Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 11-10-23

RALLY IN D.C. November 10, 2023 | 26 Cheshvan 5784

Candlelighting 4:49 p.m. | Havdalah 5:49 p.m. | Vol. 66, No. 45 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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National Jewish groups put out the call for a massive ‘March for Israel’ in DC on Nov. 14

By Ron Kampeas | JTA

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ASHINGTON — National Jewish organizations are calling on Jews from around the country to travel to Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14 for a mass pro-Israel rally they hope will rival major Jewish demonstrations in 2002 and 1987 in size and impact.

The March for Israel has three goals, according to Eric Fingerhut, CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, which is organizing the rally jointly with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Participants will demand the return of the estimated 240 hostages Hamas terrorists abducted during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Fingerhut said. They will also be calling for efforts to combat antisemitism, which has spiked worldwide since the attack. And they will be demonstrating their support for the unabashed backing Israel has so far received from both parties in Congress and the Biden administration.

“All three elements are important to all of our communities,” Fingerhut said. “We’re proud of what our government has done” to support Israel “but we want them to know how much support there is not only for what

Pittsburgh community, Koolulam sing a song of support for Israeli hostages

By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer

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ynn Berman believes in the power of song, especially when a song is filled with the voices of 350 community members and then combined with groups across the globe.

Berman served as one of two song leaders for a special Koolulam event that took place to raise awareness of the Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas terrorists.

According to its website, Koolulam is a social musical initiative aimed at empowering communities and strengthening the fabric of society. It attempts to bring people of different backgrounds, cultures, faiths and geographies together through collaborative creative experiences.

The group’s YouTube channel features 54 videos and has more than 157,000 followers.

Members of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s 2022 Mega Mission were featured in a video of “One Day” by Matisyahu, recorded in the Pittsburgh Partnership2Gether region Karmiel.

“Singing together does something powerful,” Berman said, “and it’s just as powerful for the people that hear it. There’s a power of singing in a large group that you can’t find anywhere else.”

That power was felt on Nov. 5 at Rodef Shalom’s Freehof Hall when more than 300 people came together surrounded by microphones and still and video cameras to sing a rendition of Madonna’s “Just Like a Prayer.”

The event was organized by word of mouth, without the benefit of social media, Please see Koolulam, page 11

they’ve done, but also for the continued efforts that are going to be needed as this long conflict continues.”

The rally, which will take place just over five weeks after Hamas’ deadly assault on Israel, was formally announced on Monday night. But efforts to fill buses and planes were already breaking into public view over the weekend.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh aims to bring 242 people to the rally to represent the 242 hostages taken by Hamas.

“We have so many important priorities right now that we believe it is vital to

show up in our nation’s capital and let our elected officials know we want action,” said Federation CEO Jeff Finkelstein. “These include ensuring continuing support for Israel to defeat Hamas, demanding freedom for the hostages taken, garnering support for reconstruction of Israeli cities practically burned to the ground, and fighting the rising tide of antisemitism in the U.S. and worldwide.”

As of press time, Pittsburgh’s Federation was still finalizing logistics, but buses will depart from the Jewish Federation building Please see March, page 5

Summerset vandalized with antisemitic and other hateful messages

p Antisemitic graffiti in Shelburne Park

By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

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ours before hundreds of children descended on Summerset at Frick for an evening of trick-or-treating, residents awoke to slashed tires and hateful

Photo courtesy of Julie Paris

messages painted on sidewalks, benches, a wall and a gazebo.

Roman Gluzman discovered the vandalism on the morning of Oct. 31 when he exited his Please see Summerset, page 10

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Empty tables, broken hearts

LOCAL

Billboards highlight hostage plight

FOOD

A vegetarian delight

Headlines Using the war in Israel as a teachable moment for children — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

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arenting is never easy. Explaining the complexities of war, statehood, regional history, religion, terrorism and morality, all while cooking dinner, packing lunches, checking homework, sorting laundry and managing any semblance of professional and personal harmony can generate some fatigue.

With the war in Israel continuing to capture news feeds and global attention, therapists and educators are encouraging parents to treat this period as a teachable moment.

“We used to say, ‘Wait until your kids come to you with questions and then pick up on where they are,’ but I think because the news is so constant — and in an effort to keep up with social media — even if your children are young, it’s better to put it on the table and say, ‘What are you hearing about what’s going on in Israel,’” Dr. Mindy Hutchinson, a Mt. Lebanon-based child and adult psychiatrist, told the Chronicle.

Beginning with an open-ended question allows adults to share that they, too, are upset, worried, angry and confused, she said. “It’s a chance to model for kids that it’s OK to have feelings.”

Starting with a gentle inquiry avoids a rush to judgment, Kelly Moore, a psychotherapist at JFCS, said.

“A lot of us parents and adults have been saying to people, ‘Don’t be on the internet. Don’t be on social media.’ And that’s not really a reality for teens and kids,” she said. “That’s where they spend quite a bit of time.”

Realistically, one month into the war, kids “already know quite a lot,” Moore said.

Either through formal conversation in school, dialoguing with friends or reading

p Starting with gentle inquiry avoids a rush to judgment.

and sharing posts online, children have seen and heard much about the conflict.

Young people have access to information, but they don’t always appreciate distance, Hutchinson said.

When parents talk to children, it’s all right to say, “Things are very upsetting, but what’s happening is very far away from where we are,” Hutchinson said. Reminding kids that they are safe and that “the terrorists are not going to be pounding your door open tonight,” are essential parts of healthy conversation, as is identifying that “there are some bad guys out there.”

Intergenerational conversation doesn’t have to omit that “there are terrorists who are hurting a lot of people,” she continued.

What’s critical, however, in a discussion

Photo by fizkes via iStock

about the war in Israel — and especially about bad actors — is language.

“You can use the word ‘Hamas’ but be careful not to say, ‘Palestinians’ or even ‘Arabs’ in a way that reinforces stereotypes or creates hate,” Hutchinson said.

Practicing judicious rhetoric requires more than effective word choices, Moore said.

“Be mindful of your own conversations around kids. Even if you don’t think that they can hear you — and that they might be two rooms over — they hear everything,” she said.

Likewise, parents should monitor their reactions and moods, according to Moore.

“If you’re on your phone, or reading an

article, and you’re gasping or having facial reactions, kids are sponges and they’re picking that up,” she said.

This doesn’t mean parents must be automatons.

“If you forget, go ahead and address that with a kid,” Moore said. “Say, ‘Hey, I noticed you are in the room and you might have seen me react like this.’”

Creating space for conversation can lead to unanswerable questions, but that’s OK. An alternative — where avoidance is adopted — isn’t necessarily ideal, Moore explained.

For years, the psychotherapist has worked with local children processing the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

“I hear from kids who are now young adults saying, ‘Nobody really explained to me what a mass shooting was or what was actually happening,’” Moore said. By eschewing the discussion “it left a lot of kids with confusion and worry about not really knowing.”

Parents should recognize that “kids are in this and they’re picking it up from everywhere they go. It’s in the back of their mind. So maybe make it a habit to check in every few days with, ‘Hey, what are your thoughts?’” The response might be, “‘Nothing.’ It might be, ‘Oh, stop asking me,’ but at least it’s giving them the option to ask those questions so five years later they’re not finally figuring it out,” she said.

While parents navigate complexities at home, teachers face similar dilemmas in school.

Kate Lukaszewicz, education programs director at Classrooms Without Borders, said that she and fellow staffers at the Pittsburgh-based nonprofit recently Please see Children, page 11

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Headlines Education, and war, frame disrupted semester abroad for Upper St. Clair teen — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

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ending a child away from home can be stressful. Sometimes, ensuring a safe return is even more taxing.

Months ago, Upper St. Clair resident Liz McCallum helped her son Artie head to Israel for a semester-long program. Artie, 15, had never visited the Jewish state, but during a summer at URJ Camp Harlam in Kunkletown he heard about URJ Heller High.

Located in Hod HaSharon on the Alexander Muss (AMHSI) campus, Heller provides students in grades 10-12 a Reform community within AMHSI’s larger pluralistic environment. Alongside fellow teens, Artie could travel, celebrate Shabbat and experience the Jewish holidays in Israel. In many ways, it’s an “extension of camp,” McCallum said. “We thought it would be good for him.”

After several friends expressed interest, Artie decided that he, too, would spend a semester in Israel.

On Aug. 23, the Upper St. Clair teen arrived in the Jewish state.

“There were 30 students in our program, but there were also two other programs in the dorm,” he said.

Together, the teens studied Jewish history by visiting ruins and engaging in discussion with educators and staff.

“All of the teachers who worked at Heller were Israeli,” Artie said. Between hearing from them and “learning about history in the actual land, it was pretty cool.”

“I thought it was just the Holy Land, and that it didn’t have any archeology other than the Western Wall,” he continued, “but there’s thousands of years of history everywhere you go.”

Six weeks after arriving in Israel, Artie’s understanding reached nearly unimaginable levels.

On the morning of Oct. 7, Heller students were celebrating Shabbat, and the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, in Jerusalem.

“We were supposed to wake up at 10 a.m., but we got woken up by the sirens at 8:30,” Artie said.

The students, who were staying at a hotel in the city, were instructed to descend multiple floors and enter a bomb shelter.

“Nobody knew what was going on. Cell service didn’t work down there,” he said.

Students waited for 10 minutes after the sirens, then ascended several floors.

“Our teacher, David, talked to us about what we are going to do,” Artie said.

Students were told to stay in the hotel until more information was received.

Another siren sounded.

“We went back down, and that kept happening over and over throughout the day,” Artie said.

He and fellow students watched news reports.

“We learned what was going on, that Israel was being bombed,” Artie said.

Along with firing rockets, Hamas terrorists attacked the Jewish state by land, sea PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p Empty classroom

Image by Vincent in Motion, licensed under CC BY 2.0.

and air. More than 1,400 Israelis were killed.

Approximately 240 civilians were taken hostage

by Hamas, including infants and the elderly.

Communication from school

Throughout Oct. 7, Heller communicated with parents.

“They let us know that the children were safe in Jerusalem, but they felt they could take better care of them if they moved them back to campus,” McCallum said, adding that Heller had more staff in Hod HaSharon.

At 7 p.m. on Oct. 7, students were told they were leaving Jerusalem and heading back to the Tel Aviv area.

“That night, we drove back to school. There were no sirens on the road,” Artie said.

The following morning, an emergency WhatsApp group was created for parents.

Real-time updates were sent, and while administrators communicated, teachers continued studying with students.

“They tried to tell us about what was going on,” Artie said. “We kept hearing about all the sirens in southern Israel, and about all the people dying. Everyone was stressed out and nervous. No one was having a good time.”

On Oct. 9, teachers tried tempering students’ fears, but the realization of war was setting in, Artie explained.

“The teachers were scared to be at school,” he said. “They wanted to be with their families. The students were not focused on school because they were focused on what was going on.”

After a siren, students had 90 seconds to reach the bomb shelter. The room was reinforced with metal walls and doors.

“There were couches in there, and our phones worked in there pretty fine,” Artie said.

Still, trips to the shelter “stressed everyone out and made everyone afraid. Teachers

tried distracting us from what was going on with activities.”

Finally, during an all-parents meeting online that day, Heller representatives told families, “They were going to end the semester early and send the students home,” McCallum said.

Heller educators tried finding a flight, all the while managing their own families and needs, she continued.

“The administrators and the staff, the madrichim (counselors), were amazing. Most of them are Israeli and they were just putting all of their energy, time and resources into caring for our kids. I’m sure they were exhausted and traumatized. I can’t imagine what their days were like, but they were holding it together and keeping our children safe and calm.”

Return home

Nearly six weeks before the war began, most students arrived at Heller with two suitcases; after the emergency flight home was booked, however, students were told they could only bring one bag on the plane, Artie said.

Items left would be donated, McCallum said.

Around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 11, a final processing and farewell program was held.

Heller then brought students to Ben Gurion Airport. The flight traveled from Israel to Rome, then Rome to Boston. Once in the U.S., students traveled to their home cities.

Artie returned to Pittsburgh on the evening of Oct. 12, his mother said.

There was an initial burst of “adrenaline,” but then “sadness” kicked in, she continued. “It hit him. He wanted to go back. There was such a strong bond with the kids and teachers and the madrichim. He just wanted to be with them.”

On Oct. 17, Artie returned to Upper St. Clair High School. He had space in his schedule for two electives, McCallum said. He signed up for journalism and world current affairs.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

“He’s been thinking a lot about what people’s reactions are here,” she said.

War ignites extreme opinions, he told the Chronicle.

“Being in Israel, while it’s getting bombed, makes people want to support Israel,” he said.

“I saw that happening with a lot of people who were there. They became anti-Palestine without reading anything about it. I tried to look at it objectively. I think Israel definitely shouldn’t just let Hamas bomb them, but I also think Israel should definitely not kill Palestinian citizens.”

“The Palestinians are getting bombed by Israel and they are getting killed by Hamas. I don’t think they wanted that,” he continued.

“Palestine is not Hamas.”

Artie said he’s received pushback for sharing his views, “but I would rather say what I think is right.”

Since returning to Pittsburgh, Artie said he’s followed news reports “mostly from CNN, The New York Times and Times of Israel.”

Instead of getting information from tweets or videos, Artie said he prefers reading “actual websites.”

He understands that being in Israel at the start of this war offers certain vantage points.

“I want people to know that it’s a difficult issue, and not to form opinions on it too quickly,” he said. “Don’t form opinions from Instagram and social media posts. Read about the history and know it before making big statements about why Israel is right or why Palestine is right.”

McCallum said that her son “has a more nuanced opinion than many 15-year-olds.”

