Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 10-6-23 by Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle

October 6, 2023 | 21 Tishrei 5784

Candlelighting 6:36 p.m. | Havdalah 7:33 p.m. | Vol. 66, No. 40 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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Pittsburgh synagogue shooting JAA addresses community looms large at Eradicate Hate concerns Global Summit and revamps kosher dining option

NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Friends honor the legacy of Laura Fehl

A mighty Jewish book collection preserves her story Page 3

LOCAL Democrat Bhavini Patel runs for 12th District House seat

A challenger to Rep. Summer Lee Page 4

LOCAL

 Titled “Mantra,” this is one of the mosaics in a traveling exhibit that was part of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit. Artist Carol Nemir of Austin, Texas, writes in part that “The mantra ‘Peace Begins With Me’ reminds me of the responsibility and the power I have to ensure that the choices I make on a daily basis contribute to a more peaceful world.” Photo by Bob Batz Jr./Pittsburgh Union Progress By Adam Reinherz, David Rullo, Bob Batz Jr. and Abigail Hakas

Matchmaker, matchmaker

T Netflix’s Aleeza Ben Shalom is set to bring her show to Pittsburgh Page 7

he third annual Eradicate Hate Global Summit kicked off its programming on Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, focusing on the state of hate and the experiences of survivors and families of victims of hate crimes. The Pittsburgh synagogue massacre of Oct. 27, 2018, loomed over the morning sessions of Day 1, with almost every speaker explicitly or implicitly referring to it. David Shapira, a board member of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, opened his speech referencing the shooting before leading the audience into a moment of silence for the 11 worshippers from three congregations who were murdered that day. “Almost five years ago, there was a terrible tragedy here in Pittsburgh at the Tree of Life synagogue,” he said. “It wasn’t the first such tragedy in the United States and certainly

wasn’t the last — as we all know, there have been many more since then. Something unusual happened in Pittsburgh after the tragedy, and that is that the whole community came together to try and do something about the disaster that had happened here.” Laura Ellsworth, co-chair of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, came up with the idea to organize a global anti-hate conference after the 2018 shooting. Now in its third year, the conference featured speakers from across the United States and Europe. The first session was a presentation about the state of hate and hate-based violence around the world. Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, began with a startling statistic: There were almost 4,000 antisemitic incidents, including harassment and vandalism, in the United States in 2022 — the highest number in more than 40 years.

 Jewish Association on Aging, main campus

Photo courtesy of the Jewish Association on Aging

By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer

he Jewish Association on Aging will make some changes to the new kosher dining policy it unveiled in August, according to Board Chair Lou Plung and President and CEO Mary Anne Foley. Since announcing that the organization would offer non-kosher food at Weinberg Terrace and AHAVA Memory Care — with kosher food available upon request — the JAA has met with residents and their families, listening to their concerns. The plan presented in August was that the kitchen in Weinberg Terrace, a senior living facility on Bartlett Street, would not be kosher. Kosher food would be prepared at the JAA’s main campus — about 2.5 miles from Weinberg

Please see Summit, page 10

Chag ! h c a e m a S

photovs / iStock / Getty Images

Please see JAA, page 10

Headlines BBYO hits the ground running with new city director — and enthusiastic teens and parents — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Senior staff writer

aliel Selig knows how important BBYO can be in the life of a teenager. Selig grew up in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Situated about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, it’s the seat of Westmoreland County. It is also home to few Jewish families. Living so far from a large Jewish community, BBYO served as a lifeline for Selig before her family moved to Squirrel Hill and she began attending Taylor Allderdice High School. The youth organization, she said, was an important part of her life as a Jewish teen. “It was my home away from home,” she said. Now, Selig is the city director of the Keystone Mountain Region of BBYO, comprised of seven chapters in Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Since starting the position in August, she has been meeting with area rabbis and community leaders. “My main goal,” she said, “is to put it out there that we’re here and that this is going to be really good, that this is something teens can look forward to.” The group had its season kickoff program on Sept. 9 at Zone 28, an entertainment complex in Harmarville. Close to 70 teens registered for the event, Selig said, including 23 prospective members. That didn’t surprise Selig. She knows the value of Jewish community and has participated in it since her teen years, wearing many different hats during her professional career. Among other positions, she worked in the admission and financial aid office of the University of Pittsburgh, serving as an unofficial Jewish recruiter, visiting Jewish day schools throughout the East Coast. After leaving the university, Selig launched a

p Local Jewish teens took part in BBYO’s kickoff event on Sept. 9 at Zone 28.

Photo courtesy of BBYO

college consulting business in Pittsburgh before moving to Australia when her husband’s job took the family to the land down under. Selig, her husband, Steven, and her three children eventually moved to California’s Bay Area before Selig’s mother-in-law’s death brought them back to the Steel City. They live in the South Hills, and their teenage sons, Yishai and Jonah, like their mom, are active in BBYO. It’s not uncommon for allegiance to the youth group to carry through generations Marla Werner, who has known Selig since the two were teenagers in BBYO, has roots in the group that run deep. Her mother was president of the group’s chapter in Monroeville. Werner followed in her mother’s footsteps and served as the vice president of the region. Her children continue the BBYO tradition, serving in leadership roles in the organization. Werner, who lives in the Fox Chapel area, said that one of the advantages BBYO has over high school or synagogue youth groups is that it provides an opportunity for teens to meet peers from around the world — as her children have — at the organization’s international convention. “They’ve kept in touch with people in the years since and have visited some of the people they’ve met in different states and countries, so it really expands their world and their

understanding of how Judaism is practiced outside of Pittsburgh,” she said. Andrew Surloff is a parent in the PineRichland School District. He, too, was a member of BBYO and met Selig when they were teens involved in the organization. His two daughters have joined BBYO. COVID, he said, impacted BBYO during the years his oldest daughter, Brynn, took part in the group. “She had a wonderful time, made great connections, attended one or two events but the pandemic really hurt her class,” he said. Still, he said, BBYO provided her with a Jewish social life despite living in the North Hills, where there aren’t a lot of other Jewish teens. Surloff ’s daughter Reagan is in ninth grade and attended BBYO’s fall kickoff event. She enjoyed herself so much, he said, that she signed up for the group’s second event, as well. Surloff wasn’t surprised by his daughter’s reaction, given her previous experience. “She attended a weekend [BBYO] convention last year at Emma Kaufmann Camp,” he said. “When she first pulled up at the camp and saw the gates, it was this sense of, ‘This is home for me.’ It was one of her first epiphanies that she had about who she was and about being Jewish and being comfortable with it. To be around all

the other Jewish teens was really the hook for her,” he said. Shauna Maenza is a senior in the North Allegheny School District and BBYO’s regional vice president of programming. She has noticed a new sense of enthusiasm among BBYO members and prospective members since Selig has led the group. “We have new leadership, new programs,” Maenza said. “Everything is so different than it was, even from last year. It’s just so much more fun.” BBYO, she said, has proved to be a place of refuge. “There are barely any Jews in my school,” Maenza said. “I didn’t really have any friends that were Jewish before BBYO, and now all of my friends are Jewish. It’s the only place that I can be Jewish.” Maenza said that she enjoys events held in collaboration with the Cleveland region and also BBYO’s international convention, where she has met people from as far away as Argentina and Spain. “It gives me a chance to hang out with them,” she said. “Plus, it’s a really cool experience.” Werner isn’t surprised that Selig has been so well-received by the teens. She said her friend has been a passionate advocate for BBYO as long as the two have known one another. “I’ve always seen her passion and drive for instilling Jewish values in our teens and doing it through love and leadership,” Werner said. That bodes well for another of Selig’s priorities: getting BBYO alum involved with the organization. “My whole thing is, you have to ask,” she said. “Otherwise, they don’t know what we’re doing, and we’re doing so much.” PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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OCTOBER 6, 2023

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Headlines Getting to know: Rabbi Emily Meyer — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

Fresh off the High Holidays, Rabbi Emily Meyer has a list of hopes. Along with bringing more people to services, the South Hills resident and visiting rabbi at Temple Ohav Shalom wants to increase Hebrew proficiency. For years, Meyer has worked on both. Before moving to Pittsburgh in 2019 with her family, she served as rabbi of Bet Chaverim in Des Moines, Washington, for five years. The West Coast congregation, which consisted of approximately 50 families, was filled with “wonderful people who cared deeply about being Jewish,” she said. Meyer’s responsibilities at Bet Chaverim included leading prayers, partnering with musicians and working alongside local faith leaders — the congregation shares space with a Unitarian Church. “It was a nice being part of the broader community,” she said. Finding one’s place feels good, but it’s also central to Judaism, she explained. “I think that Judaism offers so many wonderful things to the world — we have this strong sense of tikkun olam; we have a strong sense of history and learning from our story, adding our own voice to it. But I think the most important

p Rabbi Emily Meyer

Photo by Tracy Brien

piece of all of this is belonging,” she said. “We have to make sure that everybody who comes into our community knows that — not just feels it — but knows that they belong there, and that they matter, they’re important, their voice matters, their presence matters, they’re counted on. All of those things.” For months, Meyer has worked to foster that sentiment at Ohav Shalom. She led Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services at the congregation, and has been a visiting rabbi there since January, she said.

Helming the Allison Park pulpit has been “wonderful,” she added. “One of the things that I like about being a rabbi is that I’m here to help when our community needs it.” Meyer deeply understands the responsibility of the rabbinate. She received ordination from Hebrew Union CollegeJewish Institute of Religion, served as a congregational leader and taught at Jewish day schools, religious schools and summer camp. Her husband is Rabbi Aaron Meyer of Temple Emanuel of South Hills. “I spent the last few High Holidays being a supportive partner — which has been wonderful — being a supportive parent to my children, which has also been really rewarding to get to see the holidays through their eyes.” Still, she continued, “it was fun to get back into the game. It was fun to write sermons again and to share my voice with that community.” One of her primary messages is “belonging,” but as she explained, there’s a linguistic barrier that prevents many people from achieving that status. For example, synagogues are filled with Hebrew letters. “If you don’t know what those letters are it can feel a little bit overwhelming, and maybe embarrassing or alienating,” she said. Years ago, Meyer sought to remedy this by promoting greater access to Hebrew. She created Doodly Jew on Facebook

and used instructional videos to teach about the Aleph-Bet. The project is on hiatus, but Meyer is still passionate about providing people with “touch points” for Hebrew letters. For now, she’s focused on putting people in the pews and facilitating new connections to Jewish life. “There are lots of different ways to be involved in the Jewish community, and I hope that people who haven’t yet found a home just learn about all of the options that are out there.” Meyer said one of Pittsburgh’s strengths — along with its great museums — is its bevy of shuls. Across the region are spaces with new and changing leadership, and it behooves people to know that “they’re welcome in congregations even if they haven’t been there for a few years,” she said. One of Judaism’s “gifts,” she continued, is its commitment to evolution. “When you walk into a synagogue, it’s never going to be like it was when you were younger. Every year we hope to grow and change — just like individuals do on the High Holidays,” she said. People should be open to these changes and “not write off participation because of what it used to be like,” she continued. “We have to learn and grow and change.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Collection of Jewish books keeps volunteer’s memory alive — LOCAL — By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

friendship forged at Temple Sinai will allow members to enjoy hundreds of Jewish books. The literar y collection, which formerly belonged to longtime volunteer Laura Fehl, was delivered to Temple Sinai last month by her friends. The schlep was bittersweet, Suzan Hauptman and Sheree Lichtenstein explained. After Fehl, a past board member and Women of Temple Sinai president, died in April, Hauptman and Lichtenstein visited her house. “Everywhere we looked were books — not just one or two thrown on the floor, but shelves of books, everywhere,” Hauptman said. There were leatherbound chumashim, volumes of the Talmud and hundreds of publications about Jewish grief, observance and the holidays. “As we were driving home that night, we said we have to do something with those books,” Hauptman said. Hauptman and Lichtenstein spoke with Fehl’s family, then reached out to Temple Sinai about possibly accepting Fehl’s collection.

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p In Laura Fehl's memory, her friends spent Sept. 10 volunteering.

Photo courtesy of Elinor Nathanson

“The board was 100% behind us,” Hauptman said. “They didn’t know if there would be a dedicated space, but they said they could definitely incorporate many of the books into the library and the children’s library.” Temple Sinai felt like a “proper home for the books,” Lichtenstein said. “Laura

had been very involved with Temple, and Temple was her family. It was her passion.” Through the years, Fehl was active with Women of Temple Sinai, intergenerational activities and cooking programs. “Whenever anyone new came into Temple, she would make sure they felt welcome

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and found a place,” Lichtenstein said. Lichtenstein was introduced to Fehl by Hauptman almost 18 years ago at Temple Sinai. “We became a group, a girls club, supporting each other in our day-today life and through our divorces,” Lichtenstein said. “We became chosen sisters,” Hauptman said. “We were there to support each other through good times and bad times.” Although their bond was remarkably close, Hauptman and Lichtenstein learned that Fehl gave others similar comfort and attention. “Through shiva, we realized that she really made everyone feel like they were her best friend. You don’t find that,” Hauptman said. After Fehl’s death, her two “chosen sisters” desired to perpetuate Fehl’s legacy and values. “Teshuva, tzedaka and learning Torah was the way she lived her life,” Hauptman said. It was also important to Fehl that her grandson have a breadth of Jewish wisdom, Hauptman added: “She wanted to teach him all the things she had in herself.” With permission from Fehl’s family, Please see Books, page 11

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Headlines Bhavini Patel to challenge Summer Lee for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district seat — LOCAL — By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer

.S. Rep. Summer Lee’s path to reelection just got a little more complicated. Bhavini Patel announced her candidacy for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district seat on Oct. 2. She will challenge the incumbent Lee in the 2024 Democratic primary. In a press release announcing her bid, Patel said that she was a longtime resident of the district who grew up in a single-parent household in Monroeville with an immigrant mother. She graduated from Gateway High School before attending the University of Pittsburgh and earning a master’s degree in international relations as a Rotary Global Grant Scholar at the University of Oxford. “I know firsthand what hard work and grit can do,” Patel said. “The power of the American Dream, that’s what makes this region, our home, great.” Patel is a lifelong Democrat who has worked as the community outreach manager for Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, serves on the Edgewood Borough Council and

founded the start-up business Beamdata, which helped people connect with elected officials during the pandemic. In 2020, she was appointed to the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Advisory Board and served as a delegate for Joe Biden in the 2020 Democratic National Convention. She is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy and volunteers with the University of Pittsburgh Master of Quantitative Economics Program, the University of Pittsburgh Alumni Association Board and the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh. “We need a member of Congress in touch and laser-focused on helping real people in this district,” she said. “We need a leader who wants to bring people together to get things done, not divide us. We need a member of Congress who will stand strongly with President Biden as he continues to deliver on historic legislation and investments.” Patel ran for the 12th District seat in 2022 but withdrew before the primary amid a crowded field. In August, Patel declined to comment on her plans to the Jewish Insider when word leaked that she was considering a primary run. Instead, she said that she was “looking forward” to

p Bhavini Patel

Photo courtesy of Patel for PA

“hearing” and “uplifting the voices and opinions of our local Jewish leaders in Pittsburgh.” Several local pro-Israel Jewish leaders have anticipated for months Patel’s announcement that she would be challenging Lee. In April, Lee voted against a resolution marking Israel’s 75th anniversary, heralding the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship and urging the expansion of the Abraham Accords. Lee co-sponsored a bill in May that

would restrict U.S. aid to Israel, and in July was one of only nine House members voting against a resolution declaring Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state.” Along with “Squad” members Cori Bush, Jamal Bowman, Alexandria OcasioCortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, Lee skipped Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to a joint session of Congress on July 19. Lee has said she is working to deliver $3,451,258 in government funds for Tree of Life, Inc. and $547,212 for the 10.27 Healing Partnership. Lee has repeatedly ignored the Chronicle’s requests for interviews. Patel said that her initiatives will include bolstering the region’s infrastructure and economy, addressing gun violence, protecting and advocating for seniors, strengthening education for the next generation and investing in local small businesses. “Our community deserves a representative who will listen, advocate and work tirelessly to address the issues that matter most to us. I believe in the power of unity and collaboration,” she said. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Drawing allegedly looted by Nazis seized from Carnegie Museum of Art — LOCAL — By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

he question of who rightfully owns a million-dollar piece of artwork housed in Pittsburgh for decades has ignited dialogue about Jewish possessions that were looted by Nazis during the Holocaust. In September, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office trekked to the Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland to seize “Portrait of a Man,” a 1917 drawing by the famed Austrian artist Egon Schiele. The museum claimed it received the work legitimately through a donor in 1960. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. said it was one of several pieces of art belonging to the family of Fritz Grünbaum, an Austrian Jewish cabaret performer whose collection was stolen by the Nazi regime. “Fritz Grünbaum was a man of incredible depth and spirit, and his memory lives on through the artworks that are finally being returned to his relatives,” Bragg said. “I hope this moment can serve as a reminder that despite the horrific death and destruction caused by the Nazis, it is never too late to recover some of what we lost, honor the victims, and reflect on how their families are still impacted to this day.” Brag announced on Sept. 20 the return of at least seven pieces of art, all by Schiele, to Grünbaum’s family. They were surrendered

OCTOBER 6, 2023

p Egon Schiele’s “Portrait of a Man,” from the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh’s collection

Handout/Manhattan District Attorney’s Office

by collectors and museums from New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in California. In a statement, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh said it “is deeply committed to our mission of preserving the resources of art and science by acting in accordance with ethical, legal, and professional requirements and norms.” “We will of course cooperate fully with

inquiries from the relevant authorities,” the statement said. Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh did not respond to numerous inquiries from the Chronicle seeking additional comment. Adam Hertzman, a spokesman for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said discussion about property the Nazis stole from Jews and others during World War II has gone on for decades. “The Nazis looted valuables of all kinds from people they exterminated — Jews and others — from art to furniture to houses to cash and valuables,” Hertzman said. It isn’t typical for descendants of those killed in genocides to have valuables and property returned to them, Hertzman said. But the Nazis documented their looting, leaving a paper trail for investigators to follow. “To the Carnegie Museums’ immense credit, they talked about meeting the moral and ethical standards of their profession,” he added. “It’s great to see there is recognition of that history.” Timothy Reif, a relative of Grünbaum’s, said Bragg and his team “have succeeded in solving crimes perpetrated over 80 years ago.” “Their righteous and courageous collaboration in the pursuit of justice — unique among prosecutors and law enforcement in this entire nation, if not the world — shine a bright light for all to follow,” Reif said. “Their names, along with Fritz Grünbaum’s, will be forever inscribed in the book of history,” he added.

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Other pieces returned to Grunbaum’s family include: • “I Love Antithesis,” from the Ronald Lauder Collection, valued at $2.75 million • “Standing Woman” from MoMA, valued at $1.5 million • “Girl Putting on Shoe” from MoMA, valued at $1 million • “Self Portrait,” from the Morgan Library, valued at $1 million • “Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Edith,” SBMA, valued at $1 million • “Portrait of a Boy,” the Vally Sabarsky Trust, valued at $780,000 • “Seated Woman,” the Vally Sabarsky Trust, valued at $1.5 million Bragg’s office said Grünbaum owned hundreds of pieces of art, including more than 80 Schiele drawings. Grünbaum was captured by the Nazis in 1938 after they invaded Austria and was forced to execute a power of attorney while imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp. His wife, Elisabeth Grünbaum, later was compelled to hand over his entire art collection to Nazi officials. Grünbaum’s collection was inventoried by art historian and Nazi Franz Kieslinger and then impounded in a Nazi-controlled warehouse in September 1938. All works by Schiele had been declared “degenerate,” and many of the confiscated works were auctioned or sold abroad to finance the Nazi Party. PJC

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Free community screening of ‘Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life’ to be held before WQED premiere this month — LOCAL —

free community screening of an abbreviated version of the documentary “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life,” will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at Carnegie Mellon University’s McConomy Auditorium. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. and be followed by a panel discussion that includes Andrea Wedner, a survivor of the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, and Patrice O’Neill, the film’s producer. The documentary is a production of “Not in Our Town,” a team that has created films on successful community responses to hate for more than 25 years. “Repairing the World” is the inspirational story of the citizens of Pittsburgh who were determined to turn the phrase “never again” into action following the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. “As we watched the events unfold in Pittsburgh, what we found is a community that cared deeply for one another,” O’Neill said in a prepared statement. “We saw a diverse cross-section of the community standing together in the face of horrific violence.” The full documentary will premiere on WQED-TV on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 9 p.m. WQED is serving as the presenting station to the American Public Television network, the

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“This film shows how our community rallied in the wake of the worst kind of tragedy to send a powerful message of unity to the world.” ‒ DAVID SOLOMON distribution service to PBS stations across the United States. “WQED is honored to serve as the presenting station to public stations across America,” said David Solomon, the managing director of production and TV station manager, in a prepared statement. “This film shows how our community rallied in the wake of the worst kind of tragedy to send a powerful message of unity to the world.” The release of the film coincides with the five-year commemoration of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. O’Neill said the message of how Pittsburgh responded to the attack is

p Flower memorials outside the Tree of Life synagogue after the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting Still from “Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life”

more important than ever, as the United States has seen an escalation of antisemitism and hate-motivated violence in the years since the attack. “Racism and antisemitism are intertwined in the messaging that fueled recent mass hate crime killings,” O’Neill said. “We can do something to stop the spread of hate, and our local communities are places where we can effectively make a change that can be felt in people’s lives. We have to find new ways to mobilize the vast majority of people in our

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cities and towns who don’t want the spread of hate speech and violence to harm themselves, their children or their neighbors.” To register for the free screening, go to repairingtheworldscreening.eventbrite.com/. The screening is sponsored by The Pittsburgh Promise. Community partners include the Jewish Community Relations Council, Film Pittsburgh, the 10.27 Healing Partnership and the Center for Loving Kindness. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Calendar Submit calendar items on the Chronicle’s website, pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. Submissions also will be included in print. Events will run in the print edition beginning one month prior to the date as space allows. The deadline for submissions is Friday, noon. q FRIDAY, OCT. 6 Rodef Shalom wants to spend Shabbat with You. Families with young children are invited to join Cantor Toby Glaser and Family Center Director Ellie Feibus for a pre-Shabbat playdate on their playground, services and dinner to celebrate Shabbat together. 4:30 p.m. $5 per family. 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org. q SATURDAY, OCT. 7; SUNDAY, OCT. 8 Join Chabad of the South Hills for a Simchat Torah celebration. Fun, interactive hakafos Torah dancing, singing and l’chaims. Special kids’ program on Saturday evening with treats, activities, edible Torah art, dancing and build-your-own stuffed Torah. Saturday program begins at 7 p.m.; Sunday program begins at 11 a.m. 1701 McFarland Road. Preregistration for kids’ program is greatly appreciated at chabadsh.com/torah. q SUNDAYS, OCT. 8 – DEC. 3 Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for its Men’s Tefillin Club. Enjoy bagels, lox and tefillin on the first Sunday of the month. 8:30 a.m. chabadpgh.com. q SUNDAYS, OCT. 8 – DEC. 17 Join a lay-led online parshah study group to discuss the week’s Torah portion. No Hebrew knowledge needed. The goal is to build community while deepening understanding of the text. 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAYS, OCT. 9 – DEC. 18 Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAYS, OCT. 9 – MAY 13 H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff presents Torah 2. Understanding the Torah and what it asks of us is perhaps one of the most important things that a Jew can learn. In Torah 2, Schiff will explore the second half of Leviticus and all of Numbers and Deuteronomy. $225. Zoom. jewishpgh. org/event/torah-2-2/2023-10-09. q TUESDAY, OCT. 10 A collaboration between the Violins of Hope residency in Pittsburgh and Tuesday Musical Club, Violins of Hope: Music from the Holocaust will feature professional musicians from the PSO, TMC and Butler Symphony. All of the composers either perished in the Holocaust or had families affected by the tragedy. Two violins, a viola and cello from the Violins of Hope traveling collection will be played by the performers. Free. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, Levy Hall, 4905 Fifth Ave. tuesdaymusicalclub.org. q WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11 Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh presents the Holocaust Speaker Series: Dan Ottenheimer. Otteinheimer tells the story of his father, Fritz Ottenheimer, born in 1925 in Konstanz, Germany. Fritz and his family were forced to endure increasing anti-Jewish propaganda, discrimination and persecution. In his talks, Dan tells his father’s stories about growing up as a Jewish child in Nazi Germany, and about his father’s return to Germany as a soldier in the U.S. Army. 11 a.m. Zoom. holocaustandhumanity.org/events/holocaust-speakerseries-dan-ottenheimer. q WEDNESDAYS, OCT. 11 – DEC. 6 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff for The God Class. Schiff will discuss Jewish views of God and how they’ve developed through the ages. 9:30 a.m. $150 Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. jewishpgh.org/ event/the-god-class/2023-09-27. q WEDNESDAYS, OCT. 11 – DEC. 20 Join AgeWell for an intergenerational family dynamics discussion group, led by intergenerational

OCTOBER 6, 2023

specialist/presenter and educator Audree Schall. Third Wednesday of each month. Free. 12:30 p.m. South Hills JCC. q WEDNESDAYS, OCT. 11 – DEC. 27 Bring the parashah alive and make it personally relevant and meaningful with Rabbi Mark Goodman in this weekly Parashah Discussion: Life & Text. 12:15 p.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh. org/life-text. Temple Sinai’s Rabbi Daniel Fellman presents a weekly Parshat/Torah portion class on site and online. Call 412-421-9715 for more information and the Zoom link. q WEDNESDAYS, OCT. 11 – MAY 15 The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh virtually presents two Melton courses back-to- back: “Ethics” and “Crossroads.” In “Ethics,” learn how Jewish teachings shed light on Jewish issues. “Crossroads” will present an emphasis on reclaiming the richness of Jewish history. 7 p.m. $300 for this 25-session series (book included). jewishpgh.org/series/meltonethics-crossroads. q THURSDAY, OCT. 12 Facilitated by local clergy from Jewish and Christian backgrounds, the Jewish Christian Dialogue is an online monthly discussion that explores topics of similarities and differences. Noon. Zoom. rodefshalom.org. q THURSDAYS, OCT. 12 – OCT. 26 Join the 10.27 Healing Partnership and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy for our healing consciousnessbuilding forest bathing series at the Frick Park Environmental Center. We will take 90-minute gentle walks throughout Frick Park while nurturing our connection to the natural world through reflective practices. Forest bathing involves gentle walking in the woods in community with others and with trained forest bathing practitioners from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, as well as trauma-informed staff from the 10.27 Healing Partnership. Meet at Frick Environmental Center 2005 Beechwood Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. 10 a.m. Free. Registration required. pittsburghparks. org/event/forest-bathing-frick-environmentalcenter-8-25-2023/2023-09-28/. q SUNDAY, OCT. 15 Rodef Shalom Brotherhood presents the East Winds Symphonic Band in a free Music with a Mission cabaret concert featuring a celebration of music from stage and screen. Cash donations to the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry are welcome. 7 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. rodefshalom.org. Chabad of the South Hills presents The Daughter of Auschwitz, an evening with Tova Friedman, a survivor of the Holocaust. 7:30 p.m. $10. Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com/lecture. q MONDAYS, OCT. 16 – DEC. 4 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff for Modern Jewish Philosophy. In this course, Rabbi Schiff will introduce the great Jewish philosophers of modernity and will make their important ideas understandable and relevant to today. $95. Zoom. jewishpgh.org/event/ modern-jewish-philosophy/2023-10-16. q TUESDAY, OCT. 17 “The Fruits of Hate: A French City During the Holocaust,” gallery talk and reception. Join David Rosenberg and French language majors from Grove City College to learn about the research behind his project and the lives of its subjects, and to hear new English translations of personal and official accounts of the roundup previously available only in French. 7 p.m. carnegiecarnegie.org/event/the-fruits-of-hate-a-frenchcity-during-the-holocaust-gallery-talk-and-reception. q FRIDAY, OCT. 20 The Squirrel Hill AARP chapter invites seniors to learn of the changes in the 2024 Medicare supplements, Part D, advantage plans, and every competitive

company on the market. Presenter will be Bonnie Bloom, manager of the Health Insurance Store. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation, Falk Library, 4905 Fifth Ave. For additional information please contact Marcia Kramer, 412-656-5803. q TUESDAYS, OCT. 24 – NOV. 14 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff for The Jewish Calendar. Sometimes the holidays come “early” and sometimes the holidays come “late.” Why? In this series, Rabbi Schiff will explore the Jewish texts that gave rise to the Jewish calendar. How does the cycle of the Jewish year actually work, and what meaning does it offer to us? 9:30 a.m. Zoom. $55. jewishpgh.org/series/thejewish-calendar. q WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 Join the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh for Hiding to Survive: Jewish Children in Krakow, Poland. How did Jewish children conceal their presence during the Holocaust and what effect did hiding have on child survivors? This talk will expand the story of Krakow Jews as told in the film “Schindler’s List” by zooming in on Jewish children’s experiences and what that conveys about the German occupation of Krakow, Poland. 5 p.m. Cathedral of Learning, room 501. ucis. pitt.edu/esc/events/hiding-survive-jewish-childrenkrakow-poland. q THURSDAY, OCT. 26 Join The Branch for its annual meeting as it welcomes the CEO of the Blue Dove Foundation to discuss transforming the way the Jewish community understands and responds to mental illness. 7 p.m. Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse, 2609 Murray Ave. q FRIDAY, OCT. 27 – SUNDAY, OCT. 29 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s season opener tells powerful stories of tragedy, hope and human connection. The program’s central work, “Sounds of

