Temple Ohav Shalom welcomes Rachael Heisler for the High Holidays
“I think we need to do a better job as humans of recognizing hate and calling it when we see it,” she said.
Some may be surprised to see Rachael Heisler deliver a message to the Pittsburgh Jewish community from a bimah during the High Holidays.
Heisler has never spoken from a bimah before, has trouble recalling if she’s ever delivered a talk at a synagogue and isn’t Jewish. And yet, the Pittsburgh city controller will present “Antisemitism — Not a Jewish Issue” at Temple Ohav Shalom during services on the second day of Rosh Hashanah.
The talk is part of the “Rabbi and Friends” speaker series created by Ohav Shalom’s Rabbi Aaron Bisno. Previous speakers included Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Jeff Finkelstein, Gefsky Community Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff and Brian Schreiber, former Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh president and CEO.
Heisler said it’s “an honor” to join the Jewish community during the High Holidays. She believes it’s important to demonstrate allyship and share a message of community.
“This time of hyper-politicization is exhausting. People feel isolated and alone. I’m really looking forward to joining the holiday,” she said.
While she hasn’t spoken at a synagogue previously, Heisler is a familiar face to the Pittsburgh Jewish community.
Twice in the last two years, Heisler challenged referendums meant to force Pittsburgh to stop doing business with Israel; she’s a frequent attendee at public Jewish community events; and she was honored in 2024 by StandWithUs with the Shalom Award.
Because of her relationships with the community, Heisler has often been the target of both far-right white supremacists and far-left progressive groups angered by her support of Israel in its war against the terrorist group Hamas.
But Heisler believes it is necessary to stand up for marginalized groups who are targeted by hate.
“I think we need to do a better job as humans of recognizing hate and calling it when we see it,” she said. “I’m floored that this is till happening and getting worse. When I see the rhetoric and venom being spewed at the Jewish people, you have to show allyship.”
Heisler, Bisno said, has done “a wonderful job of being an advocate in the public square.”
Bisno is no stranger to building relationships across diverse groups. As the former senior rabbi of Rodef Shalom congregation, he fostered connections between different faith traditions and communities — a practice he continues at Ohav Shalom.
Both Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh are helping to promote Heisler’s talk, and Bisno has invited clergy from across the region, including members of the North Hills Ministerium, to attend so that “Christian clergy can share in the themes of the Jewish New Year,” he said.
And, if they choose to come back monthly to hear all the speakers in the Rabbi and Friends series, Bisno said they’ll find the Allison Park congregation full of vibrancy and energy. The congregation has grown to 134 families — a 10% increase since Bisno began his tenure there a little more than a year ago.
The rabbi’s High Holiday sermons will include highlighting the congregation itself as it marks its 50th anniversary, and talking about its future.
Bisno will also discuss A.I. and virtual reality, or “the reality of virtue,” he said.
“If everything is artificial, how can we trust the information we’re using? What can we do to encourage our kids to focus on what matters now? How do we regain a sense of footing?” he said.
The importance of humor is another topic he’ll explore. It’s a message that, he said, has universal appeal.
“Pope Francis convened, in his last year, comedians from around the world that spoke about the spirit of laughter and that it’s the best medicine,” Bisno said.
Both the speaker series and High Holiday messages, he believes, will have interest beyond the Jewish community.
“That’s what we want, right? We’re choosing to not live in a cloister,” he said. “So, it’s meant to educate our members but it’s also to bring people into the congregation and bring them into the Jewish community.”
Heisler will speak at Ohav Shalom on Sept. 24 at 10:30 a.m. PJC
David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.
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