August 7, 2026 | 24 Av 5786
Candlelighting 8:10 p.m. | Havdalah 9:11 p.m. | Vol. 69, No. 32 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Fence saga continues
CMU commits to protecting students Page 2
LOCAL
Pittsburgh Wexner alumni with Pittsburgh roots wrestle with protester presses Rep. program’s legacy Khanna on Israel and support for Platner By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
A place for calm and connection
Remembering Jonathan Bahm Page 3
LOCAL
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LOCAL Greenfield’s new mikvahs
Enhancing community Page 5
Please see Wexner, page 10
Please see Protest, page 10
Photo by Aaron Levy-Wolins/J. The Jewish News of Northern California
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A new face at Federation
shortly before he was convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008. He has denied having any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. In 2026, several women claiming to be victims of Epstein filed lawsuits against Wexner and the Wexner Foundation, alleging he helped fund Epstein’s sex trafficking network. In unsealed Epstein files, survivor Virginia Giuffrey said she was trafficked by Ghislaine Maxwell to Wexner for sex at least two times. Reicher is a former Pittsburgher who now lives in California. She said it was her nephew, who still lives in Pittsburgh, who sent her a series of clips and articles in January of 2026, bringing to her attention the relationship between the Wexner and Epstein and advising her to remove any connection to Wexner and the Heritage program from her LinkedIn page. “My first thought was, ‘I’ve got to give all that invested in me back to the victims,’” she said. Reicher began having conversations with
ulie Paris was surprised when the opportunity to have a conversation with Rep. Rohit Khanna arose. Khanna, who represents California’s 17th Congressional District, was in Pittsburgh to meet with nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital during contract negotiations between UPMC and hospital staff. He attended the meeting with Rep. Chris Deluzio, who represents Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District, which includes parts of Allegheny County. Paris is the Mid-Atlantic regional director of StandWithUs, and helped to assemble a group of Pittsburghers to protest the pair’s arrival at the hospital. She said StandWithUs pushes back on elected officials who promote extremism or demonize Israel. “That kind of language is causing real harm to the Jewish community around the world, leading to votes to cut aid to Israel,” she told the Chronicle. “These are inexcusable acts at a time when Israel remains under existential threats.” Khanna recently visited the West Bank and claimed he was detained by a group of Israeli settlers. The Israel Defense Forces pushed back against those claims, saying that soldiers were dispatched after receiving word that foreign nationals had entered into what was believed to be a closed military zone while Israeli citizens blocked a nearby road. Khanna has accused Israel of lying about the incident. StandWithUs criticized his portrayal of his visit to the West Bank, calling it a “publicity
p Jan Reicher (left) and Debbie Findling, former Wexner Heritage Program fellows who are giving the amount the program spent on them and encouraging former fellows to pay similar amounts to organizations supporting victims of sexual assault and human trafficking, pose for a photograph in Findling’s home, May 14, 2026. By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
Meet Hannah Zusmanowitz
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an Reicher said she was thrilled to participate in the Wexner Heritage Program from 2003 to 2005. “It was definitely a huge honor for me to be accepted into the program,” she said. “My cohort was incredible and we continue to be very close. I’m not continuing to do alumni travel. It added a lot to my life and the Jewish community.” And while she was aware the program’s namesake, Leslie Wexner, founded Victoria’s Secret — a company that has been accused of misogyny and exploiting women — she said she had no idea of his relationship with American financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Reicher was unaware, she said, that Jeffrey Epstein had served on the board of directors of both the Wexner Foundation. Nor did she know about the extensive business connections between the two — Wexner was the primary client of Epstein, who served as his financial manager from 1987 to 2007. Wexner cut ties with Epstein in 2007,
Back to School
Special section coming Aug. 14
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