Jonah Berger

Sybil Lieberman was a mainstay at the JCC and in the wider Jewish community. (Photo courtesy of Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh)

August 17, 2018, 9:50 am

Longtime JCC staffer retiring after 29 years

Sybil Lieberman, who has served in numerous capacities at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh over a 29-year tenure, will retire at the end of August.

By Jonah Berger

Children at the camp take field trips around Israel as part of a two-week schedule filled with activities and confidence-building. (Photo courtesy of Nir Buchler)

August 10, 2018, 8:58 am

Federation steps in to support a summer camp for Israeli victims of terror

The camp helps children who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder by providing a structured schedule with field trips and emotional support.

By Jonah Berger

Students explore technology at ORT, the smallest of Rio’s four Jewish day schools. (Photo courtesy of ORT)

August 10, 2018, 8:57 am

International nonprofit World ORT leaders visit Pittsburgh

The group works to promote education in underserved Jewish communities around the world and serves as a "last-chance attempt" to reach non-practicing Jews in these areas.

By Jonah Berger

Participants in Startable, a local summer program devoted to teaching teenagers business skills, design and market their own products. (Photo courtesy of Coleman Wolfson)

August 10, 2018, 8:56 am

These companies with local connections, and Jewish ties, foster entrepreneurism

"You have to create your own opportunities," said Colman Wolfson, the project manager at AlphaLab Gear, a local business incubator that is designed to help people do just that.

By Jonah Berger

Ryan Lavarnway, now with the Triple-A Indians, helped Team Israel finish a surprising sixth at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. (Photo courtesy of Adam Pinta)

August 3, 2018, 8:26 am

Team Israel star looking to make impact for Pirates

After helping lead Team Israel to several wins in the World Baseball Classic, Ryan Lavarnway's next move could be helping the Pirates make the playoffs.

By Jonah Berger

A bird’s eye view of Congregation Beth Shalom’s cemetery, with colors indicating the status of each plot. (Screenshot courtesy of Lonnie Wolf)

August 3, 2018, 8:24 am

Local synagogues pursue cemetery digitization projects

The projects are designed to offer a central place for information about the burial plots as well as make it easier for members to access records.

By Jonah Berger

Rabbi Walter Jacob, subject of “The Seventeeth Generation,” speaks at the July 10 book launch event. (Photo by Mosaic Photography for Rodef Shalom)

July 19, 2018, 3:46 pm

New biography of Rabbi Walter Jacob released

"The Seventeenth Generation: The Lifework of Rabbi Walter Jacob" explores how the longtime spiritual leader of Rodef Shalom Congregation preached both tradition and innovation.

By Jonah Berger

Pittsburgh jazz artist Phat Man Dee, foreground, performs with local musician Liz Berlin at the Jewish Community Center. The duo collaborated on a social justice-themed album that was officially released Sunday. (Photo courtesy of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh)

July 12, 2018, 3:09 pm

New album offers soundtrack to political upheaval

In "Social Justice Disco," local artists Phat Man Dee and Liz Berlin use music and lyrics to show how the nation continues to grapple with longstanding prejudices.

By Jonah Berger

Ian David Rosenbaum, 31, from Brooklyn, is participating in the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. (Photo courtesy of Ian David Rosenbaum)

July 12, 2018, 3:09 pm

Visiting percussionist enjoys pushing boundaries

Ian David Rosenbaum, who is performing in the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble this month, doesn't limit himself to performing with just traditional percussion instruments.

By Jonah Berger

Bowler Isadora Silk at the Special Olympics USA Games in early July, where she won a bronze medal. (Photo courtesy of Leonard Silk)

July 12, 2018, 3:05 pm

Pittsburgher bowls her way to bronze at Special Olympics USA

Isadora Silk, who has bowled for nearly her entire adult life, also boasts four gold medals from previous Special Olympics competitions.

By Jonah Berger

July 5, 2018, 4:48 pm

Beth Shalom leads way among institutions contemplating solar energy

Organizers for the solar installation project at Beth Shalom hope the endeavor will inspire other organizations and homeowners in Pittsburgh to consider using solar energy.

By Jonah Berger

St. Clair, wearing a t-shirt bearing his signature phrase, "it's time to travel, folks," the manner in which he would bid farewell to his classes. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Bails)

June 29, 2018, 6:54 am

Donations pour in after former CDS teacher’s home devastated by flood

When Lin St. Clair suffered devastating property damage from a storm this month, a CDS administrator set up a GoFundMe page for his cause. In two days, it raised over $20,000.

By Jonah Berger

June 21, 2018, 5:05 pm

In Johnstown’s Jewish community, relics of a past age loom large

The Jewish population in Johnstown dwindled from 1,800 to just 90. But, leaders of the Jewish community still hope to provide a fulfilling Jewish experience in the small-town.

By Jonah Berger

June 21, 2018, 5:05 pm

The Jewish history of theater in Pittsburgh

Enthusiasts took a look back at the history of Pittsburgh theater as the Pittsburgh Playhouse, a pillar of the thriving theater scene, gets ready to move downtown.

By Jonah Berger

Richard Garland, director of the Violence Prevention Initiative, a local nonprofit based at the University of Pittsburgh, speaks to attendance members at Monday's gun violence community roundtable event at Repair the World Pittsburgh. (Photo by Sara Tyberg)

June 21, 2018, 5:05 pm

Violence prevention activists try to treat the ‘disease’ of gun violence

At a community roundtable, activists discussed ways to attack the "disease" from all angles, including taking the fight to politicians and changing "community norms."

By Jonah Berger