Although Barbara Burstin grew up in a small New York community unaware of and insulated from anti-Semitism, she has become a respected Holocaust scholar and one of the foremost proponents of the advancement of Jewish causes. Her award-winning 1989 book, "After the Holocaust: The Migration of Polish Jews and Christians to Pittsburgh," was also the result of the dissertation for her doctorate in history from the University of Pittsburgh. Burstin, who teaches history at both the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, was recently elected chairwoman of the board of the United Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. One of Western Pennsylvania's leading philanthropies, the organization is dedicated to improving the quality of Jewish life, nurturing Jewish learning, caring for those in need, rescuing Jews in danger and insuring the continuity of Jewish people. The UJF also serves as the central planning and fundraising organization for the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. Each year, the UJF and its UJF Foundation distribute more than $24 million to meet health, social service and educational needs in Pittsburgh, Israel and throughout the world. Burstin, the immediate past chairwoman of the UJF Foundation and a past vice chairwoman of the UJF, chaired the 2004 UJF Community Campaign, which raised more than $11.7 million -- the highest total raised in federation history to that point. She is also immediate past chairwoman of the Holocaust Commission of the Holocaust Center of the United Jewish Federation, a past president of the Rose and Ed Berman Hillel Jewish University Center and a past president of the American Jewish Committee. She also serves on the board of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and sits on the City of Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission. It didn't surprise George Werner, dean emeritus of Trinity Cathedral (Episcopal) in downtown Pittsburgh, to learn that Burstin was the new chairwoman of the UJF board. "Barbara is extremely bright, unbelievably energetic and has a love for her community. And when you hang around with someone like Barbara Burstin, you do big things, " Werner said. "Barbara was the president of the American Jewish Committee when she became involved with the Jewish-Christian dialogue, which in 1992 was responsible for organizing the 13th national workshop on Jewish Christian relations that was held here in Pittsburgh. We were able to bring 700 scholars from throughout the world to participate in the workshop, which attracted such nationally recognized speakers as Dr. James Forbes of the Riverside Church in New York City. "Barbara will bring the same enthusiasm as chair of the UJF, as she has in any challenge she has undertaken." Burstin's fascination with history -- a childhood interest that enabled her to achieve the prestigious goal of acquiring a doctorate in the field -- was encouraged by her parents, Joseph and Mildred C. Stern, at their home in the Village of Farmingdale near Long Island, N.Y. There, amidst the stacks of history books in the family library, were hundreds of history books that her father, an attorney, had accumulated through the years. The library opened to her a world that gave her a better understanding of the diversity of the multitude of cultures and their impact on the United States. This background also provided her with the material for a documentary film "A Jewish Legacy: Pittsburgh," that she wrote and produced in 2001. The film chronicled the history of Jewish Pittsburgh over the past 150 years. And it was while growing up in Farmingdale that she began to appreciate what it meant to reach out and help others. Her father, a member of the local Rotary Club, had involved himself with numerous Rotarian charities -- an indoctrination that paved her way this past September to assume the position of the UJF chairwoman in Pittsburgh, which is considered one of the most prominent UJF chapters in the United States. During that period of her life in Farmingdale, she also became aware of one of the most disheartening of human traits -- that of race and religious prejudices. "My father," Burstin said, "made the rounds of the New York City law firms after he received his law degree from NYU, where he was first in his graduating class. He was Jewish and could not get a job with a law firm in New York City. "And that's one of the reasons he decided to remain in Farmingdale, where he was the attorney for the village for nearly 40 years, and where he helped my grandfather, Aaron Stern, who had a pickle factory in Farmingdale. Stern Pickles were well known in the Northeast." Burstin said because Jews were "such a minority in Farmingdale," she didn't feel the full impact of prejudice experienced by Jewish families in larger metropolitan areas. "My father and my grandfather were among the founding members of the Farmingdale Jewish Center, where my brother, Howard, and myself, attended with our parents and grandparents. My brother, Howard, who is deceased, taught history at the University of Wisconsin (Madison)," she added. Her father's experience with prejudice was also one of the vehicles that would guide her during her terms as a past president of the American Jewish Committee and a member of the City of Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission. However, the impact of the Holocaust was not a major issue when she was growing up in Farmingdale, where she was the valedictorian of her high school graduating class. "I enjoyed the years that I spent attending Farmingdale High School. I played the saxophone and clarinet in the school band. Our school band was known as the Daler Dance Band, which played at the Newport Jazz Festival," Burstin said. "I also played on the girl's basketball team." Upon receiving her degree in economics from Vassar College, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1962, she went on to acquire her master's degree in teaching history from Columbia University in 1963. Her odyssey -- which would eventually bring her to Pittsburgh by way of Milford, Conn., where she taught school and had four children -- began with her marriage to a research psychiatrist. While living in Milford, she displayed a bit of the energy and community activism. "I was a member of the CIA, the Consumer Information Alert. Among our aims was to alert women and make them aware of the chemicals in products that they were using in their homes and for their children," Burstin said. "I was also active in the League of Women Voters and the UJF in New Haven. We had a lot of fun holding auctions, which were used to fund the federation's charities." In 1973, her husband joined the staff at Western Psychiatric Hospital in Oakland and the family moved to Squirrel Hill. The couple divorced in 1974. A year later, she married David Burstin, whom she met when he brought