“He’s always been a deep thinker. He’s always had good questions. I think that he feels connected with these kids, and teachers and these people — and they are Jewish — but I also think he’s thinking deeply about the context,” she said.

McCallum said that as soon as the war began, “We had a lot of support from non-Jewish colleagues and friends that really sustained us, especially in those first few days when we couldn’t really focus on work or anything besides where Artie was in Israel and if he was going to be able to get home safely.”

With her son back in Pittsburgh, McCallum reflected on the entirety of the past several months.

“Sending him to this program was one of the best things that we have done. Even despite the end, I would not change a thing,” she said.

“He grew and he learned: He grew in ways that he couldn’t have had he not gone; he learned things that he wouldn’t have otherwise. He made connections with kids, teachers and staff that he wouldn’t have. He experienced the people of another country that he couldn’t have had he not gone. And I know he would say the same thing.”

Artie continues contacting his teachers in Israel. When the war is over, he said, he’d like to return.

“I feel like I didn’t see everything there,” he said. “There’s definitely a lot more for me to see and learn.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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Headlines Empty Shabbat table at Schenley Plaza represents hostages’ plight — LOCAL —

By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer

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weekend installation at Schenley Plaza highlighted the ongoing captivity of an estimated 240 people currently held in Gaza.

Last Friday and Saturday, passersby in Oakland saw an empty Shabbat table set for 240. Placed on each chair were photographs of those taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7.

The plight of hostages is “deep within us,” Racheli Holstein said. “We want these people to be back home, to get to celebrate their Shabbat dinners with their family.”

Holstein, an organizer of the installation, is an Israeli-American and former educator at Community Day School. She said she reached out to Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh about spotlighting the hostage situation.

Adam Hertzman, Federation’s director of marketing, then contacted Shari Zatman, a professional event planner, about helping coordinate the initiative.

Zatman, owner of Perfectly Planned by Shari, secured the rental of Schenley Plaza and contacted colleagues to “get the tables, the chairs and all the table settings,” she said.

Without donations, the installation would have run “at least twice” its $5,000 cost, Zatman said, pointing to details, including seven high chairs representing abducted children, Shabbat candles, wine and challah that will be on the table, and “grape juice for the kids.”

“We want the takeaway to bring public

p An empty Shabbat table set for 240 in Oakland represents hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

awareness as to what is going on with the violence and the kidnapped civilians of Israel,” Zatman said.

There’s an added element to holding a silent personless demonstration in such a public fashion, Kari Exler, assistant director of Hillel JUC, said while helping set the table.

“It’s Pitt family weekend, and we’re really encouraging families to come by tonight and tomorrow to come see this,” she said. Many people continue to see graphics denoting that an estimated 240 individuals remain in Hamas’ captivity, however, “we want people to also have a visual opportunity to see and really feel how many people that is.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

p Organizers Shari Zatman and Racheli Holstein organized an installation at Schenley Plaza on Nov. 3. Photo by Adam Reinherz

p Tables set in Schenley Plaza with photos of the hostages attached to the seats

Photo by Simone Shapiro

pVolunteers set seats for 240 hostages who would not be eating Shabbat dinner with their families. The "Shabbat for Hostages" installation was organized by Racheli Holstein and Shari Zatman, with support from Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

Photo courtesy of Racheli Holstein

Posters featuring Israeli hostages torn down, defaced at CMU and Pitt — LOCAL —

By David Rullo | Staff Writer

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osters publicizing the estimated 240 hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists and being held in Gaza were torn down and defaced on both the Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh campuses last week, shortly after being hung.

Adding insult to injury, posters with the hostages’ names and faces were replaced this week with parody posters featuring faces of Gaza residents with the claim “Murdered” on top of the placards.

Ben Koby, co-president of the Jewish Graduate Student Association at Carnegie Mellon University, said that his organization followed CMU’s regulations when it hung the hostage posters on public bulletin boards.

“The policy,” he said, “is that you are not allowed to take down these flyers from public bulletins over the course of 30 days, or if it’s for events that have occurred. That’s where we’ve been hanging them. We’ve been making sure to follow all of the regulations.”

The posters were hung on Oct. 23 throughout the campus, Koby said. By Oct. 27, the Jewish group was made aware that many of the posters were torn down.

Some flyers that were not removed were 4

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p Posters in support of Israeli hostages have been torn down on CMU’s campus and replaced with parody posters.

p Posters in support of Israeli hostages have been defaced and vandalized at both CMU and Pitt.

Photo courtesy of Ben Koby

p Posters in support of Israeli hostages have been defaced by antiIsrael students.

Photo courtesy of Sofia Rubin

Photo courtesy of Ben Koby

defaced or covered by advertising for other student events.

The JGSA hung a second round of posters, documenting where they were hung so that they would have proof for the university’s administration if they were removed or defaced again.

Chabad of CMU Rabbi Shlomo Silverman is JGSA’s adviser, but the group is student-run.

The rabbi has opened the lines of communication with CMU’s administration, Koby said.

“The administration has been receptive; they’ve even been sympathetic,” he said. “The president of the university was at Shlomo’s Shabbat table this past week. He spoke with the students. One of our members brought up the

flyers. His response was, ‘Put them back up.’”

While Koby appreciates the sentiment, he said the group would prefer action on the part of CMU’s administration — something that Dean of Students Gina Casalegno said wouldn’t be coming. She met with the group on Nov. 6.

“There is nothing she can do to prevent our flyers from being torn down, and thus, our rights being violated,” he said. “She literally said that she cannot protect us.”

One Jewish student, who asked not to be named out of concern for her safety, said it’s helpful to know who doesn’t like her, but that doesn’t make it feel any less terrible.

She said that some people feel the posters

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are a provocation.

“At the same time,” she said, “I feel like we’re all connected to the people that were taken hostage. If I were taken hostage, I would want people to see my face and know my name and what happened to me.”

The JGSA, she said, focused its last round of flyers on a friend of her family who is being held in Gaza.

“A quarter of them were torn down or defaced or covered up in 24 hours,” she said.

“It was like a punch in the stomach to me.

It’s easy to take these hard stances, but they don’t realize that to a lot of us, it feels personal.”

For Silverman, covering the posters of the hostages with posters of Gazan residents has made the situation worse.

He said he’s had conversations with university leaders who appear to be looking at the removal and defacement of the posters as a free speech issue.

“The university,” Silverman said, “has yet to get word from their lawyers as to what is considered protected and hate speech.”

Silverman has not heard what the university’s response will be to the JGSA’s posters being removed and defaced.

One thing university officials have told him is that violence won’t be permitted.

Silverman originally thought the removal Please see Posters, page 7

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Headlines House passes resolution condemning antisemitism on campuses; Summer Lee votes against resolution — LOCAL —

By Toby Tabachnick | Editor

W

ith strong bipartisan support, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution last week that condemned the support of terrorist organizations and antisemitism on college campuses.

The resolution (H. Res. 798) passed on a 396-23 vote. Congresswoman Summer Lee, who represents Squirrel Hill, was one of 22 Democrats who voted against the resolution. The sole Republican vote against the resolution was cast by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

The resolution was introduced by Rep. Burgess Owens, a Republican from Utah, in response to the surge of anti-Israel demonstrations and antisemitic rhetoric surrounding the Hamas-Israel war that began on Oct. 7. The Senate passed a similar resolution last week by voice vote.

The House resolution condemned the support “of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of

p The United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff.”

Hamas and Hezbollah are both recognized as terrorist organizations by the State Department.

Several recent incidents of anti-Israel

MarketingShotz

activity on campuses are referenced in the resolution, including the Oct. 9 “day of resistance” declared by the Students for Justice in Palestine, calling on student chapters across the U.S. to demonstrate by ‘not just slogans and rallies, but armed confrontation with oppressors.”

The resolution also refers to an Oct. 10 incident in which a Stanford University lecturer justified the actions of Hamas terrorists by calling them ‘‘freedom fighters’’ and asking Jewish students to identify themselves and stand in the corner to illustrate what ‘‘Jews were doing to Palestinians.’’

Also referenced is an Oct. 15 incident, when a Cornell University professor grabbed the microphone at a campus rally and declared that ‘‘Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence’’ and ‘‘it was exhilarating. It was energizing ... I was exhilarated,’’ in reference to Hamas’ terror attack on Israel.

Rep. Lee did not respond to the Chronicle’s request for an interview regarding her vote. But in a news release, she said: “While I condemn antisemitism on college campuses in the strongest possible terms, this resolution as it is currently written misrepresents the events and responses on college students and seeks to restrict Constitutionally-protected free speech.” PJC Toby Tabachnick can be reached at ttabachnick@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

Pittsburgh synagogue shooter seeks a new trial

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— LOCAL —

he antisemitic killer of 11 Jewish worshipers in the Tree of Life building, who was sentenced to death in August, has filed a 38-page motion seeking a new trial.

Convicted on 63 counts, including 11 for the obstruction of the free exercise of religion resulting in death, the defendant has asked U.S. District Judge Robert J.

March: Continued from page 1

at 2000 Technology Drive, as well as from locations in Oakland, North Hills and South Hills, depending on demand.

Buses will leave on Nov. 14 around 5 a.m. and return to Pittsburgh the same day.

Registration is required at a cost of $20 for adults and $10 for students, and riders will be served a kosher box lunch.

To register, go to jewishpgh.org/event/ march-for-israel-in-washington-dc/.

Due to logistics, only community members 18 years old and older will be permitted on the buses. The Federation is working on a plan to enable families and anyone carpooling to “caravan” with the Pittsburgh buses.

Daroff said the hope was that the rally would have the impact of a 2002 pro-Israel rally during the Second Intifada and a 1987 mass rally to support Soviet Jewry, each of which drew more than 100,000 Jewish demonstrators to the National Mall.

Colville for judgment of acquittal and a new trial.

Defense attorneys argue in the motion, among other things, that there was not enough evidence presented to show that their client intended to obstruct each of the victims in their free exercise of religion.

“It is not enough that evidence may have showed [he] committed an act that resulted in the obstruction of each victim’s free exercise of religious beliefs, i.e., that the attack on each victim obstructed him or her from

worshipping at the Synagogue that day as planned (or from doing so in the future),” the motion states. “Rather, the government had to, but failed, to prove that [the defendant] acted with the specific intent to so obstruct each victim in such enjoyment of his or her free exercise of religious beliefs.”

The motion continues: “[N]o rational juror could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that ‘it was [the defendant’s] conscious desire or purpose to obstruct’ each victim in the enjoyment of that victim’s free exercise

“We’ve all heard voices of hatred and antisemitism around the globe glorifying the October 7 attacks,” a flyer for the event says. “But these voices will never drown out those of Americans who stand against terror and with Israel.”

“Just as the American Jewish community and our allies spoke out with mass events in 1987 in support of Soviet Jewry and in 2002 in support of Israel during the Second Intifada, we are now in a similar moment where the American Jewish community and the American people are speaking out loudly and clearly in support off the people of Israel and demanding the unconditional return of the hostages,” he said.

Hamas terrorists killed 1,400 people, most of them civilians, wounded thousands and abducted more than 200 in their Oct. 7 raid.

Since then, Israel has launched counterstrikes and more than 10,000 Gaza residents have been killed, according to the Hamascontrolled Gaza health ministry, among them 3,000 children. It is not known what portion of that number are civilians, and what portion have been killed by rockets launched by Palestinian militants that have fallen short of Gaza’s border with Israel.

The rally follows mass pro-Palestinian demonstrations in cities around the world, including in Washington on Saturday,

of religious beliefs.”

Much of the motion addresses the racial composition of the jury, arguing that some of the court’s decisions to strike particular jurors — including four Black jurors, a Hispanic juror and a Jewish juror — were improper.

Motions for acquittal and for a new trial are common after a conviction. Prosecutors will respond to the motion and the judge will rule sometime in 2024. PJC — Toby Tabachnick and aims to show that Israel enjoys just as much support.

“We’ve all heard voices of hatred and antisemitism around the globe glorifying the October 7 attacks,” a flyer for the event says. “But these voices will never drown out those of Americans who stand against terror and with Israel.”

Daroff and Fingerhut said there were no confirmed speakers yet, although they had invited lawmakers and officials from the Biden administration at the highest level.

They said that although their organizations were leading the effort, they were asking groups to put out the word in their own name about the rally, which will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. near the U.S. Capitol. (Hundreds of protesters affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist group, were arrested there last month while calling for a ceasefire.) Some groups, including the Conservative movement, had already done so as of Monday. PJC Toby Tabachnick contributed to this report.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

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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.

Jewish community to stand together in solidarity.

The rally begins at 1 p.m., at or near the National Mall. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will charter buses for community members. More information is forthcoming.

q SATURDAY, NOV. 11 Tree of Life presents the West Point Jewish Chapel Choir performing a special Veteran’s Day concert.

Following the concert, there will be a dessert reception and coffee bar. 7 p.m. $25 at the door. Calvary Episcopal Church, 315 Shady Ave. treeoflifepgh.org/ event/westpointconcert.

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/the-jewish-calendar.

q SUNDAY, NOV. 12 Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill and gather with teen girls from the neighborhood to bake desserts for Our Giving Kitchen at Treats by Teens. 3:30 p.m. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. q SUNDAYS, NOV. 12 – 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, NOV. 12 – 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, NOV. 13, 20 Explore the rich stories of our matriarchs with Mrs. Rovky Herman during Chabad of Squirrel Hill’s Torah and Tea. 7 p.m. $!8. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. q MONDAYS, NOV. 13 – 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 MONDAYS, NOV. 13 – DEC. 18 Join Congregation Beth Shalom for a weekly Talmud study. 9:15 a.m. For more information, visit bethshalompgh.org. q MONDAYS, NOV. 13 – 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, NOV. 14 Jewish Federations of North America is organizing a mass gathering in Washington, D.C. to support Israel and provide an opportunity for the American

Join Temple Sinai for Songs of Hope with Cantor David Reinwald and author James Grymes, author of the book “Violins of Hope.” Several songs from the Holocaust will be performed by Reinwald, as well as on instruments from the Violins of Hope collection. Free and open to the public. 7 p.m. templesinaipgh.org/event/songsofhope23.html.

