January 3, 2025 | 3 Tevet 5785
Candlelighting 4:48 p.m. | Havdalah 5:52 p.m. | Vol. 68, No. 1 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Shining a light on sustainability
Congregations turn to the sun LOCAL
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Israel, antisemitism, elections Fetterman, Gainey, and charitable gifts among O’Connor join top local stories of 2024 Chabad to celebrate Chanukah in Greenfield
South Hills controversy
Image via iStock
Mt. Lebanon prohibits public menorah Page 3
LOCAL Spencer Horwitz heads to Pittsburgh
Jewish player joins the Pirates Page 15
FOOD Kugel or casserole?
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avigating icy roads is one reminder that winter is really here. The calendar is another indicator that 2024 is over. As Pittsburghers prepare for a season of cold while dreaming of warm sunny days, the time has come to look back on the year that was. During the past 12 months, war in Israel continued. Even from 6,000 miles away, Pittsburghers paid close attention to events in and around the Jewish state. Readers turned to this publication for details and perspectives. And while Israel remained a primary focus for readers, local events also stirred attention. The top local stories of 2024, as determined by digital views, reflect a readership committed to learning more about Israel, Pittsburgh and the Jewish world. Here’s a look at the top local stories of 2024:
1. I watched footage taken on Oct. 7. What I saw was evil.
A savory spinach side
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Chronicle Senior Staff writer David Rullo was among a group of nearly two dozen local leaders invited to Rodef Shalom Congregation for a screening of unedited footage of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. Rullo’s first-person piece described the horrors depicted on screen and his own reaction to viewing the terror. The story isn’t
an easy read, but it’s a valuable one — which is why Chronicle readers made it their top local story of 2024.
2. New kosher restaurant in Squirrel Hill will serve shawarma, falafel and some memories
When word of a new kosher eatery arrived, potential customers devoured the news. Alas, the restaurant never came to be. In its place remains this piece, and dreams of a potential shawarma stand someday delighting kosher consumers in Squirrel Hill.
Sen. John Fetterman lights the menorah, sans ladder. Photo by David Rullo By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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After a server at 61C Café in Squirrel Hill wrote “Free Palestine” on the lids of beverage cups of one adult and three teens who were speaking Hebrew, the shop’s manager said he was “disappointed” and “embarrassed” by the employee’s act. After meeting with Julie Paris, regional director of StandWithUs Mid-Atlantic, one of the café’s owners issued a statement to the Chronicle. Included within the statement was an admission of wrongdoing and a desire for better behavior: “We will not tolerate any forms of discrimination or hate speech, and will ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. The café feels
he lights of Chanukah shone bright in Greenfield during the holiday’s fifth night. Hundreds — including politicians, rabbis and members of the Pittsburgh Jewish community —danced, sang, ate and celebrated on Murray Avenue in front of B’nai Emunah Chabad on Dec. 29. Organized by Chabad of Greenfield, the night’s festivities began with a menorah parade that included a procession of cars and students from the Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, and a Tesla Cybertruck topped with a menorah. This was the first year Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey participated in the annual event. He was invited by Chabad of Greenfield Rabbi Yitzi Goldwasser. “I believe we should celebrate culture,” Gainey told the Chronicle. “It’s culture that makes the city go around, and the truth is the more we understand one another’s culture, the more understanding we have
Please see Top Stories, page 10
Please see Chanukah, page 10
3. Local coffee shop takes steps to make amends for antisemitic act of barista
Spotlight on Pets Coming January 10 Eric Isselée/Adobe Stock
By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer