November 18, 2022 | 24 Cheshvan 5783
Candlelighting 4:42 p.m. | Havdalah 5:43 p.m. | Vol. 65, No. 46 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Pennsylvania elections make state firmly blue
NOTEWORTHY LOCAL New name, broader reach
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Jewish Pittsburghers react to Israeli election
Jewish Residential Services is now The Branch Page 2
LOCAL Honoring the past, looking to the future Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with President Joe Biden from his office in Jerusalem on Nov. 7.
Photo courtesy of the Office of Benjamin Netanyahu
Josh Shapiro, his family and his running mate Austin Davis bask in their victory on stage at The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. Photo by Jarrad Saffren By David Rullo | Staff Writer
New Light’s new cemetery chapel
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LOCAL CEO with a mission
Carole Zawatsky takes the helm at the Tree of Life nonprofit
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P
ennsylvania, it appears, proved to be a firewall against a midterm national red wave. Democrat Attorney General Josh Shapiro defeated his Republican gubernatorial opponent Doug Mastriano by nearly 13% and, despite a widely panned debate performance in the waning days of the senatorial campaign, Democrat Lt. Gov. John Fetterman beat TV personality and Pennsylvania transplant Mehmet Oz. Closer to home, Democrat Summer Lee was declared the victor shortly after the polls closed in her race against Republican Mike Doyle in the commonwealth’s 12th District, becoming the first Black woman to win a congressional seat in Pennsylvania. Democrat Chris Deluzio defeated Jeremy Shaffer to keep Rep. Connor Lamb’s 17th District congressional seat blue. Libertarian Andrew Neft, who lives in Upper St. Clair, voted for Shapiro, he said, because he felt Shapiro was a stronger candidate, not because of the antisemitic claims voiced against Mastriano. Neft split his ticket, though, voting for both Oz and Doyle. “The one that’s really disappointing is the
congressional race,” he said about the 12th District race. “[Lee] is Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar together.” Election results aside, Neft is most concerned about politicians seeking to enrich themselves while in office. “They put themselves first, party second and country third,” he said. “Something needs to change. It’s a cancer within our political system.” Dana Platt Blitstein went to bed early on Nov. 8, with some trepidation about what she’d awaken to find on the news. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that both Shapiro and Fetterman had won their races. “My gosh, what a sigh of relief,” she said. “I thought Josh Shapiro had it in the bag, but I was concerned for Fetterman.” The Squirrel Hill resident’s fears were intensified after the Fetterman/Oz debate, but she believes a lot of people felt sympathy for the Democrat. “He portrays himself as a candidate that’s been knocked down and gets back up,” she said. “I think that’s what happened, I really do.”
By David Rullo | Staff Writer
T
hink you’re sick of hearing about the midterm elections? Did you tire from the barrage of television commercials, talking heads and political yard signs? Are you feeling anxious from not knowing for certain the winners of every race and which party would control the House? Whatever strong emotions you associate with the Nov. 8 elections, they pale in comparison to what Israelis have experienced. On Nov. 1, the Jewish state completed its fifth legislative election in nearly four years. The makeup of the country’s Knesset, its prime minister and its governing coalitions keep changing based on the political winds blowing across the Middle Eastern country. The political intrigue started in 2018 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on the verge of losing his governing coalition, called for elections. Despite winning that election, he failed to form a government and called for new elections in April 2019. In 2019, the Likud and Blue and White Party finished in a virtual tie, but neither party was able to form a coalition, meaning — you guessed it — more elections. Before the third round of elections took place, though,
Please see Pennsylvania, page 10
Please see Israel, page 10
Volunteers of the Year November 23
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