Women are invited to join Chabad of Squirrel Hill on Zoom for a Rosh Chodesh Gathering, as they explore words of wisdom for the month of Kislev. 7:30 p.m. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. q WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 Join AgeWell for an intergenerational family dynamics discussion group, led by intergenerational specialist/presenter and educator Audree Schall.

Third Wednesday of each month. Free. 12:30 p.m.

South Hills JCC. Join The Jewish Spark/The Jewish Sisterhood for Flavors of the World supporting Israel. Savor international appetizers, Israeli wines and cuisine from Israel, India, Iraq, Cuba, Turkey, Greece, Japan, Korea and the Dominican Republic prepared by Chef Kathy Mendelson Horne. 6:30 p.m. $70.

Riverside Event Center, 12 Washington Ave., Oakmont. thejewishspark.com/new-products-2/ sjs82dhdspknkb8w5u1f2a0azyiisv.

The Squirrel Hill AARP’s November meeting will feature Vice President Norman Candelora of Sarris Candies. He will share his many years with the company along with samples. The chapter is asking those who attend to bring individual wrapped snacks and/or small bottled water, which will be donated to Operation Outreach. 1 p.m. Rodef Shalom Congregation. For more information, call Marcia Kramer at 412-656-5803.

Join Classrooms Without Borders’ Jerusalem-based scholar, Avi Ben-Hur, for a weekly update on the situation in Israel. Avi’s expertise and extensive historical knowledge of the Arab-Israeli conflict will enable him to provide a nuanced and insightful analysis on the complexities of the war.

As a longtime resident of Jerusalem, Avi is also experiencing the war on the home front and will

helping you plan for what matters the most

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Michael H. Marks, Esq.

412-421-8944

4231 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

q WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 15 – 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. jewishpgh.org/event/the-god-class/2023-09-27.

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.

Join Chabad of Pittsburgh for The World of Kabbalah, a 6-week JLI course. Discover the core mystical and spiritual teachings of Kabbalah and their relevance to everyday life. You’ll learn to think like a Jewish mystic and gain powerful insights to fuel deeper self-understanding and personal growth. Curious why there’s so much buzz around Kabbalah? Discover it for yourself by attending The World of Kabbalah with Rabbi Yisroel Altein. 7:30 p.m. $90/course.

1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. q WEDNESDAYS, NOV. 15 – 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, NOV. 15 – 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/ melton-ethics-crossroads. q THURSDAY, NOV. 16 Women are invited to bake festive fall challahs with Chabad of Squirrel Hill at Loaves of Gratitude.

7 p.m. $12. 1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. q FRIDAY, NOV. 17 Temple Sinai presents a Tot Shabbat with Cantor David Reinwald. Snacks and fun at 5 p.m. Service starts at 5:30 p.m. Complimentary kid-friendly dinner at 5:45 p.m. Ages 0-5. Contact Danie Oberman to register: 412-421-9715, ext. 121, or Danie@templesinaiPGH.org. q SATURDAY, NOV. 18 Join Chabad of the South Hills for C-Teen, Jr. for Jewish tweens grades 6-8, at Top Golf. 6:30 p.m. $15/Early Bird; $10 until Nov. 12. 400 Presto-Sygan Road, 15017. For more information, contact Rabbi Levi Rosenblum, rabbilevi@chabadsh.com.chabadsh.com. q SUNDAY, NOV. 19 Oh! What a Night! “The Clergy Boys” is a funny, heartwarming musical tribute about four good kids who went rogue and became cantors. Join Congregation Beth Shalom for strolling supper and cocktails before the show at 6 p.m. or just come at 7:30 p.m. for the show. This is the congregation’s annual Come Together Gala fundraiser honoring Terry and Kenny Steinberg. Tickets and info at bethshalompgh.org. q THURSDAY, NOV. 30 Chabad of Squirrel Hill presents A Celebration of Light, an evening of women’s song and stories exploring the gift of Chassidism. 7 p.m. $10.

1700 Beechwood Blvd. chabadpgh.com. PJC

Join the Chronicle Book Club!

T

he Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle invites you to join the Chronicle Book Club for its Dec. 17 discussion of Senior Staff Writer David Rullo’s new book, “Gen X Pittsburgh: The Beehive and the ’90s Scene.”

The discussion will take place in person at noon at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Squirrel Hill. A Zoom link will also be available.

About the book: “Beginning in the early 1990s, Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood began to transform from the post-industrial morass it had been suffering for the last few decades. Artists began to rent empty apartments, what were once shot-and-a-beer bars became hip dive bars and entrepreneurs found inexpensive real estate to follow their visions. It was in this landscape that the Beehive Coffeehouse began to attract a new '90s alternative crowd. The South Side Beehive...was where the night often began, and weekends ended.”

Come meet the author and hear more about this thoroughly engaging story.

Email: Contact us at drullo@pittsburgh jewishchronicle.org, and write “Chronicle Book Club” in the subject line to register.

Specify if you will be attending in person or would like to participate online. Registration closes on Dec. 14.

Happy reading! PJC — Toby Tabachnick

Your Hosts:

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

www.marks-law.com

offer a personal perspective on cultural and societal attitudes and reactions as the war continues. 2 p.m. cwbpgh.org/event/israel-update-with-avi-ben-hur-10.

michael@marks-law.com member, national academy of elder law attorneys

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

What To Do

Buy: “Gen X Pittsburgh: The Beehive and the '90s Scene.” It is available at most local book stores, from online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and through the Carnegie Library system.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Headlines Posters: Continued from page 4

of the hostage posters was a grassroots effort, but he now believes it to be coordinated.

He noted that while the JGSA followed the rules and put its organization’s name on the posters, whoever ripped them down, and put up their own, hasn’t obeyed the university’s regulations.

Some students on campus don’t understand that Hamas is a terrorist organization, he said.

“They won’t put a connection with someone screaming ‘Free Palestine’ the day after a terrorist attack, to them supporting Hamas — and I think that’s what they’re missing,” he said. “That’s what they are missing on campuses around the country.”

Peter Kerwin, CMU’s director of media relations, said that the school’s student affairs team received reports of posters being removed against the rules and immediately reported it to the Carnegie Mellon police for investigation. Any violations, he said, would be referred to the student conduct process.

CMU’s leadership and staff, Kerwin said, continue to provide support and resources to Jewish students and others impacted by the Hamas/Israel conflict. The university, he said, is working closely with Hillel JUC and Chabad leadership.

University police are providing enhanced coverage on campus, and CMU is offering outreach to students to help them feel supported and secure.

On Nov. 14, CMU will launch a series dedicated to combating antisemitism through education and conversation with keynote speaker Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, who was held hostage in his Colleyville, Texas, synagogue by a terrorist sympathizer in 2022.

Posters of Israeli hostages have also been torn down on the University of Pittsburgh campus. Some of these instances were caught on video.

Sofia Rubin said that she and a few other Jewish students put up flyers of the hostages on Oct. 31, affixing them on crosswalk poles and other designated areas. The group, she explained, used extra tape, so that it would be difficult to remove them.

“The sad thing is, we had the expectation that these were probably going to get torn down because that’s what we’re seeing at college campuses all over the country,” she said.

By Nov. 1, most of the posters were removed.

But Rubin witnessed someone tearing down a poster as she made her way across campus with a friend and recorded it.

“I was so angry my legs were shaking,” she said. “My friend tried to ask her why she was doing this and is it bad that Jews are being slaughtered. Her response was ‘But what about the Palestinians?’”

The event was repeated last weekend.

On Sunday, Rubin said she saw people near another pole appearing to touch the hostages’ faces, an action she thought was being done in solidarity with the hostages. She was aghast when she saw that those at the pole were actually tearing down the posters.

“I got out my phone and started to record.

I was like, ‘Do you condemn Hamas and their slaughter of Jews?’ and all the guy would say is, ‘I’m against genocide.’”

Several other posters, she said, were defaced with the phrase “Free Palestine.”

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Chabad House on Campus Co-Director Sara Weinstein said that the organization has had regular conversations with Pitt’s administration. She called the relationship “crucial.”

“I think they feel like their hands are tied,” Weinstein said. “We’re disappointed they aren’t doing more to prevent negativity and anti-Israel and antisemitic rallies. We are standing up against that. We’ve made certain suggestions, and we will follow up.”

She said it’s unfortunate that Jewish students question their security following these types of incidents.

Jared Stonesifer, a Pitt spokesperson, said that the university has a written policy on temporary signage, and that its officials recognize the elevated concerns of the community.

“The Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and the Division of Student Affairs are both reaching out to various faith communities and ethnic groups — and listening to the issues that different members of our community are raising and sharing information about available resources,” Stonesifer said.

The University’s Office of Public Safety and Emergency Management, he added, has been in regular contact with leaders of religious and cultural organizations to discuss safety and security needs.

“We also maintain a security presence at all demonstrations and rallies, speak regularly with concerned parents and religious and cultural leaders to discuss our safety protocols, and coordinate with local, state and federal law enforcement,” he said.

Dan Marcus, Hillel JUC’s executive director, hasn’t been directly involved with the poster incidents but said he, too, is in talks with the university officials.

“Hillel JUC is constantly supporting and nurturing Jewish students and in communication with senior administrators at CMU and Pitt,” he said.

“We’re here,” Marcus said, stressing that tearing down the posters is unacceptable and that the incidents were reported to the proper authorities.

Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Security Director Shawn Brokos said universities are situated on private properties, which means the response is different than what it would be on public property, where there would be a police investigation following a vandalism complaint.

She said that the universities are investigating and that, at least at CMU, the university’s police are involved.

It’s important to remain vigilant, Brokos said.

“Walk in pairs, not alone. If you see something, call 911 immediately,” she said. “What we’re seeing on college campuses is escalating faster than what we’re seeing throughout the community.”

Both Silverman and Weinstein are quick to note that despite the recent antisemitic incidents, the best way to battle darkness is to bring more light.

Sofia Rubin agrees.

She is planning an event in Schenley Plaza where an empty Shabbat table of 240 settings was set up last week.

“We’re going to have 1,500 flameless votive candles under the tent and factual signs around the tent to commemorate the memory of the 1,500 Israelis murdered,” she said. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023 7

Headlines One local man’s efforts to raise awareness of the hostages: billboards — WORLD —

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

A

Pittsburgh-based criminal defense lawyer says he’s doing his part to raise awareness about the hundreds of civilians that Hamas terrorists kidnapped in Israel on Oct. 7.

Attorney George Heym, who’s practiced for some 15 years, is paying to run 10 electronic billboards around the clock throughout southwestern Pennsylvania, mostly in Allegheny County, sharing names and photographs of those abducted by Hamas. He’s financing the project out of his own pocket.

The billboards, which feature an image of a kidnapped civilian along with the texts “Kidnapped by Hamas” and “Bring them home,” have been shown at least 15,000 times in 10 days and received nearly 115,000 impressions, Heym said.

“The billboards aren’t really aimed at the Jewish community,” Heym told the Chronicle. “The Jewish community knows what’s going on, (but) there are a lot of people that are being lied to.”

“My goal is to inform the general public that this is still going on — these people are still being held hostage,” he added. “These people are living through a hell most of us couldn’t conceive.”

Heym has circulated online a video showing college-aged students tearing down flyers about the kidnapped, many of them bearing the familiar red and white bars, near

p An image of a hostage on one of the billboards

Image courtesy of George Heym

“My goal is to inform the general public that this is still going on — these people are still being held hostage ... These people are living through a hell most of us couldn’t conceive.”

– GEORGE HEYM

the University of Pittsburgh’s campus.

He calls the trend, which has been spotted in many cities, “very disheartening.”

“The people that are tearing these down, they’re saying, ‘Your life doesn’t matter.’

‘Jewish lives don’t matter,’” Heym said. “It’s not as easy to tear down billboards.”

Many of the billboards are in hightraffic areas, one near the intersection of Castle Shannon Boulevard and Library

p Images from the billboards

Road in Pittsburgh’s South Hills, Heym said. One is located in McKeesport, another near the Boston Bridge, which spans the Youghiogheny River and connects Versailles and Elizabeth Township.

How long will Heym run the billboards?

“Honestly, as long as I can,” he said.

“Hopefully, until tomorrow — if they release the hostages, I’ll bring those billboards down.

“I would hope I don’t have a reason to run them.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh applauds citizen efforts to spread information about the conflict in the Middle East, spokesman Adam Hertzman said Monday.

“We have been really impressed with the outpouring of support and particularly the programs and events community volunteers have organized to raise awareness of the hostages kidnapped by terrorists,” Hertzman said. “Every day, more outreach seems to be popping up to try to bring these innocent civilians home.”

Heym previously sought elected office, running for a Common Pleas judgeship as recently as 2021. But he wants to make one thing clear: One has nothing to do with the other.

“This is not a political action,” Heym said. “It doesn’t mention politicians or anything. It’s purely informational.”

“We’re all doing what we can,” he added. “to help these people.” PJC

Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

Images courtesy of George Heym

JCC and Federation partner with organizations to support blood collection and supply in Israel — LOCAL —

T

he Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh are partnering with Vitalant and American Friends of Magen David Adom to host blood drives to ensure the local blood supply remains high in case blood needs to be transported to Israel.

These efforts are part of a tenure

Contingency Agreement in place since 2018 between U.S. blood centers and Magen David Adom.

