Latest news with #SquirrelHill
CBS News
02-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers in Pittsburgh faces $48,000 in fines
Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers faces tens of thousands of dollars in fine Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers faces tens of thousands of dollars in fine Man accused of distributing racist and antisemitic flyers faces tens of thousands of dollars in fine Two weeks after people in Squirrel Hill and other communities came across hateful flyers targeting minority groups outside their homes, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police said a man is now facing more than $48,000 in fines. Living in Squirrel Hill, Rebecca Elhassid is seriously concerned about the hatred that she said has become normalized in today's society towards Jewish people and members of other minority groups. "I didn't think that in my lifetime we were going to see this kind of resurgence of hate," Elhassid said. She said it's now so commonplace that the flyers distributed in her neighborhood last month didn't surprise her. "Naively, I thought that we were past this as an American community, and we're not," Elhassid said. It was May 18 when people found antisemitic flyers, along with those sending racist and anti-immigrant messages, across Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, and in Washington County's Peters Township. Now, Pittsburgh police said 45-year-old Jeremy Brokaw of Zanesville, Ohio was the driver behind the wheel of a tan Dodge Durango. They issued more than 160 traffic citations against him for depositing waste and other material on properties, each carrying a $300 fine. Shawn Brokos is the director of community security at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. "They drove a distance. They drove about two hours from Zanesville, Ohio to come do this," Brokos said. "They did it with windows open, you know, broad daylight, yelling antisemitic comments out the window." Brokos said the people responsible are affiliated with a known white supremacy organization that's not known to be violent. They've encountered them other times in the past five years, but never this blatantly. She doesn't know if the incidents here meet the statute for a hate crime federally or ethnic intimidation on the state level. "It's a very high threshold, and it typically has to be a threat of violence, whether that violence was carried out or not," Brokos said. It's unclear if the others in the vehicle with Brokaw will face any consequences. Either way, Brokos hopes these fines are a deterrent. "I hope the citation at least sends a message, that do not come through Squirrel Hill, do not try and intimidate our Jewish community or harass our Jewish community," Brokos said. The case remains under investigation as detectives try to identify the others in the vehicle. If you have any information about them, call Pittsburgh police at 412-422-6520 or 911.
CBS News
30-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Richard King Mellon Foundation provides Tree of Life with $2.5 million grant
The Tree of Life is getting a huge funding boost thanks to one local non-profit. It was announced on Thursday that the Richard King Mellon Foundation gifted Tree of Life a $2.5 million grant to support building a national center for education, remembrance, bridge-building, and the celebration of Jewish culture. "The Richard King Mellon Foundation's grant comes at a critical juncture for The Tree of Life and the broader Jewish community," said Carole Zawatsky, CEO of The Tree of Life. "Our mission to uproot antisemitism and hate is of the utmost importance at this moment. We are incredibly grateful for the Foundation's generosity and continued support, which is symbolic of our core belief that antisemitism is an American problem and all of us – Jewish and not – must work together to counter it." The gift from the Richard King Mellon Foundation now gives the Tree of Life a total of $3.5 million in investment. "Our community is incredibly thankful for the continued support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation," said Michael Bernstein, chair of the board at The Tree of Life. "Our bold vision to realize a future where our children live without fear of antisemitism depends on partners like this who support our work." Tree of Life breaks ground on new synagogue Last year, after months of demolition, ground was broken on a new synagogue in Squirrel Hill. It was a day more than five years in the making; one filled with emotion, resilience, and hope, as the synagogue broke ground on a new space and a new chapter in its history. Since the horrific shooting on Oct. 27, 2018, the building had remained vacant until then, as construction began on the site of the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. The main sanctuary will remain for worship, but the new building, what's being called a 'reimagined' Tree of Life, will memorialize and celebrate the lives of those tragically killed. "We announce loudly and clearly to the entire world that evil did not win," Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said at the groundbreaking. Construction is expected to be completed in a couple of years.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
80 years after Holocaust, French survivor hopes we can learn from history
May is Jewish American Heritage Month, a time to recognize the history and contributions Jews have made to the United States. 2025 also marks 80 years since the end of the Holocaust, which killed six million Jews. According to the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, more than 350 survivors came to the region, with fewer than 20 still alive. With fewer opportunities to hear their stories, we want to share those that we can, including that of a survivor from France, hidden by a Catholic couple. Solange Lebovitz's story At 94 years old, Solange Lebovitz is keeping tradition alive at her home in Squirrel Hill, with the Shabbat candlesticks her parents received as a wedding gift in 1914. "It's the ancestry," Solange said. Solange was born in Paris in 1930, the youngest of six children. 