I want to call your attention to an article in the Post-Gazette this week about the community’s one year commemoration of what happened on October 27th. The day provides each of us with the opportunity to do what may be personally meaningful: Torah study, hands on volunteering, prayer, attending the gathering, or not doing any of these things. The planning behind this includes so many important stakeholders and I cannot thank them enough for working together in such a beautiful way.

Over the last week, Gal Inbar has been making his way around our region. Gal, is our first director of an initiative we are initially calling the Pittsburgh Israel Business Connection. The concept, at a very high level, is to connect Pittsburgh area and Israeli businesses with each other and in so doing, strengthening the economies of each region. Israel is the “Start Up Nation” and Pittsburgh is a leader in so many areas of technology and manufacturing. Gal has extensive business experience in Israel and has been on a listening tour with some key stakeholders in our Pittsburgh region to best formulate a business plan. There are several donors who are helping to make this effort a reality and all of us at the Federation thank them. I expect you will hear more about this in the year ahead.

Finally, I want to strongly encourage you to attend the Federation’s Annual Meeting on Thursday, September 5th. Like last year, we will be following our Fed Talks framework with three prominent and thought provoking speakers, Dr. James Young, Dr. Jonathan Weinkle and Rabbi Shira Stern. Please take a moment to read about each of them and the topic they will be addressing. Please register to attend.

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom on the final Shabbat before Labor Day weekend. Wear your white shoes!

Thursday, September 5 | 7 PM | August Wilson Center

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