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Shabbat is The First Labor Law

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on September 1, 2017

I was struck by this Samuel Rosenberg Image entitled 'Rest' in the spring when Melissa Hiller, Director of our American Jewish Museum, brought me to the Heinz History Center to see the exhibit "The Gift of Art". "For 100 years, the Friends of Art has purchased art to be given to the Pittsburgh Public Schools and enjoyed by tens of thousands of school children. Seeking to …

Moral Compass

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on August 17, 2017

Elie Weisel taught us: One of the Just Men came to Sodom, determined to save its inhabitants from sin and punishment. Night and day he walked the streets and markets protesting against greed and theft, falsehood and indifference. In the beginning, people listened and smiled ironically. Then they stopped listening; he no longer even amused them. The killers went on killing, the wise kept silent, as …

Sharing Ideas and History with Warsaw JCC

Posted by Brian Schreiber on August 9, 2017

This week the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and Buncher Foundation gathered to celebrate 25 years of investing in an international leadership program for professionals and lay leadership through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) that was launched in partnership with the Federation. In the past quarter century, hundreds of Buncher graduates in dozens of countries have helped build Jewish community. One of the …

Giving the Father’s Day Pledge New Meaning

Posted by Brian Schreiber on June 16, 2017

For the fourth year in a row, I am joining scores of regional leaders in signing the Father’s Day Pledge #FathersDayPledge #SouthwestPASaysNoMore. This declaration calls attention to the urgency to break the generational cycle of violence for children, teens and young adults by changing social norms around gender and partner violence of any kind. I remain engaged in this effort as a parent of two teenagers and …

Seder supplements to make your Passover relevant this year

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on April 5, 2017

What I love about the seder is that the ritual that began the night before we left Egypt has been transformed thousands of times over throughout the generations. In fact, the Passover haggadah is said to be the most published Jewish book in history with editions that meet the needs of assorted Jews throughout history. Just look at how many Maxwell haggadot are featured in …

“Let All Who Are Hungry Come and Eat!”

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on April 4, 2017

Year after year, brisket after brisket, matzah after matzah… this line is the highlight of my Passover experience. There is something that touches me deep down inside when we lift up that memory-laden-matzah and declare: Ha Lachma Anya This is the bread of affliction, the poor bread, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in want, …

J-Serve Pittsburgh: Teamwork in Action

Posted by Carolyn Gerecht on March 27, 2017

Last June, four collaborating agencies – BBYO, Repair the World, the Volunteer Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the JCC – came together to begin planning the largest Jewish teen service event of the year. Calendars were managed, Steering Committee applications were drafted, and each organization’s role was clearly determined and defined. Several months later and following a competitive application process, 17 incredible Jewish …

J-Serve: A Day of Community Service for Teens

Posted by Carolyn Gerecht on March 14, 2017

This Sunday, for the 12th consecutive year in Pittsburgh, more than 300 Jewish teens in 6th-12th grade will join together at the JCC for a day of community service, learning and fun, as part of J-Serve: International Day of Youth Service. Over six powerful hours, these inspiring teens will engage in Jewish values of tikkun olam, gemilut chasidim and meaningful Jewish reflection. (J-Serve Pittsburgh 2017 …

PJ Library Celebrates Authors & Illustrators Week

Posted by Lauren Bartholomae on February 3, 2017

With the week of February 5th being Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week, what better opportunity than to highlight a few of my favorite PJ Library books! As the director of PJ Library in Pittsburgh, I get the privilege of receiving nine wonderful, high quality Jewish children’s books every month - one for each age group from 6 months to age 8, and then one for …

Community is our Middle Name

Posted by JCC Pittsburgh on February 2, 2017

February 3, 2017 At this time of challenging and often contentious public discourse, we proudly wear ‘COMMUNITY’ as our middle name. From our founding at the turn of the 20th century, we helped thousands of immigrants and refugees become an integral part of the American dream. As the work that we began in 1895 continues today in so many ways, we affirm our core value “to welcome …

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