“In Judaism it is a mitzvah to save a life,” said Laura Cherner, director of the Federation’s Community Relations Council. “Not only do these blood drives save lives but they also demonstrate solidarity with the people of Israel at this difficult time. I believe that this partnership will inspire a significant number of individuals who have never

donated blood before.”

The JCC has hosted nearly 100 blood drives in partnership with Vitalant over the past five years Three blood drives are scheduled for the following dates and locations: JCC Squirrel Hill, Katz Theater, 5738 Darlington Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 • Thursday, Nov. 30, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Tuesday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

JCC South Hills, gymnasium, 345 Kane Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15243

• Monday, Nov. 20, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Appointments are strongly encouraged.

To schedule an appointment: • Visit vitalant.org, click on the “Make an Appointment” button and search with group code UC189 for Squirrel Hill and UC438 for JCC South Hills • or download the Vitalant-Pittsburgh mobile app on your smartphone • or call 877.25. VITAL (877-258-4825). PJC — Toby Tabachnick

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 8

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

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Headlines — WORLD — Chile and Colombia call home their ambassadors from Israel

The presidents of Chile and Colombia both summoned home their ambassadors to Israel on Oct. 31, in a move that moves them closer to severing diplomatic relations over their fury at Israel’s retaliation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, JTA.org reported.

“Chile strongly condemns and observes with great concern that these military operations — which at this point in their development entail collective punishment of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza — do not respect fundamental norms of International Law, as demonstrated by the more than 8,000 civilian victims, mostly women and children,” President Gabriel Boric wrote in a statement, citing the casualty number reported by the Hamas-run Gazan healthy ministry.

Boric, a 37-year-old leftist elected last year, added that the Chilean government is calling for an immediate cessation of the fighting to allow for the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

His announcement drew immediate condemnation from Chilean Jews, a community he has had a tense relationship with before serving in his current office.

And Colombian President Gustavo Petro has posted a continual stream of pro-Palestinian content on X since the start of the war on Oct. 7. He has said Hamas is the “invention of Mossad to divide the Palestinian people” and compared Israel’s bombing of Gaza to Nazism.

Germany bans Hamas activities in wake of Oct. 7 massacre

Germany on Nov. 2 announced a complete ban on Hamas activities in the country, JNS.org reported.

Already designated a terror organization in Germany, Berlin moved to ban its activities following the Oct. 7 massacre of 1,400 Israelis.

“With Hamas, I have today completely banned the activities of a terrorist organization whose aim is to destroy the state of Israel,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said.

The German wing of Samidoun, a Palestinian organization with close ties with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group, will also be disbanded. Faeser said that Samidoun works under the guise of a solidarity group for Palestinian prisoners to spread antisemitic hate and anti-Israel propaganda.

“The holding of spontaneous ‘celebrations’ here in Germany in response to the terrible terrorist attacks of Hamas against Israel shows the antisemitic, inhuman worldview of Samidoun,” she said.

In other action, legislation under consideration by the Bundestag seeks to block antisemites from gaining German citizenship amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in the country following Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel.

Senate confirms Jack Lew as US ambassador to Israel

The U.S. Senate approved Jack Lew, the Jewish former treasury secretary, to be ambassador to Israel, a process that Democratic leaders sought to accelerate as Israel wages war with Hamas, JTA.org reported.

Today in Israeli History Nov. 13, 1949 — Shagar is born

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

Nov. 10, 1975 — U.N. defines Zionism as racism

The U.N. General Assembly passes Resolution 3379, defining Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination, in response to a Soviet propaganda effort supported by Arab, Muslim and Soviet bloc nations.

Nov. 11, 1973 — Israel, Egypt sign Kilometer 101 deal

Gens. Mohamed el-Gamasy of Egypt and Aharon Yariv of Israel complete 12 days of talks after the Yom Kippur War and sign the Kilometer 101 Six-Point Agreement, which includes U.N. supervision and POW exchanges.

Nov. 12, 2000 — Leah Rabin dies

p Leah and Yitzhak Rabin serve Israel in Washington in 1968 during his time as ambassador to the United States.

By Fritz Cohen, Israeli Government Press Office

Leah Rabin, a peace activist since the assassination of her husband, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, dies at 72, a few days after a mild heart attack.

She was born in Konigsberg, Germany, and made aliyah as a child.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

p Rabbi Shimon Gershon Rosenberg published at least 18 books.

Shimon Gershon Rosenberg, the Orthodox rabbi and Zionist philosopher known as Shagar, is born in Jerusalem.

Before being ordained in 1976, he served in the IDF as a paratrooper and tank crewman.

Nov. 14, 2012 — Airstrike launches Operation Pillar of Defense

Ahmed Jabbari, the Hamas military chief, is killed in an IDF airstrike on Gaza that marks the start of Operation Pillar of Defense, which aims to destroy rocket launchers persistently firing on southern Israel.

Nov. 15, 1948 — El Al is founded

El Al, from a Book of Hosea phrase meaning “to the skies,” is formally established as Israel’s national airline.

The first regular commercial service begins in July 1949 with weekly flights between Lod and Paris.

Nov. 16, 1947 — Kadima reaches Haifa

The Kadima, carrying 781 refugees to the Land of Israel despite a British ban, arrives in Haifa under escort by a British destroyer after being intercepted. The would-be immigrants are interned in Cyprus. PJC

The 53-43 vote was mostly along party lines, with two Republicans — Rand Paul and Lindsey Graham — joining 51 Democrats.

Both sides cited the urgency of the moment in making their cases. Democrats noted Lew’s close ties to Israel, and Republicans said his work on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal made him a poor choice during a time when Iranian proxy groups are engaging in direct warfare with Israel.

Sen. Ben Cardin, a Jewish Maryland Democrat who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Jewish Democrat who is the majority leader, rushed Lew’s nomination to the floor over Republican objections.

“The Senate has now taken an extremely important step in its support for Israel,” Schumer said after the vote. “This confirmation is as important and as timely as any confirmation in recent times.”

FBI director warns of increased threat of attacks amid ‘historic levels’ of antisemitism

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that antisemitism in the United States has reached “historic levels” in the wake of Israel’s war with Hamas and cautioned that the threat of attacks was high, JTA.org reported.

Hamas’ attacks could “serve as an inspiration the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago,” Wray said on Oct. 31 in testimony to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs committee.

He added that the FBI believes the greatest threat in the United States is “posed by lone actors.”

Wray noted in his testimony that while Jews account for less than 3% of the U.S. population, around 60% of religious-based hate crimes target Jews. Earlier in October, the Anti-Defamation League reported a 21% spike in antisemitic activity in the United States since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Feds charge Las Vegas man with making antisemitic death threats against Sen. Jacky Rosen

A Las Vegas man threatened to kill Sen. Jacky Rosen, the Nevada Jewish Democrat, federal officials said, lacing his threats with antisemitic invective and anger at her advocacy for Israel while it is at war with Hamas, JTA.org reported.

Between Oct. 11 and Oct. 19, John Anthony Miller, 44, left numerous threatening messages on the office phone of a Nevada U.S. senator, the Nevada U.S. attorney said in a statement on Oct. 30 announcing Miller’s arrest. On Oct. 17, “he threatened to assault, kidnap, or murder” her “with intent to impede, intimidate, or interfere” with her official duties, the statement said. The following day, he tried to enter a federal building where she keeps an office.

The statement and court papers filed on Oct. 27, when Miller appeared in court, do not name the senator, but Rosen’s office confirmed that she was the target.

Rosen, a former synagogue president, has been at the forefront of combating antisemitism and Israel advocacy in the Senate, chairing the Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism alongside Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford. PJC — Compiled by Andy Gotlieb

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9

Headlines Summerset: Continued from page 1

home, started his car and discovered the tire pressure was zero.

Along with lacerating Gluzman’s tires, vandals etched a profanity onto his vehicle.

“They took a knife and destroyed the right side of my car completely,” he said.

“I realized something was wrong, but I still didn’t see what was going on across the street at the gazebo because it was too dark,” he continued. “When I finally walked up here, I was just shocked.”

One spray-painted message read, “F--- ZIONISM.” Others read, “FREE PALESTINE,” “8k dead,” “TAKE YOUR MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE, and "I STAND WITH GAZA.” Other messages included “DEATH 2 AMERICA” and a homophobic vulgarity. The symbol for anarchism was spray-painted multiple times in the area.

“It’s terrible. It’s really terrible,” Marie Stapinski, Summerset neighborhood association president, said. “I don’t understand what’s accomplished by that sort of vandalism.”

The association contacted Pittsburgh police, shared photographs of the destruction then alerted the Urban Redevelopment Authority (the property’s owner), according to Stapinski.

“The City of Pittsburgh came out to begin the cleanup because it’s important to have this message removed as quickly as possible, especially considering that tonight is Halloween and this is a big night in our neighborhood,” she said.

Neighbors respond

While workers spent the morning treating the area with chemicals and sprays, neighbors gathered.

“It’s just an overwhelmingly terrible thing for the community,” Ray Baum, a Summerset resident and member of the Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition, said. “My parents are Holocaust survivors, and I think about this all the time. It digs at you.”

Erica Zimmerman, donning a Star of David necklace, said she never imagined something like this would happen outside her door.

Other Jewish Summerset residents agreed but asked to remain anonymous when speaking with the Chronicle.

“I don’t want to end up becoming more of a target than I feel like we already are, given that this is literally across the street from our house,” one person said.

“I am right now reliving my mother’s life, her nightmare of hiding from the Nazis in Paris, France,” another resident said. “It’s so disturbing and it’s so gut-wrenching to see that this is happening again, in our country, in our city, in our community. It’s just horrible and I just want to know when is it ever going to stop? When are they ever going to leave us alone? I’m feeling insecure and not safe in my own neighborhood. That’s how I’m feeling. That I’ve been sent back to 1937 in Germany.”

Summerset resident David Silverman said he was incredulous that the Hamas “atrocities” of Oct. 7 didn’t deter hatred of Jews.

“There’s more antisemitism now, as a result of what you would think would make people sympathize with Israel and the Jewish people,” he said. “There seems to be the opposite effect.”

seeing, is the reaction to it, how people are perceiving it,” Lee told the Chronicle when asked about messaging directly targeting the Jewish community, such as “F--- ZIONISM.” When asked whether the messages that were spray-painted in Summerset, on yard signs in Squirrel Hill and outside Allderdice

“This is what the Jewish community has been saying all along, that anytime there is violence in Israel, there is an increase in antisemitism in the United States.”

–LAURA CHERNER

Antisemitism is increasing

Just five days before the Summerset incidents, yard signs demonstrating support for Israel were vandalized in Squirrel Hill. At Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, “FREE PALESTINE PGH→GAZA” was spray-painted on an outside wall.

“As horrifying as it is — that there’s antisemitic graffiti happening in this community — I’m not surprised,” Laura Cherner, director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, said. “This is what the Jewish community has been saying all along, that anytime there is violence in Israel, there is an increase in antisemitism in the United States.”

Of the 312 antisemitic incidents recorded by the Anti-Defamation League between Oct. 7-23, 190 were “directly linked” to the war in Israel and Gaza. Preliminary data from the New York-based organization suggests that reported incidents of harassment, vandalism and assault increased by 388% over the same period last year.

Steve Irwin, chair of the Anti-Defamation League’s Cleveland region, which includes Pittsburgh, visited Summerset later that morning.

“What’s clear here today is that anti-Israel activists are taking vandalism to a whole new level,” Irwin said. “By targeting a community that was traumatized by the mass shooting at the Tree of Life building just five years ago, by targeting a community that continues to be traumatized by ongoing hatred and antisemitism, these messages leave people feeling under siege and threatened.”

Rep. Summer Lee weighs in

As city workers continued washing away the spray-painted vulgarities, U.S. Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12) arrived in Summerset.

“I don’t assume to know who did this, or why they did this or what their motive was, but I think that what we can see, what we are

were antisemitic, Lee replied, “I don’t know who spray-painted them or why.”

Asked again if the messages were antisemitic, Lee said that “motive matters.”

“I think that motive matters and perception,” she said. “If people are perceiving it that way, then that matters and we need to take that into account — I do. Do I know who spray-painted that? I think that when I saw 'Free Palestine,' I think that what they’re saying is that this is unjust; the reaction is happening. I think that they are mourning and grieving and trying to use the only voice that they have to bring attention to the fact that 8,000 innocent Palestinians have been killed. And that balance is growing in the West Bank….And we can also say that our Israeli community is important, that our Jewish community is important, that those lives that we mourn and that we grieve also were important. That the cause of that needs to be eradicated. I believe that we can do — not can — I believe we must do both.”

She acknowledged that “rhetoric online all around is terrible,” and decried the lack of support for Palestinian, Muslim and Arab communities.

“Right now, we have a lot of people who are rightfully calling out antisemitism, who are calling out hateful rhetoric against our Jewish communities but aren’t doing the same for our Muslim Arab and Palestinian communities,” Lee said. “We can and we have to do both.”

She said that her rhetoric has “been consistent.”

“My rhetoric from day one has consistently been to say that we want to protect life, that we want to value life, that we want to hold people who are taking advantage, or harming life, we want to hold them accountable,” she said. “But that we want to fight for the living, while we mourn, when we grieve those who have passed. That’s been my rhetoric from day one.”

Last week, Lee was one of only 10 House

members to vote against a resolution condemning the deadly invasion of Israel

by Hamas on Oct. 7, which launched Israel’s current war against the terror group in Gaza.

She is one of only 17 members of the House supporting a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. That resolution does not mention Hamas terrorism.

