Metro Briefs November 6

Congregation Dor Hadash invites families with young children to Tot Shabbat on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. Reservations are not required. Contact admin@dorhadash for more information.

Rodef Shalom Congregation scholar-in-resident Dr. Rachel Korazim will lead Torah study on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 9:15 a.m. A Lunch and Learn will be held at 12:30 p.m. in Levy Hall; there is a $5-per-person charge.

Korazim is an expert on early Zionism, the Holocaust and Israeli poetry. Members of the congregational trip to Israel this summer had the opportunity to learn from her in Jerusalem, and the community can also participate because of a partnership with Classrooms Without Borders.

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Contact JoAnn at 412-621-6566 for more information and lunch reservations.

Lessons from Kristallnacht, Shades of Gray During the Holocaust: Stories of Resistance, Survival and Compassion, will be held Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Community Day School, 6424 Forward Ave. in Squirrel Hill.

Holocaust scholar Dr. Rachel Korazim will give the keynote presentation. Local musician Patrick Crossley will provide a Holocaust commemorative musical

presentation. Immediately following the presentations there will be a dessert reception with a Q&A session. Dietary laws will be observed. Student-led tours of the Gary & Nancy Tuckfelt Keeping Tabs Holocaust Sculpture will be available either prior to or following the program. This program is sponsored by the Holocaust Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh in partnership with Community Day School and Edgar Snyder.

The program is free and open to the public and will begin at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited and not guaranteed without an advance reservation. Contact 412-421-1500 or schilton@jfedpgh.org for more information.

Rodef Shalom Sisterhood will launch this year’s Movie Night series by reprising the first film that began this series in 2004.  

“Tevye,” a 1939 film in Yiddish starring award-winning Yiddish actor Maurice Schwartz, will be shown on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Rodef Shalom’s Levy Hall. “Tevya” is loosely based on the stories of “Tevya the Dairyman,” written by Sholem Aleichem in the early 1900s that later inspired the famous play and film “Fiddler on the Roof.” This “Tevye” was made in the United States and was named one of the greatest American films of all time by the Library of Congress National Film Registry. It was reconfigured in 2003 by the National Center for Jewish Film at Brandeis University and purchased for Rodef Shalom in 2004 with funds from the Kaplan/Lefkowitz CD/Audio fund. As a result, the quality of this black-and-white film and the English subtitles are exceptionally good.

The film is open to the community, and there is no charge. Light refreshments will follow the film.

The South Hills Jewish Community Teen Experience, a collaborative effort with partners Beth El Congregation, Temple Emanuel, the South Hills Jewish Community Center and others, is moving into the next phase of the partnership in order to broaden the connections with other South Hills Jewish teens.

As of September, the program has combined eighth-grade Jewish teens, who have been meeting every Monday evening at Temple Emanuel from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Beginning Nov. 10, South Hills Jewish teens in grades nine through 12 will also join together, as the program moves forward. On this date, the program switches to Beth El for two months from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Each evening, the Beth El teens will first meet with Rabbi Alex Greenbaum and/or Matt Feinman, who has been teaching teens at Beth El. They will then join with the Temple Emanuel teens in a snack/socializing /games break, followed by an elective of their choice. Each elective is open to both Beth El and Temple Emanuel teens.

The tuition of $350 is a pro-rated fee based on the annual fee of the program and the fact that teens are joining two months into it.

Contact Merril Nash, Beth El liaison to the South Hills Jewish Community Teen Experience, at merril@kidlearn.com for more information.

Beth El Congregation Catering will begin offering Shabbat dinners-to-go on selected Fridays of each month. Nov. 14 will be the first Friday that dinners are offered. Contact Beth El at 412-561-1168 or bethel1900@juno.com for more information.

New Light Sisterhood will hold a movie night on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. at New Light Congregation, 1700 Beechwood Blvd. on the corner of Forbes Avenue. The movie “Hava Nagila” is a documentary of the history, mystery and meaning of the great Jewish song. There is a $5-per-person charge; light snacks will be served. Call Sharyn Stein at 412-521-5231 or Barbara Caplan at 412-521-4332 for information and reservations.

Temple David is hosting its annual Chanukah Bazaar on Sunday, Nov. 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with food, shopping and fun for all ages at Temple David’s Fall Food and Craft Festival. Sample ethnic foods and desserts and enjoy handmade craft and retail products, ranging from housewares to beauty to jewelry. Temple David is located at 4415 Northern Pike in Monroeville.

