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Federal prosecutors said they are seeking an 18-year prison sentence for the Catonsville woman charged with trying to destroy Baltimore’s power grid. Sarah Beth Clendaniel pleaded guilty in May to conspiring with her boyfriend, Brandon Russell, from December 2022 through February 2023, to damage energy facilities in Baltimore. In court filings Friday, prosecutors said the attack would have cost Baltimore Gas & Electric $75 million. Prosecutors said they plan to call witnesses at the sentencing hearing, including a BGE substation manager and a ballistics expert.
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Baltimore, MD - Sept. 9, 2024 - BGCubed's opening event is rescheduled for Wednesday, September 18th, iy'H! The countdown to this amazing event continues! We cannot wait to see you there! To stay up to date on our weekly BGCubed events, sign up for sms text messages! Text 'JOIN' to [516] 331-2432
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Jerusalem, Israel - Sept. 10, 2024 - Jerusalem's real estate market is known for being competitive, with prices often out of reach for many who dream of living in the city. However, a new opportunity is emerging in Katamonim —one of Jerusalem’s oldest neighborhoods— that promises to offer spacious, high-standard apartments within a warm community, and at significantly lower prices than other American neighborhoods in the city.  The project, spearheaded by the Berger Group and marketed by brothers Meir and Chanan Sand, represents a unique approach to community living in Jerusalem. "We wanted to create a community where people can live near their friends and family, enjoy all the amenities they need, and still pay much less than other areas in the city," says M...
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled on Friday that mail-in ballots with incorrect dates will not be counted in November, reversing a previous ruling from a lower court in the battleground state. The decision from last month named only Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties, which the state’s Supreme Court argued the lower ruling lacked jurisdiction. “HUGE election integrity win in Pennsylvania,” GOP Chairman Michael Whatley said in a post on X. The court’s reversal is a win for the Republicans, but received some backlash from the state’s American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which labeled misdated ballots a “common trivial error on the external envelopes” in a press release on Friday. “Today’s ...
A total of 55 rockets were fired towards northern Israel in multiple barrages on Saturday morning. Fires broke out in multiple locations in the Upper Galilee, after rockets hit during the two main barrages. The rockets also triggered sirens in locations near the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), and footage shows a line of mushroom clouds rising after rockets exploded in the area. The first sirens sounded around 6:00a.m., near Gornot Hagalil and in Shtula. Following the siren that sounded in the area of Gornot Hagalil, the IDF Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon. No injuries were reported. Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception. The siren in Shtula was wa...
Home improvement company Home Depot agreed to pay nearly $2 million to settle a civil complaint from multiple California district attorneys, alleging the company took part in false advertising and unfair competition. The company has to pay $1.7 million in civil penalties as well as $277,251 to cover investigation costs and “support future enforcement of consumer protection laws.” Home Depot did not admit wrongdoing, but was cooperative in the investigation, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney Office’s news release.  “False advertising and unfair competition are serious offenses that undermine consumer trust and distort the marketplace,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Gascón said in a statement.  The lawsuit said...
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During the first 20 minutes of Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, approximately 1,500 rockets were fired towards Israeli territory, Channel 12 News journalist Omri Maniv reported Saturday evening. The report noted that 1,500 rockets in 20 minutes is "more than a rocket every second, it's more than one-third the total number of rockets fired that day, which stands at 4,300." Under cover of these 1,500 rockets, within those same 20 minutes, approximately 1,500 terrorists entered Israeli territory. The second wave of terrorists infiltrated Israel at 7:00a.m., and included 1,200 terrorists. In this way, within just over half an hour, approximately 2,700 experienced Nukhba terrorists entered Israeli territory, to murder, torture, kidnap, rape, mutilate, and dismember...
A pro-Israel demonstrator in Massachusetts has been charged after prosecutors say he shot a man sporting a Palestinian flag pin who ran across the street through traffic and tackled the defendant Thursday during a heated dispute about the war in Gaza in which the man accused protesters of "defending genocide" and calling them "sick." Scott Hayes, 47, of Framingham, has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as well as violation of a constitutional right causing injury, after he shot his attacker in the stomach as they tussled on the ground in Newton at around 6:40 p.m., Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a late night press briefing.  Hayes fired his gun after the man made a beeline from across the street, tackled Hayes and knocke...
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a special discussion that he held last Thursday, "We are heading towards a broad campaign of one intensity or another." Netanyahu's instruction was given during a security-strategic discussion with the participation of the heads of the defense establishment and ministers Yoav Gallant, Israel Katz, Bezalel Smotrich and Ron Dermer. On Monday, the Cabinet is expected to meet to discuss the northern front. The heads of the defense establishment also claimed during Thursday’s discussion that a diplomatic settlement alone will not bring the residents of the north back home. Channel 13 News quoted a senior associate of Netanyahu as stressing that no date has been set for the military move, but it is a matter of anywhere from weeks ...
Parsha Hashavua
Rabbi Zvi Teichman on Parshas Ki Seitzei - We Are All on the Path to Greatness

We are one third of the way through Elul.


