• Week of Remembrance activities. This year activities included: o The annual Waldman International Arts and Writing Competition, which inspired students in Greater Pittsburgh and Israel to participate. The Holocaust Center invited Pittsburgh students to enter an essay competition. The competition asked them to reflect on the events of Oct. 27 and on anti-Semitism today. o The annual Yom HaShoah commemoration program honored the first responders of Oct. 27 along with Holocaust victims and liberators, veterans, and the righteous among the nations. o Two performances of The Soap Myth, starring Ed Asner. The Soap Myth deals with a Holocaust survivor’s memory and Holocaust denial. In May, Emmy Award–winning actor Ed Asner appeared in Pittsburgh in The Soap Myth, in performances presented by the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. Asner is shown here with two Holocaust Center staffers: (left) Development Associate Tanya Bielski-Braham and (right) Director Dr. Lauren Apter Bairnsfather. • Generations Speaker Series programs. The Generations Speakers Bureau includes family members of survivors — siblings, children, and grandchildren — who will continue to tell the families’ Holocaust stories long after the last survivors are gone. This year the Holocaust Center hosted three Generations Speaker Series programs. Because the programs are live-streamed, they are accessible to audiences worldwide. • Police training. The Holocaust Center continues its relationship with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police to teach police recruits about Holocaust history and the role of police in perpetrating the Holocaust. • Inside-Out dialogues. As part of the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, Holocaust Center Director Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather visited SCI Fayette, a maximum-security prison, to discuss anti- Semitism and racism with inmates. • Partnerships. The Holocaust Center has: o Partnered with numerous nonprofit and educational institutions, including Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh, Chatham University, Classrooms Without Borders, Community Day School, Temple Sinai and Rodef Shalom 42
o Sponsored the community Chanukah Party, in support of the center’s neighborhood of Greenfield o Collaborated with organizations that support underserved communities across Pittsburgh. These organizations include the Center of Life, in Hazelwood; Gwen’s Girls, on the North Side; JADA House International, in Hazelwood; and the Center for Family Excellence, in the Hill District For more information about the Holocaust Center, visit hcofpgh.org 43
CLASSROOMS WITHOUT BORDERS The goal of Classrooms Without Borders (CWB) is to combat bigotry and discrimination by inspiring people to embrace diversity and promote tolerance, altruism, forgiveness, courage, and love for humanity. An independently funded program of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, CWB pursues its goal by: • Providing study-travel seminars, to Europe and Israel, for educators and students. • Providing programs and curricula — for middle schools, high schools, universities, and the community — that support CWB’s goal. CWB partners with 124 schools in three U.S. states, bringing impactful programs to students and educators. Classrooms Without Borders’ Poland Personally seminar is a professional development experience that features education from noted scholars and firsthand testimony from Holocaust survivors and righteous gentiles. Travel Seminars From the first of six pre-seminar workshops through the completion of a post-seminar project, a CWB travel experience engages, challenges and supports participants as they grow and apply their expanding knowledge. In 2018–19, more than 300 travelers participated in CWB travel seminars, including CWB’s first-ever seminar in Spain. • Discovering Spain: An Axis of Faiths, Cultures and Empires. CWB’s seminar examines Spain’s history as a major global entity and its role as a living laboratory in the conversation between Christianity and Islam — with Judaism playing a major role. • Poland Personally. CWB’s annual Poland Personally seminar is an academic, professional development experience that features noted scholars and firsthand testimony from Holocaust survivors and righteous gentiles. In 2018–19, seminar participants traveled with Holocaust survivor Howard Chandler to sites of historical significance across Poland. • Discovering Greece: Birthplace of Ancient Achievements and Modern Heroism. The CWB seminar in Greece explored the country’s national and Jewish heritage. 44
