Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania and the Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh have been in the news. The events that have taken place on these campuses underscore our commitment to engaging the broadest range of Jewish students and to creating inclusive Jewish communities within campuses of civility.

On Wednesday night (Feb. 3) an event was held at the Rose and Ed Berman Center for Jewish Student Life, the Hillel Jewish University Center in Pittsburgh featuring former Knesset Member Effi Eitam. That event was protested by different groups, including individuals who are members of J Street, although they did so as private citizens and without approval from J Street. That same evening at Steinhardt Hall, the home of University of Pennsylvania Hillel, students who work under the banner of Penn Zionist Freedom Alliance and ZOA presented Daniel Pollak, co-director of Government Relations for the Zionist Organization of America, who engaged students in discussion about American-Israel politics.

The article is titled "Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan and his Reconstructionist ideas."

At Wednesday night's event, held at the Hillel JUC building in Oakland, the sight might not have been pretty, but it was passionate; several Palestinian-supporting protestors were let in to hear Eitam's presentation. Unfortunately for everyone in attendance, instead of holding their tongues and engaging Eitam in an intelligent discourse and thereby making their points more acutely known, the protestors favored interrupting Eitam with calls of "Murderer!" and "Racist!" 

In an interview yesterday with The Chronicle (check out next week's issue), Eitam noted that he believed such impatience and immaturity reflected the whole Palestinian conflict—his point, made in his speech and again yesterday, that the Palestinians are not yet in the mindset for peace, was illustrated in the protester's disruption. 

Though public discussion is still flaring, let us take a moment to recognize something good—our community is talking, debating procedure, politics and morality, allowing all to sharpen their personal beliefs and, as PAJC Director Deborah Fidel said, chose "morality over unity."

Let us know your thoughts on the event and Eitam right here. 

Zucchini-Basil Soup

My friend had some of this soup leftover and served it for Shabbat dinner last week. We devoured it, then put out our bowls for the few dribbles left in the pot, just like in the movie “Oliver,” when the orphans put out their cups and ask for more.

As an addendum, we note that the Iranian government this week offered to exchange three American hikers, who stumbled into Iranian territory months ago, for unnamed Iranians held in the West. We wonder if those Iranians could be the defectors named in the Spiegel Online story? 

Concordia has tweaked its menus so that there are always options to "forbidden foods," such as pork or shellfish, on the menu, although the facility no longer has a kosher kitchen. It has continued its regular Jewish programming. And it has provided transportation for residents to Temple Emanuel of the South Hills when requested.

But there is still the issue of the cross.

Within days after finalizing its purchase of the facility, Concordia erected a new sign near the entrance to the continuing care retirement community on Bower Hill Road, adjacent to Temple Emanuel. The sign displays the logo of Concordia Lutheran Ministries: a large cross intersecting a heart.

Patricia VanGilder Levenson is seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. First Congressional District seat, which is currently held by the incumbent, U.S. Rep Alan B. Mollohan.

If Levenson is elected, she would be only the second Jewish Republican currently in either the House or Senate, the other being Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia.

We'll have more on this story for the Feb. 4 Chronicle.

Rodef Shalom Congregation will hold a panel discussion called “Domestic Violence 2010: Era of Change,” focused on teenage dating violence, Monday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m. The discussion, sponsored by the Jewish Domestic Abuse Task Force, will include local experts and will feature a proclamation, presented by State Rep. Dan Frankel, in support of House Bill 2026, which would mandate dating violence education in Pennsylvania schools. The panel kicks off National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week in Pittsburgh, but, more importantly, the event is aimed to drum up support and awareness of H.B. 2026.

The bill passed by voice vote Thursday evening hews closely to a companion bill passed last month in the U.S. House of Representatives; White House requests to roll back some of the harsher provisions were unheeded.