the Sun,” is a world premiere by Jennifer Archibald, which celebrates the life of Florence Waren, a Jewish dancer who lived in Paris and worked with the French Resistance during World War II. Also included is the emotional “Monger,” created by award-winning Israeli American choreographer Barak Marshall. The world premiere is presented in partnership with Violins of Hope Greater Pittsburgh. Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St. Tickets can be purchased at pbt.org. q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1 Join Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle Senior Staff Writer David Rullo as he celebrates the publication of his book “Gen X Pittsburgh: The Beehive and the ’90s Scene.” Rullo will be joined by Beehive founders Scott Kramer and Steve Zumoff, as well as several of the people featured in the book. Performances by Liz Berlin, Phat Man Dee and Circus Apocalypse. Tiki Lounge, 2003 E. Carson St. Press only, 6-7 p.m. Public, 7-11 p.m. q WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 1 – DEC. 6 Chabad of the South Hills presents a new six-week JLI course, “The World of Kabbalah – Revealing How Its Mystical Secrets Relate to You.” Discover the core mystical and spiritual teachings of Kabbalah and their relevance to everyday life. Learn to think like a Jewish mystic and gain powerful insights to fuel deeper self-understanding and personal growth. 7:30 p.m. Chabad of the South Hills, 1701 McFarland Road. chabadsh.com. q SUNDAY, NOV. 5 Join H. Arnold and Adrien B. Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff and Nina Butler for this year’s Global Day of Jewish Learning – Pittsburgh Edition. As people gather for Jewish learning all over the globe, we will take part locally, focusing on the global theme of “The Values We Hold Dear” plus a light brunch. 10 a.m. $12. JCC Squirrel Hill, 5738 Forbes Ave. jewishpgh.org/event/the-values-we-hold-dear. PJC

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Headlines Netflix’s Jewish matchmaker aims to bring fun — and love — to Pittsburgh — LOCAL — By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

hen Aleeza Ben Shalom was a student at the University of Pittsburgh in the late ’90s, focusing on Jewish studies and children’s literature, she had no intention of becoming a professional matchmaker. But life had other plans for the Philadelphia native. These days, Ben Shalom the charismatic star of Netflix’s “Jewish Matchmaking,” not only spends her days finding besherts for hundreds of singles worldwide but is a celebrated dating coach and trains others in the art of matchmaking. She will return to Pittsburgh on Oct. 12, for what promises to be a lively and engaging event, hosted by Chabad Young Professionals, Chabad of Squirrel Hill and Chabad of Pitt. Ben Shalom, speaking from her home in Pardes Hanna, Israel, said the show is not just for singles. “The program that I’m doing is for married people and singles, community members, old, young,” she said. “The event is literally for all ages and all backgrounds. It is really unique in that way. It is something that can touch a lot of people’s hearts.” The show is part storytelling, part stand-up comedy and part live matchmaking. “We take two guys, two girls, we bring them up on stage — people that I have never met,” she said. “We learn their names, we learn everything about them, and I train the audience how to be a matchmaker. “Is a one-of-a-kind show,” she continued. “The audience banters and they play because this is not like a one-woman show or a standalone act. I am engaging with the audience constantly. It is like a running dialogue between us. And it is fun.” Ben Shalom, who is Orthodox, was raised in a Conservative household. In her early 20s, she was “searching for the meaning of life,” she said, and “ended up on a Jewish singles retreat.” It was there that she found both God and her husband, she said. And some years later, she “organically fell into matchmaking.” “I was kind of doing it all along — you know, middle school, high school, college,” she said. “I always liked to set up friends, but it’s not a career choice. It’s not something that’s offered anywhere. It’s not a degree option. So, I didn’t ever dream of being a matchmaker. I just fell into it.” After Ben Shalom had children, she was looking for a way to give back to the Jewish community. In 2007, a friend told her about a dating website where matchmakers set up singles. Ben Shalom became a volunteer on the site. A few years later, she said, she had “turned this passion, hobby, interest, community effort into a worldwide international matchmaking business, so that I could take it very seriously and spend all my time doing it. I wanted to build a business around it so I could 100% dedicate my life to this.” PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

 Aleeza Ben Shalom

Photo by Jamie Gordon

“The Jewish values that Aleeza has been tremendously effective at showcasing can play a role in everybody’s life.” – RABBI HENOCH ROSENFELD In addition to matchmaking, that business includes dating and relationship coaching, matchmaker training, podcasts, online speeddating events, mixers and in-person events, like the one she is bringing to Pittsburgh. Ben Shalom has had no formal acting training but has a magnetic stage presence. That comes from her passion for the topic, she said. “I’m really good at being me,” she said. “And I know my subject material inside and out — this is my area of expertise. This is something that I have been informally studying and researching my whole life.” That expertise comes through loud and clear in Netflix’s “Jewish Matchmaking,” a reality show in which Ben Shalom works patiently and passionately to help clients from various Jewish backgrounds and interests find their partners. The show, which premiered in May, has changed her life. She has become an influencer and a celebrity. Along with that notoriety, she said, comes “a social responsibility and a communal responsibility that is much larger than anything that I had before.” She is happy to accept that responsibility. “I asked for this,” she said. “I wanted this. I wanted to make a huge change to the world. And I basically said to God, ‘Pick me. I’m going to talk about You, about God. I’m going to talk about Judaism, I’m going to talk about matchmaking, I’m going to talk about love. I’m going to talk about relationships and building healthy homes. Pick me. I want to change the world, but I need a really big platform.’” Her “new mantra,” she said, “is world peace begins at home. And that’s why I do matchmaking, because I want to build

a home and I know when I build a home with a couple, then they’re going to help to build their community. And when we build communities, then we build the world and that’s how we bring peace into the world. It has to start at home.” Rabbi Henoch Rosenfeld, rabbi and executive director of Chabad Young Professionals, said he wanted to bring Ben Shalom to Pittsburgh because, in addition to her popularity, she shines a light on “traditional Jewish values.” “Aleeza is an excellent messenger to the world to show everyone what a Jewish marriage looks like and the ideals that it should be based on,” he said. “People should know and understand what Jewish values are, not just in dating, but also in marriage. And anyone can learn from that at any stage in their life, whether they’re single and looking for their significant other, or whether

they’re well into their marriage many years. The Jewish values that Aleeza has been tremendously effective at showcasing can play a role in everybody’s life.” Chabad Young Professionals is headed into its fifth year in Pittsburgh, and its community is growing, Rosenfeld said. The organization hosts Shabbat services every other week, several social events each month and regular Torah study. He expects Ben Shalom’s program at Bellefield Hall in Oakland to draw several hundred attendees from throughout the community. For tickets, go to cyppittsburgh.com/aleeza-ben-shalom. Tickets are complimentary to current University of Pittsburgh students by reaching out to Chabad at Pitt. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Honoring Brian Schreiber Sponsor an annual gift to BIG NIGHT 24 today!

Co-Chairs Nancy and Woody Ostrow Lori and Jimmy Ruttenberg Dory and David Levine

In Brian’s honor, help us sustain the JCC as a home and town square for all. Learn more HERE bit.ly/bignight24 • For more information: Fara Marcus, Chief Development and Marketing Officer fmarcus@jccpgh.org • 412-339-5413

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Headlines — WORLD — Biden expands Civil Rights Act protections at 8 departments to include antisemitism

The Biden administration announced on Sept. 28 that it is instructing eight cabinet departments to extend civil rights protections to victims of antisemitism and other forms of religious bigotry, JTA.org reported. The decision marks a broad expansion of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In addition, the administration is launching a listening tour of schools and colleges this fall to hear from Jewish students about hostility on campus, which Jewish groups say often comes from the anti-Israel left. The Sept. 28 launch of the listening tour in San Francisco included a meeting between the deputy secretary of education and representatives of the city’s Hillel chapter. Under the 1964 act’s Title VI, which the White House release cites, any program or activity receiving federal funding cannot discriminate based on race, color or national origin. The White House statement said that staff at the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Treasury and Transportation will be told the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act bans discrimination based on antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of religious bias.

US lets Israel into Visa Waiver Program, easing travel for Israeli citizens

As of November, Israelis will be able to

enter the United States without a visa, a major change that Israel has long sought and that will ease travel for hundreds of thousands of its citizens, JTA.org reported. Israel’s entry into the Visa Waiver Program, which now includes 41 countries, means that Israelis traveling to the United States will no longer have to go through a months-long visa application process that carried the threat of denial. It also means that PalestinianAmericans living in the West Bank and Gaza will be able to enter Israel after completing a form and a short waiting period. Israel’s restrictions on Palestinian travel were one barrier to its joining the Visa Waiver Program earlier. Alejandro Mayorkas, the U.S. homeland security secretary, announced on Sept. 27 that Israel had successfully passed a three-month test of its commitment to treat PalestinianAmericans equally. As part of the program’s reciprocity requirement, the United States mandates that countries in the program allow U.S. citizens to enter without restrictions. “In advance of this designation, Israel made updates to its entry policies to meet the VWP requirement to extend reciprocal privileges to all U.S. citizens without regard to national origin, religion, or ethnicity,” Mayorkas said.

Ohio high school football coach resigns after players use ‘Nazi’ in play calls

A high school football coach in suburban Cleveland has resigned after his team used the word “Nazi” in addition to racial slurs in its play calling during a game on Sept. 22 against a team in a heavily Jewish town. Tim McFarland, the coach of Brooklyn

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

Oct. 6, 1973 — Yom Kippur War begins

More than 70,000 Egyptian infantrymen and 1,000 tanks cross the Suez Canal on bridges erected overnight while Syria sends 40,000 men and two armored divisions into the Golan Heights after an artillery attack on Yom Kippur.

Oct. 7, 2009 — Crystallographer Yonath wins Nobel

Crystallographer Ada Yonath, part of the chemistry faculty at the Weizmann Institute, becomes the first woman from the Middle East to win a science Nobel Prize when she shares the chemistry award for work on ribosomes.

Oct. 8, 1576 — Jews are ousted from Safed

p Ottoman Sultan Murad III moved Jews from Safed to Cyprus.

Ottoman Sultan Murad III orders 1,000 “rich and prosperous” Jewish residents of Safed moved to Famagusta, Cyprus, to spur economic development on the island. The Ottomans move 500 more Jews a year later.

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Oct. 9, 1994 — Hamas abducts Israeli soldier

Hamas terrorists abduct soldier Nachshon Wachsman in central Israel by offering him a ride p Nachshon while wearing kippot Wachsman is shown on a video and playing Hasidic released by Hamas music. A rescue attempt after his capture. ends in the deaths of Wachsman and the commander of the rescue team.

Oct. 10, 1983 — Shamir is named prime minister

Yitzhak Shamir becomes Israel’s seventh prime minister after fellow Likud member Menachem Begin resigns. Shamir serves until an election in July 1984, then heads the government from 1986 to 1992.

Oct. 11, 1938 — Arab Congress rejects partition

Arab leaders adopt the Resolutions of the Inter-Parliamentary Congress, rejecting Palestine’s partition, demanding an end to Jewish immigration but offering to let Jews who are already in Palestine remain.

Oct. 12, 1938 — Peace educator Salomon is born

Gavriel Salomon, the founder of the Center for Research on Peace Education at Haifa University and the university’s education dean from 1993 to 1998, is born. He advocates coexistence programs and the pedagogical uses of technology. PJC

High School in Brooklyn, Ohio, submitted his resignation on Sept. 25 and apologized via a statement written by the district, the Cleveland Jewish News reported. Brooklyn was playing the team from Beachwood, a suburb with the second-highest rate of Jewish residents in the country. The offensive play calls were first flagged by Beachwood’s head coach, Scott Fischer, at halftime, the school’s athletic director told parents in an email after the game. “During my discussion with Coach Fischer at halftime, we agreed that if these actions continued we would pull our team off the field,” wrote the school’s athletic director, Ryan Peters, as reported by the Cleveland Jewish News. Peters said that McFarland admitted to using the “Nazi” play and agreed to change the name of the play for the game’s second half.

Golden Globes expels Egyptian member who tweeted about Zionist ‘stronghold’ in Hollywood

The organizers of the Golden Globes expelled an Egyptian member of its voting body following the discovery of old tweets in which she seemed to espouse conspiracy theories about Israel and Zionists, JTA.org reported. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association did not say why it had expelled film critic Howaida Hamdy along with two other members, beyond noting that they had violated the organization’s code of conduct. According to The Hollywood Reporter, members of the body had complained about the behavior of Hamdy and two others who were also recently expelled. Hamdy, a critic and editor for several

Arabic-language publications, had been the subject of a report this summer by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis, a pro-Israel watchdog group. The group had found that in 2013, Hamdy allegedly tweeted in Arabic: “Hollywood is the Zionists’ stronghold” and said “most films” are “oriented and biased,” in writing about the zombie movie “World War Z.” She said the film presented “Israel and its citizens as the embodiment of nobility, humanism and sacrifice — a repulsive thing.” “World War Z” is partially set in Israel and depicts the Mossad responding to the outbreak of a deadly zombie virus.

Study shows right-wing extremist attitudes on the rise in Germany

A new survey by a political think tank shows a major increase in right-wing extremist and antisemitic attitudes in Germany, JTA.org reported. The study indicates that 8% of people in Germany have a right-wing extremist worldview, up from 2-3% in previous years. It was commissioned by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is associated with Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party. An antisemitic worldview is held by 5.7% of respondents, up from 1.7% two years ago, and 3.3% in the previous survey. The number of those who totally rejected antisemitism dropped to 79.9% from 88% and 86.8% in the previous two studies. In recent decades, many surveys of antisemitic attitudes in Germany and elsewhere in Europe have shown similar levels. PJC — Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

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Headlines Summit:

from solving this problem.” The summit’s second session, “Violent Extremists: Who and How,” included several experts reviewing how people are recruited to become members of hate groups. The discussion referenced retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. and conspiracy theorist Michael Flynn, Christopher Pohlhaus and his gang Blood Tribe, the Goyim Defense League and “Active Clubs,” which promote white fraternity and mixed-martial arts events.

