November 11, 2022 | 17 Cheshvan 5783
Candlelighting 4:48 p.m. | Havdalah 5:48 p.m. | Vol. 65, No. 45 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Community encouraged to study Torah, attend services, on yahrzeit of Oct. 27 victims
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL A transition in Allison Park
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Anonymous donor gives $120,000 to Hebrew Free Loan Association in honor of shmita year
Rabbi Jeremy Weisblatt leaves Temple Ohav Shalom Page 2
LOCAL A movie to sink your teeth into
The Tree of Life building after the massacre of Oct. 27, 2018 By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
Filmmaker Noah Segan and his Jewish vampire
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LOCAL Bidding a fond farewell
Alyane Lowenberger retires from JSS after 28 years
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V
arious practices accompany a yahrzeit: lighting candles, reciting kaddish and performing other acts of remembrance. In Pittsburgh, the community will mark the yahrzeits of Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger by gathering together and studying Torah. On the 18th of Cheshvan (Nov. 12) from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, community members can learn Daf Yomi (a page of Babylonian Talmud), study the weekly Torah reading or hear about efforts to preserve memorial items. Maggie Feinstein of the 10.27 Healing Partnership said each learning opportunity is a chance to “bring people together from diverse backgrounds.” Feinstein and fellow community members Eric Lidji and Beth Kissileff worked alongside Anthony Fienberg on the public program. Fienberg — whose mother, Joyce, was
Photo by Adam Reinherz
among those murdered in the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018 — said that helping organize yahrzeit study was a way to “contribute meaningfully” to a community he holds dear. “Maggie gave me this opportunity, and I jumped at it right away,” Fienberg said, speaking from his home in France. “Anything I can do to help.” Others were eager to help as well. Since January 2020, Daniel Leger and Dr. Martin Gaynor — both survivors of the Oct. 27 attack — have studied a page of the Babylonian Talmud daily in memory of their friend and fellow Dor Hadash congregant Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz, who was murdered that day. Leger and Gaynor plan on using the one-hour study session, to be held on the yahrzeit, to explore the nuances of their sizable undertaking with others. When one attends a Daf Yomi class, learning often transpires through scrutinizing the specific language found on each Talmudic page. Leger and Gaynor are adopting a “meta” approach to page 18 of tractate Nedarim. In doing so, Leger Please see Yahrzeit, page 11
Amanda Hirsh is the new executive director of Hebrew Free Loan Association, which recently received a gift of $120,000 from an anonymous donor.
Photo provided by Amanda Hirsh
By David Rullo | Staff Writer
L
ife hasn’t been easy for Tatiana Rabinovich.* Rabinovich immigrated to the United States from the Republic of Belarus. The landlocked country, a former Soviet territory, has endured an economic downturn since 2011 and has suffered a series of political crises, including allegations of rigged elections and supporting Russia in its war with Ukraine. Although Rabinovich is safe in America, her family is still in Belarus facing an uncertain future. Her sister was recently investigated by the country’s secret police following protests in 2020, leaving her to fear for her family’s safety. Please see Donor, page 11
Party and Event Planning kucherav/Adobe Stock
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