April 11, 2025 | 13 Nissan 5785
Candlelighting 7:37 p.m. | Shabbat ends 8:41 p.m. | Vol. 68, No. 15 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY Fireworks, Haggadot and charity
LOCAL
Chag Sameach! Ed Gainey and Corey O’Connor Passover face off in dueling town halls advice from Pittsburgh’s spiritual leaders: Be intentional and thoughtful Eleanor/Adobe Stock
PASSOVER
Some thoughts on Pesach
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On Democracy and allyship
Mayor Ed Gainey and Laura Cherner at a Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Coffee and Conversations forum on April 2. Photo by David Rullo By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Heisler and Salisbury headline Federation program
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LOCAL Congressman calls for Mideast peace
Deluzio reflects on J Street Israel trip
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FOOD A seder staple with a twist
Medjool date charoset
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ittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and primary challenger Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor shared their visions for the city’s future and addressed their relationship with the Jewish community in separate, sequential town halls. Moderated by Laura Cherner, director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Community Relations Council, the April 2 Coffee and Conversations forums took place at the Federation before a crowd of more than 40 people. Gainey, who has served as mayor since 2022, defended a record that has frustrated some Jewish Pittsburghers — including his handling of a BDS referendum proposed by the anti-Zionist organization Not On Our Dime. The proposed referendum was challenged by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Beacon Coalition and StandWithUs, and separately by City Controller Rachael Heisler. The mayor, however, did not formally challenge the referendum. Speaking publicly for the first time about the referendum — which failed when Not On Our Dime stipulated it did not have enough valid signatures to get on the ballot — Gainey said he consulted the city’s law department, which assured him that the question would not get on the ballot and that such a referendum could not be enforced, "because it would violate and hurt us in regards to the business we have to do in the community and it would prevent us from doing business with a lot of different people."
Ultimately, he said, his solicitor was right, as the referendum never made it to the ballot. “It didn’t make it to the ballot because the Jewish Federation and other partners such as StandWithUs and 200 volunteers did sift through and discover that it didn’t qualify for the ballot,” Cherner retorted. Asked about a joint statement the mayor released on the anniversary of Oct. 7 with U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, Gainey said he was sorry if the statement was viewed as disrespectful or caused people to be hurt. The joint statement was widely criticized because it did not mention Hamas and seemed to blame Israel for the war that the terrorist organization launched when it brutally murdered 1200 people and kidnapped more than 250 others. The statement also failed to mention the surge of antisemitism in Pittsburgh and globally, and its final paragraph suggested a call for an arms embargo against the Jewish state. “If the letter was presented to me again, what would I do?” Gainey said. “I would make sure that I talk to people that I have relationships with and discover exactly what’s wrong with the wording.” During the hour-long question-and-answer session, Gainey often played up his Pittsburgh roots and compassion for all of the city’s residents. He began by saying that public safety has improved under his leadership. Homicides, he said, are down 33%. Non-fatal shootings are Please see Mayor, page 12
Four cups of wine raised to a good Passover. Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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here’s no shortage of insights offered at the seder. This year, though, Pittsburgh’s spiritual leaders have one suggestion: Be more deliberate. Holiday preparations differ, but as reality sets in that Passover is here, “we will have to address how we are going to celebrate,” Cantor Rena Shapiro, of Beth Samuel Jewish Center in Ambridge, told the Chronicle. Each week in Ambridge, Shapiro and her congregants sing and recite “special prayers for the hostages,” she said. “It’s always on our minds.” As of April 8, 59 hostages — fewer than half are believed to be living — are estimated to still be in Gaza. By the time Passover arrives, those hostages will have spent more than 550 days in captivity. With Pittsburghers taking to familiar tables, Shapiro hopes they remember sobering realities 6,000 miles away. “Passover is all about redemption,” she said. “We will be praying fervently for it.” Across the globe, Passover celebrants will recite “Next year in Jerusalem.” Despite the passage’s inclusion at the Haggadah’s end, Please see Leaders, page 12
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