Continued from page 1

The ADL also found that 62 extremistconnected mass killings have occurred since 1970, with more than half happening in the past 12 years. Wednesday’s second session focused on the rise of white supremacy and far-right ideologies in Central and Eastern Europe. Michal Vašečka, an associate professor at the Bratislava International School of Liberal Arts, warned of what that portends. “Be careful because the situation in Central Europe has always been a warning sign, you know, some premonition of what will happen in other parts of Europe and the world,” he said. The third session examined hate-fueled violence directed at LGBTQI+ communities with Sarah Moore, an analyst with the ADL Center on Extremism and GLAAD. She said that anti-LGBTQI+ hate does not exist in a vacuum, and many of the antiLGBTQI+ incidents she’s seen have also been antisemitic or racist. “We know that these groups are not just trying to target and harm the queer community but are actively going after these other groups as well,” she said. While much of the day was spent examining strategies for combating hate, an afternoon session explored the intimacies and aftermath of violence. The 10.27 Healing Partnership’s director, Maggie Feinstein, led a discussion with Jonathan Craig, Audrey Glickman, Jodi Kart, Amy Mallinger and Michele Rosenthal, with each panelist offering insight about the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting and the trial that followed 4½ years later. Glickman, who was leading services when the 2018 attack began, described the complexities of being a witness. She said she was instructed by the government not to talk about the case, the “bad guy” or potential punishments, lest her comments spur a mistrial. The difficulty with that approach, she said, was that silencing her voice — and the voices of other survivors and family members — prompted others to speak. Hearing people say the trial shouldn’t occur because “it would be too traumatizing for the victims,” or what the outcome should be, was frustrating, Glickman said. “It would be very nice if the general public didn’t presume to speak on behalf of any victims,” she continued. “Whether right or wrong in their opinions, they are punditing.” Kart recalled the loss of her father, Melvin Wax, and how valuable it was touring the courtroom before the trial began. Seeing the jury box made her realize that “12 strangers were going to make this decision for us,” she said. The trial, Rosenthal said, enabled the victims’ families to largely piece together “a puzzle.” Rosenthal’s brothers, Cecil and David Rosenthal, were among the victims of the massacre. While family members and victims heard more details during the trial, “we never get all the pieces,” she said. “The few pieces that are missing we still have to create in our minds.” Mallinger, whose grandmother Rose 10

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Preventing hate p Michele Rosenthal, whose brothers David and Cecil Rosenthal were killed in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, speaks, as Pittsburgh police Officer Jonathan Craig listens, during a panel discussion at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. Photo by Alexandra Wimley/Pittsburgh Union Progress

Mallinger was murdered during the attack, said one takeaway from the trial was that despite trying to steel herself emotionally, there is “never any amount of preparation for what you are about to hear.” Something important to remember, Mallinger continued, was “to be kind to yourself and lean on all the people around you who are going through the exact same thing.” Craig, a Pittsburgh SWAT officer, recalled his role as a first responder on Oct. 27, 2018, and the challenge of having to provide a victim impact statement nearly 4½ years later. Despite testifying about other cases in other courtrooms, he said he was surprised and “embarrassed” by how emotional he was during the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial. Victims’ family members, jurors and other strangers later offered comfort, Craig said: “They were the kindest and most supportive people I ever met in my life.”

Violent extremism

The summit began its second day with a deep dive into violent extremism, the recruitment techniques of white supremacist groups and legal updates. Ellsworth began the first plenary of the day, “A Case Study of the Challenge: Atomwaffen,” saying the summit would turn its attention to “individuals who have committed violence against other people because of who they are.” To that end, a panel of experts presented the case of Atomwaffen, a far-right extremist and neo-Nazi terrorist network with branches in the United States and Europe. Thomas Woods, assistant U.S. attorney of the Western District of Washington, who prosecuted a case against the group, said that Atomwaffen, while responsible for violence and murder, is also skilled in marketing and in attracting young, disaffected individuals. A promotional video created by the group was played for the few hundred in attendance. It featured aggressive electronic music, similar to that heard in popular video games, beneath images of young men dressed in paramilitary costumes firing assault rifles and burning Israeli and LGBTQ+ flags. Woods said that his office, the Seattle Police Department, the FBI and local prosecutors took advantage of one of the first red flag laws in the United States and seized the group’s arsenal of weapons. And while he said law enforcement did the work, it was journalists who “were the true heroes of the story — they were the folks that actually made the most difference.” Multiple journalists, including Chris Ingalls

and several Jewish reporters, received flyers that listed their addresses and contained threats directed at them, Woods said. The flyer left at Ingalls’ house read: “Two can play at this game. These people have names and addresses. You’ve been visited by your local Nazis.” The flyer incorporated a picture from one of the Charles Manson murders with “Death to pigs” written in blood on a wall. The flyers eventually were traced to the white supremacist group through a text inadvertently sent to a government informant. Woods said that the targeted journalists testified against the group, which resulted in one of its leaders, Kaleb Cole, being sentenced to seven years in prison. Another speaker, Emily Oneschuk, recounted the story of her brother Andrew, who was murdered by Devon Arthurs. Andrew lived with Arthurs and Jeremy Himmelman in an Atomwaffen cell. Arthurs murdered both Andrew and Himmelman after they reportedly ridiculed his conversion to Islam. Oneschuk talked of the difficulties her family faced as they observed, and tried to prevent, the radicalization of her brother. She said her family was a typical middle-class family, with a history of military service. Her brother, she said, started spending more time on the internet, which eventually led to his involvement with white supremacy theories. Oneschuk said her parents tried everything from punishment to therapy in attempting to shield her brother from radicalization by the violent extremist group. “My family lived with the dark, slow creep of radicalization for the next seven years,” she said, “and it pretty much tore us apart.” She recounted once coming home from college and finding that her brother had hung a Nazi flag on his bedroom door. A confrontation, which included a physical altercation between the two, took place. “This is where the story gets crazy,” she recalled. “I felt like I had to apologize because he said, ‘You don’t respect my beliefs. You don’t understand me.’” The attempts by family members to convince Andrew to change his views, Oneschuk said, only pushed him further away. She said it was important to remember that those who have been radicalized are not monsters. “These are someone’s brother, kid, sibling, friend and nephew,” she said. “The more we make this about us, then the further we get

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The summit wrapped up Friday by focusing on efforts to prevent, mitigate and otherwise react to hate speech, actions and crimes — by governments, private entities and law enforcement groups that are striving to work together. One of the Friday morning plenary panels, the title of which began, “Innovations in State Prevention,” shared details of the New York State Online Violence Prevention Model. That effort was launched after the May 14, 2022, Buffalo grocery store massacre of 10 Black people by a young white gunman who’d been radicalized on the internet. Panelist Ben Voce-Gardner, director of the Office of Counterterrorism at the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, stressed that their approach is based on public health and on creating in each of 62 counties a local interdisciplinary team to identify people who might cause such violence and intervene by connecting them and perhaps their family members to direct care and services. He said, “We have already started to see success,” including providing therapy to a student a school identified as being “on a pathway to violence.” One way they’re reaching people is by targeting those who seek hateful information, or help in dealing with someone who does, with online ads that connect them to counseling and other alternatives. “It’s too late at the point of arrest,” said Vidhya Ramalingam, founder and CEO of Moonshot, which works with the state to identify agencies that can provide helpful services for people who need them. She reported that in the past six months, the effort has made more than 600,000 offers of support. Individuals clicked on about 10,000 of those, and more than 20 reached out for a counselor. “There is a possibility for us reaching those people” before they commit a crime. That “compassion” was supported by Raymond Whitfield, even though his mother, Ruth, was the eldest of 10 victims in the Buffalo grocery massacre. “Intervention is prevention,” he said. “You lead with compassion.” While Ramalingam and her colleagues are seeing the power of the internet to fight online hate, others across the globe are working to regulate online services, which they say have a poor record of policing themselves. The “Regulating Online Hate: Challenges and Opportunities” panel outlined the new European Union Digital Services Act and the United Kingdom’s forthcoming Online Safety Act and ways those laws aim to limit hate and incitement to violence. “Words can lead to the most heinous crimes,” said Murtaza Shaikh of the U.K.’s Ofcomm, which he said will have power Please see Summit, page 11

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Headlines Summit: Continued from page 10

to get data from and otherwise supervise service providers in ways not currently possible in the U.S. But because those providers connect beyond the U.K., he invited others to connect with his agency to work together to more effectively fight hate. The Pittsburgh synagogue shooting continued to echo throughout the panels including the one on “Private Solutions in Action.” Brad Orsini, now the senior national security adviser to the Secure Community Network, a national nonprofit that provides security for the American Jewish community, was in 2018 security director at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

JAA: Continued from page 1

Terrace — double-wrapped with a seal by the VAAD Harabonim of Pittsburgh and delivered to residents who requested it. The plan was developed to address financial concerns, JAA officials said. Scores of Jewish community members responded to the news with at least one community meeting, organizing, writing letters to the Chronicle, circulating a petition and voicing concern about the policy to the organization. Recognizing the anxiety in the community over the change, the JAA has worked with the VAAD to find a solution. “I would say no one, including the JAA, was happy having to go to a non-kosher option and have a fully non-kosher facility,” Plung said, “but we also had fiscal realities.” Plung said that Foley and her staff spent “hundreds of hours” in meetings with the VAAD working to address the community’s concerns. The organization has already begun converting part of the large kosher kitchen at the JAA’s main campus into a smaller kosher area, gated off and sealed from the rest of the facility, meeting the standards of the VAAD.

He shouted out the federation’s leadership and local police and other first responders for their work nearly five years ago during and right after the shooting. Now, he said, SCN identifies thousands of antisemitic threats, about 300 of which each year are worked by law enforcement, and about 36 of those result in an arrest or other mitigation. He noted that information SCN gathered was instrumental in the arrest of white supremacist Hardy Lloyd, who recently pled guilty — to obstruction of the due administration of justice, transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce and witness tampering, all related to the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting trial — and is expected to be sentenced to six-and-a-half years in federal prison. The SCN also used such intelligence to learn about and quickly shut down a game

based on the synagogue attacks. The summit opened Friday with a keynote featuring Natan Sharansky, author and human rights activist and advisory board chair of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, joining from Jerusalem on screen. He was interviewed by his fellow Ukrainian-born Jew, friend and CAM board member Misha Galperin, Ph.D. Galperin mused about the fundamental negative side of humans that he knows coexists with the good from both his Jewish faith and clinical psychology, and said, “The idea that you can eradicate hate is preposterous.” As they discussed the concept of hate, Sharansky talked about how when, on social media, “when you pick your own page and don’t talk to other people … hate grows exponentially.” He believes that people don’t all have to

be the same, and recalled how when he was persecuted and imprisoned in the Soviet Union, the people he could count on were of other faiths and backgrounds. What united them was that they were strong in their own identities and as well as in their shared values such as freedom. “We have to know how to use our freedom the right way,” Sharansky said, “to increase our volume of freedom.” PJC

Food will be prepared, cooked, wrapped and labeled under the watch of a VAAD mashgiach, or inspector, Foley said. The JAA, she said, heard the community’s concerns about the desire for fresh food as opposed to pre-packaged and sealed kosher meals, which many were comparing to “airplane food.” “We’ve worked with the VAAD on a process that food will be able to be plated and served on real plates and use real silverware instead of plasticware or containers,” Foley said, “because we will have volunteer mashgiach coverage at Weinberg Terrace during serving meals to our residents.” Plung is clear: The experience offered to the JAA’s residents who choose kosher food at Weinberg Terrace will be the same as that of every other resident. “A server will come to them and say, ‘These are the kosher options for dinner tonight.’ They will take the order. The residents will eat off plates and have regular silverware,” he said. Both the kosher plates — which will have a different pattern than the non-kosher plates — and silverware will go back to the main campus, under the watch of a mashgiach, where it will be cleaned. Fresh fruit and vegetables will also be available for residents. Following the

recommendation of the VAAD, those items will come from an outside vendor, prepackaged and fresh. Kosher residents will still have the option to sit in the main dining area, or they may choose to eat in a new, kosher-only section. “This whole issue has been about choice for our residents, not separation,” Plung said, explaining that the organization understood most residents would prefer to sit together. The VAAD, he said, suggested a separate area for those who might want to eat kosher food apart from non-kosher residents. “It is totally at the diner’s discretion,” Plung said. Some residents, he said, choose to eat in their rooms. That option will still be available. The only option not available is for nonkosher residents to eat in the kosher area. In a survey conducted in May by the organization, approximately 13% of residents said they wanted kosher food. Foley and Plung wrote in an Aug. 30 Jewish Chronicle guest column that “the current cost of keeping a fully kosher program is more than $400,000 a year.” With the new policy, set to take effect on Oct. 10, Plung said, the agency will save somewhere between $350,000 to $375,000

annually. That money will go back into the operating budget, meaning the JAA will have to pull less from its reserves and endowment. Rabbi Moishe Mayir Vogel, a VAAD member, said that he was pained that the JAA no longer will be exclusively kosher but appreciated the dedication and commitment by JAA leadership to maintain a “mentchlech kosher option.” “The leadership has dedicated many hours in meeting with the VAAD to make this happen,” he said. “I appreciate that time and sensitivity and thank them for the hard work they do for our community. Of course, we pray for the day when they can return to being exclusively kosher once again.” Plung, too, said he was pleased with the JAA’s collaboration with the VAAD, pointing out that relationships between various Jewish organizations and traditions are part of what makes the Pittsburgh Jewish community so special. “It’s the spirit of Jewish Pittsburgh, and it is unique,” he said. “It doesn’t happen in New York, or Boston or Philly or on the West Coast. People stay in their corners and don’t work together. This collaborative effort really emphasizes how special Jewish Pittsburgh is.” PJC

Books: Continued from page 3

Hauptman and Lichtenstein organized a group of 15 friends who traveled to Fehl’s home on Sept. 10. Weaving their way through narrow staircases and tight spaces, the volunteer corps spanned three floors. From hand to hand, the team passed nearly 1,000 books in small batches. The “bucket brigade” ensured people with limited mobility wouldn’t be burdened, Hauptman said: “Nobody had to move much. Nobody had to go up and down steps. Everybody just passed a small collection of books to the next person in line.” Two volunteers, positioned on the porch, assembled boxes. Other volunteers helped package, load and transport them to Temple Sinai. In the coming weeks, the collection will be culled. Many of the books will PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p A team of Laura Fehl's friends pass books.