In a prepared statement issued later on Oct. 31, Lee said “the vandalism and antisemitic targeting of a Jewish community member’s property in Frick Park as we commemorate 5 years since the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting is completely unacceptable and wrong.

I condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms. I will continue doing everything in my power to fight back against hate and ensure our Jewish community feels safe and protected.”

Language matters, community matters

Antisemitism must be called out unambiguously, regardless of its source, said Cherner, the Federation’s CRC director.

“For those who are hesitant to call this graffiti antisemitic, that perpetuates the harmful narrative that antisemitism can only be from white supremacists,” she said. “The reality is antisemitism can come from all sides of the extremist political spectrum.

Obviously, language matters. Impact on communities matter. And for those who would so flippantly put graffiti in a predominantly Jewish area without having ‘intentions’ behind it, it still causes extreme harm to the community. So while intention does matter, I think words also matter, and they’re speaking much louder.”

Shawn Brokos, the Federation’s director of community security, said that despite the antisemitic vandalism, Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is “safe.”

“There are individuals who are looking to exploit the war in Israel and create fear,” she said. “But please know our community is safe. There are no known threats directed at the community, even though events like graffiti and vandalism make it feel that way.

Right now, there is tremendous fear and anxiety, which is understandable, but at the end of the day, we have to separate fear from actual real threats.

“I’m not going to discredit the fear — I feel it as well,” Brokos continued. Still, community members should understand that “the root of who is doing this is to create fear, and not to physically harm individuals.

“I’m not asking for that to comfort anybody who has experienced any previous [incidents], but I think it’s important to keep in mind that our security infrastructure works. We have great collaboration with law enforcement and leaders, and we are working hand-in-hand to ensure the community’s safety.”

The graffiti was removed. Police are investigating the incident.

Later that day, children arrived for trick-ortreating at Summerset. PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org 10

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

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Headlines Koolulam: Continued from page 1

and was sponsored by StandWithUs and Koolulam and co-sponsored by Adat Shalom and Beth El Congregation of the South Hills.

Adi Perlman, who calls herself a “Koolulam groupie,” first learned of the event through the organization’s newsletter.

They were looking for choirs and leaders from around the world.

“I was like, ‘I’m not a very musical person, but I love singing and I love Koolulam, and I’m just going to start doing this,’” Perlman said.

Perlman reached out to her friend Naama Perel-Tzadok, who contacted Berman.

Both Perel-Tzadok and Berman served as choir directors and Eileen Freedman accompanied the group, which sang to a backing track of the original song.

“The past 10 days have been spent finding a venue and coordinating,” Perlman said.

“Things kind of fell into place.”

Perel-Tzadok said that she is a musician, composer and choir director. She sings with Berman in a Jewish women’s a cappella group. She said that she has worked on similar projects in the past, but nothing of the scope of Koolulam.

Her involvement, she said, was “a way of action.”

“It really helps people to feel like you’re doing something,” she said. “It’s very simple but it’s active and it allows people who want to be active to do something. Music is my tool.”

Children: Continued from page 2

developed a curriculum to help educators in their discussions about the conflict.

Titled, “How does a State Fight a Moral War,” the 40-page document, 20-slide PowerPoint and 14-minute video addresses the “devastating consequences” of Oct. 7.

p Eileen Freedman, Lynn Berman, Naama Perel-Tzadok, Adi Perlman and Julie Paris at a Koolulam event Nov. 5 in support of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas.

Photo courtesy of Julie Paris

Temple Sinai Rabbi Emeritus Jamie Gibson opened the event by reading Psalm 20 before Sara Stock Mayo led those in attendance in a rendition of “Hatikvah.”

StandWithUs Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Julie Paris told the crowd that this Koolulam recording is different from every project the group has previously worked on

because “we are in a situation that we have never been in before.”

Paris went on to explain that they hoped to empower the families of the estimated 240 hostages held in Gaza for more than 30 days.

“We will raise them up and support them and harvest our energy to bring their families back home,” she said.

Paris noted that the hostages include citizens of 33 countries, 38 children, Holocaust survivors, mothers, fathers, grandparents and Israeli soldiers.

“In 30 days, we have not had one bit of information about them, including proof of life,” she said.

Her voice heavy with emotion, Paris echoed the thoughts of many in the crowd, saying the pain of not knowing is "unbearable."

By combining with the 100 other communities around the world, Paris said, the Pittsburgh community is unifying in one voice to pray and stand together proudly.

Paris highlighted the lives of several hostages taken by Hamas terrorists before explaining that Hamas’ charter calls for a “free Palestine from the river to the sea, by any means necessary.”

She urged those in attendance to not only add their voice to the Koolulam recording but to also reach out to their representatives in the U.S. Senate and House, who, she said, are hearing from anti-Israel activists.

For Berman, creating the video with communities across the globe is focusing a light where it needs to be.

“To know that they’re doing it in many other cities and they’re doing it in Israel feels like a worldwide effort of support for the hostages,” Berman said. PJC David Rullo can be reached at drullo@ pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

weeks are nothing new, she explained: “They reflect age-old struggles for justice, peace and understanding, requiring actors to consider the heavy tolls and mighty benefits of any particular course of action.”

Lukaszewicz said the educational materials, which include “a rubric, learning standards and norms for civil discourse,” are being piloted by three area schools. And though “the question

Creating space for conversation can lead to unanswerable questions, but that’s OK. An alternative — where avoidance is adopted — isn’t necessarily ideal, Moore explained.

Since Hamas attacked Israel last month, there’s been “tremendous suffering, not only upon innocent citizens of both Israel and Gaza but also on the human spirit,” Lukaszewicz said. Educators have a responsibility to make clear that Hamas’ actions “cannot be conflated with the entire Gazan or Palestinian populations.”

Underscoring this distinction is one of the curriculum’s aims, but there’s another takeaway.

The “ethical dilemmas” raised in recent

of mitigating human suffering during war is an evergreen,” there’s an immediate opportunity to positively impact children.

The last month has given teachers and parents a chance to “open minds and hearts,” she said. By approaching the war’s complexities with wisdom, empathy and facts, everyone can “contribute to a more informed, compassionate and harmonious future.” PJC Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.

p When finding words is difficult, putting art on a page can be helpful.

Image from Kelly Moore's altered journal courtesy of Allie Amoayee

www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

11

Opinion Jews worldwide haven’t been this fearful in living memory — EDITORIAL — The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle joins with Jewish media outlets around the globe in publishing this open letter, an initiative of the Jewish News in London and the Jerusalem Post.

T

wo decades ago, the former British Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks astutely likened antisemitism to a constantly evolving virus. One that, in the modern era, specifically targets the Jewish nation-state.

He aptly described this prejudice as a deeply ingrained malignancy, perpetually lingering beneath the surface of society. For many of us in the global Jewish community, the great man’s words were not merely a statement of truth but also a stark reminder. Until recent days, the extent and intensity of this virulent strain of hatred were tragically underestimated.

While the need for stringent security measures at schools and synagogues has long been a familiar reality, the realization that such profound levels of hatred and indifference to the threat exist on a global scale has been a devastating shock.

We dared to hope such malevolence had been relegated to the annals of history.

Today, in an unprecedented moment in Jewish history, we unite as Jewish news outlets spanning borders, continents, and religious affiliations to issue this open letter — something we never envisioned as necessary or even conceivable.

The events of recent weeks have surpassed even the somber portrayal offered by Rabbi Sacks all those years ago. Some of those who propagate hatred, concealing their prejudice under the veneer of being “anti-Israel,” no

How do I cope?

Guest Columnist Rabbi Henoch Rosenfeld

“R

abbi, this is too much for me to handle.”

“Rabbi, why is this happening?”

“Rabbi, how will this end?”

These are just some of the questions posed to me over the last few weeks since Oct. 7.

The truth is, I wish I had the answers.

I wish there were a simple and obvious way to understand the evils of the world around us, the atrocities committed against our people in Israel, and the antisemitism that has been rapidly spreading across the United States and elsewhere in the West.

The inability of leaders and politicians, including some local ones, to condemn antisemitism and unequivocally support Israel’s war of self-defense has been heartbreaking and at times frightening and debilitating.

But then last week, I attended a birthday party.

Not just any birthday party. This was the 90th birthday of my wife’s Zaidy, Rabbi Nissan Mangel.

Zaidy Mangel is one of the youngest survivors 12

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

longer find it necessary to obscure their malice.

We’ve witnessed raw hatred against Jews in cities across the globe.

In Dagestan, a mob ran toward planes on a runway to check passengers’ passports, hunting for disembarking Jews.

In Sydney, when authorities lit the famous Opera House in Israel’s colors, a crowd sang “Gas the Jews.”

In Lyon France, a woman was stabbed at her home, and a swastika was spray-painted on her front door.

In London, red paint was daubed on Jewish school doors and the Wiener Holocaust Library.

In Berlin, Magen Davids have been spraypainted on homes, a haunting echo of scenes in that German city 90 years ago.

On an American campus, students have openly chanted for Jewish genocide and celebrated the “martyrs” who butchered Jewish children in their beds on Oct 7.

This is not a call for two states living side by side in peace. This is not legitimate opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

How could we have been so blind to this malignancy in our midst?

And yet, all that we have seen so far isn’t even our worst fear. Our gravest concerns lie in what the future may hold.

Meanwhile, some world leaders act as cheerleaders, sometimes inadvertently but at other times, not. Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro said: “If I had lived in Germany of 1933, I would have fought on the side of the Jewish people, and if I had lived in Palestine in 1948, I would have fought on the Palestinian side.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “Hamas is not a terrorist organization.”

The head of the UN, Antonio Guterres, said 10/7 “didn’t happen in a vacuum.”

No, it didn’t, Mr. Guterres. It required

decades of indoctrination, years of holding up terrorists as heroes to be lionized, a sure way to fame and, often, fortune, and the presence of a terrorist organization whose central aim is to wipe Israel — and every one of our a Jewish family and friends — off the face of the earth.

Have no doubt, that Hamas is cheering those “from the river to the sea” chants because a Palestine between the river to the sea leaves not a single inch for Israel.

Why do so many still seek to deny what’s in Hamas’ own charter?

And why are so many good people still silent when cheerleaders for terrorists decide the worst massacre of our co-religionists since the Holocaust is a good moment to open up a second, global front targeting Jews on campus, at work, on the streets and at home?

Clearly not everyone marching under the Palestinian flag fantasizes about our deaths or the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state.

But please, try to understand that whether it’s one person, 100 people, or 10,000, the chilling impact of seeing so many people echo and excuse hateful chants is profound.

It’s not easy to speak on behalf of Jews in one country, never mind the world, nor do we purport to. As journalists, we report, opine and comment. But the level of fear among our readers is like nothing in memory. It feels like those two equilateral triangles that combine to form our beloved Star of David represent a six-pointed target.

This is heightened by the fact there will be those who dismiss every word in this piece as having been written in bad faith, part no doubt of our supposed control of power and the media that has manipulated their warped minds.

There will also be Jews who tell you this article doesn’t speak for them. Before those in the media feel the urge to put them on the airwaves

in an attempt at “balance,” please first ask for an ounce of proof that they represent more than a tiny band of misfits. Some are more likely to stand alongside the Iranian regime that is so despised by much of the Muslim world than they would with most Jews.

Please don’t, however, mistake this growing fear for a lack of determination to fight our corner as citizens deserving of support and protection in our home nations, or doubt our solidarity as a people numbering just 16 million. In fact, we’ve never been so determined, so energized, so united and so proud, as highlighted by the huge uptick in sales of Stars of David. The incredible response in holding rallies, supporting charities and fighting running battles on social media is something that will remain a source of pride for as long as those horrific images from Kibbutz Beeri and the peace rave remain in our minds.

This unity has been a light in the darkness.

Another has been the support, publicly and sometimes not, of our real friends in all communities. Again, we will never ever forget this.

Our collective Jewish heart bleeds for the families of those who lost relatives in the Hamas atrocities and those facing agonizing waits for news of the kidnapped men, women and children. Whether directly or not directly, many of our readers will be connected to these innocents. But our hearts bleed too for the innocents killed in Gaza as a result of this entirely unnecessary war launched by Hamas.

Over the unbearably painful days ahead, we — as providers of news for secular or religious Jews, those who frequently critique Israeli policy and those who don’t, those who see Israel ad central to their identity, and those who are drawn nearer by crises such as this — call on the world to listen and treat us as you would want to be treated.

It shouldn’t be too much to ask. PJC

of Auschwitz. In honor of his 90th birthday and nearly 80 years since his liberation, Zaidy celebrated by taking his entire family to see the site of the inferno that he emerged from.

So, together with my wife, Sarah, and our five children, and more than 90 cousins, aunts and uncles, we made the journey to Poland to celebrate Zaidy.

A somber place for a celebration you may be thinking. Well, I thought that, too, at first. But then, there at Auschwitz, a factory of horrors and inhumanity, Zaidy told an incredible counter-narrative story of miracles.

Right there at the location of the infamous selection that sent millions to their deaths, Zaidy turned to us and said, “Do you understand what a miracle it was that I was chosen for life? No adult thought they would survive the selection, let alone a child. Do you see the miracle?”

At the location of Dr Joseph Mengele’s infamous experiment infirmary, Zaidy continued, “Anyone that went into this so-called hospital knew that this was their end. Do you see how G-d saved me? Not once, but twice I was in this infirmary and I emerged unscathed.

Children, do you see the miracle? Mengele is gone and we are here!”

Standing at the remnants of the gas chambers that consumed over a million souls, Zaidy would not claim the victimhood he

rightfully earned. Instead, he said: “Look here! Whoever walked into these ovens was never seen again! I was inside these gas chambers, and G-d saved me. Do you see why we need to thank Him?” Like this it went, on and on, which got me thinking. Is this the secret to Zaidy’s unlikely survival?