Have we changed yet?


We are each at various stages of our journey in life.


How different does each Elul seem in terms of our growth and spiritual accomplishments vis a vis the previous years?


Are we discovering that the more things change, the more things seem to stay the same?


Our portion begins with a sad tale of seemingly endless travails.


A soldier's eye catches a glimpse of a beautiful captive woman, sensing a strong desire to take her as his wife. After waiting the requisite amount of time where the woman is to remain disheveled and unattractive, and yet not waning in his craving for her, she converts, and he marries her.


Despite his hopes for a happy marriage, the Torah reports he ends up hating her, despite her having provided him with a firstborn son.


At the age of thirteen this child displays aberrant behavior, ignoring his parents many attempts to direct him on the right path. He goes on to commit a string of crimes — none deserving capital punishment — within a period of three months and is brought by his frustrated parents to the High Court in Jerusalem and sentenced to death by stoning.


He is punished so harshly, despite not having committed a sin warranting the death penalty, so that he may die while he is innocent, and not let him die when [he will inevitably be] guilty of capital crimes. (כל הנ"ל ברש"י כא י ד"ה ולקחת)


Can you imagine the disappointment of this erstwhile loyal soldier who started off life with so much hope for his future happy life — married, meriting a son, raising him to success in life, only to falter from love to hate; from hope to failure in raising a well-behaved child; a tragic ending with a father observing his child's execution?


Perhaps the Torah is referring to a sinister individual, who wasn't nobly seeking a worthy wife but merely looking for an excuse to marry a beautiful gentile woman, with the Torah teaching us that evil intentions will only create more problems.


The Holy Izbitzer, in his inimitable way, tells us otherwise.


Certainly, the Torah was 'not written for idiots', as the Talmudic adage goes.


The fact that the Torah describes our soldier being drawn to this woman with the term, וחשקת בה — and you desired her, indicates an inner drive for purposeful connection, often used in the context of a spiritual connection. (המגיד מדובנא)


I may add that the permission to take a captive woman is only during a מלחמת רשות — an optional war. To qualify to fight in an optional war one must pass muster before the officers who weed out all those who are 'fainthearted because of the sins in their hands'. So, we are clearly speaking about a G-d fearing soldier, whose intentions are not suspected.


When he realizes she has not lived up to his religious expectations of her he remains disappointed, yet hopeful, that the son she begat him will fulfill his aspirations to raise a child loyal to G-d's will. This will give him solace over his failed marriage and all the promise it held for him.


When this son begins to wander from the path, engaging in problematic behavior, his deepest angst returns, painfully pondering all those years of pained loss and extinguished hopes.


When they put to death this wayward son — by first stoning and then hanging him from the gallows — the father is crestfallen and ready to give up.


To address this poor man's dejection the Torah instructs, 'you may not allow his body to remain on the gallows overnight, but you must bury it on the same day… since a person who has been hanged is a 'degradation to G-d', with Rashi adding: in Whose image Man is created, for the Jews are G-d's children. (דברים כא כג ורש"י שם)


With this the father will gain peace of mind and be comforted for certainly G-d found good in this child, for were he to have been utterly worthless, G-d would not have directed he be taken down. There was some inherent good within these events that needed to be clarified, and it was not for nought that this father initially was drawn by 'desire' to this child's mother.  (מי השלוח כי תצא)


The Izbitzer concludes by pointing out that the portion immediately following this tale is that which discusses the obligation to return lost items.


No one is ever pushed away. Everyone must travel their path taking the essence of good that is within each one of us and seek its application in the myriads of circumstances of life that come our way.


The kernel of pure desire that sought to find its expression in the captive women, ultimately displayed itself in the errant child, who is even at the gallows recognized for the good he possessed, treasured as G-d's beloved child in His image.


We each make choices that lead us on the path unique to our tikkun — rectification. No one may ever judge another by their success nor by their plight. What to our eyes may seem like failure, is in the eyes of G-d our greatest accomplishment and purpose in life.


The Izbitzer says that one can never truly know whether one being drawn in one direction that seems contrary to the will of G-d is G-d driven, bringing proof from the episode of Yehuda and Tamar, where Yehuda was seemingly divinely drawn unwillingly to Tamar disguised as a harlot.


