Metro Briefs September 13

Pittsburgh Councilman Corey O’Connor has requested that the city extend the courtesy of a “no ticketing” policy for street cleaning during Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, as well as Sukkot and Simchat Torah.

O’Connor has provided the appropriate departments with the dates of each holiday and explained, as well, that each holiday begins and ends at sundown.

The Department of Public Safety and Chief Police Chief Nathan Harper remind constituents that cars can be cited or towed if blocking the flow of traffic, parking too close to corners, blocking driveways, fire hydrants, loading zones, dumpster areas or pedestrian walkways.

“I want to recognize and thank the Directors of the Parking Authority, Public Works and the Police Bureau for their understanding and help,” O’Connor said in a prepared statement. “It is important that everyone is able to observe the laws and customs of their religious holidays.”

The second annual “sue’s run4kids” will take place Sunday, Sept. 23, at Riverview Park on the North Side. The event includes a 5K run, 5K fitness walk and a one-mile family walk to enable people of all ages and abilities to participate.

All proceeds will go to the Lipman Youth Fund at KidsVoice.

Sue Lipman was a runner, golfer and tennis player. A social worker at Children’s Hospital for 17 years, she was also a strong supporter of KidsVoice, a local nonprofit organization that provides a full range of services for abused and neglected children.

Lipman died of pancreatic cancer in 2010 at the age of 58, and in honor of her memory, her family set up the annual run/walk that would benefit the organization that meant so much to her.

Last year’s inaugural sue’s run4kids drew nearly 300 participants and raised over $27,000 for KidsVoice. The Lipman family’s goal is to grow the event this year.

Visit suesrun4kids.org/register to sign up or donate; for more information go to suesrun4kids.org.

The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936, a traveling exhibit from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will open with a special function, Monday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m., at the August Wilson Center for African-American Culture, 980 Liberty Ave., Downtown.

The August Wilson Center and the Holocaust Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh are jointly sponsoring the exhibition, which explores the issues surrounding the 1936 Olympic Games — the Nazis’ use of propaganda, the intense boycott debate, the history of the torch run and the historic performance of track and field star Jesse Owens, who shattered the Nazi belief of racial superiority.

The Games, which Hitler intended to showcase his new world order, turned out to be a brief, two-week interlude in Germany’s escalating campaign against its Jewish population and the country’s march toward war.

Franco Harris and Dan and Barbara Shapira co-chair the event.

Register by Oct. 8 by contacting Alicia Bekeny at 412-421-1500, ext. 106 or at abekeny@jfedpgh.org. There is a charge to attend.

My Baby and Me, a program for young adults at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, 5738 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill, will be held in Family Place on the upper floor of the Irene Kaufmann Building.

The program runs activities for parents and caregivers with infants, toddlers and young preschoolers. Its director, Miriam Abramovich, supports new families in their transition to parenthood.

“The JCC has been a haven for me and my family,” Wendy Zafris, a participant in My Baby and Me, said in a prepared statement. “Miriam has provided support and friendship that will not be matched. I am grateful for everyone that is involved with My Baby and Me programming.”

Several of the program’s classes and groups are open to everyone in the community at no fee. These include:

• Baby Play — singing, rhyming, movement and finger plays for newborns and infants;

• PJ Library Story Time — reading and craft time based on a selection from the PJ Library;

• Manic Motherhood — a discussion group for moms with infants with the babies present;

• Manic Toddlerhood — a discussion group about the challenges and joys of parenting a toddler. A child development specialist will answer questions.

Contact Abramovich at 412-521-8011, ext. 398, or mabramovich@jccpgh.org for times, dates, venues and other information.

The Orchid Society of Southwest Pennsylvania Fall Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20 to 21, at Phipps Garden Center, 1059 Shady Ave.

There will an exhibit of blooming orchids, lectures, plant raffles and orchid sales by orchid vendors. Growing supplies that are difficult to find locally, will also be available. As a special attraction, a series of free education classes and lectures will be offered to the public each day that will highlight tips on growing healthy orchids. Admission is free and the community is invited. Call (724) 224-4012 or visit oswp.org for more information.

Blind and Vision Rehabilitation Services of Pittsburgh is in need of volunteers with receptionist and secretarial skills and volunteers who can help on Tuesday afternoons with arts and crafts and field trips. Also, volunteers are welcome to help drive clients to appointments, serve as escorts for group activities, and help staff who are blind or vision impaired.

Volunteers can participate on a set schedule or on an as-needed basis, and their special talents or interests can be accommodated. Training is provided. Contact Nancy Schepis, volunteer coordinator, at 412-368-4400 or nschepis@pghvis.org for more information.

“More Than Just Learning” hosts Shirley and Morris Shratter interview Carnegie Mellon University professor Staicey Donlevy on homeland security every Tuesday in September at 8 p.m. on cable Channel 21 or Verizon 47.