Most seminar alumni remain connected with CWB for years, attending CWB-sponsored lectures, films, plays, and professional development events. Curriculum Development and In-School Programs CWB’s involvement with teachers and students reaches far beyond travel seminars. Some of the educational resources that CWB offers or are developing include: • Howard Chandler Virtual Reality Mobile App. CWB captured more than seven hours of Holocaust survivor Howard Chandler’s testimony as he introduced Poland Personally seminar participants to Polish sites. CWB is now testing a mobile app developed from this testimony. The app will help ensure that Chandler’s story continues to educate and inspire. • Carnegie Library Holocaust Education Kit. CWB is creating a multimedia Holocaust education kit to be distributed to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s teen-room librarians and shared with CWB’s partnering schools. Estimates predict that the kit will reach as many as 1,000 students each year. • Curriculum support center for educators. The support center is an online platform that allows CWB fellows to share original curricula, projects and tested resources. The platform is available to teachers in 120 schools who are working in diverse subject areas. 2018–19 Program Highlights • Christopher Browning Lecture. CWB presented a lecture about power and the politics of memory by eminent Holocaust scholar Dr. Christopher Browning. More than 100 educators and community members participated or viewed a video of the lecture. • Etty, with Susan Stein. In Pennsylvania and West Virginia, CWB presented actor-playwright Susan Stein in performances of the one-woman play Etty. Etty is based on the diary of Esther “Etty” Hillesum, a young Jewish woman living in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. In addition to performing, Stein facilitated school workshops about oppression and bigotry. More than 350 attended the workshops. • Willesden Lane READ and The Children of Willesden Lane. CWB donated 14,145 copies of The Children of Willesden Lane to students at 40 partnering schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The book tells the story of a pianist who fled wartime Vienna on the Kindertransport. Students then watched Grammy-nominated pianist Mona Golabek, the daughter of the book’s protagonist, perform her one-woman interpretation of the text. More than 5,000 students attended performances. Many of the participating schools have incorporated the book into their Holocaust curriculum. • Ipek Ipekcioglu. Ipekcioglu is a Turkish-born, Berlin-based artist and activist whose focus is on embracing diversity and celebrating “otherness.” CWB helped her stage live sets at the Pittsburgh club Cattivo and at the German Studies Association’s Arts Night. In addition, CWB partnered with Hip Hop UNLOCK to bring Ipekcioglu to the Environmental Charter School in Pittsburgh. More than 400 attended her Pittsburgh sessions. • Avner Avraham on Operation Finale. Former Mossad agent Avner Avraham — consultant on the film Operation Finale, about the capture of Adolf Eichmann — spoke at Film Pittsburgh’s Teen Screen presentation of the film. In addition, CWB helped Avraham reach students at Duquesne University and at CWB-partnering schools in Pittsburgh, Louisville and Wheeling. In all, more than 800 people heard Avraham speak. • Asaf Elkalai, resident Israeli F.I.N.E Artist. CWB partnered with the Fine Foundation and the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to bring Asaf Elkalai, an Israeli artist, to Pittsburgh for a three- week residency. In May, Elkai helped the museum celebrate Israeli art and culture. During the 45
residency, Elkalai conducted three community workshops, two in-school workshops, two community lectures, and professional development sessions for Children’s Museum staff. For a full report on Classrooms Without Borders activities, visit classroomswithoutborders.org/ programs-report 46
JEWISH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION The Jewish Community Foundation enables donors to fulfill their philanthropic dreams and leave a legacy that will impact our community in the decades to come. Resources made possible by endowments, trusts, bequests and donor-advised funds help address pressing needs, enrich our culture and strengthen our community. The Foundation, with more than $260 million in assets under management at the end of 2018–19, encompasses more than 1,400 individual Foundation funds. The Foundation added 72 new funds this year, including 26 new Lion of Judah Endowment funds. Foundation grants from unrestricted endowments exceeded $990,000. The Centennial Fund for a Jewish Future distributed more than $726,000 to support Jewish learning and engagement. Taken together with distributions from restricted endowments, donor-advised funds, Campaign endowments, and synagogue and agency funds, Foundation allocations totaled more than $24 million. Highlights of Foundation Grant Funding • To address ongoing maintenance issues at the more than 80 Jewish cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania, the Foundation made a $150,000 grant to fund operations that will enable the Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh to expand to meet the community’s needs. • To help Jewish organizations secure endowments, the Jewish Community Foundation has facilitated the participation of 14 Pittsburgh organizations in the Grinspoon LIFE & LEGACYTM program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. In 2018–19, in the Foundation’s inaugural year of participation, the 14 organizations secured more than 400 planned gifts. The Foundation has provided funding for the program in 2019–20, in which a second cohort of agencies will take part. Temple Emanuel of South Hills was one of 14 Jewish organizations in Pittsburgh to enroll in the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s LIFE & LEGACYTM program. The program motivates and supports groups that seek to secure increases in planned giving. Photo: Joshua Franzos. 47
• The Jewish Association on Aging received $100,000 to enhance the entire Browns Hill Road campus as part of its consolidation with Riverview Towers. The Riverview complex has been renamed The New Riverview. • Seed money from the Jewish Community Foundation allowed The Aleph Institute to hire a caseworker who can conduct home visits and volunteer training, so the institute can reach more people in need. The Aleph Institute provides crucial services to incarcerated Jews and their families. • The Foundation awarded $20,000 to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, to fund a pilot program about the history of anti-Semitism. The program, to be used in public schools in Greater Pittsburgh, will leverage the Holocaust Center’s Chutz-Pow! comic book series and curriculum guide. Centennial Fund for a Jewish Future Grants The Centennial Fund for a Jewish Future (CFJF), with $24.3 million in total commitments, provided restricted grants totaling more than $400,000 and unrestricted grants totaling $333,200. The unrestricted grants funded: • An Israel engagement coordinator, to engage college students in meaningful, impactful programs that combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on college campuses and engage the students in Jewish identity–building programs such as Onward Israel and Birthright Israel. • Pittsburgh’s Momentum coordinator. The core program of the nonprofit organization Momentum seeks to inspire Jewish mothers to discover the richness of their Jewish heritage. Usually, as the mother’s connections to Judaism and Israel grow stronger, the Jewish connections of her children and extended family do also. CFJF grant funding also supported a portion of Momentum participants’ Israel travel. • A fifth PJ Library Ambassador. Pittsburgh’s PJ Library program has brought Jewish books, music and ideas to children in thousands of Jewish homes. The new ambassador will allow PJ Library to increase the number of PJ Library programs delivered. • Onward Israel, a resume-building experience in Israel that offers internships to young professionals and academic courses and fellowships to college and graduate students. 48
AWARDS Emanuel Spector Memorial Award 2019 recipient: FARRELL RUBENSTEIN The Spector Award is the highest honor presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The award is given for exemplary service to the community in a single year or over the course of many years. Gerald S. Ostrow Volunteer of the Year Award 2019 recipient: EVAN INDIANER This award recognizes the special efforts of a volunteer leader who has dedicated significant service to the community and has fostered partnerships among the Federation and its agencies. Ira & Nanette Gordon Community Professional Achievement Award 2019 recipient: BECCA HUROWITZ The Gordon Award recognizes a professional who, in the early years of his or her career, demonstrates outstanding service to the Jewish Federation, its beneficiary agencies and the Jewish community. Doris & Leonard H. Rudolph Jewish Communal Professional Award 2019 recipient: DANIEL MARCUS The Rudolph Award recognizes the exceptional personal and professional commitment of a Jewish communal professional employed by the Federation or one of its partner agencies. The awardee has improved the quality of services in the community and enhanced Jewish life. Natalie Novick Woman of Philanthropy Award 2019 recipient: BERNICE MEYERS The Natalie Novick Award is presented every year at Women’s Philanthropy’s Spring Event and recognizes a woman who has demonstrated leadership both in the community and for the Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy. PNC Community Builders Award 2019 recipient: MERYL & DAVID AINSMAN The PNC Community Builders Award recognizes a Jewish Federation leader or leaders whose volunteer efforts have resulted in a stronger and more vibrant Greater Pittsburgh community. Shore-Whitehill Award 2019 recipient: LISA LEDERER The Shore-Whitehill Award celebrates volunteers who promote, through advocacy or direct service to individuals or families, the inclusion of people with disabilities in the fabric of Jewish life. Sonia & Aaron Levinson Award 2018 recipient: SUSAN FRIEDBERG KALSON The Levinson Award is presented to recognize demonstrated leadership advancing intergroup relations in harmony with the Jewish ideals of social justice. Note: Nominations for this award close in August, following publication of the Jewish Federation’s annual report. Harold Grinspoon Award for Excellence in Jewish Education 2019 recipient in Pittsburgh: SARA LONDON This award recognizes a skilled, innovative educator in a Jewish day school, religious school, or early education center. 49
