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A Message of Healing and Resilience

Posted by Brian Schreiber on March 24, 2019

March 24, 2019 – Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh As we continue to absorb the verdict in the Michael Rosfeld homicide case, the numbing impact on our community is palpable. The JCC’s Center for Loving Kindness and Civic Engagement continues to affirm that diverse people and communities can learn from each other’s grief and triumphs, be comforted and strengthened by each other, act in solidarity against …

A Purim Message For Today

Posted by Rabbi Ron Symons on March 20, 2019

Bigotry, hatred and racism of all forms is wrong no matter what continent it occurs on and no matter the victims it claims. The Jewish community has known this for thousands of years. After all, this week we are celebrating the victory of the Jewish community of Persia over the hatred state-sanctioned supremacy of its day. When Queen Esther hesitated to stand up and call it …

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 …

21st Century Inclusion at JCC Camps

Posted by Rachael Speck on February 27, 2019

Since February 2009, the JCC's Emma Kaufmann Camp has answered the call to action of Jewish Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Month, a unified national initiative to raise disability awareness and support efforts to foster inclusion in Jewish communities and programs worldwide. Never has focusing on this issue been more important than it is today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in …

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 …

“This day seals your destiny as American citizens – as patriots.”

Posted by Melissa Hiller on September 28, 2018

In advance of the exhibit, American Patriot: Photographs by Charlee Brodsky, Poetry by Jim Daniels, now on display in the The American Jewish Museum at the JCC, Melissa Hiller, AJM Director, was the keynote speaker at the Naturalization Ceremony held at the Frick Environmental Center. Following is her speech: You stand here on this rainy but beautiful Fall day because of your fortitude, bravery, courage, your belief in yourself, …

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 …

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 …

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