Photo courtesy of Elinor Nathanson

“Laura had been very involved with Temple, and Temple was her family. It was her passion.” PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Adam Reinherz and David Rullo are senior staff writers for the Chronicle. Bob Batz Jr. is the interim editor of the Pittsburgh Union Progress. Abigail Hakas is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh. The Chronicle collaborated with the Pittsburgh Union Progress on covering the Eradicate Hate Global Summit.

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. remain at the synagogue, while some will be donated to neighboring institutions, Hauptman said. Squirrel Hill resident Elinor Nathanson was among those who volunteered on Sept. 10. She described the experience as a “beautiful way of honoring Fehl’s memory.” There’s a concept of a “living legacy,” Nathanson said. “Judaism keeps people alive through good deeds.” That’s the hope, Lichtenstein said. “After the books are sorted, they will be stickered with a tag indicating where they came from,” she said. That way, whenever someone picks up one of the books, “even if they don’t stay at Sinai, people could still hold a piece of Laura,” Hauptman added. “She was always a part of everybody, and we want her to be a part of you, too.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org. OCTOBER 6, 2023

Opinion Saul Finkelstein and me Guest Columnist Josh L. Sivitz

here was nothing ordinary about the autumn of 1960. Nixon was sweating and Kennedy wasn’t, and together they would put television on the map. Sputnik was already three years in, while Alan Shepherd wasn’t quite yet. And the Pirates, Cardinals and Braves — Milwaukee that is —were in a pulsating pennant race that would decide who would take on Mantle and Maris, and the mighty New York Yankees in the World Series. Israel was all of 12 years old, and so were Saul Finkelstein and I. We didn’t have middle schools back then, so we were staring head-on into what seemed the eternity of six years at Allderdice High School. Therein lies the end of anything we had in common, or so I thought. Saul and I were never close friends; he was simply a classmate, yet today he occupies a space inside of me and goes with me everywhere I go. At 12 years old, I was rapidly closing in on 6

feet tall. Saul was slight, tiny, bespectacled, south of 5 feet and frail at best. He seemed sickly, while I was blessed with a small amount of physical prowess. With a lot of help from a gym mat in back of the basket, I could already dunk a basketball at the old YMWHA on Bellefield Street, while Saul struggled to see, to hear, to feel and to befriend anyone who would indulge him. It was all so unfair and it was never lost on me, yet I never reached out to him. I guess 12-year-olds don’t do that sort of thing. It seemed as if every advantage I was blessed with, Saul was cursed with the opposite handicap. I could fend for myself while Saul was exposed and vulnerable to the unkindness of high school halls when you’re not like everyone else. He was ridiculed, heckled, teased, ostracized and excluded, and it never seemed to change much as those six years unraveled. One day, one of the Greenfield “toughs” placed Saul inside one of those large circular trash receptacles and rolled him all the way down the second floor annex. I’m not sure, but I think that was the day Saul moved into that unoccupied space inside of me. Life then got in the way, and I did not see Saul for a number of years. I thought of him often and hoped that things had evened out for

him, compensating for his difficult beginnings. Later, I would run into him at Pirates games at both Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park, at least a dozen times. He was usually alone. We said hello, exchanged greetings and got on with the one thing that we did have in common, a genuine love for our cherished national pastime. Still, I didn’t embrace him, befriend him or reach out to him. I only wish I could have had one more chance. I would not. Saul died in 2004 at the age of 56, but not before earning a degree at Penn State where he joined a fraternity, graduated and went on to enjoy a successful career as a social worker and a court servicer. He was also a devoted volunteer. One of our classmates, the renowned author and physician Dr. David Sobel, wrote nearly a decade after Saul’s passing that Saul was volunteering for organizations such as the Red Cross “when many of us were more interested in looking at ourselves in the mirror.” Perhaps Saul Finkelstein’s greatest legacy is that he conceived and founded the yearly Oct. 13 commemoration of the 1960 Game 7 World Series victory over the New York Yankees. Over the years, thousands have gathered in Schenley Park on that day to listen to the actual radio call of the entire game, and to exalt in the greatest

sports moment in Pittsburgh history. I don’t suppose City Council will be proclaiming Oct.13 as Saul Finkelstein Day in Pittsburgh any time soon. After all, Saul would have to bump names like Maz, Groat, Hoak, Virdon, Clemente and Murtaugh, not to mention a little known back-up catcher by the name of Hal Smith. But then again, why would Saul’s legacy be any different than his life, always struggling to overcome his unfair burden. Life was an uphill battle for Saul Finkelstein, but be persevered like a game boxer: He fought hard, gave it all he had and truly fought the good fight. I’ve heard it said that the 1960 Pittsburgh Pirates were “Destiny’s Darlings.” No doubt they are among the great underdogs in the history of sport, no less than the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team or the 1968 New York Jets. Oct. 13, 1960, had many twists, turns, plots and subplots, but for me there is one thing certain: The most beloved underdog on that historic day was not the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was Saul Finkelstein. PJC Josh L. Sivitz lives in Pittsburgh’s South Hills. He is a past president of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and a 10-time banquet emcee.

A hospital stay made me see the Torah anew Guest Columnist Ben Krull

n the Shabbat following Simchat Torah, I will listen to the opening words of Genesis. Yet, I have never heard them more clearly than I did seven years ago from my hospital bed. I was 57 when I was diagnosed with sepsis. My hospital roommate was a thin, short man, with a heavily-lined face named James. He was in his late 60s, married with an adult daughter. He had stage 4 colon cancer and was awaiting surgery. He spoke in clipped sentences and came across as mean-spirited. In phone calls with his family, he always talked obsessively about money. “You paid what? Thirty dollars to that bum to fix our stove. He’s not worth 30 cents,” he said. “You’ve got to learn to fix things yourself. We just wasted money giving it to that lazy bum.” James reprimanded his wife and daughter multiple times for the money they spent on groceries, taxis, takeout meals, movies.

He told me he wanted to retire soon and needed to save up. My doctor thought I would be home within a day, but my infection was stubborn. By the end of my second day in the hospital, my doctor was clearly concerned, unnerving me. Despite my concern, I felt much more energetic than when I entered the hospital. I relished having time to read the books my wife, Brenda, brought me and was surprised by all the people from my synagogue who visited. They always left me feeling the warmth of community. One morning, a doctor entered our room and closed the curtain before speaking with James. He said that James had an infection that would delay his surgery. “I am sorry your surgery is being delayed,” I said, after the doctor left. “That’s OK,” he said. “It’s in God’s hands.” That afternoon a young priest enthusiastically introduced himself before moving to James’ half of the room, drawing the curtain. James’ voice took on a soft, desperate tone. “I was reading the Bible, and I noticed something I hadn’t seen before,” he said. “I always thought that Genesis said, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.’ But

that’s not what it says. It says, ‘God created the heaven and the earth.’ It made me wonder what else I had missed.” I wanted to give James privacy, but there was nowhere to go. “My whole life I’ve been angry,” James said. “I always thought people were trying to cheat me. I even thought that way about my family.” The young priest praised him for being honest with himself. “Maybe I was wrong about people,” James said. “I just didn’t give anybody a chance.” I hoped James was not embarrassed by my presence during his confession. I felt ashamed for having judged him harshly — for having failed to see the pain underneath his surliness. James’ question about what he had missed made me think back to the year before, when I moved from the apartment I had been renting for 33 years, to live with Brenda and her 5-year-old daughter. As the movers loaded up my furniture, I reflected on the transition I would be making to become a husband and father. Taking a last look around my block, I was surprised to see that the five-story building across the street said “1876” across the facade. It was the first time I noticed the writing on

the building, and I wondered what else I had missed about my neighborhood. Still, I had little regret. My life was moving in a positive direction, which promised many opportunities for important discoveries. As we begin reading the parshahs anew, I will, like James, try to see something I previously overlooked. The beauty of the Torah cycle is that it challenges us to see our heritage with fresh eyes. At its best, the tradition of repetition can train us to look at our everyday lives anew and draw out what we missed before. Hopefully, these observations will come in time to help us grow, rather than when we can only look back with regret. After four days in the hospital, my infection level receded and I was sent home. I felt greatly relieved and realized how stressed I had been during my hospitalization. As I entered my house, and saw my wife and daughter, the sun streaked through the windows. The light made everything look brighter than it had ever been before. PJC Ben Krull is a lawyer and freelance writer living in Brooklyn, New York.

A campus LGBTQ+ group broke ties with its Hillel over Israel. Where are queer Jewish students supposed to go? Guest Columnist

Hen Mazzig

ice Pride, a student LGBTQ+ group at Rice University, has severed ties with its school’s Hillel branch because

OCTOBER 6, 2023

of Hillel’s support for Israel’s right to exist. As they shun Jewish students, Rice Pride specifically claims it’s because “Hillel’s Standards of Partnership are incompatible with Rice Pride’s mission to create an accessible and equitable space for queer students of all backgrounds.” Rice Pride announced this decision Sept. 19, right between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish

new year, and Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. Rice Pride made the decision without soliciting input from its members, and at least one member of its executive board stepped down in protest. The timing of Rice Pride’s decision is ironic, given that the Biden administration announced on Sept. 28 that as part of the White House’s strategy to combat

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antisemitism, “eight federal agencies clarified — for the first time in writing — that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits certain forms of antisemitic … discrimination in federally funded programs and activities.” The actions of Rice Pride are explicitly Please see Mazzig, page 13

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Opinion Chronicle poll results: Ending antisemitism

ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Do you think it is possible to end antisemitism?” Of the 288 people who responded, 85% said no; 9% said yes; and 6% said they didn’t know. Comments were submitted by 95 people. A few follow. People will always have prejudices against someone. You can’t control people’s minds. It’s unfortunate but a fact of life.

Do you think it is possible to end antisemitism? 6% Don’t know

Some people will always hate. We’ve been a target for thousands of years and see no reason it will end.

9% Yes

There are people that have negative feelings and jealousy that will not go away. I have lived for three quarters of a century, and things are worse.

Only when the Messiah comes. Unfortunately, hatred is part of human nature. There is no reason to believe that many hundreds of years of hatred of Jews will magically disappear. With the Eradicate Hate Global Summit and new Tree of Life, Inc. organization, I think we will be able to end antisemitism. All right here in Pittsburgh. Take a look at history. As much as it would be nice to be optimistic, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Dream on!

Mazzig: Continued from page 12

discriminatory and should be a wake-up call to Rice University for its blatant violation of this federal law. Yet these events are especially worrisome for me as a proud Jew who is also queer. How are LGBTQ+ Jews like myself at Rice supposed to have all of our needs as individuals with layered identities met? Rice Pride’s decision to end its previously warm relationship with Houston Hillel caps a troubling recent trend of Jews being excluded from presumably progressive spaces, especially on college campuses. One queer Rice student noted the consequences of the unfortunate timing: “This is certainly a decision that could have waited a single week … To make an announcement of this kind during the High Holy Days places a lot of extra stress on Jewish people and shows there isn’t the level of cultural fluency I would like to see from Pride leadership.”

back the stigma of participating in antisemitism, but human nature is to blame someone else for our issues/shortcomings/ frustrations and so antisemitism won’t ever be completely eliminated.

85% No

Unfortunately, the fact that antisemitism has been around for so long suggests that Jew-hate is an ugly part of human nature — equally so, racism and homophobia.

I think we can minimize the spread, decrease violence triggered by and bring

This is not a yes/no question. There has always been antisemitism. Will it continue? Yes, but shouldn’t we keep making attempts to stop it? It may exist but when it starts to increase, we’d better pay attention. That’s what is happening now, and many people are paying attention and taking action. We will never forget the past.

The sad thing is that Houston Hillel has been a welcoming partner to Rice Pride for years. Kenny Weiss, the executive director of Houston Hillel, noted that the two organizations have co-hosted 12 events since 2016, including “The Invisible Identities of Being Queer and Jewish,” “Queering the High Holy Days” and “Reconciling Queerness with Religious Spaces.” In fact, Weiss elaborated, “from the time Hillel started these programs in 2016, until two years ago, we were the only campus ministry that was actively engaging queer Rice students, beyond individual conversations.” Rice Pride claims that the decision “was made in an effort to include Palestinian and Arab students who did not feel comfortable or safe engaging” in Rice Pride as a result of its partnership with Hillel. Houston Hillel is an affiliate of Hillel International but is a legally independent nonprofit organization. Its own Israel guidelines are simple: They will not sponsor or partner with a student or organization that “advocates violence as a solution to the current Middle Eastern conflict, whether

against Israel or its opponents.” There had been no complaints against Houston Hillel from Palestinian or Arab students. Yet by cutting off a relationship with the primary Jewish organization on campus, Rice Pride is acting as an unwitting dupe for the strategy called “anti-normalization” of the extremist boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which calls not for dialogue but for pushing Jews and Israelis out of spaces completely. One Rice junior, Zac Ambrose, observed the human problem of this bigoted approach: “Tying Houston Hillel’s existence to the actions of the state of Israel is what most people would claim is antisemitic because you are holding the Jewish people at Rice accountable for the state of Israel’s actions ... I’m afraid that by cutting ties with Hillel, it’s a signal to queer Jewish people at Rice that they’re not necessarily welcome in that Pride space.” Hillel is the central hub for Jewish students on most American campuses, providing a diverse array of programming

It’s become an historical virus, and there will always be both spreaders and those susceptible to catching it.

The Haggadah says in every generation the nations try to kill us. We can’t end antisemitism. We can only do what we can to reduce it by being proud of our Judaism. The nations hate us more when we’re hiding from our Jewish identity. We can’t end it, but perhaps we can chase it under a rock where the antisemites belong. I’m so glad that we are calling out the antisemites and bringing to public attention who they are, and what they say and do. May we never give up the cause. If antisemitism wasn’t ended after the Holocaust, I can’t see it ever ending. It seems to get worse every year. Despite what some claim, antisemitism can be fought and reduced, but not eliminated. PJC — Toby Tabachnick

Chronicle weekly poll question: Have you used ChatGPT? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC and experiences including prayer services, Shabbat dinners, social justice work, Birthright trips and public conversations like “Reconciling Queerness with Religious Spaces” — an event co-hosted with Rice Pride. How can a queer Jew like myself be forced to choose between his LGBTQ+ and Jewish identity when both are integral to who I am? What else can’t I be, and where else can’t I be because of my Jewish identity? Exclusion is a slippery slope. We all need to call on Rice Pride to reverse its destructive, reprehensible and illegal attempt to marginalize and stigmatize our community members. PJC Hen Mazzig has been named among the top 50 LGBTQ+ influencers and as one of Algemeiner’s top 100 people positively influencing Jewish life. He serves as a senior fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute. This story originally appeared in the Forward. To get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox, go to forward.com/newsletter-signup.

