Metro Briefs September 16

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh invites the community to its 121st annual meeting, Thursday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at the JCC’s Levinson Hall in Squirrel Hill. The evening will include Jesse Irwin, a “JCC lifer” and host of “Pitt Tonight”; a farewell to outgoing board chair Marc Brown; and the installation of new officers and board members. The 2016 Volunteer Awards will be presented to Samuel Braver, Kristy Trautmann, Shani Lasin, Sarah Honig and Earl Parker. Presidential citations will be awarded to Mentors in Violence Prevention, high school basketball coaches, AgeWell advisory board members, Israeli home hospitality families and the J-Serve teen planning committee. For more information, contact Rosemary Alley at 412-697-3519.

Rodef Shalom is hosting a playground FUNdraiser on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event will take place on Rodef Shalom’s front lawn (5th and Morewood in Shadyside). There will be free food trucks, a performance by Josh & Gab, a City of Play pop-up playground for all ages, a kids activities tent, face painting, bingo, a silent auction and gift baskets. The requested donation is $25 per person or $100 for a family of four or more. RSVP by calling Kate at 412-621-6566, ext. 111.

Congregation Emanu-El Israel will begin the fourth year of its Festival of the Jewish Arts with a showing of the film “Leon the Pig Farmer,” a British film that deals with issues of Jewish identity as it tells the story of a Jewish real estate agent who discovers that due to an accident with artificial insemination, his biological father is a pig farmer. The film will be shown Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. at the synagogue, 222 N. Main St., Greensburg. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and a discussion will follow. The movie is not recommended for those under the age of 16. For more information, call 724-834-0560.

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Squirrel Hill AARP Chapter 3354 will hold its Wednesday, Sept. 21 meeting at New Light Congregation, 1700 Beechwood Blvd., at 1 p.m. Following the business meeting, the musical group of the Jewish Community Center will  provide entertainment. Refreshments will be served. The public is invited. For more information, call Frieda Safyan at 412-521-2804.

Temple Sinai will begin its adult B’nai Mitzvah classes on Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 7:45 pm to 8:45 pm at Temple Sinai. Contact Rabbi Gorban at rabbigorban@templesinaipgh.org for more information. The cost is $180. Scholarships are available.

Shalom Pittsburgh, J’Burgh and Moishe House will host a Shabbat Dinner Around the World for Jewish young adults, age 22 to 45, on Sept. 23 at Moishe House in Squirrel Hill. The evening will include optional Kabbalat Shabbat Services beginning at 6:45 p.m., candle lighting at 7 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. The cost for the evening is $5 per person. Internationally themed kosher food and wine will be served.

Moishe House, an international organization which provides peer-led, home-based programming for young adults and their Jewish communities, will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary, with Moishe Houses around the world hosting Shabbat dinners on the same night. Moishe House has 89 houses in 21 countries and in 2015 engaged more than 43,000 participants through more than 7,400 programs. Pittsburgh’s Moishe House was established in 2012.

The event is limited to the first 50 people who register. To register, go to shalompittsburgh.org/shabbat-dinner. Only register if you plan to attend.

Rodef Shalom Sisterhood will open its Movie Night series this year on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Levy Hall with “Above and Beyond,” a 2014 feature-length documentary that depicts American Jewish pilots helping Israel win its war of independence in 1948 by risking their lives and their American citizenship, as they secretly scrape together a miniature air force for the fledgling country.

Produced by Nancy Spielberg (Steven Spielberg’s sister) and directed by Roberta Grossman, “Above and Beyond” is a favorite at Jewish film festivals and was screened by Pittsburgh’s JFilm in 2015. Using newsreels, photos, special effects and interviews with some of the pilots, the film presents a story of adventure and heroism.

The film is in English and is open to the community at no charge. Light refreshments and an opportunity to socialize will follow. For more information, call Rodef Shalom at 412-621-6566.

Chabad of the South Hills will host Rabbi Shais Taub as he presents a High Holiday lecture on “How to Cure the High Holiday Hangover,” on Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Chabad of the South Hills in Mt. Lebanon. For more information visit chabadsh.com or call 412-344-2424.

National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section, is one of 17 organizations participating in the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership (GPNP), a nonpartisan voter engagement program. The 17 regional nonprofits will engage staff, consumers and boards in the 2016 election.

“This program provides GPNP an opportunity to mobilize, educate and build relationships with thousands of voters in southwestern Pennsylvania. Additionally, the program will help others to see voting as one way to get involved in the civic process by providing follow-up information about the role of the general assembly and governor on the issues that impact our communities in order to increase citizen participation in upcoming state policy decisions,” said Catholic Charities executive director and GPNP public policy chair Susan Rauscher. Participating organizations in GPNP’s Nonprofit Vote program cohort are responsible for registering individuals to vote and collecting pledges to vote from experienced voters. The initial goal of the program is to engage at least 4,250 voters, and the success of the program will be evaluated after Election Day using publicly available information. The program has been running since July, and there will be activities conducted to mark National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 27, as well as Get Out the Vote activities to ensure that the individuals registered and pledging to vote participate on Election Day. The program will culminate with a final report to be released once the evaluation is completed. Preliminary findings will be announced at GPNP’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. The program is funded by Nonprofit Vote and The Pittsburgh Foundation.