Metro Briefs October 23

The Temple David Sisterhood will hold a dinner with a Breast Cancer Awareness panel discussion on Thursday, Oct. 23 from 6:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 4415 Northern Pike, Monroeville. On display will be a giant pink bra, courtesy of Hadassah, that donors can sign. Contact the office at 412-372-1200 for more information.

Pittsburgh author and illustrator Ilene Winn-Lederer will be presenting her newest book, “An Illumination of Blessings” along with the behind-the-scenes process by which this successfully funded Kickstarter project was created, on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom.

Books and limited edition prints will be available at this afternoon tea and dessert event, which is made possible by the Sisterhoods of Congregations Beth El and Beth Shalom as well as the Shoshanna Chapter of Hadassah.

In addition to Winn-Lederer’s presentation, Debbi Green, president of the Great Lakes Region of the Women’s League of Conservative Judaism, will be the special guest.

Contact Cindy Platto at 412-257-8234 (csplatt17@gmail.com), Dorothy Greenfield at 412-849-0089 (hottiedottie2867@gmail.com) or Mimi Halpern at 412-608-0222 (hmaj@juno.com) to make a reservation.

The Jewish Association on Aging’s senior living community Weinberg Terrace will be hosting a Pub ‘n’ Suds happy hour as part of its inaugural Pittsburghfest event on Monday, Oct. 27 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

During the happy hour, attendees can enjoy snacks, beer and wine while getting a chance to meet the residents, who will be participating in a Q&A. Tours of the facility also will be provided.

The event will celebrate all things Pittsburgh. Earlier in the day residents will get to discuss new civic developments that affect seniors with Councilmen Corey O’Conner and Daniel Gilman as well as talk with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Tony Norman, who will discuss the history of the Steel City.

Weinberg Terrace staff will also crown Mr. and Ms. Pittsburgh from the seniors, and the Pittsburgh Allderdice High School band will be on hand for the pep rally. The newly crowned Mr. and Ms. Pittsburgh will cut the ribbon on the community’s new mobile art gallery.

Contact Tara Bailey at Weinberg Terrace at 412-421-5757 for more information.

All women are invited to Shaare Torah’s second annual Women’s Dance Party, featuring a Cinderella Ball theme on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 9 p.m. Wear your finest evening gown or whatever makes you feel elegant, pretty or just plain comfortable, and dance the night away to a medley of secular and Jewish music. Refreshments will include wine, cheese and other delicacies. Admission is $10 in advance, $12 at the door. Contact shaaretora@aol.com or 412-421-8855 for reservations.

Dustin Bleiweis’ mitzvah project is fundraising for the World War II Foundation. His grandfather, Edward Baker, was a Merchant Marine veteran and served his country during WWII. Baker passed away in January, and Dustin wanted to honor his legacy and all World War II veterans.

The World War II Foundation produces educational films and creates initiatives recognizing the bravery and contributions made by the World War II generation. The foundation is currently in post-production on its 12th, 13th and 14th documentary films focused on the personal stories of World War II veterans. All of the films are donated to American Public Television.

One of those stories was made into a film called “A Promise to My Father.” The movie follows Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter, as he returns to Poland and Germany for the final time to look for items buried in the basement of his home in 1939. “Izzy” also travels to the Treblinka death camp, where his parents and younger brother were murdered, and to other camps, where he used his father’s final words as motivation to help him stay alive.

The movie will be shown at Temple Emanuel of South Hills on Monday, Nov. 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. There will be a short question-and-answer session with

director Tim Gray. Gray is an American film producer and writer who has won two Emmy Awards for his World War II documentary film projects that air on national and international television networks. He also serves as chairman of the World War II Foundation.

There is no charge, but donations are encouraged. All proceeds will be donated to the World War II Foundation to help produce more documentary films. If unable to attend the film showing, consider making a donation. Send donations to Melanie Baker Bleiweis c/o War World II Foundation, 106 Lantern Circle, McMurray, PA 15317.

After the movie, refreshments will be served.

Contact Melanie Baker Bleiweis at 724-969-1128 for more information.

The Economic Empowerment for Women Lunch and Learn will be held on Monday, Nov. 3 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh office, 234 McKee Place in Oakland.

Khawla Rihani, director of Economic Empowerment for Women, will discuss the EEW’s focus, including the need for economic empowerment for Palestinian women in Israel, strategies for empowering women and the potential benefits of helping women to start and sustain their own businesses.

Economic Empowerment for Women, founded in 2000, is a nonprofit organization in Israel dedicated to improving women’s lives through economic

empowerment. Its mission is to supply low income women in Israel with the knowledge and tools to create and grow their own small businesses as a means for gaining self-sufficiency and alleviating the cycle of poverty in which they live. EEW was awarded the 2008 Speaker of the Knesset prize.

Lunch will be included; there is a $10 charge per person. Contact Eric Probola at eprobola@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5247 for more information and to make reservations.

The program is co-sponsored by the Center for Women, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Pittsburgh, Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh Chapter and the National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section.

The Squirrel Hill Historical Society will hold its next free meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Ave. Writer and researcher Melanie Gutowski will speak about Squirrel Hill mansions.

Call 412-417-3707 or visit squirrelhillhistory.org for more information.

A “breakfast for dinner” will be held to raise money for the Joan Gollin Gaines Cancer Research Fund at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at P&G Pamela’s Diner, 60 21st St., in the Strip District.

All proceeds will be used to further research into genetic alterations in cancer cells and more effective, targeted therapies. The fund was established to honor Joan Gollin Gaines, Ph.D., a breast cancer survivor and sister to Dr. Susanne Gollin, professor of human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

Contact susanne.gollin@gmail.com or 412-624-5390 for tickets or more information.

Susan G. Komen announced that three University of Pittsburgh researchers will receive a total of $830,000 this year as part of Komen’s commitment to young scientists and clinicians researching breast cancer. The researchers are Rachel Jankowitz, M.D., Sreeja Sreekumar, M.D. and Adrian Lee, Ph.D. Lee is also a Komen Scholar.

While the researchers are located at the University of Pittsburgh, their work affects the lives of all afflicted with breast cancer both in Komen Pittsburgh’s 34-county service area across Western and Central Pennsylvania and, by extension, the world.