May 22, 2026 | 13 Sivan 5786
Candlelighting 8:24 p.m. | Havdalah 9:32 p.m. | Vol. 69, No. 22 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Understanding fertility journeys
Program hosted by Beit Kulanu and Shaare Torah
Music, prayer and community: Sentence handed down Cantors Assembly makes Pittsburgh debut to man who attacked two Jewish Pitt students By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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Enchanted Evening.” On June 9 at 7 p.m. at Beit Kulanu in Shadyside, members of the Cantors Assembly will deliver “Jewish Notes in America’s 250-year Song.” Both performances, as well as study sessions and meetups for visiting cantors, pay homage to a familiar theme. Titled, “Repairing the World One Bridge at a Time,” the annual convention is an opportunity to gain “exposure to new music” and share innovative “programming ideas that each of us is doing,” Myers said. Even so, “we try not to monopolize everyone’s time.” Myers said the schedule was designed to deliver professional development as well as opportunities to experience the city, and hopes attendees will make the most of what Pittsburgh has to offer. Whether cantors stop by a local museum or simply speak with community members, time in Pittsburgh is instructive, Myers said. “There are ways to take some of what I really think distinguishes Pittsburgh from so many other cities and perhaps bring elements of that back to their own cities.”
arrett Buba has been sentenced for attacking two Jewish University of Pittsburgh students. As part of a plea deal finalized on May 19 in Allegheny County’s Fifth Judicial District Mental Health Court, Buba, who has been in detention since being arrested shortly after the 2024 attack, will serve up to five years of probation and be remanded to a mental health facility until he completes a program supervised by Judge Beth Lazzara and deemed to no longer be a threat to the public. The attack occurred on Aug. 30, 2024, as students Asher Goodwin and Ilan Gordon made their way across the lawn of the Cathedral of Learning to attend a Hillel JUC of Pittsburgh event. Both Goodwin and Gordon were wearing kippahs at the time of the attack. Buba donned a keffiyeh and brandished a glass bottle as a weapon. The two students both suffered injuries as a result of the attack. Goodwin was cut by the bottle, suffering a laceration on his neck; Gordon experienced a concussion. A day after the attack, Carla Panzaell, Pitt’s vice provost of student affairs, and Clyde Wilson Pickett, Pitt’s vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion, issued a statement condemning the attack, but saying that “the assault was determined by law enforcement not to be targeted or directed towards any specific group.” Despite that statement, part of Buba’s plea included four charges that included ethnic intimidation, as well simple and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In his victim statement, read before the court, Goodwin, who has since graduated
Please see Cantors, page 13
Please see Pitt attacker, page 13
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p Officers and representatives of the Cantors Assembly will descend on Pittsburgh next month. Photo courtesy of Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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here’s a sweet new note in the Cantors Assembly history. For the first time in 79 years, the organization representing professional Jewish clergy will meet in Pittsburgh next month. Bringing the party to western Pennsylvania is Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers, president of the Cantors Assembly, and rabbi and hazzan at Tree of Life Congregation. The organization typically meets for an annual convention in its president’s locale. With nearly 200 cantors coming to town for the June 7-11 conference, Myers is eager to show off the city and his crew. “Pittsburgh embraced me in the nearly nine years that I’ve been here, and I thought that one of the best ways to say thank you is to offer the gift of the music of the Cantors Assembly to all of Pittsburgh,” he said. Myers pointed to two programs showcasing both local venues and the vocal visitors. On June 8 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul Cathedral, the Cantors Assembly and the Diocese of the City of Pittsburgh will collaborate on “Psalm
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