Healing stitches

When Pittsburgh’s Jewish women get on a project, they go all out.
This year, Women’s Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh will refocus efforts in their “Keep ’em in Stitches” project and combine knitting, friends and snacks to make lap blankets and healing shawls for women who need caring in the Karmiel-Misgav region of Israel, Pittsburgh’s sister communities.
Last year, local refugees and immigrants served by Jewish Family & Children’s Service were the beneficiaries of a successful three-season effort to provide knitted scarves, hats and blankets created by women of all ages who donated their knitting time. Some 100 scarves, hats and afghans have been donated.
Knitting for Charity started as a Women’s Philanthropy project and this year will also include Voices, the women’s component of the federation’s Partnership 2000.
Knit One, at 2721 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill, opens its doors to provide space and discounts to the “Stitches” group.
Marlene Silverman, co-chair of the community building subcommittee of Partnership 2000, which oversees Voices, said the program has succeeded in building relationships with the women in Karmiel-Misgav, largely because once the women got to know each other, they saw how similar they were.
Women in the Hila Center in Karmiel will receive lap blankets and healing shawls, which will be delivered in person during the federation’s Mega Mission to Israel in June 2012.
The Hila Center is a volunteer-run center organized by the Women’s Forum, whose partner group is P2K. According to its website, the center’s objective is to give cancer survivors beauty care, adapting wigs and other accessories throughout and following their chemotherapy.
The latest project hopes to pick up steam as the weather cools down and is always looking for interested women, including beginners, instructors and seasoned knitters.

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

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