Metro Briefs May 10

Metro Briefs May 10

Nicole Mezare has joined Temple Sinai as the new director of adult programming.

Mezare was born and raised in Toronto. She attended the Royal Conservatory of Music, where she learned how to design programs to attract audiences.  

In 2000, Nicole was invited to pursue graduate studies with John deLancie, former dean of the Curtis Institute in San Francisco, where she performed with orchestras in the San Francisco Bay Area. She moved to Pittsburgh to be with her husband, Roi Mezare, and complete her master’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University.

Mezare became an adjunct faculty member in the Music Extension program at Carnegie Mellon University. She performed in Pittsburgh with ensembles and was oboe soloist with a variety of choirs led by Bob Page.

Mezare was with the AgeWell’s Adult Department at the Jewish Community Center for the past five years, designing, coordinating and facilitating a range of programs for adults that included lectures, concerts, workshops and special events.

Nicole and Roi reside with their son, Ben, in Squirrel Hill.

Jewish Residential Services and Jewish Family & Children’s Service will host a workshop on “Updates You Can Use,” Monday, May 14, at 6 p.m. at Jewish Residential Services, located at Rodef Shalom Congregation.

Changes by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) affect children’s programs, and the changes are not always easy to understand. This workshop will help eliminate the mystery and provide an update on topics such as ODP’s employment pilot program for young adults, as well as Lifesharing, an ODP initiative designed to offer an alternative to group homes for people who need residential services. This workshop will also cover waiver enrollment, management of the intellectual disabilities waitlist and updates on the current funding situation.

Contact Shani Lasin at 412-325-0039 or slasin@jrspgh.org for more information and to register.

The Agency for Jewish Learning will hold a tribute to Amy Karp Wednesday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation. She and her husband, Dan Karp, are moving to Chicago this month.

Karp has directed the AJL’s adult education programs for more than 14 years and has been the USY director at Beth El Congregation.

In recognition of her work on behalf of the community, the AJL is establishing the Amy Karp Adult Jewish Learning Scholarship Fund, which will help ensure that all adult learners have access to the educational programs offered by the AJL. Contact Ilene Cohen at 412- 521-1101, ext. 3003 or icohen@ajlpittsburgh.org for more information.

Eight-hundred students in kindergarten through eighth grade from Yeshiva Schools, Hillel Academy and Community Day School will celebrate the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer together Thursday, May 10, at Community Day School.

The festivities will begin at 10 a.m. with live music, food and a trapeze artist. Each school helped plan the event as part of the Pittsburgh Jewish Day School Council, a committee convened by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to coordinate shared resources amongst the schools.

The Lag B’Omer program will end with a group photograph of the 800 students.

“As Lag B’Omer commemorates the culmination of a plague that befell Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students because of their collective discord, it is an especially important day to celebrate community unity and cohesiveness,” said Daniel Kraut, CEO of Hillel. “It may not seem like a big deal to plan a program with three day schools, but this highlights a tremendous landmark for the community. Not all communities have such open dialogue.”

Contact Charles Cohen at 412-992-5227 or ccohen@jfedpgh.org for more information about the event.

The Jewish Community Center Specialty Camps is introducing the new Masada Girls or Masada Boys unit for campers entering grades four and five at the JCC’s James and Rachel Levinson Day Camp.

The one-week specialty camps, offered in Squirrel Hill and the Family Park in Monroeville, give campers a chance to explore a special interest, from science of all sorts to sports including tennis, basketball, soccer and karate; performing arts including dance and Glee; wilderness adventures; and radio DJ.

Specialty camps will be held by the week from July 16 through Aug. 17.

Contact Liza Baron at 412-521-8011, ext. 241 or lbaron@jccpgh.org for more information. Contact Lauren Grinstein at 412-521-8011, ext. 852 lgrinstein@jccpgh.org to register.

Squirrel Hill AARP Chapter 3354 will hold their Wednesday, May 16, meeting at New Light Congregation at 1700 Beechwood Blvd. at Forbes Avenue. Following the business meeting Liz and Duke will entertain with music and comedy, followed by refreshments.

The Lawrenceville Blossom Tour is celebrating spring and Lawrenceville’s dedication to local goods and services. Travel down Butler Street May 12 and 13 to see the work of local artisans, craftmakers, businesses, bakers and more.

A free seed packet will be given out at each official Blossom Tour stop, with the selection designed for the Pittsburgh climate.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh is participating in the Summer Food Service Program. Kosher and kosher-style meals will be provided to all children, ages 18 and under, at the JCC and Henry Kaufmann Family Recreation Park in Monroeville, without charge and are the same for all children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability, and there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service. 

The New Light Men’s Club is sponsoring a Jewish Heritage Tour of Pittsburgh Part II Sunday, May 20. The tour will begin at New Light Congregation at noon. Call Rich Gottfried at 412-367-7384 for more information and to reserve seating.

The Agency for Jewish Learning announces its 2012 summer Israeli-style Hebrew Ulpan. Nineteen hours of Hebrew class time will be offered for new and continuing students over a six day period. Five class levels are available for adults and families in a small classroom environment. Classes begin Wednesday, May 30, and continue May 31, June 4 to 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, June 3, there is class from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All sessions are located at the AJL, 2740 Beechwood Blvd.

The $180 fee includes 19 hours of Hebrew instruction, daily kosher refreshments and Israeli lunch on Sunday. Call Nira Lion, director of Hebrew programs, at 412-521-1101, ext. 3202 to register and to determine your class level.

Artist Leslie Golomb Hartman will speak on “Women’s Language: The Distinctive Voice of Global Sisterhood,” Wednesday, May 16, at 7 p.m. at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Congregation, located at 5898 Wilkins Ave.

Golomb Hartman recently completed a six-week invitational artist-in- residency in southern China, a program of the Shenzhen Boa’an District People’s Government. She will discuss her experience and her artwork, “Women’s language,” an examination of two distinct cultures — Jewish women who used Yiddish, and Chinese women who invented a written and oral language called ”nushu” to express their inner and outer lives.

The program is open and free to the community.

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