Metro Briefs November 13

Metro Briefs November 13

Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist, will be leading the Herzog Breakfast discussion on “The Future of Newspapers in the Digital Age,” on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. in the Aaron Court of Rodef Shalom Congregation.

A continental breakfast will kick off this discussion, which is free and open to the community.

Beth El Congregation of the South Hills will hold an Israel Bonds tribute brunch honoring Dr. Mark Blatter on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 10:15 a.m. The program is also a part of the Global Day of Jewish Learning.

The featured speaker will be Avi Jorisch, the founder of the Red Cell Intelligence Group, a consulting firm that specializes in national security issues relating to terrorism’s illicit finance and radical Islam. Contact 412-561-1168 to make reservations.

Five congregations in the South Hills are joining together to participate in the international Global Day of Jewish Learning on Sunday, Nov. 16. The South Hills Initiative of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh is coordinating the project.

The Global Day of Jewish Learning brings Jewish people together for community-based learning to foster Jewish unity, empower individuals through increased Jewish knowledge and create meaningful shared experiences. The South Hills Jewish community will participate with more than 400 Jewish communities from 40 countries around the world, as each congregation offers its own program.

All programs are open to the public. For information, contact southhills@jfedpgh.org.

>> Chabad of the South Hills will offer the session “How Our Shortcomings Can Become Sources of Joy” at 10:15 a.m.

>> Temple Emanuel of South Hills will offer “Deborah – Victory in the Hands of a Woman,” based on the 2014 Global Day of Jewish Learning theme, “Heroes and Villains, Saints and Fools: The People in the Book.” Presented by Temple Emanuel’s Beit HaMidrash adult education team, the program will include a light brunch sponsored by the Temple Emanuel Brotherhood. Contact 412-279-7600 or templeemanuel@templeemanuelpgh.org to make reservations.

>> Beth Israel Center will also explore “Deborah – Victory in the Hands of a Woman” at 10:30 a.m. Ken Regal of Just Harvest will moderate the class.

>> Congregation Ahavath Achim (The Carnegie Shul) will hold its program, “2014: The Year of Living Dangerously in The Middle East” at 7 p.m. with guest speaker Gregg Roman, director of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Roman was recently featured in the news for his efforts to save the life of his friend, journalist Steven Sotloff, who was beheaded by ISIS.

The Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry and Franktuary have partnered to host a No Menu Monday event at Bar Marco in the Strip on Monday, Nov. 17 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.  A portion of the meal’s proceeds will benefit SHCFP.

Every Monday of each month, Bar Marco offers local organizations and chefs an opportunity to take over the kitchen — bringing their own ingredients and cooking up their own culinary creations for Bar Marco customers. Guest chefs also have the option of cooking for a cause and donating a portion of the evening proceeds to a local nonprofit. It’s a chance for local chefs to get a little more exposure and customers of Bar Marco to try something different and to support organizations doing good work in the community.

Chef Dan Lamb, kitchen manager at Franktuary, will serve SHCFP-inspired creations at Bar Marco as part of this weekly event. Lamb previously worked at Meat and Potatoes and The Sonoma Grille.

SHCFP meets the needs of families that keep kosher as well as those who don’t, so while Bar Marco’s kitchen is not kosher and the meal will not meet kosher dietary laws, Lamb will feature a kosher-inspired dish. Meal items will range from about $8 to $15.

The event is open to the public. Bar Marco is located at 2216 Penn Ave. in the Strip District. Contact Bar Marco at 412-471-1900 or visit barmarcopgh.com for more information.

Visit sqfoodpantry.org or call 412-421-2708 for more information about SHCFP.

Music at Rodef Shalom with MAXJAZZ recording artist David Budway will be held on Monday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. in Levy Hall.

Budway is a pianist on the New York music scene today. While deeply rooted in many styles, his command of modern jazz has propelled him into the midst of present-day jazz pioneers.

The program is open to the community; a reception will follow the concert.

The Jewish Association on Aging, in collaboration with Jewish Family & Children’s Service, will host free, confidential memory screening for individuals concerned about memory loss on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Anathan Club on the JAA campus.

The object of the screenings, which are open to the community, is early detection and intervention. The screenings are part of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s National Memory Screening Day.

“We are hosting the event to bring awareness to memory loss but also to remove the stigma that this sort of diagnosis can bring,” says Mary Anne Foley, JAA vice president of home and community services. “There are services available to family, friends and physicians that can make this a less troubling time.”

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can improve quality of life with the opportunity to discuss treatment, future care and other issues with loved ones.