— LETTERS — Sukkot embodies theme of unity

After reading the Chronicle’s cover article about lessons of Sukkot (“Lessons of Sukkot shared by Pittsburgh’s clergy and educators,” Sept. 29), I wanted to share some timely thoughts. A core theme of Sukkot is unity. The mitzvah is done with your entire body at once by just sitting and eating there. Every Jew does this mitzvah the same: Moses would not do it any better than a simple unlearned Jew. The theme of unity continues with the lulav and etrog: The four species (date palm branch, willow, myrtle and etrog) are symbolic of different types of Jews at various levels of knowledge and observance. All Jews are represented by these species. This mitzvah requires the

binding and holding together of all of them. We shake them together in all six directions with the intention of bringing peace into our world. This is a lesson for all of us in these challenging times: Despite divergent observances and opinions, we must see ourselves as one unified, mutually respectful family. We must stay mindful of this within our own communities and regarding Israel. As we say three times a day in the Amidah: “Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, with the light of Your countenance... with Your peace.” Sharon Saul 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: Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle,5915 Beacon St., 5th Flr., Pgh, PA 15217. Fax 412-521-0154 Website address: pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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OCTOBER 6, 2023

Life & Culture Chicken pot pie — FOOD — By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

hile I typically publish traditional Jewish or lighter Mediterraneanstyle foods, I grew up on down-home, meat-and-potatoes fare. Homemade chicken pot pie is one of my all-time favorite meals — and it’s also the perfect dish to use up leftover chicken soup. Many people throw out the last bits of soup, but why do that when you can make an entirely new meal? It takes a little bit of work, but it certainly is worth it because you use ingredients that most of us already have on hand. Whenever I’m able to use leftovers creatively, I pat myself on the back for saving money. Chicken pot pie is traditional American cooking at its best. I use homemade pastry because I can roll it out large enough to fit nicely into a deep-dish pie plate, but you can use store-bought pie crust if you prefer. You can make this with soup that is two or three days old, or you can freeze the broth and chicken and make the pie at a more convenient time. This is a perfect Sunday dinner because the leftover Shabbat chicken soup is still fresh, and you may have more time to work with pastry than you would have on a work day. When it comes to a recipe that I really love, I often double it and freeze half for another time. It’s so nice to have a meal in the freezer to take out when needed. You can also make this recipe with leftover turkey. I always make soup with a turkey carcass, so you can tuck this recipe away as a fantastic way to use Thanksgiving leftovers.

Ingredients Serves 6-8

2 pie crusts 3 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken 2 cups chicken soup broth

p Preparing chicken pot pie, step-by-step

Photo by Jessica Grann

5 tablespoons vegan butter or margarine, divided ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 1 cup of unsweetened oat milk or other pareve milk 1 small onion, diced ⅓ cup chopped celery 2 cups diced potatoes 2 cups diced carrots 1 cup frozen peas 1 teaspoon dried sage 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 beaten egg to wash the top pastry crust (optional)

If you have a tried and true pie crust recipe, then you should feel free to use it. The pastry should be rolled out to about 11-inch round crusts to give you enough pastry to fill a deep pie dish and to roll the edges. If you’d like to take a shortcut, you can buy ready-to-use pie crusts. If you use a frozen pie crust that is already in a baking tin, there

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p Chicken pot pie

will be too much filling for one pie, so buy 4 pie crusts and divide the filling between two pies. You can always bulk up each pie by adding a little more chicken, potatoes and carrots if you feel that it’s needed. Remove three cups of chicken from your leftover soup chicken. You can also use leftover roast chicken. Strain the chicken broth so that it’s free of any herbs, vegetables or chicken bones. It’s OK if you cooked noodles or matzah balls in the soup as long as the broth is strained. Measure out the chicken broth and oat milk separately, then prepare and chop the vegetables as noted and set them aside. Over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of vegan butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Once melted, slowly add in the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until all of the flour is incorporated, then cook it for one more minute while whisking the mixture. You will see the mixture thicken to more of a paste-like consistency as it cooks. Don’t step away from the stove because it can quickly scorch. Keep the heat on medium-low and add a half cup of the chicken broth to the flour mixture. Whisk well. Allow it to cook until it’s gently simmering and you see some bubbles, then repeat this step, adding a half cup of broth at a time, until all the broth is incorporated into the pot. The broth will expand and thicken as it cooks. I use oat milk when I need a pareve/vegan milk to cook with. It has a thicker texture that is closer to real milk and it has little taste. If you’re more comfortable using unsweetened soy or almond milk, feel free, but the sauce may be slightly thinner. Add the cup of plant milk into the pot, raise the temperature to medium and bring it to a very soft boil while stirring the sauce. Once you see soft bubbles, turn the heat off and add the sage, poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper. If you don’t have poultry seasoning or don’t care to use it, adjust the sage measurement to 1½ teaspoons. Once combined, sample the mixture to taste. Only use a half teaspoon of salt because the chicken broth is already salted. If the mixture is slightly salty, it’s fine to leave it as is. The potatoes and vegetables are not seasoned, and they will soak up

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Photo by Jessica Grann

the salt. If it tastes a little bland, add more salt, pepper or herbs if you prefer a bolder flavor for your pie. While I’m preparing the sauce, I like to sauté the vegetables a bit to soften them so that they cook better inside the pie. Over medium-low heat, add 2 tablespoons of vegan butter into a sauté pan. Add the celery and onions and sauté for 5 minutes, then add the potatoes and carrots and sauté for 8-10 minutes longer. Turn off the heat. Stir in the shredded chicken and frozen peas and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 F and place the wire rack in the middle. Place a baking tray underneath the pies to avoid messes if there is any spillover. Line your deep dish pie plate with one rolled pastry crust, allowing any extra to fold over the edges of the pie plate. Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork. Pour about a cup of the creamy broth mixture into the pie plate. Add the vegetable and chicken mixture, then pour the remaining creamy broth mixture over the chicken and vegetables. The mixture may be taller than the side of the pie plate and that’s fine. It’s easier to mound it higher in the middle of the pie and a little bit away from the sides of the plate so there’s a little more ease in sealing the dough. Seal the top pastry to the bottom pastry in the best way that works for you. Pie crust can be a struggle for me. It takes practice and patience to learn how to flute or roll pastry edges. Don’t allow this final step to keep you from making pies — simply use the tines of a dinner fork to seal the pastry layers together before baking. For a nice finish, lightly brush the top layer of the pie with the beaten egg. This will give your pie a beautiful golden color. If you’re avoiding eggs, you can omit this step. Bake it for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. The pie may bubble over a bit, which is why I recommend baking it with a baking tray underneath. Allow the pie to cool for 20 minutes before serving. Please see Pot Pie, page 22

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Life & Culture Kollel hosts “Torah and Turf ” — LOCAL —

orah learning and … football? That’s right. Starting on Oct. 15, the Kollel Jewish Learning Center will launch another season of “Torah and Turf,” which combines competitive rounds of flag football with religious education. Rabbi Chananel Shapiro — who recently took over as “menahel,” or executive director, of the Squirrel Hill-based organization — said the idea behind the league is simple: It’s a friendly but competitive evening of athletics combined with three- to five-minute Torah “minilectures” before each game. “The point,” Shapiro said, “is to help the Kollel connect with people and them to connect with the Kollel.” Though there are no religious requirements, Shapiro said the league, which has run for several years now, is mostly aimed at young Jewish professionals. Promotional material for the new season say they’re looking for men ages 23 to 45. “It’s a mix,” Shapiro said. “We get some

“The point is to help the Kollel connect with people and them to connect with the Kollel.” ‒RABBI CHANANEL SHAPIRO

 Kollel Jewish Learning Center

young professionals who are working. We do get students. And we do get some men from the Lubavitch community.” The league is open to all. Since taking over the head post in July, Shapiro said he’s been responsible for the Pittsburgh Kollel’s finances, operations and programming. He’s organizing the Torah

Photo by Adam Reinherz

and Turf league and will lead many of the Torah mini-lessons. Shapiro, who originally hails from Muncie, New York, studied in Lakewood, New Jersey, before coming to the Pittsburgh Kollel about five years ago. He feels Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is smaller than the one he got to know in New Jersey —

but it’s also more diverse, he stressed. “That creates great opportunity to reach out to the community and interact,” he said. The league will play in the evening hours at Schenley Oval. For more information, email Shapiro at cshapiro@ kollelpgh.org. PJC — Justin Vellucci

Chag Sameach ‫חג שמח‬ As the new year begins, let us be inspired by the cycles of time to renew our commitment to positive change, unity, and the shared dreams of our community.

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OCTOBER 6, 2023 15

Life & Culture CLO’s thoughtful production of ‘tick, tick…BOOM!’ opens season at Greer Cabaret — THEATER — By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

onathan Larson created the musical “tick, tick…BOOM!” five years before his groundbreaking musical “Rent” premiered — and five years before he unexpectedly died of an aortic aneurysm at age 35. Larson, who was Jewish, died the day before “Rent” opened off-Broadway in 1996 but was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards, including for Best Musical. The semi-autobiographical “tick, tick… BOOM!,” which opened at the newly renovated Greer Cabaret Theater downtown last month and runs through Oct. 22, leaves its audience wondering what great art the world has missed because Larson’s life was cut so short. The three-person show, set in 1990, centers on Jonathan, an aspiring playwright and composer living on the edge of SoHo in New York, approaching his 30th birthday. His agent won’t return his calls, his girlfriend, Susan, wants to move to New England for a quieter life, and his best friend, Michael — a talented actor — has traded his artistic aspirations for a corporate job, a

fancy apartment and a BMW. As the lead explains, he constantly hears a “tick, tick” and then a distant “BOOM!” — the sound of time passing by and a bomb exploding, a sign of his “mounting anxiety.” Jonathan introduces himself as a “promising composer,” but laments that he has been “promising for so long.” He’s not sure what his next move should be, whether he should continue to pursue his passion, which may not ever lead to success, or give up the artistic life and take a job with Michael’s firm. The show is a precursor to “Rent,” a modern retelling of Puccini’s “La Boheme,” which tracks a year in the lives of a group of struggling, artistic friends in Manhattan’s East Village. Like “Rent,” “tick, tick… BOOM!” makes real the trials, frustrations, confusion and angst that can mark the lives of fledgling artists. And like “Rent,” it does not shy away from one of the most heartbreaking markers of the early ’90s, the AIDS epidemic. Ethan Riordan, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Larson, plays Jonathan with compassion and strength. Billy Mason (Michael) and Sarah Bishop (Susan) round out the small but mighty cast, each taking on several additional smaller roles with versatility and humor. The show is adeptly directed by Martha

p Ethan Riordan, Sarah Bishop and Billy Mason in the CLO’s production of “tick, tick...BOOM!” Photo by KG Tunney Photography

Banta, who was a friend and colleague of Larson’s. She was the resident director of “Rent” for New York Theatre Workshop, on Broadway, in London, for two national tours, and she directed productions in Japan and Germany. Larson first performed “tick, tick… BOOM!” solo as a “rock monologue” called “BoHo Days” in 1990. After his death, it was revamped as a three-person show and produced off-Broadway in 2001. Lin Manuel-Miranda, of “Hamilton” fame, directed a film version, which was released by Netflix in 2021. From 1985 to 1991, Larson worked on an elaborate, futuristic musical, “Superbia,” which never went beyond the workshop phase. In “tick, tick…BOOM,” Jonathan produces the workshop version of “Superbia,” and it is well-received by its audience — which includes industry insiders, among them a supportive Stephen Sondheim. But when Jonathan speaks to his agent the next day, hoping someone has decided to

produce the show, she tells him, “They can’t wait to see what happens next.” “I’m still banging my head against the wall, and my head still hurts,” Jonathan tells the audience. His heart sinks, and so does ours. Of course, what came next in real life was “Rent.” Larson never knew of its sold-out crowds, its 12-year Broadway run and its multiple touring productions in the U.S. and abroad. In “tick, tick…BOOM!” Jonathan says that he thought by the time he was 30, he would have had a hit show. It took Larson until he was 35 to achieve that goal. Tragically, he didn’t live to know it. The CLO’s 90-minute production is at once energizing and thought-provoking, with the intimate Greer Cabaret a perfect venue for a show so personal, yet, in some ways, universal. PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

p Ethan Riordan as Jonathan in the CLO’s production of “tick, tick...BOOM!” running at the Greer Cabaret through Oct. 22 Photo by KG Tunney Photography

OCTOBER 6, 2023

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ATTENTION HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS If you are a Holocaust survivor who has not received any compensation payment (either from the Claims Conference or German or Austrian governments), please call us immediately. You may be entitled. The Claims Conference has negotiated the following liberalizations of criteria to compensation funds with the German government. HARDSHIP FUND – SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENT Jewish Nazi victims eligible for the Hardship Fund have been approved for annual Supplemental Payments of approximately €1,200 in 2023 through 2027. If you already received a Hardship Fund Supplemental Payment (meaning payments over the two years of €2,400), you don’t have to apply again. You will only need to provide Proof of Life. Please register with Paneem for the 2023 payment (you will need to do this every year through 2027). You will hear from us to validate via Paneem. If you have moved, or don’t hear from us, please contact us. If you have never applied, the deadline for the 2023 payment is December 31, 2023. Holocaust survivors who were previously ineligible to receive the Supplemental Hardship Fund payments because they received one-time German government payments (for example from Länderhärtefonds) are now eligible to apply for the supplemental payment. Survivors who receive a German or Austrian pension for persecution during the Holocaust (BEG, Article 2 Fund, Regional Specific Program (RSP), Austrian Victims Pension (Opferausweis)) are not eligible to receive the Hardship Supplemental Fund Payment. NEWLY APPROVED OPEN GHETTOS: Jewish Holocaust survivors who were persecuted in the open ghettos identified below, for at least three months, may be eligible for a monthly pension from the Article 2 or CEE Fund: •

