September 5, 2025 | 12 Elul 5785
Candlelighting 7:27 p.m. | Havdalah 8:25 p.m. | Vol. 68, No. 36 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Anti-Israel group comes back to campus
Judge lifts SJP suspension from Pitt
Page 2
LOCAL
$2
JFNA’s Eric Fingerhut shares Mind, body plans for Jewish communal and soul: actions in a post-Oct. 7 world Pittsburghers ready for Rosh Hashanah through study and movement
Welcome to The Second Floor
Eric Fingerhut By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
Teen hangout at the JCC
Page 4
FOOD A versatile dessert
Date and pistachio cookies
Page 14
LOCAL “Connections” at Rodef Shalom
Sculptor Dan Droz's new exhibit
Page 16
E
ric Fingerhut has been president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America — the umbrella organization for the Federation system — since 2019. A former U.S. congressman from Ohio, Fingerhut has helped the JFNA navigate through uniquely difficult times, including the pandemic, an increasingly divisive political climate and the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel. While in town last week to meet with Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s lay leaders and staff, he spoke with the Chronicle about Jewish communal challenges — as well as opportunities — in a post-Oct. 7 world. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Has your vision for the Jewish communal world changed since Oct. 7?
That’s a great question. I don’t think it’s changed, but I think that the need for an organized communal response that bridges all factions of our community has become more important than ever, because the challenges that have arisen as a result of Oct. 7, both in Israel and here at home, are bigger than any one organization and bigger than any one part of our community. Our responsibility in the Federation system is to be the convener that brings everyone together and mobilizes collective responses. There are times — especially when times are good — that people don’t see the need for that
Photo courtesy of JFNA
level of communal organization. But I think everybody recognizes it now. So I wouldn’t say my vision has changed, but I do think the sense of responsibility that we have to this moment is at a very high level. We know that the community needs to be brought together across differing religious and political and ideological lines, to work together for the common good, and so it’s a very significant responsibility — and frankly, there’s a lot of pressure to get it right. You phrased the question as “since Oct. 7,” but there’s no doubt that we’re sitting here at a moment that is probably the most challenging since Oct. 7. This is now the longest war in Israel’s history. We still have our hostages being held prisoner in Gaza. The political divisions here at home are growing and there are also the issues, the questions, about Israel’s policies intersecting with American political partisanship, which is extreme. So this is a very challenging moment for our community, and therefore, I think we have a huge responsibility here at the Pittsburgh Federation — and also at the Jewish Federations of North America — to be bringing our community together to find those collective responses that will help us get through this moment.
Readying for the High Holidays
Photo by Israel Torres via Pexels
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
R
Since Oct. 7, our primary focus in Israel has been to assist with the emergency needs that have arisen and continue to arise as a result
osh Hashanah begins the evening of Sept. 22. For weeks, Jewish Pittsburgh has been preparing. Through classes, contemplation, shofar blasts and even yoga, local residents have readied for the new year. On Aug. 25, community members gathered at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill to celebrate the start of the Hebrew month of Elul. The 29-day period of introspection is marked by various practices, including the recitation of seasonal liturgy and blowing the shofar. Through a program operated in conjunction with the 10.27 Healing Partnership, rabbis Hindy Finman and Alex Greenbaum encouraged participants to read and wrestle with Jewish texts. The topics, as Finman explained, concerned relationships and the inherent challenges of unity and forgiveness. “What does it mean to take an intentional pause from a relationship?” she asked. A classic Chassidic tale recounts a father
Please see Fingerhut, page 11
Please see Rosh Hashanah, page 11
What is the JFNA doing to address the divide between Diaspora Jews and Israeli Jews?
Estate Planning & Planned Giving begins on Page 8
InsideCreativeHouse/Adobe Stock