Was Zaidy among the relatively few who survived the horrors of the Holocaust because, throughout the misery, he clung firmly to his faith and belief that everything comes from G-d, and accepted with humility that we cannot understand His ways. Because he trusted in Him, his eyes were open to notice the miracles he experienced in Auschwitz and was thankful for them all the while.

As we face a historic rise in antisemitism, are we noticing the miracles of our survival today as they play out in real time? If we are to emerge stronger from the horrific circumstances of today, we must open ourselves up to experiencing the miracles of our existence.

The daily stories that are emerging from war in Israel. The miracle of unprecedented Jewish unity that has solidified in the last few weeks.

The miracle of Jewish observance which has dramatically increased as a result of the unity we are experiencing.

Once we open our eyes to the miracles around us, we can then be thankful to G-d

for them. And of course, we can demand some more.

How do we do that? Let’s start by showing some appreciation.

Double down on your Jewish pride. Instead of taking down your mezuzah, find a friend who does not have one and encourage them to put one up. Wrap tefillin, light Shabbat candles or find another mitzvah that you connect with and do it publicly. And all the while, remind G-d that we expect more miracles because we know He can do it.

When we arrived at Auschwitz, Zaidy pointed to the cattle car that transported scores of Jews in the most inhumane fashion. Packed in the ventless moving prison, many did not survive even the journey to Auschwitz. Standing there at the location of his disembarkment from the cattle car, Zaidy proclaimed, “Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the universe, Who performed a miracle for me at this location!”

Because, indeed, Zaidy saw a miracle in his arrival at Auschwitz.

If there is a miracle to be found in arriving at Auschwitz in 1944, we can find the miracles today.

When we are thankful for them, we become worthy of even more. PJC

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Rabbi Henoch Rosenfeld is the director of Chabad Young Professionals of Pittsburgh.

PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

Opinion Chronicle poll results: Student demonstrations in support of Hamas

L

ast week, the Chronicle asked its readers in an electronic poll the following question: “Should universities prohibit student demonstrations supporting Hamas?”

Of the 329 people who responded, 69% said yes; 24% said no; and 7% said they didn’t know. Comments were submitted by 152 people. A few follow.

Supporting terrorists of any kind has no business on a college campus.

Free speech. Everyone is capable of saying something that offends others. Should Kahanists be banned as well? The price you pay for living in a democracy is this: Everyone gets to say what they think. No matter how stupid or offensive it may be. If what is being said offends you, move on.

Should universities prohibit student demonstrations supporting Hamas?

7% Don’t know

24% No

If a university would ban the Klan, ISIS, Westboro Baptist (anti-LGBTQ), pro-Putin groups, etc., then it must also ban Hamas.

If a university permits all free speech regardless of content, it shouldn’t single out Hamas for special treatment.

69% Yes

Other hate speech is prohibited. Why are the rules always different for Jews?

Students should have the freedom of speech to demonstrate for their beliefs.

However, universities must act to stop the intense rise in antisemitism on college campuses. Sharing one’s thoughts is not the same as threatening the life of another person. Never again should such

knew the truth, they would demonstrate in favor of Israel.

It is a given that we all support the First Amendment. But even that sacrosanct law has its limitations. Yelling “fire” in a theater pales in comparison to the antagonistic shouting, homicidal threats and intimidating protests that Students for Justice in Palestine, Hamas fans and other Iranian proxies are doing to scare young Jews on campuses everywhere. Antisemitic terrorism in the guise of freedom of speech student demonstrations should undeniably be prohibited!

blatant antisemitism be permitted to taint our society.

Universities should educate their students in the true history of Israel. If they

It is important to prohibit Hamas demonstrations as it is a terrorist organization and it has been so classified by the U.S. Be careful about limiting freedom of speech to other, peaceful, organizations, which have the right to protest.

Although I do generally support a person’s

right to free speech, Hamas is a terrorist organization that is committed to ridding the land entirely of Jews. That’s called genocide. When a group identifies itself as such, they lose the right to spread their filth and lies.

There are ways to support the Palestinian people that don’t involve eradication of the only Jewish state in the world.

This barbarian violence has opened the floodgates for all latent antisemites to openly relieve their hitherto suppressed hatred covered until now with a veneer of “civility.”

Hamas is a designated terrorist organization. Federal law has interpreted marketing and advocacy for terrorist organizations as “material assistance,” and the Patriot Act clearly outlaws material assistance in furtherance of terrorism. Hamas should in no way whatsoever enjoy First Amendment protection because support for it is support for incitement to genocide. PJC

Chronicle weekly poll question: Do some politicians’ calls for an immediate ceasefire without conditions in the Hamas/ Israel war put Jews in jeopardy? Go to pittsburghjewishchronicle.org to respond. PJC

— LETTERS — Criticism of clergy’s open letter to Summer Lee

I am a Jew, a Zionist and mom to a daughter married to a sabra and who made aliyah.

I, like all Jews, remain horrified and anguished in the wake of Hamas’ condemnable massacre. Those actions were beyond unambiguously deplorable. Unquestionably, Israel must take appropriate measures to destroy Hamas’ ability to repeat its monstrous crimes.

It is also unbearably painful to me that most of the 2.3 million Gazans, like every murdered, injured and kidnapped Israeli, are innocent human beings. I am heartbroken that a reported 10,000 Palestinians, including 4,000 children, already killed in the resulting war did not deserve to die. It is alarming and reprehensible to me that blameless Gazans have been deprived of all basic necessities of life for weeks, and face continued unimaginable suffering and death as a result of the Israeli war.

My profound distress about these Palestinian civilians, victims of both Hamas’ and Israel’s actions, arises precisely because I am a Jew and a Zionist. My faith and my heritage compel me to stand against violence and engage in tikkun olam and tzedek on behalf of all humans, not simply the Jewish people.

Thus, I was dismayed that many of Pittsburgh’s Jewish clergy publicly criticized Rep. Summer Lee simply because she expressed both that Hamas must be condemned and that the Israeli military engagement must cease.

I am deeply disheartened that, while objecting to Rep. Lee’s plea to end the continuing military assaults against civilian Gazans, the clergy’s letter failed to acknowledge the unjust suffering of, or any concern for, the innocent Palestinians who have been relentlessly attacked, killed, injured and deprived of life’s necessities since Oct. 7.

Rep. Lee’s call to cease Israeli military aggression, even if only temporary, has gained the support of a growing number of other members of Congress.

In a recent letter to Secretary of State Blinken, nearly 60 Democratic representatives and senators, including six Jews, urged Blinken to “welcome President Biden’s recent call for a short-term cessation of hostilities.”

These expressions do not differ significantly from Rep. Lee’s own pronounced condemnation of Hamas and support and concern for the citizens of both Israel and Gaza.

Contrary to Rabbi Fellman, the increasing entreaties from the Biden administration and Congress — as well as from the American and world public — for Israel’s temporary

suspensions of hostilities to allow humanitarian organizations meaningful opportunity to address the urgent needs of the suffering and increasingly desperate Gazan community, clearly do not reflect that politicians who express such concerns for those human beings are “not representing their constituents.”

Rather, concern for both innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians and support for all possible efforts to reach a just resolution of this horrendous crisis with as little additional death and destruction as possible, are precisely what, as a Jew and a Zionist, I appeal to the Pittsburgh Jewish clergy to advocate for, rather than engage in criticism against a congresswoman who attempted to do just that.

Eileen D. Yacknin Pittsburgh

Kudos to Fetterman

Given his ideology as a progressive Democrat, the posture of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman vis-a-vis Israel and its need for self-defense was uncertain.

It is most gratifying that the senator has split from the extreme wing of the Democratic Party by offering a full-throated defense of Israel and support for its need to destroy Hamas following the savagery and barbarism which was inflicted on our ally and its innocent civilians on a day of infamy, Oct 7.

Those who are calling for an immediate ceasefire are either naive or have no regard for Israel’s security.

If a ceasefire were to take place now, Hamas would be able to strengthen and regroup. We should bear in mind that it has pledged to repeat what it perpetrated against Israel last month. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Every death, injury and displacement that has been inflicted from this conflict can be laid at the feet of the terrorists who could not care less about Israeli and Palestinian civilians.

Thank you, Sen. Fetterman, for being on the right side in this struggle for Israel’s survival.

Oren Spiegler Peters Township

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 PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

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Life & Culture Vegan stuffed acorn squash with farro and sage 1½ teaspoons salt divided, plus a sprinkle for the raw squash ¼ teaspoon black pepper

— FOOD —

By Jessica Grann | Special to the Chronicle

I

’m part of several online cooking communities, and I’ve noticed more and more posts around the holidays stating, “Help! I have a vegan coming to dinner and I have no idea what to serve!”

I wanted to create something lovely and filling for the vegan or vegetarian guest that would also serve as a nice side dish to accompany the main meal.

I chose farro for the grain because it’s filling and it’s also low glycemic. I previously published a recipe with farro and got wonderful reviews from people who had never before cooked with it. Fresh sage is used in the filling mixture — a personal favorite.

This recipe will be much appreciated throughout the winter, but I wanted to share it especially ahead of Thanksgiving.

Ingredients:

1 large acorn squash 1 cup farro ½ of a large onion 2 tablespoons plus two teaspoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons fresh chopped sage ¼ cup chopped pecans ¼ cup dried cranberries

Set your oven to 375 F and place the wire rack in the middle.

Wash and dry the squash before cutting it lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Place the two squash halves into a baking dish, brush each half with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a fork easily pierces through the flesh of the squash.

While the squash is baking, measure one cup of plain, whole-grain farro — not the quickcook version — into a pot and cover it with about 2 inches of water.

Add ½ teaspoon of salt and bring the pot to a boil before reducing the heat to a low simmer.

Cook uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the farro is cooked through. It’s OK if some water remains in the pot with the farro, but if your pot is running dry of liquid, add a half-cup of boiling water to the pot and reduce the heat.

Farro has a chewy texture, so don’t expect it to be soft like pasta. Just be sure that the center of the grain is fully cooked before straining it in a colander and rinsing it with cold water.

Set the farro aside and prepare the rest of the filling.

Dice half of a large onion and sauté it over

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 Vegan stuffed acorn squash with farro and sage

medium heat in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, stirring the onion every few minutes until it’s translucent, about 15 or 20 minutes.

Chop the fresh sage and pecans by hand.

Add the fresh sage to the onions over low heat and sauté for about one minute, or until fragrant.

Add in the pecans and cranberries, 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper. Sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Add the cooked farro to the pot, mix well and set aside.

Stuff the cooked squash evenly with the farro

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mixture and bake it for another 10-15 minutes in the oven to bring the flavors together.

The pecans add a beautiful texture and nutty flavor, and the dried cranberries add a bit of sweetness and color to the mix.

You can make this a day ahead; just cover it and reheat it before dinner.

One-half of the squash serves as an entrée, but you can halve or quarter each side to serve as a side dish.

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

Developers of former B’nai Israel synagogue seeking historic designation — LOCAL —

Now enrolling for January 2024:

Photo by Jessica Grann

eacon Communities, the Boston-based group that spearheaded the redevelopment of the former B’nai Israel Congregation site, now seeks a local historic designation for the East End synagogue.

Designed by noted architect Henry Hornbostel on North Negley Avenue, B’nai Israel — the first congregation that opened in Pittsburgh’s East End — served Jews predominantly from East Liberty for the better part of the 20th century. The congregation was founded in 1904 and opened its Garfield synagogue 20 years later.

The birth of the congregation is inextricably linked to the opening of Bigelow Boulevard around 1901, said Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Sen. John Heinz History Center. Suddenly, workers and business owners downtown were connected to Oakland, East Liberty and Squirrel Hill.

“All of these became much easier to get to,” Lidji said. “And, as these roads open up, developers are opening up new parts of town.”

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“It’s easy to look at East Liberty now as a city neighborhood but, for the Jewish community, it was the first suburban community,” Lidji added. “One hundred years ago, East Liberty would’ve been that place.”

East Liberty was founded as a village along the Greensburg & Pittsburgh Turnpike — now Penn Avenue — in the early 1800s, said Angelique Bamberg, who wrote B’nai Israel’s historic designation application. The neighborhood grew into a market center by the mid-1800s, presaging its later importance as a commercial district.

The construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s main line from Philadelphia and Harrisburg to Pittsburgh through the East Liberty Valley in 1852 spurred further growth, Bamberg said. The neighborhood was annexed to Pittsburgh in 1968. “(East Liberty) became the principal commercial center of Pittsburgh’s East End and also began to develop as an affluent residential suburb,” Bamberg said. “The electrification of the streetcar system between 1890 and 1896, and the extension of the streetcar lines from downtown Pittsburgh through the East End, Please see Synagogue, page 16

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023 15

Life & Culture Paris-trained chef featured at Flavors of the World fundraiser — FOOD —

“If I could have one legacy in my life, it would be that I made great cooks of my children.”

By Justin Vellucci | Special to the Chronicle

K

athy Mendelson Horne achieved greatness, making a splash in New York City restaurants as a Paris-trained chef, before returning to raise a family in her native Pittsburgh in the 1990s.

At just 23, the Taylor Allderdice High School alumna followed her studies at George Washington University by flying to France and diving into six weeks of “classical training” at École de Cuisine La Varenne, a Paris school for chefs.

While she never apprenticed at the celebrated French Riviera restaurant Moulin de Mougins — she still admits it’s her dream gig — she did cook for the esteemed Dean & DeLuca and served as a sous chef at a New York City restaurant consulted by American chef Bobby Flay before Flay was famous.

And she cooked for the likes of soccer legend Pele and Citibank’s top executives during a “very upscale” corporate catering job in New York City.