In Romania, survivors persecuted in Bucharest, Adjud, Beiuş, Blaj, Caracal, Dumbrăveni, Făgăraş, Haţeg, Luduş, Mediaş, Nălaţ-Vad, Oraviţa, Păclişa, Piteşti, Şărmaşu, Sighişoara, Târnăveni, Tinca, Turnu Severin, Arad, Braila, Brasov, Buhusi, Călărași, Deva, Dorohoi, Fălticeni, Huși, Ilia, Lugoj, Ploeşti, Podul Iloaiei, Sibiu, Suceava, Târgu Frumos, Timisoara, Turda, Alba Iulia, BaCau. Barlad, Botosani, Buzau, Costanta, Craiova, Focasni, Galatz, Harlau, Iasi, Pascani, Piatra Neamt, Roman, Romanicu Sarat, Stefanesti, Targu Mures, Targu Neamt, Tecuci, and Vaslui, between August 1941 and August 1944; • In Bulgaria, survivors persecuted in Dobrich, Kazanlŭk, Kŭrdzhali, Lovech, Nevrokop (a.k.a. Gotse Delchev), Nikopol, Plovdiv, Popovo, Preslav, Provadiya, Turgovishte, and Yambol (Jambol), between September 1942 and September 1944. In addition, all pension recipients who were in one of the open ghettos in Romania or Bulgaria named above and born after January 1, 1928, may be entitled to a one-time payment from the Child Survivor Fund administered by the Claims Conference. Note: Jewish Nazi victims from these open ghettos in Romania and Bulgaria may also be entitled to a pension from the ZRBG (Ghetto Pension). This pension is not administered by the Claims Conference. Please contact a German embassy or consulate near you or https://www.germany.info/us-en/service/07-Pension/ghetto-financial-compensation/920638 CHILD SURVIVOR FUND In addition to the other eligible applicants listed above, the Child Survivor Fund may also provide a one-time payment to those who are among the One Thousand Children amounting to €2,500 (approximately $2,500) per person. Approximately 1,400 children were forced to leave their parents behind when they were rescued from Nazi Germany and Nazi-occupied countries and taken to the United States. Please contact us to learn the details of eligibility. PAYMENT TO SPOUSES OF DECEASED ARTICLE 2/CEE FUND BENEFICIARIES The Claims Conference will provide payments to eligible spouses of deceased recipients of the Article 2, Central and Eastern European (CEE) Funds. A spouse of an Article 2/CEE Fund beneficiary may, upon the death of the Article 2/CEE Fund beneficiary, be entitled to receive payments for up to 9 months, paid in three quarterly installments, if the following conditions apply: 1. The spouse is alive at the date of the payment; and 2. The spouse was married to the Article 2/CEE Fund beneficiary at the time of death of the Article 2/CEE Fund beneficiary; and 3. The Article 2/CEE Fund recipient passed away at any point while he or she was receiving a payment from the program. The spouse of a Holocaust survivor must be alive at the time of each payment. Other heirs, including children, are not entitled to receive any payment. To download an application from our website, please go to: www.claimscon.org/apply The German government established a similar program for surviving spouses of monthly Holocaust compensation pensions made under German Federal Indemnification Law, other German federal compensation laws or governmental programs, (sometimes referred to as Wiedergutmachung), for Holocaust survivors who passed away January 1st, 2020 or later. For more information, please check with the BADV or download the application from the BADV website at https://www.badv.bund.de/DE/OffeneVermoegensfragen/UebergangsleistungenEhegattenNSOpfer/antrag.html. REGION-SPECIFIC PERSECUTION (RSP) PENSION A pension program was created for survivors, who currently do not receive pensions who were, for at least three months in: (i) the Leningrad Siege (ii) persecuted in Romania or (iii) hiding in France. Income/Asset criteria of the Article 2/CEE Funds apply. Meeting the RSP persecution criteria shall entitle a survivor to a payment from the Child Survivor Fund if the age criteria (born in or after 1928) is met. For more information, contact: CLAIMS CONFERENCE PO Box 1215, New York, NY 10113 Tel: +1-646-536-9100 Fax: +1-212-679-2126 Email: info@claimscon.org PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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OCTOBER 6, 2023

Celebrations

Torah

Wedding

The holiday of unity

Amy and Jeffrey Scott of Squirrel Hill, together with Margaret Ridgeway and Gary Quick, of Swansea, Wales, are thrilled to announce the marriage of their children, Jamie Beth Scott and Benjamin Martin Woodger Ridgeway. Surrounded by family and friends from near and far, Jamie and Ben were married on Sunday Sept. 10, 2023, at the Grand Estate at Hidden Acres. Samantha Scott, sister of the bride served as the maid of honor; James Ridgeway, brother of the groom and Joseph Spiteri, a lifelong friend of the groom, served as best men. Linda Bernstein, grandmother of the bride, was escorted by groomsmen Matthew Scott and Julian Hricik, brother and cousin of the bride, respectively. Kate and Prince Cuniff, sister and brother-in-law of the groom, wrote and read a beautiful, personalized interpretation of the seven blessings. It was a celebration of love officiated by dear friend, Rabbi Ron Symons. Jamie is the granddaughter of Linda and the late Leonard Bernstein and the late Maxine and Bill Scott, all of Pittsburgh. Ben is the son of the late Tim Ridgeway, grandson of the late John and Valerie Ridgeway, all of Goodwick, Wales, and the late Edwin and Winnifred Stokes of Chichester, England. Jamie received her undergraduate degree from Penn State University and her Master of Science, camp administration and leadership, on the same day as the wedding, from Gratz College. She is the assistant director of staff engagement for JCC Day Camps, at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. Ben is a graduate of Community College of Allegheny County and is employed as a pilot with Corporate Air. The couple live in Pittsburgh with their dog, Jet. PJC

Join the Chronicle Book Club!

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Nov. 5 discussion of “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store,” by James McBride. From The New York Times: “The book is a murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel. The story opens in 1972, with the discovery of a skeleton buried in a well in Pottstown, Pa. The identity of the corpse is unknown but the few clues found (a belt buckle, a pendant and a mezuza) lead authorities to question the only Jewish man remaining from the town’s formerly vibrant Jewish community. However, instead of a simple whodunit, the novel leaves the bones behind and swings back to the 1920s and ’30s, to Chicken Hill, the neighborhood in Pottstown where Jewish, Black and immigrant folks make their homes. It’s a community of people bonded together by the links of love and duty, and it’s here that McBride’s epic tale truly begins.”

“Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line. We will send you a Zoom link for the discussion meeting. Happy reading! PJC

—Toby Tabachnick

Your Hosts:

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

How and When:

We will meet on Zoom on Sunday, Nov. 5, at noon.

What To Do

Buy: “The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store.” It is available at area Barnes & Noble stores and from online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is also available through the Carnegie Library system. Email: Contact us at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org, and write

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 18

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum Parshat Shemini Atzeret Deuteronomy 14:22–16:17; Numbers 29:35–30:1

ukkos is the holiday of Jewish unity, as our Sages state: “Kol Yisrael re’oim laishaiv b’sukkah achas” or “All Israel is fit to dwell in one sukkah” (Sukkah 27b). Yet what does that mean? How does it relate to us, with our individual opinions? Is it even possible to find common ground? To address the issue, let’s explore the various mitzvos of the holiday. The Torah declares, in Vayikra 23:40: “And you shall take for yourselves on the first day [of Sukkos] the fruit of the hadar tree (esrog), date palm fronds (lulav), branches of a braided tree (hadassim) and willows of the brook (arovos.)” Each species represents a different quality. The esrog, with its taste and smell, corresponds to the Jew who excels in learning Torah and performing mitzvos. The lulav, which has a taste and no smell,

between the arovos used with the lulav and esrog and those used on Hoshana Rabba. For the lulav and esrog to be kosher, two arova branches are needed, each containing three leaves. To qualify for Hoshana Rabba, all that is required is one branch with one leaf. There is another difference. Including the lulav and esrog is a biblical commandment. Yet the Rabbis declared that if the first day of Sukkos occurred on Shabbos, the four species are not taken. However, they also declared that Hoshana Rabba should never fall on Shabbos, even though it is only a custom and not a biblical commandment. The concept underlying the lowly arova (willow) is peshitus, simplicity and purity rolled into one. It emphasizes the essential bond between Creator and Creation. This bond exists beyond Torah and mitzvos, which are the wisdom and will of Hashem. It indicates unity unaffected by time, space and any qualitive and quantitative differences. At this level, there is only one.

Highest of all is the unity expressed by the sukkah itself — a structure that surrounds and encompasses all, regardless of differences or similarities. represents the scholar who spends most of his/her time learning Torah. Hadassim, which have a fragrant smell but no taste, is linked to the Jew who spends most of his/her time performing mitzvos. Arovos have neither a taste nor a fragrance. Yet the Torah commands us to include them in the mix. Each group is different. Yet when they are bound on Sukkos, they express a unity that reflects the will of G-d, as the midrash states, “G-d declares, ‘Let them all bond together in one bundle and atone for each other.’” As beautiful (and expensive) as an esrog is, one cannot fulfill the mitzvah without the other three species! This represents one type of unity, in which the whole is incomparably holier than the level of its various parts. Yet there is a higher level of unity. It is expressed not by the beautiful esrog, the fragrant hadas, or the succulent lulav. Rather it finds its expression in the lowly arava, the willow. In fact, it is the only species that has a special day dedicated to it, Hoshana Rabba. Hoshana Rabba occurs on the last day of Sukkos. During the times of the Holy Temple, the Kohanim (priests) would surround the altar with willow branches. Today, the congregation carries willow branches and performs seven hakafos (circular processions) around the sanctuary, while praying for the welfare of the Jewish people. Interestingly, there are several differences

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

To return to our opening statement, Sukkos is the holiday of Jewish unity, as our Sages state: “Kol Yisrael re’oim laishaiv b’sukkah achat” or “All Israel is fit to dwell in one sukkah.” On one level, there is the unity reflected in the way Jews serve to complement and complete each other. This is the unity represented by the four species. Being aware of this unity within diversity allows us to join with those who may have different opinions. Yet there is a higher level of unity, a unity of essence — who the Jewish people are by virtue of their being. On this level, barriers, whether intellectual or emotional, simply do not exist. It is a bond that is fundamental to all who share the breath of life. Highest of all is the unity expressed by the sukkah itself — a structure that surrounds and encompasses all, regardless of differences or similarities. This ultimate sukkah is called the sukkos shlomecha, the “sukkah of peace.” It reflects the era of Mashiach, in which humans will exist as souls in bodies, enveloped and embraced by G-d’s infinite being within this finite world. May we merit to see and feel G-d’s transcendent presence immediately. PJC Rabbi Yossi Rosenblum is CEO of Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh and rabbi of Congregation Kesser Torah. This column is a service of the Vaad Harabanim of Greater Pittsburgh. PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Obituaries NEFT: Peter Paul Neft, 89, of Pittsburgh, passed away on Sept. 26, 2023. He was born April 22, 1934, in Sharon, Pennsylvania, son of Alvin Neft and Thelma L. (Gross) Neft. Pete is survived by his wife of 69 years, Barbara Neft; son Bob Neft; daughters Lauren Jacobson and Cynthia Starr; grandchildren Brandon Starr, Ashley Jacobson and Justin Jacobson; nephews Martin Wnuk and Benjamin Yahr; and son-in-law Tom Wyse Jr. and daughter-in-law Fermina (Santana) Starr. Peter served as captain in the Air Force Reserves. He was quarterback for the University of Pittsburgh and led the team to the 1956 Sugar Bowl. He also was quarterback for the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League. He was inducted in the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania. He was an avid golfer and loved outdoor activities of fly-fishing. He was known for his warm smile, always having a story to tell, and for his easygoing, jovial, fun-loving spirit and easy laugh. He loved life and all who shared time with him. His greatest love, however, was his family. He was fiercely committed to them and loved supporting and spending time with them, traveling, attending sporting, musical and academic events. He also loved his granddogs, Scott and Runner, and his grandbunnies, Nutmeg and Bebe Moon. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment private. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to: UPMC Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Attn: Leslie Dunn, MPH, ADRC, Administrator, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Montefiore, Four West, 200 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2582. schugar.com STEIN: Jean Speer Stein, peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. Beloved wife of the late Saul Stein. Devoted mother of Steven (Lanoma), Eileen, Jeffrey (Linda) and Ted (Stacy). Grandmother of Heather (Tim), Stephanie (Marty), Mitchell (Adina), Josh, Isaac and John. Nannie to Austin, Thomas, Jaxon and Mya. Daughter of the late Morris and Sadie Speer. Sister of the late Norman Speer. A special thank you to all the caregivers who took wonderful care of Jean. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Beth Shalom Cemetery. Contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Unity Walk, in memory of Jean Stein, Team-Papa’s Rockin N.J. Walkers (please direct donations to Team Papa’s Rockin N.J. Walkers). schugar.com PJC

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THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS — Sunday October 8: Lucy Balter, Sara Jean Binakonsky, Harry Bricker, Beatrice Charapp, Tillie Cohen, Samuel Jacob Eliashof, Dr . Howard H . Freedman, Hyman Goldstein, Paul Harris, Hyman L . Leff, Samuel Minsky, Hazel Oswold, Rose M . Rabinovitz, Florence Ruben, Abraham Schrager, Rivka Silverman, Leopold Weiss Monday October 9: Samuel Evelovitz, Dora Friedman, Frances Fromme, Morris Gordon, Ethel Hornstein Josephs, Phyllis K . Kart, Abram Hirsh Levine, Anna Mandel, Lena Moskowitz, Dora Rosenzweig, Abraham J . Rothstein, Bessie Rubinoff, Charlotte H . Shapiro, Joseph Shire, Florence M . Supowitz, Saul David Taylor, Rebecca Weinberg Tuesday October 10: Isadore E . Binstock, Jack Citron, Mary Levinson Cohen, Sarah Silverblatt Epstein, Edward L . Klein, Esther Rogow Landau, Louise Comins Waxler, Dr . Alfred L . Weiss, Samuel J . Wise Wednesday October 11: E . Louis Braunstein, Harry Cooperman, Dorothy Harris, Barney Holtzman, Sidney H . Lefkowitz, Lazor Lewis, Ida Linder, David S . Palkovitz, Rachel Povartzik, Celia Rakusin, Milton L . Rosenbaum, Florence Shrager, Rita Jo Skirble, Harry S . Smizik, Seymour Spiegel, William Stern Thursday October 12: Joseph Adler, Shirley Barr, Jean Singer Caplan, Saul Eisner, Louis Friedman, Sam Goldberg, Yitzchok Moshe Issac Goldstein, Jack Greenberg, Sadye R . Kantor, Charles Leefer, Louis Levy, Violet C . Miller, Alexander Reich, Flora May Shadden, Bertha Ethel Shamberg, Andrew H . Shapiro, Adolph Weinberger, Esther H . Winkler, Ada Marie Wolfe Friday October 13: William Abrams, Mary Astrov, Peter Davidson, Edward A . Feinert, Abraham Hansell, Sylvia B . Karpo, Allen W . Lebovitz, Harry D . Linder, I . Edward Plesset, Jesse Rogers, Sara Sadie Sobel, Anna Sokol, Dr . Daniel Solomon, Fannie Stein, Mary Stoller, Harry Ulanoff, Donald Eli Witkin, Rose Zasloff Saturday October 14: Jack Caplan, Morris Chamovitz, Isaiah Cooper, Laurel B . Devon, Rose K . Freed, Harry Freedman, Pauline J . Isaacs, Sarah Jacobson, Rose Bigman Kalmanowitz, Dr . Paul Kaplan, Anna Klee, Ethel I . Krauss, Ida Magdovitz Krouse, Jacob Joseph Kurtz, Allen Lebovitz, Milton Lehman, Dr . Leonard M . Monheim, Samuel Rosenfeld, Emanuel Rosenthal, Edith F . Simon, Joseph Weintraub, I . Leroy (Lee) Yahr

