July 19, 2024 | 13 Tammuz 5784
Candlelighting 8:28 p.m. | Havdalah 9:33 p.m. | Vol. 67, No. 29 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
NOTEWORTHY
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LOCAL Lenda volorei ciendi non re nus Unmasking dissent
Nine months after hostages taken to Gaza, Pittsburghers keep demanding to ‘Bring Them Home’
A closer look at Pittsburgh’s anti-Israel groups Et odictiumqui andae amusam quistium si de net voloritat Page 2 LOCAL
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Pittsburgh’s José-Alain Sahel honored with Wolf Prize for groundbreaking research on sight restoration
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Memories of the Rebbe LOCAL Ovit, ommodi remos ero
Dr. José-Alain Sahel
Photo courtesy of Dr. José-Alain Sahel
Locals recall encounters and inspiration Page 3
LOCAL Fodictiumqui aut entis andae asimuss Pittsburgh pride goes global Page X LOCAL Minto volupta ssimim
Teens head to London for Maccabi Games Page 4
LOCAL Summer adventures await Lenda nus dolorum re pro mi, cuptati ntibus.
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Four exciting day trips near Pittsburgh Page 15
David Dvir, center, joins Rebecca Elhassid and Dror Elhassid at the Bring Them Home vigil on July 14. Photo by Jonathan Dvir By Adam Reinherz | Senior Staff Writer
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staple of Squirrel Hill life continued Sunday as Pittsburghers gathered on the corner of Darlington Road and Murray Avenue to demand the release of an estimated 120 hostages. The captives, which include eight American citizens, have remained in Gaza for more than nine months. Rabbi Elchonon Friedman of B’nai Emunoh Chabad said he and fellow community members will attend the vigils until every hostage comes home. The commitment is not without benefit. “The fact that we get together every week here in Pittsburgh is an inspiring act,” Friedman said. “Do you see what unity we have?” vigil organizer David Dvir asked. “There are Orthodox, Conservative and Reform people here.” Since October, Dvir has spearheaded the gatherings. He’s underwritten printing costs, arranged for weekly speakers and worked with volunteers to ensure the vigils remain focused. July 14 marked Dvir’s first return to the Squirrel Hill corner in two months. This summer, he, his wife and their son traveled to Israel, met with hostages’ families and told them
about the weekly Sunday vigils in Squirrel Hill. “We can be very, very proud,” Dvir said. Here in Pittsburgh, it’s possible to think, “This doesn’t influence anything, it doesn’t cheer anybody, it doesn’t help the hostages. I can tell you the opposite. It gives a lot of strength to the families, a lot of strength to the ordinary people. The regular people in Israel, the soldiers that I met, they’re so proud that we stand behind them.”
By Toby Tabachnick | Editor
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By design, the Sunday gatherings follow a similar pattern, organizers explained. Prayers and songs are recited. Biographies of hostages and fallen IDF soldiers are read. Signage is waved. Some participants hold placards. Other attendees stand near Darlington Road and quietly don tefillin with assistance from neighbors. On Sunday, Rabbi Yisroel Altein of Chabad of Squirrel Hill helped several men lay phylacteries and recite Shema, a biblical text proclaiming God’s oneness. Each week, tables, speakers and flags are placed in the same spaces. For the past several
r. José-Alain Sahel refers to his patients as heroes. The same can been said of him. Sahel, chair and distinguished professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, was awarded the 2024 Wolf Prize in Medicine for his work using optogenetics to restore vision to blind people. The Wolf Prize, conferred in Israel by the Wolf Foundation, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious recognitions for scientific and artistic achievements, according to Forbes. The prize, which has been awarded since 1978, carries a monetary award of $100,000 for each of its laureates, who are selected by juries comprised of experts from around the world. “Over a third of the Wolf Prize laureates have subsequently received the Nobel Prize in corresponding disciplines,” according to the Wolf Foundation. Nine laureates were named this year in medicine, mathematics, physics, agriculture and music. Sahel was awarded the Wolf Prize along with his colleague Botond Roska, founding director
Please see Vigil, page 10
Please see Sahel, page 10
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