2018–19 JEWISH FEDERATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Officers Meryl K. Ainsman, Chair of the Board Charles Porter, Vice Chair David Sufrin, Vice Chair Scott Tobe, Vice Chair Charles Perlow, Secretary Linda Joshowitz, Asst. Secretary Jan Levinson, Treasurer Susan G. Berman Kress, Asst. Treasurer Board Members David Ehrenwerth Elyse Eichner Josh Farber Ellen Teri Kaplan Goldstein Richard Guttman Stephen F. Halpern Judith Kanal Scott Leib Jeffrey W. Letwin Robert I. Mallet Marsha Marcus Woody Ostrow Melissa Rackoff Todd Rosenfeld Gilbert Schneider Cynthia Shapira Daniel Shapira Bob Silverman Marcie Solomon Andrew N. Stewart Rebecca Tobe Randal M. Whitlatch 50
JEWISH FEDERATION STAFF Jeffrey H. Finkelstein, President and CEO Tracy Grandelis, Assistant to the President Brian Eglash, Senior Vice President & Chief Development Officer FINANCIAL RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN Jessica Brown Smith, Senior Director of Development Roi Mezare, Associate Director, Major Gifts Emily Richman, Director, Development Operations Rebecca Hurowitz, Associate Director, Campaign & Missions Joseph Enten, Senior Development Officer David Guzikowski, Donor Services Associate Rachel Gleitman, Director, Women’s Philanthropy Meredith Scott Hyman, Development Associate Jessica McClelland, Database Administrator Sara Spanjer, Young Adult Division Director Kristen Brandt, Database Technician Meryl Franzos, Development Specialist Joshua Schuneman, Development Specialist Michelle Weisbord, Development Coordinator Jewish Community Foundation Daniel O. Brandeis, Director Sharon Perelman, Associate Director/Director of Planned Giving Rabbi Danny Schiff, Foundation Scholar Katie Moose, Foundation Accountant Jan Barkley, Foundation Programs Associate Patti Dziekan, Foundation Executive Assistant Eric Probola, Foundation Coordinator Marketing Adam Hertzman, Director Ateret Cope, Events Coordinator Mihal Ehven, Digital Marketing Associate Joyce Hinnebusch, Marketing Associate Ilana Kisilinski, Marketing Associate Toni Murray, Marketing Associate/Writer Grace Simmons, Digital Marketing Coordinator Young Adult Engagement David Levine, Director, Young Adult Engagement & Community Collaboration Karen Podorefsky, Young Adult Engagement Associate Carolyn Slayton, Young Adult Programming Associate COMMUNITY BUILDING & FUNDING Planning 51
Ilene Rinn, Director of Planning Janice P. Bahary, Agency Relations Planning Manager Shelly Parver, Assistant Planning Director Raimy Rubin, Manager, Impact Measurement Kimberly Salzman, Director, Israel & Overseas Operations Debbie Swartz, Israel & Overseas Planning Associate Ravid Biton, Shinshinim Program Coordinator Marlene Layton, Community Building Specialist Mandy Rosenberg, Community Building Specialist Community Relations Council Joshua Sayles, Director Laura Cherner, Assistant Director Jewish Life & Learning Rabbi Amy Bardack, Director Carolyn Linder, Senior Manger Cheryl Johnson, Community Building Specialist Jewish Federation Volunteer Center David Chudnow, Manager Bex Frankeberger, Coordinator Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Lauren Bairnsfather, Director Emily Bernstein, Education Outreach Associate Tanya Bielski-Braham, Development Associate Jackie Reese, Marketing & Education Associate Christina Sahovey, Operations & Volunteer Programs Associate Marcel Walker, Chutz-Pow! Project Coordinator Ryan Woodward, Library & Education Associate Classrooms Without Borders Tsipora Gur, Director Daniel Pearlman, Post-Seminar Programs Manager CENTRAL SERVICES Milo Averbach, Chief Financial Officer Accounting Jenny Kaplan, Controller Linda Gordon, Financial Manager Roberta Jean King, Accounting Associate Monica Waya, Accounting Associate Community Security Bradley Orsini, Director 52
Erin Wyland, Coordinator Human Resources & Office Operations Deborah McGuire, Manager Rob Dziekan, Maintenance Supervisor Bryan Ellsworth, Maintenance Staff Information Technology Bill Petro, Senior Technology Specialist Staff members gathered outside the McKee Place office of the Jewish Federation. In January 2019, the Federation moved to a new headquarters: 2000 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh 15219. 53
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