Website address: pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
DLINE NOTICE
FOR SALE
eadline for all copy and art – nd classified adline for alladvertising, copy and artpress – ses, simcha advertising, announcements d classified press – is noon Friday es, simcha announcements – is noon Friday to press at noon on Tuesday and regret
～ FOR SALE ～ ～inFOR BonitaSALE Springs, ～ Fl.
ALE LE
Real Estate $
in Bonita Springs, Fl.
284,500 CALL 412.657.2766 284,500 CALL 412.657.2766 $
annot accommodate changes after the o press at noon on Tuesday and regret Friday noon deadline nnot accommodate changes after the Friday noon deadline
2ND FLOOR CONDO (approx 1810 sq. ft.) 2ND FLOOR CONDO
HARE FFF HARE FFF
(approx 1810 ft.) In a Bundled Golfsq. Community In a Bundled Golf Community 3 Br's/2 full baths, over sized kitchen with office stainless steel sized appliances,custom wood 3 space, Br's/2 full baths, over kitchen with office n Hilton Head’s most cabinetry, granite tops,master bathroom space, stainless steelcounter appliances,custom wood ntion, Hilton Head’s most “Sea Pines”. completegranite w/ duel sinks, custom mirrors cabinetry, counter tops,master bathroomand ion, “Sea Pines”. lighting, w/ lrg. duel stall shower, lrg. walk-in closet with complete sinks, custom mirrors and hen; w/d; deck; sleeps 6; lighting, stall shower, lrg. walk-in closet with custom lrg. shelving. hen; w/d;tennis deck;on sleeps 6; ool and property; custom shelving. and tennis property; 2nd. bathroom has new cabinetry,quartz, custom kolfrom beach on and golf. 2nd. bathroom has new cabinetry,quartz, custom k from beach SQUIRREL and golf. HILL/NORTH lighting and mirror. OF FORBES • $975,000 eeks (II and RCI) lighting and mirror. Great room with lanai which looks Formal out ontoliving a lakeand dining rooms, first floor family eks (II and RCI) Fees: Approx. $750 5529 Dunmoyle: Spectacular 8 bedroom, 4½which bath looks home. Great with lanai with outsunset onto aviews. lake and room the golf course, gorgeous Approx. $750 wonderful rear porch wFees: Living in Florida. room, that is the expanse of this grand home. Beautiful architectural features — and the golf course, with gorgeous sunset views. Living in Florida. woodwork, windows, high ceilings and much more. FFF —One Dollar!!! —One sing feesDollar!!! FFF ng fees CLASSIFIEDS OF FORBES SELL IT FAST IN THECLASSIFIEDS -781-1212, NORTH if interested. SELL IT FAST IN THE 781-1212, if interested.
YOUR OUR
EDS EDS
1.1110 .1110 1.4693 .4693
original riginal marble marble pacious acious There here isis garage. arage.
rdwood dwood oenjoy. enjoy. car hth22car
FOR SALE
FOR SALE
FOR THE MOST DISCRIMINATING BUYERS
WE HAVE IT ALL: CONDOS • HOUSES TOWNHOUSES
Designed by premier architect David Ross of SALE Design Alliance. This home hasFOR 4FOR bedrooms, 3½ SALE baths, open concept kitchen, a sunken dining room with 6 foot windows, a large sunken living room with 10 foot ceilings. Great room/kitchen. The living room and master bedroom have private deck FOX CHAPEL MEWS - $349,000 space with FOX extraordinary viewsMEWS of CMU, Oakland and Downtown from CHAPEL - $349,000 EXQUISITE 3 bedroom condo-Completely renovated with magnificent built-ins. In this lovely private location. The lower EXQUISITE 3 bedroom condo-Completely renovatedhas with magnificent built-ins. In unit balcony,great room, in-unit laundry.Building many amenities -pool,guest levelunit beautiful den opens to a private patio. Just installed is a heated driveway and walkway to front steps. balcony,great room, in-unit laundry.Building has many amenities -pool,guest suites, library,party room and much more. High end unit ready for move-in. and much end unit ready a fortreasure move-in. with many more amenities. Lowersuites, levellibrary,party also has room radiant heat.more. ThisHigh home is truly
FORSALE SALE FOR
MURDOCH FARMS - $525,000 MURDOCH FARMS - $525,000
FIRST TIME OFFERED! Great 4 bedroom 2 bath and 2 1/2 baths home with integral FIRST TIME Great 4 bedroom 2 bath and 2 1/2 baths garage onOFFERED! one of Pittsburgh's finest streets. Magnificent livinghome roomwith withintegral fireplace, garage on onefirst of Pittsburgh's finest streets. Magnificent with fireplace, floor den and much more. This is theliving homeroom you want. first floor den and much more.This is the home you want.
