Coming up

Join other moms with their infants/ toddlers to enjoy interactive Jewish songs and movements at Chabad of the South Hills Mommy & Me, Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. Call Batya at (412) 344-2424 for reservations.

Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee is sponsoring the next Christian–Jewish Dialogue Thursday, Oct. 7, noon, at the Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill; use the Darlington Road entrance. The topic of the dialogue is abortion. The program is free and open to the public. Contact the PAJC office at (412) 605-0816 or pajc@pajc.net for more information.

Jewish McKeesport natives and their spouses will gather for a three-day reunion weekend from Oct. 8 to 10 at Seven Springs Resort. The attendees are people who grew up socializing through the city’s three major synagogues at the time as well as Jewish youth groups AZA, BBG and National Federation of Temple Youth. The reunion will include a Friday night Sabbath service, a welcome reception, a dinner dance and free time to renew friendships. As many as 270 people have registered. A special reunion book containing biographies of 120 former Jewish McKeesporters has been created and will be distributed at the reunion. Contact Judi Wolf at (216) 702-1921 or techteach@roadrunner.com for more information.

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Richard Kogan, a New York psychiatrist and award-winning concert pianist, will play selected compositions by and discuss the life of, George Gershwin during a program at Rodef Shalom Congregation, Saturday, Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m. The Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center is presenting the program. Kogan, co-director of the Weill-Cornell Medical Center Music/Medical Initiative in New York, has entertained audiences with his insights into the minds of famous composers such as Mozart, Schumann, Tchaikovsky and Bernstein. He has played with Yo-Yo Ma and Lynn Chang. In this program, “The Mind and the Music of George Gershwin,” Kogan will play selected compositions to illustrate Gershwin’s emotional challenges. The program benefits the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center, which promotes education and research.

The Young Adult Division of the Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh will get in touch with its inner child during a social mixer Saturday, Oct. 9, 8:15 p.m. at the Children’s Museum on the North Side. There will be a dessert and open bar. Contact Ann Cloutier at (412) 992-5255 or acloutier@JewishFederationPittsburgh.org for more information.

The Squirrel Hill Historical Society will hold its next meeting Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7:30 p.m. at their new location, the Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Ave. Author Anita Kulina-Smith will speak on “Getting to Know our Neighbors: History of Greenfield.” Visit squirrelhillhistory.org or call (412) 417-3707 for more information.

Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, Pennsylvania’s second largest adult education agency, is seeking volunteers to teach basic literacy (reading, writing, math, computer skills) and English as a second language to adult students throughout Allegheny County. There are currently over 100 students waiting to be matched with a tutor. GPLC will offer two workshops this fall for volunteers interested in tutoring non-native English speakers. These workshops will be held in the North Hills at Northgate Church Oct. 12, 14, 19 and 21, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. In addition, a workshop will be held in the South Hills, October 16 & 23 from 9am – 4pm. No foreign language experience is necessary. GPLC is also offering a workshop for volunteers wishing to tutor basic literacy. This workshop will be held in Green Tree at Wallace Presbyterian Church Nov. 8, 10, 15 and 17, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact GPLC at (412) 661-7323 or gplc.org for more information.

Rodef Shalom Congregation Sisterhood will hold the Solomon B. Freehof Wednesday book review series Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 10:30 a.m. in Freehof Hall. Rabbi Aaron Bisno will review “The Frozen Rabbi” by Steve Stern.

OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring training sessions will take place Wednesdays, Oct. 13 and 20, from 10:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at OASIS, 10th Floor Macy’s Downtown. OASIS Intergenerational Tutoring volunteers work with children in kindergarten to grade four in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Woodland Hills School District. Free training, books and supplies are provided by OASIS. No teaching experience is necessary. Call Marlene Rebb, tutoring coordinator, at (412) 232-2022 for more information.

The Squirrel Hill-Shadyside-Greenfield Meals on Wheels will be the recipient of a benefit dinner hosted by Casbah. A five-course dinner with wine pairings will be served for 50 guests Monday, Oct. 18, at 6:30 p.m. Casbah will donate the fixed charge for the meal directly to support SHSG Meals on Wheels, providing two meals per day for one month for an individual. Call (412) 521-6340 or visit sites.google.com/site/sqhillmow for reservations and more information.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will host Health Insurance 101, presented by Beth Socoski, Care Management Specialist from Gateway Health Plan, Wednesday, Oct. 20, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Gilda’s Club, 2816 Smallman St. The presentation will be preceded by registration and a light dinner at 6 p.m. Cancer patients, family members, friends and caregivers are welcome to attend. Pre-registration is required and seating is limited. For more information and to register for this free program, contact the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at (412) 395-2882.

Ben Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, and Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, will be the keynote speakers for the upcoming annual meeting of the Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee, Thursday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m., at Rodef Shalom Congregation. The theme for that evening’s program is “Civil Rights in an Increasingly Uncivil Society.” Jealous is the 17th president and CEO of the NAACP, and the youngest person to hold the position in the organization’s nearly 100-year history. Newsweek Magazine named Saperstein America’s most influential rabbi in 2009. In his capacity as RAC director, he represents the Reform Movement to Congress and the Obama administration. Pittsburgh talk show host Lynn Cullen will be the moderator the program, which is free of charge. Visit pajc.org for more information.

(Angela Leibowicz can be reached at angelal@thejewishchronicle.net.)