10 years later, Nazi Germany invaded France. "We were not allowed to go on the beach because of all the bodies of the English soldiers," Solange said. Her parents sent her to live with her older sister, Regine, in a remote village. There, they were under the Vichy government, which ran the unoccupied part of France in the south and east, while the Nazis ran the north and west. However, the government worked closely with the Nazis and passed anti-Jewish laws, restricting occupations and daily life for Jews, and requiring them to wear the Jewish star. "Everybody was looking at me. They didn't know what it was," Solange said. "I didn't want to be different. Why should I be chosen to be different just because I'm a Jew?" Meanwhile, in Paris in July of 1942, her other sister, Berthe, tried to bring milk and bread to their neighbors, taken to the Vel d'Hiv, an indoor sporting arena, where, according to Yad Vashem, German forces had arrested and crowded 13,000 Jews, including 4,000 children, with little to no food and water. However, before she got inside, guards made fun of her and turned her away. "She hid under the table and cried, and told my parents we cannot stay here any longer," Solange said. While the encounter traumatized her, Solange said that had her sister been allowed inside, it would've been much worse, as the majority of the people there were later killed at Auschwitz. "She would never have come back. She would have been deported with all the other people," Solange said. Eventually, Solange and Regine went back to Paris to find the rest of their family gone, having fled the growing persecution in the city. With the help of the resistance, most of their family escaped to Limoges, while Solange ended up in Couterne, Normandy, staying with a Catholic couple, whom she later learned her family had paid to take care of her. One day, a German soldier came to her school, but her quick-thinking teacher had a plan. "She sent me to the kindergarten class to supervise," Solange said. To her relief, when he saw Solange with her red hair and blue eyes, not fitting the Jewish stereotype, he left. She remained in that village through D-Day and witnessed the fighting in the sky. "This is very scary. The noise of the bomb. It's like whistling," Solange said. Liberation came for Solange on Aug. 13, 1944, and then all of France on Aug. 25 "I was so relieved to be able to say that I am Jewish," Solange said. By December, she reunited with her family in Paris but would unfortunately learn the Nazis killed her grandfather and some of her extended family. Solange Lebovitz's connection to Pittsburgh In 1952, Solange married Larry Lebovitz, another Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia. They settled down in Pittsburgh, and at age 50, she received her bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh. "This is something that I can't get over," Solange said. 80 years later, she continues to share her story, hoping the next generation can learn from the past. "They have to study history. If you don't know history, you know nothing," Solange said. What likely helped Solange survive is that she was born in France, and the French government tended to better protect French jews over non-French Jews. Still, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum reports, for the most part, French leaders cooperated with the Nazis, leading to the murders of 77,000 Jews living in France.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
After winning the primary, Corey O'Connor pays tribute to his late father with "Thank You" sign
This fall, Pittsburgh will elect a new mayor after incumbent, Democrat Ed Gainey, lost to Allegheny County Controller Corey O'Connor in the primary Tuesday night. O'Connor is following in the footsteps of his late father, who died early in his term, and as he tries to fulfill his dad's legacy, he started out with a simple gesture Wednesday morning. Less than 24 hours after winning the city's democratic primary for mayor, Corey O'Connor hit the streets in Squirrel Hill to say thanks and show his appreciation to the people of Pittsburgh. He stood on a median at Forward and Murray, with his family by his side in the pouring rain. Cars drove by honking as he held up a 'thank you' sign, just as his father, Bob, did 20 years earlier. "It's our simple way of saying thank you, and you know, this wouldn't happen without the people and the voters of Pittsburgh, and that's why, you know, we do this each and every time," O'Connor said. It's a tradition that started when O'Connor's dad was first elected to the city council. "[He] went in our basement and hand-wrote thank you, and stood out on the corner, and it was very cold that day, and he did it all by himself," O'Connor said. The beloved politician then continued it when he became mayor. O'Connor has done the same as he's worked his way up the ladder, from council member to Allegheny County Controller and now a democratic candidate for mayor. Primary Election Coverage "Mom and dad would be going crazy right now. I'm sure they'd be very happy," O'Connor said. His parents remain top of mind as his priority turns to November and winning the general election. He said that means furthering conversations about issues like public safety, the economy, and the city's finances, all while maintaining his message that Pittsburgh should be families' first choice to raise their kids. "They're the ones that guide you each and every day, and you want to leave them with a better Pittsburgh," O'Connor said. O'Connor said in these next months, he will be focused on uniting the Democratic Party. As a part of that, he plans to meet with Mayor Ed Gainey sometime soon.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Pittsburgh Police, the FBI investigating distribution of antisemitic flyers in Squirrel Hill
Pittsburgh Police and the FBI are investigating after antisemitic flyers were distributed throughout the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood. A spokesperson for Pittsburgh Police says that officers from Zone 4 are investigating after the flyers with antisemitic messages were found on properties throughout Squirrel Hill. Police say there were multiple versions of the flyers, which were sealed in clear plastic bags and weighed down with corn kernels so that they could be thrown from a moving vehicle. Officers canvassed the area to try and find the suspect, but didn't locate anyone, police said. Police say that witnesses in the area gave a number of different descriptions of the vehicle and the driver, but said the most common suspect description provided by police was of a man with red hair. Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement that "the materials that were distributed in parts of Squirrel Hill today are reprehensible and have no place in Pittsburgh." Mayor Ed Gainey Statement Regarding Antisemitic Materials Distributed in Squirrel Hill Neighborhood — Mayor Ed Gainey (@MayorEdGainey) May 19, 2025 Mayor Gainey said his office is communicating with the Jewish Federation and working with Pittsburgh Police and the FBI to investigate the matter. Corey O'Connor, a candidate for mayor in Tuesday's upcoming primary election said the acts "have no place in our city." Despicable antisemitic acts like those taking place in Squirrel Hill today have no place in our city. — Corey O'Connor (@CoreyOConnorpa) May 18, 2025 Pittsburgh Police ask anyone with information about the incidents to call 412-422-6520.