Community Day School will hold a Discover CDS Open House on Sunday, Nov. 16 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 6424 Forward Ave. in Squirrel Hill. Contact Sarah Dewitt, admission director, at sdewitt@comday.org or 412-521-1100, ext. 2114, for more information and registration.

“Body and Soul – The State of the Jewish Nation” will be shown on Monday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in the Jewish Community Center, Squirrel Hill, in Levinson Hall. The film is an examination of the broad and deep connections between the Jewish people and the land of Israel. Historians, archaeologists, political scientists, religious leaders and international law and media experts trace the evolution of the relationship between the Jewish people and their homeland that is over 3,000 years old.

A post-scree­ning discussion with producer/director Gloria Z. Greenfield will be held. ZOA Pittsburgh District is sponsoring the film. There is no charge; the community is invited. Reservations can be made at Pittsburgh@zoa.org or  412-665-4630.

Living & Learning, a service of Squirrel Hill Psychological Services, will present “Tools in the Caregiver Toolbox” on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Temple David in Monroeville, 4415 Northern Pike.

Living & Learning programs are discussion-based and led by the professional staff of SHPS and typically focus on issues related to aging, family dynamics and parenting. The upcoming program will address caregiver stress and the different ways caregivers can manage and decrease their stress levels. The program will be led by Stefanie Small.

The program is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Contact 412-372-1200 or kayl@templedavid.org for more information or to register.

Jewish Residential Services and Jewish Family & Children’s Service will present “Inclusion in the Workplace: Employment Suppport for Individuals with Disabilities,” a free program on employment support for individuals with special needs on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Children’s Institute, 1405 Shady Ave. in Squirrel Hill.

A light kosher meal will be provided at no charge, and free parking will be available in the lot on Northumberland Street. The Children’s Institute is wheelchair accessible. This program is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Send an email to info@jrspgh.org or call 412-325-0039 to register.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has announced the opening of “Gatherings,” an exhibition created by artist Becky Slemmons that questions religious conflict and explores the relationship between the ritual of attending worship services and the ritual of making art. The exhibition is on view Nov. 21 to Dec. 31 at 707 Penn Gallery. An opening reception will be held Friday, Nov. 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“Gatherings” is a socially based art project. Slemmons attended one or more different places of worship in Pittsburgh each week for 13 months to reach her goal of 100. She chose temples, churches, synagogues and mosques in various neighborhoods. Wearing a white dress to every worship place she visited, she would add a piece of fabric and/or embroidery to her dress, representing an accumulation of experiences. In addition, Slemmons created a drawing during or after each visit and documented gatherings with photographs, off-site video and a blog.

The gallery is free and open to the public. Visit TrustArts.org for more information.

New Light Men’s Club will take a trip to Wheeling Downs on Sunday, Nov. 23. The bus will leave New Light Congregation at 10 a.m. and will return at 5 p.m. There is a $28-per-person charge. Wheeling Downs will provide each person on the bus who has a Player’s Club card or valid ID with $25 in free play.

Contact Sid Shapiro at 412-421-4635 for information and reservations.

Benyamim Tsedaka, historian, author and elder in the Israelite Samaritan community, will speak on the similarities and differences between Judaism and the Israelite Samaritan religion in a series of programs Sunday, Nov. 23 to Monday, Nov. 24.

With fewer than 800 Samaritans in the world — half live in Israel and the other half live in the West Bank – the programs provide an opportunity to learn about this distinctive and intriguing Abrahamic religious group. The Israelite Samaritan religious community lives in Holon, Israel, and Kiryat Luza, West Bank.

The Israelite Samaritans have one sacred text, the Samaritan Torah (written in ancient Hebrew), are led by a high priest, venerate their Temple Mount on Mt. Gerizim and practice a form of religion that predates the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.

A brunch and lecture on “Who are the Israelite Samaritans” will be held Sunday, Nov. 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Temple Sinai. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Contact Todd Miller at toddprmktg@verizon.net for more information.

The next program is a lecture on “The Historic Significance of the Good Samaritan Parable” on Sunday, Nov. 23 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside. The program is free and open to the public.

Contact Rev. Liddy Barlow at lbarlow@casp.org for more information.

Tsedaka, in conversation with Dale Lazar, will be held Monday, Nov. 24 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill. The program is free and open to the public.

Contact Melissa Hiller at mhiller@jccpgh.org for more information.

Tsedaka’s visit serves as an introduction to the photography exhibit, “The Israelite Samaritans and the Festival of Unleavened Bread: Photographs by Dale Lazar,” which will be on view at the American Jewish Museum of the Jewish Community Center from May through June in 2015.