Of course, we can never know whether we are engaged in acts that are compelled or by choice, but one thing is for sure, regardless, we must keep on trying to cleave to G-d in finding our destination. He is constantly recalibrating the program to bring us closer to him until He recovers all of His beloved lost souls.


May we revel in this remarkable relationship we have with the Almighty, never sinking in despair.


You never know. Your resilience in failure may be that which G-d is seeking from you!


There are no failures, only detours that will bring us back onto the road to greatness.


באהבה,


צבי יהודה טייכמאן





























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SimchasSimchas Simcha
Baltimore, MD – Sept. 13, 2024  - It is with regret that Baltimore Jewish Life  (BJL) informs the community of the petira of Mrs. Adrienne Baars, a’h, mother of  Rabbi Stephen Baars. The shiva is in Manchester through Tuesday, September 17th. Rabbi Baars can be reached by email at sabaars@gmail.com. Bila HaMaves LaNetzach…
Baltimore, MD - Sept. 13, 2024  - The Department of Justice says its agreed with Johns Hopkins Health System on a proposed consent decree that would resolve alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A complaint filed in the United States District Court of Maryland accuses Hopkins of "denying people with disabilities equal access to medical care by excluding their necessary support persons." According to Maryland U.S. Attorney Erek Barron, Hopkins on numerous occasions failed to follow their own policies in letting patients with disabilities be accompanied by a family member or aide while receiving medical care. "Support persons can help individuals with disabilities to communicate, such as providing their medical history and answering questions, and to unders...
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Jewish students are bracing for renewed anti-Israel demonstrations at campuses around the world as the new academic year begins, with Jewish campus groups sharing their concerns about escalating rhetoric while also maintaining some optimism about new protest regulations and the strengthening of Jewish identity. Hillel International president and CEO Adam Lehman, World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) president Yana Naftalieva, and Chabad on Campus International CEO Yossy Gordon related to The Jerusalem Post in interviews last week the difficulties that their Jewish students had experienced in the previous academic year, which included bullying, physical altercations, protests, and the occupation of campus buildings and grounds by anti-Israel actors following the October 7 massacre. &ldquo...
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Parents have a natural tendency to control their baby’s food intake. While there is certainly a time, age, and place for this, many studies have shown that spoon-feeding infants may actually be bad for their growth, as letting babies self-feed themselves could be better for their overall development.Is it cleaner to feed your baby yourself? Of course! When you put food in front of your child and let them eat by themselves, it takes time and patience for them to actually get it into their mouth! At first, they will just stick their hands into the food. Then, they will reach for the vicinity of their face, and most of the food will get between their eyebrows and nostrils. Some kids (ok fine, most kids) will manage to get the food in their ears. How is that even possible? Then the food ...
A pro-Israel rally in a suburb of Boston on Thursday turned violent after a counter protester initiated an altercation with a group of demonstrators, one of whom pulled a gun and wounded him. According to Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan, words were exchanged at the rally at Newton, Massachusetts before the counter protester rapidly crossed the street and tackled one of the demonstrators. “A scuffle ensued. During that scuffle, the individual who had come across the street was shot by a member of the demonstrating group,” Ryan said during a news conference late Thursday. Scott Hayes, 47, of Framingham, was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and violation of a constitutional right causing injury. He is scheduled to be arraigned in...
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כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֥א לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה עַל־אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ וּנְתָנ֞וֹ יְקֹוָ֧ק אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ בְּיָדֶ֖ךָ וְשָׁבִ֥יתָ שִׁבְיֽוֹ  “If you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord, your God, will deliver him into your hands, and you take his captives (Devorim 21:10).”  War is an unfortunate reality. We must fight for our survival, we must fight for our land, and we must fight for our ideals and beliefs. But wars are not always fought with swords and bows. The seforim explain that this verse alludes to the most acute battle we each must wage. This is a battle waged internally; a battle we must fight within ourselves. The battle to which we refer is the battle against the y...
Shai Levi, the military correspondent for the Mako news site, revealed that some of the tunnels located on the Philadelphi Corridor were not blocked on the Egyptian side as the IDF spokesperson claimed. He noted that the tunnels were indeed blocked by the IDF, but "the claim that the outdoor tunnels, some of them, were blocked before the war, is not true." He wrote: "The IDF and the defense establishment do not want you to know that the publication by Brigadier General Itzik Cohen and the IDF spokesman about the tunnels under Philadelphi was false. Not all tunnels were blocked. They know and I know." Earlier, Levi wrote a tweet on the subject, but it was deleted at the request of sources whose names he did not specify. Yesterday, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit announced tha...
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