Metro Briefs April 30

On Sunday, May 3 Pittsburgh will have more than the Dick’s  Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon to celebrate. Partnership2Gether (P2G) — a program that links Pittsburgh with Karmiel and Misgav, the region around Karmiel, Israel — will mark the program’s 20th anniversary.

The Community Day School P2G Cheer Station will be open from 8 a.m. to noon, supporting 10 Israeli runners from Karmiel and Misgav and other runners in the Pittsburgh Marathon. The cheer station will be at Wilkins and Fifth avenues. After the race, P2G supporters can gather at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s tent in the Charity Village section of the Finish Line Festival, a component of the marathon. The tent will be in the part of Point State Park that is immediately east of I-279.

A P2G-hosted reception will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, Katz Auditorium, in Squirrel Hill and will include the Israeli runners and Adi Eldar, mayor of Karmiel, and Ron Shani, mayor of Misgav.

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Visit jfedpgh.org/RunnersHi to register for the Cheer Station and reception. Contact dswartz@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5208 for more information about the P2G events.

B’nai Emunoh Chabad will hold a restaurant night on Sunday, May 3 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 4315 Murray Ave. Reservations are preferred to ensure seating. Meals are prepared under the Vaad Harabonim of Pittsburgh. RSVP

to bechital@gmail.com or call 412-521-1477.

Dr. Tim Crain, the new director of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University, will give a lecture on “Moses, Jesus and Mohammed” on Sunday, May 3 at 1 p.m. at Temple David in Monroeville.

Crain has degrees in philosophy, history and political science. He has a doctorate in modern Jewish history from Arizona State University. Crain taught at the University of Wisconsin and Marquette University. His primary research interest is modern anti-Semitism. In 2014, Crain left the Center for Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin and accepted the directorship at the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University.

Judaism Decoded: The Origins and Evolution of Jewish Tradition is a new six-week course from the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. The course will shed light on the mysteries surrounding biblical interpretation. Classes will be on Sundays starting May 3 at 10:15 a.m. or Tuesdays starting May 5 at 7:30 p.m. Contact 412-344-2424 or rabbi@chabadsh.com or visit chabadsh.com for more information and to register.

Pittsburgh’s Jewish matchmaker, Tova Weinberg, will speak at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills on Monday, May 4 at the Mondays with the Rabbi program, which begins with lunch at 11:30 a.m.; the program is at noon. There is a $6 charge.

Make reservations by calling the Beth El office at 412-561-1168.

Several area organizations have joined forces to launch Circles East Liberty, a “relationally driven program that benefits from the long-term Circle Allies to help individuals and families working to get out of poverty.”

As part of Circles East Liberty, a Poverty Simulation program, a tool that deepens understanding of poverty, will be held on Monday, May 4 at the Jewish Community Center in Levinson Hall from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 

The Missouri Association for Community Action developed Poverty Simulation. Participants role-play a member of a low-income household and discover the difficulty and stressors of trying to meet a family’s basic needs when expenses are more than income.

Contact Jodi.salant@werepair.org or call Jodi at Repair the World at 412-742-6103 for more information and to register.

Omer Institute Speakers Series announces its three remaining sessions:

>> Rabbi Chuck Diamond and participants from the Yom Ha’atzmaut Israel trip will present “To Israel and Back” on Monday, May 4 at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha, 5898 Wilkins Ave.    

>> Rabbi Mark Staitman will speak on the topic “Everything is Foreseen and Free Will is Given” on Monday, May 11 at Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon St.   

>> Rabbi Doris Dyen, spiritual leader of Makom HaLev, will present “Can We Talk?  Embracing the invitation of an Interwoven World” on Monday, May 18 at New Light Congregation, 1700 Beechwood Blvd.    

All sessions begin at 7 p.m. and include refreshments. There is no charge, and all lectures are open to the public.

Contact Alex Speck at 412-521-6788 or aspeck88@yahoo.com for more information.

Mosab Hassan Yousef, code-named “The Green Prince,” will tell the story of his transformation from budding Hamas leader to undercover Israeli operative when he speaks at this year’s Annual Campaign Thank You event on Tuesday, May 19.

Hosted by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in appreciation of donors to the annual campaign, the event will feature Yousef’s remarks as well as the presentation of the PNC Community Builders Award and the Campaigner of the Year Award. Donors who have made a contribution of at least $1,000 to the annual campaign are invited. Dessert will be served following the presentation; dietary laws will be observed. There is a $10 charge.

This year’s honorees are the Wagner family, who will receive the PNC Community Builders Award, and Chuck Snyder, who will receive the Campaigner of the Year Award. The PNC Community Builders Award is given by PNC President and CEO Sy Holzer in recognition of Federation leaders whose volunteer efforts have resulted in building a stronger and more vibrant Greater Pittsburgh community.

The King David Society reception, organized in appreciation of donors who gave at least $25,000 to the 2015 Annual Campaign ($3,600 for young adults ages 22 to 45), will precede the event.

Yousef, the son of a founding member of Hamas, worked undercover for Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service akin to the American FBI, for 10 years around the time of the Second Intifada. After witnessing firsthand the violence of Hamas members, Yousef decided to deceive his family and neighbors to forestall further suffering on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by becoming Shin Bet’s most reliable source in the Hamas leadership, earning himself the nickname The Green Prince — for the color of the Islamist group’s flag and because of his pedigree. The intelligence he supplied to Israel led to the exposure of a number of Hamas cells as well as the prevention of dozens of suicide bombings and assassination attempts on Israeli figures. Yousef wrote about his experiences as an Israeli operative in his book, “The Son of Hamas,” which was later turned into a film, “The Green Prince,” directed by award-winning filmmaker Nadav Schirman.

The event is sponsored by the Ira and Nanette Gordon Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Register to attend at jfedpgh.org/ACTY or contact Stacy Skiavo at sskiavo@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5223.

Adath Jeshurun Cemetery is partnering with Community Day School’s middle school students for “A Salute to our Veterans,” on Tuesday afternoon, May 19. New American flags will be placed on the graves of veterans, properly discarding the old flags, and a prayer service will be held. Area veterans are invited to participate at the cemetery. Contact Renee Abrams, chair, Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, at 412-363-3112 for more information.

Jewish Family & Children’s Service will hold its annual meeting, A Tribute to Volunteers, on Thursday, May 21 at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave., with a reception at 6:30 p.m. and meeting at 7:15 p.m. Attorney Stephen H. Jordan is the meeting chair. Dietary laws will be observed. Paul Dubner will be honored with the 2015 Mermelstein Leadership Award. Register at bit.ly/JFCSAM15 or 412-422-7200 by Friday, May 15.