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Today, all I have are tears. Tomorrow, maybe we can work to find a solution.

Posted by Marnie Fienberg on March 15, 2019

The universe cracks. That’s how you feel when your beloved and peaceful family member is violently torn from this world while they are at prayer. That’s how more that 40 families feel right now half a world away. I know because only 6 months ago I was in their shoes. It’s like I am in a cruel time machine and it’s stuck on a repeating …

MORE LIGHT!

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on December 10, 2018

Last night I stood in appreciation of the lights of the fully lit chanukiyah, Chanukah menorah. Having lit 2 chanukiyot in our front window, Barbara and I basked in the light of 36 flickering flames including their reflections. The lighting of the candles did what it was supposed to do: inform people outside of our house that we celebrate the miracle of light at this …

This Chanukah, Celebrate the Community We Aspire to Build

Posted by Rabbi Rob Symons and Melissa Hiller on November 28, 2018

Redefining neighbor from a geographic term to moral concept On Sunday night, members of the Jewish community around the world will begin our annual celebration of Chanukah. It is the time honored commemoration of the victory of the Maccabees in the 2nd century BCE over the Assyrian Greeks and their allies who wanted to create a homogeneous cultural and religious community in which diversity was neither tolerated …

Life & Legacy: Linda Simon’s Story

Posted by JCC Pittsburgh on September 13, 2018

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh recently sat down with Linda Simon, a JCC board chair from 2004-2007 and hands-on volunteer who has held an almost uncountable number of leadership positions at the JCC. JCC: Linda, you have been an active part of our JCC for years, contributing and leading in so many ways. What got you started? LINDA: I grew up in Philadelphia and came …

Our Kids Deserve Our Respectful Debate

Posted by Brian Schreiber on July 20, 2018

These are extraordinary times. As noted in the Jewish Chronicle’s June 21, 2018, opinion piece, “The purpose of a newspaper,” the more polarized opinions become, the more we need lively, respectful debate over issues that are important to us. I couldn’t agree more. Respectful debate between people seems harder and harder these days. A 2016 NORC Center for Public Affairs Research study found that that 74 …

I Need Shabbat This Week

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on June 22, 2018

I need Shabbat this week because all I have heard is people talking over and through each other. I need Shabbat this week because all I have seen are images of children separated from their parents. I need Shabbat this week because all the values about family and human dignity I thought were foundational to our American way of life are being challenged. I need Shabbat this week …

JCC Spotlight Newsletter

Posted by JCC Pittsburgh on June 8, 2018

Summer 2018 Our new Mission Statement tells the story of the JCC: NURTURING PEOPLE: Early Childhood When will the cocoons become butterflies? Tatum, 4, and Piper, 3, are guided by their teacher Shardaya to observe, experiment and discuss this as part of a typical day in the JCC’s Early Childhood Development Center. Exploring nature is just one aspect of the child-led learning that educators nurture in our ECDC program—inspired by …

Transfer the Feeling: The Beginning of Summer 2018

Posted by Sam Bloom on June 6, 2018

Transfer the feeling. What feeling? That feeling we all get when we drive into camp for the first time each summer. As we crest over the hill and get a first view of the ball fields, there are butterflies, nerves, smiles, excitement. It’s the feeling in the middle of winter when your parents tell you they signed you up for camp next summer, or when …

What Does Israel Mean to Me?

Posted by Brian Schreiber on May 22, 2018

I vividly remember the endless bus trip from Jerusalem to Kibbutz Hazorea in 1985. I didn’t know a soul, spoke fewer than a dozen Hebrew words, and had never traveled overseas. But I had a longing to experience Israel, to learn the language and connect to people on their terms – not mine. The journey took me from the kibbutz to community service work in Ashkelon …

The Power of Summer Camp

Posted by Jason Kunzman on May 9, 2018

One of the steepest learning curves in my 16 months as the JCC’s Chief Program Officer has been in the area of summer camp. I grew up with only limited exposure to a day camp that was run out of my local high school in Rockland County, New York, and while I am a parent of two campers, I did not fully appreciate the impact …

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