February 10, 2023 | 19 Shevat 5783
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL “Understanding Israel’s Lenda volorei ciendi nonPolitical re nus Crisis”
Et odictiumqui andae amusam A conversation with journalist quistium si de net voloritat Matti Friedman
Candlelighting 5:31 p.m. | Havdalah 6:32 p.m. | Vol. 66, No. 5 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
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Pittsburgh Racial Justice Israelis in Summit session condemns Israel Pittsburgh react to new Israel government coalition By David Rullo | Staff Writer
E environmental activist in Atlanta. The killing occurred in an area where a training center to boost police recruitment and retention is being built. Activists were protesting the center, arguing that its construction would be environmentally problematic and would result in a facility used for “urban warfare.” The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the incident, concluded that the activist shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper and law enforcement personnel “returned fire in self-defense,” thereby killing the activist. Daher tried to link Israel to the incident, explaining that Israel is training American police officers in what anti-Israel activists call “The Deadly Exchange.” “Our police forces from Pittsburgh and all across the country have gone to Israel to train in crowd control,” she told the approximately 40 people in the session. Former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, she said, attended a conference in Israel “on how to militarize our police — and they train in Israel to do that. We are directly connected to this international issue and, without international solidarity, we are doomed.” Daher then spoke about the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh last May. Daher falsely asserted that the “Israeli
ven before Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in late December that he formed a coalition government, critics derided it as the most far-right governing bloc in the history of the country. Concerns including the weakening of the country’s Supreme Court, changes to the Law of Return, a further push into the West Bank, the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and Arab-Israelis were only some of the issues causing anxiety for many, in and out of the country. The new coalition pieced together by Netanyahu has been in place for more than a month and Israelis across the globe have seen the first fruits of the new alliance. Pini Sofayov, an Israeli living in the South Hills, said he “loves” the new government, and said the anxiety surrounding it is the result of propaganda from the political left. Israel, Sofayov said, needed changes, including to its high court. The Supreme Court — whose justices are appointed by a small judicial committee, and not elected — has controlled the country, not the government, and needs to be checked, he said. Minorities, he added, enjoy far greater protections in Israel than in neighboring countries. “[Minorities] have to be worried if they’re going into Gaza or into the Palestinian territory,” Sofayov said. “They’re running away from there. Israel is the most friendly country for gay people, in the world.” Those on the left “don’t know how to lose,” he said, and don’t understand Middle East politics. “If you don’t show strength over there, it’s all over,” Sofayov said. “It’s the rule of the
Please see Summit, page 16
Please see Israel, page 16
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LOCAL LOCAL The the anonymous Ovit,mystery ommodiofremos ero portraits The Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian organization, has long been accused of facilitating anti-Israel programming. Photo by Toby Tabachnick By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
Fodictiumqui aut entis andae asimuss Do you recognize these faces?
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LOCAL CULTURE Minto volupta ssimim Easier than pancakes, and more versatile
Lenda nus dolorum re pro mi, cuptati ntibus. French crepes for any meal
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or at least the sixth time since 2017, a workshop demonizing Israel was featured at the annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary on Jan. 20 and 21. The Racial Justice Summit is an initiative of the Black and White Reunion, established in 1996 by Tim Stevens to help bridge the city’s racial divide. The summit includes keynote addresses and many smaller workshops. On Saturday, Jan. 21, a workshop presenting a one-sided view of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, entitled “Justice for Palestine with a focus on the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh,” was led by Kate Daher, a founding member of the Pittsburgh Palestine Solidarity Committee. Other speakers included Mohammed Bamyeh, a sociology professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a supporter of the BDS movement against Israel; Robert Ross, a Point Park professor and outspoken critic of Israel; Rev. Dr. B. De Neice Welch of the Bidwell Presbyterian Church; and Rev. John Welch of the Sixth Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church. The session was recorded and is available to view on Facebook. Daher opened the workshop by attempting to link Israel to the Jan. 18 killing of an
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