She also helped launch the kitchen at Doc’s Place, a former Shadyside restaurant.

Her greatest achievement, though?

The warm hosts that her two adult children, both of whom live in London, have become.

“I love that, if I could have one legacy in

– KATHY MENDELSON HORNE p Kathy Mendelson Horne

Photo courtesy of Kathy Mendelson Horne

my life, it would be that I made great cooks of my children,” Horne, a Jewish woman who lives in Shadyside, told the Chronicle.

Horne soon will spread her culinary expertise — again — in the Pittsburgh area. On Wednesday, Nov. 15, she’ll take to Riverside Landing, an Oakmont venue along the banks of the Allegheny, for a special evening of tastings and conversation.

Horne will share her story and provide a mélange of crostini bread and special schmears at Flavors of the World, an event supporting Israel.

The event, which features “unlimited

Israeli wine,” starts at 6:30 p.m. and the main event at 7:15 p.m., organizers said. Tickets range from $70 to $500.

Shternie Rosenfeld said “a huge percentage of proceeds” from the annual fundraiser for the Jewish Sisterhood and The Jewish Spark will be donated to the Israeli war effort. The evening will feature Israeli cuisine, as well as foods from countries as far-flung as Japan, the Dominican Republic and India.

But there’s something more important than the food, Rosenfeld stressed.

“Now, more than ever, we need to come together, especially women, especially our Jewish sisters … and have an evening of unity,” she said. “I’m super excited to do

this with Chef Kathy.”

The organizations’ previous annual events featured cookbook authors, but Rosenfeld said she wanted to do something a little different this year.

Horne’s looking forward to people peppering her with questions as they taste her food.

“I feel I can impact a lot of fundamental knowledge” about cooking, Horne said.

“Any time a nonprofit has asked me, ‘Can you help?’, I do.”

Horne also has loads of stories about the New York City cooking scene in the days before the Food Network.

“There wasn’t that class distinction between the celebrities and the common folk,” she said. “We all hobnobbed together.”

Etti Martel, a Squirrel Hill mother of four, also will be cooking for the Flavors of the World event. The Israeli-American woman is preparing some familiar Mediterranean staples, from tahini and rugelach to Israeli salad.

Her secret for the best Israeli salad? Cut all the veggies super thin and always put the tomatoes at the bottom. And stick to some basic seasonings: lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil.

“But,” she laughed, “it’s up to your preference.” PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

Synagogue: Continued from page 14

caused explosive development of the East Liberty commercial and residential districts, enticing Jews from the Hill District — among many others — to relocate there.”

Hornbostel also designed another East End landmark in the Jewish community — Rodef Shalom Congregation, which still sits on the Oakland/Shadyside border and recently received historic status from city officials.

At its peak, B’nai Israel was one of the largest Jewish congregations in Pittsburgh, boasting about 900 member families, Lidji said.

But East Liberty’s time as a center of Jewish living was brief. The first Jewish congregation in Squirrel Hill opened in 1917 and that neighborhood’s population boomed in the 1920s and 1930s, when Boulevard of the Allies extended to the East End from downtown, Lidji said.

By the 1970s, membership at B’nai Israel had declined due to Jewish migration to Squirrel Hill and outlying suburbs, Lidji said. The synagogue closed in June 1995. The building was briefly used as an Urban League of Pittsburgh Charter School.

Today, since redevelopment work led to the birth of a housing plan dubbed The Carina, residents now live in two stories redeveloped in tandem with the synagogue’s social hall, according to Beacon Communities. Thirtyeight of the units are deemed low-income.

The developer also is working with Bloomfield-Garfield Corp. to redevelop B’nai Israel’s storied rotunda. The cost of that work remains tentative.

“B’nai Israel consists of two interconnected but temporally and architecturally distinct 16

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

p The B’nai Israel building in East Liberty

parts: the original, drum-shaped synagogue of 1923 and an L-shaped community building added in phases between 1950 and 1953,” Bamberg wrote in the site’s application.

In 2022, the community building received alterations and an addition to adapt it for multifamily residential use, Bamberg said.

The synagogue’s main entrance also is notable. “(It) faces east onto N. Negley Avenue and consists of three pair of paneled wood double

File photo

doors set into a wall of smooth-dressed ashlar,” or masonry, Bamberg wrote. “Above them, an arched mosaic depicts the Ten Commandments held by lions rampant against a multi-colored harlequin background which echoes the pattern of shingles on the attic.”

Beacon Communities Senior Vice President Michael Polite said part of the agreement to redevelop the site included the historic designation.

State preservationists have reviewed the site,

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and the matter has passed Pittsburgh’s historic review commission, Polite said. Beacon expects a Pittsburgh City Council vote to make it officials in “a couple weeks.”

“This is an important community asset,” Polite told the Chronicle.

Pittsburgh city officials did not reply to inquiries for comment. PJC Justin Vellucci is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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Life & Culture ‘Bring him home’: A Pittsburgh rabbi’s personal connection to the Hamas hostage crisis — LOCAL —

By Simone Shapiro | Special to the Chronicle

O

n the night of Oct. 6, dual Israel-U.S. citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin said goodbye to his parents, left his home in Jerusalem and traveled south to the Negev desert for the Nova music festival to celebrate his 23rd birthday.

Thousands of people from Israel and many other countries danced all night, but at dawn sirens alerted them to a rocket attack.

Goldberg-Polin ran into a bomb shelter with his close friend Aner Shapiro and about two dozen other young festival-goers.

As Hamas terrorists lobbed hand grenades into the small shelter, Shapiro grabbed them and flung them back at the terrorists. About 90 minutes later, three grenades got past him and blew up. Shapiro was killed, as were most of the others in the shelter. Goldberg-Polin’s arm was blown off below the elbow.

We know this from the testimony of three survivors who hid under bodies pretending to be dead. A video clip surfaced showing Goldberg-Polin being thrown into a pickup truck along with other hostages and taken to Gaza. He had managed to tie on a tourniquet to slow his bleeding. This is the last time he

p An undated photo of Hersh Goldberg-Polin

was seen alive.

Goldberg-Polin’s mother, Rachel Goldberg, saw two messages from her son when she turned on her phone that morning. “One said, ‘I love you,’ and one said, ‘I’m sorry,’” she told an interviewer. “As a mother, I knew immediately something horrible was happening.”

More than 260 people were brutally murdered at the Nova, a festival that was intended to celebrate unity and love.

Photo provided by Jon Polin via JTA

Rabbi Daniel Yolkut, spiritual leader of Pittsburgh’s Congregation Poale Zedeck, was close to the Goldberg-Polin family when they both lived in Richmond, Virginia, 15 years ago.

He recalled Hersh as a cute little boy going to children’s groups and running around what was then Yolkut’s shul in Richmond.

Yolkut described Hersh’s parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, as “incredibly beloved and involved members of the community.” He

remembered them as people who nurtured relationships “across the entire spectrum of the Jewish community.” People loved them, looked to them for leadership and cherished their friendship, Yolkut said. They made a difference everywhere they lived.

The Goldberg-Polin family made aliyah in 2008 with their 8 ½-year-old Hersh and his two younger sisters, Yolkut said. In their early years, they sent updates back to family and friends describing the highs and lows of life as new olim (immigrants). In one of their stories they shared how concerned they were about their children learning to speak Hebrew in school. Six months after they arrived they were thrilled to get a note from Hersh’s teacher telling them that for the first time all year Hersh spoke to the class in Hebrew. The class was learning about the Holocaust and he got up the courage to speak in front of the class in Hebrew. Hersh told about a Holocaust survivor they had known in Richmond. Rachel was moved by the note: It meant so much to her that Hersh finally spoke in Hebrew and that what he chose to speak about was something so meaningful.

On another update from Israel that Yolkut received in 2009, Rachel described stopping at a tent set up by the parents of Gilad Shalit, the Please see Goldberg-Polin, page 20

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

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Celebrations

Torah

Bat Mitzvah

It is always possible to make amends

Sasha Anne Pechersky, daughter of David and Laura Pechersky, will become a bat mitzvah at Adat Shalom during Shabbat morning services on Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. Her proud grandparents are Mark and Debbie Pechersky and Larry Roberts and the late Betty Roberts.

Rabbi Yaier Lehrer Parshat Chayei Sarah Genesis 23:1 – 25:18

T Engagement Seema Pollack Gross of Shadyside is pleased to announce the engagement of her son, Max Louis Pollack to Marlee Tessler, daughter of Stephanie and Corey Tessler, of Scarsdale, New York. Max’s father is the late Mark Pollack. His grandparents are Barbara Rosenberg and the late Jerry Rosenberg of Pittsburgh, and Bernie Pollack and the late Jane Pollack of Pittsburgh. Marlee’s grandparents are Charlene Guyer and current partner Harvey Rebish, and the late Seymour Guyer and Sandra and the late Neil Tessler. Max graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in science. Max also holds a master’s degree in real estate from New York University Schack Institute. He works in the private bank at Citigroup. Marlee graduated from George Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in arts and works in New York City. Max and Marlee met while both attended George Washington University. A wedding is planned in New York City in 2024. PJC

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he Torah portion of Chayei Sarah, the life of Sarah, begins with Sarah’s death at the age of 127. Abraham mourns deeply. The Torah says he wails. But then he gets up to take care of the business one has to take care of after the loss of a loved one.

Sarah has died while the family was in Hebron, and Abraham looks for a grave for her there. He is offered a free grave by the Hittites, but he turns it down and instead pays full price for the Cave of Machpelah, where he will also eventually be buried along with Isaac, Rebeccah, Jacob and Leah.

and is thus comforted from the grief of the loss of his mother.

Thus Abraham brings comfort to the son he almost sacrificed and whose near sacrifice led to great pain and shock for Sarah — and may even have led to her death.

When we come to the end of our portion, we learn of the marriage of Abraham to Keturah, a woman we have not yet met in the Torah. It has been suggested in commentary, however, that Keturah is actually Hagar, the woman whom Abraham threw out of his camp into the wilderness, along with her son Ishmael, who Abraham fathered.

While this is not clear from the Torah, it would be nice to know that Abraham found a way later in life to go back to the woman he had abandoned to make amends with her.

And it makes logical sense that he might have

It is the desire to be redeemed, the desire to repent in our relations with others that defines who we are. It is the relentless effort to do the right thing under even the worst of circumstances that defines us as humans.

By not accepting the free gift of the grave and instead paying full price, Abraham shows his desire to sincerely honor his wife, to demonstrate his love for her after death. He takes the more difficult step and shows her honor, just like we stop along the way to a grave before we actually perform the burial. We don’t do it the easy way — we do it in a fashion that honors the deceased, that is not done in a rush. Even when we fill a grave, we first use the shovel upside down to demonstrate that honor — to not do it too efficiently or quickly in a way that might detract from the honor we are showing.

After the burial of Sarah, Abraham takes on another mission. He wants to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Since the time of the Akedah, the attempted sacrifice of Isaac, there is no communication recorded between Abraham and Isaac, who was very close with his mother.

Further, there are commentators who state that the reason Sarah died was due to the shock of hearing of the attempted sacrifice of her beloved Isaac. It is not a far distance to travel to connect those dots and see where there may have been friction between Isaac and his father.

Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac, with the sole caveat that he may not choose a woman from the Canaanite people. Eliezer travels and comes to a well.

He arrives there with a caravan and several animals. He sees a woman named Rebeccah (Rivka) at the well. The Midrash tells us that the water actually rose up to greet her. But Eliezer waits. And when Rebeccah offers water for Eliezer’s animals, as well as for him, he knows he has found the right woman and negotiates with her family to secure her immediate travel to meet Isaac and marry him. The Torah tells us that Isaac marries Rebeccah

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done just that, because when Abraham dies, it is his abandoned son Ishamel and his stepbrother Isaac who come together to bury their father. After the pain he caused them, perhaps through his actions and with the passage of time there was some element of forgiveness.

While it was God that commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac — and to listen to Sarah and abandon Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness — that did not lessen the pain of Sarah, Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael.

In Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Fathers, we are taught, “Do not consider yourself to be a wicked person.” Why is that? Is it because if you consider yourself a wicked person, then you accept your sins, your pain-causing deeds, as merely part of your nature? You accept you are evil and make no attempt to improve.

But Abraham, despite the anger against him, provided for the most respectful possible burial for Sarah, found a good woman for Isaac to bring him comfort, and perhaps even made amends with Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham, despite the ill will against him (which was not his fault), continued to act with the best possible intentions.

And it is through these actions that he teaches us an important lesson: It is possible even after death to make amends. It is the desire to be redeemed, the desire to repent in our relations with others that defines who we are. It is the relentless effort to do the right thing under even the worst of circumstances that defines us as humans. We may never see the results of the good things that we do, but that should never dissuade us from doing them anyhow. PJC Rabbi Yaier Lehrer is the rabbi of Adat Shalom Synagogue.

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Obituaries EDELSTONE: Binyomin Shmuel (Brian Scott) Edelstone passed away in Baltimore, Maryland at age 47, on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. He was the loving husband of Shirli Edelstone, beloved father of Mordechai Yosef, Shlomo, Simcha, Meira Esther and Rina Naama.

Treasured son of Madelon Edelstone and Dr. Daniel Edelstone (Dodi Walker Gross). Cherished brother of Liza Baron (Adam) and Michael Edelstone. Adored uncle of Brett and Tatum, and many more loving nieces and nephews. While Binyomin left us way too soon, we know with great certainty that we were blessed to be loved by him. The funeral was held in Baltimore on Sunday, Nov. 5. Shiva in Pittsburgh will be Wednesday, November 8 at 6 p.m., at the home of Dr. Edelstone; minyan at 6:30 pm. On Wednesday, Nov. 15 the family will receive comforters from 5-6 p.m. with a memorial service from 6-6:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Levinson Hall. Contributions may be made to thechesedfund.com/derechchaim/ edelstonefund/teams/pittsburgh.

