Metro Briefs December 24

Junior LWO invites all women to “The 5 Love Languages of Children: an Evening of Parenting Inspiration” with guest speaker Goldie Plotkin, who is co-director of the Chabad Center in Markham, Ontario, director of Torah Tots Preschool and runs a successful Women and Wisdom learning program.

The program will be held on Sunday, Dec. 27 at 8:15 p.m. in the Yeshiva Girls School Library, 6401 Forbes Ave., and will include and ice cream bar and warm desserts. There is a $10 charge.

Chabad of the South Hills Women’s Circle will present a video presentation of Rabbi Mendel and Batya Rosenblum’s recent trip to Israel, where they visited injured soldiers and victims of terror, on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 7:30 p.m. A variety of dips and veggies will be served. There is no charge. Call 412-344-2424 for details.

Also coming up at Chabad of the South Hills is the Jewish Kids Club for children ages 4 to 11 beginning on Monday, Jan. 11. Contact riki@chabadsh.com or 412-344-2424 or visit chabadsh.com for more information and to register.

Chabad of Squirrel Hill will host a Tu B’Shevat Paint Night for women on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7:15 p.m. Lila Hirsch Brody, Pittsburgh artist and teacher, will guide all participants in creating a tree painting on canvas, and Blumi Rosenfeld, director of the Early Learning Center at Yeshiva Schools, will share a personal talk about faith.

Fruity wines and desserts will be served; there is a $20 charge.

Contact caltein@chabadpgh.com for more information and to RSVP.

With the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) decision last week to close its 12-year investigation into Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh released a statement that strongly urges the U.S. government to continue to monitor the Iranian government closely for the duration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the agreement implemented in an effort to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons — and beyond.

The IAEA produced a report earlier this month noting that Iran maintained an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003 and continued elements of that program through at least 2009. Iran had long denied these allegations.

“It is critically important to the security of the United States, Israel and the rest of the world that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon,” said Josh Sayles, director of Community Relations at the Federation. “We are hopeful that the JCPOA accomplishes this goal, but we remain wary of Iran’s longstanding pattern of deceit in international relations. We urge Congress to remain vigilant not only now, but also in the coming years and decades. The risk of Iran relaunching a nuclear weapons program is an issue of international security and it is critical that we do not become complacent as time passes.”

Additionally, in the event that new information arises about Iran’s nuclear history, the Federation urges the United States government to investigate fully.