Metro Briefs May 1
April 30, 2014, 8:10 pm 0 Edit
The annual event commemorating Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror, will be held on Sunday, May 4 at 8 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 5738 Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill.
The ceremony, coordinated jointly by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and the Israeli community in Pittsburgh, will include the lighting of memorial candles, recitation of prayers and readings from Israeli literature.
HaZamir Pittsburgh, a Jewish teen choir under the aegis of the Agency for Jewish Learning and conducted by Nizan Leibovich, will perform. HaZamir is also a project of Partnership2Gether, which connects the Pittsburgh Jewish community to sister cities Karmiel and the Misgav region in Israel's central Galilee.
This event is free and open to the community. Contact Eric Probola at eprobola@jfedpgh.org or 412-992-5247 for more information.
The communitywide Israel Independence Day celebration on Tuesday, May 6 at the Carnegie Science Center will include programs for teens. J-SITE and the Agency for Jewish Learning will hold J-SITE Teen Scene, which includes the Omnimax screening of the film "Jerusalem" at 5:30 p.m. and a teen "party like an Israeli" at 6:45 p.m.
Registration is required; limited tickets are available.
Contact 412-537-3008 for more information.
Celebrate Pittsburgh is the new name for the Pittsburgh Folk Festival, which will present its 58th edition on Friday, May 9 at the Monroeville Convention Center. This year, the Israel booth will feature an 8-foot lifelike section of the Kotel.
Visit pghfolkfest.org for pictures, schedules and pricing information or contact Lee Feldman, chairman of the Israel committee at 412-561-0321.
Congregation Beth Shalom's board of trustees and its executive committee have hired Jill Braasch as the congregation's full-time office manager.
Prior to joining the Beth Shalom staff, Braasch worked in the financial services sector for several years. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Braasch, her husband, Peter, an acupuncturist, and their two sons reside in Squirrel Hill.
Hadassah Greater Pittsburgh Chapter will hold a Heart Health luncheon on Sunday, May 4 at 12:30 p.m. at Tree of Life*Or L'Simcha Congregation. Sally Wiggin of WTAE will be featured.
Contact the Hadassah office at 412-421-8919 for reservations and more information.
Congregation Dor Hadash welcomes families with young children to a Tot Shabbat service on Saturday, May 10 at 11 a.m. The service is geared for children ages 7 and under and will feature music, stories and art.
The service is designed to welcome children to synagogue and to teach them about the beauty (and fun) of Shabbat. Children, parents and grandparents are welcome. A congregational lunch with child-friendly food will be served.
Visit dorhadash.net for more information.
Jewish Chronicle senior staff writer Toby Tabachnick is a finalist for the 2014 Golden Quill Awards, an annual competition sponsored by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania that recognizes professional excellence in journalism. Tabachnick is being recognized for her story "As Mother's Day Approaches, Is the Jewish Mother Fading from the Scene?" that appeared in The Chronicle's May 9, 2013 edition. The Golden Quill Awards will be presented on Thursday, May 22 at the Sheraton Station Square.
Jewish National Fund (JNF) will host its annual Guardian of Israel Award Dinner at Congregation Beth Shalom on Thursday, May 8 at 6 p.m. The event will honor James P. Wagner for his longtime dedication to the Pittsburgh Jewish community and his commitment to Israel.
Wagner is president of Wagner Agency Incorporated, an independent property and casualty insurance agency and a 70-year-old family business. He is a second-generation Guardian of Israel Award honoree — his father, Arnold Wagner, was honored in 1995.
Wagner's dedication to the Jewish community is reflected in the leadership roles he has held over 35 years. He is the past annual campaign chair at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. He serves on the board of directors, executive committee and as vice chair of development at the Federation and is on the board of the Hillel Jewish University Center and Israel Bonds. Wagner received the 2012 William and Olga Stark Young Leadership Award and was the 2013 Israel Bonds Volunteer of the Year.
Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in New York, will be the featured speaker, and comedian Joel Chasnoff will be master of ceremonies.
Register for the dinner at jnf.org/pghguardian or contact Amy Jonas, senior campaign executive, at 412-521- 3200 for reservations and more information.
Tree of Life*Or L'Simcha will present Sports Night 2014 on Sunday, May 4 at 6 p.m., featuring the Steelers' Cam Heyward.
Highlights of the evening will include stadium-style food, a silent auction, raffles and an autograph session
The cost is $20 for ages 13 and up, $15 for children under age 13 and $65 for a family of four.
Contact Alex Speck at aspeck88@yahoo.com or 412-521-6788 for more information.
The Omer Institute adult education will hold its next class on Thursday, May 8 at 7 p.m. at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave. Rabbi Aaron Bisno of Rodef Shalom will present "Mount Sinai: Torah Today and Tomorrow."
The class is open to the community; there is no charge.
Contact Alex Speck at 412-521-6788 or aspeck88@yahoo.com for more information.