Contact Lori O’Brien at 412-422-9454 for more information.

The Israel Heritage Classroom committee’s annual meeting and guest lecture will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Frick Fine Arts Building, Room 204. The Jewish Studies Program in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is sponsoring the program.

Guest speaker professor Noam Shoval will speak on “Jerusalem’s Geopolitical Question.”

Jerusalem is the heart of a religious, ethnic, national and political conflict and is often defined as a polarized and contested city. In addition to the segregation between Jews and Arabs, the Jewish population residing in Jerusalem is also divided along religious lines. As a result, much of the academic literature describes Jerusalem as polarized and divided. However, these analyses are based solely on data regarding housing patterns.

Shoval’s presentation challenges this paradigm of Jerusalem, measuring segregation not only by where residents spend their nights but by their daytime activity as well.

Katherine Martin, the 2014 Israel Heritage Room Scholarship winner, will present her report. There is no charge to attend; refreshments will be served. Contact jsp@pitt.edu for more information.

The Career Development Center of Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Pittsburgh will hold a career fair with Macy’s for adults throughout the region on Wednesday, Nov. 19 from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the CDC offices at 5743 Bartlett St. in Squirrel Hill.

The career fair will offer retail opportunities in the area of retail sales, visual merchandising, commission sales, bridal registry, cosmetic sales, administrative support and more. Macy’s of Ross Park Mall, Robinson and Monroeville are among the hiring locations.

Individuals are encouraged to dress professionally, bring multiple copies of a resume and apply for available positions beforehand. Registration is required in advance at 412-586-3728.

Squirrel Hill AARP Chapter 3354 will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. at New Light Congregation, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. at Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill.

Following the business meeting, the Banjo All-Star Players will provide entertainment. Refreshments will be served afterward. Contact Frieda Safyan at 412-521-2804 for more information.

Stephen Savitsky, chairman of the board of the Orthodox Union of America, will be in Pittsburgh as part of a concerted effort by the national organization to reach out to smaller communities. Savitsky will speak at Congregation Poale Zedeck Friday night, Nov. 21. Contact info@pzonline.org for more information.

Congregation Emanu-El Israel will hold the next program in the Festival of the Jewish Arts series with an evening of chamber music on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Campana Chapel on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Greensburg. 

The program will include music by Ernest Bloch, Max Bruch, George Gershwin and others and will feature David Bennett on cello, Daniel May on piano and Susanne Ortner Roberts on clarinet.

This event is free and open to the public and is funded, in part, by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Attendees can meet and speak with the musicians following the program. Call 724-834-0560 for more information.

Actress Shoshana Roberts, a graduate of Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts High School (CAPA), starred in “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Woman,” a video by Rob Bliss Creative about cat-calling. It was posted online Oct. 28.

This public-service announcement for Hollaback, the nonprofit and movement to end street harassment, has gone viral and produced media coverage of Roberts and accusations of racial and class bias in the video.

In a letter to supporters on the Hollaback website, Emily May, executive director of the nonprofit, said they did not expect more than 10,000 views. In actuality, she added, it was viewed more than 32 million times.

According to May, Hollaback has been the object of negative press and comments on social media regarding the video, and the organization is directly responding to the accusations of racial and class bias.

Visit ihollaback.org to view Hollaback’s response.

J-SERVE, the International Day of Jewish Youth Service, held in Pittsburgh each spring and attended by more than 200 teens annually, will be planned together this year by BBYO, the Agency for Jewish Learning, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s Volunteer Center and Repair the World. The event is part of an international initiative to connect teens to service learning opportunities and to bring entire communities together toward the goal of tikkun olam, repairing the world.

During J-SERVE 2015, which will be held on Sunday, April 19, students in grades six to 12 are invited to participate in Jewish service learning in the morning, volunteer throughout the City of Pittsburgh and then reunite at the end of a day for celebratory activities and music at the Jewish Community Center.

J-SERVE is planned by a teen steering committee made up of representatives of youth groups and organizations from around the city. Education, outreach and fundraising initiatives pioneered by teens are planned from the fall until the date of the event. Applications for this year’s steering committee are available and open to all 10th- to 12th-grade Jewish teens in Pittsburgh.

Contact Carolyn Gerecht, director of Teen Learning at the Agency for Jewish Learning, at cgerecht@ajlpittsburgh.org or 412-521-1101, ext. 3204, or Chuck Marcus, regional director of BBYO Keystone Mountain Region at cmarcus@bbyo.org or 412 446-4781.

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