METROPOLITAN CONDOMINIUM
SQUIRRELHILL HILL- SUMMERSET - SUMMERSET Rare three bedroom custom-designed SQUIRREL ATFRICK FRICKPARK PARK- $569,000 - $569,000- SOLD - SOLD spacious penthouse in one of Pittsburgh’s AT FIRST TIME OFFERED! Spectacular 4 BR , 2 full Baths and 2- 1/2 bath town home.
most distinguished buildings. Floor to ceiling windows bring natural light into the large living and dining areas with access to a lovely outdoor SHADYSIDE- $230,000 - $230,000 SHADYSIDE deck. The large well-appointed exquisite eat-in FIRST TIME OFFERED! 3 bedroom townhome on Maple Heights. Beautiful yard, FIRST TIME OFFERED! 3 bedroom townhome on Maple Heights. Beautiful yard, great builtins, central air, integral garage gourmet kitchen has a pass thru to air, the dining room. great builtins, central integral garage . .The master suite includes a luxurious bath and a huge dressing room closet. The amenities the building -include 2 parking spaces, two guest suites, catering SHADYSIDE CONDO -of$195,000 - SOLD SHADYSIDE CONDO - $195,000 SOLD FIRST TIME OFFERED! Chic and cozy.2 central laundry room in unit,balcony kitchen, wine and storage lockers, library, conference/party room, a resistance pool, and an extensive FIRST TIME OFFERED! Chic and cozy.2 BR,BR, central air,air, laundry room in unit,balcony and garage. PET FRIENDLY! GREAT LOCATION! and garage. PET FRIENDLY! GREAT LOCATION! exercise area. Outdoors, the serene grounds boasts a putting green, koi pond, waterfall and a gazebo. FIRST TIME OFFERED! Spectacular 4 BR , 2 full Baths and 2- 1/2 bath town home. Owner thought of every detail. Beautiful amenities through out the entire home, Owner thought of every detail. Beautiful amenities through out the entire home, even the bonus of two washers and dryers. Enjoy resort living as the home is even the bonus of two washers and dryers. Enjoy resort living as the home is directly across from the pool and the fitness center. DON'T MISS THIS! directly across from the pool and the fitness center. DON'T MISS THIS!
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT CHERYL GERSON CHERYL.GERSON@PITTSBURGHMOVES.COM 412.401.4693 TAMARA SKIRBOLL • 412.401.1110
Jill&and &Mark Mark Portland Jill Portland JILL MARK PORTLAND
RE/MAX Realty Brokers RE/MAX Realty Brokers RE/MAX REALTY BROKERS (412) 521-1000 ext. 200200 (412) 521-1000 ext. 200 412.521.1000 EXT. (412) 496-5600 (412) 496-5600 JillJill 412.496.5600 JILL (412) 480-3110 Mark | 412.480.3110 MARK (412) 480-3110 Mark
BE THE
first
restaurant that
readers see on the
first friday of every month!
ADVERTISE IN THE
FOR RENT BEACON PLACE 1 Bed 1 Bath Updated Condo LR, Eq. Kit., many amenities $900+ • 62 yrs+
BUYING OR SELLING?
FOR RENT 5125 Fifth Ave.
2 & 3 Bedrooms Corner of Fifth and Wilkins Spacious 1500-2250 square feet
”Finest in Shadyside”
412-661-4456
www.kaminrealty.kamin.com
Crown R.E. 724-864-9720
RESTAURANT SECTION RESERVE YOUR SPACE no later than NOON FRIDAY. Contact Phil Durler, Senior Sales Associate 724-713-8874 • pdurler@pittburghjewishchronicle.org
FIND IT IN THE
classifieds
Business & Professional Directory AUTOS WANTED
AUTOS WANTED
724-287-7771 BUYING V E H I C L E $ DENNY OFF$TEIN AUTO $ALE$ CAREGIVER
CAREGIVER
Provider/Companion. CNA/ medical assistant specialist with 2-year associates degree with 20 years experience in the medical field. Very compassionate and caring, looking for full-time employment as a caregiver.
