March 1, 2024 | 21 Adar I 5784
Candlelighting 5:54 p.m. | Havdalah 6:54 p.m. | Vol. 67, No. 9 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL Lenda volorei non re nus Lessons in Civilciendi RIghts
Allegheny County Council hears from public regarding proposed cease-fire resolution
Area teens return from Federation trip to the South Et odictiumqui andae amusam Page 2 quistium si de net voloritat HISTORY Yes, and ... LOCAL
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Patel campaign calls on Summer Lee to return contributions from ‘antisemitic donors’
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Ovit, ommodi remos ero Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh President and CEO Jeff Finkelstein addresses Allegheny County Council on Feb. 20 in opposition to a proposed cease-fire resolution.
Photo by David Rullo
Emily Harris connects community through improvisation Page 3
LOCAL Fodictiumqui aut entis andae asimuss A portrait of the artist
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LOCAL Minto volupta ssimim
How "Benny Blindspots" sees the world Page 4
LOCAL A night of entertainment... and education Lenda nus dolorum re pro mi, cuptati ntibus.
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Yeshiva Girls School presents "Out of the Depths"
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By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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srael is a murderous, apartheid, colonist state indiscriminately bombing and killing innocent women and children in furtherance of a genocide, according to nearly 50 people who spoke on Feb. 20 in the Green Room of the Allegheny County Courthouse during an Allegheny County Council meeting. Those speaking against Israel in its war with Hamas — which breached a cease-fire to invade the world’s only Jewish state on Oct. 7 — came to support a cease-fire resolution that was rumored earlier to be introduced at the meeting. After learning no resolution was forthcoming, the anti-Israel speakers called for the resolution to be advanced at the council’s next meeting on March 5. Most of the comments in favor of the ceasefire resolution included claims that Israel is guilty of war crimes, that the Jewish state is populated by those eager to push the Palestinian people out of Gaza, that Israel is motivated by racism and that it stole its land, to name just a few of the false claims, some echoing antisemitic tropes. Some in favor of the resolution made cursory mention of the hostages being held in Gaza, claiming that only a cease-fire could provide the mechanism to return them safely to Israel, but widespread condemnation of Hamas’ terrorist attack was missing from the rhetoric of those speakers.
In fact, some, like Brookline resident Eyas Azzuni, voiced disbelief about the atrocities committed by Hamas. “I have not seen beheaded babies or got names of raped women,” Azzuni said. “These are lies.” North Side resident Theron Gilliland Jr. also questioned the allegations of Hamas terror. “The lie that was halfway around the world before the truth had a chance to put on its pants,” Gilliland said, “in addition to the lie that there were 40 beheaded babies, which nobody seems to have seen, the lie is that history started on Oct. 7, 2023.” While several speakers condemning Israel identified themselves as members of the Green Party, various socialist parties and labor unions, some said they were members of the Jewish community, including a handful associated with Jewish Voice for Peace. Brighton Heights resident Aaron Kuhn identified himself as a member of the Pittsburgh Jewish community. He said Israel was committing an “ongoing genocide” and was guilty of “death marches,” “ethnic cleansing” and “famine.” “I reject entirely the excuses that Israel uses to justify their indiscriminate bombing and slaughter of children and other innocents, saying that Hamas is using them as human shields and that they have to continue with this in order to free the hostages,” he said. Please see Council, page 8
Rep. Summer Lee
Photo courtesy of summerlee.house.gov
By David Rullo | Senior Staff Writer
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havini Patel has called on political rival Rep. Summer Lee to return contributions from several donors whom Patel characterized as “Hamas sympathizers and antisemitic donors.” Patel is challenging incumbent Lee for her seat in the state’s 12th Congressional District. Lee is a member of the “Squad,” an informal group of several House Democrats known for being among the most left-wing members of Congress, and who are calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Those who donated to Lee’s campaign in December 2023 include: • Nehad Hammad Awad, the executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Awad donated $1,000 to Lee’s campaign on Dec. 29. Awad characterized Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack as “self-defense,” saying, “I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not allowed to walk in,” during a November conference hosted by American Muslims for Palestine. The White House distanced itself from CAIR in December after Awad’s speech. Please see Lee, page 8 InsideCreativeHouse / Adobe Stock
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