A staple of Squirrel Hill life continued Sunday as Pittsburghers gathered on the corner of Darlington Road and Murray Avenue to demand the release of an estimated 120 hostages. The captives, which include eight American citizens, have remained in Gaza for more than nine months.
Rabbi Elchonon Friedman of B’nai Emunoh Chabad said he and fellow community members will attend the vigils until every hostage comes home.
The commitment is not without benefit.
“The fact that we get together every week here in Pittsburgh is an inspiring act,” Friedman said.
“Do you see what unity we have?” vigil organizer David Dvir asked. “There are Orthodox, Conservative and Reform people here.”
Since October, Dvir has spearheaded the gatherings. He’s underwritten printing costs, arranged for weekly speakers and worked with volunteers to ensure the vigils remain focused.
July 14 marked Dvir’s first return to the Squirrel Hill corner in two months. This summer, he, his wife and their son traveled to Israel, met with hostages’ families and told them about the weekly Sunday vigils in Squirrel Hill.
“We can be very, very proud,” Dvir said. Here in Pittsburgh, it’s possible to think, “This doesn’t influence anything, it doesn’t cheer anybody, it doesn’t help the hostages. I can tell you the opposite. It gives a lot of strength to the families, a lot of strength to the ordinary people. The regular people in Israel, the soldiers that I met, they’re so proud that we stand behind them.”
Purposely predictable
By design, the Sunday gatherings follow a similar pattern, organizers explained.
Prayers and songs are recited. Biographies of hostages and fallen IDF soldiers are read. Signage is waved. Some participants hold placards. Other attendees stand near Darlington Road and quietly don tefillin with assistance from neighbors.
On Sunday, Rabbi Yisroel Altein of Chabad of Squirrel Hill helped several men lay phylacteries and recite Shema, a biblical text proclaiming God’s oneness.
Each week, tables, speakers and flags are placed in the same spaces. For the past several weeks, canopies were added. Erected shortly before the noon gatherings and dismantled about an hour later, the tents enabled about 50 people to shield themselves from temperatures climbing as high as 94 degrees.
Point Breeze resident Sandy Zell further helped by dispersing small bottles of water.
A mainstay at the vigils, Zell told the Chronicle that community members have stood in the blistering heat and the freezing cold.
“It’s the least we can do,” Zell said. “They’re making the ultimate sacrifice.”
Relaying the message
Following every vigil, Squirrel Hill resident Alice Sahel-Azagury said she updates Orna Neutra about the Pittsburghers’ activities.
Neutra’s son Omer remains a hostage in Gaza.
“The Talmud says that whoever saves a life saves the world,” Sahel-Azagury said. “We need to continue to pray and hope to see all of the hostages back.”
During Dvir’s two-month visit to Israel, Sahel-Azagury, David Knoll and others helped oversee the gatherings.
Whether it’s through mid-week preparations or for an hour each Sunday, numerous individuals are committed to this cause. The summer months have drawn a smaller crowd, but about 75-100 Pittsburghers come each week, Knoll said.
There are tears and anthems and prayers but, most importantly, Sahel-Azagury said, people of all faiths continue gathering “no matter what.”
University of Pittsburgh student Ilay Dvir said that while visiting Israel with his parents this summer he went to the home of Sergeant Major (res.) Nicholas Berger. The IDF soldier died in Gaza in January. Berger’s mother, Diana, spoke at a Pittsburgh vigil via Zoom following her son’s death.
Reconnecting in person and hearing her describe her son, how he lived his life, was a “special moment,” Ilay Dvir said. “Seeing the mom of an IDF soldier be so happy to tell a story, and so strong, even though she lost her child was an amazing sight to see.”
July 14 marked Galit Erner’s first vigil in Squirrel Hill. The Israeli came to Pittsburgh days earlier with a contingent of adults and children en route to Emma Kaufmann Camp in West Virginia.
“This is very overwhelming,” Erner said of the gathering. “It means so much to see you stand with us.”
Erner lives in Yuvalim, a kibbutz in northern Israel, 18 miles from Lebanon.
Last month, Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets into northern Israel. It was the “largest attack on the country since the war in Gaza began,” ABC News reported.
Chaperoning children to a Jewish overnight camp isn’t easy, especially now, Erner said.
“I came here two days ago with a very hard heart,” she said. “There might be another war coming.”
‘We won’t stop’
Shortly before the Sunday gatherings, Sahel-Azagury sends a message through social media. The image, which she updates weekly, includes the number of days since the hostages were captured in Israel and carted into Gaza.
Sahel-Azagury includes the vigil’s address and location. The time and place have remained unchanged for almost nine months. So have the words affixed to the top of each message: “We won’t stop until they’re all back!” PJC
Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
comments