July 31, 2026 | 17 Av 5786
Candlelighting 8:18 p.m. | Havdalah 9:20 p.m. | Vol. 69, No. 31 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Holocaust Center launches yearlong teacher training series
Chabad House on Campus, Carlow University pair to create new program for Jewish students
NOTEWORTHY WORLD Bringing lenses into focus
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By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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women in the community were interested in entering the workforce, Humphrey recalled. Humphrey said she wanted to help community members achieve that goal and suggested that anyone — women or men — considering a return to school should pursue careers that lead to well-paying jobs. “We need to make it count,” Humphrey said. Her desire, Humphrey said, was to start a program with at least 10 students that would be focused on degrees those students could receive quickly and which would enable them to earn a livable wage. “LPN [licensed practical nurse] is a 16-month program. In 16 months, you come out making $60,000. The surgical tech program is a 20-month program, you walk out making between $60,000 and $65,000. Our early learning programs train you to become a certified teacher,” Humphrey said. The program would focus on the needs of the Jewish community with classes shaped around the rhythm of Jewish life, including Friday night/Saturday Shabbat celebrations, Jewish holidays and more.
ummer is in full swing but those responsible for Holocaust education are already eyeing next school year. Emily Loeb, director of the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, said she and staff are gearing up for “Holocaust 101: The Fundamentals of Holocaust Education.” The Aug. 4 program at Allegheny Intermediate Unit represents the first in a yearlong series of educational opportunities for teachers spanning grade levels and subject areas. “We really see it as an opportunity for both new and returning educators,” Loeb said. The one-day program will cover latent antisemitism in pre-war Europe “that led to the rise of the Nazi party and the Holocaust,” as well as “various pedagogical [frameworks] that the teachers can use with their students,” she said. Whether it’s accessing Holocaust testimony and implementing it within classrooms, or contextualizing images “so teachers can think about how that was used by the Nazis,” the free Aug. 4 program is designed to be both an introduction and refresher, Loeb said. Holocaust education is required by law in about half of U.S. states and the District of Columbia, according to a July report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Pennsylvania schools are not mandated to teach the Holocaust; however, Act 70 of 2014 strongly encourages school-based instruction regarding the Holocaust, genocide and human rights. Despite this recommendation, there’s a lack of Holocaust-related knowledge throughout the commonwealth. A 2020 survey released by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Please see Carlow, page 10
Please see Training, page 10
“Ground Glass” illuminates Holocaust story Page 3
LOCAL Pittsburgh support for MIT students
Center for Jewish Legal Studies files amicus brief Page 4
HISTORY
p Carlow University is teaming with Chabad House on Campus-Pittsburgh for a new program tailored to Jewish students. Photo by Kathy Humphrey By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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A look back Page 5
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abbi Shmuli Rothstein knows how hard it can be for some Jewish women to get a college degree. Rothstein is the head of Chabad House on Campus-Pittsburgh. He said that two of his sisters got married and had children before getting degrees. When they decided to go back to school, they had to juggle all the challenges that accompany a Jewish life — holidays and life cycle events specific to Judaism, for example — while raising a family and meeting the obligations of school assignments. “College is built around mainstream students,” Rothstein said. “You graduate from high school, maybe do a gap year, you’re not married, you’re not running a business, you’re not having kids.” An idea emerged during a conversation between Rothstein, former Chabad House on Campus-Pitt co-Director Sara Weinstein and Carlow University President Kathy Humphrey about strengthening ties with the Jewish community. Weinstein told Humphrey that some
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