March 13, 2026 | 24 Adar 5786
Candlelighting 7:07 p.m. | Havdalah 8:06 p.m. | Vol. 69, No. 11 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Rodef Shalom, Temple Sinai create ‘a house for all of us’
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL The case for college in Israel
Low cost, high value
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There were a few other stipulations for the name, Battistone said. “We decided that we wanted to use Hebrew,” he said. “We felt that was important being a synagogue. We also weren’t entertaining any geographical names. We weren’t looking for ‘East End Synagogue’ or ‘Reform Synagogue of Pittsburgh.’ We wanted it to be more than a physical address. We were looking for something that embodied the journey we’ve been on for the last two years.” More than 200 submissions were received before three were chosen by leaders from both congregations, including senior staff, members of the unification committee and board members. The three choices were then put forward for members to rank. The new name was ranked as the first selection by about two-thirds of the respondents. In the end, they didn’t need to venture far from the original theme. The new congregation, which will be housed at the current Rodef Shalom location, will go by the name Beit Kulanu, meaning “a house for all of us.”
srael’s chief rabbinate may soon have full control over prayer at all parts of the Western Wall, following a Feb. 25 vote (56 to 47) in favor of a preliminary reading of a bill in the Knesset, introduced by Knesset member Avi Maoz, who is part of the far-right Noam party. The bill, which would imprison anyone for up to seven years for praying at the Kotel contrary to Orthodox standards, has caused anxiety and alarm for progressive Jewish groups both in Israel and the Diaspora. The Association of Reform Zionists of America released a statement saying, “the holiest site of the Jewish people must allow all Jews to pray as they wish — Israelis and Jews from the Diaspora alike.” It went on to say that “at a time when Jewish unity is needed, the Israeli government is isolating 85% of the world’s Jewish population from one of our faith’s holiest sites. This affects bar/bat/b’nai mitzvahs, conversions, life-cycle moments, and basic dignity of prayer. It is a backwards step from a democratic Israel that celebrates religious pluralism, where all forms of Jewish identity are celebrated.” The Union of Reform Judaism condemned the preliminary vote, calling it “unprecedented,” and saying that the Kotel “does not belong to one stream of Judaism.” It noted that outside of Israel, 85% of Jews worship in egalitarian communities. Criminalizing non-Orthodox prayer at the Western Wall, it said, “would alienate millions of Jews from the State of Israel at a time when Jewish unity is both fragile and essential.”
Please see Unification, page 18
Please see Bill, page 18
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Non-Orthodox leaders react to bill that would give Israel’s chief rabbinate control of Kotel By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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p Beit Kulanu, the new congregation resulting from the unification of Rodef Shalom Congregation and Temple Sinai, will be housed in Rodef Shalom’s synagogue building. Photo courtesy of Rodef Shalom Congregation By David Rullo | Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle
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fter Rodef Shalom Congregation and Temple Sinai announced plans to unify last year, there was a pressing matter that needed to be resolved as the two Reform congregations began pondering clergy, staff, finances and buildings: a new name. Leadership from both congregations wanted a fresh, distinctive name that did not include any words from the former names, which carried special meaning for their members, explained Bill Battistone, president of Rodef Shalom. Those four words, he said, have served the community well and, like the jersey number of a retired sports star, deserved to be retired and hung in the rafters. When it was announced that the unified congregation would have a new name, members were asked to submit suggestions based around the theme “a house for all,” which makes “space for the legacies of both congregations while pointing to a future that reflects openness, welcoming and belonging,” Battistone and Temple Sinai President Marcie Solomon wrote in an email.
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