My duties will include: Preparing meals, light housekeeping, pivoting client to and from the bed, bathing, grooming, medication reminders, errands. Experience with blood pressure, vitals and nutrition. Call Michelle at 412-626-4815.
FIND IT IN THE
classifieds
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
GARDEN AND & HOME GARDEN MAINTENANCE
PLUMBING
HOME MAINTENANCE
Spruce up your yard on a one-time or regular basis; clean out house, basement, gutters, painting. Reliable service, with references. Call Scottie at 412-310-3769. PERSONAL DRIVER
PERSONAL DRIVER
Personal driver to transport you to appointments, shopping, etc. References provided upon request. Call Sharon 412 496-2379.
SELL IT
fast
IN THE
classifieds
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
ROAD RUNNER PLUMBING • Registered Master Plumber • Sewer and Drain Experts • Full Service Plumbing Call Mike 412-421-1538 412-292-5830 #HP3342
AUGUST 25, 2017 21
Community Let’s get started! The Krause Commons groundbreaking at Forward and Murray avenues was held on Aug. 18. It is the site of an affordable housing apartment building and the future home of the Sally & Howard Levin Clubhouse.
Maccabiah silver
p From left: Linda Metropulos, ACTION-Housing; Larry Swanson, ACTIONHousing; Lena Andrews, ACTION-Housing; Lt. Gov. Mike Stack; Congressman Mike Doyle; State Sen. Jay Costa; State Rep. Dan Frankel; Bob Nelkin, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania; Mary Esther Van Shura of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s Office; City Councilman Corey O’Connor; Harold Love, Jewish Residential Services; Kathy Krause, Jewish Residential Services; E.J. Strassburger, Jewish Residential Services; Robert Levin, Jewish Residential Services; Deborah Friedman, Jewish Residential Services; and Mike “Wendell” Hogan of the Sally & Howard Levin Clubhouse.
p Eli Kramer, of Brooklyn, N.Y., won a silver medal at the recent Maccabiah Games in Israel for squash (boys 17 and under). His grandparents are Art Kramer and Arlene Kramer of the South Hills. Eli’s parents are Stacy Kramer, who was born and raised in Mt. Lebanon, and David Kramer. Grandparents are also Elaine Kramer of New York City and the late Eli Kramer for whom Eli is named.
Photo courtesy of Art Kramer
p Curt Brooks, Harold Love, Judy Cohen and Ed Frim at Krause Commons groundbreaking
Photos courtesy of Jewish Residential Services
22 AUGUST 25, 2017
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
Community Missing McKeesport Documentary filmmaker Sam Zolten brought his “Missing McKeesport” and its tale of the Mon Valley’s transformation to Pittsburgh last weekend for an Aug. 20 showing at the Heinz History Center, as well as a screening and discussion at Temple B’nai Israel in White Oak.
u Sam Zolten, who directed “Missing McKeesport,” discusses his film with viewers during a recent screening at Temple B’nai Israel in White Oak.
Photo courtesy of David Schlitt
q Below left and right, the crowd watches “Missing McKeesport” at the Heinz History Center on Aug. 20. Photos by Adam Reinherz
Face to face
Honor Societies Tribute Israel Bonds/Development Corporation for Israel held its 2017 Honor Societies Tribute event honoring 2016 top-level investors on July 26 at the Community Center at Summerset at Frick Park. The featured speaker was Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger, who told the story of his journey from being the son of a decorated Nazi war hero to making aliyah and serving in the IDF.
p Pittsburgh Hadassah recently visited with Rep. Mike Doyle during a Day in the District program. The program gives participants an opportunity to meet with their federal-elected officials in their home offices to present Hadassah’s position on policy issues such as gender equity in medical research and support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. Participating, from left: Barbara Scheinberg, Doyle, Rosalyn Markovitz and Marcia Weiss.
Photo courtesy of Pittsburgh Hadassah
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG
p Pictured, from left: Roni Semins, Women’s Division Council chair Ellen Teri Kaplan Goldstein and Dr. Toby Trompeter Photo courtesy of Israel Bonds
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
AUGUST 25, 2017 23
• 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 Available at select Giant Eagle stores. Visit GiantEagle.com for location information.
Empire Kosher Fresh Ground Turkey Sold in 1 lb. pkg.
4
29 ea. Save with your
Price effective Thursday, August 24 through Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Available at 17AD31335_PJC_0824.indd 1
24 AUGUST 25, 2017
and PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
8/21/17 11:03 AM
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG