Metro Briefs April 7

Metro Briefs April 7

The Community Day School Middle School spring musical performance of Disney’s “Aladdin Jr.” will be held on Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 10 at 3:30 p.m. Directed by Jennifer Majetic with Lissa Scearce and Eileen Freedman, the show tells the story of the street urchin, Aladdin, who uses a genie’s power to vie for the attention of the beautiful Princess Jasmine.

The CDS Parent Association will hold a Used Book Sale before (1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.) and after (4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) the Sunday performance.

Tickets cost $8 for adults and $5 for students. Call Robin Levy at 412-521-1100 to order tickets or email rlevy@comday.org.

Beth Samuel Jewish Center will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, April 10 at 10:45 a.m. with a presentation to honor Beth Samuel’s history and congregation, followed by a luncheon.

As part of the weekend celebration, a Saturday, April 9 dinner will be held, starting with cocktails at 6:30 p.m. at the Smallman Galley, 2016 Smallman St.

RSVP at 724-266-5238 or bethsamueloffice@comcast.net.

Dr. Antoine Douaihy, professor of psychiatry and medicine and medical director of addiction medicine services and co-director of tobacco treatment services at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will speak on the topic “Hitting Bottom and Other Deadly Myths Surrounding Substance Use Disorders,” on Sunday, April 10 at 10 a.m. in the Samuel and Minnie Hyman Ballroom at Congregation Beth Shalom.

Douaihy’s presentation is made possible by the 2016 Beth Shalom Health Initiative series, whose co-sponsors include the Fine Foundation, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Staunton Farm Foundation, UPMC Cancer Center, Jewish Association on Aging, Aging Institute of UPMC Senior Services and the University of Pittsburgh and the The Jewish Chronicle.

Call Candace at 412-422-2288 for more information.

Celebrating Yesterday – Imagining Tomorrow, a multimedia evening of Pittsburgh Jewish history and imagination will be held in celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Jewish Community Center on Monday, April 11 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Levinson Hall. Lite snacks will be provided.

Featured speakers are Barbara Burstin, faculty member of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh and author of publications; David M. Schlitt, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center; and Rabbi Ron Symons, senior director of Jewish Life at the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh.

The program is free and open to the community. RSVP to Ariel Difelice at adifelice@jccpgh.org.

An evening with Alan Elsner, special advisor to the president of J Street, will speak on “Confronting Hatred & Intolerance in the U.S. and Israel: How defeating Trumpism is necessary to advancing peace,” on Monday, April 11 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation.

Elsner will discuss the similarities between what’s going on with our own election and what’s been going on in Israel. He’ll address the battle to preserve democracy, tolerance and a space for a civil and civilized dialogue against forces of intolerance.

Elsner was chief political correspondent for Reuters News Agency and has traveled the world with secretaries of state. Elsner is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen who served in the IDF and is fluent in Hebrew.

RSVP at pittsburgh@jstreet.org.

The Squirrel Hill Historical Society will hold its next meeting on “White Indians (Captives) on the Western Pennsylvania Frontier” on Tuesday, April 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Ave. The guest speaker will be Roland Vendeland, author, historical researcher and Squirrel Hill Historical Society member.

Contact 412-417-3707 or visit squirrel hillhistory.org for more information.

The Sound of Jewish Music is an evening that will bring together hundreds of women from the Pittsburgh community for a celebration of Jewish art and music on Wednesday, April 13, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with a dessert reception in the Bellefield Hall Auditorium, 315 S. Bellefield Ave. in Oakland.

The concert portion of the event features a variety of Jewish music: folk, Ladino, theater and more. The songs are performed by local female vocalists and musicians and are accompanied by a visual arts presentation that showcases the artwork by local female artists. Interspersed between the songs are brief words of inspiration presented by women of the community. New this year is a dance presentation choreographed by Maria Caruso of Bodiography.

The Sound of Jewish Music is an annual spring event that brings unity to the community and leaves its audience moved and uplifted.

Some talks at the program will contain adult content. This event is for women only and is not recommended for audience members under the age of 14.

Visit showclix.com/event/SoundofJewishMusic to purchase tickets.

Rabbi Seth Adelson will be installed at Congregation Beth Shalom during a celebration weekend, Friday, April 15 to Saturday, April 16. Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, will be the visiting scholar.

Visit bethshalompgh.org/events for the schedule of events and to make reservations.

NA’AMAT USA is celebrating 90 years of serving women and children in Israel with day care centers, helping at risk teens, helping women to get out of abusive relationships, building a network of technological high schools, community centers, legal rights centers and women’s health centers.

In celebration, the Pittsburgh Council will hold the NA’AMAT Speakeasy on Sunday, April 17 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom. 

The gala evening will feature an a cappella group, mentalist Alexander Vornoff, a roving magician, a dessert bar and a bar featuring drinks from the 1920s.

Call the NA’AMAT office at 412-521-5253 or visit eventbrite.com/e/naamat-speakeasy-tickets-1067475849 for more information and to make a reservation.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Players featuring Grammy nominated Andres Cardenes will be the next concert in the Music at Rodef Shalom Series on Monday, April 18 at 8 p.m. in Levy Hall at Rodef Shalom Congregation. The concert is free and open to the community. A reception follows the performance to provide an opportunity to meet and talk with the musicians. The Temple Gift Shop will be open.

Performing in the Pittsburgh Symphony Players are violinist Cardenes, violist Marylene Gingras-Ray, violinist Lorien Benet Hart, cellist Anne Martindale Williams, pianist Rodrigo Ojeda and violinist Christopher Wu.

The Islamic Center of Pittsburgh is hosting its first annual lnterfaith Women’s Conference on Sunday, April 10 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, at 4100 Bigelow Blvd. The conference is being held to bring women of the three Abrahamic faiths together to empower to become women of faith and women of power within our communities. The conference, which is free to attend, is for women only and is open to the community.

The speakers are Rev. B. De Neice Welch, senior pastor of Bidwell Presbyterian Church and chair of a national women’s leadership training program called “Ntosake,” which means She who walks with lions: she who carries her own things.  Ntosake is part of the national Gamaliel organization, which prepares faith leadership for work in the public arena; Malke Frank, a retired educator of Judaica and Hebrew, working for the past 30 years in Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City and Israel. Frank co-founded the Jewish Women’s Center of Pittsburgh, Inc.; and Sarah Jameela, retired teacher and administrator for Pittsburgh Public Schools and who now contributes on community projects that provide and promote shelter, health and safety, and education and leadership opportunities for the underserved.

Visit icpifwc.eventbrite.com for more information and to RSVP.

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