MAIER: Harriet Maier, on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. Loving mother of Debbie (late Larry) Jacknin and Sharon (BJ) Rayburg. Sister of Arlene (George) Groch. Grandma of Jacklyn (Ezra) Juliar, Jennifer Orefice, Jacob and Julia Rayburg. Great-grandmother of Leora Juliar. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Temple Sinai Memorial Park. Contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice. schugar.com

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Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .J . Jay Eger Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Beck Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sherwyn Meyers Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goldie Fishman Elaine Arlott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Arthur Speizer Stewart Barmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frances Turk Phyllis Cohen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Estherita Cohen Pauline Dobkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack J . Sussman Edward M . Goldston . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlie Brown Shirley L . Hirsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Esther S . Levine Janice Mankin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Levine Toby Perilman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Traci Michele Perilman Toby Perilman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerrilyn R . Perilman Toby Perilman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Saul I . Perilman Toby Perilman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bernard Bennett Toby Perilman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stuart Perilman David Pettler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eleanor Pettler David Pettler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I .W . Pettler Richard, Mindy, & Logan Stadler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noah Saxen Yvonne & Barry L . Stein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goldie W . Stein Rhea & Howard Troffkin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Irving Troffkin

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

THIS WEEK’S YAHRZEITS —

Sunday November 12: Jeannette Tafel Alman, Charlotte Ginsburg, Hymen L . Kaplan, Benjamin Klawansky, Esther S . Levine, Lafe B . Murstein, Sadie Rossen, Fannie Ruben, Leah W . Schlesinger, Helen G . Sheinberg, Lena Frieman Sieff, Michael Stone, Rebecca Tillman, Janet Wolper Monday November 13: Sam Benowitz, Esther Berschling, Saul Cabin, Fannie Fleischer, Jay David Glasser, Hyman Goldenson, Meyer Helfer, Bella Kalson, Nathan Levenson, David London, Alvin Meyers, David Pudles, Ida Radbord, Bette Rudick, Anna Shapira, Edward I . Solomon, Jack Joseph Sussman, Harry Edward Traub Tuesday November 14: Carol Lee Anatole, Nathan Bliman, Rebecca Needelman Bodek, Sadie Chotiner, Benjamin M . Cohen, Hyman Daly, Rebecca Friedman, Isaac Glick, Dr . Henry Goldstein, Selma Goldstein, David Gross, Raymond E . Gusky, Hyman H . Kimel, Alfred Malt, Alvin Marks, Max Schwimer, Elmer Solomon, David G . Tarshis, Dora B . Whiteman Wednesday November 15: Sam Birnkrant, Sara Chotiner, Goldie Fishman, Herbert Alvin Haase, Benjamin Himmel, Abraham Korsunsky, Louise Lebby, Adeline Levitt, Isaac Lieb, Mary N . Lustig, Annie Mermelstein, Ida Nusin, Fred Nussbaum, Noah Saxen, Raymond Irwin Sloan, Sherwin Smalley, Arthur Speizer Thursday November 16: Miriam Abramovitz, Martin Bass, Bernard Israel Bernstein, William Finkel, Samson Finn, Hermina Gropper, Lillian Karp Grossman, Goldie Handelsman, Celia Harris, Anna Miller, Harriet M . Nicholson, Harry Seiavitch, Sarah Silberblatt, Goldie W . Stein, Irving Troffkin, Sylvia S . Vinocur, Molly Weiss Friday November 17: Irving Broverman, Abraham J . Caplan, Sam A . Caplan, Dr . Samuel Cirota, Louis Daniels, Harry Gomberg, Bernard J . Grinberg, Isadore Kurfeerst, Esther Cohen Lubovsky, Dorothy Miller, Leah Rosen, Rae F . Schwartz, Sara Schwartz, George Stern, Frances Turk

REICHBLUM: M. Charles Reichblum, age 95, passed away suddenly on Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. A man of many talents, “Dr. Knowledge” — a name given to him by radio talent around the country. Reichblum was doing radio interviews on his latest book, “The All-Time Book of Fascinating Facts” as well as a minute feature on KDKA radio around 9:15 every weeknight.

Growing up in Mt. Lebanon, he met his wife at the age of 8, when she was an infant and her mother wheeled her over to visit with his mother, a good friend of hers. While in grade school, at the age of 10, he became the author and publisher of a monthly newspaper covering wide territory which he sold for 5 cents a copy in the community. While in high school, he introduced himself to Bob Prince, who later gave him an intern’s job clearing the teletypes and wire services at the KQV radio station. Graduating from Mt. Lebanon High School he attended Syracuse University where he was one of the founders of one of the first college radio stations. Upon graduation from the university, he became a sports announcer for a radio station in Hornell, New York. After a few years he moved back to Pittsburgh where he started his own company, Century Features, Inc. The company syndicated newspaper columns featuring fun facts about sports, the country’s history and unique happenings around the country. At the same time, he began writing his series of “Knowledge in a Nutshell” books on success, America, popular products, and sports...topics from which all culminated in his last book, known by writers around the country as the best trivia book of all time, “The All-Time Book of Fascinating Facts.” He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Audrey, his son William (Amalie) of Washington, D.C., and grandchildren, Noah (Alexandra), Clarissa (Ruth), Rachel (Dan) and his great-grandchild, Ruby. Services were held at Rodef Shalom Congregation. Interment private. Donations can be made to your favorite charity in Charles Reichblum’s memory. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com SCHREIBER: David Schreiber passed away on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. Beloved husband of Alece Schreiber. Loving father of Carolyn and Daniel Schreiber. Cherished brother of Esther, Harry, Marvin, Marsha and Brian Schreiber.

Adoring grandfather of Sydney, Alexandra and Samantha Schreiber. David was a mainstay of the Pittsburgh community his entire life. Born in 1934, he graduated from Allderdice High School and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. An integral part of Pittsburgh’s

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Please see Obituaries, page 20

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Saturday November 18: Hyman Balis, Bessie Glantz Bauman, Martin A . Berezin, Norman Black, Charles G . Brown, Charlie Brown, Dr . Frederick Carlton, Joseph Chernovitz, Abe M . Cohen, Esther Eisman, Carle Joseph Enelow, Yetta Gerson, Selma Jeremias Kostova, Abe Kotovsky, Susan Lippard, David Isadore Mandelblatt, Seymour H . Miller, Irving Nixon, Anna E . Reubin, Sidney Rosenfeld, Fannie Katzman Rubenstein, Walter Sigel, William Weinberg, Florence Bella Wolf

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Obituaries Obituaries: Given the unprecedented circumstances related to the war in Israel and in keeping with our mission to focus on human services and community need, the JCC and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh are hosting blood drives with an amplified focus: To ensure the blood supply locally remains high in case blood needs to be transported to Israel, based on an existing agreement between Vitalant and Magen David Adom.

BLOOD

DRIVE

Blood drives are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

JCC Squirrel Hill

JCC South Hills

Katz Theater, 5738 Darlington Road Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Gymnasium, 345 Kane Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15243

• Thursday, November 30, 9 am - 2 pm • Tuesday, December 5, 9 am - 2 pm

Scan HERE to sign up Squirrel Hill Code: UC189 South Hills Code: UC438

• Monday, November 20, 9 am - 2 pm

For more information visit:

jccpgh.org/event/ upcomingblood-drives-at-the-jcc/

1-800-GET-PHIL

Continued from page 19

Jewish community, David was instrumental in the creation of the Adat Shalom Synagogue. He was an avid supporter of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and many other worthy organizations in the Pittsburgh community. Though a private person, David directly and indirectly touched the lives of many people in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. He will be deeply missed, and his memory cherished, by all of those who knew him. Services were held at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. Interment Homewood Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Adat Shalom Congregation, 368 Guys Run Road, Cheswick, PA 15024. schugar.com SHARPE: Cecilia Sharpe, on Monday, Oct, 30, 2023. Beloved wife of the late Harold Sharpe; loving mother of Nancy (Morry) Cohen, Cindy (Bob) Friedman and the late Jeffrey Sharpe. Sister of the late Arnold, Ralph and Saul Fineberg, Ethel Siegel, Rose Mahlmood and Jeanette Berman. Adoring grandmother of Scott (Becky) Cohen and Kevin (Ashley) Cohen, Zara (Warner) Asch, Noa (Daryl Sembrano) Friedman. Proud “Gigi” of Ayden, Alexandra, Seth and Drew Cohen, Zachary and Hailey Cohen, Saul and Ira Asch, and Moriah Friedman Sembrano. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. When most people retired, Cecilia began a career she loved at Adopt a Child, an international adoption agency. She was an avid tennis player and enjoyed playing cards. Cecilia enjoyed attending AgeWell programs at the Jewish Community Center before moving to South Carolina to be with family. Graveside services and interment were held at Torath Chaim Cemetery. Donations in memory of Cecilia Sharpe may be made to the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh, Attn: Development Department, 5738 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15217, or online, at donate.JCCPGH.org/donate. Arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com WHITMAN: Larry Whitman, 81, from Pittsburgh, and Boca Raton, Florida, passed away on Nov. 1, 2023. Beloved husband of Judy Whitman (née Nord). Loving father to the late Todd and to Marla and Ken Askenase. Adoring Poppop to Taylor, Cliff, Katie, Charlie, Ilana and Hunter. Funeral services were held Friday, Nov. 3, 2 p.m. at Temple Beth El 333 SW 4th Ave in Boca Raton. PJC

Goldberg-Polin: Continued from page 17

Pittsburgh, PA

AUTO ACCIDENTS PRELIMINARY HEARINGS CRIMINAL DEFENSE, DUI 20

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

kidnapped soldier whom the entire country of Israel was praying for. She started to speak to his parents but burst out crying: “I was looking into the eyes of my worst nightmare,” she said.

Her worst nightmare has come true and now her son is the kidnapped boy: not a soldier, taken in war, but a civilian, taken from a festival for peace.

In interviews on network news programs, Rachel describes Hersh as smart, laid-back, fun, a voracious reader and a soccer lover with a lot of friends. Since first grade, when he had a teacher who sparked an interest in the world, Hersh has had the dream of traveling the world. At every birthday or holiday, his parents would give him a gift related to travel: a globe, a book, a map. He has tickets to travel on Dec. 27 to India and other points east. Rachel is holding out hope that he will make that trip.

Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin have become the unofficial spokespeople for the families of the hostages, meeting with President Biden, Israeli President Herzog, many news agencies.

Rachel Goldberg recently spoke before the United Nations.

Yolkut said he remembers Rachel and Jon as “powerhouses” in the community. Now they are powerhouses advocating for the release of their son and the 240 other people from dozens of different countries, brutally kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas terrorists.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Yolkut sees a connection between the Oct. 27, 2018, Pittsburgh synagogue attack and the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

“We are seeing two faces of perhaps the oldest hatred in the world,” Yolkut said.

“Whatever other veneer of ideology is overlaid on it, both of these are one and the same…

If anything makes these [attacks] different than [those of other times in Jewish history]… it is the notion that the United States, both its government and its citizenry, overwhelmingly stand with us.”

For solace, Yolkut turns to the prophets.

“One of the most powerful biblical images for this kind of pain is Jeremiah, who invokes the image of the matriarch Rachel crying for her children being led out to exile,” he said. “For millennia, when searching for solace in a moment of incomprehensible pain [we turn to the image of] a mother standing before G-d, crying out for her children. Jeremiah addresses ‘Mother Rachel’: Restrain your voice from weeping — the children will return to their borders.”

For Yolkut, the image of the biblical matriarch Rachel and the image of Rachel Goldberg have coalesced.

“I hope that her son will come home along with all the other children who have been ripped away from their parents,” he said. PJC Simone Shapiro is a freelance writer living in Pittsburgh.

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023 21

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

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Community Havdalah in Summerset

Days after antisemitic and other hateful rhetoric was spray-painted in Summerset, nearly 100 community members held a musical Havdalah ceremony in the neighborhood.

p Sam Henteleff and Tzvi Friedman raise spirits through song.

Photo by Adam Reinherz

p From left: Lauren Baldel, Chantal Belman, Bhavini Patel and Julie Paris were among the Nov. 4 attendees.

Photo courtesy of Julie Paris

Lighting a candle in Oakland

Honored by Israel Bonds

p The Nov. 4 event welcomed students, parents and community members while calling for an immediate release of an estimated 240 hostages being held by Hamas.

Photo courtesy of Sara Weinstein

p The award and a tribute were presented by Israel Bonds Pennsylvania Executive Director Emeritus Harold Marcus at an Oct. 16 reception at Ascender in East Liberty.

More Havdalah in Squirrel Hill

Commemorative Torah Study

Before the “Shabbat for Hostages” installation was removed from Schenley Plaza, Rabbi Shmuli Rothstein from Chabad at Pitt led a Havdalah service in Oakland.

BSUSY, theRSTY, YJ Midwest, NCSY and BBYO KMR held a memorial Havdalah on Nov. 4. Teen leaders collected handwritten cards for Congregation Beth Shalom’s Rabbi Seth Adelson to take to Israel.

p Together we will succeed.

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Photo courtesy of Marissa Tait

Israel Bonds Pittsburgh/Development Corporation for Israel honored Patty Minto for 25 years of service to the organization and for her dedication to the Pittsburgh Jewish community.

Photo by Jay Podolsky

Community members marked five years since the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting by gathering together on Nov. 1 (18 Cheshvan) to study Torah at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

p The yahrzeit program featured small group discussions and presentations.

PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE

Photo courtesy of Maggie Feinstein

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

and

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