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OCTOBER 6, 2023

Obituaries Dianne Feinstein, long-serving Jewish senator from California, dies at 90 — NEWS OBITUARY— By Ron Kampeas | JTA

ianne Feinstein, the long-serving Jewish senator from California who rose to national prominence when she appeared before cameras with her hands stained with the blood of a murdered colleague, has died. Feinstein, who had recently faced criticism for remaining in the Senate despite clearly failing health, was 90 years old. She died Sept. 28. Feinstein had served in the Senate for more than three decades as its longest-serving woman. President Joe Biden ordered flags at the White House and at government and military properties on the day of her burial. Feinstein became a national figure in 1978 when she was the president of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco and found the body of fellow supervisor Harvey Milk. Milk, who was Jewish, was the first openly gay elected official in the city’s history and was assassinated by a former colleague, Dan White. White also killed San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. Feinstein announced the murders while her hands were still stained with Milk’s blood. She soon stepped in to replace Moscone, serving two terms as mayor. “I remember it, actually, as if it was yesterday,” she recalled in 2008. “And it was one of the hardest moments, if not the hardest moment, of my life. It was a devastating moment. For San Francisco, it was a day of infamy.” Feinstein’s father was a Jewish physician and her mother was a model who was born to an ethnically Jewish family but raised in the Russian Orthodox church. Feinstein was born on June 22, 1933, in San Francisco, attended a Roman Catholic school and said, when she was running for governor in 1990, that her parents left it up to her to decide which faith suited her. When she was 20, she picked Judaism, she said, “because I liked its simplicity and directness.” She was twice widowed and once divorced; all three of her husbands were Jewish. The trauma of the double murder propelled her to become an outspoken advocate for gun control, a cause she took with her into the Senate, when she won a special election in 1992 to replace Sen. Pete Wilson, a Republican who had defeated Feinstein in the 1990 election for governor. That election cycle became known as the Year of the Woman. Feinstein and three other newly elected women senators tripled the number of women in the Senate from two to six. One was Barbara Boxer, who, like Feinstein, was a Jewish Democrat from California. Record numbers of women ran for office, spurred in part by the humiliating treatment Anita Hill got in the Senate the year previous when she testified about the sexual harassment she allegedly endured while employed with Clarence Thomas, a Supreme Court nominee. With Boxer and Feinstein, California had a two-Jewish women representation in the body until 2017, and the effects of the Year of the 20

OCTOBER 6, 2023

p Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, introduces Xavier Becerra, the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, during his Senate Finance Committee nomination on Feb. 24, 2021. Photo by Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images

Women were long lasting. “I would be proud to carry on just a portion of their legacy,” Schiff said in February when Feinstein announced she would not run for another term, regarding Feinstein and Boxer. Referring to a traditional Jewish imperative to repair the world, he added, “I would love to bring that passion for tikkun olam with me to the U.S. Senate.” In a statement following her death, the Jewish Federations of North America said, “For American Jews, particularly Jewish women, Feinstein smashed glass ceilings as a powerful politician driven by her Jewish values and championing women’s rights in Washington.” Laws long on the liberal wish list were suddenly ripe for passage, among them an assault weapons ban that Feinstein took the lead in passing in 1994. It lapsed after 10 years, and Feinstein since 2004 persistently, and unsuccessfully, sought to reinstate the ban. Also in 1994, Feinstein joined then-Sen. Joe Biden in passing the Violence Against Women Act. When it lapsed in 2019, Feinstein led the charge to reauthorize it, but faced conservative resistance because the reauthorization bill added protections for LGBTQ partners and sought to close the “boyfriend loophole,” extending restrictions on gun ownership to people who had abused partners to whom they were not married. It took until 2022 for Feinstein to overcome resistance and reauthorize the Act. It was a compromise: The LGBTQ protections remained in, but the boyfriend loophole was out; Feinstein was unable to overcome gun lobby resistance. “This is a major advancement for protecting women from domestic violence and sexual assault — a tragedy faced by one in three women in this country,” Feinstein said then in a statement. President Biden, its original author, signed the reauthorization into law. Feinstein stood apart from her liberal cohort in some respects. Her best known split with liberals was her championing the death penalty until 2018, when she said during her campaign for reelection that its unfair application had finally changed her mind. Her enthusiasm for law and order was triggered when a far left group, the New World Liberation Front, detonated a bomb planted in

a flower box outside her home in 1976, when she was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, part of a terrorist campaign targeting city leaders. As outraged as she was at the easy access to guns that brought about the murder of Milk and Moscone, she was also furious that White got away with a manslaughter conviction by claiming he had been depressed. The tactic became known as the “Twinkie defense,” as a defense psychiatrist testified that junk food had contributed to White’s depression. “Yes, I support the death penalty,” she said in 1990 when she was running for California governor, earning boos at a Democratic convention. “It is an issue that cannot be fudged or hedged.” She won the primary but lost to Wilson. The episode displayed her political chops: She used footage of the boos in political ads in the general election for governor, reinforcing her image as a moderate and helping to propel her to the Senate in 1992. She managed to preserve the seat in 1994, her first full term election, a year that was otherwise disastrous for Democrats. In 2004, she feuded with Kamala Harris, then the San Francisco District Attorney and now the vice president, when she learned at the funeral of a slain police officer that Harris opposed the death penalty for his killer. Feinstein said then she would not have endorsed Harris for the district attorney job had she known of her opposition to the death penalty. (The feud didn’t last; Feinstein and Boxer endorsed Harris in her 2016 Senate run to replace Boxer, key nods that helped propel Harris to victory.) Feinstein was for years a centrist on Israel, allied with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, although she was a sharp critic of the country’s treatment of non-Orthodox Jews. In 1986, as mayor, she expanded commercial ties with San Francisco’s sister city, Haifa. It was her revulsion with deadly weapons that nudged her toward questioning Israel: She was appalled at Israel’s use of cluster bombs in its 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Within a few years she was departing from pro-Israel orthodoxy in other areas: She opposed proposed Iran sanctions in 2014 because she feared the underlying legislation

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would draw the United States into a war on Israel’s behalf. More recently, she championed renewed aid to the Palestinians, slashed to almost nothing by Trump and Republicans in Congress hostile to a Palestinian leadership they depict as bloodthirsty. “Denying funding for clean water, health care and schools in the West Bank and Gaza won’t make us safer,” she said in 2019. “Instead it only emboldens extremist groups like Hamas and pushes peace further out of reach.” As her party moved left, so did she. In 2014, as committee chairwoman, Feinstein declassified a report on the CIA’s use of torture after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, over the objections of President Barack Obama. In 2017, she said her decision in 2002 to be one of 29 Senate Democrats to authorize the Iraq War would haunt her, in part because she bought into the false claims the intelligence community was peddling. One factor nudging her to the left was the election in 2016 of Donald Trump as president. Her deep experience in matters of intelligence helped spur her outrage with the new president as she uncovered evidence ahead of the election that Russia was interfering. “Based on briefings we have received, we have concluded that the Russian intelligence agencies are making a serious and concerted effort to influence the U.S. election,” she and Adam Schiff, a House California Jewish Democrat who is now running to replace her in the Senate, said in a headline-making statement just weeks before election day. “At the least, this effort is intended to sow doubt about the security of our election and may well be intended to influence the outcomes of the election,” the statement said. “We can see no other rationale for the behavior of the Russians.” On one issue LGBTQ rights, Feinstein always tracked to the left of her party; in the 1990s she was one of just 14 Democrats to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as being between a man and a woman. She became a leader of a years-long effort to repeal the Act, which was successful in 2022. In 2020, as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Feinstein drew outrage from fellow Democrats for her friendly questioning of Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court nominee Republicans rushed through to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the liberal Jewish icon who had died just before an election that returned Democrats to the Senate majority. It didn’t help that she hugged the committee chairman, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, after the hearing. That along with signs that Feinstein’s mental acuity was diminishing led her to step down as the top Democrat on the key committee. Reporting described her as engaged during meetings and telephone calls, and then, hours and even minutes later, not remembering the exchanges. In early 2023, she announced that she would not run again for election in 2024. Feinstein is survived by her daughter, Katherine Anne Feinstein, a former judge, and a granddaughter. PJC PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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OCTOBER 6, 2023 21

Life & Culture Harvest: Chronicle poetry contest winners

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle thanks all those who submitted poems to its poetry contest. This month’s theme was “Harvest.” Our judge was award-winning poet Philip Terman. Terman is the author of several full-length and chapbook collections of poems, including “This Crazy Devotion” (Broadstone Books) and “Our Portion: New and Selected Poems, The Torah Garden” (Autumn House Press). His poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including Poetry Magazine, The Kenyon Review, The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish Poets and 101 Jewish Poets for the Third Millennium. He’s a retired professor of English from Clarion University, where he directed the Spoken Art Reading Series. He is a co-founder of the Chautauqua Writer’s Festival. Winners of the Chronicle’s poetry contest are: Annie Charlat, Cathleen Cohen and Sholom Cohen. In addition to their poems being published below, each winning poet received a $54 gift card to Pinkser’s Judaica, courtesy of an anonymous donor for whose generosity we are grateful.

Luminous

Etrog

We sit in a hut for 40 years, weaving stories out of arid desert air, adding them to our people’s patchwork. Many, many stitches have been skipped. Will the cloth unravel? The sages ask between bites of sweet citrus. No, say their wives, as they hang freshly washed linens to dry. — Annie Charlat

For R’Micah Weiss and for David My husband carries an etrog tree into the house, cradles its spindly stem and thick leaves that waver like sails at sea. Who knew that someone might dream of nurturing so many saplings on his city porch – all from seeds? And in this northern climate? It seems impossible yet, what we can assume about change, about ourselves must need cultivating. I touch leaves like palms that stretch up to scoop light and it’s wiry, optimistic stem that holds them. Oh, how long must we wait to harvest the sweet fruit of its heart? — Cathleen Cohen

Kedoshim: Edge Pledge A golden field ripe with grain, Wheat stalks wave in the breeze. Harvest nears as summer days wane, G-d’s bounty is ready to please. Where once were seeds in fresh plowed rows, A forest of ears now stands. A visitor sees but hardly knows The pledge of heart and hands.

All of our deeds should be heaven bound, Though the peah part shows limitation. But knowing G-d in all we are crowned When the whole field is our designation. The total commitment to a G-dly cause Encompasses one’s whole being. The connection to G-d goes beyond His laws No earthly limits concealing.

Too early to plant and all may be lost. Too late we may see but a trace. Rains must come we pray at all cost. In the end we rely on G-d’s grace. At harvest time - leave part of the field For the poor as a gift small in worth. But we show G-d-s role in providing the yield By doing His work here on earth.

“For I, the Lord, have never changed” The prophet Malachi proclaimed. And you, Bnai Yisroel, will not be estranged Though acts may have left you ashamed. “You have not reached the end,” G-d has said. My harvest laws will connect Jewish souls to the poor who by peah are fed From “the desirable land” they perfect.

The farmer and poor each have a share When peah is left from what’s grown. The poor takes a portion of food for his care And the farmer takes the rest as his own. The whole field’s a gift, he may also decide Leaving all for the poor in G-d’s praise. By this act the owner is self-nullified, Showing G-d in all of his ways.

The edge left uncut for matnot aniyim A part of tzedakah’s everyday theme One of the dvorim without shiurim Like torah study and gemilut chassadim. Peah means more than some wheat it would seem Since it shares its gematria with Elokim. Reveal G-d hidden below is the scheme A harvest never finished by Yehudim. Dealing with peah are both poor and owner Whether whole field or a mere scrap. The Baal HaBayis is ever our donor A message from Kedoshim’s rap. — Sholom Cohen

jenifoto & Irina Gutyryak (composite) / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Pot Pie: Continued from page 14

I have a few side notes to help you. If you’re using frozen pastry crust, thaw it out before you add the chicken filling to the pastry tin. There won’t be enough pastry to flute the edges, so you will need to use fork

tines to seal the layers. These are also smaller pies than my homemade version. I mentioned that you can add in some extra chicken or vegetables to bulk up the pie. Because the pies are smaller, you may need to reduce baking time; just keep an eye on them. Also, if you’re making one to bake and one to freeze, wrap the uncooked

pie (without egg wash) well in plastic wrap before freezing. Remove the pie from the freezer and put it into the refrigerator to thaw overnight before baking. It will keep in the refrigerator until dinner time. Brush it with egg wash immediately before baking. If the middle is still frozen and you really

need to get it into the oven, add some baking time. If the crust looks like it’s getting very brown but the pie needs more time, cover it with foil to keep the crust from burning. Enjoy and bless your hands! PJC Jessica Grann is a home chef living in Pittsburgh.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 22 OCTOBER 6, 2023

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Community Going tribal

Community Day School launched its annual Shvatim program. The team-building program, operated in conjunction with the school’s Mensch Project, enables students and staff to develop cross-grade relationships and celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat.

p Let’s build something.

p A picture of growth

Photos courtesy of Community Day School

Repair the Sukkah

Repair the World Pittsburgh volunteers built a sukkah at the Sheridan Avenue Orchard and Garden. Throughout the Sukkot holiday, volunteers will study, add decorations and partner with Our Giving Kitchen to enable visitors to shake the lulav and etrog in the sukkah.

p Where’s the tarp?

p Bang, bang, bang, hold your hammer low.

Photos courtesy of Edelstein Public Affairs

Small sukkah, big returns

Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh early childhood students helped assemble a sukkah. As the holiday continues, students will return to the sukkah, create decorations and learn more about the holiday.

p Peekaboo

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p It’s in the bag.

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Photos courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh

OCTOBER 6, 2023

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