Metro Briefs April 21

An interfaith seder luncheon led by Rabbi Alex Greenbaum will be held on Thursday, April 28 from noon to 2 p.m. at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills.

There is a suggested donation of $20 per person that will be collected at the door. Checks should be made out to Beth El Congregation.

Call the Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee office at 412-605-0816 to make reservations.

South Hills Interfaith Movement (SHIM) will present the 37th annual Holocaust Observance program on Sunday, May 1 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Temple Emanuel of South Hills. Since 1979, members of the South Hills faith community have united each spring to remember the victims of the Holocaust. Lead by a team of interfaith leaders, the Holocaust Observance offers community members an opportunity to pray, reflect, discuss and remember.

This year’s program, The Years of the Hidden Stars, tells three stories of how the people of the Netherlands, victims and rescuers, stood up for principle and saved lives. Each year, hundreds of community members, along with several local Holocaust survivors, join together in remembrance at the Holocaust Observance event.

Rodef Shalom Sisterhood will hold its next movie night on Sunday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Levy Hall, with recently upgraded film equipment. The movie will be the documentary “Quality Balls: The David Steinberg Story.”

David Steinberg was a rabbi’s son from Winnipeg, Canada, who came to Chicago in the 1970s to attend the Yeshiva and then abandoned his Jewish studies to join the legendary Second City Company. He then went on to stand up comedy and television, including appearances on the “Tonight Show,” and became a favorite guest of Johnny Carson and occasionally hosted that show. He went on to direct the television shows “Seinfeld,” “The Golden Girls” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” His risqué humor put him in the ranks with George Carlin, Richard Pryor and the Smothers Brothers. Clips from these shows are part of the documentary.

Made in 2008 and circulated to film festivals around the United States and Canada, this film was directed by Barry Avrich, a Canadian writer and director of award-winning festival films and television specials.

The film is open to the community at no charge. Light refreshments will follow the film.

Rodef Shalom Sisterhood will hold bridge lessons of two separate, seven-week long, concurrent classes starting Monday, May 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Beginning Bridge, for those wanting to learn how to play bridge with a solid foundation, will be taught by Paul Kaplan.

Bridge Basics: Competitive Bidding Plus, which will reinforce and improve skills learned in the beginning series, will be taught by Arlene Port.

Contact Arlene at 412-521-3637 or aport220@comcast.net or visit pittsburghbridge.org for more information.

Rohr Jewish Learning’s Journey of the Soul, a six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute on an exploration of life, death and what lies beyond, will offer a free introductory class on Tuesday, May 3 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Fox Chapel Mews, 300 Fox Chapel Road, Building 300.

RSVP to Lila Brody at 412-781-9140 or visit Fox Chapel Chabad’s jewishcenter.net/study for more information.

Pittsburgh School for the Choral Arts Choirs will participate in the Yom HaShoah Holocaust Memorial Program on Thursday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh in Levinson Hall. Via and Harmonia choirs will sing “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem.

Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is the day set aside to remember the approximately 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. In Israel, it is a national memorial day. The Holocaust Center holds a communitywide commemoration every year. This year’s theme is Rebuilding of Lives: Post-Holocaust Life, 1945-1955. The commemoration includes a candle-lighting ceremony. Six candles are lit in memory of the 6 million and one candle is lit in honor of the Righteous, those non-Jews who risked their lives to save the lives of their Jewish friends and neighbors. The candle-lighters comprise local survivors, community members and lay leaders who have a connection to the year’s topic.

The Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh invites current and prospective Foundation fund holders to its third annual investment meeting and breakfast program on Monday, May 9 at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. A light breakfast will be served at 7:45 a.m. The meeting, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., will feature three expert speakers and show how Foundation assets are invested and managed.

The event is sponsored by Fiduciary Technology Partners.

The keynote speaker, Stuart G. Hoffman, senior vice president and chief economist of the PNC Financial Services Group, will present his perspective of the state of the economy. BusinessWeek, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal have recognized Hoffman for the accuracy of his economic forecasts. He joined PNC in 1980, after six years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

The program will also feature Geoffrey Gerber, the founder of TWIN Capital Management of McMurray, Pa., and a faculty member of the Aresty Institute of Executive Education, a program of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Jerry Katz, CFA, Foundation investment consultant, will outline Jewish Community Foundation investments. Katz is partner and senior consultant at BilkeyKatz Investment Consultants of Pittsburgh. In 2002, Katz co-founded BilkeyKatz, a 100 percent employee-owned, independent firm that specializes in providing conflict-free investment consulting.

The Jewish Community Foundation raises and distributes charitable funds that support educational, cultural and human service programs. The centerpiece of the Foundation is the Centennial Fund for a Jewish Future, an endowment that generates funds to build and sustain a vibrant Pittsburgh Jewish community.

This free program will be a nonsolicitation event, and dietary laws will be observed. Register by Monday, May 2 by contacting Patti Flister at 412-992-5216 or pflister@jfedpgh.org.

Chabad of the South Hills will hold its 10th annual Women’s Spring Event garden party on Wednesday, May 11 at 6:30 p.m. Guest speaker will be Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a TV personality and author who has been featured on the “Today Show,” MSNBC, Fox News, PBS and other media programs. Gilboa brings her experience as a family doctor to her presentations. The topic will be “Communicating and Connecting at Home, in School and in your Community.”

The evening will include hors d’oeuvres and dessert bar, silent auction and raffle prizes. The cost is $18, or sponsor $36.

Contact 412-344-244 or Batya@chabadsh.com for registration and directions.

Chabad of the South Hills Jewish Kids Club will learn about the Jewish home through woodworking and clay beginning in May. Visit Chabadsh.com or call 412-344-2424 for more information and to register.

Pop artist Burton Morris has been commissioned by Bob Ford and the Oakmont Country Club to create an exclusive painting for the U.S. Golf Open in June.

Morris, a Pittsburgh native, is known for his iconic artworks for the 2006 MLB All-Star Game, 2004 Summer Olympics and FIFA World Cup Soccer Games, and legends that include Mario Lemieux, Tory Aikman and Bill Mazeroski. Ford was introduced to Morris’ work almost 15 years ago and knew he wanted to work with him in some capacity ever since – and with the tournament being held in Morris’ hometown, he knew this was the perfect opportunity.

The painting took almost a year to perfect as Morris visited Oakmont’s clubhouse and course several times to ensure the sand traps, greenery and every detail of the course were accurately depicted. The artwork will be on display in the Clubhouse this June, and Morris has signed 100 giclée prints of the painting, which are available for purchase in Oakmont’s golf shop. More than 50 percent of the prints have already been sold.