Visit dalelazarphotography.smugmug.com for more information and photographs of the Israelite Samaritan community.

Tsedaka’s visit is co-sponsored by the Agency for Jewish Learning, the American Jewish Museum/JCC, the Biblical Archeological Society of Pittsburgh, the Christian Associates of Southwestern Pa., Classrooms Without Borders, the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, the Jewish Association on Aging, the Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee, the Rodef Shalom Congregation and Temple Sinai.

Beth Israel Center will hold the second lecture of this year’s series on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. Jon Delano, political analyst for KDKA-TV, will speak on “Elections Past and Future.” Art and Rachel Weinblum are sponsoring this year’s series in memory of Art’s parents, Rose and Siggy Weinblum. The community is invited; there is no charge. Call 412-655-8887 for more information.

Chabad of Pittsburgh will hold “An Evening of Inspiration” with David Nesenoff on Monday, Nov. 24 in the Congregation Beth Shalom Ballroom, at 5915 Beacon St. in Squirrel Hill. A wine and cheese reception will be held at 7 p.m., followed by the presentation at 7:30 p.m. There is a $50 charge and a $180 charge for sponsors. Visit chabadpgh.com to make a reservation.

The Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Mass., is now accepting applications for two education programs for college students and recent graduates: the 2015 Steiner Summer Yiddish Program; and the 2015-2016 Yiddish Book Center Fellowship Program.

Now in its fourth decade, the Steiner Summer Yiddish Program is an intensive seven-week course in Yiddish language and culture for college students. The program offers a beginner track for students with no previous Yiddish experience and an intermediate track for those who have completed one year of Yiddish. In addition to their classes, students take part in cultural and social activities at the center. With just 18 students, who live together in dorms on the adjacent Hampshire College campus, the program promotes a close-knit community and creates an environment in which Yiddish conversation continues throughout the day. All Steiner students receive full-tuition scholarships. Intermediate students also receive free housing and a $1,000 stipend in exchange for working on ongoing projects at the center. All participants are eligible to receive college credits through the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

The 2015 Steiner Summer Yiddish Program will run from June 7 to July 24. Applications are due by Feb. 10.

Visit yiddishbookcenter.org/Steiner-summer-program for more information.

The Yiddish Book Center Fellowship Program offers recent college graduates with intermediate or advanced Yiddish skills an opportunity to develop professional experience while working as full-time members of the center’s staff.

Fellows serve as teaching assistants for college-level Yiddish classes, conduct interviews for the center’s Wexler Oral History Project, develop educational and exhibit materials, assist with translation or online accessibility initiatives or do bibliographic work with the center’s ever-growing collection of rescued and donated books. With the support of mentors, Fellows also apply their ingenuity and personal expertise to the creation of new projects. Fellows receive a $28,000 stipend and health insurance. The next Fellowship program runs from September 2015 to August 2016. Applications are due by Jan. 5.

Visit yiddishbookcenter.org/fellowship-program for more information.

The Yiddish Book Center is a nonprofit organization working to tell the whole Jewish story by rescuing, translating and disseminating Yiddish books and presenting innovative educational programs that broaden understanding of modern Jewish identity. It is a 2014 recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the highest honor conferred on museums and libraries for service to the community.

The Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel has announced that applications are now being accepted for the 29th year of this program. 

The Bronfman Fellowships selects 26 outstanding North American teenagers for a rigorous academic year of seminars including a free, five-week trip to Israel between the summer of the Fellows’ junior and senior years of high school. The program educates and inspires exceptional young Jews from diverse backgrounds to grow into leaders grounded in their Jewish identity and committed to social change. The program was founded and is funded by the late Edgar M. Bronfman, formerly CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd. and a Jewish philanthropist.

During the program’s seminars, Fellows meet with intellectuals, religious and political leaders and educators and participate in study and dialogue with faculty, which is made up of rabbis and educators who are associated with different movements and perspectives within Judaism. Fellows also spend two weeks with a group of Israeli peers who have been chosen through a parallel selection process as part of the Israeli Youth Fellowship: Amitei Bronfman. Upon returning home from the summer in Israel, Bronfman Fellows are asked to devise and lead local Jewish or social action projects.

Applications for the 2015 Fellowship are available online at bronfman.org and must be submitted online by Jan. 6, 2015. High school students in the United States and Canada who self-identify as Jewish and who will be in the 12th grade in the fall of 2015 are eligible to apply.