July 24, 2026 | 10 Av 5786
Candlelighting 8:25 p.m. | Havdalah 9:28 p.m. | Vol. 69, No. 30 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL New leadership at Tree of Life
Rabbi Hannah Estrin comes to town Page 3
LOCAL
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CMU investigating 8 students New JHF President and for messages painted on CEO Danny the Fence Rosen seeks to continue foundation’s legacy
Pitt’s Working Group on Antisemitism p Eight Carnegie Mellon University students are being investigated for recent messages painted on the Fence. Messages like “By any means necessary,” have forced the university to act several times since June. Photo by David Rullo By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Long-awaited report is released Page 4
LOCAL Looking back at history
Posner Center opens to the public Page 5
LIFE & CULTURE ‘Dayenu’ exhibit
A taste of ‘Bubbe wisdom’ Page 22
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arnegie Mellon University is investigating eight students for their involvement with recent messages painted on the university’s Fence, according to the CMU student-run newspaper, The Tartan. The university has also placed seven of the students on “interim partial campus access restriction,” the paper reported. According to the article, the investigation was initiated by the university’s Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX, which the university’s website says is “dedicated to promoting equity” and coordinates “the University’s efforts to prevent and effectively respond to forms of discrimination, bias, and sexual misconduct …” Since the beginning of June, six anti-Zionist messages have been painted on the Fence, including screeds with language some found threatening. A group labeling itself on the CMU Fence Instagram page — which is not affiliated with the university — as “Antifascist Action at CMU” included the phrase “by any means necessary,” in its message in early June. It wasn’t painted over, most likely because of its inclusion on the top of a fence post, and wasn’t brought to the administration’s attention until after the Fence had already been repainted in celebration of the New York Knicks’ NBA championship win. In a separate incident later in the month, the phrase “death to Zionism,” was painted in Yiddish on the Fence by a group calling
itself “A few Jewish students.” In a rare move, the message was painted over by the administration. President Farnam Jahanian wrote in a June 30 message to the CMU community that a call for death violated a longstanding university policy “against such threats of violence, including threats based on an individual or a group’s affiliation or identity.” He also pledged to remove similar threats in the future. At the time of both messages, Jahanian wrote that the university was investigating the messages — the latter including local and federal law enforcement. Following CMU’s actions, a group calling itself “Concerned Students” on the CMU Fence Instagram page has attempted to use anti-Zionism as a cudgel to argue against what it sees as censorship by the administration. Almost all the messages painted on the Fence since June 30 have included anti-Zionist rhetoric, as have several of the posts included on Instagram. One message claimed the university was censoring Jewish voices but offered no proof that any of the students involved in the painting were Jewish. While not confirming the investigation of the students, claims of censorship were pushed back on by the university, who through a spokesperson wrote to the Chronicle that “Carnegie Mellon must Please see Fence, page 15
Senior Living Special section begins on page 8
Thurstan Hinrichsen/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock
p Danny Rosen
Courtesy of Jewish Healthcare Foundation
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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ince arriving in Pittsburgh more than two decades ago, Danny Rosen has dedicated his days to improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. Both as a faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and as a volunteer with organizations, including Friendship Circle of Pittsburgh, AgeWell Pittsburgh and the Allegheny Regional Asset District, Rosen, a former resident of Ann Arbor, Michigan, has offered time and expertise while striving to create a better Pittsburgh. Weeks into his new role as president and CEO of Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Rosen told the Chronicle he aims to continue those efforts and work in partnership with the foundation’s staff and board to support critical endeavors. “The foundation’s mission is not going to change,” he said. “We have a commitment to improving health, strengthening communities, supporting vulnerable populations and seeking out where there are opportunities for us to have an impact.” Even with a familiar mission, new challenges exist. Please see Rosen, page 15