The Advance of Art in Carnegie

My friend Phil Salvato is fond of pointing out that a community that has art is a community that thrives in all other aspects— shops, restaurants, business, housing. When we look at the revival of Carnegie over the past few years, it is obvious that the arts are certainly a factor. Although we do have the 3rd Street Gallery and The Clay Place, I would point to music and live theater as major developments. Phil himself, while being mostly known for his painting, has been a tireless promoter of jazz in Carnegie for the past 20 years. The Pour House brings live music to Carnegie every Tues-Sat evenings. But what actually sets the Pour House apart from other taverns is that they also have live music during lunchtime and happy hour. Our Carnegie Library Music Hall (which also is known by its awkward but appropriate nickname, the Carnegie Carnegie) rounds out the musical offerings in the borough with performances ranging from opera to chamber music to choral works appropriate for that grand venue.

Just as significant as the growth of music is the growth of live theater in Carnegie. Our Music Hall hosts two resident theater companies— Pittsburgh Savoyards and Stage 62. These two very different theater companies have loyal followers in the Pittsburgh area and draw a lot of people into town from other communities. More recently, Hans and Virginia Gruenert moved Off the Wall Theater from Washington, PA to Main Street. Newly reorganized as The Carnegie Stage, it hosts the Off The Wall Theater company and the Firewall Dance company. This month The Carnegie Stage is hosting New Works Festival, a month long program of brand new one-act plays. This long running annual festival moved to Carnegie three years ago in another sign of Carnegie's burgeoning theater scene.

The growth of the music and theater scene has caused a boom in new restaurants and shops in Carnegie. This in turn has caused other businesses, like engineering and software companies to want to locate in Carnegie. This Main Street 'vibe' helps them attract and retain employees. The spin off effects are real and observable. How many of you can say that you can walk from your office to have lunch at one of 10 unique non-chain restaurants? And that's not counting the ice cream shop at Flying Squirrel. Critics of course will say that they can go to many other venues to hear live music and see live theater. That's true. And they will say that they can drive to any restaurant they want. And that's true, too. But what they can not say is that all of those things are in walking distance from their home and office. Yes, it's great that we are bringing guests into town from neighboring communities. But while many communities claim that they are "great places to live, work, and play", Carnegie is actually doing it.

OK, the original intent of this story was to tell you about two special guests we had at shul for Yom Kippur. But I migrated into talking about how great Carnegie is, and I can't ever turn that spigot off!

I made several new acquaintances during the Holidays, including Harry Scheyer, Philip Green, and Ed Elikan. But of special interest were two women who are visiting Carnegie on arts related projects. They were surprised to learn that there was a shul in Carnegie, and that they could attend Yom Kippur services here, and it was close enough to walk!

Andrea Lepcio is a playwright who has lived most of her life in Boston. Her play Searching for the Pony debuted here in Carnegie last year, and I know some of you saw it. It is the story of a family dealing with breast cancer. Well, Andrea is back. Her newest play Tunnel Vision will have its world premiere here in Carnegie on October 16. It will run for two weeks at The Carnegie Stage on Main Street before heading to lesser known theater towns like NYC. Andrea will be here in Carnegie for the next month or so, as she helps the cast prepare. She told me that we should expect to see her at the shul during that time. Click HERE for more information about her upcoming production.

As Carnegie continues to renew itself, we should expect that events such as the visit of Andrea Lepcio and France Hilbert will become more typical and less rare.

Note: it's important to clarify that the above photo of Andrea and France in the sanctuary was not taken during the Yomtov; I took it after the Wednesday Maariv service following the conclusion of Yom Kippur. —Rick

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The Carnegie Shul Prepares for the High Holidays and Celebrates More Than a Century of Tradition

By Rick D'Loss • September 11, 2025

Carnegie, PA – September 11, 2025—The Carnegie Shul , founded in 1896 and incorporated in 1903, remains a cornerstone of Jewish life in the South Hills. As the oldest congregation in the region , it reflects more than 125 years of history, resilience, and community spirit. High Holy Days Services: A.J. Edelman Returns High Holy Days services at the Carnegie Shul will be held on September 22–24 for Rosh Hashanah and October 1–2 for Yom Kippur . The complete schedule is available at www.thecarnegieshul.org/high-holy-days . This year, services will once again be led by A.J. Edelman, a figure beloved by the congregation. "A.J. has been with us for about 8 years. He is a treasure that we have now," said Rick D'Loss, President of the Carnegie Shul. Edelman is renowned for his historic achievement as the first Orthodox Jewish athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics, inspiring many through his dedication to balancing athletic excellence with religious faith. His leadership and spirituality continue to enrich the community, making his annual return as shaliach tzibur a highlight of the Shul's holiday observances. A History of Faith and Community The Shul's roots stretch back to its founding families, including the Shermans, Millers, Wilks, Klees, and many others. "Starting in the late 1800s, Markus Sherman held services in his home," explained D'Loss. He led the formation of the congregation and organized the first high holidays services in 1896. We didn't even have a building; the first holiday services were conducted in the Husler building, the present home of the Carnegie Historical Society." The congregation was incorporated in 1903 and built a shul on Broadway St. "When a fire destroyed that shul in 1934, it was decided not to rebuild on that small lot because the congregation was still growing," recalled D'Loss. A new and much larger synagogue opened on Lydia Street in 1937. Leadership Across Generations Over the years, leadership has passed through many dedicated families and has been sustained by many other families and members. "In addition to the Sherman family, the Wilk family provided three generations of shul presidents. D'Loss recalled, "Ike Peresman and Jean Perlman served as Treasurers for more than 70 years between them. Stanley Roth served as Secretary from around 1947 up until 2005 and passed in 2009. He was a huge figure in the congregation and we referred to him as Nusi , the Hebrew word for "prince"." D'Loss said Dr. Larry Block, a retired professor from Duquesne University, continues to play a vital role. "He is an incredible, knowledgeable guy who has dedicated so much of his time and effort to this congregation over the past 40 years," said D'Loss. He was and still is a scholar. We rely on him for his knowledge of Torah and tradition. He's in his 80s and leads Torah study for us every week." A Unique Congregational Identity The Carnegie Shul is known for its strong traditions, welcoming nature, and independence. "We have not had a rabbi here since 1978, when Stanley Savage moved on to another shul. The congregation is unaffiliated. The term indie minyan is in vogue these days, but we've been an indie minyan for 50 years." The Shul has an open-door policy for High Holidays. Most congregations limit High Holiday services to just their members, but in the history of the Carnegie Shul, we've never restricted admission. "It's a pretty amazing testament to our place that people come, donate, and join because they appreciate what we offer and they want us to stay open. But their attendance and participation are their most important gift— a gift to both themselves and the community. The congregation is certainly smaller than it was in previous generations, but the ner tamid is still burning in Carnegie," D'Loss said.