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Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 12-20-24

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Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle 12-20-24

December 18, 2024, 8:21 am 0 Edit

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January 17, 2025

Right Now

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri attend a Shas Party faction meeting at the Knesset, Jan. 23, 2023. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 via JNS)

Israel at war

Deri: Israel-Hamas deal back on track

By JNS

“A few minutes ago, I received the final word that all obstacles have been overcome,” the former War Cabinet observer said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center), Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (left) and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs at a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, November 1, 2024. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

Israel at warIsrael holds off on approving hostage deal, accusing Hamas of reneging on details

By Amy Spiro

Keren Munder, center, a former Hamas hostage, at a rally in Central Park, March 10, 2024. (Luke Tress)

Israel at warIsrael and Hamas agree to ceasefire deal after 15 months of war

By Ben Sales

Hostage Farhan al-Qadi meets with the commander of the 162nd Division, Brig. Gen. Itzik Cohen, moments after being rescued from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, August 27, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israel at warWorld leaders welcome hostage-ceasefire deal, express hope it will endure

By ToI Staff

Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon on stage at the Kelly Strayhorn Theater. (Photo by Jim Busis)

Dreaming peace

Mayor Gainey’s ‘Building Bridges’ event marred by distribution of anti-Israel flyers

By David Rullo

“We are representing the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement, and we are supporting each other and working together to build a better future for both people,” he said.

Not On Our Dime volunteers stand outside the Squirrel Hill Giant Eagle attempting to gather signatures for a referendum that would force Pittsburgh to divest from Israel. (Photo by David Rullo)

Second bite of the appleAnti-Israel activists renew BDS referendum initiative

By David Rullo

Evan Wolfson (to the right of Joe Biden) along with his extended family at the Citizens Medal ceremony (Photo courtesy of Evan Wolfson)

Recognition

Pittsburgh’s Evan Wolfson awarded presidential medal for advancing same-sex marriage rights

By Deborah Weisberg

“Hope is a key element of successful activism.”

East End Food Co-op. (Photo by David Rullo)

Anti-Zionism, aisle 2

East End Food Co-op member shocked by anti-Israel experience at store

By David Rullo

“I told him if people want to support terrorists on their own time that’s fine, but I don’t want to be confronted with it when shopping.”

Dr. Barbara K. Shore (at podium) with (seated, left to right) Dr. Leonard A. Cohen, Norman Krochmal, and Arthur Abelson, presenting the findings of the Stanton Heights Self-Study Committee at a community meeting at Sunnyside Elementary School on April 25, 1956. (American Jewish Outlook, Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project.)

History

The shul that wasn’t there

By Eric Lidji

Stanton Heights was one of the fastest growing Jewish communities in Pittsburgh after World War II but never built institutions of its own.

Books

Join the Chronicle Book Club!

By Toby Tabachnick

“The Immortalists” by Chloe Benjamin

PollChronicle poll question

PollChronicle poll results: Social media

By Toby Tabachnick

Torah

Standing as a proud Jew

By Rabbi Yisroel Rosenfeld

Parshat Shemot

OpinionLetters to the editor

Members of the anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace at an anti-Israel protest in Times Square, New York City, January 1, 2025. (Luke Tress/Times of Israel)

Anti-Zionism

Jewish Voice for Peace to pay $600,000-plus penalty after fraud allegations

By Luke Tress

Charges stems from false declarations on an application for a loan through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act

Graffiti in Shelburne Park found on Oct. 31 (Photo courtesy of Julie Paris)

Antisemitism

Nearly half the globe has ‘elevated levels’ of antisemitic beliefs, ADL survey finds

By Asaf Elia-Shalev

About 46% of the global adult population is projected to harbor heightened levels of antisemitic views.

Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, left, and Joel Kaplan, named in January 2025 as Meta's president of global affairs, descend a staircase after leaving a meeting with a Republican senator in Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2019. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Social mediaJewish groups pushed Meta to crack down on hate speech. Now, the company is reversing course.

By Asaf Elia-Shalev

Mel Gibson wins the AACTA Award for Best Direction for Hacksaw Ridge in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 7, 2016. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images for AFI)

Politics

Trump taps Mel Gibson, actor-director with record of antisemitism, as ‘special ambassador’ to Hollywood

By Andrew Lapin

Gibson’s history includes a highly publicized drunken antisemitic rant in 2006.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing at Dirksen Senate Office Building on January 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Rubio, a three-term Senator and a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, has broad bipartisan support from his Senate colleagues. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Israel at warMarco Rubio says US should revoke visas for ‘a supporter of Hamas’

By Andrew Lapin

U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. (Credit: Pixabay)

InaugurationYeshiva University president, controversial imam to give Trump inaugural benedictions

By Mike Wagenheim

PoliticsPete Hegseth, in Senate confirmation hearing, blames Oct. 7 on US withdrawal from Afghanistan

By Andrew Lapin

Argentinean President Javier Milei prays at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Feb. 6, 2024. (Courtesy Israel Foreign Ministry)

Recognition

Javier Milei, Argentina’s pro-Israel president, is first non-Jew to win ‘Jewish Nobel’

By Philissa Cramer

Milei, the first head of state to get the Genesis Prize, is also famously drawn to Judaism and says he intends to convert once he leaves office.

OpinionJoseph Aoun and the new Middle East: Lebanon at a pivotal moment

By Harold Rhode

Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation in Pacific Palisades, California, as it appeared in May 2024. (Google Maps)

Wildfires

A synagogue that survived the Palisades fire has become a ‘refuge’ for many who lost their homes

By Philissa Cramer

“You could fill the sanctuary with your congregants who lost their homes,” a reporter told Kehillat Israel’s clergy.

Opinion‘Just things’ lost in the L.A. fires are what makes houses into Jewish homes

By Rachel Steinhardt

The Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center burns during the Eaton fire in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 7, 2025. (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)

WildfiresPasadena synagogue burns down as fires rage across Southern California

By Philissa Cramer

Holocaust

Holocaust survivor, 93, who fled Berlin at 7 gets German Order of Merit

By By JNS Staff

The 93-year-old is also slated to take part in the annual International March of the Living in Poland on April 24.

Profile

Righteous Among the Neighbors: Josiah Gilliam

By Greta Stern

Mt. Lebanon High School students interviewed non-Jewish Pittsburghers who support the Jewish community and take action to uproot antisemitism.

ProfileRighteous Among the Neighbors: Josh Andy

By Scarlet Sweeney

ProfileRighteous Among the Neighbors: Selina Shultz

By Abby Sohyda

Bill and Mardi Isler (Photo by Brian Cohen)

ProfileRighteous Among the Neighbors: Bill and Mardi Isler

By Natalie Morgan and Annabelle Thomas

Fitness

Scott Rosen

New Year, new goals: Avoiding injuries while starting your fitness journey in 2025

If your body is not used to regular exercise, it’s important to gradually and safely increase the frequency and intensity of workouts to help minimize your risk of injury.

'Faraway' by Judith Robinson. Image courtesy of Judith Robinson

Poetry

Pittsburgh poet Judith Robinson takes top prize in Voices Israel competition

By Adam Reinherz

‘The real message is to live as fully as possible’

Food

Chickpea and lentil soup

By Jessica Grann

This soup is based on several traditional recipes from North Africa

Croissant French toast bake

By Jessica Grann

Savory spinach side

By Jessica Grann

Brie en croute

By Jessica Grann

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Full Coverage Israel at War

Deri: Israel-Hamas deal back on track

By JNS
Israel holds off on approving hostage deal, accusing Hamas of reneging on details

By Amy Spiro
World leaders welcome hostage-ceasefire deal, express hope it will endure

By ToI Staff

See All

Full Coverage Obituaries

Dr. Carl Medgaus
Leona S. Green
Mira Shkolnik

See All

Events Calendar

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January 2025

Calendar of Events

M Mon

T Tue

W Wed

T Thu

F Fri

S Sat

S Sun

2 events, 30

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Menorah Lighting Festival

December 30, 2024 , 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Menorah Lighting Festival

Join Chabad of Squirrel Hill for lighting the Mitzvah Menorah and enjoy live music, a stilt walker, photo booth, donut decorating, and more. Free. 4 p.m. Corner of Beacon St. […]

5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Chabad of the South Hills Annual Chanukah Festival

December 30, 2024 , 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Chabad of the South Hills Annual Chanukah Festival

Join Chabad of the South Hills for their annual Chanukah Festival featuring a grand menorah lighting, fire show, fire truck gelt drop, latkes, donuts, hot drinks, a photo booth, music […]

1 event, 31

9:15 am - 10:00 am

Monday Talmud Study

December 31, 2024 , 9:15 am - 10:00 am

Monday Talmud Study

Join Rabbi Mark Asher Goodman in learning Masechet Rosh Hashanah, a tractate of the Talmud about the many new years that fill out the Jewish calendar at Congregation Beth Shalom's […]

1 event, 1

12:15 pm - 1:30 pm

Parashah Discussion: Life & Text

January 1 , 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm

Parashah Discussion: Life & Text

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.

1 event, 2

2025-01-02

comments

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program

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ZOA Scholarship to Israel Program