his 3-year-old daughter to her home to play with her 3-year-old daughter. As a result of the marriage, she acquired two stepchildren. "It didn't take me long to realize what a fine man David was and what a good husband and father he would make," Barbara Burstin added. "David was also very much involved in Jewish affairs and had served a two-year term as the chair of the UJF. In 1978, Burstin began writing articles about the Holocaust for the Jewish Chronicle, and also book reviews. "I was able to obtain first-hand information from my plumber, who was a Holocaust survivor," she said. And her writings, she said, coincided with a weeklong program on the Holocaust on national TV in 1978. "I knew very little about the Holocaust until I took a class on the Holocaust at Pitt. It was the galvanizing force for my tenure as the past chair of the Holocaust Commission of the Holocaust Center of the United Jewish Federation," said Burstin, who earned her doctorate in history from the University of Pittsburgh in 1986. Burstin said her husband's support is invaluable. "It's a blessing to have someone with David's credentials supporting me in my term as chair. David is also a man on the go. We laugh as we recall that the only time we get to spend time together is on the golf course. I am an avid tennis player, but this was one of the reasons I took up golf." David Burstin said his wife is unique. "I never met anyone like Barbara, who has such a varied group of interests and handles them so well," he said. "I'm proud that my wife is the first academic who has been recognized for the top position in the federation. Barbara will appeal to many different constituencies and gave them a sense of inclusiveness." Barbara Burstin's family is scattered throughout the world and includes daughters Andrea Schneider of Milwaukee, a law professor at Marquette University; Deborah Cosgrove of Chicago, Ill., a Jewish educator; Nancy Strichman, of Israel, who has her doctorate in the evaluation of nonprofits and teaches that to both Arabs and Jews; a son, Jeffrey Kupfer, of Washington, D.C., the executive director of the President's Tax Reform Panel; and stepchildren Julie Lichtenstein, of Squirrel Hill, an insurance executive; and Peter Burstin, of New York City, a writer. She also has 15 grandchildren. Jeffrey Finkelstein, president and chief executive officer of the UJF, said the organization is fortunate to have Barbara Burstin as the new chairwoman. "As the top volunteer in our community, Barbara brings to our organization a wealth of communitywide experience; depth of understanding and knowledge; and a commitment of purpose to ensure Pittsburgh's continued vibrancy and future growth. "She has put together an energized volunteer leadership team that is already hard at work developing new initiatives that we anticipate will bring outstanding results," Finkelstein added. As the immediate past chairwoman of the UJF Foundation and a past chairwoman of the UJF, Burstin chaired last year's highly successful UJF Community Campaign. A former president of the American Jewish Committee, she recalled the positive experiences she shared in the dialogue with the various Christian clergymen. "I was one of the first persons to welcome Bishop Donald Wuerl into the community," Burstin said. "I met Bishop Wuerl with a basket of goodies, including bagels and lox. "In January 2004, when David and I traveled to Rome with the Pittsburgh Symphony, which was involved in celebrating Pope John Paul II's silver anniversary, Bishop Wuerl introduced us to the Pope. It was a moment that David and I will always remember. I appreciate the Rosary that the Pope gave me." Wuerl recently recalled the years that they worked together in interfaith dialogues. "I've always recognized her competence and willingness to work so well with the wider community," he said. Charles Morrison, director of the Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, recalled the thousands of volunteer hours that Burstin committed to the agency's goals, prior to resigning because of scheduling conflicts. "When Mayor (Sophie) Masloff appointed Barbara to the commission, she picked a woman of impeccable credentials. Barbara's manner and style in resolving problems related to the enforcement of anti-discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations was exemplary," Morrison said. "Barbara was the chair of the compliance review sector. When they found that a violation had probable cause, they would meet with the parties to work out a resolution. Barbara had the presence to met privately with each of the parties. She did a great number of these. Without a doubt, she is missed." Facing challenges and doing big things has been Burstin's legacy. In her career as an educator, speaker, author, historian and executive, she has set the pace for other women to follow. Burstin is a past recipient of the Sonia & Aaron Levinson Community Relations Award, which recognizes individuals who pursue the Jewish ideals of social justice and concerns for all humankind. She has also been honored with the Oskar Halecki Prize from the Polish-American Historical Society and the Outstanding Community Leadership Award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America. In addition to serving on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, she is a frequent lecturer on topics related to the Holocaust and the history of Jewish Pittsburgh. She is doing research for a book on the history of the Jewish community of Pittsburgh. She said she'll call upon her past experiences to guide her in fulfilling her duties for the next two years. "What I want during my term of office is for the federation to help strengthen the institutions of the Jewish community and give everyone a stronger sense of community. "I want to be able to reach out especially to young people and involve them more in whatever it is that interests them -- whether it is synagogue participation, connections to Israel or to Jews anywhere in the world, Jewish learning in any shape or form, or involvement with Jewish communal organizations that are engaged in philanthropic, social, cultural activities, whatever. "Federation is about community building and promoting those values, which we as Jews and Americans hold dear -- namely social justice, concern for the needy both in the Jewish and non-Jewish world, respect for the individual, mutual understanding, the importance of family and dedication to learning. I feel in the work that we do, in the way we raise and distribute funds that are given not to us, but through us, we need to continually underscore and promote those values in the Jewish and general community. "Teaching is what I do; in a sense this is another venue for me to try to have an impact. I certainly can't guarantee that everybody is listening, but I'm going to try!"

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